The silver girl loved it here. She was close enough to home to be back whenever she pleased, yet far enough away to stay away from trouble. She knew that here, she wouldn't cause her family any more strife. Here, they would all have a chance to love each other again. Here, she would lie day by day in the sun and bask in the warmth it provided right there on her sunning rock. It was cold and food was scarce but the river continued to flow and she couldn't help but love the sound it made as she slept. Somehow, though, today was different. It seemed that somewhere upstream, a chunk of ice had busted loose and the waters were overflowing with snow melting off of the hills. She thanked the gods that she wasn't a fish, cuz she'd be freezing her tail off in that water! Needless to say, this thought was only just crossing her mind when she heard a high pitched squeal. Immediately the girl was on her paws, eager not only to discover the source of the sound, but hungry and hoping it was some sort of prey that she could eat. The girl would focus her ears in the exact direction of the sound, straining to hear another cry. Eeeeeeep! Ok, now she knew for sure where it was coming from, and that was what confused her. It was coming from...The river? Could fish make those sounds? Zlata had to see this. With much haste, the silver girl scrambled to the rivers edge and stared into the water, hoping to see a very large and curious looking fish, when instead she saw what looked like a ball of wet fur with eyes and a nose clutching tightly to a root and fighting the current. Her silver pools of moonlight widened in surprise and she froze to her spot, staring at the thing, uncertain of how to handle the situation. Eeeeeeep! The last, tired squeak of the creature brought Zlata back to reality, and suddenly she was reaching her head into the freezing water and clutching the thing by the nape of its neck. It didn't take much effort to pull it out of the water, and before long the poor little fuzz ball was shivering at her paws, eeping in clear discontent for the situation. Zlata stuck her nose in the icy fur of the animal and took a long sniff. Not a rabbit...not a wolf...not even a weasel. What was it? Zlata shrugged her shoulders. Well it must not be food. She gave the thing a swift lick across the length of its tiny body and smiled. "Well hello little eep thing! What's your name? And what are you if you don't mind?" The little orange and white thing had gotten to its paws and given itself a good shake by now, causing is fur to fluff out even worse than before, and Zlata could not stifle a giggle. "Oh stop larfin at me you dumb stupid woof!" Zlata's mouth closed shut faster than it was used to, and the poor girl ended up biting her tongue. She frowned at the little thing and then decided to not be offended. The smile returned to her maw. "Well what are ya then?" The thing sat back on its haunches and begin licking it's chest, stopping only to look up cooly at Zlata and reply, "I'ma cat. And my name is Gendry." The silver lady grinned once more at the cat aand dipped her head softly. "Well my name is Zlata and you should come hang out with me in my cave. I've got a little bit of food left over and you are free to use my cave to warm up until you feel better to go back to your mom and dad." She practically demanded him. Her tail was wagging in the anticipation of company, even if it was this small little cat thing. Gendry nodded in agreement to the girl, thinking that a warm cave and food in his belly may be just what he needed to feel better, even if he wasn't planning on returning to his dead parents anytime soon. His new friend wouldn't necessarily have to know that, and in the meantime they could both use the companionship. Without another word, the strange pair trudged back to the cave and sat down to share what was left of the dove she had caught that morning. Speech,

Strolling quite proudly by the same stream he had found since he had crossed into the lands, the bold man made his entrance into the lands of the East. His cobalt eyes glimmered in the morning sunshine as he dashed alongside the stream. The water rapidly lapped at his paws as he ran in the grass. He eagerly ran with boundless energy, satisfied he was. On his road to somewhere, he may as well enjoy himself in these awfully beautiful looking creeks and streams. Licking his jaw with satisfaction, he slowed himself down into an content walk. Cyan orbs wisely gazed down the stream as he emerged. What a fine day this was. Eeeep! A strange and eerie cry came to Dusk's ears and he searched down the stream. Oh! What was this? A tiny wildcat was swimming against the spiraling current! The poor furball wailed out, soaked and tired. He met the tiredness in the cat's eyes, drowning in agony. He couldn't let the river claim an innocent life, he had to save this strange wildcat! Preparing to swiftly dive into the water, a silver figure of grace emerged from nowhere, neatly grabbing the wildcat in her jaw before rescuing the drowning creature. She laid the wailing creature on the ground, where Dusk tried to hear the words that were spoken across the river, the sparkling silver lady and the trembling and soaked wildcat. He only heard the names of the two creatures, Zlata, the stunning dame of moonlight silver and Gendry, the shivering wildcat. Nods and questions were passed around and finally, Gendry followed Zlata away from the river and somewhere that the man could not see. Would he follow them? He blinked his kind eyes, staring into the stream. What an affectionate lady to rescue an unfamiliar creature. Though by now they're probably the best of friends. Dusk felt happy for both of them. After a moment of silence (except for the water by his paws), the silent hunter would trek once more along the river, his heart warm and touched. "Speech"

