Luna Hill when my tongue turns to dust

<blockquote>From a distance, Ozera had seen a single crest rise from the ground. Upon it, stood a single tree, lonely and attentive, which piqued her interest. Now her legs churned beneath her as she mounted the rise, a tongue hanging limply from her parted jaws. Hazy breath floated about her as she panted, rather exhausted. Forcing herself to take just a few more steps, the lanky, unkempt tapestry, a myriad of browns, slumped underneath the tree. This place sure would be nice in the spring or summer. It would make for such a lovely patch of shade.

If Ozera hadn't already chosen a pack, perhaps she would have moved out here, and dug a den into the hillside. The gnarled, intertwining helices would support the roof of the den substantially. Now that she thought of it, Ozera wasn't really sure how she felt about joining a pack now. She wasn't attached to Midnight Plateua, she knew practically no one. On the other hand, she knew and enjoyed Indru, Triell, and Ruiko --yes, even Ruiko-- from Swift River. However, she didn't think she could just change her mind like that. That seemed wrong. I ought to at least try it out.

For now though, Ozera became the watchdog of Luna Hill, her eyes investigating her surroundings from her uncanny vantage point. It was refreshing to put herself on a different plane than the rest of the world, it was like distancing herself from all of their depressing problems that tumbled around in her head. Ozera, so full of empathy, and where empathy was non-applicable: sympathy, was starting to feel weighed down. She had thought she had missed pack life, missed being with others, but she was finding it hard to get back into the groove. Her dark head swung back and she nipped at an itch on her shoulder, mentally trying to scrape some of the rust off.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2011, 01:09 AM by Ozera.)

Danger, it was not something he had ever wanted to encounter ever on his travels, though it seemed as if it could easily be something that he would need to add to his list of experiences. He was glad that the time he had been spending alone was not entirely dangerous, yes he had no protection from the biting, bitter loneliness of the real world but he would be able to deal. It was why he was out here to begin with, to experience the world as it was and to learn everything about it, explore every nook and cranny it had (like an English muffin that had been torn and not cut), every cave and every river, every mountain and every valley. There was nothing that he wished not to do in his lifetime, for he wanted to know what it was all like and how everything worked, why they were alive and what exactly his purpose in life truly was. Maybe he didn't even have a purpose in life, who knew.

He was now within an unfamiliar land that he would soon know like the pack of his paw, for he was determined to meet everyone he could and to know every inch of the place. His brown figure trod quickly across the landscape, having just arrived here he was not sure where exactly everything was. As but a yearling his sense of direction wasn't entirely there yet, and he would have to find an older wolf (older than him, at least) to help him out, one that knew the lands that he now walked. It surprised him as he was trotting now as he came across another wolf, a female who seemed to be older than him, for she had that aged look he saw every wolf that wasn't a yearling had. He turned to her with a smile on his face, his tail light in the air and flicking softly as he asked his question. "Hello, Miss. Do you know these lands well enough to tell me whereabouts things happen to be?" Polite, precise. Just like he was raised.

<blockquote>She was roused from her musings, it appeared, by another one of these dark yearlings. They're all black, aren't they! Why, this is so strange! I haven't met a single one that wasn't black. Very peculiar indeed. Although, to be fair, he was more of a dark brown than anything else, but there still wasn't a hint of light on him. Ozera found this deeply amusing, however, her eyes began to mull over other aspects of his appearance. He almost looked like a Tainn, the way he held himself, so sure and so majestic for one so young. But none of them had eyes so washed out. Plus, he didn't smell like Swift River at all. Abruptly, she tossed the notion away.

It was hilarious to her, though, to be referred to as a "Miss", yet it was deeply flattering for someone who was almost over the hill --literally and figuratively. Also, she had to laugh, since she really had no idea where anything was. Ever since her arrival, Ozera had sort of just wandered around. "Kid, you've just got to wing it." Not that that was very helpful. She decided she might as well tag something on to the end of it. "Up on those mountains over there" her nose swung to east, although it was unnecessary, since they stood in start contrast to the rest of Relic Lore, visible from anywhere, "Is my pack... I guess. And, well, I know there's another pack somewhere around here, but since I don't live there, I can't exactly tell you where it is."

She smiled apologetically, volunteering, "My name is Ozera."</blockquote>

Something in him stirred and for a moment he wondered if she would be able to show him the way to some wolves who would care for him more than he had thought his family cared about him, lead him to a place where the grass really was greener on the other side and life was a whole lot better. He would be able to rest his paws and live in an oasis some only dreamed about, with drifting cotton ball clouds and rushing streams of crystalline water. He wanted one day to find a place like that, to settle down with them and to enjoy every last moment he had, to want to return to camp every night and bask in the energy they emanated from one another. Kid, you've just got to wing it. She spoke to him, and his heart almost plummeted to his stomach. She wouldn't show him around and help him out at all? He had gotten what little hope he had up for nothing in those few seconds he had seen her, thinking that maybe she would be able to tell him where the best hunting spots were, or where he could find a nice alpha to take him in. But no, it seemed as if he would have to be on his own with this kind of stuff. He had been on his own for almost six months, he would just have to continue to do so.

