Echoes of Home [Northern/Ice Wolves]

Nerys too sought the familiarity of cooler lands, although to say this was anything like home would be... a bit of a stretch. She had dreamed of places like this since she was a little girl, playing make-believe-heroes with other pups. She would find a place where the prey ran unending and there were no wastelands where you must not go. Or at least, none she had found so far.

This was beyond her wildest imagination. A bit of her gut twinged with guilt, but she could not risk the journey back. What if something happened, if she was stuck there or never found herself able to make the return trip? It would kill her to know she had missed out on such a place as this. No, she'd made peace with her decision. Finding the trail of those damn southern wolves had been the best thing she'd ever done. The last thing she expected to hear was a familiar howl.

Nerys stiffened, every hair on the back of her neck standing upright. She fought the urge to flee, and froze instead. Had her family really gone to these lengths to track her down? These were northern wolves, of that she was certain, but it took a long and frantic moment before she realized the voice was unfamiliar to her. Relatively close, but unfamiliar. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had in fact been followed, but her curiosity was piqued that perhaps she had simply lead another wayward soul out of the wasteland.

Nerys stood for a long time, shifting back and forth. She really would have preferred to just make a break for it. She was quick and quiet, she could probably pull it off. But... She had so many questions. Namely, what if this wolf really was there for her? She had announced her presence, so the odds they wanted to ambush her were... somewhat diminished. Or you're being lured into a trap, she thought to herself with a grimace, even as she turned towards the voice. This oughta be fun.

The wolf she found was northern indeed. She was the right coloring for it, if a bit dull compared to some. It made Nerys feel a bit at ease from the start. Her own dull coat had been a matter of teasing from time to time, and while she wouldn't admit to being self-conscious, it was an undeniable fact that she was prone to making snap decisions of the strangers she met. Hers was merely cleaner while Nerys herself was smudged with soot. She called out, "Bold of you to just announce yourself. Who knows whats lurking out there in a place like this." Her speech was quick and choppy, voice rusty from neglect. "Confident or cocky, you think?"

She did not mean to be unkind or rude, but Nerys was unaccustomed to pleasurable chance encounters. To find another wolf from home so close on her tail was suspect to say the least. First impressions had never really been her strong suit, anyways. Nerys left a good bit of space between herself and the other female, but took care to make sure her position was known.

- Nerys