Wanderer

[Elden]

Large, black paws crunched on dead leaves that were lightly frozen. A plume of mist danced away from an open jaw, a soft pink tongue lolling out as the beast panted. He had run a long way. He had not stopped for days, but finally he had met a scent that told him to halt. He could smell wolves, and a border marking that caused him to stop abruptly at the side of a stream. He took a deep breath, emerald eyes scanning the forest around him. It was all silent apart from the odd twitter of a bird and the flap of their wings. His black coat ruffled in a light breeze as he sighed and gazed around.

Elden's rear slowly lowered to the ground as his tail curled about him. He was alert as he sat there, wondering what his best option was. There was not a strong scent here, so maybe there were not many wolves. Was there even an alpha? He was not sure. The only conclusion he could come to was that he had to howl, to see if anyone was there to answer his call or allow him into the territory. Taking in a deep breath, he tilted his head backwards and a sound that haunted many back in his homeland echoed throughout the forest. A deep, bellowing, blood-curdling howl, just like his father's. His call faded out as he took another breath and howled once more. Again and again he bellowed to any other wolves that may be about, hoping that another would join his chorus.

[Valand]

It had been long since he had last been here. For a time it had been his home, now it was simply an empty echo of what was. He didn't have plans on staying as this brute came here with nothing but a whim and some memories. Glancing back and fourth while somehow feeling like he didn't belong there he trudged over the leaves, taking in every scent that came to his nose. As he thought, no one had been to these lands for a while. It felt almost wrong. The last time Valand had walked these lands, life was ever present, you would meet packmates simply by walking around the next bend.

His thoughts halted as he heard leaves being crushed under the weight of another wolf's paw. His own movement stopped and he turned to look. The old wolf vaguely saw a mass of black moving inward. Valand continued to examine and observe the other form, as he sat and quietly looked around then raised a mighty head to unleash a mightier howl. The milky brute did not howl back in reply, not wanting to give the wrong idea that he was a member of this once-was pack. He was no leader even though he lived here happily alongside other wolves of neutral view. Moving forward, he made his way to the ebony wolf, walking in a lazy and relaxed manor. After he got there, he simply sat down almost directly in front of the brute.

[Elden]

Elden ceased his howling as the other wolf appeared, staring at him cautiously while he made his approach. This had not been one of the faint scents he had picked up, in fact he had not come along this one on his travels yet. His tail twitched gently amongst the leaves before he slowly stood, drawing himself to his full, beastly height. To those who had known his father, he was the spitting image of him. He bowed his head courteously to the other male, but never took his eyes off him. Maybe this was just another wanderer, not a pack leader or even a pack member. It was hard to tell. While the brute held himself well, his scent was not plastered all over the land Elden had walked through - little did he know there was more to this place than seemed.

As he lifted his head, he spoke in a voice that was as deep and booming as his howl. "Greetings, friend," he said warmly, sitting back down again. "I was wandering, and have been for a long time, and I smelt that a territory began here. Are you a pack member here?" He tilted his head in curiosity, his large ears perked towards the male.

[Valand]

As the cutting howl faded into a still silence, Valand continued to observe for another moment. The wolf before him was strong and hardy, while he himself was more built like an overgrown puppy. His paws were somewhat oversized and it seemed his tail was a little too long for his build, but he was made for agility. Bright yellow orbs glanced at the surroundings then once more coming upon the beast. As the other bowed, he did the same and dipped his head.

The charcoal male's voice was loud but also reserved. It piqued the older brute's interest. He contemplated for a moment the other's words then replied "Salutations!" he chimed with a smooth voice. "Years ago I was, but now it seems the land has fallen into a desolate state." he paused "At one point, this place was so lively. Though, as you can see here...It's turned to a ghost town."

[WindCatcher]

She heard other wolves; her nose and ears told her that. She began to quicken her pace, following the scent trail that she found very lively and fresh. She began to run in a slow jog, and finally saw two shadows sitting rather close to each other. One was darker than the other, and the other was lighter. First it looked like a wolf from the dark pack, and a wolf from the light pack. But that was rather odd to see, so she knew she was wrong.
Quicken her steps, she finally slowed to a walk, although her feet wanted to run faster. As she came closer to the objects, her head thingyed to her side. The wolves -- unknown to her, at least, now.
She came upon the two wolves, now. Her head high in confidence and rank, she began to raise her tail. Not high enough in dominance, and not low enough in outcast rank. She wanted to show herself dominant, but still submissive to those her were a higher rank than her.
She sat down by the two, now knowing more information about them. Their gender was very clear, both were males. She was the only female now, but that was not uncommon. She had not come upon many females in her life. But it was nice to be the only one; it showed her independence, and confident.
She smiles to both of them, first to the larger, black one. "*hello,*" She said in a smile. Her nose hit the black one's scent, and she shook her head. The other wolf's scent came clear to her, and she knew he was more common to the area than the other one. But yet, she was knew as well.
(lol...long post)

[Elden]

Elden gave the other male a wolfish grin as he appeared to be friendly in his speech, the black male's tail wagging slowly. It had been a long time since he had seen a friendly face, so this was certainly something to wag about. "That is certainly a shame," he said lowly, "when places turn desolate, it leaves an empty space in your heart, I find. My packlands suffered a similar fate, which is how I ended up here." He moved his head to look to one side as he heard movement in the trees, his gaze soon landing on a feminine figure walking slowly towards them.

Elden offered her a welcoming, toothy smile, his tongue hanging out lazily. He was still tired from his long run, but as usual he was willing to socialise and observe. "Greetings! Are you a resident here too?" His head tilted to the side, ears perked up like a curious puppy. Again his tail wagged amongst the leaves, a gentle rustling emerging from his behind as he did so. "Why, we have quite the little congregation here."

