darkness falls as she picks her way across the land, skirting a clump of fern. the sky has deepened from a heather grey to a bruised purple, and Dulla watches as the sun slips below the horizon, its light waning to make way for the first scattering of stars. its cooler at night, the air refreshingly sharp in her lungs as she sucks in a deep breath. she exhales, and imagines how it will look in winter, when she can expel plumes of frost from her mouth and watch it hang in the hair like a wisp of silvery cloud. she recalls winters with her family, huddled together with siblings and cousins in a desperate attempt to preserve warmth. if she remains in this strange new land, will she be alone as the cold sets in, shivering beneath the naked boughs of some foreign tree? it is a miserable thought, one she banishes with a flick of her tail. as dusk turns to night, and the moon crawls up the sky to hover above the treetops, she leans against a nearby tree trunk and hums a faint tune under her breath – something her mother may have sung to her as a girl, perhaps.

The northern lands have some of the best, unobstructed views of the night sky and Calico Jack has been up at the Marble Wash, enjoying said sky. As the night moves steadily on, the teenager decides that he should begin heading down toward the south since the Armada wolves may not look too kindly on a pirate close to their lands. Lanky form slips through the tall red forest; the teenager’s body is all sharp angles and long legs but still, somehow, surprisingly nimble.

As he moves, the red giants of this land steadily block out the sky above, darkening the night even further while the mulch that makes up the forest floor, steals the sounds of his passing. It is late and Calico doesn’t expect any other soul to be out here at this time. So, he is greatly surprised when a soft sound reaches his ears. The boy stills as his icy blue eyes scan the area and he strains to find the gentle noise again, curious to figure out what exactly what he had heard.

The wind shifts slightly, bringing the faint sound to him once more and, when it starts to fade, his nose takes up the search. Calico Jack follows the invisible trail until an earthen-hued form comes into view. Pausing beside on of the giants, a safe distance off from the stranger, the boy suddenly feels very uncertain of himself. Clearing his throat to try and gain their attention, he then calls out softly, “Hello? Are you okay?” Icy blue eyes are bright with worry as he scans their form from where he is, noting the way they lean against a trunk.


"Calico Jack"

she pauses on a lilting note, mouth frozen in a perfect little ‘o’ of surprise. carnation eyes flit to the yearling nearby, noting his concern. it’s warming, to feel the worry of a stranger; it reminds her that for every bad in the world, there is equally as much good. or so she hopes, in any case. "hello." she rises to her feet, but doesn’t dare step too close, unwilling to cross the personal boundaries of this boy. "forgive me, i was dwelling." the melancholy of the evening lingers in the twitch of her brow, the curve of her lip. she attempts to disguise it with a crooked little smile tucked into the corner of her jaw, brow lifting in mirthless humour. "perhaps brooding is more accurate.” a huff of a laugh, barely audible to her own ears. "tell me, stranger…how cold does it grow here?”

As his voice fills the air to softly question if the stranger is okay, Calico Jack mentally kicks himself for having interrupted them. Still, he is a helpful soul and he needs to make sure they are alright. A sheepish grin tugs at his lips as the female rises and he shuffles his paws in show of embarrassment at having disturbed them. They seem to be remembering a time that has passed and he dips his head in a polite bow as they offer up a simple greeting. Shoulders haunch inwards as the boy lowers his head slightly, the actions show the stranger how apologetic he is feeling.

The woman huffs a laugh and the awkward teenager cracks a slight grin and their next words have the boy’s shoulders relaxing as his features shift into a look of thoughtfulness for a moment. Being at the age where his voice is beginning to move from the high tones of youth to the deeper vocals of adulthood, the boy’s words crack and wobble against his will. Still, he attempts to keep them even as he says, “Well, the night will get cold but nothing a good cave won’t help with. You are lucky, if it was wintertime, the nights would get downright frigid here.”

A smile is flashed at the earthen hued wolf as Jack’s confidence begins to return. Icy blue eyes tries to catch the stranger’s fuchsia gaze as the boy decides to properly introduce himself. Giving a respectful bow, he easily says, “I’m Calcio Jack and here ta help! You new in these lands, Miss…?” Words are accented by the pirates he has grown up with, words like to, changing to become ta as he speaks. Head cants to the side as he leaves the question open ended, allowing her a comfortable space to fill in her name if she so wishes.


"Calico Jack"

there’s something nervous about the boy, a sheepish uncertainty Dulla can certainly relate to. as he replies to her question, she attempts a warm smile, hoping to put him at ease and assure him he is welcome in her presence. “my, then i am certainly glad it is not.” it’s endearing, she muses to herself, the way his voice crackles with puberty, bouncing from high to low. it reminds her of her own teenage-hood, of the awkwardness and self-loathing she’d spent an entire year grappling with. she almost longs for it back, longs for simpler days when the discomfort of her growing body had been her prime concern. though, she chides herself as she looks the boy over, it is never prudent to assume. it is not unlikely he has already experienced hardships of his own; it is a cruel world, as she well knows. “Calico Jack,” she repeats, trying the words out on her tongue. “a pleasure.” she inclines her head, lifting a forepaw in a half-curtesy, the manners of her upbringing as instinctual as ever. “i’m Medulla, and this is Kass. but Dulla is fine.”

