Dear Veshta+

[Lonestar]

Veshta+A grunt sounded into the humid air as padders grudged along the terrain, nasals inhaling the unfamiliar scents every few strides. The one scent that conquered them all was the essence of rain; more so dirt, though. The sky was overcast, the charcoal colored clouds covered the sun, threatening to break any moment. Soon enough the hounds of Zeus would be released, saliva dripping from their gaping mouths in excitement from the thrill of the hunt. Their muscles would send their paws to collide with the clouds, loud steps booming throughout the lower land. Commands for the beasts would come from Zeus himself, in the form of lightening bolts no doubt. The rain would be a nice supply of water for the land, but it may put a slight damper upon my own traveling plans perhaps. No, the rain would not stop me from wandering. I would keep going, to wherever it was that I was going. As if I knew, as if I ever had. A rabbit was flushed in front of myself, by an inexperienced fox who thought it'd be fun to make chase. The rabbit was mine now, the fox bounded after it, only to tire and be bolted past by my sabled frame. A snarl rippled my lips, each stride taking me closer to the hare until at last I was able to swoop it up in my jaws and stop quite quickly. Cranium shook in a frenzy, playing with my sad excuse for a snack. The rabbit squealed in protest, thrashing about until one of its claws raked across my muzzle, sending a few droplets of blood to the earth's crust. I would not be wounded by such a small animal. A growl tore through my teeth as they snapped closer onto its neck, setting the creature onto the ground only to finally snap its neck slowly, wishing to cause it more pain due to the small wound it had inflicted on me. Stupid creature. The meal was quick, more bones than meat to it. At last, the rain came, a slight sprinkle as I trotted towards a small creek to dip my muzzle in and rid of the dried crimson.Palette swiped over my jaws, the last of my snack disappearing from my facade. Ivories had a slight pink tinge to them, but didn't most of the wolven species? Fore columns stretched before myself, a yawn lazy forcing my jaws to open, ribbon curling as it revealed itself for a quick moment. Muscles protested a bit as I rose once more to my feet, walking off with a small hitch to my step, which wore off quite quickly. Like the rest of my life, I'd been traveling for days on end; searching for nothing. The life of a loner was exactly how I thought it to be, and how I wanted it to be. No others. No annoying pups. No complaining elders. No erratic mates that wouldn't shut up. No harlots. Even as a fatale, I resented females and their likes. But brutes were never high on my list either. I just wasn't a socialite like my sisters had been. There were three of us total, only two whom were mother's pride and joy. And only one who my father frowned upon. And what position had that left me in the pack? Nothing. Not even a hunter. It'd been my choice to leave those fools and their ways of life behind. I was tired of doing other's chores. I was tired of everything packs were about. Four years ago I had taken my leave as a yearling, which now made myself have a decade. Four years of wandering, four years of searching for nothing. Steps were paused, haunches finding the earth in the same instant. Most would claim I'd wasted my life doing such things, a majority of those would also tell me that I needed to settle down, find myself a mate and have pups. " Bloody idiots." I muttered, finding my feet once more. The ground became rockier, a small stone causing my skin to split and a small amount of blood to change the color of the rock from grey to scarlet. " A little accident prone tonight, aren't you, Veshta?" Who did one have to converse with when you were the only one around? So, I had picked up the small habit of speaking to myself, a few comments here and there; nothing much. The ground beneath my feet gave way to the smooth surface of a rock face, padders grasping the edge with a grumble. " Well....this wasn't how I planned my route..." Gaze traveled to the ground, finding that the drop was a wee bit larger than planned, causing me to have to retrace my steps and come back an alternate route. A howl echoed from my voice box, a bit scratchy as it sounded out on a rare occasion. Why? Just instinct, I suppose. Leathers twitched, listening to it echo for a moment before changing back to cut a new path.

