The journey had been so very long, so completely arduous. From the frozen north, to the temperate East, in search of a more vibrant land to settle in. The distance alone had been a killer. Miles of land to trek, some leading with dangerous footing and traps at every turn. It was no such journey for someone of weak mind and body. Only a strong willed character could pull it off. Strong willed, or desperate, or maybe even bat shit insane. No matter, survival was a driving factor, and there was just a scarcity of food in the north.

That first step onto soft, damp, earth was a major relief on tired pads. A long sigh escaped his long maw, eyes closing, enjoying the moment of victory. He had made it, finally. Where he made it to, he was unsure, but it sure as hell beat no food, no discernible water source, and the bitter cold. With a sense of giddy excitement, he dug his long claws into the soft dirt, enjoying the give of the ground. For the first time in months, he let his tail wag happily. It was warmer, yes, that would take some getting used to, but lord was it beautiful.

The large male took in the sights before him. Lush green grass, rich, dark soil, the sound of animals going about their business. It was so vibrant, so full of life, and it was music to his perked ears. Heavy paws pushed him forward, caution still with him in this strange land. Eyes and ears were on constant alert. He didn't know who lurked in this land, or owned it. It was best to be on guard for a while, at least until he found a place to settle.

Nose twitched as he took in the scents. It all smelled so fresh, so new and clean. It was a wonderful smell. He wished to roll in it, bask in all it's glory, but he really needed to keeping pressing forward. A water source would be nice. Being near water meant being near prey, and that was a big requirement of his. In the frozen north it was hard to come across very many prey animals, and when you did, it was always something hard to bring down. Though he was very good at hunting, taking down an Elk four times your size was difficult even for the best hunters.

Picking up the pace a bit, Koda continued to explore, eyes taking in every little sight. There were flowers, and tall trees covered in green leaves. Small creatures skittered across the forest floor seeking refuge from his large paws. It only took a little bit of searching for him to find the lake. It was vast and beautiful. With a happy little trot, he headed towards the sandy beach side. It had been years since he had seen sand. Snow had been most of his life. Only as he got older had he decided it was time to branch out. No pack to be attached to, only himself, freedom.

Koda gave a happy leap onto the sand, feeling like a young pup as he pawed at the water playfully. It only took him a minute to feel silly about this. He was an adult for goodness sake. He should be scouting, not playing. Oh what the hell, you only live once! The white pelted male jumped into the water, head on, the refreshing cool hitting him like a gentle breeze. He came up sputtering water, forgetting momentarily that he hadn't swam in such a long time. Paddling back to shore, he flopped down in the wet sand, not caring that it was clinging to his fur in large clumps. For a brief moment, Koda finally felt at ease.

OOC: Alright, my first post, please be gentle, and please feel free to join. ^^

It had been a long trek across the lands from where she had last met the strange wolf Horus. Then she had almost been starving, having freshly come out of the winter months. Time had passed since then, and her condition wasn't much different now. She had spent some time on the southern continent resting her tired body, trying to regain some of her strength and weight back while spring was here. She was still terrible at hunting, and mostly survived by pure luck, finding burrows with helpless young within, or catching fledgling birds who couldn't take wing on the forest floor. Why she decided to move north she wasn't sure. She couldn't even come up with a decent theory why. Sure, one could always say that she had a longing for adventure, but she knew that that wasn't the real drive behind her movement. Whatever it was, it pushed her across a great distance across miles and miles of terrain. It surprised the female how few wolves she encountered. There were limited packs along the way; she found only two boundaries on the journey. It was a beautiful day today with the sun just starting to brush against the top of the trees to set in the sky. Here the air was cooler than where the female had came from. In the south the air had been dry, and often she had to take breaks to keep from overheating. Shade had been a must to keep cool. Here, though the air felt more moist, it was cooler. There was a crispness in the air that came with the moisture and though Enya was once again thin from her journey, she felt a renewed energy coursing through her veins as she paused to inhale a deep breath. She took in the scene around her, having come up on a lake with large cattails out deep in the lake. She liked it here, she instantly decided. The ambient noises around here were peaceful and it made her feel serene. She was enjoying the breeze tussling her fur when suddenly she saw a flash of white far off in the distance. With her curiosity perked, her own dark figure picked up pace from a stand to a trot, aiming towards the sands the white figure had darted towards. Using the tall grasses that surrounded the sands as cover, she paused just behind them, letting them conceal her figure. A wolf she thought to herself as she watched the male swim back to the shore and roll in the sands. She smiled at his antics and poked her nose from the tall grasses, revealing herself fully in case he hadn't already seen him. The sun shined on her dull coat which had finally shed out completely, but lacked luster from her malnourishment. "How's the water temperature?" she questioned kindly as she approached, closing the distance until there were but a few wolf lengths between them. Then she nodded her head to the male, careful not to let her eyes leave him in case he decided to make an unwise move. Though she gave every indication that she was attempting to be friendly doesn't mean he was going to react the same way. So, in her own self preservation, her leg muscles were taut, ready to allow her body to spring in any direction necessary. Ooc//

