Walk | "Talk" | Think The Delta had been one of the last places Rune had spent a moment alone with his mother, one of the last memories he had of her as he remembered her best: serious and yet warm and still his mom underneath it all. As the cool marine breezes that rolled in off the ocean rustled against the light grey fur of his body, he thought of her, of how he had attempted - in vain - to sneak up on the dark woman in this very location, and then spent the afternoon wandering across the eastern section of Alacritia in each others company. They were fond memories, so much better than the scene he had found regarding his last thoughts of her. Blood, fur, and a freshly dug grave were all that he had been left with to determine the fate of the blue-eyed she-wolf, and though he hoped to never know the details of that grim day he knew he would have no more with her. Quietly as he sat within the sands, staring out at the waters in a very similar manner to how his mother had that day, he wondered what she would have made of the mess currently plaguing their home. Or what had been their home. Brow lowered over his pale eyes as he considered that the familiar, stony volcanic mountain might once again not be his anymore. Fate seemed to be perfectly against his home and those who dwelt there, ready to snatch everything out from under his feet and send him tumbling and sprawling upon the cold earth even in the middle of summer. Why? he wondered with distress. Whatever had Tortuga done to earn this sort of ill-timed injustice? He felt sorry for Morphine, who had been trying to do her best to lead them to their former glory, for her children who would never know what that glory had once been like, for everyone else who had thought to take part in its great uprising. More importantly, he took the loss as a personal insult. That was his home, his childhood stomping ground, the place where all his memories and his mother rested, nestled in the mountainside. What right did that have to be taken from him? What had he ever done to justify that loss? He had looked up to Morphine to take care of them, to see their pack into a new and glorious reign, but after this he doubted she would consider herself the same, strong Alpha that she once had. Of all of them, she had possibly taken it the hardest, at least visibly so. His aunt had taken a more docile approach, and for all the dedication he had thought her to have harbored toward Tortuga he soon realized it was placed elsewhere. No other thought about his home the same way he did. No one else considered it more special than any leader who could ever lead it, more special than even the collective pack. They only completed what was nearly perfect on its own. And so in the back of his mind he harbored secret thoughts, thoughts he was fearful of voicing but that were given considerable attention at the forefront of his mind. What if he attempted to take it back? What if he did this for the home that he cared for, for those few wolves who called themselves Tortugans and those who might wish to in the future so that the pack itself would not lose its essence entirely under a new leader? Even the thought of someone else coming along and stealing the territory out from under his paws caused his lip to curl, the canine tooth along the right corner of his lip suddenly visible. No. He could never accept that. And if none of the other adults that he knew of were intending to do something to remedy the predicament the Tortugan exiles were faced with, he would give consideration to taking on the responsibility himself.

Surreal

Silver paws graced over the sandy terrain, leaving delicate prints in their wake. Surreal was exploring again. It had been a while since she?d left Valhalla?s territory, and she was due for a trip. This time, she went east, instead of staying west. And this place was interesting. Rivers splintered in many directions, and most of the area was sandy. She could smell the sea. Valhalla had a sea side as well. Her mother had taken her there a few times, and Cormalin regularly took her there on his patrols. His light duty, he called it. The sea was open and vast on Valhalla?s shore, so one would be unable to launch an attack on that side. Sea wolves, maybe. She gave a little bounce, then settled back into a trot as she listened to the far off hush and roar of the sea. Mismatched golden and blue gaze took in the sea birds that roved the skies, ears pricking to listen to their cries. Sea birds sounded so strange? Squeaky, raucous cries. Forest birds were so much prettier. Warbling twitters and beautiful trills. She loved her home. It was the best place in the world to her. She wanted to become the best warrior possible so she could protect it. Her tail waved gaily in the air. It was then that a stranger?s scent was carried to her on the wind. She paused, one paw raised in a elegant point as she analyzed the smell. Male, and about her age, but maybe a little older. She decided to check it out, and padded forward, a light amount of caution in her movements. Strangers could be dangerous, and she wasn?t a fully trained fighter, though Cormalin and her mother had been teaching her a great deal, and she was turning out to be a natural. Still she was fast. He came into view, staring out over the water, a serious, almost angry look on his face. Surreal paused, undecided. Then spoke from where she stood, several feet away. "It?s pretty, isn?t it?? Her accent was a mixture of British, Highlander, and Russian, though her mother?s accent was taking over in the absence of her father?s Russian voice. It was light in tone, in the transition of slowly transforming from girl to woman. She hoped he wasn?t an enemy?

