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 Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 3:21 pm
It had been a long time since she'd been in these lands, she didn't even recognize anything. The scents were heavier than she recalled, none of them familiar.
Of course, she'd had a few days to try adjusting to the overwhelming... change to the open territory and the scents of new packs and wolves, but it didn't make the shock that much less startling. The black she wolf drew closer to a stream, stopping to take a drink near a fallen log. Her first time running into Tsume she had been an adolescent hunting down a young deer, she could remember tripping right in front of him and taking that wonderful spill. The memory made her laugh to herself, but she pushed the thoughts aside to quench her thirst.
The first time she met Tony had been in the dead of winter, snow thick on the ground. Kurogane, a former acquaintance of hers had been chasing her down and Thayne, another acquaintance, was in a rage about it. He'd gotten that nasty gash on his shoulder and Talia'd had to throw herself at the idiot who had started the fight to get them to break it up.
How were they all doing now? They were part of Hige's old pack, right? Tsume's friends. How was her brother, for that matter, and her sister and mother, off to restore the pack again? Talia snorted drawing back from the water's edge after taking her fill. Her tongue darted out to catch the stray moisture from the fur around her chops and her ears perked attentively while she had a glance around. This place was just kind of dull and quiet without her friends.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 5:36 pm
 Kai hadn't strayed far from the river in his travels, although he was no longer subsisting entirely on fish -- indeed, he was becoming slowly more adept at small game, although he greatly preferred the other lesson Naiad had taught him, about finding food in unexpected places, and the wolf was for the most part eating an almost-vegetarian diet augmented by fish and the very occasional rabbit. He had lost some weight this way, but didn't view this as a particularly bad thing; he'd been perhaps a bit chubby as the price of Kapu'Moana, and this harder, leaner body was a sign of his independence.
Anyway, that's what he was telling himself.
Today, the tribal-marked blue wolf had opted to wander further than he normally did, perhaps to prove to himself that he need not seek shelter within the pack that had taken him in temporarily; he was still quite afraid of being tied down. He made his way up the river, more alert now than he had once been, and he caught the scent of another wolf on the air. Slumping low to the ground, he crept forward a bit more cautiously, secretly quite proud of himself for locating someone with his nose before his eyes for the first time.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 5:44 pm
Speaking of food, the dark female was beginning to wonder what she should do about some. She'd need to hunt soon, or fish. She was adept at both considering her rocky start, but hey, you'd suck too if you were an adolescent hunting game by herself. She had little doubt back then that yes, she COULD bring down a deer all on her own. Little wonder she wasn't killed really.
She was unaware of Kai's presence for a moment because of the direction of the wind, but something shifting told her she wasn't alone. It could have been him, or it could have been a squirrel that had gotten startled by his arrival, either way the female went tense.
"Whose there?" She called, firm, but soft spoken. She wouldn't be harsh unless she needed to be.
Her eyes shifted to scan the area, wondering if she'd missed the tell tale signs of pack territory somehow, if so she may be in a bit of a spot.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 6:09 pm
He slipped into view between the trees, and regarded the female with interested eyes for a moment before allowing a grin to spread across his maw. "Greetings," he said, moving forward, thoroughly happy with himself to have gotten the drop on someone -- although careful not to let it go to his head too-too much. "Apologies if I startled you. My name is," he wavered, just a moment, reminding himself that the formality of full names was no longer something that was required, "Kai."
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 7:00 pm
A shade between blue and green stepped into view, a color that seemed familiar, but at the same time not, probably some wolf she'd met in passing in the past but not gotten a name from. No matter now.
Talia gave him a brief odd look at the pause, but then relaxed. It was someone to speak to, she was grateful for that.
"No need for apologies so long as you're not a threat. I learned some time ago that I can't have eyes and ears everywhere at once. It's kind of inevitable getting snuck up on on once in a while."
For a moment she took him in, just wondering if his markings might seem familiar, but they didn't strike any immediate memories.
"My name is Talia..." She ventured to say, letting her eyes finally stop on his own, holding his gaze politely. "Are these lands spoken for now? My nose tells me that it's unclaimed but it's difficult to tell with so many new scents saturating the air."
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 7:22 pm
He shook his head. "I don't think so....I passed the borders of Akiki Chibale a mile or so back, and I think they're the only ones in the area." His brow furrowed, nose wrinkling a bit. "Although, in truth, I am hardly the one to ask, as I'm not really from this area. Suffice to say, if we are trespassing, I have yet to be punished for it." He smiled again, and moved forward to the water, seating himself at the bank. "A pleasure, Talia. What brings you here, if I might ask?"
