These past few days had been a bit overwhelming. He had arrived in an entirely new land, and had immediately set out to discover all that it had to offer. He had done a lot of walking, and not a lot of sleeping. Hiraeth was not used to being without a family or a place to call home, and it was hard to feel at home in a place where you hardly knew anyone. But he had to keep moving, because if he sat still for too long thoughts of his family would find him, and drag him to a dark state of mind. He refused to look back or think of his old home. Instead he searched for a new one, and kept his feet moving all the while. Normally the man avoided boundary lines when he scented them, simply to avoid trouble. But today he strayed a little too close, chasing a rabbit which he had planned to make a quick meal of. Before he knew it, the creature had darted into an area of tall grasses, and his nose was filled with the smell of the boundary laid out before him. His hackles raised, in unease rather than agression, and he tucked his tail a little despite his intimidating size. If a pack member stumbled upon him, he didn't want them thinking he meant any harm. His pale green eyes quickly assessed the situation and he began to back away, but then he saw that he was not alone after all, and he paused out of curiosity.

vail was almost a yearling. the weeks until winter were easily countable. cold was beginning to seep in, and while the days were still rather warm the nights spoke true of the season to come. Vail's winter coat was coming in beautifully, the pale stripes adorning her shoulders grew darker, making them much more visible with the longer fur. Her slim form would glide easily over the territory's lands, skirting the borders as she thought again about the world outside her pack. She'd gotten a glimpse not so long ago, the experience had terrified the young she wolf. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with leaving again, as she did so the desire to know what was out there enveloped her imagination. While she still held a strong fear, her curiosity was now outweighing those thoughts. While she walked the border a disturbance would catch her ear. Perking both alabaster audits towards the sound she'd also try and catch his scent. Vail would swiftly realize he was very much not part of the pack. The girl tried to sink lower into the grasses, while she knew where he was she couldn't see the submissive posture he took. By this time he had already seen her and she was debating about calling for her mother and father. While she liked to think herself brave, she wasn't anything unless she had a guardian. ""

His eyes fell across a slim, feminine form just as it ducked down into the grasses. His nose twitched a bit as he tried to sate his curiosity while still remaining respectful of her personal space. He backed further away to give the young woman room, not wanting her to feel frightened in her own home. To her, Hiraeth was an intruder, one that could easily have the intent of hurting her. He felt the need to put her at ease and make sure that she knew this wasn't the case. "My apologies, cariad, I did not mean to frighten you," he said, his voice naturally soft and lilting with his accent. He did not say any more until he knew how the maiden was going to respond. He could not see much of her, only a glimpse of astonishingly white fur. She looked like a biblical dove, and he was innocently intrigued.

He hadn't missed her, and while she didn't miss his retreat he wasn't about to leave completely. She remained still, even as he spoke to her, trying to ease her worries. Vail would take her deep breath, but refrained from using it to call out for her mom or anyone who heard. Timidly she'd find herself lifting from her hiding place (which wouldn't have done much good had he really been out to hurt her anyway.) Her almost sightless silvery gaze would fall upon him as she straightened her slim form. Her ears were held back nervously and her tail was tucked close to her rump. "What are you doing here?" She'd ask of him, if he wasn't there to cause harm why was he at Abaven's borders? ""

The young woman slowly rose from the grasses and Hiraeth smiled a bit. She was lovely, with white fur and pale blue eyes that seemed unfocused. It struck him that she might be sightless, at least partially. Hopefully that meant she wouldn't see his muscular form, or his intimidating scars. He retreated a bit further as her body language suggested she still wasn't entirely comfortable. He wanted to make her feel comfortable again, regardless of what he needed to do."I was after a rabbit," he replied bashfully. It was a silly response, but it was the truth. "but then it went running inside your borders and I lost it. I promise I wasn't planning on trespassing, no rabbit would be worth that." The man smirked a bit and hesitated before sinking onto his haunches. "I don't suppose you could tell me a bit about the pack these borders belong to, could you?"

She knew that he was much bigger than she was, but that was about it. She couldn't really see his features and colors were mostly beyond her. With the sun mostly hidden by the clouds Vail could travel freely, however much she couldn't see. Alabaster ears perked forward slightly as he answered her question, it sounded like he was telling the truth.e said he had no intent on trespassing and with his retreat she found it much easier to believe him. She felt a bit more comfortable, but it seemed she wouldn't be able to feel entirely at ease with him while she was alone. Still, she wouldn't call out and she wouldn't leave. He'd sit and ask her of Abaven then, "This is Abaven, my uncle Bass is the alpha. He would have been very upset if you'd crossed over with out permission." She didn't know what kind of information he wanted, what did loners want to know about packs anyway? What did she want to know about loners... ""

She seemed to be more relaxed when he kept his distance, so he continued to do so, smiling softly at the young woman. She perked her little alabaster ears as he told her what had brought him here, and she certainly didn't seem to doubt he was telling the truth. When he asked about the pack, she said that it was called Abaven, and that the alpha was her uncle Bass. "Is it nice here?" he asked, not wanting to bombard her with questions but still wanting to find out what he could, his green eyes moving past her to the territory beyond. It appeared to be a nice enough place to build a pack. "I've been looking for a place to call home," he explained as he looked back down at the little dove. "I wouldn't want to make the mistake of ignoring Abaven. For all I know it could be the perfect place for me." Hiraeth gave her a friendly smile and a wag of his tail. He didn't know if she could see the gestures, but at the very least she would be able to hear the hopefullness in his tone.

He seemed attentive as she spoke, and he didn't try and get any closer to her, which was good. Vail continued to peer at him through her almost sightless gaze as he asked her how it was. Was it nice here in Abaven? In her experience, it was much nicer than the outside world. "It's the best place." She'd answer him, completely sincere. Abaven was her home, and it was the best place in the world. Here were her parents and family. There were no other places even worth mentioning. He'd continue curiously, telling her that he was looking for a home. Were all loners out looking for homes? He'd compliment Abaven and she'd puff up slightly, happy to hear the words. "This is my home, and I love it here." She'd tell him softly. "Why.." She'd pause, pretty sure her question was inappropriate. "Why don't you have a home?" ""

Hiraeth smiled warmly as the young woman told him Abaven was the best place. Of course she would think so, it was her home. But if she truly had no complaints, then it must be a rather nice home. He thought of the things he would need to know before moving further, including what the leader was like and what sort of structure this pack built itself upon. Was it familial or militaristic? Were ranks decided based on blood or on skill? The alpha was a man named Bass, the uncle of the sweet young woman before him. She asked why he had no home. "Well," he began, wanting to be honest with her but not wanting to expose the dismal details of his past. "I used to be a part of a pack, but then some bad things happened and our pack disbanded, so I decided to find a new home," he said with that same hopeful light in his eyes. "Is your uncle busy?" Hiraeth asked suddenly. He thought that pack details would be more easily gathered from the leader himself. His heart thrummed with excitement. What if this place was to be his new home?