They wanted to send him away? Fine. It wasn't like they understood him anyway. It wasn't like he was happy there. It wasn't like he had any real friends or family that cared about him. They dealt with him for years with very little fuss. Find him diddling the son of the alpha, a grown wolf, and suddenly he's being banished. Well... it was their loss.

Kite, a tiny wolf swathed in earthen tones of browns and tans, picked his way across the land. He'd find someone, somewhere that appreciated him. Some day he'd find unconditional love and a place to belong. Some day... but for now he needed to find shelter. The night was cold and he was too small and thin to produce much body heat. The man was thankful for the luminescent waters that lit his way, though he didn't understand them. They didn't have things like this where he came from. They were incredibly pretty though and he kept stopping to admire the glow.

The hollow at the base of one tree caught his attention. It looked secure and dry as it was on a small rise in the landscape. It would do for tonight. Sniffing first, he decided that nothing lived in the place. A visual inspection affirmed that hypothesis. The bob-tailed gent slid beneath the tree and got himself comfortable. Now, sitting still with not even the sounds of his movement to distract him, Kite felt his loneliness keenly. He was a social creature. His great joy was to bring joy to others. He couldn't do that if he was alone. With a sigh, he placed his head upon two toned paws. It wasn't long before his teeth began to chatter.

Octave couldn't exactly say what it was that made the mangrove's so calming for him, though he had never been there before he had heard tales of them from his father who had grown up among their roots... maybe that was it. He could easily see his father romping in the water and trying to balance on the roots above it, though the face of his uncle was empty in his mind having never met his father's twin.

But more than that it was a decent place to go searching for herbs, the freshwater helped to encourage the plant growth more than in some of the other lands. Noko was perched in her usual spot between his shoulder blades, her forepaws gripping the short fur on his skull and her head resting on them. Night was maybe not always the best time to go looking but it was quieter, calmer and it helped to soothe the man's nerves. There was a faint smell of another man, recent but already starting to fade when he crossed it. Octave made a note to try not to follow it too much and then put it out of his mind. He set to gathering moss and whatever herbs he could find.

It wasn't long before his mouth was full of various common herbs, their pungent smells all he could scent. He was about to start heading home when he spotted a hollow in a tree, wondering if he might be able to find any useful fungi he changed his path and approached the hole. Without stopping to consider what he was doing Octave shoved his head in the hole only to find he was not alone. The herbs had masked the man's scent but there he was! Octave suddenly scrambled back, bumping his, and by extension Noko's head as he did so. Ow! Octave that hurt, a lot." The lemur chided rubbing her head with her hands. Octave had fallen back onto his haunches, his heart racing in his chest. He stayed like that, seemingly frozen, staring wide-eyed at the hollow.


Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Eyes scouring the water as she walked Lúta moved slowly and carefully over the uneven terrain of the mangrove. The massive tangles of roots meant one had to watch their step or else face plant into muck or water. She didn't need a face full of gunk that was for sure. Watching for herbs while watching her step was taking more concentration that Lúta thought it would.

She stopped suddenly as she spied the heart-shaped leaflets that denoted Watercress. Or at least she hope it did. It could be hard to tell Watercress apart from Marshwort and she needed to be certain she had the right plant. It was even harder in the night but she trusted her nose more than her eyes in this case. If it had a pungent, foul smell it was Marshwort.

She was just leaning in when she heard the sound of movement and shuffling. She immediately ducked down, praying it wasn't another bear but as she looked over she spied the white wolf and immediately felt relieved, but only for a second. He was staring at something in the hollow of the tree. Surely a bear couldn't fit in there. Was it a coyote or something? She said nothing, not wanting to distract the man in case he was attacked the moment he was distracted. Instead she crouched in the shadows of the night, letting most of her coat blend into it.

Whatever this place was called, they should rename it to heart attack central. One minute, Kite was minding his own business, freezing his tush off. The next, there was not one, but two faces staring at him. The buffet faces eyes went wide and it pulled back, taking the smaller face with it. Kite found himself releasing an involuntary yelp of fear and scrambling back against the far end of the tree.

