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The large wolf trod carefully over the loose twigs and autumn leaves which littered the forest floor. The air had been dry the past few days and the ground was like tinder - rustling at the merest touch. He picked his way carefully between the worst spots as he indentified them and tried his best not to make too much noise.

He had been hunting since morning and had fed himself, taken something back to the den and was now out scouting again. He felt the need to provide a little more meat because he had brought back yet another mouth to feed. His guilt had, for now, stopped him from wandering idly and daydreaming as much as he would usually.

He raised his head up, sniffing the air wearily. He was getting tired now and wanted to be back at the den, sitting by the river and playing with the new, small, charcoal pup, Shambala.


Starla moved along through the wood, the sound of crunching leaves and the smell of dust stirring soothed her mind. The dry weather was a godsend in her perspective. So the striped wolfess was in a rather good temperment today. Well...if you could ever say she was in such a thing. The past few months had seemed so sluggish, every day the same as the next. Not a trace of her sister was found and it was driving her crazy, if she wasn't already. She paused beneath a tall oak, letting out a long breath through her nose. There was nothing here either. Shifting violet eyes dully she glanced around her. Nothing looked familiar, not that she kept track. The landscape was of little interest to her...besides the fact that it either held water or didn't. And though a sent of another wolf tickled her nose, it wasn't Ieshia so she didn't pay it any mind at all.

Ouranos's nose picked out the scent of the female immediately as she came within range of his senses. He plodded forward happily, immediately glad at this chance to take a break from hunting and, even better, meet another wolf from this area. He shook himself, loosening muscles taut from staying silent, and padded forward in a haphazard manner compared to before, his paws crunching on the dry material underfoot.

As he came closer he called out "Hallooo!" loudly, not wishing to sneak up on her - not that she was likely to have not noticed him by now - what with his noisy approach. He was never really one to slink past other wolves when he came across them and perhaps lacked the true wariness many of his kind had for each other. He was not stupid, however, and didn't approach too closely to the female whom he could not yet actually see.

A white ear flickered to the side as a voice caught Starla's attention. She shifted her head so she could get a better look as a strange male drew near. She felt a twitch of irritation fill her being. What was this fool doing? She had no desire to converse with anyone, no matter how friendly. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and refused to return his greeting with the same enthusiasm. Instead she clipped tightly, feeling her body stiffen, "What?" No hello, no ask for a name, just a question of what it was he wanted. He had to want something to come and talk to her. And honestly, she wasn't the helpful type.

Ouranos took he reply, clipped though it was, as a sign she wasn't going to attack him. He could be slightly naive at times but in his experience others who didn't wish to talk or would attack would not speak first.

He padded a little further forward until she came into view. She was quite an eyeful! He had become so used to the drab colours of his pack - black, white, brown and fawn - that it was somewhat of a shock to see such a contrastingly coloured wolf! He was curious now and was drawn a little closer as he spoke. "I'm Oura." was all he said. His tail started to shuffle happily from side to side and he did his best to lower himself somewhat - never having felt comfortable being such a large wolf as he was and hoping to reduce the intimidation factor that sometimes brought about.

He looked directly at her expectantly, his head tilted slightly to one side questioningly. The other wolves he'd bumped into before now in these lands had all been friendly and so he somewhat expected her to be.


Starla's immediate impression of the wolf before her was that he was a complete and utter idiot. She gave him a sour look, not even trying to hide her dislike of the entire enounter. It was a waste of time and effort and she honestly saw no point. "That would be nice to know," Starla sneered lifting one side of her upper lip, "If I really cared." Her voice was thick with venom. She had no sympathy for this wolf. It was almost a funny sight to see-one so small and weak in frame such as she snapping at a wolf so much bigger then she.

Oura was taken aback by her unfriendly manner only for a moment. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the smaller female and wondered what had happened to cause her to be so hostile. Perhaps she was hurt? hungry? upset? He had certainly done nothing that he knew to cause such offence... Or maybe he had?

