DotW RP: Lyn meets Delu

Quailmix:


Thunder and lightning clacked overhead, and Delu flinched, lowering himself to the ground before finding the courage to continue on. The rain came down hard and fast, pelting Delu with tiny needles of water as the wind rushed by in whistles and howls. The white wolf trudged through the open field with ears pinned against his head and a body low to the ground as he slunk through the land. Slowly, the valley was filling with puddles, muddying the entire area and making it harder and harder for him to walk. His whole bottom half was covered in slimy mud, while his back was soaked to the core, making him cold and uncomfortable all around. He had to find shelter, and he had to find it soon.

With squinted eyes he scanned the area, and just barely through the thick rain he could see a treeline in the distance. He set his step in that direction, trying his best to keep himself tucked to the ground so that he was getting less damage from the elements.

In his haste, and because of the rain washing the landscape clean, Delu failed to notice the scent trails that had been left by the pack he had just entered. He made it far over the borders, deep into the territory, before finally making it to the woods. Even then, he had to make his way into the forest's core to find any type of relief from the rain and wind and cold.

The young male finally found decent shelter under a tree that's roots had been washed clean in the water, leaving a hollowed out cave underneath. He squeezed his way into the small opening in the roots, curling up and putting his tail over his nose. It was wet, and didn't keep him warm, but he was trying.

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MatrixPotato:

The muddy brown she-wolf stood at the entrance to the Kausen den. Unlike most of the other wolves, she didn't look at the pouring rain with disdain or irritation. Rain was one of her favorite things in life; it soaked you to the core sometimes, but to her it was free and fun. It was well after her last scouting duty, but she hollered to her packmates to let them know she was going out again.

Lyn descended into the forest before the den. Even with the protection of the trees around her, her fur quickly soaked up the water and she was very soon dripping. She hopped in a few puddles along the way, trotting aimlessly through the territory. A small giggle escaped her lips as she landed in a particularly muddy puddle, feeling the squishy mush between her toes. She looked down and wiggled them, but her smile soon faded as the ripples in the water settled. She stared into her reflection, into her own eyes. A vision of her mother danced in her mind just then and she looked away, giving a tiny shake before continuing on.

She walked quietly for a while, but a scent soon caught her nose. It was faint and hard to pinpoint with all the rain and mud around, but she did her best to follow it. She furrowed her brow as the scent became a little clearer. "Hello?" She called out, uncertain.

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Quailmix:

Delu was cold, shivering from under the roots of the tree as water sloshed passed him in muddy streams. The entire ground was under an inch of water at least; the area was flooding. As the male lifted his head and looked down at the floor beneath him, wondering if he needed to find higher ground, a faint call caught his ears.

Startled, he peered out through the roots to see a brown female wolf, sniffing around and searching. She was surely searching for Delu. Normally, the young male was friendly and happy to see anybody, but this storm had him scared, and he found himself almost afraid to reveal his hiding spot.

Yet, after a moment, his good nature got the better of him, and he squeezed himself back through the roots to come out a slight bit in front of where the female stood. "Hi..." He replied, half covered in mud with hardly a white spot on him now.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn was startled at how close she was to the scent. She could've sworn she was farther away, but as the male wolf emerged from the roots of a tree, she could see that he was covered in a thick layer of mud. It was hiding his scent, and doing  a good job of it. If it wasn't for her skills at tracking, she might have gone right past him and never known. She took a step toward him and extended her neck slightly. "I hate to tell you, seeing as you look like crap, but you're in Kausen territory." She didn't take in to consideration that she probably looked like crap too; soggy and muddy feet, but she wasn't nearly as bad as he looked, she hoped.

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Quailmix:

Delu gave an ill attempt at wagging his tail for the female to show off that he was no threat, but it was soaked to the bone and caked with mud; it arched downwards and dripped at the end, a long sausage of heavy wetness that was no good for a wag. He still tried though, swaying his tail from side to side as little strips of mud and water tossed off its end. He looked upon her with a kind and hopeful expression before she began to speak, and when she did, his smile faded slightly but was still there as he looked down at the muddy earth.