Walk | "Talk" | Think For a long while he was left to his thoughts, allowed to contemplate, to consider, and reflect. It was a heavy objective he wished to place upon his shoulders, and he knew it. He was inexperienced in every level that would be beneficial to someone with the ambitions he possessed, but no one else held the same views that he did, the same determination to see things set to right. He would learn how to conduct himself as a leader, as a representative of the masses. He would learn how to be strong and steady in the face of adversity when he finally found himself prepared enough to face it. And then he would back up that strength with brute force if necessary. That was perhaps the strongest place of worry for him. He needed training. Lots of it. But he could bide his time for now. There was no need to rush; he was far too sensible for that. Still considering what his next move ought to be, an ear turned and twitched distractedly atop his head as above the noise of the water he heard the sound of approaching paw steps. He had half a mind to think it might have been one of the Morphine brats hurrying to find out what had happened to their mother, but as he slowly swung his head just to peek over one shoulder at the wolf he quickly realized it was no Morphine brat. None of them were grey. Or looked as old as this one did. But there was no one else about and it was obvious from her direction that she was cutting a path toward him. A little of the same guardedness that her steps suggested etched itself across his frame as he watched her, noting nothing immediately threatening about her posture but feeling too ill at ease just knowing what he did regarding his pack's territory. If that could change so suddenly, why should he expect everything else to come at face value? Nothing was said as she came to stop feet from him, as if for a second the young female second guessed her intentions in approaching him, but without wasting too many more seconds she spoke, a conversational first bit to break the ice. Pretty? He returned his attention to the waters as if to make a quick assessment regarding the comment. "I guess so," the black striped, grey wolf answered noncommittally. Perhaps to an outsider's eyes it was. But he was still looking beyond the present, into the future and the past and seeking internal advice for the endeavors he saw laying themselves out for him. Seeing here at least another chance to practice his skills as a speaker, even if for the time being it was only for himself, he turned his head to allow his attention to rest fully upon the sociable stranger, taking note of her strange eyes and even stranger scent. "It's a good place to think," he added with a distracted memory of his mother, knowing she would often come to this location to do the same. "And plan." He paused as he tried to set aside those thoughts, not wishing to reveal the troubles that plagued him to just any random stranger who happened upon him. It was none of their business. "I'm Rune," he stated instead, not exactly in the friendliest of tones but doing his best to try for tolerance at the very least.

Surreal

He looked up, and he was as wary as she was. His eyes were a light blue, and his pelt a grey, with a black dorsal mark. Those eyes studied her, as he seemed to be surprised by her remark. He glanced out at the water, and she flicked an ear backward, head slightly tilting. She guessed maybe not all wolves saw the beauty in places. His noncommittal reply was enough to cement that notion. After a moment, the male?s head turned fully toward her, giving her a closer look before he added that it was a good place to think. She listened to the rush and pull of the ocean on sand, ears flicking forward to hear his next words. To plan? Her curiosity flickered, but she didn?t try to prod. Strangers business. ?I suppose it is a good place to think. The sea?s song calms the mind and settles the thoughts. I like to sit on my pack?s shore side sometimes and think.? Mismatched blue and gold pools dropped from the sky to twinkle lightly at him as he introduced himself. ?I?m Surreal.? His tone wasn?t the most friendly of sorts, but hey, shed take what she could get. She sank to her haunches, not imposing on his personal space, head slightly tilted as she studied him. ?You seem maybe a little older than myself. Have you traveled much?? Maybe she?d learn of places to explore from this fellow.

