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 Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 6:35 pm
Calliope, Zagreus and Ouranos meet.
((Backed up here to continue later~))
Calliope lay quietly a little ways away from the stream. She had slaked her thirst, cooled her muzzle and was now sunning herself in the late spring warmth. The day had started with rain - a thick mist of tiny drops which had quickly saturated her fur and left her feeling uncomfortably heavy.
Now, in the sun, she felt much better. Her fur was warm and almost dry, the sun was bright and the water cool. For the first time since winter she felt content.
Even relaxed as she was her ears still swivelled to and fro. She was still in this strange territory where many wolves seemed to intermingle. She had managed to mind her own business and sty away from the 'freaks' which seemed to dominate this area. So many oddly coloured wolves...
She shook her head to try and forget once again - this day was worth enjoying not going over her discomforts again.
A short way from the stream, Zagreus paused for a moment, his ears flicking briefly. The dark male could hear a familiar tinkling sound, meaning that running water must be nearby. He glanced around to his companion, inclining his head in the direction of the noise. They hadn't been travelling particularly hard or fast, but the day was rapidly becoming nice, and a drink would be welcome.
Turning towards the direction of the stream, Zagreus began to move towards it, his pace easy and almost languid in its motion. The thought crossed his mind, that some time spent relaxing in the sun would be nice. It was a good day, afterall.
However, he had only moved a short distance before one of his other senses picked up on something new. There was another wolf nearby, besides his companion. He considered this for a moment, before beginning to move again. They weren't looking for a fight, and as far as they knew, this area didn't belong to a pack. The water supply was surely big enough for more than two.
Ouranos nodded in return to the dark-coated male, instantly following his lead as he always did. Ouranos was also thirsty and the scent of water tickled at his nostrils, beckoning him. He padded softly through the forest, twigs crackling carelessly underfoot. He noticed Zagreus slow for a step before moving into the sunlit grassy area.
Slowly he began to undersand what Zagreus had - another wolf, a she wolf, nearby. Content to follow, he took Zag's lead and simply continued towards the stream. If Zagreus didn't feel threatened then neither did he.
Calliope was instantly alert, her hackles half rising the moment she heard the others. She opened her eyes, quickly triangulating the pair with her ears and looking around to see if they might be a threat.
The two, a pale and a dark wolf, looked relatively normal and were decidedly minding their own business it seemed. Calliope inwardly sighed a relief - it was almost like being back home - even if such pale wolves as the second were not common at least they were not wolves coloured like flowers!
She let her head rest back down onto her forepaws, leaving her eyes open to watch the other two with a vague interest. She didn't stare, that would have been rude and possibly threatening, but watched them both out of the corner of her silvery eyes.
As the dark wolf moved out onto the grassy bank of the stream, he glanced around for a brief moment, his golden eyes passing over the surrounding area with more of a curious air than a wary one. Zagreus was of course aware that the nearby wolf may not have been a friendly one, but he saw no need to worry if there was no immediate threat. Zagreus didn't like to worry about things if he didn't have to.
Catching sight of the brown-coated female nearby, the dark male paused again. If it had been possibly for him to give a lazy smile, he would have. From her body language, it didn't seem as though she was feeling threatened, or being particularly aggressive. Wary, perhaps, but that wasn't unusual.
After the brief pause had passed, Zagreus inclined his grey-furred head a little towards the female before speaking out good-naturedly. "Hey there. Don't mind us - just looking for a drink." Turning a little, he took a few steps towards it before lowering his muzzle to the stream. He lapped up several mouthfuls of the cool liquid before raising his head again, small droplets of water dripping from his maw to the ground. Much better..
Calliope let her head rise a little as the greyish male spoke to her. She nodded slightly, allowing herself to get a good look at him as she did. He reminded her vaguely of one of the males of her old pack - his attitude seemed very different though. His friendly manner warmed her and she called back "It's nice and cool" lamely, rather glad to have someone to speak to after her long winter isolation.
She rolled her shoulders slightly, the fur on them smoothing down, and shuffled a little ways to one side where she could lie in the dappled shade of a tree. It was getting a tad too warm now, as the sun rose to it's zenith, and her thick fur meant she'd probably soon end up panting if she didn't retreat to the shade.
Ouranos's right ear swivelled as he listened to both wolves. There was no threat, no worry, and he happily paddled into the water, cooling his pawpads, before leaning down to lap up a few mouthfuls of the fresh stream water.