"I'm sorry if I've upset you.." he said softly, instantly looking like a kicked puppy. He wasn't very good at dealing with hostility and often came to the conclusion that it must be his fault. "Whatever I've done I didn't mean to offend..." He certainly didn't want the female to go off disliking him.. It disturbed him when he thought of others disliking him and brought back unpleasant memories of his past.


"Upset me?" Starla clicked her tongue in her jaws at how stupid that was. "There is no way anything the likes of you could do would upset me," she informed him sharply. She watched him almost cower like a puppy and felt her annoyance increase. She wasn't sure why, but him acting like that..it really ticked her off. She was tempted to yell at him and tell him to stop being such a baby. But somehow she was afraid of the response she would get from such a thing...so she held her tongue.

Somehow the assurance from the female that he could not upset her didn't make him feel much better. "What is wrong, then.. why are you so upset and angry?" It didn't much occur to him that it might have been a personal matter - he wanted to help. His look returned to a hopeful one, his one good ear pricking forward a little attentively, green eyes fixed on her striped body.

The tawny wolf took a few steps closer as if to see more clearly what was wrong by looking at her more closely. She seemed tense and unhappy and he, stupidly perhaps, wanted to make things better. It was that same response which had caused him to adopt three pups so far - he stuck his nose in where he probably shouldn't.


The concern he showed her...

...it made her furious.

She took a step back, baring white fangs at him with a slight rise in her hackles. Her white ears flickered back, her violet eyes flashing. She felt her nerves shudder in her body and string tight due to the familiarity of his demeanor. He needed to shut up and leave. Now. "Ha! Like you wouldn't be if you were me," She growled. "Mind your own business!"

Instantly the male backed up a few paces, her mean demeanour and flash of teeth bringing bad memories tumbling back to him. His green eyes because haunted, his posture low, tail curling down almost between his legs. It was a mode, mentally, he retreated to in hard situations. Zagreus had protected him so long that he had forgotten this fear, this hurt that another would be so much in pain they wanted to pass that pain onto another.

Most sensible wolves would have left or retorted just as nastily but he just waded further into trouble. "I'm sorry... it isn't my business.. I just wanted to help.."

"Well maybe I don't want your help!" She yelled at him, shutting her eyes. She struggled to pull up her emotional walls, to keep them stable. Her hate was her rock, her only support. People like this...people so like Luca were like water working their way through the cracks. She had to keep him out or the whole thing would come crashing down around her. "You don't even know what I'm doing!" She accused fiercely, her voice bordering on histarics, "You fool! Don't you dare jump into things you don't understand! You won't be able to follow through!" Her snarls were sharp, and yet she was backing up, her tail pressed against her belly. She felt her back hit something solid, the tree, and had to stop, quivering.

As much as her tone was getting harsher, her words sharper, her body language seemed to show a different message. He backed up a little more, his head bowed down, no longer looking directly at her. "I didn't jump into anything, I just..." he stopped, not wanting to repeat himself. "If you want me to I'll leave and let you be but.. I..." he hesitated briefly. He hardly knew this female and yet all of a sudden he had an odd concern for her. It didn't make sense but, still, things he did rarely ever made sense to most others. "I guess I just wanted to understand. When someone else understands it sometimes makes things better.." he thought of himself and Zagreus.

It's funny how words and body language could often contradict one another. No matter how harsh her words, her actions were that of someone who was afraid, not of someone trying to lash out at another. But to admit that would be tearing down all she had to support herself. She felt her body shiver and go numb at his words from a sense of dread, of fright. Understand...? He wanted to understand? She mentally scoffed at the idea, for the small, logical part of her mind made it clear what would happen if she explained. He wouldn't be able to understand. He'd see her as the monster that she was. And while she had accepted her hate, her insanity, and the wrongness of what she was planning to do, what she longed to do, she couldn't bear the idea of someone so like Luca telling her how wrong she was and how she was bound for hell. "You'd never understand!" She rasped, her voice sounding forced and torn. She wanted him to leave and to forever leave that judgement unplaced...and yet somehow the idea of chasing someone away with such a soft heart was something she was unable to do.