[Lonestar]

Droplets fell on the leaves of the trees and the blades of the grasses, creating a soft rhythm that he recognized would be his evening's lullaby. There was something to rejoice in the deviation from the routine for it reminded the knight of the earth's constant conversion, much unlike his own progression in life. The days in his memory that came after childhood were all so akin to their predecessor that they blurred together, making the distinction between days, weeks, months and years hazy in the wolf’s minds eye. It was a boring life; a meaningless life and although at times he yearned to have the story be told differently, no way existed to make it so. Pack had abandoned him and he them, preferring the wanderings of a loner to the ever growing expectations one held amongst others of their breed. He was not one for companionship and perhaps never would be either. For now, the tears of angel's kept him company, allowing a heavy sigh to be released from diaphragm while shades closed over cobalt surfaces, blocking sight from the misting surroundings. In the typical progressing way of rain, the light sprinkle slowly turned from soft to hard, coming down from the sky at an increasing frequency. Tail is tucked tighter over hind limbs, muzzle disappearing beneath the flap of skin and fat at his flank, a natural reaction for any beast during a storm even if the air around them was humid as it was now. Irritation rose as a drop broke through the dense canopy hanging above him to land upon the steel dipped hairs of his guise, causing the male to flinch before a grumble is released. Body unfurled, limbs extending out in front of him while hinds pushed carcass from the now damp sod, abandoning his haven formed of vegetation in search of a more sturdy cover. On another day, perhaps the lord would have kept his position and simply suffered through the wet night, but toleration for such things seemed to have escaped him at the moment and he therefore began traveling amongst the unknown bushes, following paths that led to areas unfamiliar. A startled death cry of a hare brought momentum to a sudden halt, dome jerking up to level above scapulas with audits erect, listening further to the area from wince the sound came. Hearing nothing else, the baron continued along his way, attempting to avoid the origins of such a noise for it signaled the presence of another predator: one he did not particularly have the inclination to meet. Fate has a way of changing one's plans however and especially enjoyed toying with this lad's ideals of life. The scent trail which he kept to was one of a bear gone three days hence and he hoped it would lead him to a lair carved out of granite rock face. Its supplier was one to veer from the course, creating a winding, illogical route. He moved past a stream, sticking to its bank until it curved north, diverting away from the rocky terrain mittens now came in contact with. Hope lifted spirits at the promising sign, stride moving with renewed energy, allowing instincts to take the place of tracking skills while he trudges forwards. The stench of iron filled the air, orbs surveying the land before him in search of the crimson stain whose tendrils of scent molecules had wafted upwards into his nasal passageways. Finding the spot to be only a few feet in front of him, liquids locked upon it, legs carrying him swiftly over. With snout inches from the ground, he inspected it, finding the blood to be fresh. Jerking his skull upwards, lobes flickered in search of the owner, advancement slow as he moved onward, careful of his every step. The song of his brethren pierced the atmosphere somewhere in front of him, bringing surprise to his features, but he did not stop. Instead, Cy pushed himself onward till the sight of another allowed him to pause, liquid rolling across stone expression as it fell from the sky, light sapphire pair staring at the maiden's backside, wondering if she would notice his unexpected presence.

[Ardy]

The rain's rhythm had been affected multiple times, the pressure rising and falling within moments, only to decide that it should stay at a steady down pour. Aw how the heavens must have loved me. The one time I decide in which to keep traveling, the sun is blocked by the storming clouds. Thunder added its voice into nature's argument, the lightening striking to show its own opinion. It was quite odd how I saw the weather, personified it with my own reasons. It was as though my mind wasn't wired on the same levels as most. Senses were dulled thanks to the precipitation, luminaries squinting as the masses of crystal drops became a nuisance for my vision. The water was absorbed by my grizzled pelt, making it feel a good five pounds heavier, an illusion of course. Skin was nearly soaked to the bone, but I resisted the urge to shiver. Thunder boomed above, leathers pressing closer to my dome, muzzle pressed to my chest as I turned back to alter my path. Well now, I was reconsidering. I really didn't have the desire to keep trudging along in the given circumstances. It wasn't worth it. Squinting once more, steps were halted due to the sight in which I swore to have seen. A figure was there, and now it seemed to be that of another lupine's. Soaken hackles rose upon my figure, glaring at the other through narrowed amber optics. Plume rose from the relaxed point, curling above my backside as a few steps were taken forwards, bodice freezing tensely once under the cover of an oak's branches. I stared the beast down still, scents coming to me in a weak whiff. It was a brute, which explained its own silence at the moment, which I had no argument with, quite content that it would be my job to break the reticence; something I found myself to be good at. Haunches found the earth in a slow gesture, settling myself without looking away from the drake. I was still on my guard, hackles only half raised though. Harks twitched, leaving my cranium sense the rain was inconsistent under the tree's canopy. A small cough was released, straightening my voice in the stillness. "What were you doing, watching me?" Vocals were harsh, unamused for the time being. The squall would pass soon enough and I would be gone, unless a challenge arose for supposed 'trespassing' but as far as I was concerned, that did not seem to be the case in any way. Impatience wasn't present in my mind, rattling around like no other and causing weight to shift as I sat there, watching the bloke with an attentive gaze. It'd been quite awhile since I'd seen another of the canine species, the last being a small pup who'd managed to stumble beneath my feet, yet I had taken pity on it and for once not snapped its head off. It hadn't been harmed, just scolded in an unhappy manner and paid little attention to. So somewhere, deep inside, I did have the pack instinct that most wolves were born with. I was actually somewhat 'normal'. A small cackle began to rise in my throat at the thought, stopping when my mind flipped back to listening for the bloke to speak.

