Restless (Open to all)

[stormecho]

Ardeina paced in a rough circle in the field, ignoring the twigs snapping carelessly under her feet, or the loud rustling that gave away her position. Well, she noticed, but such things weren't important in her eyes at the moment. Three days. She had spent three days haunting the borders, but with no end to her wait was in sight. She hadn't met many other wolves, so she had next to no information about the resident packs. Ears flattening, she stopped and growled in frustration, hearing nothing but her own restless trampling. Wait. A scent, brought to her by the wind, wafted in the air for a moment before being swamped by the regular smells of the field. Still, someone was coming, and maybe there'd be an end to her ignorance.

She, for her own purposes, only searched out packs out once she had a general knowledge of what the members might be like, and the overall attitude. Thus, she was stuck plumbing for information until she had enough to decide whether she wanted to continue or not. Sitting down, as if to wait for whoever she had detected, the dark grey wolf stifled her frustration and calmed herself, russet eyes betraying nothing.

[Crescent/Sapphire]

IC: baaaaaaaaad. XDDD I'm so rusty!

Crescent adored the snow. She had been trotting through the forest, wandering aimlessly, before coming across the Field of Long Grass. Just beyond where tree trunks ceased to emerge from the ground, a wide canvas of undisturbed white awaited.

The temptation was too strong.

Crescent jumped like a jackal might upon its prey, letting out a powdery cloud shower around her bodice before bounding through the deep snow. In no time, her body was at lest five degrees warmer as her breaths came out in ragged, asthmatic pants. Suddenly, the off-white, cream-colored femme felt as though she were not alone and stopped in her jejune revelry, and scanned the field with her mercury-hued eyes, only to land upon a hurricane-gray blob in the field as well. Crescent cocked her head, trying to search her memory. No, she did not know this wolf, which meant, of course, that she had to go and meet her! With a jumping start, she began bounding through the snow once more, this time her ghostly, pallid-silver eyes intent on the gray female a couple hundred yards from her. Upon reaching the other wolf, she came to a sliding stop, the snow crunching like twigs beneath her. She smiled at the other she-wolf, happy to have some company on such a cold, but beautifully snow-lavished day.

“’Ello there,” she greeted, without a trace of being abashed, “I’m Crescent, how do you do?” Shaking her fur, which was just a shade or two darker from the pristine snow, she sat down politely, her chest cavity still heaving for the chilling air. She for one didn’t feel that it was odd to bound across a field in the middle of winter to greet a stranger. Wolves were social creatures, and Crescent hadn’t seen anyone in ages. That meant any thing that moved was fair game to befriend.

[stormecho]

Ardeina watched the other wolf's approach with some amusement. Yes, the ground was frozen beneath all that snow, and romping in it was fun - but she had other things to consider, far more important than a few minutes of playing. Still, the other wolg was being polite, and after a quick examination of the other's scent, she deigned to reply. "Greetings. I am Ardeina, and I am currently uninjured and untroubled." Well, she always had an oddly formal way of saying anything, and it extended to polite chatter like this as well. "And you?". Which was mere manners - a wolf wouldn't go bounding along in snow drifts for fun if she was depressed, now, would she? Now that they were both sitting down, she had the opportunity to study Crescent closely, memorizing every nuance of her scent for later. Hm - Crescent was from the northernmost lands, most probably: wolves with such light coats usually were. Indeed, her pack's alpha was one with such a pelt, meant for blending with the snow.

The other seemed meant for speed: long legs, lightly built. A good hunter, scout or fighter, if she was truly quick enough to get away before someone tried to knock her down. A wolf that would be valued, in a pack. Ah well, she'd pose the question later. Time for some more polite talk.

[Crescent/Sapphire]

I'm gonna post eventually, promise <33

[stormecho]

((Oh, suuure. XD I can wait. ^^))

[Crescent/Sapphire]

(See, I'm good to my word. =p I'm also on another site that's a bit more active-- www.acornrack.com/taiyae If you want more active people, that'll be the place. =])

The snow was glistening, glittering like diamonds as they stole the sun’s radiance and refracted it, toying with it to glorify its own vanity. Snow, purer than mountain spring, fairer than a summer day… But now she was rambling, and returned back to reality just in time to hear her fellow reply: “Greetings, I am Ardeina, and I am currently uninjured and untroubled.” Crescent nodded, a bit surprised at the elegance and eloquence of the femme’s speech. However, the cream-hued fae had never been one to judge, much less slander even if it was private. It was simply not in her nature to do so—one of the reasons she had not enjoyed her former pack. Too much politics—they were wolves, children of the moon. What business did the pack have in meddling with affairs beyond loyalty’s bounds?

“Ardeina,” Crescent repeated, almost absentmindedly, trying to commit the name to memory and enjoying the cadence of the syllables on her tongue, “I’ve never met another one, but it sounds like a lovely name.”

Her companion, Ardeina, then piqued to continue the polite volley that conversation asks for, “And you?”

Crescent nodded, good-natured as always. “I’m quite fine, thank you,” she replied genuinely. She paused for a moment, partially hypnotized by the beauty of the Field of Long Grass in winter and by its serenity. Such solace was truly humbling. “Hmmn, this place has change, hasn’t it?” Crescent ruminated, “It used to be full of life, teeming with wolves and packs…and now, it’s no more than a handful of wolves. You must be the first wolf I’ve seen in a couple of weeks!” Crescent sighed, half-heartedly, before realizing her rude assumption. “I’m sorry—I got a bit carried away. How long have you been here for, anyhow?”