So long as he knew where his family was, Fakira figured that it was alright to wander. Besides, it was hard to connect with many of the Artenie when their patriarch had vanished once again. The boy was sick and tired of his disappearing acts, giving everyone hope that he would stick around and then leaving them. It was sort of ironic that Taurig was blind, because he could hightail it out of Alacritia faster than most could in broad daylight. Bitter and somewhat dejected, the boy had taken to wandering. He couldn't watch what his father's disappearance had done to his mother, and he wasn't sure what he thought of pack life. He would rather be with his family and they alone...


Conflicting feelings lead to him parading east, not really caring where he ended up. The smell of the ocean was enticing though, as it was something that he would always tie in with what he called home. His real home... where he and his siblings had been together and been something akin to happy. "You ruined everything." The yearling hissed, his ears pressed to his head. It was easy to pin all of the confusion and pain on the guy that wasn't around - and so that was what he would do. He hated Taurig, blamed him for everything that hadn't gone right in the world so far - and it would take a miracle to convince him to change his mind about it.


It would take a kitten, to snap him out of his wandering thoughts.


Brows would furrow as the call sounded again - a little quiet call for help. Now, Fakira wasn't much of a cat person, but he would check it out regardless - quickly moving toward the source of the sound. The cold water would surely drown anything small quickly - and he would frown, looking for the tiny animal - only to see another wolf instead - her mouth filled with something bright and wet and... mouthy for someone who had just been taken from the icy waters jaws of death and put into... well, more jaws.


He would watch from the treeline as the two spoke, listening to their names. Gendry, and Zlata - she seemed genuinely kind, and it was nearly enough to pull him out of his funk to witness such an act of kindness first hand. He froze when they decided to move, hiding behind the trees and hopefully out of sight. Blue eyes watched them leave, and although he knew that he should probably let them rest, he couldn't help but follow. This girl was the first around his age that he had encountered out here in Alacritia's unclaimed wilds. He was sort of curious...


"Excuse me, miss Hero?" He would call out to her after she was settled with her cat in the cave. The yearling was polite enough to stay outside unless he was invited in - but not enough to keep the flirting to a minimum. At the very least, it wasn't baseless, she was a hero to that cat. "I do hope I'm not bothering you - but... Are you and your cat alright?" They seemed fine, but he would ask anyways.

It didn't take long at all for the girl and her new companion to be startled yet again. Zlata would lift her head as she heard words spoken from a male voice, aiming her mercury orbs in the direction of the voice. Miss Hero? The girl cocked her head and looked to Gendry. The orange and white kitten shrugged his tiny frame, a mouth full of dove meat. "Well 'ee's not talkin' to me, is 'ee?" The girl giggled, forgetting her meal and standing to meet the voice at the mouth of her den. Ebony paws would step gracefully towards the entrance and position her just in front of the boy, until they finally settled beneath her rump and into the sitting position. He was an interesting fellow, unlike any she had ever seen. His pelt had so much... color. And his eyes were stunningly blue. As the heat rushed to her face, Zlata allowed a soft smile to take over her features. "You weren't bothering us at all, actually, we were just getting to know one another over a meal. He's just had a fright, you see, and I was just-" Her speech was swiftly cut short as a frustrated huff detonated behind her, and she couldn't help but turn her head back to her friend in curiosity. "I'm not her cat, I'ma perf'c'ly in'epen'nt-" This time, she cut off his speech in another giggle, turning back to the interesting looking wolf in front of her, shrugging her shoulders. "Why don't you come in? We could always use more company, and I'm sure Gendry won't mind sharing that meal, I am quite full myself. I'd love to hear your story." She suggested, turning her silver head back into the depth of the cave in a gesture for him to follow. The bi colored kitten glared at the newcomer, taking as much food into his mouth as he could before the wolf would get a chance to sit down. Speech,

