The fates were not being kind to the old brute on the run. Nearly four years of travel had left the timber wolf in poor health, his skin hung off of him like a skeleton. Being a loner in this new and harsh world would leave many dead by now, but to Tristan, this was all he had known for years. Regardless of all this, or perhaps partially because of it, Tristan was defiant to his burgeoning depression. After years of wandering and hearing mention of this strange place from the lips of other canines he'd finally, finally got the gumption to travel to the lands known as 'Souls. The brute was determined to remain optimistic. 'Surely,' he thought, 'Surely lands sustaining so many packs will be abundant with food and opportunity.' At least, that was what he kept telling himself. Again. The fates had something against the multi-hued boy.
Snow had blanketed much of the land he traversed, leaving an eerie ghost town feel to the world. The frozen landscape was made even more dreary by nightfall, casting a shadow of lifelessness all around him. It seemed, to the silent brute, that the decayed flora were mocking him. Through his halved vision he could see before him the decimated lands that those in the know would call the Withered Realms. Tristan was not in the know. To him the lands simply screamed despair. All that travel, all those nights quivering in fear of his Brother, the loss of his lover, they seemed pointless now.
The beige wolf placed his rump on the ground, ignoring his body's creak of pain. Hopelessness crept over his fur, leaving behind a chill that no winter night could compare. His one good eye took in the burnt, frozen lands as the wind ruffled his thick, matted fur. Perhaps this was some poetic justice. Fate had deemed him unworthy, led him across continents, only to have him live and die in despair in lands that could no longer cry. Tristan found himself unable to whimper, unable to howl. He simply stared into the night, shivering and half-starved while his lack of faith wreaked havoc on his mind.
Whispers of the past seemed to travel through Ichika like a poisonous snake. For some reason, the members of Ichika no Ho-en were so very sad and would regard their eastern boarders with distaste and sorrow. Most of the wolves in the pack lands refused to discuss the topic with Kiara, so her knowledge of this region was limited. She knew there was a fire, and she knew that many packs had disbanded after the fire. What had caused the fire, or why the packs had disbanded were still a mystery to the Ikusei.
Kiara had been given the night off. Shiloh and Aleo were together at the apartment and were watching after young Sarian, leaving Kiara to wander. So, in a fit of almost puppy like glee, the arctic wolf had run for miles almost non stop until she reached the Withered Realms. The very nature of the burnt forest made Kiara pause. Despite the fact that the world had been blanketed with snow, the forest still had an eerie presence. In response to the strange feeling, Kiara ducted her snowy head but did not turn around. Instead, the snow wolf pressed forward, determined to unlock the forests sorrowful past.
From afar, it could be said that Kiara looked like a specter wandering through the dead forest. Her brilliant white coat made Kiara stand out in the dark, but also allowed her to blend into the snow. Each step Kiara took was slow and deliberate, making her appearance seem all the more ghostly. The snow beneath her paws was silent as the arctic wolf walked with the practiced grace of a hunter. Her head did not move, although Kiara flicked her eyes side to side occasionally. She simply walked, and observed.
It was not long before the alabaster women came across the scent of another wolf. Kiara bent her head low to try and see if she could pick up the trail. Who could be wandering so close the the Ichika boarder? As the Ikusei inspected the ground, a gust of wind picked up and buffeted Kiara's side; heavy with the stranger's scent. Kiara turned her head and saw, not far off in the distance, a male wolf sitting in the middle of the forest.
For the most part, the male was still. The wind had played with his fur a little, but once it died down he seemed to be no more than statue. Kiara turned slowly to approach the stranger. The ambiance of the forest had made her unusually cautious and wary. Before Kiara had walked two paces a twig snapped beneath her paw. The noise seemed to break the night itself and the alabaster woman froze in place. She dared not move. Kiara waited, for retribution from the stranger or from the forest.