Once finished, he looked up at Zagreus, his expression one of curiosity. Would they stay here or move on again as they had been for several days now. This seemed as good a place as any to rest for a little while during the hot hours of midday.
Of course... he'd never voice all of this and would happily pad along after Zagreus if he was told they'd be climbing the largest mountain they knew in the blazing sun. That was just how he was.
"Mm.." Stepping back from the water, Zagreus glanced at Ouranos with a faintly amused gaze as the other wolf splashed into the stream before turning back to Calliope again. He padded forward a few paces before pausing. He didn't know this she-wolf, and didn't want to put his foot in it by encroaching on her personal space. It really wouldn't be worth the hassle it could cause. Although... if they were going to stay about here for a little while (which did appeal to him), it would be nice to be under a little more shade. For now, though, the dark wolf would be fine where he was.
Zagreus sat down on his haunches, his thick-furred tail idly swaying back and forth. He twisted his head to glance at Ouranos for a moment. The pale wolf seemed content for the moment, so he looked back at Calliope. "The name's Zagreus, by the way. Nice meeting you," he said casually.
"Calliope" she stated easily, pushing herself up with her front paws into a sitting position. 'Zagreus' seemed to be friendly at least and she could do with some company. "It's good to meet another norm..." she paused, not knowing if, perhaps, this other wolf was quite so disturbed by the odd wolves around here. He seemed relaxed and comfortable afterall, perhaps he had been her longer than she. "Another" she finished, leaving off the rest of the sentence.
Calliope let her head list as she casually asked "do.. you know this area well?" a very open question which would not truly force the other to reply more than he was comfortable with.
Ouranos continued to paddle happily. Ever since he was a pup he had taken a liking to water and loved dabbling in it given the chance. Since Zag didn't look as if he was going to be going anywhere fast the pale male happily indulged in one of his favourite pastimes.
Finding a relatively shallow patch in the water with sand underneath he sat down, cooling his haunches and splashed his tail through the clear stream water. Quickly, guiltily, glancing towards the other two and finding them involved enough with each other as to render him pretty much alone.
He rolled smoothly, quickly, happily in the water, righting himself in an instant, his fur glistening. Wet, tongue lolling out, he looked as happy as a kid with a new toy and not half comical.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 9:42 am
Zagreus gazed at Calliope for a moment, his golden eyes seeming thoughtful. He wondered what she was going to say before she cut her sentence off, as though rethinking her words. No matter. If she didn't want to follow through with the rest of her sentence, that was fine. He wasn't going to push his nose in where it wasn't wanted.
In response to her question, Zagreus shook his head. "Just what we've seen in the last few days. Ouranos and I have just been passing through the area." He looked back at the pale wolf wallowing happily in the water, his eyes taking on an amused sparkle. He then turned back to Calliope, looking at her curiously. She could just be being polite, or she could perhaps be new here herself. "How about you?"
Taking the measure of the wolf in front of her she decided that she liked him. That was to say he was reasonably well mannered and coloured and had seemed not to be a denizen of this place originally (which counted for a lot, currently). Another like herself? Moved from her packlands into this wilderness?
"I've been here since midwinter" she replied. "It's relatively good hunting" she added. Thinking, now, that the pair would not know the area and would find a little bit of information handy she continued. "If you intend to leave this area I should warn you that there are several pack territories scattered around the way you were headed."
This break in the forest, with it's little glade, had been her base over the rough winter. She had hunted reasonably well on small rodents and some carrion when neccessity arose. She had been planning all winter to move, go somewhere but, when spring had arrived and she had struck out she found boundary after boundary, strange wolves and little else.
She had returned here to this place a few days ago and was still considering what to do.
Having dunked himself, Ouranos shuffled out of the water. He stretched luxuriously, yawning wide, and began to pad about, sniffing the ground around here thoroughly for any signs of prey, others or anything remotely interesting.
Finding little bar the scent of the female which was fresh he thumped down onto the grass and began to dry out his pale coat. His large tail swished to and fro as he felt the sun begin to warm him.
Zagreus nodded his head. "Thanks for the information. We wouldn't care to run into another pack's territory." That would land them in a world of trouble, especially if the pack in question was aggressive about intruders on its land (which, in all honesty, was highly likely).
