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 Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:01 pm
 Time was a fickle thing.
It seemed to pass slowly, yet other times far too quickly. It always passed faster when he was happy, so the past few years of lonely solitude seemed to crawl by as slowly as possible. Meeting Oga had been a nice break from the norm, yet that meeting also seemed to pass in a blink of an eye. Far too fast for his taste and, while he longed for companionship, the fear of illness and disease hung heavily on him. Surely he carried no illness in his pelt and Oga did not express smelling illness on him, so he had to be clean, right?
Regardless, the former beta did not trust himself, nor his own judgement. He had been wandering the wilderness for some time, alone and "forsaken" in his own mind. The fact that so few survived at the time that he left... As well as the fact that he fled in the first place, instead of trying to tend to the ill and dying, he felt as though he had been shirking his duties as second in command.
Weary, hefty brown paws carried him at a leisurely pace as he traversed the wilderness, searching for the next lonesome shelter and bite to eat. He was still a large and formidable wolf, though fighting was never his first choice. He would throw his weight around if needed, but he tended to be a soft-hearted push over around his former family.
He gave a sigh, heading southeastward, head high and tail low. Though pride still showed through his well worn features, he was not quite sure what to do with himself, exactly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:56 pm
 It had been quite a few moons since Eileen had spoken with another of her own species. Not that she hadn't, nor had she avoided any purposely. The young gray, black, slightly green tinted wolf was quite the social creature and couldn't stand to be alone for too terribly long. The first few moons after her escape had been a living nightmare of loneliness, sorrow, and hunger. She missed her pack, her family, her sister... Everything. Yet she survived and she grew stronger by the day. No longer was she a long-legged, gangly youth. She had filled out well and, though she wasn't a particularly large wolf, she was fleet of paw, sharp of mind, and generally a sturdy, sound creature.
Red eyes flashed anxiously as she looked towards the darkening sky. It would be late soon and, while she often traveled by night, she was growing tired and her paws weary.
Unlike the creature she would eventually be reunited with, she had no qualms with mingling amongst others. Sure, she did keep away for some time, but once the scent of illness faded from her coat, she was quick to meet and travel with others, happy for their companionship. She did not fear getting them ill because she knew she couldn't, nor was she consumed with a self gnawing guilt for abandoning the pack. Sure, she missed them, but she did what she had to to survive, and wasn't that what life was about?
She was a young, strong adult. She would pass on the blood of her parents and the pack would survive, embodied by any offspring she might bear. Things would turn out fine enough and she was always one to look on the flip side.
Her mind swam through thoughts of her past life, of her parents' pack and her own sibling. The others, too. It was at that moment that a familiar scent wafted to her nostrils. It was that of her father's right paw, Jukka. She paused for a moment, shaking her head. Perhaps her imagination was catching up with her... Yet the scent was still there, lingering, still fresh. She had fled before he and assumed that he perished with the doomed pack.
Curious and slightly frightened, the young wolfess let out a small howl, hoping to catch hold of the spirit not too far ahead of her. Was it truly a ghost? A shudder coursed down her spine as she awaited a reply.
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:30 pm
Ears pricked as the sound of another calling caught his attention. While it was simple and direct, a greeting, something about it caused his fur to stand on end and his single eye to widen. Something was off. While it was strange it sounded too familiar at the same time. He knew the voice, even if he could not place it right away. He tilted his head back and gave a small, melodious reply before moving back in the direction he had come from.
He moved swiftly, but did not bother masking the sounds of his movement. She knew he was there, he knew she was there. Pretending to stalk one another would have been utterly pointless.
He was about to speak when he caught sight of her. His voice caught in his throat, however, as his green gaze swept over the slender, sturdy wolf's frame. Her coat. Her markings. All of which were too familiar. He felt his bowls tighten and another shudder coursed through his being, rocking him to his core. This one, had she survived or was he seeing a ghost? The crescent marks on her cheek, the black strikes down her side. She could only be one of the daughters of his former alpha.
"You... Are you alive?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:40 pm
She paused as a voice answered her own. She had expected silence, proving that her senses were toying with her lonely mind, a sign that she needed to return to pack life as soon as she could. This reply, however, frightened her. She recognized his voice and her emotions ranged from fright to an eager excitement. To find another, one she thought was long dead, was unfathomable.