Ouranos sat down softly, looking off to one side as if he had been suddenly distracted. "I might not or I might..." he continued, softly, sensing that he had been right that her words were a cover for a deeper pain. "I wouldn't need to... for you to perhaps feel better about it." his gaze returned to the striped female, intense green eyes suddenly so much more full of life than before. They didn't accuse or even look questioning but instead simply conveyed that he was there and awaiting her response.

It had rained, and rained, and rain. The rain had been accompanied by bitter cold, and bitter winds, stripping the colored autumn leaves from their branches, and littering the ground with their cadavers. It had been as if the sky was opening up and shedding great tears or sorrow because earlier that night Anya had left the outriders after spending nearly a year with Phib, Cassidy, and Amélie and the rest of the pack. But during that time Anya’s life had come to a stop, and it seemed as if there was no future for her there, and so she had left the ocean pack and already she longed for the familiar smells of her pack mates and the territory.

She had taken up the lone wolf’s life once again, a great change after being beta in her late pack, and the feeling of lonliness had struck her right down to the marrow. Old memories had returned to her and in this cold and early morning rain she could not help but feel the bite of sorrow sting her heart. Starting was always the heardest thing to do, she told herself, and it only gets easier the further you continue.

Her new, thick, and pale winter coat was in full bloom, the light rain leaving drops that appeared like diamonds, but she knew if she stayed out for too long she would become drenched, and cold. Her delicate face sought dipped to the ground to seek out any traces of other wolves, or any abandoned shelters.

Ouranos was out on another hunting jaunt. The pack now had three small mouths to feed and although it took him from his usual jaunts he was happy to be providing for his 'family'. He didn't have the time anymore, it seemed, to go on his longer walks. Coming to the edge of the pack's new territory, he raised his nose up from the ground and his snuffling search of the undergrowth.

The air, cold, sharp and dry now that it appeared to have rained itself out, brought him the scent of another. A familiar scent, indeed. Although he couldn't pick out which of the two females who had that similar scent was nearby he liked both and would be happy to see either. He raised his head and let out a low, long howl - letting the female know he was about. He followed the direction of the scent, wondering who he'd find once he got closer.

The ground beneath him was slick and he had to carefully pick his way amongst spongy, slippery leaf litter as well as thick, sticky mud which clung to his legs making them much darker than their usual fawn and white.


Just as her nose found the scent of many wolves, indicating a pack, a deep howl sounded. It alarmed Anya for a moment, but she quickly recognized the voice of a wolf she had recently met, the large snowy and fawn male. The howl sparked Anya’s instincts to be with her own and immediately her hears pricked and her tail waved back and forth in a few excited wags. She picked out his familiar scent and followed his trail with caution, as to not lose his scent.

As she came around a bend she found herself nose to nose with her aquaintice, forgetting how much larger he was than herself. Anya’s dainty body took a few steps back, noting that it was possible he didn’t remember her, and glanced over him. “Ouranos! Its good to see you!” she said happily. She was glad she happened to bump into another wolf, let alone a friend, not far into her travels.


Following the scent, he didn't see the other wolf until he had come around a deep bend which the river had carved out of the forest.

Ouranos' tail wagged happily as he came into sight of the pale, small female. "Hallo, Anya" he grinned, moving closer to her and reaching out to give her a brief nuzzle against her muzzle. He was never one who understood that other wolves might not be quite so friendly as himself or like such contact between such new friends. "How have you been?" he asked her, noting that she seemed a little further away from her pack than she had previously been and that her demeanour seemed a little more.. downcast was the best word he could describe.

Just as they had come into contact the rain, a faint drizzle which seemed to have followed the pale female, came back on again - misting the pair with fine droplets.

She smiled and returned the favor, briskly moving her maw against his. She was glad that he had remembered her, for it was not so long ago since their last meeting. “I have been good,” she smiled, “lonely…but good.” The porcelain female could not protest against the fact that she was in good heath but loneliness always seemed to be the worst malady to plague any wolf.

“And yourse-” her words were cut by the oncoming rain that was steadily increasing. She looked up and winced as the rain hit her face. “It has been raining since last night,” she stated quietly. “Do you know of any place that is sheltered where we could continue this conversation?” Anya smiled and bent her ears to the side as to not let any water in.



