Laxton laid asleep inside one of the abandoned buildings, having made a temporary den for himself. He'd been enjoying his solitude, it gave him a chance to reflect and try to decide how he wanted to move forward with his life after leaving his pack and traveling. Though he hadn't quite decided yet, he'd thought of many options for himself. He longed for companionship, which he knew he could fulfill by just finding a mate, or some friends, but he also longed for the secure feeling of having a pack once more.

But not a normal pack. Not one that segregated others based on their ranks, claiming who was and was not able to do things to assist their pack. No, he believed anyone had the capability to assist their pack in one way or another. His fur bristled as his ear swerved, hearing something outside the building. He opened his golden eyes, looking around carefully, before quietly standing up from where he was laying, and stealthily made his way to go see what he'd heard. It was a deer. Even as he watched it, he could feel himself start to salivate as he then became aware of the hunger beginning to gnaw at his belly.

He shifted his weight and gave chase, though it was short lived, as he successfully pounced the deer and bit into its neck, killing it swiftly, and he sat down, beginning to eat.

"Well wasn't that impressive." The small, lovely form of a tri-toned woman stood leaving against one of the buildings. Green and gold eyes shone with amusement. "A little thing like me isn't capable of bringing down big kills in the same way." Io had to use her brain and a whole bag of tricks to fell a meal bigger than a rabbit. She'd used those tricks recently to help her sibling bring down two giant oxen.

She had been watching the dark man for some time. The noise of his presence had pulled her from her task of treasure hunting and herb gathering. The strange location with its dilapidated structures seemed like a decent place to find some wheels. When she heard him snuffling about, then the clattering of hooves on stone the situation wad too enticing to ignore.

Once he was alerted to her presence, introductions were in order. "I'm Iolaire. Ambassador of the Ashen Armada." A teeny tiny ambassador at that. "Who might you be?"

Laxton looked like he just about jumped out of his skin when she made her introductions. His ears were pinned back as he watched her closely, clearly not trusting her not to try to attack him or something. His tail was not lowered, so obviously he was willing to defend what was his if necessary. Then she was talking about prey and how she couldn't hunt such game, and his stance started to soften towards her, but not completely.

He backed up from the corpse and shook his head towards it. "Go ahead then," he said, his tone sounding neutral, as he backed up further, as to keep at least ten feet away from her, in case she turned on him and tried to attack him.

The man's instant protectiveness over his meal and his wariness over her was terribly amusing to Iolaire. She continued to lean against the building in and entirely unthreatening manner. One silver brow arched in amusement and the corners of her maw pulled up in the barest of grins. That a big guy like him should feel threatened by a little thing like her... He had to have been through an ordeal.

After a moment, he offered her a piece of his meal.  The tiny woman gave her head a shake in the negative. "No, no. That's all you. I'm quite full. Merely making an observation." He'd completely ignored the introduction that she'd made, but she chalked it up to him being bad at social situations. He didn't seem very friendly, though he'd made a kind gesture.

"No one should bother you here. The place seems fairly empty." She could smell nor hear any other beasts nearby, save small vermin scuttering through the dilapidated structures. He'd most likely scared everything away during his hunt. Though he seemed awkward, the brute cut a fine figure. He'd also managed to fell a deer on his own and that made him rather useful. Perhaps, if she could cut through his gruff exterior and see what he was actually about, she might recruit him for the Armada.

Laxton eyed her, confued when she rejected hi meal offer. Maybe she already had a mate, in which case, he understood, she wouldn't want to return, giving the male the wrong idea. He walked back up to the deer and began eating again. "That's exactly why I came here, the peace and quiet. No other wolves to back stab me and make me feel like I don't belong, forcing me to be a beta," he said, the last word coming out as a vicious snarl rather than something he was just saying like when he first started talking. He was obviously quite bitter about his history with a previous pack. "Being alone sadly works better. No one thinking they're better than me, or that I can't contribute, just because they felt there was no place in the pack for me," he keeps venting as he eats the deer. Whether he would admit it or not he was actually starting to feel better, letting out his bottled up aggression, even if it was to some stranger who, by some strange chance, showed up on this isolated island.

Yikes... He'd obviously had a bad experience. As the man went back to eating, he began to rant about his old pack. About backstabbing, worth and, ranking. Padding across the clearing, the little woman seated herself in a patch of sunlight the bright light gleaming off of her immaculate, three-toned pelt. She kept her coat clean and pristine, always, and was very proud of it. The spring was still a little chilly and she'd been in the damp recesses of the various stone structures, and so her tiny frame could use a bit of warming, hence the sun beam.

Shifting the loaded pack that was slung across her neck and one shoulder, she spoke, green and gold gaze drifting about the clearing. "That's not a pack. Your previous alpha must have been very immature." Lifting one dainty paw, the fae inspected her claws absently. "Every member should be appreciated; their strengths used for the benefit of the pack and their weaknesses trained until they are no longer weaknesses. Status, while essential, isn't everything." She wholly believed in that bit. Iolaire never paid attention to titles. They were just words, after all.

"So what are your intentions here? Are you going to seek out a new pack? Play the dashing loner role?" Dashing indeed. Despite his wariness, he wasn't bad to look at. Iolaire appreciated pretty things.

He continued to eat as she asked him questions in regards to his plans. If he was being completely honest, he hadn't thought about it at all. He had just been enjoying being away from his old pack. "To be frank, I hadn't really thought about it. I have simply been enjoying being here and being by myself and having time for self reflection without other wolves around to tell me what I can and can not do," he says simply. "Starting my own pack though... that isn't necessarily a bad idea," he says, now playing around with the idea in his head. "But I think... perhaps I should also consider travelling around for a while. I'm new to these lands, I don't know them well, and I've not met any other wolves here except yourself," he says in a matter of fact tone.

He wasn't sure what the female wanted, or why she would even come out to such a strange place. He then stuffed his face with more to eat.

The man was an odd one. That was for sure. Even though she told him that she meant no harm, he still seemed mighty suspicious. His former pack must have abused the hell out of him. She wasn't sure if she felt bad for him or not. Yes, he'd been abused, but he'd let it happen. At least he'd finally had enough sense to leave said pack and strike out on his own.

The man, still not having provided a name, (rude) spoke of his plans. He would travel and learn the land, yadda yadda. Iolaire gave a light shrug. "Look me up while you're shopping for packs." The woman's green and gold eyes continued to move over the area as they had the entire time. With a soft exclamation of, "Ahaaaaa," the woman padded forward. With deft paws, the small wolf snapped off a few bits of greenery and tucked them into her pack. Those would come in handy later. Gaze still continued to roam, taking her to yet another plant now that her position had changed.

She would give her name again as she harvested herbs. "I am Iolaire Akeldama: Ambassador of the Ashen Armada." Shooting the dark man a wink over one silver and obsidian shoulder, she continued. "Remember it." And with that, she was off along the trail, picking up this herb and that. Her eyes were also on the lookout for wheels; anything useful. The long trek back to her lands might as well be worth it.

-Exit Io unless stopped-