Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was beneath the trees, with the soft loamy earth under his claws and the rich scent of decaying leaves, that Raff was at his most comfortable. Which was convenient, considering this was to be his new home. His new domain. This woodland was his future.

The werewolf’s chest immediately swelled with a sense of pride as he lifted his nose, taking in all the various smells, carefully memorizing them. His ears perked, listening to the birds as they sang, and the squirrels as they chattered in the treetops.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves left dappled markings across his hide. He was warm and content.

Yes, this would be perfect.

With how intently he had been focusing on all the scents and smells in his surroundings, Raff hadn’t missed the presence of other wolves. Which was perfect. He’d heard tales of the Woodland Pack, as well as many others. His mother had told him his lineage hailed back to these lands from many generations ago, and once he’d grown tired of wandering, it had felt natural to find somewhere to settle.

And so why not return to somewhere he’d always dreamed of?

Now that he was here, he certainly felt at peace.

But Raff wasn’t a stupid wolf. You didn’t get to adulthood as a werewolf without knowing how to not get yourself in too much trouble. He had the bulk and the strength to settle fights easily but he certainly didn’t want to start his new life by forcing his way in and causing a ruckus. Oh no. This would be done right.

He planted his butt and lifted his head to the sky, unleashing a deep howl that wound its way through the trees, seeking the pack members who lived there. It was an announcement of his presence and he hoped they would answer.

Once his howl had died away, Raff settled back and simply waited. Only his ears betrayed his attentiveness, swivelling forward and back, listening for any approach. And his patience was soon rewarded, as he sensed eyes watching him.

He gave a low huff and then made a show of stretching his back, showing off the muscles that rippled beneath his fur. Then he settled even lower on the ground, making himself look non-threatening and open to approach.

His tail flicked up and down, welcoming his watcher forward.

Then his voice rumbled out, as if to nobody in particular, “it’s a lovely day.”

A male his size was always a threat regardless of how he chose to rest but Raff did his best to look unassuming, hoping that his watcher, who was hopefully a wolf from this region, would be willing to talk.

And finally, after a moment where he wondered if he would leave with only the breeze as company, the bushes rustled, and then sheappeared. Emerging from the brush, still mostly concealed but showing enough that if given the option he would have thrown himself into a vampire den on a moonless night just to get one touch of her russet hair.

To be fair, she was the first female of his kind he’d seen for many, many moons but he couldn’t deny that he was immediately lovestruck. Her eyes, as green as the new spring leaves, were watching him with such intensity he nearly rolled onto his back and offered his belly.

His tail gave a few extra thumps despite his effort to keep his emotions from spilling over.

Keep it cool, Raff ol’ buddy.

“Kiche,” he rolled the name across his tongue and nodded. “I am Raff. I’ve been travelling alone for a damned long time but finally my paws have brought me here.” He lifted himself up slightly, just to show off his size and looks a little, hoping he was just as appealing to her as she was to him. “According to my ma, my ancestors hailed from the domain of the Woodland pack many generations ago and now I’d like to return home. If you’ll have me, that is.”

He placed a paw against his chest to show how earnest he was.

“Test me, any way you want. I’ll do whatever you ask.”