The fawny male nodded to her request, liking the rain himself but feeling the cold as the wind continued to blow through the forest. He looked around, gained his bearings and estimated how far he was from the nearest shelter he knew of. "Just this way, upriver a little, there's a cave we could shelter in - just within my pack territory.." he turned to head that way, starting towards the place.

As he did, he wondered at the other thing she had said. "Lonely?" he thought aloud, looking down to the little female. "What about your pack?" he inquired, remembering that when they last spoke she had been on her way back to her own packlands. "Could you not find them?" the thought seemed horrible and of course he'd help her find them if needed!

The cave entrance was, indeed, just a little upriver. It was in an open area which had a stony entrance - which meant that there was a lack of mud. It had made the cave a comfortable resting place for Ouranos previously when he had needed to rest but couldn't make it back to the main den.



Her body seemed to heave a sigh at the though of a place to escape the rain and perhaps spend the day- but inside the territory of a pack she was not apart of? It made her weary, but she could not imagine Ouranos belonging to a cruel pack, and so she nodded, “That sounds excellent,” and she moved to his right side and followed him into the territory.

At the mention of the outriders her heart twisted. “No, I found them…but I left the pack. It was ruled by Phib and Amélie, do you know them? Anyhow, it is an wonderful place but it felt as if I could go no further. I have lived there for nearly a year…but I have become restless. And thus I start a new page.” She looked towards the ground, a bit ashamed at her own actions but she felt relieved, remembering Phib’s words upon the notification of her leaving.

The pair then came upon the den, rocky in the front, which could mean nothing but a warm, dry, and safe place inside. “Is this the place?” The question had an obvious answer, but one could never be sure.

The rain had started to seep into the first layer of her winter fur, drops sprinkling off of her pallid and narrow face.



"I see and yes, I have met Amelie." he said softly, his emerald eyes flicking over her, wondering if she was truly happy with her choice. He didn't want to probe too far if this was the reason for her unhappiness - she had made a choice and even if she was regretting it a little she would perhaps still be getting used to it. Still, Ouranos couldn't help being concerned. "With it coming to winter, it might be hard to be on your own..."

As they neared the cave Ouranos nodded confirmation that this was to be their venue. He padded towards it, wagging his tail in anticipation of drying off and warming up a little. His claws clicked harshly against the wet stone as he walked under the overhang into the main body of the cave. The light, what little of it there was, came quite far in but the rain was funelled off, leaving a nice, dry, enclosed space.

Turning to Anya again, he motioned her in. "Come, come, you'd better dry off." He laughed as he, himself, shook the water from his fur, spattering the walls with small droplets which were quickly absorbed by the dry stone.

She grinned, and followed Ouranos into the cave. It was surprisingly large enough for the two of them. The only dens she had encountered were small, tight, and warm, but this one was spacious. Anya followed suit and shook her pelt, ears hitting the sides of her head. Water flew from her fur, hitting the walls, as well as Ouranos, which left it thick and airy. The sweet aroma of the ocean and her own pack, which had been trapped by the rainwater, lifted and filled the den.

The fawn male’s concern about the winter reminded her of how she joined the Outriders. “Funny story, actually. I was born very far down south and my fur was very thin. I came north and was hit by a strong snowstorm.” She chuckled to herself, remembering how frightening it was, “I had never seen snow before then, but this snow was taller than I was. I nearly froze to death, but thankfully Phib and Amélie saved me and I became one of the betas of the Outriders shortly thereafter.” Anya gracefully laid down and tucked up in the middle of the floor, careful not to touch the walls which would leave dirt clinging to her damp fur.

“It is always sad to leave your family,” she continued, “But as you grow sometimes you need to explore.” Anya was still quite young for a wolf, nearly three years old but her life had already took her down many paths.

She smiled to herself “I feel like I have been only talking about myself. Tell me about your pack,” she looked to the large male with interest.

Ouranos thumped down onto his rear, his tail brushing the floor as he listened to her tell her story. She, it seemed, had been through quite a bit in her life too. His head listed to one side, tongue lolling out, one ear pricked forward with interest. The smell which filled the air, coming from her, was a pleasant one. He had not yet managed to go as far as the sea yet but associated the smell with both Anya, Amelie and a vast body of water which had become a wondrous mecca within his mind.