"Oh," He said, taking a step back as if he could just back right over the border, "Oh I'm so sorry!" Even in the rain and mud, his true nature was hard to cover up, "I had no idea." He said, planting his feet firmly into a puddle, and looking at her with wide eyes and raised eyebrows in an apologetic but humorous expression.

What a pickle he was in. Again.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn dragged her eyes over the poor loners body. He had obviously trekked a long way through this storm; he was so heavily caked with mud it was hard to tell what color he actually was. And when he spoke, Lyn couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor fella. She loved the rain, but she knew it was a nuisance to some, especially those who didn't have a nice den like she did.

She laid her ears back slightly in an attempt to soothe him; he seemed pretty flustered already. "No, it's alright. It happens a lot anyway." She chuckled. "Plus with this rain, I'm not surprised you missed the scent markers. They always have to be replaced the next day after a big storm like this." Lyn fell silent then. She wasn't sure if she should make him leave- that seemed a little cruel in this weather -or lead him somewhere safe. She wasn't on duty, but she couldn't just let this slide like it didn't happen. She pursed her lips in thought.

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Quailmix:


When the female chuckled, Delu did as well, easing the tension he felt. The other wolf seemed nice enough, heck, kind even. She didn't seem mad at Delu at all, which he was grateful for but also confused. If he'd crossed another wolf's borders he knew they wouldn't have this kind of reaction. He'd had his nose and tail bitten as he was chased away plenty enough times to know what crossing a border meant.

"That makes sense." He agreed, he hadn't smelled any scent in a long while, only mud and rain and wetness. "So, Kausen? I've never heard of it." He admitted, "You guys nice? I bet you are. You're nice at least." his reasoning seemed sound enough for him. "I'm Delu." He said with a wag, tail too soggy to properly sway, but a wag was a wag.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn gave a tiny smile to this other wolf. "Well, we're nice enough. You didn't know this was our territory, so I don't think anyone would bite off your head." She took a few steps toward him and gave a wag of her own. Her tail wasn't nearly as drenched as his, but if she stood out here any longer, it probably would be. "It's nice to meet you, Delu. I'm Lyn." She didn't want to let this wolf go now that she'd gotten to know him. He didn't seem like a threat. "I think I know where you can go to stay dry. It's still in our territory but..." She glanced back toward the main den; they were pretty far away from it. "Well, I don't think they'll mind." She gave him another reassuring smile.

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Quailmix:

Delu gave a laugh at her mention of biting his head off. That was exactly what he had been afraid of, and although she seemed lighthearted about it, his laughter was laced with a tad of discomfort at the thought. Still, he kept on his happy face, and didn't think too much about it. As she spoke the thought quickly left his mind. "Lyn." He repeated with a smile, to help commit it to memory. It was a pretty name.

"Oh, really?" He said rather hopefully. He didn't want to impose, but if she said it was alright maybe it was. "You won't get in trouble will you? I don't want to get you in trouble." He said. At the same time, it would be nice to get out of the rain.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn paused for a moment, thinking inwardly. As long as no one really knew, there was nothing to get in trouble for. Plus, she knew her father well enough to know he would probably let Delu rest in the pack for the night. But well, he got pretty cranky if you woke him up in the middle of the night, so maybe not. "As long as you're with me, it's okay. I won't get in trouble." She said, finally settling on an answer.

Lyn nodded to her left. "Come on, it's this way." She said as she began to turn in the direction.

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Quailmix:

Lyn seemed confident after a moment of contemplation, which eased Delu. She seemed trustworthy, so he believed her. If she did end up getting in trouble, Delu would be very sorry about it. "Okie dokie!" He said cheerily, following in tow just slightly behind her, near her hips.

The rain continued to drench the forest and the wolves, not easing or worsening, but staying quite consistent. The sounds of the shower were easy to ignore at this point, but it did buzz in his ears all the same. "So, how long ya been in Kausen?" He asked, looking around curiously at the overgrown woods. Delu bet that in better weather, it could look quite pleasant here. As it was, the forest was a little scary.

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MatrixPotato:

"All my life." Lyn answered. "My dad's the alpha, so I was born here." The constant hiss of the rain seemed to calm Lyn actually. As they walked, her ears twitched each time a droplet landed on them. She lead them slightly deeper into Kausen, but instead lead them toward the northeast side. The scraggly brush and thick pine trees gave way to a clearing and sloped down toward the river. It was higher than usual due to the heavy rains, but it was still quite tame. She followed the river, but gave it a wide berth.

