note: set in northern mines

Steel needed to get to know some of the other wolves in Ivalice. It wasn't super appealing, but it would make Esarosa happy - and that, in turn, made him happy. It was a simple cycle, and one that he was content to go along with. The day was fair enough, with spring having arrived full-force, and he was in a fine enough mood. He only half-sulked as he made his way to the mines. He thought of when he and Esarosa had explored the strange caverns in the ravine, and it nearly made him smile. Nearly. His gait was careful and calculated as he made his way to the edge of the caves. They didn't seem.. natural here. It was as though someone had carved their way through, but he knew of no animal that could dig out stone so easily. His eyes narrowed as his muzzle jutted toward the sky, dark crimson gaze sweeping over the roof of the cavern as he stepped into it. It was wide enough to move through without and fear of being trapped, but quite dark, and he braced himself as he made his way deeper into the darkness.

Ugh. This land was... not appealing. He didn't like it, not at all. What had possessed his mother to choose this land? He may never know. Either way, the boy stepped carefully, eyes sweeping the ground, the walls, the ceiling. It didn't feel right in here. What created it? Nothing he could think of could go through stone. No wolves, for certain, and what the hell else could even remotely cause it? He didn't know. It bothered him. Either way, he ought to know the land, and that was why he was here. There were all sorts of things it could be useful for, he begrudgingly admitted. Like storing things, or pups (safe from the elements, maybe?), escape routes, and other various things that mostly involved that.

This silent grumble and musing was halted as the sound of another wolf echoed near him, and his head snapped towards the sound of paws. He didn't recognize the scent, though there was Ivalice on it; still, the fur on his hackles raised. "Who's there?" he barked, his voice ringing with authority and demand; he would not take silence for an answer.

""

©sanctuare-2k16

Steel was pleasantly calm as he wandered into the quiet mineshaft. For once, for the first time in awhile, his mind was brilliantly clear. Nothing could bother him, not really. Not today. He was serene as he wandered through the shadows, letting his mind wander and his attention drift to and fro as he explored the unknown. The arrival of another was surprising to him. The voice came before the sound, booming through the cavern, and his fur bristled instinctively. "Who asks?" he'd retort, a bit less sharply than the younger man's question, but firm nonetheless. He was part of Ivalice, whether or not he was known within the pack; and he wrinkled his nose in slight, barely visible distaste as he reared a corner to face Lykos.

The retort was something that made Lykos bristle, though he understood and accepted that butting heads with this stranger would do nothing good. "Lykos Ancora, Heir of Ivalice," he fired back quickly, his voice ringing with the dominance that he did not unleash very often. Within a moment, though he would come face to face with the male, and he inhaled deeply, eyeing Steel. Under all of the musty, wet and metal scent of the mines that clogged his nose, he scented a wolf he recognized - Esarosa, who led the hunt.

Still, he did not stand down; he did not know this wolf, and the Ivalice scent was not strong. He would await for the man's response. He did not smell of blood or violence as far as Lykos could tell, but one could not be too certain. He still demanded an answer, and any more questions from Steel would hardly be tolerated until he revealed his identity.

""

©sanctuare-2k16

It was strange to be talked to so... condescendingly? The male he approached was clearly younger than him, though held himself as though he was many years his senior. His reply had not been overly aggressive, but perhaps biting in its simplicity and directness. His nose twitched slightly at his response. "Well, Lykos Ancora, Heir of Ivalice," he'd reply quietly and solemnly, "I'm Steel."  Just Steel. No surname, no fancy title. He needed none of those things. Perhaps he didn't even know who Steel was. His scent was faintly that of Ivalice, though overwhelmingly he knew he smelled of Esarosa. Hopefully that would be enough to convince him.