"My pack?" he said. "Well, Zagreus, my friend and I came from the east, we left our pack" he didn't elaborate further on that point "We came here and Zagrus found himself a mate. We've adopted three young ones, too." he grinned faintly. Our alpha female, Calliope, she's due to have a litter soon, too. We're still small, though, just establishing ourselves here." This was probably the most Ouranos had said in a long time but the female had told her story and he felt he owed her the same.

"It is sad to leave home... but sometimes you find it leads you to a better place.." he grinned somewhat sheepishly. He looked down at Anya's fluffy winter coat "your fur doesn't look thin.." he pondered aloud.

Anya found it strange that Ouranos did not elaborate on his story, for there were many opportunities to do so, but she didn’t question his tale. Perhaps at a later date he would explain what pack was in the east and why he and his friend had left. Instead she switched topics “Your pack seems to have its hands full with so many young wolves,” she smiled sweetly, “and with a litter on the way! The pack must be excited.” Births always reminded the she-wolf of her past… and it always seemed that Anya could only remember the sad and tragic events from her memories. If it was one thing the maiden lacked, it was happy thoughts.

But even then, sitting in a warm den with another was one of the best experiences that any wolf could have. She enjoyed the male’s company, and perhaps it indicated happier things to come. She gave a light laugh “I don’t think my fur will ever be that short again, not after going through such a storm!” Anya was glad her body had adapted to the climate.

And slowly the scents of the fresh forest began to replace the aromas of the ocean, sand, rocks, and her old pack, as had happened many times before.

Ouranos looked down at the small, now fluffier as she dried, pale female. "Yes, well I know I'm happy - I love puppies" he grinned, again somewhat sheepishly, knowing some people found this odd in a male. "We do have our hands full, though, as you say. That's why I was out just now - hunting. Not so much prey at this time of year - all the young have grown and gotten faster, bigger prey has moved on..." he sighed a little.

He glanced down again and nosed at the thick fur on her shoulders. "It'll be a good thing to have a warm coat in the winter but it's always better to have another warm wolf beside you." he smiled. The den was beginning to warm now, with the two of them in there. The cave was spacious but the thickness of the rocks held heat well and made the place cosy.



“As do I,” she replied with a smile. Puppies were always the life of the pack, rolly polly and furry all over with voracious appetites. Regardless of their actions they never failed to bring a smile to any adult’s face. Their warmth and their unconditional love with their soft pelts and scents of their mother’s milk always lended a comforting feeling. “I would be more than happy to lend a paw at hunting, if you would like,” Anya’s lithe frame had never allowed her to hunt bring game by herself, but she was fast and usually chased down rabbits and other small game with ease. She was clever, though, and it was that quality that usually gave her value in larger hunting parties.

But suddenly she felt a warm nose between her shoulder and she immediately found her face flush with heat like she had a fever. It was shielded by her pale fur, thank God, and she quickly chided herself for such an immature reaction and then forced a grin. She did notice the heart in the den growing, and she was thankful for it.

Puppies to Ouranos were his life in the pack. The gentle giant had always assigned himself to looking after his packs young - even if they grew up to look down upon him eventually. The male had never found a female, had never even considered it in his old pack - he had been too low rank to be desirable - not truly an omega but barely a gamma.

"You would help? It'd be much appreciated." his words were slightly muffled by her fur before he reaised his head again - unaware of the reaction he had caused in the female. He really was a little simple when it came to male female relations. "We could do with every piece of meat we can get."

He considered that thought a little further, one conclusion becoming obvious to him. "I know you wish to explore but... we need more hunters, you're willing to hunt... perhaps you could join us? Even if for the winter. You'd be warm and we'd have another able hunter? I'm sure Zagreus and Calliope would like that too"


Anya had found a mate in her first pack, when she was an alpha, but that relationship had come to a very tragic ending and it left the wan she wolf collapsed in sorrow. She was slowly returning to her old self, but yet again, she could only seem to recall sad memories.