Up ahead, Lyn spotted her destination. Overlooking the river lay a formation of boulders and across the top a fallen birch tree. It could be barely seen, but just below the tree was an opening in the rocks, dark and probably very dry.

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Quailmix:

Delu followed behind the young female with a bit of dance to his step. Even with the rain, he felt much better now that he had a companion. He glanced around the territory, not paying enough attention to his steps, and slipped around a bit in the mud but didn't lose his footing too much. "You don't say!" He replied, "That's a long time. I don't think I've ever spent more than a week in one place. It must be nice to have a familiar place though, I don't have one of those. Then again, strange places seem familiar after a while." He rambled as they walked. Delu wasn't the short silent type at all.

"Just today I was in this really cool place, before it started raining. Not too far. 20, 30 miles southeast, just around the bend in the mountains over to the east." He continued, "Only about a forty minute run, quicker if you run really fast." He thought aloud, "Its a real nice place. Nice, big valley just carved right out of the mountains there. Lots of forest, 3 really big rivers too. Didn't seem like there was a pack there. I did see a bear with a moose carcass though. After she was done I got my fill too, that was a nice treat. I don't get much large game on my own..."

He went on, and on.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn couldn't help but smile at Delu's rambling. It was charming in a way, and made her feel comfortable. In fact, everything about Delu made her feel comfortable. Maybe it was because he seemed so innocent, or maybe he just had that effect on others. She didn't know, but she decided that she liked it.

Something about what he was saying sparked her interest, though. Her mind reeled with the thought of that land; it seemed like the perfect place for her pack. Her smile faded slightly as she thought. "Really? That sounds like an amazing place. I'd definitely be interested in seeing it.." It was more to herself, but she said it loud enough so that Delu could here. She turned to look at him. "Do you know any more about it?"

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Quailmix:

"I'm really best at catching rabbi-" Lyn cut him off from his rambles, but he didn't mind. His ears perked at her words and he gazed intently in her direction as they walked, "Mm, well what do you wanna know?" He asked, tilting his head a bit, "I can take you there if you want. Maybe when its not raining." He offered.

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MatrixPotato:

"Well.." Lyn tried hard to think. What did a pack need in their territory? "Is there a good prey supply there? Obviously elk, but what else? And The three rivers mean amazing water supply, but more bear threats." Now Lyn was rambling. She glanced at him sheepishly as she caught herself before she could talk any further.

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Quailmix:

Delu thought about her questions, "I wasn't there very long, but there were deer, elk, moose. You know, the regular stuff around here. Wasn't more or less than usual." He was vague, but he was trying. "Only saw the one bear, but I dunno, really." He shrugged.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn nodded as she listened intently to Delu. They were vague answers, but it's not like he lived there long, so what did she expect? At least he was able to answer her at all. And she got what she wanted to know anyway. "Did you smell any other packs around it? Besides Kausen, of course."

As she spoke her last question, they came upon the cave. She nodded for him to enter first.

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Quailmix:

Delu laughed, "I didn't smell Kausen remember?" He gave her a smile, taking her cue to enter the cave. He felt relief from the raindrops and as he walked deeper, the sound was muffled and he could hear himself breath. Turning to his companion he continued, "But before it was raining, nah, I didn't smell anything for miles." He told her, his voice now echoing slightly within the cave.

He let himself look around curiously, his nails clicking on the dry stone. "This is a nice place!" He said, fairly excited. "Its like a secret den." how fun!

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MatrixPotato:


"Oh, right." Lyn needed to stop thinking so much, she was missing important things. As she entered the cave she gave a light shake, water spraying from her coat like a small mist. Once she was finished with that, she sat closer to the entrance than Delu, but was still far enough away that the hiss of the rain died a little.

"Yeah, I use it from time to time. Found it one day while patrolling, back before the birch fell on it." She smiled gently, remembering how happy she was to have her own den the day she found it.

