Skye had been traveling in what seemed like circles for days. First the encounter at Inferni, then the bear and the other wolf. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this whole area of Souls was one enormous loop, a glitch in the system. She grew angry with herself for thinking that she could have survived on her own. Her fur was pressed against her stomach, which was almost pitifully thin. Her faded pink t-shirt and blue pants covered her thinness, however, and her face was well-groomed enough. Long, silky, auburn hair blazed in the sun on top of her head, and it waved down nicely.

She had been walking along a beautiful beach, the waves lapping against the shore. She relaxed, letting her stride lead her to wherever she was going - if she was going anywhere, that was. She just decided to leave her fate in the hands of a higher power, whoever that was, and just not have a plan anymore. She had lost hopes of being in a pack - none of them fit her. Inferni was too terrifying, and didn't accept wolves anyway. The rest were very strict, and seemed to exist for no reason other than for the sake of having a pack.

Suddenly, a sound reached her ears. She paused, her large, cupped ears twitching. It was the sound of...music. Something she hadn't heard in a very long time. Excited, she listened a little more.

It was beautiful.

The song coming from whatever this was was an enticing mixture of a soft, pleasant voice and the wind whistling in the forest. It reminded her of spring, of her family. Of home.

She loved it.

She had to find the source of this song, whatever it was. She looked around for a second or two, sure the source couldn't be too far away. She sniffed once - that was right. There was a wolf here. Was he or she the source of the wondrous sound that seemed to love her and taunt her at the same time?

Then she saw him. It was a wolf, sitting on the beach, a small flute of a sort in his hands. His fur was a deep red - maroon? - with darker markings on his paws and back. He seemed very tall - taller than her. The height intimidated her for a second, but she still wanted to know people from the Souls area, and she couldn't if she was afraid. Before she approached, however, she just watched him from a distance for a while - the music floated to her ears like cotton balls on the breeze. Beautiful.

: D

Skye listened until the end of the song, and almost wished for more. But no - that was how he ended it, and it was the perfect place to finish and start something new. Suddenly, however, he turned to her - he had known she was here? She really needed to hone her skills in hearing and scenting - being sheltered all her life from the more wolf-ish aspects of her nature wasn't helping her in the area of Souls.

"Good day to you, ma’am. I hope the song was to your liking." Skye smiled as the wolf drew himself to his full height - a good two and a half feet or so taller than Skye - and moved towards her, still having a pleasing smile on his face. He gave a little bow.

"My name is Shawchert, who might I be in the presence of on this fine, beautiful beach?"

Skye smiled back. This wolf seemed genuinely nice - and the fact that he could play his flute so well was a good aspect in Skye's eyes. Although she had met other nice people in Souls, she hadn't met many that could create - create music, stories, songs. Things that she was raised to create. She was glad to see there was at least one wolf who did.

"Your song was beautiful, Mr. Shawchert," she said, deciding to keep formalities until they knew each other better. "I haven't heard much music since I've been here," she continued, "and that song was the most beautiful I've ever heard." She paused for a second, then continued. "I'm Skye."

It is a pleasure to meet you, do you play any music at all? the strangely but beautifully colored wolf asked Skye. Skye didn't play any music, nor had she heard any like that before - it was a sad thing, she thought. A sad thing indeed. "Sadly, no," she said. "I don't play music. And the only other music I've heard is from the birds, and...well, they don't really have songs - just patterns in their twittering." Skye didn't want to seem uncreative, however - after all, that beautiful song was of Shaw's creation. She had creations, too. "I love to write, however," she said. "I love making stories borne from my mind. It's like breathing life into another universe you're just now discovering." She took out her quill and fiddled with it; the makeshift ink swished around inside.

"I haven't met too many wolves, but from the packs I've seen here, none are really interested in creating. Just hunting, and fighting, and...things," she finished lamely, remembering the line of skulls on the Inferni border. That wasn't art, not in the least. In fact, she hadn't really seen any other wolves making art at all - other than this wolf, this wolf with his beautiful songs. And her. She was sure they existed - couldn't they? Couldn't there be a pack just for the makers and seekers of art? She stared off into the distance, thinking. She believed this world was beautiful - and with the addition of art and the ones who made it, it could be even more beautiful. A world of creation. Wasn't there anyone else who thought that?

"Writing is a lovely thing. It lasts most of the tests of times, the humans have proved that, there are some that are so old that are enclosed in special things that make them last, you have a very great talent."

If the cream-colored wolf had been a human, she would have blushed a bright red at this praise. She'd been told my her parents that writing was a good thing, and that she should keep practicing, but never had she received this high a praise before. She thought that this wolf's new and exciting art of music was astounding, and she loved it. So when he said something next, she gasped aloud and her eyes widened in excitement.

"What if, just for talking's sake, I was to make such a pack? Would it work?"

Skye's eyes widened. "I think that'd be a great idea!" she exclaimed, excited by the possibility. She'd thought of joining a pack, but none of the ones around had intrigued her - least of all the seemingly vicious and wolf-hating Inferni. The rest seemed to be just packs for the sake of having a pack to be in - no real purpose. But this...a pack of creation. That would be something incredible indeed - something that would be safe to be in, to protect from the outside world, and something that would have a purpose. "It'd be perfect," she whispered quietly.