It was possibly an hour or so after sunrise when movement disturbed the tall grasses, the overcast but warm day making many an animal hide. However a dark chocolate femme threaded her way through the tall emerald grass, a slight breeze making the plants whisper sweet nothings in her ears. Sollei wasn't one to be fussy about where she laid down in the mornings, she was just happy to find a warm spot anywhere. But if there was a small clearing or a stream that ran through these grasses then she could relax there for a bit. The grass stroked her flanks gently as she passed through it, her golden yellow optics picking up a change in the grass up ahead however.


She kept going only stopping when she came to quite a large area where the grass had been flattened down, most likely by some sort of herd of prey animal.The she-wolf yawned widely, her teeth snapping shut afterwards as she stretched a little. Her tail wiggled as she worked a kink or two from her back, the two year old blinking before circling around the area once to make sure it was safe. With no immediate danger showing itself to her, she licked her maw and set about finding the most comfortable patch of flattened grass to nap on.


She found it close to where she'd come in, instinctively she circled once....twice....and then a third time before laying down. Don't misunderstand, Sollei wasn't the lazy type at all. She just hadn't had a very good sleep the previous night, having had a bit of a scare because she found a snake curled up in her temporary den. Rather than being bitten, she chose to abandon that den and go in search of a newer one. Of course....she hadn't found one until the moon was kissing the middle of the sky, so she was quite sleepy. However before she could get any deeper into sleep, she heard the rustling of an approaching large animal.

Talk like this

Man...what a few days it had been...first few days in this stupid landscape, and he had been met with a trio of wolves who decided they didn't want him around. Especially the siblings Pontifex and Loccian...she was pretty...her grey eyes reflecting her hidden feelings. But even after he had tried to apologize for his brash actions against her brother, she wouldn't accept any sort of apology. He flattened his ears at the thought, That punk deserved it! Meddling into my business...that jerk deserved what he got! If I'd gotten the chance, I would've ripped an ear off if his sister hadn't gotten in the way...He sighed, then again...it had partly been his fault. Squall was...unsociable. He had been abandoned, left behind by his parents and his relatives. Nobody wanted him, and the one person he had grown close to disappeared.


Squall's head rose, ears perked forward. A scent had crossed his path, and it was another unfamiliar smell. He hoped it wasn't any of the ones he had run in to already...not that he was scared of Loccian, much less Pontifex. He rolled his eyes at the thought of them and pushed them out of his head. They couldn't keep him from joining their pack anyway. Stopping to try and pinpoint where the scent was coming from. Icy blue eyes searched the fields ahead of him...who was it that was nearby? Stalking forward, he skirted some bushes to avoid making any noise. His black paws swept silently across the ground, though he couldn't really hide if he wanted since his tri-colored pelt would be noticeable through the thinning rods of plant matter.

He had soon came upon a stronger point of the scent he had been following. A she-wolf lying in the grass...a chocolate brown creature. His eyes locked onto her grounded form, what was she doing out here? Ears flatten midway to his head. If she decided to be hostile towards him, he would probably just bite with words. He didn't like fighting females without just cause. He decided he'd make himself known, perhaps that way she'd know someone else was out here as well. He sped up his pace, leaves crunching under his claws now. Then, came to a stop a yard behind her, head sticking through the wall of grass, body hidden within.
"Who are you?" He questioned in his monotone low voice. Icy gaze fixated on her.




Speech, Thought, You

Yes...she'd been right, it was a large animal. She took in a deep breath, the strange scent tickling her nose as she opened her topaz orbs. Flashes of a tri-coloured pelt occasionally coming into her view as her eyes came out of 'sleep mode' and adjusted to the overcast day. Sollei postponed sitting up for a little bit and yawned with a mix of slight anxiety and tiredness. Unlike other wolves, she wasn't all grumpy when she had only a little sleep. She found it odd, but there you have it.


Her head came up off of where it rested on her paws and she blinked, not sure whether to freak out or to wait for whatever it was to show itself. Sol made her choice, keeping as calm as she could despite having the distinct feeling that she was this animal's prey. Her chocolate and black face turned to follow the direction in which the sound of crunching leaves came from. She twisted her head around to look behind her as the face of another pushed through the long plant matter surrounding her would be sleeping spot.
"Who are you?" The brute asked as he stared at her with two pools of ice blue.


"My name is Sollei...what's yours?" She returned his question with one of her own. Her ears pricked forward and she smiled just a little as she got up. The femme stretched again and then tilted her head to the side, backing up to let him come into the little clearing if he so chose.
"I don't mind if you come in here, I'm not an aggressive female or anything like that." She told him, her bright eyes sparkling just a little. The company of another...seemed like fun, though she'd have to play it by ear. He seemed like a stable kind of guy, so she'd stick around for now.