Despair was a hard emotion to combat. He could feel it waging war within him, destroying what little warmth had remained. It felt as if his blood had turned frozen with the snow. In his mind's eye he pictured his body being enveloped in ice, it wove down from the tip of his claws with a snakelike consistency, spreading across his flesh like some freezing virus. Tristan pictured himself frozen here for all eternity, stuck to this landscape of death like some eerie memento to his life's many failures. The brute wanted to sigh, wanted to expel the depression rising in his lungs, but the image engrained into him was too deep. It appeared he was stuck in the mindful hallucination. He was certain he would die here, stuck still in the freezing cold, half-starved. There would be no rescue, there was no one left that mattered anything to him. Dying seemed a blessing at the moment.
Snap! The sound reverberated across the empty place like a gunshot, shaking the Timber Wolf out of his depressed reveries. His head shot around towards the sound, catching the sight of what he was sure was a ghost. What strangeness had the fates sent him now? A image of his dead beloved, come to what? Compel him to continue? Or perhaps a demon in her lovely shell, here to lure him into the depths of hell. The second long musings brought a grin to his sorrowful features. He was being a fool. Ghosts didn't exist, they lived only within one's soul. Upon second glance he noticed her blue eyes, quite the opposite of his beloved albino's stark pink ones. No, this white she-wolf was no Ophelia.
Social skills, long unused, flooded to the forefront of his mind. Immediately he lowered his maw, remained seated as he shuffled to face her. His face was angled more to the right, keeping the she-wolf in the gaze of his single working eye. A lopsided grin fell on his features as he pictured the ice dripping from his body. Perhaps 'Souls wasn't as dreary as earlier thought. With a dip of his head and a pupish grin he growled out the first spoken word in weeks, "'Ello. The name's Tristan. Tristan Scorn. I'm of no threat so long as you aren't."
For a few minutes, both wolves remained still and silent. The forest, as well as the stranger, had made Kiara wary. The arctic wolf's ears flicked back and forth, searching for anything that could cause her harm. Kiara watched as the male shifted in a strange fashion. Rather than face her head on, Tristan turned only one eye to the snow wolf. The gesture made Kiara confused and even more nervous than before. The alabaster woman chose to study the male from afar rather than approach. His two toned eyes did not entirely surprise the white wolf, so she intently studied the males size. Even from afar, it was obvious Tristan was taller and outweighed Kiara.
The young wolf's fear quickly abated when a puppy-like grin crossed Tristan's face. Kiara raised her tail a little, although not out of aggression or dominance. Rather, Kiara let her tail flick from side to side and cocked her head a little as a grin broke across her snowy face. "Namaste. I'm Kiara Amarok. And the only threat I pose is to your ears." To make her point Kiara leaned her head back let out a loud howl that sounded across the burnt expanse. The snow wolf cried in happy defiance, daring the burnt land to ruin her good mood again.
With snow beneath her feet and friendly stranger before her, the arctic wolf could not be happier. Kiara bounded across the snow, her large paws barely touching the ground. She skidded to a halt about a yard away from Tristan, throwing fresh snow towards the mottled wolf. "Boo."
The irony of the situation did not fly over Tristan. The fates were having a hayday with the brute today. Arriving him to dead lands, pushing despair on his shoulders, making him see the face of his beloved in the face of another. Oh yes. They were likely flying above delighted in playing him like a pawn in this ridiculous chess game. Well, they could just shove off. There was no way in hell that he was going to ignore this wonderful gift of companionship to wallow in half made up misery. At her response his grin widened into a full on smile, filling up the tired features on his face and replacing his age with a boyish look. For that moment Tristan felt years younger, once again in the company of a fellow.
Surprise flitted across his face as she took of toward him in a full on run, though he gave himself just half a second to note that she was a rather quick thing, and light on her feet. The snow splattered the half blind wolf in the face, making his nose crinkle as a sneeze came on. With the freshly flown powder littering his features, fur matted and skin practically hanging from his bones he was sure he looked a right mess. But he cared very little. At her little 'boo' the brute broke into laughter, a childish noise unbefitting such an elderly canine. After allowing himself a brief second of laughter he took on a faux-serious look. "You, my dear, shouldn't have done that." He whispered in what he tried to make an intimidating sentence. Tristan dug a claw paw into the snow, scooping as much as he could onto it and flung the ice towards the femme with an exclaimed, "Hah!"
Here, in the Withered Realms, the same lands that had momentarilly tried to claim his life and soul, Tristan made what he hoped would be his first friend in years.
