In the twilight, a multicoloured gaze studied the darkening horizon of blooming embers spreading themselves across the wispy, tree-scraped sky. As the sun shone its final light, a vast array of crimson and indigo plumed in its wake, the shades blackening with the night's gradual succession over the world. It was just another sight for the sky-watcher who had always taken a peculiar liking to sunrises and sunsets, though now the spectacular sight didn't seem to satisfy her eyes. Every other time she had observed the striking display, she subconsciously held the comfort of returning home, knowing she even had a home to return to, a life to continue. Inhaling the cool breezes of the new season, a unrested sigh slipped from her lips. Oh, how the tables had turned; her life had taken a drastic change. Now, she had no home or life to return to, and no matter how many days she woke up alone hoping it would all reverse, nothing seemed to work. It was reality, after all. Turning away from the view, she casted her last glimpse of the light before commencing a smooth lumber into the night. With stars starting to speckle the ebony cape above her, she sought to return "home" and make overnight use of whatever abandoned den or natural shelter she came across. And so the next day would repeat the previous one, travelling in search for her family with fallen hopes, fending for herself with use of her hunting skills and finding places to sleep each night. The life of a loner, a lone Varda. "Speech"

An irritated huff slipped past his lips as he stalked through the forest lands. His mind constantly roved to the most recent problem that had moved in. He'd been back for only a month or so and already it seemed trouble had lodged its way into his life once more. He hadn't known anything about Threar, but the fact that their Alpha had been overthrown wasn't good for anyone. Not only were wolves out a home, but the bastard who'd taken over had moved into Surreal's home and thus caused discord within himself as well. Had he been younger he probably would have been irrational with it and gone right to the source to cut the head off the proverbial snake. He wasn't a foolish wolf though and knew better than to rush into something he hadn't thought through. So instead the fluffy beast west left to seethe in silence as he waited on Surreal's plans to work themselves out. He didn't like waiting on others to get things done and he was itching to fix things for her. He could still remember when his family had been forced from Glaciem when Eos had overthrown Gargoyle. He could understand Surreal's pain and it bothered him that she and her family had to go through so much heartache. He knew it wasn't easy on her children or her mate. So he'd stalked off on his own to ponder the future. Thoughts whirled through his head as he walked through the forest. He was so self-absorbed that he gave the gorgeous sunset little thought and he wasn't aware of the deafening silence that followed it. He actually hadn't noticed it was sunset at all until after it'd already gotten dark. He glanced wearily around with a bit of surprise. He wasn't used to fretting so much. His mind wasn't occupied for long though. Instead the scent of another wolf caught his attention and previous thoughts were momentarily forgotten. Nostrils widened as he sniffed again and he could tell the scent was definitely feminine. Curiosity got the better of him and his foul mood was forgotten. Instead he wondered who else was out here with him when he'd been so certain he was alone. Walk, "Talk" Think

ooc: nope! don't mind at all

Whilst upon her quiet sauntering, she happened to come across an intriguing scent amongst the distinct floral and earthy aromas. Her hunter's nose had picked many odours through the forest, though ever since her pack was overthrown, she hadn't uncovered any canine smells. There were of course the mingling scents of the new empire of which she had briefly lingered around hauntingly, however the rogue scents she had detected were only stale smells - the individuals who would have possessed those scents would have wandered through the region long before she had arrived. However, this smell was bold - a masculine one too - increasing in strength as she wavered between the moss-covered rocks. Don't be curious, she urged herself, trying to walk away from the fragrance that she was peculiarly drawn to. It's just another loner - nothing special to look at. Though of course, her curiosity had to get the best of her, and before long she started straying close by to the stranger. Remaining silent yet graceful in her steps, she could distinguish his large form against the darkness though gradually lost focus in where she was placing her paws as a result. The ground was littered with rocks, and with her luck, she pressed a forepaw on the moist surface of one of these rocks only to lose her balance and slip. After a brief second of adrenaline, she found herself upon the soil, fallen. It was then, as she picked herself up, alabaster fur noticeably littered with leaves and dirt, she discovered that she was directly beside the man. Any closer and she would have tumbled into him, not that her accident wasn't already humiliating. Cheeks flushed as she choked out an apology, "I sincerely apologise sir." Her head and gaze hanged low bashfully, inwardly surprised with where the sudden timid nature had risen from. "I must not have been looking with where I was going." "Speech"