The tri-colored warriors ears twitched slightly as the female before him spoke. Her voice was soft, innocent even. So she had been out here to take a nap? Who does that in the open? Icy gaze latched onto her topaz yellow ones. Sniffing once, he took her scent in one quick inhalation. He'd remember her now. He hesitated before stepping out, if anyone else were out here with her and decided to pick a fight with him, he'd give each of them what for. He studied her for a moment, she seemed honest enough. But then again, honesty could easily be tainted by the underlying clutch of dishonesty.


Finally, he would step into the small clearing to sit at the edge from where he just appeared. Wary, as his position implied as so. "My name is Squall...Squall Leonhart. I am not from these lands...I'm sure that's obvious." His stared at her, his eyes cold and piercing, though without exactly meaning to. The scar on his muzzle cast a small shadow upon itself, outlining it.




Speech, Thought, You

Sol noticed that he was quite unsure about stepping out into the open. She could understand it certainly, but something about him just made her think that he'd suffered a lot. That would explain his distrust of her...or it could be the fact that he'd just met her. Hmm...the second reason seemed more plausible to her slightly strange mind as she sat down and waited with a patient smile on her maw. As he studied her, she did the same to him, noting the scar on his face.
"It must have hurt a bit...the scar." She stated gently, not quite sure if he would snap at her or what. Sollei had said it purely to give them both something different to think about, other than the slight tension in the air.


She almost sighed in relief when he stepped into the clearing with her, his body language telling her that he was still very wary.
"My name is Squall...Squall Leonhart. I am not from these lands...I'm sure that's obvious." Her eyes widened a little as he said his second name, she hadn't ever been given one...hadn't been on the cards for her at birth apparently.
"I'm just Sollei...no second bit to my name. It's totally cool that you have a second name though! I'm...well, I'm not from around here either. So what does that make wolves like us?" She consciously stopped herself from barraging him with words and tilted her head to the side, golden yellow eyes regarding him with respect. His pelt and stature was impressive, he took care of himself and that was a good thing. She wanted friends that wouldn't faint because of lack of food if they played. She had once had a habit of playing tag with other wolves before well...before an incident happened. Anyhow, she already thought he'd be a very trustworthy friend. How she knew...well...that she didn't know. Now isn't that strange?

The warriors ears flicked back somewhat nervously, so she had seen the scar he bore. He had hoped that eventually, it would fade away. But the injury he sustained that day would forever be a reminder of his past. Never to fade, never to disappear. It didn't bother him though...the nervousness came from being in unknown territory with a still barely known stranger. He saw now that she posed no threat, so there was nothing to worry about...right? Still, he couldn't help but be...well, himself. Distant, reluctant to trust or get close to someone. He gazed at her, fixating her in his blue stare before glancing slightly away. "To tell the truth, I..." Did he really want to tell her the origins of his scar? The one that permanently remained etched across his face? He wasn't at all sure...


He nodded, he would not tell her how he got it. Not yet anyway. "It did hurt. You'd have to be able to not feel pain when it struck you across the face. That or dead." He watched her speak, sitting down so that he didn't seem purposefully threatening to her...though it seemed to him that she wasn't at all threatening. Her inquiry as to what they would be called, well he himself was a loner...an outcast, unwanted by the world around him. He remembered when he had met a trio of wolves not too long ago, a fight started with a male. Then hatred from the brutes sister...it wasn't his fault...he didn't know how to speak kindly, he himself hadn't known kindness for the past 3 years. His parents murdered, his sister kidnapped, and Elonne mysteriously vanished. He was a resentful and untrusting soul...could he really be blamed? "I suppose it would just make us loners. Though, I am more then just that...I have no friends, no ties, no family, no pack. I'm just an outcast. But I suppose it doesn't matter what you're labeled. At least you will find your place without difficulty." He told her. But I...will never be accepted.




Speech, Thought, You

The chocolate stained femme noticed the apparent surfacing of his nerves, almost regretting the fact that she asked him. It must have been a personal situation in which he got that scar. She blinked and met his stare with a gentle one of her own and although she was undoubtedly younger than him, she found that she wasn't having to grovel or anything of the sort. When he glanced away she lowered her head, rubbing at one of her ears with a paw. "To tell the truth, I..." When he stopped she looked up, golden optics taking in how truly uncomfortable she had made him.


"It did hurt. You'd have to be able to not feel pain when it struck you across the face. That or dead." She nodded gently, feeling a little silly for asking a question that not only had an obvious answer, but made her new acquaintance feel bad.
"Well...all I can say is that at least you didn't lose one of your eyes.You'd be turning your head all the time to try and keep everyone in sight. You know...I saw a one eyed frog once, it just stared at me for ages until I tried to chase it. Then a bird came and stole it...I'm sorry, I can ramble like that at times. Ma used to- oh..." She trailed off, looking down just a bit. It was still to early to be telling him these things. She'd only just met him a short while ago after all.


