Drooping Willows adaptation

If he was going to stay here for any length of time, there was a lot he would need to do, with perhaps the most important task being learning the landscape. So, Alarick thought that would be the purpose of today, and he had set out at first light to begin wandering the area. Days of rest and the thought of others expecting things out of him now had afforded him more energy and resolve than he had felt for some time, which was nice.

The territory that Avella and her sibling had been raised in, and reclaimed for themselves, was nothing short of amazing. The cave system present in the ridge was impressive, as was the land surrounding the place. Come spring and summer, the area would almost surely be teeming with new life, and would undoubtedly be a wondrous thing to see.

As a former hunter though, part of his role in scouting was also to keep track of prey. So as he wandered through the forest, Al remained vigilant for any trails or paths that prey might frequent, as well. He did not yet know these wolves very well and did not know if he would stay for sure, but he hoped to be useful for however long he remained with them.

Establishing themselves had become his top priority. Of course, walking in circles within their territory and the surrounding areas got old. Very old. Very quickly. At this point, Moore was sure he could recognize every rock, bramble and stream in the area, even if someone spun him around blindfolded then set him loose. Not that that was any excuse to slack off; he remained vigilant and watchful, intense gaze sweeping the areas surrounding him.

For a spell, there was a whole lot of nothing. Stale prey scents, snow, the occasional chirp of some birds further signaling springs soon-to-be arrival… nothing interesting. It wasn't until he came across some paw prints and Alaricks' scent clinging to the air did he perk up. They hadn't had the chance to really get to know one another yet, perhaps this would be a good opportunity? Trotting along the others trail, it wasn't long until his packmate was in sight. Moore let out a soft bark, signaling his presence as to not startle his packmate, tail waving behind him languidly in a friendly manner.

"Hey, Al!" He called out, perhaps a bit louder than he meant to. Hopefully nothing was hiding in the snow nearby. "Mind if I tag along?" Not really waiting for an answer, Moore trudged through the snow drifts, stopping a few feet away from the other man.

Though had busied himself with tasks such as scouting and patrolling, one area he had most certainly not attended to nearly as dutifully as he should, was the social side of things. Getting to know and bonding with the others in the pack was just as important, if not arguably more so. Without cohesion, the rest of it did not really matter. For all he knew, the others could believe he was just out here fooling around.

As someone called out to him though, it seemed today would present an opportunity to make sure that was not the case. Better yet, the source of the call turned out to be Moore, perhaps the only one that had left Alarick with a bit of a distasteful first impression, when he had first arrived with Avella. This was an opportunity to see if there was any credence to that, or to get past it. Al hoped for the latter but was curious to find out which.

The other had asked if Alarick minded company, but had taken to venturing closer, making his intent clear enough without any response. Recalling that, from what little he had seen of Moore, the other appeared to appreciate and enjoy humor and playful antics, Alarick decided to do something he did not think he had ever done before and prayed it would not backfire him. Turning back, he fixed what he hoped was a slightly irritated-looking grimace on his face.

”Actually, I do. I prefer to be left alone to do my job,” he spoke candidly, allowing a few seconds to elapse, just long enough to observe an initial reaction, before flashing the other a big, and probably very dumb looking smile. ”Just kidding, I would be glad to have the opportunity to get better acquainted with you.”

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2022, 12:37 AM by Alarick.)