A Rootless Tree

With the noon sun beating down on his back's red hues the young male raced along. Tekal's amber eyes still held their rather callow spark as he took in the beautiful sights of fresh growth forcing its way through the crevasse surrounding him, making a mental note of any useful herbs along the way.  Though Nomadic in nature for the last few months of his life, Tekal was truly on a quest to find his own place in the world. A young buck seeking out glory and scars. The coywolf male could easily travel leagues in a single day without tiring and has done so since his 8th moon cycle.

His family hailed from the steppes to the west, a coyote mother and a wolf father with no belief in family pride and surnames. The lightweight youth slipped nimbly through the rocky terrain, though his pads had quickly become sore and cracked since he had stepped paw in the mountains. A manageable ache where he could easily maintain a brisk and stealthy pace. Thunder rolled in the distance, causing the large ears atop his head to swivel slightly.

Rain was always good news for vagrants such as himself, it almost completely removed Tekal's scent from the lands. He moved along a pack's border, whom according to the local bird chatter were starting make a name for themselves as slavers. And though curious about their questionable customs, he wasn't sure whether meeting them would be detrimental to his overall wellbeing.

As the distant storm still seemed to be hours away there was still a need to erase his musk to some extent. His nostrils flared as he searched for a water source, disappointed when he caught wind of pack stench along with it. He stepped eagerly into the stream however, letting the cool snow melt sooth his stinging pads. Bright in color, his pelt never seemed to blend in with his surroundings around these parts, and as a result Tekal remained fidgety, on high alert even as he finally lowered his panting tongue to the stream.

Once he'd drank his fill, Tekal ran his tongue across his scarred lips. Letting his intense desire to learn about this group of wolves get the better of him, he parted his jaws almost as wide as they would go. He would bare his teeth to the sky and release a few rolling screeches, faintly resembling howls. A small male, confident in his speed, Tekal figured he could always just run away if the wolves of this pack turned out to be hostile