"I suppose it would just make us loners. Though, I am more then just that...I have no friends, no ties, no family, no pack. I'm just an outcast. But I suppose it doesn't matter what you're labeled. At least you will find your place without difficulty." At his words she smiled just a little, stretching a bit before shuffling a little closer to him.
"Loners huh? Sounds kinda lonely to me....loners. Well Squall, I've got none of those either and you don't look like an outcast to me. You think I'll find a place easily? I'm a little bit too odd to get on with most wolves, and if I do find a place, I want to have a friend with me. I don't have a one of those at the moment." She said with a nervous laugh, yeah....she was openly admitting that she was an odd woman. It was better that he find out now rather than later if she did something completely random and unexpected.
"Hey ahh...Squall? I'm sorry for asking something so personal....the scar and all.."

The broad chested man listened to the words of the girl sitting before him. He noticed a brief look on her face when he had mentioned about the scar hurting when he got it, and he instantly felt bad. There went his sarcastic tongue...why couldn't he ever keep it in check? He was about to apologize when she then began to talk about a one eyed frog. A small smile appeared when she told this tale, then went on to explain that she rambled. Well, that was obvious...she did talk alot. His ears twitched to her direction when she cut off about...her mom? Why did she stop? Was she...uncomfortable about talking about her family...? Or was it something else? He decided he wouldn't press further. Instead, he listened to her go on about something else, the question he had previously answered.


He listened patiently, interest apparent in the slight tilt of his ears.
"Loners huh? Sounds kinda lonely to me....loners. Well Squall, I've got none of those either and you don't look like an outcast to me. You think I'll find a place easily? I'm a little bit too odd to get on with most wolves, and if I do find a place, I want to have a friend with me. I don't have a one of those at the moment." His gaze drifted to the ground. He felt bad for saying what he did, but it was the truth. His brows furrowed in thought...not an outcast to her? What did that mean? And how could she not have a friend? She seemed much easier to get along with then he did...surely she had some friends in this world. He had none. Not since he left his childhood place, never to return. The tri-colored warrior turned his blue gaze to her, "I think you'd fit in quite well with a pack. You are...rather talkative, and...random I suppose. But you would get along alot better than I with others. You might not be able to tell now...but I am rather distant. I prefer to keep away from others...it's not like they want me around anyway. I'm too serious for others, apparently. Not even simple apologies can cleanse my mistakes. But you, you'll be welcome wherever you go."

He tried to smile to her, to let her know that he meant what he said about her fitting in with any pack she came across. The gesture was forced, and so it looked and felt rather odd. He was one to rarely, if ever, smile. But he wanted to make an attempt anyway, and feeling that it was a complete fail, he snapped his lips shut and turned away in slight embarrassment. He turned her way again, when she began to apologize. The man shook his head, "It is I who should apologize...I'm not used to talking civilly to anyone. So sometimes I have a pretty sharp tongue and a nasty bite of sarcasm...curiosity was on your tongue, so it was natural that you wanted to know." He shook his head for a moment and shrugged, "I got it from a really...serious battle with an old Rival. His name was Seifer...there's a long story behind it, something I can explain some other time though...sorry."




Speech, Thought, You

The cheerful young woman smiled softly as she spotted the smile that he'd given her. Squall's smile suited him, it had that air of maturity and seriousness, yet deep down it felt sweet somehow. "I saw that....was that a...a smile?" She teased just the tiniest bit, shuffling a little closer to him as the slightly foreign lilt in her voice made itself apparent despite the attempts to mask it. When his eyes tilted downwards she felt a little bad, was it something that she'd said? Was she too close to him? She didn't know...maybe he felt bad for previously being a bit harsh.


But that was all in the past now, she didn't mind as it was just the way he reacted to her, no harm done in the slightest. When his gaze locked onto hers she was tempted to say something reassuring, however he spoke first. "I think you'd fit in quite well with a pack. You are...rather talkative, and...random I suppose. But you would get along alot better than I with others. You might not be able to tell now...but I am rather distant. I prefer to keep away from others...it's not like they want me around anyway. I'm too serious for others, apparently. Not even simple apologies can cleanse my mistakes. But you, you'll be welcome wherever you go." She blinked and thought about it for a moment before shaking her head gently, getting close enough to nuzzle his cheek gently.


"I'm all brand new here, you're the first wolf I've met...I was classed as extremely eccentric you know, where I came from. Well Squall...would you like to be my friend? I know I won't hold anything against you, and I'm quite easy going...you hardly ever need to apologise. What if I want to be accepted by just a few wolves at a time..not a whole pack?" She responded gently as she moved back to where she'd been only moments earlier, a giggle escaping her as she saw his cute yet slightly awkward smile. Only seconds later it disappeared when his lips closed and he turned his head away from her in embarrassment. "It is I who should apologize...I'm not used to talking civilly to anyone. So sometimes I have a pretty sharp tongue and a nasty bite of sarcasm...curiosity was on your tongue, so it was natural that you wanted to know." He shook his head and she listened intently as he apologised to her, as she had to him earlier. He also began to explain a little about the scar.


