This glancing life is like a morning star

Shilah was still in awe how the seasons differed between Boreas and Auster. While Boreas was caught in the grip of winter, Auster was slowly moving into summer. He worked his way through the lush fields of grass that were teeming with prey. He'd come across several deer trails and he'd picked up several different scents as he wandered through, exploring their new home. Above him the stars stretched out, dotting the sky. There was a particularly bright band of stars that seemed to run right through the middle of the sky above him. He had to admit it was gorgeous here. Later he'd look into exploring the castle but for now he just wanted to be out in the fresh air. Shilah debated about whether he should make his den on the plains or in the castle. He was more of a plains wolf than a cave wolf.

Sota was beyond thrilled at The Hallows' move to Auster. This continent was far less inhabited than Boreas was - these lands were where he'd grown up, and were what he was used to. Maybe not these specific territories, as he and the Songa were known for being elusive and avoiding wolves his family always called northerners. Either way he was pleased with the move and eager to get exploring their new home. The journey had not been terribly difficult for him; his broken leg had nearly fully healed, save for an ache that crept in on particularly damp and cool days, though his short legs had definitely made the journey feel a little bit longer for him than for the others. But now that he was home and well-rested, he was eager to get to know his new home.

The weather, tonight in particular, was beautiful. There was a very slight chill in the air but it was warmer than he'd expected - and coupled with the clear night sky Sota wasn't sure he could ask for much else. Breathing a content sigh he trailed across the plains, sniffing at the landmarks and making good use of his time to get a mental map of his new home ingrained in his head. This plain was oddly barren of trees, wide and expansive to the point that it made him feel quite small, but he wasn't bothered by it. The stars alone made him feel a bit less alone - not to mention the wolf up ahead, who he barely saw until he was nearly upon him. "Hello there! Shilah, isn't it?" He was a quiet fellow and didn't know many of his packmates well except by name. He offered the man a characteristic bow, his head sweeping low and nose nearly grazing the grass before he raised it again to face him.

This glancing life is like a morning star

A quick step saved him from stepping in a prairie dog hole and he dipped his head to sniff lightly at it. It seemed fairly fresh. He supposed it wasn't all that surprising to find prairie dogs out in a nice plain like this. His ears flicked up and he turned to see one of the other Hallows members arriving. He nodded his head. "Yep, I'm Shilah and… I'm horrible with names. You're… DeSoto?" He felt terrible that the other man knew his name, but he hadn't remembered. Then, he never had been very good with names. He could memorize landscapes and landmarks well, find his way through difficult terrain and remember the paths he'd taken but names were just impossible. Shilah probably needed to get better at that. He was part of a pack now and not a loner just wandering about as he pleased. "Are you looking for a spot for your den? I was just debating if I wanted to settle here on the plains or somewhere in the castle."

This place was entirely unlike where he'd grown up, but he saw the benefits of making a wide open plain like this home. The prey opportunities here were no doubt plentiful, especially in warmer weather. This land so far seemed unusually cold as far as Auster went, but he'd grown up much further south of here. As much as he loved the trees too, there was undeniable beauty in the wide open sky above, giving a perfect view of the stars. He'd never spent much time looking at them but as he grew older he found himself more intrigued by them and their purpose.

"Ah, it's no matter," he shook off the worry quickly. Sota knew one of his personal strengths was in knowing the wolves around him; with a keen eye for detail things like remembering names and faces came easily to him. "Desota actually, but I go by Sota most often," he explained to the larger man. Introducing himself with his more formal name seemed a habit best left in the past - a new name for a new blossoming life. Here, things were less formal. Wolves rarely bowed and nicknames were the norm. "Not out here, no. I think the castle will suit me best. Somewhere higher up, maybe. Climbing is kind of my thing," he admitted with a soft laugh. He'd definitely gotten a bit rusty since his broken leg incident but he had healed well and though it still ached at times he figured he ought to start stretching his limbs again with some real climbs, and the castle was a good start. "But I can see why a den out here would be appealing."

