The End of the World

Ah, what a relaxing evening. The cool summer evening was refreshing, breathing life into his bones, making him itch for adventure. And yet meeting a lovely lady could be just as exhilarating as exploring some unfamiliar territory, and he didn't regret stopping to talk to her at all. He was a man who lived without regrets, who wanted to know all those who crossed his path -- for he knew all things were interconnected on a deep level, and who was to say that it wasn't meant for them to meet? Who was he to deny the universe such an opportunity? Still he grinned, pleased at her presence, and even more pleased as her posture loosened and she began to speak more freely.

"Seldom time for deep thinking?" he'd ask, sounding a bit surprised at such a notion. Though he was unused to a life of leisure, like some of the pack wolves in these lands seemed to live, even through the hardest times there was always time for thought and discussion amongst his kin.  "It seems you must have lived a far different life than I, Kuwindwa," he'd comment with a smile, a mere fact, though an interesting one.  "I find it strange to imagine things ever really ending," he would muse thoughtfully. His demeanor had relaxed significantly, and slowly he would drop to his haunches, content to sit and chat for as long as she kept his attention. Was there a disconnect between living 'in the moment,' as she said, and wondering what lay beyond, in the unknown future? The two didn't strike him as mutually exclusive. Again he felt his mind wandering as he considered her words, finding far more interest in their conversation than he'd initially expected.

She made a reference to some pack, likely one she'd been part of?  "Not at all," he answered her question. Though his own kin seemed quite different, he had no room to judge, and his words were thoughtful rather than accusing.  "We were always encouraged to ask those questions. My kin are very spiritual," Áki would comment carefully.  "And very connected with nature. I don't know how we would have survived without an ideology to guide us through the winters we went without food for many moons." Though he was a wanderer by nature, he'd spent most of his life in the far north, in the desolate arctic tundra, living amongst like-minded tribes. He hadn't spoken much about such things with wolves outside of his family, and he found himself thrilled at the possibility of such a talk, though he didn't know if such a conversation even interested her.