Busts of laughter could be heard from both wolves as they took turns spraying each other with snow. With the ominous presence of the forest all but forgotten, it was time to have some fun. Perhaps Kiara should have been an omega wolf. She had a gentle nature and loved to play. If it wasn't for her refusal to be a scapegoat, then the omega rank would have suited her well.
A toothy grin spread over Kiara's face when Tristan splashed her with snow. The she-wolf exploded into laughter as flakes of snow settled onto her fur. The cold snow didn't even phase her. Kiara's double layer of fur kept her warm through even the coldest nights, which allowed her to enjoy the snow with exuberance. "Oh, yeah? Your not so tough." Kiara promptly turned around and began to dig as fast and hard as she could. Her large paws easily picked up the loose snow and threw it at the multicolored male. The arctic wolf was careful to make sure that she did not scoop up any rocks or dirt in the process. There was no better way to end play time than to trow a rock at your companion.
After Kiara was sure that she had thoroughly doused Tristan in snow, she turned around to launch her bulky frame at him. Kiara's was not attacking the male in an aggressive manner, but rather a playful one. Her aim was to send them both toppling into the snow.
The brute was eager and excited about the meeting. His insides trembled with exuberance, cheeks nearly splitting from the massive toothy grin he had displayed for the young snow-white vixen. The black of night seemed less daunting. With his half blind eyes the sight of clouded stars twinkled down on the pair, sending sparkles across the blanket of snow. A sense of peace and optimism flooded him, warming the icy tendrils that had swarmed past his thick brunette fur.
As the horribly made snowball hit Kiara, Tristan joined her in raucous laughter, two-toned eyes squeezing tight in the fit. He barely heard her words through his own maniacal, joyous barks when suddenly the barrage of snow came tumbling upon him. His first reaction was splutter indignantly, shaking off the snow from his face, only for the snow to be quickly replenished as she attacked him with snow. The spluttering quickly turned to playful growling, his maw snapping at the snow with gusto as he attempted to smack some of it away with his front paws. The picture was a comical one, an old brute fighting against a barrage of snow with tooth and claw, failing horribly as the snow melted against his fur. Tristan felt as if he'd never felt this happy, at least, not in quite some time. Cold, starving, lost and yet- with a companion. This moment would save the brute from yet another depressed episode.
If she didn't drown him first. Tristan laughed at the thought when the snow died down. He took in a deep breath, and peeked open his eyes just in time to see Kiara flying at him through mid-air. The brute managed to let out a bark of surprise and widen his blue eyes before the impact hit. His body slid a few feet in the snow, him halfway on his side and halfway on his back with eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. Another comical scene. The old brute came to a stop a few feet away from his standing spot, covered maw to tail in melting snow, eyebrows furrowed, tongue hanging out pathetically. Tristan blinked twice. Then, looking at Kiara with a faked glare, he said, "That is quite move you've got there. Remind me never to play sports against you." And then laughter.
Her attack worked and the older male was sent into a spluttering fit as snow rained down upon him. Kiara was having a lot of fun playing with the older male. He reminded her of her father, gentle and kind, yet sill capable of great humor and games. Eventually Tristan stopped his spitting fit and managed a playful growl. Kiara twisted her head a little and craned her neck in an attempt to see what he was doing. Although she didn't stop her onslaught of snow, she did manage to catch glimpses of the multi-colored male snapping eagerly at the snow. That caused Kiara to burst into a fit of laughter, it was really funny to see a wolf attacking snow, especially because it looked like the snow was winning. His head, neck and back were covered in the white powder and even his feet were slightly hidden by the snow.
Thanks to her onslaught of snow, Kiara managed to catch Tristan by surprise, something she might not have been able to do if she was playing fair. Their bodies collided and their falls were cushioned by the white powder that blanketed the lands. Tristan was sent sprawling on his side and back while Kiara rolled off a little and landed a few feet away from him as both of them slid through the fresh snow. Kiara was on her back, her paws hanging in the air and a large grin spread across her face. Her pink tongue hung out causing a striking contrast due to the white snow and her own alabaster coat. Kiara had to twist her head at an odd angle in order to see Tristan, his fake glare coming at her from an upside down point of view. The combination of the glare and his words sent Kiara into a fit of laughter, one that shook her body so hard that she fell on her side.