"Oww, that hurt," cane in from outside. Well... anything that could take time out to say that it was hurt probably didn't want to eat him. Hopefully? Slowly and with great caution, Kite slipped his anak frame from the hollow and back into the cool night air. "Uhh..." He started, staring at the white wolf and the thing clinging to its head. "Are you okay? You hurt?" His fuzzy head rolled with the question.

Though the white man may not have seen the other creature lurking, Kite did. The glow of the water reflected off of a set of eyes. Kite pranced on tiny paws and peeked around the side of the bigger man and his companion. "Eeeee, there's a thing out there! Eyes!" This was all very exciting and he was no longer alone. Bonus!

The wolf that pulled from the hollow was small, earthen in tone and to Octave cute, even if suddenly being face to face with a total stranger made his blood pressure spike. He whined softly as the man questioned him but luckily Noko was recovering quick enough to fill in. "We're fine." The lemur said, lifting her head from Octave's to become more visible in the dim night light, though she was still rubbing at the sore spot on the top of her skull. "This idiot just forgot I was there and I got beaned with the top of a tree hollow." She said, her tone clearly light and playful as she curled a forepaw into a fist and gently hit the top of Octave's head. She took a moment to look over the smaller man, noting his worrying lack of muscle or fat.

"Hey are you-" But her question was cut off when he suddenly leaned around them and called out to someone behind them. Noko had only a moment to mutter an "oh no" before Octave yelped, jumping to his paws, his frozen spell broken by that simple statement alone. Noko was flung off but managed to land on her paws a few paces away. Octave for his part spun then, turning 90 degrees, his ears pulled back. He swung his head wildily back and forth between the wolf he could see and where the eyes were supposed to be. His heart pounding so hard in his chest he wouldn't be surprised if everyone else could hear it. From bad to worse for the poor anxious man.

Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta kept still, her limbs coiled beneath her and ready to spring into action when whatever beast in the tree decided to emerge. Yet, to her surprise it was no coyote or other predator but in fact a small wolf. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! She was still healing from her last few fights. Suddenly the small wolf screamed and the pale man whipped around. A thing! A thing out there? They were looking in her direction and she immediately whipped around, eyes peering into the darkness to try and see what they were looking at. A bear? Wait, no, a crocodile? Oh, sprits it was probably a crocodile!

Lúta shuffled back from the water, suddenly feeling foolish at being so close to the edge of foreign waters in the middle of the night. A bear she could figure out how to fight but she had no idea how to tangle with such a large reptile. "Where? Where do you see it?" She gazed out at the water, seeing nothing but the reflection of the moon and stars.

While Kite was glad that the wolf and lemur weren't injured, there was no time to focus on their good health. The dangerous creature staring at the pair of wolves was all that he could focus on. Rather than take a protective stance, the larger male began darting his gaze back and forth in a panic. Great! They were a bunch of cowards just waiting to be eaten!

The tiny man's attention had been pulled from the peering eyes during the panic and he hadn't even noticed the colorful woman come from the shadows. Again, Kite shrieked in surprise, hopping away. All of the blood drained from his face and he was pretty sure that he was going to die. The woman's words though...

It started as a tiny giggle. A chuckle of sorts. As the reality of the situation sank in, the laughter grew. Eventually Kite collapsed into the ground, great peals of unbridled laughter pouring from him. Tears streams from his eyes. There was no better feeling than relief after extreme panic. "Ohhh!" He managed to say through his crying laughter. "It was you! " When he was able to breathe again, he would explain if they needed him to.

Bad to worse to the worst. Another form emerged from the bushes, a colorful woman who seemed equally as terrified at the two men where. While the shorter male would break into peals of laughter Octave felt himself starting to get woozy, swaying on his paws a bit as the panic rose in his throat. He could feel Noko clambering onto back, her hands pulling at his fur. "Breathe Octave, it's fine. No one here is gonna hurt you." She said, trying to soothe the white wolf as he continued to hyperventilate. It also wasn't something she could promise, the smaller man at this point was clearly no threat but the new woman? Well, it seemed unlikely she was too threatening either considering her own fearful reaction.

