Far From Home

Quote:The stranger named Scipio seemed to take her comfort into consideration as he reclined back onto his haunches and sat amid the grasses that extended even into the forest where they stood. It was a peaceable gesture, giving the cream colored wolf the upper hand by letting her keep to her feet, and his posture relaxed enough to not even suggest any sort of unwanted intent within his being. The combination eased Mercianne's nerves, made her relax in his company, and little by little she began to ease out of her crouch, beginning by minimizing most of it by doing as he had and taking a hasty seat upon the ground with her tail curling around her side. Her brown eyes continued to skirt away from his own, her confidence and comfort not quite to that level yet, but she did manage another peek toward his face when she thought he couldn't see.

Seeming unperturbed by her behavior and willing to ignore it for the sake of company, the golden colored wolf spoke up once more. His words, however, puzzled her more than they made sense. Release? Had he been held somewhere? Perhaps a prisoner of a pack? No stranger to the ways of war, Mercianne knew well how prisoners fared within packs they were not welcome in, having seen plenty of the same from her birth pack and the cruel wolves she had been raised around. It was unpleasant to say the least, but even as her brow puckered in a gentle gesture of bafflement she could hardly believe this wolf to have been a prisoner. He was too well fed, too strong and sturdy, too healthy looking to have been a prisoner of anything.

But in comparison with his question, the mention of his release was hardly worth their attention. "Another wolf?" Mercianne echoed, the little uncertain frown upon her face deepening just a little. How she wished her answer could be anything but what it was. Feeling guilty even though there was nothing she could do about the matter, she shook her head gently and gave Scipio an apologetic looking. "I haven't. Sorry." Surely if she had seen another wolf like him, she would know. His coloration was certainly unique, and quite flattering to his gentle but friendly personality. Wishing she could meet his charming smile with a timid one of her own, after giving him such unpromising news she knew any attempt would look insincere and so chose not even to try, opting for a rueful glance at the ground between them again instead.

-- mercianne