Wow, that was polite, she reflected to herself, Submitting this poor soul to her garrulous rant. That’s how you’ll make friends. Oh, how solitude changed the soul.

[stormecho]

Ardeina dipped her head, accepting the compliment. "My name has quite the complicated meaning, as well. Usually meant for the second of the litter - the storm that comes after the echoing howl. Firstborn males in my pack are usually called Teaveri - the howl which echoes - and as I was second of the litter..." She trailed off. Why would Crescent want to hear this? After all, the customs of a small northern pack was hardly going to be interesting. A superstitious tradition - albeit, one that worked - was hardly something to be enthralled by. "Yes, the lack of wolves - even rogues, such as I - is noticable. I could not detect any proper scent for the three days that I have spent wandering. Still, you have been here when it was swarmed with packs, correct? Perhaps you could tell me if there are any packs left, then. Or is it just a land of sparse loners?" That would not be good for her plans... After all, she needed to prove to those arrogant southern alphen that going by dominance alone, by not having the pack work as a whole, they wouldn't survive. And she would, it seemed, take some time to find a pack to bring down in the first place.

Ardeina twitched an ear, still studying Crescent carefully. "You have the look of one who had recently been in a pack. You fur is quite glossy - you have been well-fed, and you must be a good hunter, or you would have lost weight. A loner for more than a few months like me, usually is a bit more ragged in appearance, no?" It was true - her fur was matted in some places, her legs powdered with snow and ice. Journeying in winter alone wasn't much good for her pelt, and it was only luck that it wasn't cold enough for the snow to freeze, as running on that would have bloodied her paws.

[stormecho]

((Bwahaha, this way you'll get a reply to Stormclouds' post as well, if Crescent manages to know something about that.))

[Crescent/Sapphire]

(no, Crescent doesn't--but a quick southern trip would suffice in meeting StormClouds or Sapphire)

As the other wolf spoke, Crescent listened intently, truly intrigued by the rogue’s past. It was a traditional name, a pack tradition. Crescent wondered what the name would’ve been had the second-born been male—what boy would have the name Ardeina?—before the more rational question of ‘Why did she leave her home?’ came to mind. Ardeina trailed off in her history lesson—was it from discomfort? “That’s very interesting—I had no idea that some packs had pre-set names. My parents, I think, just named me after the current moon phase because I resemble it in color!” Crescent laughed heartily, brimming with aplomb. “I have to admit, my namesake is a bit less interesting than yours.” However, Crescent loved her name all the same. It was simple, chic, and reminded Crescent of crisp, cold nights of staring up at her celestial cousin.

Ardeina than brought up the lack of wolves in the region, detecting the abnormality in a mere 3 days, accentuated exactly how barren these lands now were. Crescent nodded as she questioned whether the lands had once been ‘swarmed with packs’, and replied, “I think there might be one or two left, a bit more to the south of here, or at any rate, some more wolves down there.” Crescent really wasn’t sure, though. She had always stayed in the Northern lands, preferring the cold of her birth to the heat of the south.

Crescent began to reminisce, trying to recall the specific names of the southern packs, but they either eluded her or her probing mind balked from the recollections. Her northern friend interrupted her thoughts, but Crescent didn’t mind in the slightest—she had never been one to keep track of politics: “You have the look of one who had recently been in a pack. Your fur is quite glossy—you have been well-fed, and you must be a good hunter, or else you would have lost weight.” Crescent shrugged, a bit startled at how observant Ardeina was, but otherwise unperturbed. It was not her place to adjudicate others. “A loner for a more than a few months like m, usually I a bit more raged in appearance, no?”
“I suppose I am a sufficient hunter, but these lands are also teeming with game, even if it was once filled with packs, too! I’m sure within a week you’ll look like your old self. But yes, I was in a pack not too long ago—perhaps some months. But the weak animals are abundant, because no packs are competing with lone wolves for the easy targets.” Crescent paused, reflecting on Ardeina’s words and getting the gist of what their intent might have been. “But, I would not mind having a pack again. Wolves are not meant to be alone.”

[stormecho]

Ardeina listened to Crescent's reply with evident interest. "Perhaps not the most original of names, but then again, my name is hardly original when there are three of them in the pack." She chuckled as well, relaxing, even when she heard the possibility of a pack or two in the south. Perfect. Southern weather usually softened wolves far beyond what she would have expected from a pack. It would be enjoyable for her to teach them the proper way to behave - if there were any left. Still, back to the name topic. "My pack was superstitious - the secondborn had to be named a storm, so to appease nature and keep squalls from plaguing us. To my knowledge, it has worked well - there have been no snowstorms since my birth. The firstborn usually tend to have well-carrying voices, and serve well as scouts if they aren't balanced enough to become the alphen." She glanced south, and if Crescent had been quick enough, she would have seen a flicker of hunger. "I thank you for telling me where they might be. I will begin to search tomorrow, once I am well fed. As for the news of prey - that is good, very good. I am in need of more than scrawny hares that meld with the snow. You have been very helpful, Crescent." It wasn't a dismissal - not quite, anyway. If the white-furred wolf decided to continue the conversation, Ardeina would happily enjoy the company for a bit longer.

As for that last, almost wistful comment, she didn't react much to it, simply twitching her ears in subtle agreement. Being a loner was good enough for a few months, when you had to find a pack, but staying alone... The loneliness could kill. Even a mated pair eventually would claim a territory and start a pack - it was inevitable.

[Crescent/Sapphire]

(mmkai, thread's done then. =]

You can post at 'Rekindling the Flame' if you'd like. =])

[stormecho]

((Course. XD))