The great act of kindness touched the man. He warmly smiled as the sun glimmered down on him. He had walked for some time, unnoticed, by the same river the wildcat had coincidently fallen in. Lifting his gaze to the cloudy sky, he could see the winding stream leading out into the ocean. Had he walked this far? Keeping to his own designated path, he came across six stones that jotted out of the gushing water. Flat, the stones were, as a mere crossing across the rapid river. Would he cross the river? Why not? Picking up his speed, he found himself facing the delicate black and ancient stepping stones of which he would soon cross. Gently placing a paw on the nearest stone, he worked his way through each stone, feeling a gush of relief as his paws touched the ground of the other side. He followed the scent of where the silver lady and the wildcat had met, but not before catching himself a rich and slimy fish in his jaws. Following the scent trail back to where the incident had happened, he asked himself a few questions in his mind. Why exactly was he returning the way he came? That he did not know, but he would find answer to that soon. With his nose at work, he would enjoy traveling the way he came once more. He was certain he had found the exact spot of where Zlata had rescued Gendry, though another scent mingled with theirs. Another male wolf. The East was flooded with wolves! And cats for that matter. But why would he follow Zlata and her new rescued friend? He would best be off, somewhere of nowhere in particular. Still keeping his energized paws to his planned path alongside the river, turning his head to the side, his eyes had met a small cave not far from the river. The scent trail of Zlata, Gendry and the other male all lead to that particular cave. Zlata's home perhaps? And what would that male be doing at that cave? But if it was mere friendship, Dusk would certainly not interfere, but curious was a word that described him (along with many others). Was he that curious to have a look? Well, it was on his way back, why not? He would walk closer to the cave, coming at a close distance of which voices could be heard. Was he going to interfere in a nice conversation? No He wasn't interfering. Just...exchanging a greeting. Once he had just passed the cave, looking as if he was going somewhere (well he sort of was). If the warm three looked up or not, that was up to them, but he would politely greet them all, what else could he do? "Good morning, miss and sirs." He would greet them all with a respectful bow. His warm gaze...well...always warm. "Speech"

Oh, she was way cuter up close than she had been when he caught her saving the pussy cat. Fakira nearly blushed, but managed to keep himself under control - despite her giggle being a nice one. He also got lucky, because she held a similar expression on her face to the one on his. He could nearly hear his sister flittering in the back of his head, telling him that he was nearly as perfect as she was - and that meant that he could catch a few eyes himself. When she spoke, he would ignore his more shallow thoughts and focus on what she had to say... only for her to be interrupted by the cat she had all but taken in opposed to eating it after it had been killed by natural forces. "Well she saved you and didn't eat you, you'd be lucky to belong to her really." He probably wouldn't have gotten as lucky if a more hungry lupine had heard his cries.


"M-My story?" That wasn't something that he had expected. Her kindness was not completely foreign to him, but her curiosity was not something that he thought would go with it. Did she really care about what he and his family had been through? Or was she just being polite? Fakira would nod at her suggestion, following her into the cave. "Well, my name's Fakira Artenie - It's a pleasure to meet you both." He would say, after the other two had settled down. He knew their names already, after snooping earlier - but he wasn't going to just up and admit that.


The sound of rustling outside would pull his gaze toward the cave entrance, and he would tilt his head, watching as a dark wolf stood at the entrance before greeting them. "Uhm - good morning?" He didn't know the guy but he seemed polite enough. Kind enough to give Fakira a run for his money really - and the gold brute didn't really like to be challenged. This guy could go get his own cute hero girl to talk to! But... he didn't really have a way to run him off, and he was so darn kind about it... maybe he would let this one slide if Zlata didn't mind having to males in her living space. "We were just introducing ourselves - who are you?"

The younger man had exchanged a polite greeting, yet there was nervousness in the way he had said it. Did the man perhaps take a fancy to the cat-rescuing girl? Oh, why else could Dusk hear the anxiousness in the other man's voice? Well, for one, Dusk isn't a womanizing type and he already has a very close friend. So he would leave the younger man to charm Zlata's heart, how admiring it all seemed. But he mustn't get too ahead of himself, he must reply to the other man's question. Who are you? Well of course he could answer that. With a faint smile in his warm and playful look he spoke. "I am Dusk of the Southern Oaks," Perhaps that was a bit of a mouthful with his name, so he corrected himself for the others' benefit."...or Dusk Oaks for short." He felt a rush of relief come past him. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of two polite looking wolves...and the cat. Knowing he wasn't interrupting much, just names and the such, he would perhaps ask to sit with the two. Three. But there was enough space for the three creatures, he would just make it worse. Yet these creatures appeared friendly and some heroic, why would he ignore the chance for new friends? With the faint sunlight tickling him, he would ask in a polite, kind, not-pleading tone. "May I join you?" He asked in a curious tone. But he didn't want to sound as if he was demanding a place, so he quickly added. "Only if you don't mind." In some way he felt pushy and interfering. But he knew he wasn't. He would just have to wait for a reply. He could hardly wait to meet these creatures. Friendship was what sparked the man dearly...and well he was sort of lonely. But he wouldn't let the depressed and solitary Dusk show, he would show his enthusiastic and funny side to his personality. "Speech"

