wolves weren't meant to be solitary animals.

and not just because it made hunting large prey near impossible, but because wolves - in aba's opinion - were social creatures and they weren't meant to spend the warming spring nights alone. wolves weren't even born alone, there were supposed to be siblings to play with - and if not siblings that shared your blood, then the pups of another litter. they were your pack brothers and sisters, after all. this old marshal, however, was already an exception to this. his brother hadn't even survived long enough to be given a name and there hadn't been other pups when he had been born. and by the time there were other pups on the new island, he was too old to be interested in them. maybe it was a sign. he was supposed to spend all of eternity alone. but he couldn't face that reality. no, not in this life. so he'd made an army of his own. so that he'd never have to suffer the poison of solitude. the aged don halted in mid-stride and, with a foreleg, swiped at the bits of damp leaves and debris that blanketed the ground, conveying his sudden fury. no one, not even he, wanted to be alone for their entire life. he wrinkled his nose, not at the thought, but from the stench of mould that came from the leaves that he had overturned. having been laying there, slowly decaying, since early autumn, it shouldn't have been surprising that it smelled so rotten.

it turned out to be a good distraction, though. albeit a temporary one. abaddon was unceremoniously pulled out of his depressing thoughts and forced to take a glance at his surroundings. his dark rustic eyes took in everything in a second and it took about half that for his mind to process the fact that he truly didn't know where he was. he knew that he was somewhere in the heart of sparse pines, but that was about it. not that it really mattered. there wasn't a soul on this island that would be missing him. nevertheless, aba lifted his head and inhaled deeply through his nose, figuring that getting to know his surroundings a bit better wouldn't hurt. he wasn't ignorant to the fact that he may not be the only predator in these parts, and he didn't want to be caught off-guard. as he processed the scents in his brain, the ambassador simultaneously studied the towering trees that surrounded him. pine, oak, aspen, and others that he couldn't be bothered to identify. their roots were hidden beneath soft, smelly earth that was covered with a layer of damp, mouldy leaves from last fall. the sharp scent of mould mingled with that of small prey and their droppings, making the tall wolf wrinkle his nose again.

not only did everything look the same, but it all smelled the same, too. the only good news was that he didn't detect the scent of any animal that would potentially pose a threat to him. part of this news disappointed him, though. abaddon would have enjoyed getting into a fight. he was still young at heart and despite being highly intelligent, he was still headstrong and reckless. always looking for danger. but it was just as well. fighting was yet another reason why wolves shouldn't be travelling alone. pack wolves always had each other's backs in a fight. if you were injured, they would look after you. if you were killed, they would avenge you. you didn't fight one wolf, you fought the whole pack. his large, rounded ears flattened slightly as his previous thoughts came flooding back, bringing with them the loneliness that he was trying so hard to escape. "you?re a fool, abaddon." he growled to himself, just to hear the sound of something that wasn?t a buzzing insect or a chirping bird.

If there was something that the female was more sold out on it was the fact that everyone just needed a little company. She herself was a creature driven by lust, and what was that lust if smoldered by the lack of company? It had no matter, for by design and thousands of years of evolution, canines were creatures made independent, and while they could survive on their own, they could not properly thrive. Such an argument was only fair to be made and her opinion would not be withdrawn. After all, who would she be if she took back her thoughts? Those things which designed her? Who would she be if she would not recognize and obey the archaic nature of things. She was a woman, one that knew her purpose, and would not stop.

"Brina look out," the snake hissed, his body wrapped firmly around her taught abdomen, his scales glittering greatly in the subtle lighting of the dim forest. She dreaded the place, it dirtied her. It was a wretched waste land, and why she was brought to the hands of it she had not a clue. She dreaded the Earth in general.

Attention would be given to Isk and the dame would elongate her stride, pulling from the waters. Moving, she could feel the snakes scales slide across her until he was loosely coiled along her neck, a thrum of approval would echo in her chest and the dame would push onward, yet now with wonderment as the snake's tongue had slipped and information had followed. "Brinsssssshana there'ssss a pretty little creature sssomwhere here," his tone was demonic, and yet to her, it was the most sickly sweet thing she could imagine.

Baritones would dance through the woods, summoning the lady's interest and with a salacious smirk she would push through the forestry to him. He was an interesting color, not the usual bleached hue she had been made so tired of lately. Isk had fallen silent and the delicate harpy would sing unto him, "Harsh judgement of yourself," she purred, dual tones eating alive the copper along his back, topping off his rich colors, and she would follow to his metallic eyes, a simper of amusement drawn clearly across her inky lips.

Speech.

TABLE + CODING BY TIFF

talking to himself had achieved nothing, the birds still sang in the treetops and insects still buzzes annoyingly. abaddon whisked his tail from one side to the other, bringing himself up to his full height, not knowing exactly what he had expected to achieve. lunacy, maybe. he was trapped in a dilemma, really. he didn't want to be alone but he didn't want to be bothered with an irritable conversation, which most were. eventually push would come to shove and he would have to suck it up and choose one or the other. he sighed, then paused and tilted his head slightly to the right, wondering if he was just imagining the scent of another wolf nearby. he inhaled again, deeper this time and his posture straightened again. no, he wasn't imagining it. a low growl escaped the general's throat before he could help himself, but it was too late to leave. the other wolf was close now, and surely he knew that the aged soldier was standing there. it wasn't like his red-orange coat blended into the vivid greenery of the forest.

and then, just like that, the other wolf stumbled onto the scene and promptly plastered his mug with a look of surprise. abaddon had to resist the urge to snap at the stranger. he settled with a dramatic roll of his eyes but didn't take anything as the storm-coloured wolf took in his physical features. everything from his long, slim legs to the fiery colour of his coat to his oversized ears. no, this marshal wasn't exactly the kind of wolf that you would want to meet in a dark forest. it was a good thing that it was still daylight and that sparse pines didn't have a reputation for being a place of terrors. "harsh judgement of yourself," the other wolf spoke, seeming to mean what he said. the russian don, however, just shrugged his bony shoulders instead of tactfully engaging in conversation, not really caring whether or not he was being rude; though he did manage to force an introduction past his lips.

"ze name's abaddon." he relaxed slightly, his wagging tail sending small clouds of dust into the air. he couldn't deny that the other wolf was attractive, given her dual eyes. a curious combination of traits. otherwise there really wasn't anything of note about this new acquaintance. "so where do you fall from en zis curious kin'dom?"