Ozera then pointed her nose to the mountains, and told him that was where her pack lay. So there was at least one group of wolves living around here, but she couldn't help him out even though she lived here? Perhaps if they had met in the mountains he would have asked and she would have showed him around, but that was a different situation altogether. He let his grey eyes rest on her as she continued to say that there was another pack, but she just didn't know where exactly they were. Her name was offered up, and Skurlekai let a smile curl onto his face, at least she was being decent and was nice and wasn't chasing him away from her to be alone. "Skurlekai," He said, the syllables of his name rolling off his tongue like they had so many other times. "And thanks, I guess. Better than leading me on to thinking I could have a guide right off the bat. I've been alone for a while and it's getting so tiring," He paused, looking to the mountains where she had eased her nose towards. "Are they nice?" Meaning her pack, of course.

<blockquote><ul><b>ooc</b> - I'm sorry, this is going to be a pretty awful post xD</li></ul>For a moment there, Ozera almost imagined that she saw a crestfallen look flash on his face. What?, she thought, That's weird. She really couldn't understand why he looked so sad, since she couldn't even remember having ever said anything to him to chase his smile away. Then, however, after the deeply brown yearling introduced himself with what was, Ozera thought, a very, very strange name, he explained. Skurlekai. What a doozy of a name! Yet, she listened as he continued, becoming aware of how dismissively arrogant she had come of as, telling him to make it on his own. Not so unlike a certain wolf I know. Really, what had been meant by it was merely that she herself was winging it, and she didn't know enough to tell him anything about Relic Lore. Well, she'd try it again.

"Oh, no," the words rushed out of her mouth, "I'm not trying to be snarky! I'm just new here! I've only been here... what... like maybe a little over a week? Anything I could tell you wouldn't be worth a lick. Like how I found a burned down tree, or fell in a pool by a waterfall. I can't exactly tell you where, because, jesus, I don't really know." She giggled, finding her own naivety and general lack of direction amusing. "But I understand where you're coming from. I spent three years by myself. It gets old, but not as fast as I thought it would. Though unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't even tell you if they're nice or not! I only met one wolf, but she just asked me a few questions. I don't think I got her name. I saw the alpha for maybe a minute. I have no idea what they're like. Sorry."

Inside her head, the name Skurlekai kept bumping in to her train of thought. Ozera was having trouble coming to terms with how exotic and strange it sounded. At the very least, it was amusing to repeat it, turn it into a little chant. Skurlekai! Skurlekai! Skurlekai! Skurlekai! Skurlekai! Suddenly, she realized just how bored she must be.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2011, 10:05 PM by Ozera.)

As a philomath, the only thing Skurlekai really truly wanted to do was be taught by others. Being able to learn the layout of this new land to him would be one way of learning, and since he had come across someone who wasn't able to give that knowledge to him, it was hard for him to comprehend that she would be able to do anything to really help him out. Maybe all she could give him was a good conversation, but he was even beginning to think that was impossible, due to his hopes having been dashed. He wasn't normally one to give someone second chances, especially when there was a lack of knowledge being shared, but in this case he supposed he was being forced to stick around and see what she could offer him. It was a blow to him, he had never imagined that he could come across a wolf that could not share with him something that resulted in him learning a new skill or merely learning information.

She tried to explain herself, obviously his face had conveyed what he had been wanting to hide, his shattered hope, but now she had seen it and she had reacted. Not trying to be snarky? He hadn't been wanting her to think that he thought she was, he wasn't quick to judge and he hadn't thought her to be anything at the moment other than somewhat useless. Not in the sense that her entire life was useless, but in the sense that she was useless to him at the moment with providing him with the information he needed at the moment. The yearling just wanted to know where to find wolves who could offer him a home, and perhaps she had given him some of that knowledge but it hadn't been descriptive or detailed. "I never assumed you to be snarky, I just got excited because you're the first wolf I've seen in a few weeks. We aren't solitary animals, you know, we need interaction," He paused, hoping that his face was being contorted into something nicer. "Since I found you I assumed you had been living here for a little longer and knew where things were. I guess maybe I shouldn't assume from now on, but I promise I don't think you anything less than kind!" Was that a little better? He hoped she didn't think he was just digging himself a deeper hole, that would be horrible. "Oh, well then maybe I'll have to meet them for myself, and you did help me out by saying they were in the mountains. Those won't be too hard to find," He chuckled softly, pointing his nose to the place where she had aimed hers a little while ago, but it was unnecessary due to them being so large and protruding from the earth in a manner that was obvious. His paws were beginning to ache to rest, though. He sat, and let his grey eyes roam the mountains, as if he could see the wolves of Ozera's pack, though he knew that was impossible.