Octave screwed his eyes shut against the pounding in his head from the rapid swinging but he couldn't quite seem to get his breathing under control. He wobbled visibly, dangerously on his toes. Somewhere under the uncontrollable panic, he could tell he was over-reacting and upon closing his eyes could feel a bit more calm come over him even as he couldn't stop his hyperventilation.

Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

The smallest man shrieked when he saw her and she stared back in shock. What? What! She looked behind her and again didn't see anything. She looked back to the man again and as he began to giggle it finally started sinking in. They thought she was the monster! Lúta's face flushed in embarrassment but she sat down heavily in relief. "Oh! Oh spirits… I thought there was a crocodile or something behind me."

She glanced to the other man and noticed him wobbling, his eyes closed. Oh? Oh! Was he going to faint? "It's ok, I won't hurt any body I promise. I'm a healer. Sometimes it helps if you take a quick deep breath and then try to breathe out as slowly as you can." That method had helped a bit with her own struggles with fear and anxiety.

"If you boys like I'd be happy to make you some tea. My companion is building a fire farther inland." Speaking of which the companion was expecting water cress and Lúta still hadn't found it. She scooted softly back to the plant she'd been examining and was pleased to find it had the right odor. She quickly bent her head and picked a few springs before rejoining the boys.

Kites joy was cut short as the words of the Lemur and colorful woman meet his ears. Something was wrong. Eyes opened and he saw the frightened man struggling to stay afloat. On his paws, the small wolf padded forward. Good advice was given. The white wolf should breathe and try to focus. Sometimes that wasn't all that it took though.

Taking liberties, Kite sat directly in front of the anxiety-ridden man. Sitting up, he placed one small paw on each white cheek. "Hey," he started in soft tones. "You're safe, okay. We won't let anything hurt you." Big, aqua and turquoise eyes stared into purple pools. Kite offered a reassuring smile. He then acted on a whim and placed a soft kiss on the tip of the white brutes nose.

Releasing furry cheeks, Kite turned to the big woman. "Tea would be lovely." With another easy smile, he looked back to the man and lemur. "Don't you think?" They were all safe now, not that they hadn't been all along. Tea would calm the jostled nerves and warm the chilled wolf.

It wasn't exactly helping that Octave had suddenly become the center of attention. Still with his eyes closed and the gentle coaching of his companion and the woman he was starting to get his breathing under control. His eyes flew open when he felt two small paws on his face. For a moment his eyes flew wildly, then they centered on the small man, coming to rest on two aqua and turquoise eyes. The man's words were soft, calming and though not quite the same those kind brilliant blues reminded him of his parents, of his sibling's eyes, enough to help bring him down, summoning memories of their calming presences.

That familial comparison did not last for long however as the man gave a sudden kiss on Octave's nose. Octave's gaze grew wide and he felt a different sort of fluttering in his chest. Blood flooded his face and he struggled not to gape. He wasn't used to gestures of affection from most wolves, let alone cute ones, cute male ones at that. He'd always known his own orientation, and his family had never made him feel shame for it but it wasn't exactly easy to get out there when you couldn't talk to strangers.

The man dropped down and addressed the colorful woman. Noko seemed to sense her companion's slow processing power and pipped up. "It does!" She said, flashing the pair a grin. "Should probably introduce ourselves! I'm Noko, this one's Octave." She said, gently petting Octave's head as she indicated him. "I promise he's not being rude, he just struggles with speaking around strangers. That's why he keeps me around." She spoke gently at first, clearly sympathetic to the wolf's plight but her tone became a bit more comedic and she winked at the pair. She waited for a moment when their attention was elsewhere to swing around the side of Octave's head and give him a knowing look, sticking her tongue out before swinging back onto her perch. Noko was, if nothing else Octave's best and most annoying cheerleader.

"Shut up Noko." Octave managed, soft enough that he was certain no one but his intended audience might hear him, maybe the man would feel the whisper of his breath...

Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

The smaller man moved forward to comfort the pale one and Lúta stifled a giggle at the kiss. How strange. Was this some sort of custom? She of course had never been kissed and it wasn't something done in public in her tribe. Such a thing would be considered scandalous. The smaller wolf turned to her and agreed to some tea which delighted Lúta. She loved talking over a nice warm cup of tea, especially on a chill autumn night. She could think of no better way to spend the evening. She glanced to the pale man to see how he was holding up. He still seemed a bit dazed but his companion was quick to speak on his behalf.