The male talking in her fur tickled her skin, and she bit her lip to not let a snicker escape. Ouranos than made the offer to join his pack, “I would like that very much,” she offered a warm smile to him. It almost seemed to be too good to be true. She had only left a day ago and already Anya found herself in another pack. She touched her nose to his, “You said your were out to hunt, right? Let’s keep hunting then.” The young maiden was eager to prove herself, even if no one was looking for any sort of evidence to how she acted, and although she was reluctant to venture out into the rain again she was more than willing to start off on the right paw.

Ouranos grinned widely at the agreement of the pale female. He was sure Zag and Calli would agree to her becoming a part of their pack - especially as she wasn't another pup. It would be nice for a change for Ouranos to turn up with an adult rather than a dependant pup again.

Ouranos was happy, too, for the fact that he'd get to spend more time with Anya. Currently the only other adults were the alphas and he'd found himself spending a lot of time alone which, while it allowed him to wander to his hearts content, was beginning to make him feel slightly lonely to. He did have the small, black pup to look after but she couldn't come hunting with him yet or even on long walks with her short legs.

"Sounds like a good idea." he grinned, thinking that hunting would be so much more pleasant with a companion "though we're going to get wet if we leave right now.. Perhaps we could wait here a little and then go hunting when it dries? Prey will be near impossible to track anyway - the tracks will be gone and this kind of rain tends to mop up scents."

She gave a light smile to herself, realizing her statement had been too ambitious, “I suppose your right,” she laughed, sleeping sounds like a much better option. Anya was excited to meet her new pack and have herself become an official member. But for now she laid next to her companion, and rested her head on his back. She realized how tired her short travel had made her and her eyes soon became heavy. “I look forward to tomorrow, then,” she cooed. And before she knew what hit her- it was lights out.

Her yellow eyes stared, hollow and soulless into the night, her long fangs gleaming, sturdy legs pounding over the ground at a brisk walk. Or so she imagined. It was something of a construct Iphis had made for herself. An inner shell which she retreated behind when things were tough... and they were tough now. Alone, on the fringes of multiple territories, and not especially talented she was not best placed to survive the coming winter. One creamy paw after the other she moved further into unknown territory imagining herself as one of the large, scary wolves her mother had told her off, the ancient kind, the other kind - the dire.

Iphis' mother had used to tell her stories when they sat alone, quietly. Iphis had been somewhat bullied by her peers and shunned but was too strong-minded to let it pass over her, let herself become a meek omega. She'd fight back, cause trouble, be sent to her mother for discipline.

Her mother had told her, then, of the dire wolf. She had said such wolves had lived alongside their ancestors and had sometimes taken mates amongst them. She had spun a tale of a great ancestor who had been one such powerful creature - shorter limbed to be sure - but with a large strong body and powerful teeth which could crunch even bones. She had, really, just tried to make the ungainly Iphis feel better.

Iphis knew her mother told her these tales because she was large, a little short in the legs, awkward. She knew that tales of an ancient ancestor more powerful than his brethren were to make an ugly female feel better and Iphis had allowed it. She had taken on what she thought of as the mantle of the direwolf - that old proud race - and created a shield from it, a barrier against the teasing and the comments, a barrier against her lonliness.

------

Food was scarce when you where alone and at this time of year even more so. She had found it hard to catch anything even though her pale blue-white coat was not bad camouflage against the wintery landscape. She was not a good runner, not fast or with as much stamina as the others. Prey at this time of year was skittish and there were fewer young creatures with less experience. Iphis was not as abashed about eating carrion as some other wolves were, though. The dire's hadn't been fussy about it so neither would she be! She could not, quite, crack the bones of animals to get at the juicy insides as they had without hurting her teeth or taking a great deal of time over it, but she always tried to find smaller, finer bones which she could break quickly and get at the wonderful jelly.

Iphis was most happy when she could keep up this internal image, this dire-wolf facade. Until another came along and remarked on her size, her stubby legs. Then she became that small, hurt, angry female again. For now, though, she was a large, wonderful, strong dire wolf! She could survive by herself, of course she could!