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 7:57 pm
"Hm... then I suppose not as much has changed as I first thought." Talia replied, more to herself than to Kai. Her white marked head gave a light shake at his question. "I used to stay around here five years ago, with my mate. I just returned from the mountains to see what had changed, see what might have happened to my family or friends, or his old pack mates even."
With a soft grin Talia flicked an ear as if swatting at a pesky fly, in truth it was just her way of showing her nonchalance about the subject matter. She tried to get a better sniff of the wolf, curious about him and his origin, but more so about him in general. Was he younger than her? By how much? Was he new here then, or could he offer her any further useful information? Rather boldly then she stood to all fours and moved to round on him a little, just a harmless circle as she took him in.
"You seem kind of thin, no offense. You part of a pack, or are you out here all by your lonesome, Kai?"
Or maybe he was just young, but depending on his answer she'd get some of hers either way. That suited her fine.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 8:28 pm
He was definitely younger than her, that much was obvious -- by the looks of him, he'd only barely left his adolescence. "I am a lone wanderer," he said, and there was just a hint of pride in his voice when he said it. He'd been away from his pack for long enough now that he felt confident that no one would follow him and that he really could survive out here on his own, and that made him happy. "What business has kept you in the mountains for so long?" He asked, intrigued that another wolf seemingly abandoned pack and family for the life of a wanderer.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 8:57 pm
Talia chuckled, loosening up a little more as the seconds ticked by. Being up in the mountains for almost five years she'd thought she'd surely her social skills would have suffered the worst, but they were coming back as if they'd never gone anywhere at all. She was even feeling her old flirtatious streak coming back, though caution overrode that.
"My mate...... Ex-mate. I tried my hand at pack life a few times, didn't usually work out. Couldn't get the wandering bug out of my system, wanted to see what it was like away from the crowds."
She gave Kai a toothy smirk, he was awfully polite, nothing at -all- like Tsume, who'd been gruff, quiet, and horribly manner-less. The change was a little bit refreshing, it was just hard being around the same wolf and no others for that long, she'd found out the hard way after they broke up but decided to stick together for survival until they got back down.
"Well, Kai, I'm a bit hungry for something myself. Care to join me for a hunt?"
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:14 pm
"Uh...sure," he said, his smile a bit nervous -- he wasn't entirely sure he could be trusted not to fall flat on his face while in the presence of a stranger, but he wouldn't be caught dead saying that to her. He forced as much nonchalance as he could muster back into his voice. "I'd be delighted to join you." He took a quick drink from the stream before withdrawing, standing alongside her. "I can sympathize with the desire to wander. Pack life isn't for me, either," he said, feeling that was a bit of an understatement, but deciding not to go into detail. He wondered if perhaps she would be interested in joining him when he went to meet with Verdauga about the band of wanderers. Perhaps he'd ask her, when they got to know each other a bit better. "What strikes your fancy?"
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:26 pm
"Deer, definitely deer. Haven't had it in years!" She admitted with a grin. "Bet I haven't lost the knack for hunting them though. You know, the first time I tried to bring one down I landed flat on my face, right in front of this cute male."
Unlike Kai, however, she seemed to have no qualms admitting this, even going as far as to laugh at herself a bit, spirits high. She obtained a bit of a bounce to her step as they began to walk, scenting the air carefully for the smell she'd missed.
"Best way to learn is to try though, right? Now rabbits, deer, you name it, I can hunt it."
Her tail was even wagging a bit, but she figured she was probably talking too much.
"That's one of the nice things about being out here on your own, deciding what to do when, how you want. It's nice to see that the place hasn't changed as much as I thought..." She finished quietly finally.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:30 pm
Deer? He nearly quailed at the thought. Truth be told, Kai had never actually seen a deer, at least not in living, prancing form. Having grown up on a beach, he had lived primarily on fish and birds, though the hunters would bring in larger game from time to time -- but that had been a job far too dangerous for the well-guarded Heir, considering the steep cliffs to be navigated and the unpredictability of The Outside World.
But, well, as she said...there was no time for the present.
Swallowing hard and trying to look much more confident than he was, he lifted his nose to the sky and took an experimental whiff, wondering what exactly he was looking for. "It's great, being independent," he agreed, to cover for his nerves. "And not having to follow someone else's rules."
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:24 pm
"It's certainly liberating, you can't deny that." She added a bit more calmly, smiling a bit. "Well then, shall we?"
Talia wuffed, turning to scent at the air a bit, then chose a random direction to start tracking. If they waited much longer she was sure her stomach growling might scare off the prey.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:37 pm
"Suppose it gets a bit lonely, though," he added, as more of an afterthought than anything. He followed behind her, anxious eyes darting between her and their surroundings. He was an eager learner, and wanted to be sure to soak in all the details of what they were doing, even if he was uncertain about all of it.
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