Had Creed been a mind reader he probably would have already discovered that the female was also curious about him as he was of her. But Creed was not a mind reader and there was no way of knowing whether or not this wolf would want to even be in the same areas as him. He took this into account as he stood and pondered the idea of seeking the other out. He was not a stupid fellow and understood the risks of letting his curiosity run rampant. He could hear his father scolding him from the grave, reminding him that strangers could be dangerous and that being too friendly could get him killed. Granted he'd had this ingrained into his head as a pup, but he'd never quite listened. Creed had always been the sociable sort and nothing about that had changed. Of course with his mental debate on whether or not he should go and greet this stranger he hadn't actually wondered if they'd seek him out first. He hadn't heard her approaching as she'd been more silent than a kid waiting on Christmas Eve for Santa to come. He wasn't aware of her presence at all until the sound of someone falling caught his attention. His head snapped towards the sound and he stood stock still, surprise written all over his face as he stared at the girl. He felt rather embarrassed that she'd managed to sneak up on him up until now, though from the looks of it she hadn't meant to. That was all shoved towards the back of his mind as his brows knit together with worry as she got to her feet. Her posture was somewhat submissive and apologetic but he paid it no mind as he immediately studied her for any wounds. She seemed to be standing fine so know sprained ankles or broken bones. Perhaps a bruise but it wasn't like he could see those. He couldn't smell any blood either so he could only assume she was, overall, unhurt. "Tis alright, no harm done. Ah hope ye din't hurt yerself." Which wasn't a lie. He wouldn't have been much help if she had. He wasn't a healer after all. "My name is Creed by th' way. Tis a pleasure to meet ye..." He drawled off, hoping that it would be inviting enough for her to introduce herself. Seems his curiosity for meeting her had won over caution anyways. Walk, "Talk" Think

Her posture noticeably relaxed from its stiffened state as the man calmly spoke, assuring her that no harm had been caused - a relief to her troubled mind. However, the worry soon returned as he hoped she hadn't hurt herself. What if she had broken a bone? Dislocated a joint? If so, she couldn't just call for Sorrel; she'd probably bleed to death out in the rogue lands. Varda, stop it, she inwardly shouted to herself, which seemed to clear her overreacting mind. Obviously, she was standing alright with little pain, so there couldn't be anything broken or sprained. Shaking the dirt and leaves from her fluffed coat, she examined her body in the vanishing light, flexing each limb to discover mild bruises though nothing serious. In a nutshell, she was okay. "Yes, I think I'm alright," she stated with a nod, exchanging a weak smile. Her embarrassment would have multiplied if she had somehow injured him as well - not the best way to meet someone though she couldn't walk away now. At least she could put it behind her; it's not like her life had tragically ended after one measly fall. Forgetting the recent memory, she listened as he gave her a name: Creed. Easy enough to remember, not that she ever forgot a name. "Varda," she introduced with a dip of her skull. There was no need to add her family name as well, for her family had fallen. It would seem like she was too important, too confident with herself. Nowadays, she was just Varda. The Destruction title brought a deep depression like a dark cloud over her mind, anyway, so what point was there to constantly remind herself of her past? Hopefully, it wouldn't last long, as she wished to eventually reunite with the rest of her family, whether she had met them or not. "A pleasure likewise." "Speech"

