Welcome to Gaia! ::

Some days, Tasso hated what had become of her life. Others she was hopeful, dreaming of what she could one day become. This day was neither - it was a gentle balance between the two, settling in the realm of a quiet contentedness, and the good weather and birdsong seemed to amplify that feeling. The pack had finally gotten big enough that her border guard responsibilities and hunting responsibilities weren't back to back, leaving her with a novel slice of free time in which she wasn't too exhausted to do anything other than sleep.

The young female wandered, a little bit, leaving the main area of Warugaruga lands just for a change of pace. Maybe if she weren't surrounded by the sounds and smells and thoughts of her warrior's lifestyle, she could pretend for a moment that she was a lone wolf who answered to nobody and relied on the comfort and approval of none. Of course, she was far too much of a social creature by nature to ever abandon her family. It didn't hurt to occasionally lose oneself in the realm of imagination, though, and as she wandered through the lightly wooded area she did just that.

It was unlike this particular lady to be distracted, but here she was, off-duty, off-base, and clearly paying little mind to reality. There was hardly much of a wind, be it for her or against her, and it took a significantly longer period of time for her to sense the presence of the stranger than it normally might.Then there was a scent - an outsider, and possibly male. Tasso cursed her inattention, her carefully balanced mood tipping more towards frustration and pessimism, and quickly gathered herself. She turned her head about until she located him with her eyes and ears, and an alarmed prickle ran across her skin. He was looking right at her - probably had been for a while.

"Who goes there?" She demanded, but there was something tired and resigned in her tone. It was a strange day, and her desire to meet the Warugaruga standard of aggression was lacking for some reason. Technically they weren't on pack lands... maybe her father would forgive her for being a little more lenient in this case. Her senses took him in, reading his body language. Interesting - his coat colours reminded her a bit of Arcadius. He seemed... friendly? Naive, then, to not understand the way of her pack. This obliviousness annoyed her and put some of the fire back in her blood. She drew herself up, proud and assertive.

Despite any superficial similarities, Tasso decided, this wolf was nothing at all like Arcadius. In fact, he was nothing at all like any wolf she'd ever met. Her head tilted slightly to the side in befuddlement. He seemed... not afraid of her, exactly, but somehow submissive. As the stranger exposed his belly, it would seem he was indeed at her mercy. If she were quick about it, Tasso could probably deal him a fatal wound before he could protect his vitals. It was a position she was seldom in, this position of power, and it was a nice change of pace from being unceremoniously walloped by those tough brutes that decided they wanted to infringe on her pack's lands while she was on guard duty.

And his assertation that he'd just wanted to meet her - Tasso certainly didn't know what to make of that. Some of the tension left her, but she was still wary. It could be a ploy to get her to let down her guard before launching an attack. Still... if he already knew enough to avoid the pack, then he was no threat, needed to be taught no lesson about Warugaruga strength. In fact - and this thought sent a unique flutter of thrill to her heart - he didn't even need to know that she was part of the pack at all. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to try being a lone wolf for just a little while. What was the harm?

"Oh," she said at last, and then, finally making her mind up to go through with the idea, added, "You should be careful. The pack that lives there is dangerous. I thought you were one of them." Just telling the lie gave her a rush of adrenaline. Tasso had never done anything so impulsive in her life.

"Tasso," she blurted, and then immediately regretted how eager and young it sounded. The female circled Riitho slowly, watching the subtle cues of his body language. Come to think of it, his behaviour seemed eager and young. "You can get up," Tasso said, her voice and expression kept carefully level but the forward perk of her ears revealing her interest. "We should probably get a little farther from the borders. The circuit the guard takes is near enough here that one of them might notice us."

Oh, but how would a random lone wolf know that? She could say that she lived near here, that it paid to pay close attention to the movements of the local pack. But she didn't have a place marked out with her scent - if he asked to see her territory or did any sort of exploration of the area, it would be obvious she was lying. This whole false identity thing was tricky. Maybe she could just play it cool and not explain.

"Are you coming?" She asked loftily, or what she hoped came off that way, and with only a glance back at him started to walk away from her pack's territory.

Although she briefly wondered what he had to be nervous about, her immediate attention needed to be focused on answering his question in a believable way. "Oh, well. I wander mostly, but I spend some time around here. Enough that it's worth being careful of the pack that lives in the area."

It was a good feeling, she decided, to lead. The mantle of responsibility settled pleasantly on her shoulders, and she did know where she was going so she felt confident about where she was taking them. "Have you had water in a while? There's a good stream not far from here." She watched him out of the corner of her eye, more interested than she really ought to be. This was fun, playing make believe with a stranger. Unlike most of the members of her pack, this Riitho guy seemed... nice.

The adolescent felt a tug of longing somewhere deep inside her heart. "It is a good life," she replied automatically, almost wishing the fantasy were real, that she were speaking from a place of experience. Tasso felt a little bad for lying to this obviously open and genuine wolf... but at least if he was a wanderer, she would probably never see him again, which saved her the risk of having to fess up eventually. It did seem kind of like a shame though. He could have been a friend... although her father would absolutely not tolerate friends from outside the pack.

"Honoured? That's a bit much," she chuckled, feeling a genuine smile creep onto her face. "I'm just showing you a good place to get a drink." Tasso glanced over her shoulder again, unnerved by her desire to keep tabs on him. Her ears pressed forward, listening to the reassuring trickle of water that she knew was only a short walk away.

What a weird guy! Slowing her pace so that she could look at him better, Tasso smiled weakly. “All I meant was it’s not such a big deal. I’m not doing anything special, and I’m nobody special, so I don’t understand why you’d feel honoured just to be led to a stream. To each his own, though.”

Picking her way through the undergrowth, carefully avoiding an abandoned badger set she’d tripped over a number of times in the past, she thought about how to reply. “Yeah, for sure. If our paths ever cross and you can help me out in some way, I’d appreciate it. I don’t know what the chances are of two travelling lones bumping into each other more than once, but,” Tasso kept her eyes straight ahead, feeling a bit embrassed as she said, “you’re the sort of wolf I’d be happy to encounter more than once.”

It was true, even if she felt strange for admitting it. He was just so gentle and harmless compared to the boys of her pack, and it was a nice change.

Tasso grinned back at him, marveled by the simple wag of his tail. It was an expression of glee she didn’t see much, where she came from, unless it was coming from a puppy. His unashamed happiness was contagious, and she hesitantly allowed her own tail a little wag of its own. In retrospect, she felt stupid for comparing Riitho to any of her packmates. He was an entirely unique sort of creature, and much cuter than any of the males in the Warugaruga. Those little spots on his legs were so adorable, and the dark hood on his skull so subtle and yet masculine.

Wait. She did not just think that. Did she?

Flustered, she tore her eyes away from him and changed the subject quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she’d been staring. “Just a little farther. I can hear the water.” She picked up the pace, forcing herself to focus ahead and not think about her new acquaintance, especially not the appealing things about him. She pressed on until at last they came out at a little stream that burbled peacefully and was, most importantly, a good safe distance from the nearest edge of Warugaruga territory.