[Lonestar]

It was foolish really what he was doing: standing beneath the slight cover offered by a large oak with random spurts of water slipping through the cracks of the vegetation's surface area to darken the appearance of steel pelt and all of this just so he could survey a stranger, a female at that, as she stood at the ledge of a cliff. Why he had not turned and disappeared amongst the wood in the opposite direction the instant the scent of her blood and found him the male would never fully understand. One would have thought he would have learned from the mistakes of the past and yet, here Cyraz was again, spying on a lady. The flashback was surreal, the situation almost exact to every detail except for the setting. Memories continued to play in his head, his nerves no longer feeling the rain, but rather the warm rays of the sun beating down upon his silvery hide, heating the skin until his blood boiled. Behind a bush, he had hidden himself, watching the intriguing lass as she roamed around her territory. Then she turned, found him out, the hackles that lined the length of her spine rising to create a fierce picture he was all too familiar with. But wait, she did not approach him; did not confront him as she was supposed to. Within his mind the bloke begged for her to flush him from his concealed position with a sharp tongue and saucy presence. He yearned to relive the bitter sweet moment in time, but as was inevitable, the dream began to fall apart, leaving the baron in his present hell. Shades blinked over bleached depths and the vision faded completely away, leaving the figure of another maiden seated before him in the rain. Sighing, crown shook to rid skull of the reminisce before attention was bestowed fully upon the situation at hand, amusement tugging one side of kissers upwards at the accusatory words that escaped the fea's jaws. Stepping forward, the drake abandoned his dryer post in exchange for a complete shower, gaze leveling the other's easily. Perhaps you are lucky it twas an insignificant brute like myself observing you rather than a beast who claimed these lands as his own. The call you expelled draws all of our kind to answer, even loners such as we know this. Scrutinizing her with a severe look, Cy tricked himself into believing he was chastising her for the stupidity of letting loose sound which could reveal the presence of both to any surrounding packs, but really he did not care much if the lyri did bring a hoard of creatures to their current spot. Packs had their hierarchy and their rules established against attacking most none threatening trespassers. Most could not afford obtaining a bad reputation for the treatment of loners as the individual wolves who choose a life of travel over community tended to become defensive as a group over their rights.

[Ardy]

The drake amused Veshta by the way he seemed to zone out from reality, having a flashback of some sort. Yet the lass was easily amused, more so by the mental suffering of others, not necessarily physical pain.The brute came back to the current setting and a smirk crossed the fae's muzzle. A low growl came from her throat as the male rose to take a few steps forward. Veshta tensed and instantly rose to her feet, pelt bristling in every possible direction.As the stranger simply stood in front of the mistress, she settled to a degree, coat lying flat once more. An intense stare, not challenging, met the lad's gaze with an even intensity. His lyrics filled the atmosphere, audits of the ess twitching in reply. The words that came from him surprised the vixen but she intended on him knowing nothing of that. Her expression never changed, only grunting at first until finding the right reply in order to save herself from a humiliating defeat. Aye, lucky? A throaty cackle rose into the air, lingering for only a few brief moments. The brute had dared to punish through words about her own actions, something she would not take with respect. I think I'd be able to hold my own just fine if I was to run into some territorial type. Skull was raised, brisket being pushed out in a haughty manner; aw pride was definitely not something she lacked. Veshta had no care for others boundaries, and there seemed to be a very small amount who actually had the backbone to stand up to any who dared to cross. There was always a fair amount of talk, but nothing else. So, needless to say, the wolf simply pranced across wherever she pleased. I'm well aware that lyrics are easily heard and distinguished, almost every species on this planet knows that most calls are meant to be answered; predator or prey.But perhaps such a call would attract others, but have you ever thought of using your voice for measurement? Echoes can be a marvelous thing when used to their strengths. Immediately after finishing her sentence, Veshta's haunches found the earth once more in order to add emphasis to her point.Aw, yes she was quite stubborn and arrogant, another reason why she didn't excel in pack life. Now, the femora was silently punishing herself, baffled that this male had been able to come out of no where and point out her faults. Before his words, she would have never really analyzed her previous actions. Now, she was pointing out every mistake she had just made. Lids closed briefly, opening as tiara was given a small shake of dissatisfaction. And perhaps you wouldn't have such a short attitude if you weren't standing in the midst of a down pour? Even as a canine, the smell of a wet lupine was not appealing. And that was enough with the word 'perhaps' for the time being, unless she found it necessary to annoy the bloke with that word through the entire conversation, however long it did last.