She visibly relaxed and Creed felt himself let out a soft sigh of relief. He couldn't help but scan her over once more as he waited for an answer on her well-being. It seemed to take her a good moment, she most likely was assessing herself, but finally she replied that she was fine. Creed waved his tail slightly back and forth quite pleased that she seemed to be okay. Of course she needn't worry about himself being harmed. She would have had to ram him pretty hard for him to be hurt any and even if he'd been bruised it was an accident after all. It would have been pretty awful of him to get upset over something so trivial as an accident. Now that she was confirmed to be okay though Creed was unsure of how to continue. After all the trouble it took to come across each other in the first place it would feel rather rude to leave. That and he hadn't expected to come across anyone out here and he was in the mood to chat assuming she was willing. So he thought about the area. He really had expected to be alone so it didn't sound like a bad place to start. "So wha' brings ye all the way ou' here?" "Speech"

Having already forgotten about the incident, the young woman intently listened to the man as he started the conversation. It was an unexpected question, having spent so long away from the presence of others that she had almost lost her eloquent speaking communication skills. After wandering alone with only her depressed thoughts to converse with, it was no wonder she had developed a sudden curiosity for the first stranger she had come across. At least she was gradually growing more comfortable around others, as this discussion provided proof of it.   "The surroundings, I guess," she shrugged casually whilst remaining modest in her nature. "I go wherever my paws take me." The freedom and will to travel anywhere she desired was a positive, if she could ever dare to consider it as such, of her new rogue life. She had no objective, other than to pass the time by watching picturesque sunrises and sunsets and keep her senses alert for her family (which she couldn't be bothered and had given up in doing so). She just existed; ate, slept and took up space. "What about you?" she inquired with an interested tilt of her head. "Speech"

Feeling quite comfortable with his surroundings Creed planted his rump to the earth and curled his tail around his right haunch. Ears flicked forward to listen to Varda as she spoke and he realized his question had been almost self-explanatory. Regardless he wasn't really a wolf to assume things as he found it was rather rude. She was a loner after all, as was he, so the answer was expected. He supposed the only difference was he considered himself a pack member. He felt as though he didn't have the freedom to wander where his paws took him. Sure he could technically do as he desired but he'd decided to stick around Surreal and her family instead to help where it was needed. With her wanting to form Celestial he wanted to make sure he was at least somewhat close by to help. "Ah've been with a friend of mine. She's tryin' ta form a reincarnation of Valhalla, so Ah guess ye could say Ah've been doin' some scou'in an' recrui'ing for her, though Ah haven' been much good at it yet." Which was the truth. She'd told him to keep an eye out for old Threar members as well as loners to recruit into Celestial should he get the opportunity. Of course lately he'd been so preoccupied with staying in the Estuary that he hadn't really met any wolves that weren't already a part of a pack. Varda was the first loner he'd come across in a while and so far he'd been a bit preoccupied with other thoughts considering their meeting hadn't started like a normal one. Walk, "Talk" Think

She listened to his response, feeling a pang of jealousy as he mentioned a friend who he had been around as of lately. If only she could find her friends and family, or even just one of them - she didn't care who. The desperation and loneliness was getting to her, the need to see a familiar face. Already, she had forgotten what some of her former pack-mates looked like. Of higher priority and need, she wanted to see her parents. She'd always thought of herself as an independent woman, though now it seemed it had all reversed. However, she didn't just want to see her parents, she yearned to be with them and embrace them lovingly like she always did as a child. Moments like those she used to take for granted; who knew the two Authors would one day vanish out of her life? If she was with them, they would promise her that they would never abandon her ever again. Shoving the nauseating thoughts aside, she listened to the rest of the male's words. The name of Valhalla piqued her interest, making her flick her ears and tilt her head curiously. It wasn't Threar, unfortunately, though by what she could infer, it seemed to a pack - one in a similar state. Had it fallen like hers? Was it once an empire at all? "Valhalla," she echoed half to herself in a quiet murmur before turning her gaze to the man. "Was that a pack?" He also spoke of it being a reincarnation, where he was recruiting. It all confused her though equally intrigued her as she awaited an anticipated answer. "Speech"