Before the dark wolf could continue, he felt the sting of an insect's bite at the base of one ear. Being near both water and trees, the insects were thick in the air here. Zagreus' thick fur managed to stave off most of the insects, but this one had obviously gotten lucky. Twisting his head around and splaying his front legs out for balance, the grey male scratched at his ear with a hind leg. After a moment, the itch disappeared again and he returned his attention to Calliope.
"We're not in a great rush in any case. Unless, you'd rather we didn't linger.." Zagreus was rarely in a great rush. He liked to take things at his own pace if he could, but at the same time, he wasn't willing to have a confrontation with another wolf. She seemed friendly enough now, but she might not take kindly to two males loitering nearby. Even if the odds of 2 on 1 would be in the males' favour, Zagreus did not want a fight. On first impression, he rather liked this female, and even the slightest injury to either himself or Ouranos could prove to be lethal in the long run. Nature was not kind to the sick and wounded, afterall.
Calliope smiled as much as her wolfish lips would allow at the contorted male "The only good thing about winter is not putting up with those pests". It wasn't until now, when he had scratched his ear, that she noticed the nick out of it. Wondering how he had gotten it, slightly distracted, she hardly noticed his question.
"Oh.. feel free to stay here if you wish... it's is no more my land than any others..." she would be glad of the company, to be honest, though she would not outright say it. "Perhaps..." she broached the subject a little quickly but her mind was set "perhaps we could hunt, us three?" For the first time since they began talking she looking back to the pale male who was contentedly sitting some way away. She knew it would take a while, it might mean they'd stay for a few days and it would, most importantly, mean her first taste of big game all winter!
Elated at the thought she unconsciously allowed her tail to give a few happy thumps on the ground.
Ouranos noticed the female look at him and wondered what was being said. Were they being moved on? He quickly ascertained that they were not given the happy wag of her tail moments later. Zag, you old rascal, he thought, grinning inside. He always seemed to be able to sweettalk the females, something Ouranos himself had trouble with.
Oura rolled over, the scent of the grass fresh in his delicate nostrils. His belly was damp and now he sunned it, happy in the knowledge that he was safe here.
Zagreus was about to reply with his thanks, when he paused, realising that Calliope had more that she wanted to say. Tilting his head curiously, he listened to her request before nodding his head. Of course - he would be happy to have somebody else to hunt with. Three wolves were better than two, afterall - especially when it came to acquiring food. This was better than he could have hoped for.
"Thanks. And of course. I'd like that - it would make hunting for all of us easier." Stretching out languidly, he settled himself onto the warm grass, his bushy tail swaying back and forth easily. He then glanced back at Ouranos, wondering if he would have any objections. Seeing the large, pale wolf sprawled out on his back made him grin inwardly. He was certainly enjoying himself.
"Ouranos?" he asked questioningly. His companion would probably be fine with the proposed arrangement, but he wanted to check in any case.
She nodded in agreement. It would be easier for them all, truly. Her thick tail thumped softly against the lush spring grass a few more times as Zagreus asked his second. The pair, to her, seemed like a Captain and subordinate but there seemed to also be a great deal of respect. They certainly seemed easy in each others company.
She tilted her head towards the off-white male with the flopped over ear, awaiting his response.
Ouranos hadn't been listening, really, he had allowed the two their time and had decidely not overheard anything. Was best not to poke ones nose into affairs between a she and he wolf. As Zag questioned him he rolled onto his front and got to his feet.
Anmbling a little ways towards the pair he asked "hmm?" wondering what it could be they wanted if they were, as he suspected, not being moved on.
"We were talking about joining together for a hunt. It would be easier for all of us, and we could try to bring down something bigger. What do you think?" Zagreus asked Ouranos, shifting his position in the grass slightly so that he was facing the other male properly.
He didn't think that there was anything to be lost from joining up with Calliope for a little while, but if Ouranos had any problems or objections, then he wanted to know.
Ouranos thought for a moment and then tilted his head to one side, his tongue lolling as he thought in his characteristic manner. "I see no problems with it - I wouldn't mind a decent meal." His tongue snapped back into his mouth as he let them know his considered judgement. He didn't expect them to follow what he said but knew Zag would not have asked him if he hadn't wanted a true answer.
"So.. we shall be staying here for a little..?" Ouranos half stated, half asked. He go to his feet again and padded over to a sunnier spot than where the two were sitting. They wouldn't hunt until later, when it was cooler and darker so he knew he could spend most of the rest of the day lazing about. He wasn't an idle wolf but he had been on the trot for days now and thought it might be nice to rest in good company.