"I got it from a really...serious battle with an old Rival. His name was Seifer...there's a long story behind it, something I can explain some other time though...sorry." She nodded in understanding and gave him a soft smile. "Not to worry Squall, I forgive you if you forgive me. I'm too curious for my own good you see and I've never encountered someone with a 'sharp tongue' before. And did you know....I'm lucky I'm not a cat or I would have been dead long ago because curiosity would have killed me. All those poor cats....dying just because they wanted to know what was on the other side of a deep river." She responded, licking her maw and then she thought about it for a moment before deciding to ask him something. "Squall...I'm sorry to ask this...but would you help me find a den...you know, a proper place to sleep? A snake started inhabiting my old one and I'e been looking about for another one all night, I'm willing to share too, the den...company's good for you right?" She blurted out suddenly, looking embarrassed after a few moments, realising that it might have sounded like she was trying to solicit him or something. Oh gosh! How embarrassing was that?!

"I saw that....was that a...a smile?" The tri-colored warriors eyes widened, his mouth pulling back into a neutral position. His ears tilted back as he realized that yes, he had smiled...and she had noticed. He heard the slight tease in her voice, and knew that she had noticed the change from when they first interacted. When he had finished speaking, he had kept his eyes downcast. He slightly startled when she got closer, brushing her muzzle gently against his cheek. As soon as she pulled away, he glanced up with surprise, wondering if he had imagined it. "I'm all brand new here, you're the first wolf I've met...I was classed as extremely eccentric you know, where I came from. Well Squall...would you like to be my friend? I know I won't hold anything against you, and I'm quite easy going...you hardly ever need to apologise. What if I want to be accepted by just a few wolves at a time..not a whole pack?" She spoke, returning to her previous place...so, he hadn't imagined it after all. He felt his face get hot, a blush crept across his features as well as he blinked a few times. Trying to comprehend what just happened. as Squall listened attentively to the young maiden. Her words ringing in the air around them, always seemingly full of excitement. It sort of intrigued him...even though he usually found wolves who talked a lot very annoying, this one seemed different. He guessed that it was probably due to the fact that during his travels, he had changed somewhat. His views on the world were very much the same, but after he had met a particular wolf, things began to change for him...


He swallowed, dipping his head to her and trying to hide his apparent flustered self as he responded, "Yes, I...suppose I can be your friend. I think...it would be nice to have some. I'm not very good at making friends...only enemies. I am honored to call you my friend, Sollei. And I suppose it is better to meet new faces every once in a while, I would feel quite strange myself if I was thrown into a pack and having to talk to every single one at once." He looked at her, trying to seem...less serious. But to no avail. He was still a little flustered from her nuzzling him. It was nothing bad though...he was just, surprised. Nothing like that ever happened to him, and so he didn't know how to react. When he had finished explaining about his scar, she smiled and nodded gently. Even though he had decided not to tell her his story just yet, she seemed to not mind at all. Most wolves to him, would have gotten annoyed and just given him the cold shoulder. Or trashed him for being so closed off. But not this one."Not to worry Squall, I forgive you if you forgive me. I'm too curious for my own good you see and I've never encountered someone with a 'sharp tongue' before. And did you know....I'm lucky I'm not a cat or I would have been dead long ago because curiosity would have killed me. All those poor cats....dying just because they wanted to know what was on the other side of a deep river." Her words made Squall smile slightly with amusement. This indeed, was a strange girl. She was different then a lot of wolves he had met, she was open, not afraid to say what was on her mind. He didn't know really what to say, so he remained quiet as she got a thoughtful look on her face. His ears slowly tilted forward in curiosity now, wondering what was on her mind.

When he thought she wouldn't ask anything after a minute of silence, he looked up as he then heard her voice. "Squall...I'm sorry to ask this...but would you help me find a den...you know, a proper place to sleep? A snake started inhabiting my old one and I'e been looking about for another one all night, I'm willing to share too, the den...company's good for you right?" He looked at her in surprise again, blinking a couple times as he searched for a response. The look on her face told him that she was clearly embarrassed about enlisting his help, probably much more so as it seemed that she was seeking out some company so as not to be alone. He closed his eyes and tilted his head down, a calm and serene look gracing his features. When he looked up again, there was a calm tone to his voice, all traces of sharpness or bitterness gone. "Sure, I don't mind helping you...it is getting dark soon and a place to sleep would be the wise thing to do. I'm not familiar with these parts, and the place where I normally stay is kinda far from here...so I can stay with you for tonight if you wish." He responded gently.




Speech, Thought, You