"I'm Luta. It's nice to meet you both." She waited for the smaller man to introduce himself before gesturing back toward the trees. "Our camp is this way, its not too far." She picked up her gathering of watercress and trotted back in that direction until she reached a flatter area between several trees where her companion had started a small fire. The macaque looked up and spoke. "It's about time you got back. I was starting to think you'd fallen in." Lúta set the watercress down. "We have visitors Ragna!" She immediately went to her bundle and began digging out bowls. Let's see she'd need a bowl for the watercress ointment. She fished out a glazed one and set it aside before pulling out two clean bowls for the men to drink their tea from.

Kite followed the colorful woman who introduced herself as Luta. The white wolf was Octave and his companion was Noko. The little, puffy butted wolf grinned at each of them, his blue eyes turning upwards with the action. "My name's Kite. Great to meet you three." With a little pep in his step, Kite pranced along. He was in a decent mood now that he'd had the life scared out of him.

The trio of wolves entered a sort of raised clearing where a (Was that a monkey?) creature was stoking a fire. Luta called out for tea and began going to work. While she was doing that, Kite turned his attention to Octave and Noko. A smile still on his face, he reached out to pat the paw of the white man. "You okay now, big guy?" It didn't bother him that Octave was too shy to speak. Noko was like his mouth. He'd seen stranger things. As long as Octave understood him and they could communicate a bit, everything would be fine.

Kite waited for Octave to choose his spot to sit before he seated himself. He wasn't terribly close, but close enough so that he could hear Noko if she spoke. The little puff tail of the speckled man swished lightly back and forth. "Are you from around here?" In asking that, Kite was making it obvious that he definitely was not.

Octave quickly gathered the herbs he'd managed to harvest and then followed after the other two, shifting his gaze to his paws as they walked. The smell of smoke brought his attention back up as they approached a clearing, noticing the strange creature tending it, he looked a little like Noko but bigger and with a strange face. Lúta spoke to it in friendly tones but Octave kept his gaze on the creature for a moment before Kite reached out. Then his attention was once more on the small man. He felt his face flood with heat again. He gave a wide-eyed nod in response to Kite's question.

He moved to settle around the fire, gently placing his bundle near his paws but noticing Kite had settled near him, even it was still somewhat of a respectful distance. Kite offered a question and Noko quickly answered for the pair. "Not originally. Octave's father was born here and for a time his mother wandered these lands but they met elsewhere and both Octave and I were born off the continent. But his family decided to return and we've been living in a pack that's mostly run by his father's side of the family for a while now."

Noko was still concerned about Kite's state and based on the concerned glances Octave was giving the other man she could tell he was too, but the pair would wait to bring it up. Noko turned her attention to Lúta, curious about the colorful woman's own answer to the question.



Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta tended to the tea first, pulling out a bowl for herself before looking through her pack once more while she left the boys to chat. She pulled out some chamomile lavender tea and added the right amount to each bowl. Oh, goodness, she was getting low on water. Ah well. They were near enough to some she could restock if needed. Lúta took her water skin and poured a little water into each bowl before moving the bowls carefully near the fire to warm up.

"I hope chamomile lavender tea is alright. It's my favorite and I think it might help you Octave." Both had calming properties and might the anxious man feel a little better. She then added a little deer fat to the watercress to make her ointment. She scooted the glazed bowl next to the fire so that the fat would melt and the healing properties of the plant would leech into the fat.

She listened as Octave's companion Noko answered Kite's question. "What pack is that out of curiosity? As for me I'm from far away, a pack up in the northern mountains. I only arrived here… I think last season. What about you Kite?"

A little shiver ran through the tiny man and he scooted a bit closer to the fire. The adrenaline that had warmed him previously had begun to wane and he was feeling the autumn chill once more. How he was going to get through winter, he didn't know. Kite wasn't anything less than a pack wolf. A mostly useless one at that. What could he do? Make people smile? That sort of thing didn't help when your packmates were starving or injured. He would have to learn a skill, he supposed. In his home pack, he had been allowed to be lazy. Out in the wild, that wouldn't be the case.