She laughed for a long time before the wind picked up a little, causing her stop dead in her tracks. Kiara rolled all the way onto her belly and stretched her head high in the air to sample the scent she had picked up. Kiara stood, her searching eyes and twitching ears scanning the snow they had just disturbed. Kiara trotted over to the overturned snow and stuck her nose close to it, looking for the source of the smell. Eventually, the snow wolf found what she was looking for. Kiara immediately began digging and managed to uncover a frozen deer leg. Part of it had been chewed on so some of the meat was missing. There were two sets of teeth marks on the bone itself. One set was large and obviously belonged to a wolf, while the other was much smaller and belonged to a fox. In the arctic many foxes would create food caches like the one the two wolves had unwittingly uncovered. It was always a welcome surprise to find one especially because half the time the hidden meat was scavenged from a wolf kill. With some force Kiara managed to pry the leg out of the snow and turned to Tristan grinning. Dinner, was served.
Tristan remained still for a few moments more, laying in the awkward position he'd landed. His good eye remained fixed on the vixen, making sure she would leap to her paws and trample him with her ingenious sneak attacks. His eyes squinted in playful suspicion when Kiara rose to her paws and trotted away. This was replaced with curiosity when she began digging. The brute pulled himself off the blanket of snow and began a quick shakedown to rid himself of a bit of the melting snow, finishing the drying act with a sneeze when he accidentally snorted in some of the freezing water. It was then that the brute caught a glimpse of what Kiara had dug up. If Tristan was happy before, right now he was damn near pup-ish. His multi-toned tail began to wag furiously, his mouth watering at the sight of frozen food, because, it's FOOD.
With a massive grin he sprinted forward, eyes on the prize and adoration flowing off him in waves. "Kiara, my dear, dear friend. I may have only known you for, well, maybe a half hour, but I'm going to be blunt here." He lowered his head as if to share some important secret in a crowded area. "I bloody love you." He chuckled after this statement, attempting to look suave as he did so. Suave is never a description of Tristan Scorn. Betraying the wolf's attempt at 'sexy', his stomach decided to shout, grumble and literally growl. Embarrassment flooded his face, and he raised a paw to his face abashedly, eyes downcast as he spoke, [b]"What happens in the snow field, stays in the snow field."[/b}
It was dumb lucky really. They had just happened across the fox's cache and most likely wouldn't have found it if it weren't for their rough-housing. Then again, that's how such prizes are normally won, by pure dumb luck. Although Tristan had not approached Kiara immediately, most likely due to him being suspicious that Kiara was trying to pull something, it wasn't long before his curiosity won out. He shook himself free of snow and slowly sauntered over to her. Curiosity quickly gave way to hunger and excitement, making Kiara instinctively grab hold of the leg. Food was a large part of her old packs life and often times fights broke out due to food. Thus, Kiara had learned to grab it when it was around. But Kiara also recognized the puppy like grin and furiously wagging tail, not to mention the signs of malnutrition.
After a moment of hanging on to the leg she dropped it and backed off, assuming the submissive position. The snow wolf had come from a very strict pack, so such rituals were important and heavily ingrained into her mannerisms. Although Kiara did have authority over the meat, according to her pack laws, she rescinded the authority to the starving male. She moved back a foot, taking herself out of the meat safety zone (the zone in which meat can be claimed by one wolf).
Tristan's attempts to woo her would have normally sent the young wolf into a confused frenzy, but the comical interruption by his stomach nullified the words effects. Instead of setting her heart afire, it set her body into laughing spasms. It was rude, but she didn't care. Eventually Kiara calmed down enough to speak. "Okay, agreed. Well, its about time you dug in." Kiara stood back and waited for her turn, giving the older male the same respect she would give an alpha. Kiara kept her body and her head low, although her tail refused to stay still as it beat furiously against the snow. Every now and again her body would spasm with suppressed laughter as she remember the stomach fiasco. Kiara had never really been hit on by a male, but if this was what it was like she didn't mind.
