05-23-2012, 05:49 PM
570.
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[/html]Claudius watched as the different traders emerged from the woods and he took his time to look over each and every one of them. He didn’t recognize any of them, which, he supposed made sense; he hadn’t ventured very far from AniWaya and when he had, it had been to visit Terra. He noticed one wolf, a white one with a child, approach him. It seemed as though he was not the leader because he glanced over at one of them, a yellowish wolf, before he spoke up. Claudius nodded in response as he tried to take it all in. He recognized the name Cercatori d’Arte because it was the pack that inhabited a part of Dahlia de Mai’s old territory. The other pack, Casa di Cavalieri, was the one his mother said had taken her in after her tussle with a pack. He wasn’t sure if one of them was the so-called Jazper Rhiannon--and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet him, either.[/html]
The wolf continued speaking and asked whether Claudius liked herbs. Claudius was immediately put aback when the wolf guessed correctly. Maybe he was surprised that the wolf was right or maybe Claudius just didn’t like others making assumptions about him, but he withdrew into himself and glanced away for a moment. He didn’t like others being so forward; it unnerved him. But when the white wolf stepped back to let him look at what they had to offer, Claudius nodded meekly and took a step forward, returning to where he had originally been standing. He slowly walked toward the caravan and began to inspect the wares for sale. He glanced from one item to the next, noticing there was some wood that could be used for building, a few pieces of jewelry, some art supplies, and a few books. There were some plants he didn’t recognize, but he was too hesitant to speak up and ask about it. Instead, he continued to browse, hoping that he would be able to just figure it out on his own. He continued to glance over what they had to offer when he overheard another wolf, presumably not of the same pack, who inquired about the wolf’s herbs. He kept his ear tilted to the other wolf to hear how the first one responded as he weighed a hammer in his hand and then replaced it.
As he turned to talk to the white wolf, he heard another tribesmember approach. Luna approached and then greeted the yellowish wolf--Skye, he heard her say--who appeared to know Luna. Claudius heard Skye ask Luna how AniWaya fared and Claudius wondered if she meant since the war was over. Somewhat ashamed of the tribes’ sordid history, he turned away to immerse himself in trading instead of eavesdropping on conversations. He returned his gaze to the white wolf who’d originally greeted him, and with a certain amount of reluctance, spoke up.
“I-I do-do nee-eed mo-o-ore tools-- fo-o-or wood ca-a-arving and cra-a-aftsmen...ship... as well a-a-a-s... for dyes... do-o you ha-a-ave anythi-i-i-ing o-of the s-o-ort? A ca-a-a-rving knife... and a b-b-b-bo-ow and a-a-arr-o-ow,” he added impulsively. He had never considered it until now, but he should probably find some sort of weapon with which to defend himself--if he could learn how to use it. He hadn’t intended to ask about a bow and arrow, but it had kind of just... slipped out.[html]