He had been wandering for...a while. His life was practically in a fog, advancing nowhere, and time just kept passing him by faster than he thought. Before he knew it, he had grown old. Much older than he remembered being, but that was a given, right? Nothing stayed young, after all. He swore it wasn't all that long ago he felt like he was just maybe a couple of years old. But ah...that was a long time ago now. He was eight. Nearing another birthday come Summer...and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He had no children of his own. Had been taking care of his nephew for a time before Finan decided to strike out on his own. And that left the monochromatic male alone once more, and so he just wandered without purpose. Without direction. Lost. Tired. He had nearly stepped across the borders he didn't realize were there until he heard a warning cry from his companion that flew above caused Cloud to abruptly stop and take stock of his surroundings. The Osprey had seen someone in the distance, and when Cloud realized where he was, he also came to the realization that there were newer border markers here. How long had this been here? He knew there had been a pack in these parts before, but they had been gone for some time...and it seemed someone else had decided to take up residence. But who? "Speak"

art by Risketch

Corbie had been taking a turn in patrolling the borders, something she as a loner her whole life had never really thought of. But it made sense now, to keep an eye out for danger before it could penetrate into what was supposed to be a safe haven for both the wolves and the stock who called it home. She could have left it to the pack's guardians to do so but that didn't feel right to her. Thus, she happened to be passing by as she spotted a wolf nearly step over where she knew the border to be. She made a mental note to lay down cairns of colored stone to mark the borders visually for those who might need the extra help to find it, then trotted over to the wolf. He was a senior wolf - not elderly,but definitely up in years, and seemed preoccupied and perhaps a little lost. "Excuse me," she said with polite concern. "I am Corbie, alpha of Avalon, which is the pack that claims this land. If you don't mind me asking... are you quite all right?" He hadn't crossed the border, and he did not seem as though he had meant to trespass anyway so there was no harm done. But a wolf who was so caught up in their own mind that they almost walked over a pack's boundary must be dealing with either some very heavy thoughts, or sick or exhausted. He could very well run up on another pack's boundaries in his fogginess without realizing it, and she had learned that most packs were far less forgiving of trespass than she was. He could be in danger of being hurt or killed if she allowed him to wander off without giving him what assistance she could.

Head lowered to the ground as he sniffed at the newer borders, but he had no idea really who they belonged to. Whoever it was had only settled here recently, and judging from the bleating of sheep in the distance, he could only wonder and speculate if it was a pack that raised sheep for a purpose. That had drawn his curiosity a little from the fog in his head, but not quite enough. Ears perked and he lifted his head at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, tired gaze finding a wolf that wore the same colors he did. Corbie...alpha of Avalon...why did that sound like it was peaceful? Maybe he really was tired or going senile in his aging mind. Whatever the case, he started to focus a bit better when she asked him if he was alright.

Did he really seem that bad that a stranger had noticed? "I..." His voice cracked from having not been used for some time. He had been a loner most of his life. Joining packs run by his family only to be let down time and time again. Asides from Finan, Cloud had decided it was best to keep his distance from others. Why would he put the effort into forming relationships when they always ended up abandoning him? He supposed his brother abandoning him for the second time was still a sore spot in his heart...

"I'm fine, I think." He wasn't sure. "Cloudburst. Cloud for short...sorry, I must've just gotten distracted. It happens sometimes," It could've been worse, right? He could've been in one of his blackouts and gotten into some real trouble and not even remembered until it passed. "Avalon...I've not heard of it before...though it's clear it's a newer pack...what is its purpose?" He was straight to it. It wasn't like he was getting any younger. Indeed, he was just...tired.

Corbie felt a burst of compassion for the older male, who seemed confused. Maybe he was suffering from the dementia that sometimes afflicted the elderly? Was there, perhaps, a family out there frantically searching for their father, their grandfather, who had wandered off in his confusion? "Yes, Avalon is a fairly new pack," she told him. "Avalon is something of a village, an extended found-family. Our focus is on farming, on bettering ourselves, and on providing a safe and loving place for people to live and to find sanctuary when they need it. Our guardians protect the village and our stock from predators, wolf or otherwise, but we otherwise stay out of politics. We take in whomever needs us, regardless of their past, so long as they are sincere about their need and their desire to turn their life away from harm."