This glancing life is like a morning star

"Ah, I was close. A pleasure to walk with you, Sota, truly!" Shilah enjoyed the company of another wanderer, especially as this was a pack mate and not a complete stranger where he had to decide if the other was friendly or might snap at him. He gazed at the sky while Sota spoke, taking in the vast expanse of the stars about. These plains were well named and in the beauty of a summer night, even a cool one, it was breath-taking. He looked back to the other man. "The castle is indeed an interesting place but… I don't know, something about it kind of disturbs me. I'm used to exploring human ruins but I draw the line at sleeping in them. I think a nice spot in the plains near the castle wall will do me well." He cocked his head to the side. "Climbing you say? Like rock climbing?"

Sota was pleased with his company; he nodded in agreement. "The pleasure is all mine, Shilah," he admitted with a warm smile as he twisted around to look at him. "I wouldn't mind a bit of a walk, if you don't mind:?" Sota suggested. "I broke my leg just before I joined The Hallows and it hasn't been quite right since, especially when it gets cold out. Stretching it helps it from getting too stiff." Not that this continent was all that cold comparatively, but the nights had been colder than he'd anticipated so far, as if Boreas's more intense weather was working its way south. The days of his youth had never been quite so cold, but then again youth had a wonderful way of masking things too, and he wasn't getting any younger either.

Slowly he moved, grateful for the chance to both stretch his legs and get to know another packmate. He knew he'd been slacking in that department, prone to keeping to himself more often than not. "It's a bit strange, I can see that. I'll give it a try before making any big decisions." Not that Sota minded being uprooted. For all he cared, The Hallows could up and move every season and he'd adapt just fine, but that came from his upbringing. And speaking of his upbringing... "Climbing trees, more like. My size makes it pretty easy. Well - used to be easy. Where I'm from it was our main method of travel, but I had to learn to adapt once I left home," he explained with a low chuckle. Sometimes the culture he'd been brought up in seemed so vastly unlike what he was used to now that it was almost comical, and rendered it difficult to explain to others.

This glancing life is like a morning star

"Sure! I enjoy a good walk. I'm sorry to hear about your leg, what happened?" As a former nomad himself Shilah could understand how frustrating a broken leg must be. He'd hate having to wait for it to heal before he could go exploring. Shilah let Sota pick the direction before falling in step with the smaller male. He adjusted his pace so he wouldn't get too far ahead of his pack mate. He glanced at Sota as the man stated that he actually did tree climbing, and not only that it was a common mode of travel. "Wow, that is quite something. I can get on low branches if they're large enough. I'm pretty light for my size but I would find that difficult. So I take it you grew up in Auster? Where abouts?" Maybe they could go on an exploration trip back to Sota's home land. There was a lot of Auster he hadn't seen yet.

"Just an unfortunate accident," Sota admitted a bit bashfully. He no doubt would've been shunned by some of his peers back home for such an incident, but somehow admitting it now felt far less shameful. It was much better now anyway, though he had a feeling he'd have to deal with the accompanying stiffness for quite a bit longer even though it felt mostly healed. He knew sometimes the effects of injuries could persist for a long while even after the injury appeared fully healed. He was glad anyway to get out for a walk and get to know one of his packmates, reminding himself to continue to step outside his comfort zone and get to know the wolves around him.

"My family has always lived in Auster, yes. Quite a bit south of here is a large stretch of woodland where I mostly grew up. I guess many years ago, before I was born, this place used to be even more deserted than it is now," Sota explained. Not that it was terribly populated, at least compared to Boreas. He'd heard stories of a pathway suddenly emerging from the sea; he figured it was the same way they'd used to travel here, but it was hard to say whether those stories were rooted in reality or if they were, well, just stories. "But I spent most of my youth in those woods. It was quite a shock when I finally went north. What about you? Where did you grow up?" Sota slowed momentarily, tilting his head as he cast a glance at Shilah, glad he was open to some friendly conversation.

This glancing life is like a morning star

Shilah didn't press the matter as Sota stated that it was just an accident. Goodness new he had several accidents he didn't care to divulge when he'd gotten too cocky exploring a jagged mountain range. Fireflies stirred up from the grasses and as he looked in the distance he could see the dark silhouette of trees off to the north and east. Areas to explore for another day.