[Lonestar]

Amused smirk met her offensive display; stature remaining undisturbed for the lass was not considered a threat. The display would be impressive perhaps to a younger beast, but the male had lived long enough to distinguish between those who would readily attack and who were more reluctant in their violent outbursts. As he suspected, she settled down once his presence was deemed acceptable, but still did not return to the seated position which she had occupied earlier. Deciding to mirror her previous action, haunches tucked beneath frame and rump sank towards the earth, resting comfortably against the slowly thickening mud as the storm began to pelt the flooring with its liquid. Clinically, voids surveyed the maiden as she spoke, pride showing even through the simplest of speeches although he was not surprised at her containing such a fault. Conceit was a common attribute possessed by wolven who distanced themselves from the pack life: they thought themselves better than or maybe too good for the living style they had abandoned. Cyraz saw no reason to feel such a way; a pack was essential to the ecosystem and was a very respectful atmosphere in which to carry out ones days, but it just simply was not for him. The bloke preferred to travel where he liked with no responsibilities to anyone but himself. That was just the way it was, but his back was not turned upon the community which gave him life and raised him from a pup to a yearling. Tilting his head as if considering the essa's words, brow furrowed slightly before jaws parted to release sound. You are best to judge how you would fare in a battle for passage, indeed, but is not your assessment premature? Do your odds not wax and wane from territory to territory as the alpha's change? I do indeed continue to find you Lady Luck. I hope that serves you well as the years pass for you may need it as we all do from time to time. Closing his trap again, gems stared at the high standing vixen, finding nothing further to really interest him in what he saw. She was vain without the sharp lashed temper that had gone along with his only female companion, giving him no grounds to believe her arrogance well deserved. In his eyes, he was beginning to see her as a young pup who had become frustrated with the restraints often attached to the younger life of lupines in order to secure their safety and because of such had left without acquiring the proper instruction from the elders. In consequence, because she had managed to live so long unscathed in this life the fea fancied herself a real hard core varg, but in reality even she had no actual idea of how well her strengths could play the situation into her paw. At least, that was the observation Cyraz had made until an obviously well designed argument came in reply to his notes. Impressed grin pulled across maw, mind instantly working to find loopholes in her argument without much difficulty, but the baron had to admit he was enjoying this game that was developing. Yes, echoes are quite handy when one is fortunate enough to be in a situation when they are useful, however, I do not think you were judging the length or the depth of that cavern and therefore do not think you were releasing your song for such an excuse as you have provided me with. Smiling still, hind limbs lift carcass from the earth slowly, taking care not to rouse her from the relaxed state she had once more adapted to while pelt was shaken out, debris that clung to his hairs falling to rest on the ground while water droplets sprayed in every direction, leaving the lord to look a bit like a puff ball with his fur sticking out from his system in an unnatural way. Rain would soon smooth out the strange appearance however and he was in that regard not worried much. Glancing around, his reassumed the mission he had embarked upon when he found the fatal, nostrils bringing in the almost diluted scents of other creatures from the wafts in the air. Before setting off again along his unmarked path, muzzle whipped around to look at the fea, audits pricked to absorb her words while chuckles emit. I was not built with an easily provoked temper, mistress therefore you nor the weather affects my attitude much. But if you wish, I can leave you be and find cover of my own while you search, or you may follow along my path to accompany me to shelter. Whichever you wish.