Ears perked as Noko spoke of Octaves origins. Luta spoke of her own, then questioned the little brute about his own. "Ohhhh... I come from a land far away. A small pack. They didn't want me anymore, so here I am." The brown and tan guy shot those around him a beaming smile. Being banished didn't bother him. There wasn't really anything in the pack that he missed. His mother a bit, but even she looked down on him and was ashamed. Oh well.

"I don't really know where I'm going. I do know where I'm not going, and that's back." A little shrug was given and he scooted even closer to the fire. He couldn't wait for the tea that would hopefully help to warm him from the inside.

Luta wondered after the pack the pair shared and Noko would quickly respond: "Abaven, it's not far from here." She then fell silent, both listening to what the colorful woman would say about herself but also unwilling to give too much information about the pack away. Even with a little as she assumed either of these wolves were a threat.

Then it was Kite's turn to talk and Octave, who had nodded lamely at Luta's direct reference to him and then turned his gaze to his paws, tilted his head slightly, lifting the ear closest to the man, even though he was still thoroughly enthralled with his paws. As he spoke Octave would cast quick worried glances his way. A former pack wolf being chased out of his home would likely explain the small man's worrying condition well enough...

Octave began to shift through the herbs at his paws, seemingly looking for something to help the man but there wasn't anything a herb could do that a good meal and a warm place to sleep wouldn't do better. Noko sighed, they could bring it up later, for now getting the small man warmed with tea and the fire was probably good enough.

Octave & Noko

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta looked to Kite and frowned as he mentioned his pack didn't want him anymore. "That's awful! I hope you can find a good pack here. I haven't really visited any I'm afraid, so I can't really make recommendations." She didn't really know what to do with herself. She didn't really want to stay a loner for the rest of her life but she just wasn't ready to give pack life another try. Lúta leaned over to check on her ointment. She could see the green from the leaves leaking out into the fat and so she carefully maneuvered the bowl away from the fire. Taking a stick in her mouth she stirred the mixture lightly and fished out the leaves before leaving it to cool.

She glanced at Octave and his companion. So they were from Abaven? "What's Abaven like? Maybe Kite could visit?" Octave seemed really nice, she couldn't imagine he came from a terribly wicked pack but then it was hard to judge character some times. He could've just been in an unfortunate situation but it was at least some sort of direction.

Lúta checked the tea, lapping at her own a moment before nodding. It was on the hot side of warm but not so hot it burned the tongue. "I think the tea is about done, feel free to leave it next to the fire if you want it hotter." She used her paws to carefully scoot the bowl towards her. It was hot but not unbearable.

The trio gave him sympathy and the small man gave his little head a shake, but there was a smile on his face. "No, no. I'll be fine. I always am. Thank you though for your thoughts." Though cold and coming down from his adrenaline high, the chap was still chipper. His tail hadn't stopped swishing the entire time that he was with them. He loved company and truly believed that he wasn't meant to be a lone wolf. He thrived on companionship.

Luta suggested that Octave and Noko take Kite back with them and the earthen wolf looked towards them. "Do you think they'd like me? I don't really want to spend the winter alone." He wasn't sure if he could spend the winter alone. He was so small and he was a terrible hunter. He would surely end up dying in a ditch somewhere. If Abaven wouldn't take him in, he'd find some other pack. The little wolf wrinkled his nose. "I don't have anything to offer a pack, but I'm willing to learn." Kite possessed zero skills. He had always relied on the mercy of his family pack to survive. Now that he was alone... he'd eaten a dead fish the other day. There were no dead fish in winter.

Soon the tea was finished and Kite scooted towards it on his belly, hind legs splayed out with his tail swishing back and forth over his heels. Holding the dish between his tan and white paws. Eyes closed and he inhaled lightly, enjoying the steam and the scent. "Ahhhh..." he released with pleasure before taking a lap of the flavored liquid. "Mmm, delicious! Thank you!" Taking a few more laps, he could feel the warmth fill his empty belly. It was a lovely feeling.