Sota explained that he'd grown up in Auster in a stretch of woodlands to the south and then inquired where Shilah had grown up. "I grew up in land to the east of Boreas. A vast grassland that lay south of a great mountain range." He chuckled. "Trees were something of a rarity where I grew up and the ones that we did find tended to be rather short and scraggly. But oh how I loved the skies! This place reminds me of home a little. How we could lay out under the stars and see the whole expanse of sky."

Maybe it was surprising he'd come this far in life without having fewer accidents. He was simply glad it'd happened here, not back home. Already he could imagine being shunned for not being able to easily traverse the treetops in his youth. He cared far less now about what others thought of him though, especially now that he was part of The Hallows. Either way he'd learned from his little mishap and in the future would be more aware of his surroundings; the last thing he wanted was to feel as though he was an incompetent pack member who couldn't pull his own weight. He'd promised Resin he'd remain and help pay off his debt at the very least, but he was beginning to settle in and didn't have any intentions of leaving now.

He grinned gently at Shilah's answer. His childhood home sounded quite lovely. "The skies used to intimidate me," Sota admitted thoughtfully. "Well, at least the wide open skies. I was always used to just seeing glimpses of the sky through the tree branches. Only when I ventured toward Boreas did I see skies like that - like this," he gazed upward with a wistful sigh. Once he'd conquered his uncertainties of new lands and new, often larger wolves, he found that things were quite beautiful.. just different, was all. It was hard to shake free from his roots and realize that but he felt his whole worldview had opened up once he had. "Forgive me for asking, but.. do you plan to stay here? With the pack? Or is this place just a stepping stone?" Sota was curious, and his tone said that if it was, it wasn't such a bad thing. Sota hadn't been initially sure his journey would end here but now he was beginning to feel like it might not be such a bad place to rest his head.

This glancing life is like a morning star

Shilah listened with interest as Sota explained that he hadn't been used to seeing wide open skies where he'd grown up. Shilah tried to imagine what that would be like, to only see glimpses of the sky and then suddenly seeing all of it. He could see why Sota had been nervous, though having grown up under wide open skies, Shilah felt there was nothing more beautiful than seeing all of the sky. Whether it held clouds or stars, there wasn't much like it. Though it did have its downsides, namely less shelter.

Shilah thought for a moment on Sota's question. "That is a good question. I've lived my life as a nomad so living in one spot is very strange to me, but I would rather live with other wolves than wander on my own and so far I really like being part of the Hallows. What about you?"

His younger life definitely seemed so far behind him. It was hard to even recall how he'd felt when he'd first entered Boreas. He'd been fearful of the giant wolves that inhabited the world; even Shilah was quite large in comparison to those he'd grown up around. But it was surprisingly how quickly he'd learned to adapt to his new normal. Living in a place like The Hallows once would've been unthinkable to him but now it was difficult to imagine being anywhere else, given how accustomed he had gotten here. He'd been pleased with their move too and it had only solidified his decision to stay.

He nodded in understanding at Shilah's words. "I understand that. I got used to being on my own, but as I get older I find that solitude is less and less appealing." He missed spending time with other wolves; even now that he was in a pack he often kept to himself and he'd vowed to work on changing that, one wolf at a time. "And I do like where we've moved. I can certainly see myself spending years here - or wherever the pack sees fit." Lands were just that - lands - but wolves were irreplaceable.

This glancing life is like a morning star

Shilah nodded. He could see himself settling down for awhile at least. It wasn't as bad as he thought it might be, having a home base. For the most part he could wander where he wanted just as long as he made sure to return and held up his end of patrol and training. Shilah stretched, casting another glance to the sky. "Well, I think it's time to get settled down for the night. I have to go on patrol before the sun rises. It was nice talking with you Sota." Perhaps they could go exploring together some time after they'd both settled in. Shilah wanted to get a feel for his new duties before he started planning his exploration trips. He'd likely stick around the pack area before slowly widening the region he'd explore.

-end?-