Walk | "Talk" | Think Rune only made a thoughtful, "Hm," in acknowledgement of Surreal's statement regarding the ocean, though knowing that her territory harbored a shoreline of its own did pique his curiosity. Where was this? He had never really given thought to what the other pack territories would look like, even when he had still been considering running off to visit them for Morphine. He had always supposed that he would find out when he visited them and not a moment before. But the company that he kept tended to be a sheltered group, just those who lived inside his home lands and only a single one beyond. Perhaps it was the lack of new faces that made him so content and comfortable with all that he knew and saw. Here was a chance to change that. The grey youth continued to watch the other as she introduced herself and reclined onto her haunches in the sands where she had been standing, close enough for their casual conversation not to be strained but no closer to ensure that their comfort was intact. Any sense of wariness he had felt when she had walked up was quickly slipping away, however. If she had had any ill intents, he was sure he would have noticed by now, and so with a more relaxed air he let his eyes wander back to the waters away from them, letting their quiet splashes as the waves repeatedly washed up along the shore temporarily fill his hearing. An ear twitched as another question was posed, and it was only as he considered his answer that he realized again and even more strongly just how small his world truly was. "Mainly here in the east," he stated, not willing to divulge completely that his travels further than that had been few and far between. Did many his age explore very far? With a curious, questioning sidelong glance at Surreal, he tried to keep the obvious interest more or less clear from his voice. "How far are you from home?" It was an innocent enough question, though in the back of his mind he knew it was just as likely that she would withhold the information for comfort's sake. No sense giving away every detail to the male she had only just met.

Surreal

Again, Rune didn?t seem to be one for talking, so she supplied for him. ?My pack?s territory is huge. Mostly plains with large patches of forest, and lots of herbs and plants. My mother?s the Lead healer so it?s perfect for her. Plenty of prey, so even in the heat of Summer our food is plenty.? Her tail swept the sand as she thought of how wonderful her home was. His answer to her question didn?t dampen her pleasure. She?d never been east until now. ?What?s your favorite place, if any?? Her head cocked lightly as he asked his question. ?Well, my home is west, and according to mother, mostly toward the southwestern shore.? She didn?t elaborate further. A distraction had arrived. A gull, curious about the diminished movement of the two predators, had swooped low and landed nearby, Orange beak clicked as the gull cocked it?s head, peering at them with one beady yellow eye. It seemed to be deliberating, before it waddled a little closer. Surreal held herself perfectly still. Mismatched eyes flicked from the gull to Rune, and back to the gull. The gull waddled closer, webbed feet laying a faint print in it?s wake. It managed to get within three feet of the two wolves before it caught a blink from Surreal and took off with a loud squealing cry. Surreal flattened her ears against the noise. ?Just another foot and I could have brought a bird home for dinner. Unless you wanted it?? Mismatched blue and gold eyes flicked to Rune, ears perking.

Walk | "Talk" | Think Though she gave no specifics, and particularly no pack name, Surreal seemed more than happy to express what she knew of her home lands, professing them to be large and plentiful and very fitting as a pack territory. At an earlier time he might have paid more attention, been more interested, but he was hardly in the mood for proper small talk, as much as he wanted to be. In the back of his mind weighed the lost territory, each mention that the grey female gave drawing his thoughts back to make comparisons between the two unrelated lands. Where might he take shelter now? Where would the rest of the pack be headed in the absence of a territory around which to gather? Was someone new already there, dirtying the place up with their foreign scent and changing what his home was supposed to be like? Rune took a few seconds to close his frosty blue eyes and draw in a careful breath, feeling the mixture of loss and anger beginning to rise dangerously within himself. It would be no good for him to get upset over it; it was not like he could go marching over there right now to claim the place as his own. He was still very much naive in the ways of leadership, even naive in the ways of battle if it should come to that. He needed to take his time and only return when he felt prepared enough to face anything that might be waiting there for him. He missed the question posed to him entirely and only half caught the answer Surreal gave in response to his own before he noticed the attention of his company to have shifted further down the shoreline. He spotted the bird as well, noting the curiosity and brazenness that it exuded as it dared to venture close, almost within range to be caught, before it spooked and took flight with a noisy call. Ears half folding themselves, he listened as Surreal remarked on the sea bird being a meal missed, though as she questioned whether he might have had the same intent he settled his gaze back upon her with a disinterested shrug. "Don't normally eat birds. Especially not annoying sea ones," he added, his gaze flickering away momentarily to watch as the gull rode across the marine air to settle itself somewhere further along the shoreline. Distraction gone, he sought another in their conversation again, trying to recall what had already been said so that he could draw from it rather than spill about the troubles pertaining to Mount Volkan. Southwest... What territory sat over there? For a second he wished he had been able to make the diplomatic ventures for Morphine already, just to know better of how the territories neighbored each other. But another tidbit of information rose suddenly, a previous conversation that he had had picking itself up from his memory and with faint lines of similarity to what he could remember being told. "Valhalla? Is that where you're from?" The look he gave the girl sparked with sudden interest, wondering now if this might have been one of the wolves to share a home with his friend Alamea.