The woman’s warm smile has the awkward, teenage Calico Jack loosening up, his posture relaxing as he offers her an easy grin. At one year old the teenager already stands taller at his full height but his uncertainty had caused him to shrink into himself. Now, as he relaxes, the boy unfolds, standing taller than the other wolf. However, his posture is  an open, calm, and even inviting which makes it obvious he means the woman no harm. In fact, as he offers his name, the boy’s carefree attitude is even peeks out.

She repeats his name and the grin that had been on his lips, grows in size as he offers another polite bow at her words and half-curtesy. As she introduces herself and her friend, Jack’s tail begins to wag lazily behind him and he happily says, “Pleasure to meet you both! If ya need help finding a place to chase off the cold, I can help. Been through here a few times. Or, if you want, I can point ya toward a pack where you might some find food and shelter.”

A wink is tossed her way as he puffs his chest out slightly, trying to overcompensate for his prior show of shyness. He hopes she doesn’t notice it.


"Calico Jack"

as the boy relaxes in her presence, Dulla notes a carefree, almost playful shift in his posture, and attempts to mimic his waving tail and earnest grin. she’s grateful, suddenly, to have found him in this darkening forest - although perhaps, more accurately, he has found her.

at the mention of warmth, Dulla perks up, ears pricking with interest. as though made aware of her own discomfort, a shiver wracks through her, and Kas attempts to burrow into the fur about her scruff. “that would be wonderful,” she sighs, eyes fluttering closed at the very  thought. but curiosity quickly pulls her back into the present. “you mentioned…packs?” she urges, brow furrowing in thought - half cautious, half hopeful. she’d been raised in a pack, and she’d been on her own for so long…but at the same time, her birth pack had proven the biggest heartbreak of her (admittedly short) life. “please, what can you tell me of the packs in this land?”

Jack sees the shiver that wracks the friendly woman’s form and his brows furrow slightly in worry. The small sparrow, Kas, burrows into her fur and the boy offers a dip of his head in agreement to her words about it being wonderful. Eyes turn to scan the area for a moment as he gets his bearings and then he moves to point his body in the direction of a close by cave that he remembers. With an incline of his head and lift of his leg, he invites her to join him while saying, “There is a small cave not too far from here. It is this way.”

A chilly breeze blows and the boy does his best to position himself so that he will block most the wind for her while they walk. Waiting for her join him so that they can start the trek before responding to her words about the packs. Calico offers a broad grin and dips his head in acknowledgement as he says, “Yes. There are serval packs spread over both of the continents.” Darting a glance to the woman, realizing she may be new, he quickly adds, “Right now, you are on the continent of Boreas and this land,” his leg lifts to absently sweep the area around them, “is called The Red Forest.”

Offering Dulla a smile, he continues on, “There is a pack close to here that is known as the Armada. They are a pack of warriors that is led by a Warlord. I’m part of a pack called the Pirates! We take up a beach in the south and raid other packs for resources while living the way we wish to. We mean no harm and everything done for fun but, many packs don’t like that so we are… not very popular.” A sheepish grin wiggles his lips as he bashfully admits that his pack isn’t all that well liked.

A thought crosses his mind and he quickly turns his icy gaze to the woman and says in a serious tone, “But, I don’t you mean you harm… okay? Actually, I never mean anyone any harm but… that doesn’t really seem to matter.” A sad sigh passes his lips as he thinks of the prejudice he is met with just because he was born into the Pirates. With a shake of his head, he rids himself of the gloomy thoughts before saying, “Uh, there are actually a lot of packs around. Is there something in particular you would like to know? Or would you like me to list them all for you?”

The warm, friendly grin is back on his lips as he looks to Dulla, waiting to hear what she wishes.


"Calico Jack"

relief sings through Dulla’s veins at Jack’s suggestion, and a chuckle expels from her lips in a silvery plume. ”a cave sounds heavenly right about now.” she falls into step beside him, noting the way he positions himself with a wave of gratitude. he has been so considerate, this young boy, and polite - and again she is relieved to have met him here in this cold, star-lit forest. ”the Red Forest,” she murmurs, a quirk of amusement in the curve of her brow. ”how fitting.”

as Jack speaks, detailing the existence of several packs, Dulla feels her brows raise with intrigue, mind whirling as a series of colourful images is brought to mind. Warriors? Pirates? just what kind of place has she stumbled upon? a touch of anxiety colours Jack’s voice, and Dulla nudges his shoulder with her own, trying to offer reassurance. ”i don’t doubt that.” hoping to lift his spirits, she flashes a teasing grin. ”personally, i think being a pirate sounds rather…exciting.”

as they continue on, Jack offers to explain further about the packs, and Dull shoots him a nod of gratitude. ”if you don’t mind. they all sound so interesting.” excitement and curiosity warred within her; if there were pirates and warriors in this land, what else existed here?