<blockquote><ul><b>ooc</b> - ahhhh. bad post again. :x</li></ul>Oh, he was bubbling a sorry, too, now. Well, as long as they were both being apologetic, then she guessed that there was really nothing wrong and nothing to be sorry about at all. Apparently, they were just sort of misunderstanding each other left and right, which was pretty disheartening. Can't get everyone right on the first try, I guess. "That's a relief," she replied with a smile, which was, for some reason, all she felt she needed to say to all that. When Skurlekai sat down beside her, looking at the peaks that broke and scraped at the horizon, Ozera wondered if he was hoping that would be his new home. For some reason, Ozera found herself feeling weird. When her dulled, yellow eyes snagged on the mountains, she did not really think of home. She had, before, when she had been rambling up them in the middle of the night... But now... What has changed? Was she destined to be a roving gypsy? Ozera shook her head, that definitely wasn't the case.

"Hey uhm.... Skurlekai," the syllables of his name were stretched out and awkward coming from her mouth, like a newborn calf on spindly legs, "Can I just call you Skur? Or... Kai?" One other the other would certainly be much easier. Although, that wasn't what she had originally meant to say. "I don't know, though. Maybe you'd like Swift River better. I actually know more wolves from there, and all of them are nice." Wait, for whose benefit was she saying this? Was she saying it for Skurlekai? Or had that thought always been in her mind. A deep, ominous uncertainty churned in her belly, she was profoundly unsettled by this. But I have to give them a chance.</blockquote>

After so long without a touch of wolf interaction or anything along the sort and having to travel alone, a conversation with someone was very welcome. Skurlekai was happy to be speaking with this woman, she was sort of like him in a way, though she had more experience with certain aspects. He was glad that they could relate on some degree to few things, and that she could give him at least a bit of information pertaining to the layout of the land. The mountains were very endearing, he would need to visit them in a short while to see who was about, though there was another pack that he would need to check out before making a final decision, as well. He was a curious brute, he was, he merely wanted to learn about different aspects of the world. He hadn't been touched by the buss of reality in a long while, so when he had come across the woman he spoke to now, his heart had soared with excitement.

Could she call him something other than his full name? He had no problem with it, he wondered why she hadn't begun to do so herself without asking. To call someone a nickname that was separate from their true name was not a big deal, unless they were a massive, scary animal and hated being called anything else. Perhaps that was why she had asked. "You may call me whatever you wish, I suppose, I don't mind," He said with a smile, trying to think of a few nicknames of his own that he could call her, but he liked her name just fine. Ozera, it slid off the tongue easier than his own name, and it had an aftertaste like honey. He wondered if she had certain tastes with certain words, or if he just believed he could taste things. "Thank you, perhaps I'll try to catch up with one of the wolves from Swift River and poke around a bit," He grinned, flapping his tail a little bit. Should he ask her a question now? He couldn't remember the proper way to converse with someone. His shaggy brown fur rustled as he took a scratch behind his ear, like a large silly dog. "Are they all as nice as you?"

<blockquote>She had definitely encountered wolves who put a lot of meaning and love and identity into their name. Some wolves wore their name like a badge, saw it merely as a form of communication with wolves. Others, well their name was their shape, their form, they lived inside of identity, so proud and strong. To them, their name was something no one should ever, or could ever take away from them. They would insist on the use of their full name, maybe even their whole name —which had a tendency to be very long. Ozera herself didn't particularly mind. Names were just strange sounding words to her. The whole idea seemed sort of silly. Then again, nearly everything seemed silly to Ozera. "You know, I've never really had a nickname...It's weird," this comment was absent-minded, almost to herself, since the little wolf continued talking.

Skur certainly seemed more friendly to her now, with the buss of a smile on his lips, scratching his ear. There was a taint of weirdness to his whole being, she noticed in spite of the smile. Was it his eyes, so faded and colorless? In a way, this little pup reminded her very much of Ruiko. Except she had never seen Ruiko smile, or do something so ridiculous —or at least, he would probably see it that way— like scratch his ear where someone could catch him doing it. But this yearling did have the same sort of majestic air about him. How strange. When he said that he would poke around Swift River a bit, Ozera thought, Oh yes. You really need to. To her, it would be interesting what would happen if he ever ran into the statue that was Ruiko.

Were they all as nice as her? This question took her completely by surprise. To be honest, she had never really thought about herself as anything but average in most aspects. It wasn't a matter of being humble or vain, it was just that she never really bothered to compare anything to herself. "Oh, I don't know," she laughed, a bit uncertain, "Swift River is all sort of one family. At least, I think so. I met three brothers. Two were very nice, gallant. The other..." How on earth does one describe Ruiko to a wolf that has never met him? "The other takes a bit of poking and prodding to get into, you know?" That sounded good enough.