As he came into view, padding swiftly through the underbrush, she felt her legs shake and her mouth go dry. Yet at the same time her tail began to wag slowly. So he was still amongst the living. She did not believe in spirits, not like he did. She remembered him being superstitious, albeit reliable, when she was young.
She recovered first, grinning broadly as her tail began to swish faster on it's own accord. She rushed towards him, nosing his maw affectionately, as a pup would have done to an elder, despite her being considered an adult, now.
"Duh, what, you think I came to haunt you? I never expected to find anyone else from the pack! What are the odds!? Are you ok? Did you get sick? Did any one else make it? What about mother, father? My sister?" Her questions came in an eager barrage as she tried to extract information from the thunderstruck male.
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:50 pm
A ghost...
He nearly lost control and bolted as she darted towards him in a most unexpected manner. He took a few steps back, yet as soon as she nosed his face and licked at his jawline in a greeting, he felt himself relax, fear fleeing from every fiber of his being at feeling her to be a real, solid wolf and not an apparition.
"Eileen... I didn't expect to see any from our old pack, either." His tail waved like a banner and he seemed to regain every ounce of pride he once held in his position as second. All wasn't lost, one was still alive. There was a possibility to bring back what once was. Or at least trying to.
Her questions came so quickly that he could hardly recall what the first one was. He backed away a couple of pawsteps, looking slightly less cheery as he debated what to tell her.
"I... I don't know for sure, now. I assumed I was the only one. I left towards the end... Nearly everyone was ill and dying. Few were healthy at all. I would have caught it if I stayed... But I did my best up until that point... I don't think anyone else was healthy enough to make it."
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 8:15 pm
The energetic youth watched him as he backed away, her heart drooping as he appeared to grow serious and sad. Yet at the same time she tried to keep her smile and high hopes. There had to be others if he made it. Had to be.
Yet he spoke and with each word, she felt her heart falling as if it was weighted down with pure lead. She didn't want to believe him, but his tone was rather convincing. Obviously he believed himself. He wasn't last to leave, but he was darn near close to being so.
A rage welled within her. He had obligations, why did he not see them through? She began to grow irritable and a snarl grew in her throat. Her pelt bristled and she looked down right angry, but it was as to be expected, with such heavy news. Anger faded to sorrow as her features drooped. She ran, too. She couldn't blame him. Not at all. Death would have claimed them both, otherwise.
"So, that's it then?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 8:27 pm
"'Fraid so... Not much else we an do. Don't wanna go back, in the event that the sickness still taints the land."
He sighed as he gave his opinion, looking towards her with an apologetic glint in his eye. He knew she wouldn't like his verdict, but it was the truth. If the land was still ill and they contracted the sickness this time, there might not be any hope. They needed to carry on, yet he couldn't help regretting what had happened.
He turned from her, glancing in the direction he was heading.
"I was heading southeast, towards the water... Maybe there is something out that way? I do hope so... I don't wish to walk alone, anymore."
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 8:32 pm
"Ffffffffff..."
She grunted and glanced up at the older wolf, looking for all the world angry and sad at the same time. Yet strength was showing through. She swallowed her sorrow and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the weight on her back.
"No point in looking to the past. I don't want to go back. What matters is the future and that is what you and I will focus on. Only that and nothing more. Don't think about them, other than with fond memories."
She puffed out her chest and nodded her head sternly.
"And you won't be going alone. You are coming with me. We'll find something."
She didn't waste her breath on anything further, instead she held herself high and darted forward, her tiredness forgotten in excitement, sorrow, and an urge to continue to survive.
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 8:39 pm
He watched her go for a moment, a tiredness about him. She was right, he couldn't dwell on the past, on sorrow and pain. What he had been doing was unhealthy, yet he couldn't seem to help it. Regardless, his future seemed brighter with the appearance of one of the daughters of his former alpha.
He knew where he was going and he knew who he would be following. Already, she was taking charge of the situation and she had promise to bring about a bright future.
"Yes, I am coming, let's continue, perhaps something good is in our future."
He ran after her, the two a pair of wayward
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