[WindCatcher]

She looks to Elden and smiles. "Yes, I am...but it has been a long while since I have seen another female wolf." She smiles as if she's happy that her pack brought home a freshly killed elk. She lies down and rolls to her back, twisting and turning in the leaves. She gets up, and shakes the moss and broken twigs from her coat. "Ah...but it has been so boring here...no one is barley anywhere." She smiles to Elden and then to the other wolf. "So, what have you been doing?"

[Valand]

The older brute returned with a jaunty grin "I was somewhat hoping this pack would find another Alpha, but that hasn't happened just yet. Terribly sorry about your own pack lands, my friend." he replied. His ears homed in on the approaching noise of rustling leaves and turned his head to see the shape of another wolf come into view.

His tail swished back and forth, he was happy to have the presence of other wolves about once more. He listened to the wolfess speak and replied "Yeeeeeaaahh..." he said at length "This place hasn't been home to a pack in years."

[WindCatcher]

She turns to the other wolf, her tail shimmering and her pelt reflecting light off of the warm day. She rubs her back against the ground, leaves crackling as she does so. She gets up, and moss and twigs cover her body. She shakes, and they fall off.
She turns to see another presence of a wolf. "Hi," she starts, but then stops herself. What does 'hi' have to do with anything? Greet them some other way!, she thought to herself. She shook her head. "I mean, hello fellow wolf." she covers her face with her paw. Stupid! "Anyways..." she struggles for words. Why was it so hard? I mean, she could speak to males quite clearly! There was something about females...just something!
She smiled to the other wolves. "Excuse me for a moment," she got up and shook once more. She left the other wolves while she trotted off to rethink her actions.

[Elden]

Elden sniffed in the direction of the female as she left, a small frown crossing his face. He slowly moved his expression to face the brute, a soft grin appearing. "I think she's loco," he said with a small chuckle, settling himself down amongst the leaves and stretching his rear legs out to one side in a very relaxed manner. "Unfortunately there needs to be pack members for there to be an alpha, for an alpha is a king, and a king cannot be ruler of a wasteland." He scratched his nose with his paw, snuffling ever so slightly. "And as far as I have gathered," he continued slowly, gazing around at his surroundings. "There are no wolves here!" He crossed his paws lazily one over the other, watching the other male.

So there was no alpha, which was interesting. But also there were no pack members, which led to a difficult situation."I'm sorry, I did not catch your name," he said suddenly, his head rocking to his left as he spoke. How silly of him to not ask the male's name.

[Valand]

His golden eyes simply followed the female's movements, watching as she left. If anything, it was a little surprising. He turned back to the other brute "Perhaps...?" he laughed with a grin. He sat in a mellow manor, tail swishing from side to side in a rhythmical fashion as he observed the surroundings. "Well, the alpha leads his pack. Without an alpha there is no pack, and without pack members..well, you said it yourself." he paused "So my question is this. Which came first? The chicken or the egg?" he continued having that charming grin of his spread across the ivory muzzle. He shifted a little in the fallen leaves, causing a muffled crunching of leaves to be heard under him.

He paused and blinked, seemingly trying to look at his snout with both eyes. "Oi, it's Valand." he replied.

[WindCatcher]

She smiles politely and lies her head down on her forepaws. She looks up to the two wolves. "Valand is right," she says as she raises her head. "The Alpha leads his pack. Without an Alpha, though, the pack has no one to rely on. So who is precious enough to lead this pack?" She looks to the other wolves, waiting for a response. "So I guess our pack is useless now, I guess, ay?" She smiles, and her tail beats against the floor. She yawns and rests her head back down.

[Elden]

"A pack is never useless," Elden growled lowly, his eyes glinting softly. Females... there was a reason why they were the ones who had to look after the children and stay out of things. "Well, we do seem to have developed a small pack here, but we have no leader." He stood and stretched his hind legs, powerful muscles flexing beneath his thick pelt. He was just as his father used to be, mildly unpredictable with slight mood swings. He seemed to have switched from a placid omega-like male to someone worthy of being a leader - yet he was in a strange territory, and he was not stupid enough to go and claim a top spot. "I am Elden," he said gruffly, raising his rear in the air as he stretched out his front legs too. "And what is your name, female?" He nodded over to the other wolf, deciding it was best to be polite.

He remained stood now, towering above the others but with his head and tail held low so as not to offend. This was not his land, and he had no right to be dominant in it.

[Valand]

"Hmm, I never quite said it was useless...but it would be best to have leader. I know of two packs here that now have leaders. Both of which seem to be fairly strong." he said simply. Valand stayed sitting comfortably, listening to the conversation. He found that Elden, in his opinion, seemed like he could be the leader and found the female to just be a little odd.

His torn ears flexed at hearing something small move through the bushes near, obviously not a threat. The old wolf yawned and turned his head to the massive black shape. "Well, Elden, you seem like you're well and able enough to step up." he said with a nod.

[WindCatcher]

A low growl formed in her throat as she looked at the two males. Males...always trying to stand the females out of the way. "I may be female, but I have the heart of a male. I'm not like the others, and I don't like being treated like one." She sat back down. "My name is WindCatcher." She smiled partially, and looked down at her white paws. A breeze blew by, and she sighed. "A pack is not useless, that is true. But what happens when there is no leader? All I meant was that what good are we without an alpha?" She looked the white and black wolf up and down, and lied down. She rested her head on her forepaws and sighed.