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Quailmix:

"Its perfect to keep dry." He agreed with her, following suit in shaking out his own drenched coat. Chunks of mud made splatting sounds against the cave walls, and he suddenly stopped, "Oh! Gosh I'm sorry, did I get you?" He worried aloud. Even though she was wet too, he didn't want to spray her with mud.

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MatrixPotato:


Lyn had almost forgotten his muddy coat and immediately checked herself, but found no signs of mud on her. She looked back at him and gave him another smile and a small wag of her tail, causing it to thumb against the rocky ground. "Nope, all clean! Well, for the most part." Her paws were rather muddy from walking around in the mud, but otherwise, she was just wet.

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Quailmix:

Delu chuckled, giving her feet a look, and then looking at his own. Comparatively, she was newly bathed! He had black, red, and brown mud all the way up to his neck. "Didja know I'm a white wolf?" He asked with a curious laugh. It was possible that she really had no idea.

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MatrixPotato:

"I was wondering actually!" Lyn chuckled along with him. She was silent for a while afterword, not quite sure what to say next. She looked out of the entrance, at the rain and the river. Her mind wandered to the future; if this territory Delu talked about really was as he said, she would need to recruit others fast, before anyone else could take it.

A sudden thought occurred to her and she turned to Delu once again. "Hey, Delu, would you ever consider joining a pack?" The words seemed to fall from her lips before she could think about it.

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Quailmix:

Delu's lips pulled into a goofy looking smile. In the dark, hopefully it was hard to see. His nose was so long, his face was so flat, that it was hard for him to not look silly when he smiled. But he liked this girl, she was nice and had a good sense of humor. She wasn't mean, she wasn't annoyed with him, she was just spending time with him and she was helping him. He liked her a lot. She was a good wolf.

At her question, he thought, his smile fading slightly but still there all the same, "Well," He began, contemplating, "I dunno. I never thought about it. But I spose, if it was a good pack, with other wolves like you, I probably would." He said, hoping his compliment would be subtle enough to not make her uncomfortable.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn's smile returned at his compliment. But his real answer didn't surprise her. Most loners were loners because they didn't know whether joining a pack was a good idea or not. But perhaps she could persuade him to join. She crossed her paws over one another. "Well, I just so happen to be making my own pack with a couple others, and- if you like -you're welcome to join."

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Quailmix:


"Really?" He asked, "Whats wrong with Kausen?" Curiousity got the better of him. "But that's really cool that you are starting a pack! How do you even do that? Where is it going to be?" He asked, and suddenly made quite a life altering decision, "I would love to join you!" He blurted.

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MatrixPotato:


"Well, uh.." Lyn's smile faltered at Delus question. Her ears flipped back slightly and she glanced away, toward the ground. "Nothing's wrong with Kausen, really. I mean, it's great, but I...I don't feel like I belong there anymore." She cleared her throat. "But, I don't think it's too hard to start a new pack, I just have to recruit others to come with me. I'm glad you'd be willing, though." Lyn smiled again, but it was lesser this time.  

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Quailmix:


The young wolf's tail swayed calmly behind him as he sat on the stone floor of the cave. He was getting rather tired, "I don't know what it feels like not belonging somewhere. I don't belong anywhere anyway." He found that rather profound, "It would be good to belong somewhere." His voice quieted slightly at the thought. Looking back up at Lyn, he realized that she was the closed thing he even had to a friend. She was the first wolf who had been so kind to him as to help him, the first who didn't think he was silly or weird or a threat. "Yeah, belonging with you would be good." He nodded to himself.

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MatrixPotato:

Lyn didn't know if that was a good or bad feeling to have as she listened to Delu. Not belonging or never knowing what it's like to belong in the first place? A sad expression came over her face, but it was almost invisible in the dark of the cave. She felt for Delu, and all of the loners she'd met in the past.

At Delu's final comment though, Lyn perked up again and grinned at him. "Well, we'll have to meet up again when I finally do leave with the others. Maybe in that valley you told me about?"

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Quailmix:

Delu smiled, his tail wagging slightly faster and sloshing against the stone floor, "I'll meet you there?" He offered. He knew he couldn't stay and wait in this cave, or he'd get her in trouble.

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MatrixPotato:


Lyn rose from her laying position and stood at the entrance. Her grin widened and she gave a tiny wag of her tail. "Deal." She said.