Calliope was happy that this other male gave assent. Ouranos he had been called, yes? He seemed agreeable and certainly took orders well. She decided she liked the pale wolf too. Content, now, she lazed back down onto the grass, resting her head on her paws and tilting it up to look at Zagreus.
This might be a good place afterall, she thought.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 4:09 pm
Zagreus stretched languidly where he was standing, giving a huge yawn. Standing up straight again, the wolf gazed over at the glow that appeared on the horizon. The sun would rise soon. It had been several days since he and Ouranos had chanced upon Calliope by the stream. The trio had decided to remain together for a few days so that they might hunt something more substantial than rats and rabbits. They had hunted, and they had managed to bring down a good-sized deer. Having a full belly again had been a pleasant feeling.
Turning, the grey wolf made his way back to the other two. "The dawn comes soon. I was thinking of perhaps taking a wander around the area, just to get a feel for the lay of the land." He hadn't quite got his bearings here yet, and familiarity was always much more comfortable.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 4:29 pm
Calliope's silver eyes flickered open. She was content - warmth, companionship and a belly full of deer meat. "Mmm" she murmered, closing her eyes again. "There's quite a large number of wolves in these 'freelands'... I'm not too partial to moving amongst them" she sleepily growled "but you both may find it interesting to see and getting to know the land you rely on is always a good idea..." His tone had been one that suggested he would return and she hoped as much with her suggestion that he might need to know how to live off this land.
Her maw opened wide as she yawned and gracefully stretched herself upright. She padded a few steps forward and indicated a path - vaguely opposite of the way they'd gone hunting. "Towards that way is the 'hub' of this place it seems... the most busy." wether he decided to go that way or not at least he'd know what, to her, was a vital piece of information.
Yawning again she padded over to the stream and lapped a few mouthfuls of cool, refreshing water. The other didn't appear to be awake yet.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 4:47 pm
Zagreus nodded his head as Calliope commented about getting to know the land. Her words were very true. As she pointed out what she called the "hub", Zagreus turned to look in the direction that she'd indicated. For a moment, he paused, considering thoughtfully. Would it be better to head away from or towards that? It might at least be an idea to get some sort of measure of the other wolves in the free lands. That didn't necessarily involve approaching them - depending on the situation that might not be wise - but getting an inkling of their movements and such would always be useful.
"Ah, I see." He nodded to the she-wolf again. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Turning, the dark wolf looked over at the other male, who seemed to be sound asleep. It might be wise for Ouranos to come with him. He would need to know the layout of the land too.
Taking a few steps over to the sleeping wolf, Zagreus lowered his head and gave Ouranos a firm nudge to wake him.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 5:04 pm
Calliope wandered off, up the streambank. She wasn't concerned over saying 'goodbye' - that was only a matter for when you wouldn't see them for a long time or perhaps never. Her mind wandered as she pondered what she would do today. Perhaps search for a den? the warmth and shelter might be nice in the springtime downpours as she wasn't too keen on getting wet.
Ouranos half jumped out of his sleep from the sudden -to his mind- nudge Zagreus gave him. He was on his feet in a second though was still blearily sleepy and not entirely sure footed. Shaking his head, the thick fur on his neck bristling and fluffing out as he stretched his muscles taught after a night on the cool ground under the stars, he managed to say "Morning? Already?" somewhat dozily.
He was not a morning wolf and ususally preffered to sleep until the sun had risen a little and the cold mists had cleared from the lowlands. Certainly not your stereotypical skulking-in-the-dark type of wolf.
"What is it?" he tiled his head a little ways to the left as he spoke.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 5:15 pm
Zagreus tried to hide his amusement as Ouranos jumped to his feet, only to give him a rather confused look.
"Not quite, but nearly. I think we should take a look about this place properly - try to get a feel for it." Turning, the dark wolf headed a few paces towards the trail that had been pointed out. Calliope had already left, he noted. He was sure that she'd be somewhere nearby when they returned later. The grey male then paused, waiting for Ouranos. From the looks of things, he'd take a few moments to wake up.
"Looks like it's going to be another nice day today. That's good. I don't like it when it rains and the sky goes grey and dark.." he mused, half to himself and half to Ouranos.
"Coming?" he asked over his shoulder to the pale wolf, before beginning to move forward again.
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