The large male was enjoying himself thoroughly. The wet sand clung eagerly to his wet fur, causing his already tawny dusted fur to look darker. It felt so nice to have warmth and coolness at one time. He didn't feel like he was going to freeze to death, or over heat. It was the perfect mix. Maybe he had discovered paradise. The thought made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Traveling for such a long time doesn't do anything for your happiness. You are always searching for something better, something more comfortable. Maybe he could finally stop searching.

An unfamiliar scent wafted into his nose, ears immediately pinning back against his skull. Koda slowly got to his feet, amber eyes frantically searching for the subject of the intruding smell. Nostrils flared, catching all different flavors of smell. Grass, the water, wet sand, and another...wolf. The smell of fur was unmistakable. Following his short search for the subject, a blackened female poked her head out through the thick reeds. He was taken aback a little. He hadn't expected to meet someone so soon, it threw him off guard.

Regaining his composure, he relaxed his stance, ears perking forward once more, listening to the she wolf before him. She was a nice contrast to him. Fur as dark as night. Intriguing, skinny. It looked as though she hadn't eaten in a while. Koda could relate. He was gonna dive in and catch some fish from this beautiful, bountiful lake. Maybe she needed a snack as well. Head cocking to the side, a smile crawled down his long maw. Tail wagged slightly at her question.

"It's nice and refreshing. The perfect temperature. Ya know, cool enough, but not so cold you shiver down to your bones. Wanna join?" brow quirked upwards as he lifted his paw, motioning towards the inviting pool before them. It had been so long since he had been in the company of a female, he really didn't know how he was supposed to act. Be nice, he guessed. He was sure she would tell him if he made her uncomfortable.

Koda backed up from the water's edge, backing up further and further. Taking a short pause and giving her a happy yip, he took of running, straight for the water. The big wolf jumped into the lake, causing a large splash. Coming up sputtering and laughing, he looked towards her. "I am Miakoda, Koda for short, and you are?"

She leaned forward at the invite to go for a swim, tempted by his explanation. Her trek across the lands had gathered quite a bit of grime on her, and it would feel good to take a nice long bath. Just the thought of the dirt gathered in her undercoat made her shake, causing loose fur to explode from her and float away to be carried on the soft breeze that drifted off the lake in the afternoon sun. She stood still as she watched him back himself up, distancing himself from the water's edge. Hadn't he just invited her for a swim? He paused to glance over at her, to which point she tilted her head slightly. Then he darted forward and she startled, not having expected him to have done so. When he jumped into the lake, having landed with a splash, she ran up to the water's edge with eyes wide. For a moment, she wondered if he would come back up. Then he did, laughing, her facial features relaxed and she smiled at his antics. Silly wolf she thought to herself, her ears folding back as she relaxed. There would be no way someone like him would be interesting in hurting her. She chuckled herself, then began to step slowly from the sandy shallows into the crisp coolness of the lakewater. "Nice to meet you, Koda. I'm Enya." Deeper she stepped, inhaling as the water slowly moved from her paws  up her legs to finally brush against the underside of her stomach. Maybe she should have followed the male's lead and jumped in herself instead of wading in. She shivered for a moment as the cold water chilled her, but as she waded out further into the water, letting the coolness wash over her back entirely, she grew used to the coolness and was soon floating in the open areas of the lake, avoiding the cattails. While she floated, letting the water rinse her coat, she turned back to Koda and chuckled under her breath again. She was giddy with the pleasure of the environment around her, despite the hunger pains in her stomach. "Is this where you call home?" she inquired, flipping from her stomach over onto her back. Her front legs folded up and tucked in as her hind legs kicked out, moving her through the water. "It's so pretty here" "Speech"

