Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ely's mismatched eyes peered up into the starlit sky. He had been sitting there since the sky had begun to darken - an early spring dusk which had gone through yellow-green, fresh colours while the sun slunk down behind the forested hills. He sat at the top of a hill - the highest point he could get to in the area - wondering what it would be like to be observing the stars from those tall mountains in the distance.

With a sigh the male picked himself up. It had been a good evening but the cold was beginning to seep through his fur and into his bones. He wasn't getting any younger and he could feel it. It wasn't that he was old but as he had grown to maturity he had felt the sprightly energy of youth seeping from him.

He wasn't sure where he was going and so thus often thought on where he had come from. The pack had finally fallen apart. One by one their numbers had been decimated by disease, departure and.. the two leggers. Soon there had been very few left of their little pack. His parents, himself, a second-cousin-once-removed of sorts who had been brought up by his parents alongside Ely when she was orphaned.

And then his parents were gone.

His mother gone to walk in the stars, his father not long after. Both from natural causes after a hard winter. Ely's eye were downcast now as he plodded down the hillside. His cousin and he had decided to head off - his cousin to seek out other relatives who had left before himself to... who knew where.

He hadn't really wanted to search out lost kin - he had felt somewhat betrayed in a small way by their leaving. He had struck out alone for the first time in his life hoping, perhaps, to find others perhaps a mate perhaps friends and join ith them in a stronger, fitter pack who would not fall apart...

As he reached the bottom of the hill he stared into deep dark forest. They were out there, ready to be found... He threw back his head and howled ong and loud.

"What are you doing here!?" the black and white wolf in front of her exclaimed, surprise showing in his violet eyes. There weren't many things which ruffled him but Mu'sha was one of them. The mainly white female had somewhat of a resemblance to Kalain - the mostly white coat, it's fluffiness, the hint of purple here and there and a certain look which suggested they might be related. That, however, was where their resemblance stopped. Mu'sha was taller than Kalain, a little bulkier too. Where he was a feminine seeming male wolf she was a masculine seeming female wolf. She had always been a proud hunter and deservedly so - she was swift, accurate and a good tactician. Rage in her was funnelled into pin-point precision in the hunt. And at the moment she was hunting Kalain.

"What do you think I'm doing here you flea-bitten excuse for a wolf. No in fact you don't deserve the title wolf… perhaps rabbit would be more like it or even mouse with how much of a coward you are - running off like you did."

Kalain sighed at the onslaught. He should have known she would come after him, should have figured she wouldn't let him slip away easily even if it was for the good of them all. "Mu'sha I'm sorry but I had to go.."

"No. You didn't. You wanted to go because you couldn't face up to your responsibilities. You were our shaman.. Our messenger to Kalain.." she paused a moment, her tone lowering "and you are my brother. Damn you I was worried!"

"I'm not your brother any more. She's gone our tie is broken you have no obligation to me and I to you."

"Is that how you see it? That simply? That we were only tolerant of each other for her sake?" That was how it had been in the beginning in fact. The pair could barely stand the sight of each other when Kalain had mated Mu'sha's sister. The strong hunter had not given a lot of credence to the slim acolyte and it had only been after quite some time and observation that she had begun to realise he had his own tribulations to contend with. She had, in fact, come to even like him a little. As for Kalain he had never really disliked Mu'sha but.. She had never made an effort to be friendly to him. He had imagined she still carried the dislike and disdain she had for him when they met.

"Kalain damn you, you idiot" she snorted. "I'll say this only once so you'd better listen carefully. I don't hate you, I've even come to like you a bit. I didn't come after you because of some imagined obligation but because I was, in fact, worried about you so don't think telling me we have no connection any more will make me go away." Mu'sha had no real obligations of her own. Yes, she was one of their groups most skilled hunters but there were plenty younger wolves who could hunt just fine. She had no pups or mate of her own to worry about and so had decided to come look for the wayward shaman.

"Mu'sha… I'm not going back.."

"Then neither am I"

"..why?"

In all honest Mu'sha didn't know. She could have gone back now, knowing he was safe and calm his mother, their common relatives and so on that he was well but now that she was here she was determined to bring him back with her. She felt it would likely be for his best - he probably was still struck with grief. And anyway, he didn't look like he'd been feeding himself that well - he was as skinny as ever. She sat down, a determined look on her face.

Kalan had seen that look before. He sighed a little, then began to pad off in the direction of the lee in which he had been sleeping. "You'd better come get some rest, then. I imagine, knowing you, you've barely rested on your way here.."

Mu'sha scowled behind his back. It was true but she was not a young pup to be scolded. "That's none of your concern." she growled grumpily.

"Ahhh feels Just like I'm back at home.." he muttered softly.

"What was that!?"

"Nothing…"