Silence shrouded the inside of Calder's head for what seemed to be hours. No sounds could force their way through the heaviness of Calder's stupor, especially when he'd been lost in it for more than a few minutes. Right now, the large creamy colored male was absolutely still, quiet and calm, his breathing was slow but he was most definitely alert as his blank brown eyes stared ahead with a crazed look hidden in their depths. He was looking at nothing but it seemed as though he was. He simply sat up straight, staring ahead as if he was fixated on a certain something in the distance when really he saw nothing but images of his past as they flew by in a swirling manner, clouding his vision and his actions, scrambling him all up and causing him to simply cease all movement altogether, afraid he'd freak out and run off to torture something or himself. So there he sat, staring and still. After one minute had passed, and then another, the thighs of the cream-furred wolf twitched and then once again ceased moving. Slowly the seconds ticked by until suddenly the male shot up from his sitting position and began to jump around in angry circle. From his muddy brown muzzle came painful yelps of frustration and unhappiness as he hopped. The wolf's once dangerously blank eyes came alive as he searched the area for a sister he knew wasn't there, and he grinned devilishly as her image appeared before him but then disappeared, leaving him even more distressed than he had been before. After a few moments of Calder's violent yelping the wolf settled down. His breaths came out fast and short as he scoured his surroundings, finally sitting once again. Soon he'd have to move from this area and find a place to settle for the night. Sad and confused Calder decided that nothing made sense to him anymore and shut his eyes tight as he flopped down on the ground, forgetting everything else existed and hiding in a state of forgetful bliss. "normal. talk. think. you"

Walk | "Talk" | Think It was becoming increasingly easy to leave the borders of Tortuga behind. For a year, they had been his sanctuary, protecting him and hiding him from unknowns and shrouding him with company that was either related to him or deemed appropriate because of a communal bond that brought their pack together. But he was a yearling now, and the advancement in age had given him a rather unexpected boost of confidence. He was so used to following in the paw steps of his siblings, trailing after them and letting them have the limelight while he remained in their shadows and learned from their mistakes. Age had definitely struck them as well, however, lending each pup their own independence that drew them apart, and for once Rune was left to fend for himself. Surprisingly, the transition was going well. Twice already he had made his own ventures beyond their home - once completely on his own - and now he had done so again, this time going even further than before. He had followed one of the rivers that ran through his mountainous home, trailing at its side to use it as a guide through the lands beyond his explorations, and eventually it flowed down a steep hillside, collecting in random pools along the way. It was actually a lovely place, even in winter, the water almost only a trickle in places where the cold weather had frozen it in place. Surely it was a busy place come spring, activity here abuzz with energy. But it seemed it was abuzz with something now. The young grey wolf's ears perked at the sound of someone crying out, the close proximity enabling him to hear even the scrambling of their movements beside the Falls. It set him on edge; he was still so young, barely out of puphood and still so inexperienced to many things about the world. In particular how to defend himself against someone who might wish to do him more harm than a purposefully sharp nip from friendly fangs. His skills in stealth were slowly improving, and so he attempted it now, his body dropping into a crouch as his steps elongated themselves in order to cover more ground. Black dipped paws set themselves gently upon the earth, each move they made drawing him closer to the place where the commotion had come from. It was still there now, no noise, no rustling, nothing to hint that whoever had caused the ruckus was still there. Upwind, unable to pick up a scent, Rune mistook the quiet for absence and made the last two steps unguarded, only to realize as he spotted the creamy white figure that they still remained. He froze, watching, frosty blue eyes assessing the wolf and hoping that he might not have walked into something dangerous that he lacked the skills to handle alone.