Koda gave her an easy going smile, paddling gently in the water. Eyes widened slightly at the sight of hair and dirt flying from her coat. Jeeze, she was as dirty as he was, he mused, wondering where she had come from. Amber eyes never left the wolf before him, taking in the whole view. Black coat was a bit lackluster, but he suspected it was from lack of nutrition. It happened to the best of them. No worries, he would make sure she ate, that is, if she wanted help. Maybe she had just been too focused on her journey to do a hunt. It was definitely possible. Sometimes you focused on the destination so hard, that whatever happened along the way didn't really matter. "Ah Enya. Cool name. Nice to meet you as well. Been a while since I've been in contact with others, so ya know, just keep me in check if I step out of line. I can handle it." he kept paddling, swimming a bit more towards her, only to hear her a little bit, not so much as to invade her space. He wasn't trying to frighten her or start a fight. He was way too tired for that. The male wolf had been keeping an eye on the activity around him in the water. It seemed to be teeming with bass , swimming casually around them, not seeming to be afraid of them. That was a good thing for them, easy pickings. The distracted wolf snapped out of daydreams of food and looked towards his new acquaintance. "Oh home? Possibly. I traveled here from the North. I got tired of the cold, and the lack of food. Plus being without a pack makes bringing down the bigger prey a bit harder. Needed some new scenery, and yea, it's super pretty here. I think it might be home. Maybe." He smiled his perfect wolf smile and looked down in the water at the fish swimming about. Oh he was going to get them. Swimming towards more shallow waters, Koda finally found his footing and stayed completely still. Head down, staring hard into the glistening pool. His tail barely touched the surface, so not to drip and make any movement in the water. Eyes were focused, ears back, all concentration. It happened in a flash. One moment he was the still, the next moment his head was under water, teeth sinking into a large, desperately wiggling fish. He came up panting, teeth still heavily implanted into the struggling fish, a big smile on his maw. "You hungry? You can have this one, I can catch another." The male trotted towards the beach, setting the dying fish down in the grass and crunching down, killing the fish so it couldn't try to flop it's way to freedom. He turned towards Enya, still smiling that stupid grin, wet tail wagging, sending droplets flying everywhere. "Come on, you look as though you haven't eaten in a while." He offered, motioning towards the fish with his heavy paw. "Speech"