white Speech,

The man shared a warm thank you before finding a small space for himself in the cave. There was actually enough room for the four, and for once, the man felt wanted and belonged. The silver beauty, Zlata, had briefly introduced herself and handed the conversation over to the two males. Share my story? Well, he was sort of uptight about his history and he tend to keep it a secret. No-one really needed to know his pasts, but these were soon to be his new friends. Perhaps he should just talk a little bit, not all. Besides, he hasn't got the must heartbreaking and shattering history, but to him talking about it may depress or sadden him. But just a little bit. Won't hurt. Would it? He cleared his throat to briefly indicate he was going first. In a deep, glazed state of thought, he began. "Right then, my story? Let's see if I can remember..." He didn't want to bring back his lost memories, and he feared if he did, the trauma may harm him. But the words echoed in his mind. Just a little bit. With a faint smile, he started his one hell of a past. "I grew up with my sister quite some time ago with my rogue parents. My sister, Aislinn, was bullied by many of her rogue pup friends of her size. I've come from a very large and powerful family, mind you. Later when we were one year old, I was already hunting with my father. But my father was a dominant male, threatening to kill my mother if my sister and I did not do his filthy work. This included hunting for him, battling to the death, all sorts of horrendous things. At the same time, my grandfather visited me in a dream and told me I held great potential, though it would only be rewarded to me if never showed the sin of cowardice. But later on, my sister and I fled from my father's bloody ambitions, and I was considered a coward by my ancestors. Now I guess I roam the lands in search for a friend, though my heart is still torn in grief and horror." His wise and knowledgable eyes twinkled from the other end of the cave. What a way to finish the story. Did he perhaps say too much? Perhaps he did, though just thinking about it left a saddened look in his eyes and his head was bowed in sorrow. But he shouldn't look like this for his new friends, in fact this was a warm and treasuring moment. Leaving room for no questions he quickly finished. "Anyway, that is the past," He added proudly with no fear, a powerful tone coming to his voice as he arched his back. He lifted his head as he spoke. "And we must all look to the future, not the past." And what would happen in the future? Well, of course, more friends, that is. Sitting back down in his cosy little spot in the cave, he lifted his muzzle towards the other male as a signal for his story or past. That is, if he had one. But everyone does. And everyone has a future. "Speech"

Dusk, huh? Well his name suited him in a way - Fakira would give him that. When he asked whether it was alright if he joined them, the gold and black brute would leave that answer up to Zlata, and his gaze would glance over the other male briefly before falling back on the silver girl. "Name's Fakira." He would give his name for the male in response to his introduction, in case he hadn't caught it before. Zlata's name was far longer than he would have initially assumed, and he doubted he would remember all of it. Thankfully, she only needed her first name to be remembered by her acquaintances.


He was thinking about declining on telling his own story - it wasn't very interesting honestly - but... he wanted to know more about Zlata. Whether she had a normal life so far, or whether she had been through trial after trial, he wanted to hear what miss hero had been through. And so he would grin at her lyrical response, "How could I turn down an offer like that." But he would wait his turn, letting Dusk go first. Now this guy, seemed like a fellow that had seen his share through life... and yet Fakira would not expect just how much he had been through. A slave to his father that ran away from home, that was looking to start anew.


The Artenie felt like a jerk for not wanting to invite him in at first.

"I'm sure your future'll be nice and bright here." He didn't know what else to say - but at the very least, Dusk didn't look like he was too lost in his reverie. Telling them about his past hadn't made him upset, he seemed proud of what he had been through. The blue eyed boy was a good deal impressed - Dusk Oaks was a pretty cool guy. "I haven't been through half the stuff he has - my family lived on an island, and my father left my mother to care for us. We had some family and other wolves that were a part of my father's old pack... but they left." Screw them, he barely got to know anyone but Sibelle - and his aunt was rocking as far as he was concerned, but she had her own business to attend to nowadays.


"My father found his way back, but then left again soon after. I'd tear him a new one if he came back now... but I mean, it wouldn't do much good considering he's blind." He huffed, not wanting to think about his father anymore. "My family's in Covari now, so I guess that's the place I call home. I've been wandering for a while though... I want to get a good feel of the world. You two are the first wolves I've talked to in a bit." His words were somewhat sheepish, as he wasn't the most well mannered of brutes - but lucky for him his company was accepting.


"Not too interesting, I know, but you made a deal Zlata - your turn." He wanted to know more about her now - talking about himself wasn't too bad, but it got boring pretty quickly.