As the cold water washed through Enya's fur, she felt the weariness of her travels dissipate So calm, so at ease she was, that she started to wonder if this lake was somehow magical. Of course, she had never come across anyone who claimed to be able to bend magic at their will, but it didn't mean that it wasn't something she enjoyed entertaining. In truth, was magic much different than religion? You believed in things you couldn't see, only supposed results. What had been that young wolf's name? A yes, Aishel, he had been quite eager to teach her his ways. She was broken from her drifting thoughts as the male answered her question, not calling this place home yet, but considering it. It was a nice spot, though the female in her screaming maternal instincts warned against settling here. It was nice now, but what about the summers? Would the grasses surrounding the lake flood with rains? Then, of course, there were the bugs. If it flooded, there would be no dens to hide in. She wondered if it was warm enough for misquito swarms to take wing during the hottest parts of the year. No, she decided, she wouldn't live here, but she would enjoy visiting this place quite often. When Koda moved to the shore, Enya's eyes followed him. She flipped back over to her stomach to slowly float, kicking only occasionally to keep herself from sinking. She quirked her head as she watched him stand stock still, staring down into the water unmoving. What on earth? Had he gone mad? Then, with a furious splash and movement so quick it startled even Enya, she blinked only to see a fish flailing wildly in the male's muzzle. Enya stared for a moment, thoroughly surprised, then smiled as he stepped to the shore, dropping the fish and ending it's flailing with one swift motion. He invited her up to eat, and Enya didn't even bother with courtesies. She sprinted through the water, bounding out of it when she was able to touch the sandy bottom, and paused at the shore just long enough to sharek out her coat. She was still dripping when she approached Koda, lowering her head to him graciously, then plopped down to her stomach, using her front paws to grip the fish and drag it towards her head first. She turned her muzzle sideways and started to gnaw, feeling a satisfying crunch as the fresh meat and blood melted into her mouth. It had been a long time since she had fresh fish. All eating etiquette was out the window as she devoured the meal, ignoring scales that stuck to her teeth and peppered her legs and muzzle. It was only when she was done crunching down the fish's head that she remembered her manners. "Thank you for this" she muttered as she glanced at Koda, pausing to run her tongue over her chops, "I forgot how good fresh fish can taste, and I'm afraid I've never been any good at catching them myself." Already with food in her stomach, she felt the daze of weariness coming over her. Between the serenity of the pond, the setting sun, and a fresh meal, she almost felt like a pup again. Almost. Needing something to distract herself from her memories and keep her awake, she leaned to kick her hind legs out to one side, positioning herself so she could continue to converse with Koda in case he fished again. She bit at the fish again, still holding it with her front paws, but now she nibbled at it with her front teeth. "So was it only the cold and lack of food that caused you to leave the north?" "Speech"

Koda could only smile as he watched the she wolf inhale the fish he had caught. Must've been quite a while since she had eaten anything. The large wolf took a moment to really take in her appearance. Ribs were visible, coat was lackluster at best. The signs of malnutrition. He could only imagine what kind of hardships she had been through. Oh well, he would make sure she ate enough. As long as she would let him. Most lone wolves, especially females were ultimately crazy independent and rarely accepted help. He would do his best though. The white pelted wolf took to the water again, another fish to catch. Surely that one fish did not satisfy his new found friend. Heavy paws pressed into the soft sand as he pushed through the cooling waters. Stillness was key, let the fish get acclimated to your presence, then they would die when least expected.  Licking his chops, he stared deep into the pool beneath him. A large fish swam right between his paws as he took a dive, face first. Jaws snapped on empty water. He came up sputtering and gasping for air. Timing had been a bit off on that one. Oh well, third time's a charm. He continued until he caught another, bringing the struggling fish and laying it before Enya. "Here ya go, keep up your strength. I am going in for one more, I need a snack." He chuckled as he headed back once again. Only taking a few minutes to snag another. With a heavy thud, he plopped down into the wet sand in front of her. Claws digging into the squirming fish as he crunched down, watching the life before him go still. He took his time taking bites, being careful not to be too messy. It wasn't nice to be gross in front of ladies. He didn't care how she ate, she was starving. Etiquette went out the window when you hadn't ate in days. A brow lifted as she thanked him. It really wasn't a big deal, he was already hunting anyway. "Yea no problem. I can show you how if you want. It's pretty easy once you get it down." His tail thumped happily as he chewed on the fish, bones and all. The blood in his mouth tasted warm and delicious. It was just what he needed. Ears perked forward at her question, and stopped him mid bite. Had he left the north because of food? He really wasn't sure. The loneliness has started to get to him. He had been tired of not having anyone to speak too. The food had been the only issue. "Well, I've been alone since I was a pup. I don't think we are meant to be alone that long. I just needed...a friend, I think? I am not sure. What about you? What brings you here?" He resumed eating, enjoying the fresh flesh in his mouth. "Speech"