Interesting scents had brought him here, not to mention the sights. Jareth was one to pay great attention to beauty, and when he spotted it, he just needed to track it down. Perhaps it was merely the season, for everything was in full bloom and glowing health. But everywhere he went in these lands, it just appealed to him, and so he kept going. As the landscape passed him by, he had caught scent of the salty sea, not familiar with the smell and so very curious as to what he might find.

The trees began to thin, and it was not long before he saw the vast expanse of water that lined the shores. Sunlight glittered off of its constantly moving surface. The pup paused to take in the scenery, entranced by the powerful sea. Then, his paws carried him forward, until he was climbing over rocks and ultimately padding along soft, damp sand that felt cool and soothing to the touch. In awe of this place, Jareth paused again so that he could look around. Once he'd had a few moments to take it all in, his belly rumbled and he remembered that he was hungry. As always. He wondered what he might possibly find around this place that was edible.

A long time ago, when she and Vail where both young, they had sneaked out of Abaven territory to this very land. They had found a nest containing voles, and had spent most of the day hunting them down, in puppy-play fashion. Taking a break from her duties as an Alpha, the woman had found her way back here, and upon investigation discovered a new nest in the place of the old. Digging them up proved far easier now than it had as a child, and she was able to swiftly kill two plump bodied adults. Hoping them gently in her maw, she began to head back to Abaven, to offer one to Vale as a tasty meal and a walk down memory lane. She went closer to the sea on her way home, intending to take a short-cut over the rocky outcropping that separated this bay to her Serpent's Plains. She missed the scent of pup entirely, with the vole’s beneath her nose. She did not, however, miss the sight of him. His toes sunk into the soft sand, and he seemed paused, body alert as he looked about him. There was a sleekness to his coat that spoke of many hungry days, and she found herself veering from her path to head towards him. She did not go too close, incase he spooked easily, and placed her burden down so that she could speak. “Ho there!” she called out, putting her nose upwards to catch a scent of him. She caught no indication of the scent of parents about him. Interesting. "Talk" "You" Think

The pup jumped up, disrupted from his musings as someone called out to him. He'd been so absorbed in his surroundings and the rumble in his tummy that he hadn't noticed anyone approach. He was glad to see that she didn't appear hostile, so at least he needn't worry about that. "Hello," he replied to the she-wolf, his strange gaze looking her over curiously. Her coat was somewhat simple, but it was stunning none the less. More interestingly at the moment, he noticed what she had placed down on the ground. He smiled up at her, his small puppy tail wagging. "My name is Jareth," the pup introduced himself, then he glanced to the small prey, "That smells pretty good."

He licked his lips, salivating and unable to hide his desire for the fresh prey this woman had in her possession. Pulling his longing gaze away from the voles, he looked up at the she-wolf once more. His ears tilted back as his belly grumbled audibly. Surely she would be able to share with him, especially if he pulled his most pathetic-looking puppy expression. Eyes squinting, Jareth inched a little closer to the woman and her catch, seating himself as his tail wagged across the sand.

Her approach had startled the younger wolf, and his attention turned to her now. She looked back him with curious blue eyes, seeing the dapple tones of his coat. She wasn't sure she had ever seen a coat like his before. There where so many new families and individuals since the time when she had known these lands best, and he was another addition to the list of new. His tail gave a happy wag behind him, and his greeting was friendly enough. Whatever hardships had put this boy here alone, he hadn’t lost his spark. She grinned back at him, having a soft spot for the young. “Jareth, I’m Shaye Destruction” she acknowledged his greeting and returned her own. She nudged one of the vole’s aside with her nose as she looked at him, making no motion to walk in his direction. His hunger was clear and crisp in his eyes, his belly rumbling loud enough to be heard over the distance she had kept between them. She felt a spark of anger begin in her chest. Had this pup been abandoned? Where was his family, his guardians. Anyone? If she found out he had been neglected, she would cut off the head of the wolf who had done it. She kept her anger concealed, dipping her head a little, shrouding her eyes. His show of cute-pup wasn't lost on her, and it broke her anger. She offered him another smile. “Come on, share a meal with this old wolf.” she invited him, sitting on her hunches as she picked up the second Vole for herself. "Talk" "You" Think

The boy's dark ears perked as the woman introduced herself, and he smiled slightly. "Nice to meet you," he said politely, having not forgotten the lessons his parents had left with him in their short time together. His eyes darted to the voles again as Shaye leaned down and nosed one aside. He didn't have to be asked twice when she offered to share a meal with him. His tail dancing, Jareth rose to his paws and bounded toward her to close the gap between them. He pounced on the vole she had pushed aside for him, catching it between his forepaws. Before bending down to dig in, the pup looked up at the woman. "Thank you," he said gratefully. He noticed her smile, a genuine expression on her face, and he returned it. So far, he really liked the woman. She was beautiful and kind, reminding him of his own mother.

Famished, the boy finally began to rip into the vole. It was a small meal, but he certainly wouldn't scoff at it. It felt like only seconds before he'd torn every last edible bit from the small carcass. Licking his lips, he flopped down onto his belly where he was, stretching out his forepaws while his hind legs assumed frog position. He felt much better now, and he was so glad the generous woman had come upon him. The pup's strange eyes gazed up at Shaye. He had just really noticed the feather she wore, and he found himself admiring it. He'd always loved accessories. "I like your feather," he commented, "How did you find it?" He was curious how she'd come across it, and thought that if he knew, perhaps he would find one of his own someday.

The young creature took eagerly to the meal, bounding forward with a whirlwind tail. He fell on the Vole like it was still alive and might escape him, and ate with relish. Shaye ate her own food more slowly, amused eyes glancing up at him every so often as he devoured his meal. She tried not to think too hard on why he was so hungry, knowing her anger would inevitably return if she lingered there. The dapple pup finished his quickly, and she wasn’t too far behind, the meal being a small one. She had only sought out the Vole’s with the thought of a treat in mind, not of feeding a hungry pup. She pushed aside her own carcass, and looked over at the boy, her feather swooshing through the air at the movement. “My father and I found it together about 5 and a half years ago. I’ve found a few such feathers since. They come from a macaw, a bird more common in the South Island.” she would explain. She had once taken such joy in collecting feathers, finding them for her friends and family both. It had been almost a tradition in her eyes. She had thought about it much of recent, and a soft sigh escaped her as she considered it now. She shook of the melancholy, and smiled back at the pup. “So what brought you to this beach?” she asked him carefully. "Talk" "You" Think

The boy listened eagerly, tilting his head as she sad she'd found the feather with her father many years ago. Ears perked at the word macaw, a bird found more common in the South Island. He hummed thoughtfully to himself, trying to imagine what the bird might look like. Obviously it would have many more of those magnificent blue feathers. It must have been truly stunning to see up close. "Where is that?" he asked curiously, "Maybe you can show me one day soon." He didn't realize what he was asking was a little much, but he just wanted to be shown pretty things and beautiful lands. He wasn't sure who else to ask - if not a stranger, then who? Everyone was a stranger to him for now.

He watched her face as she paused quietly for a moment. She suddenly appeared distant and sad, yet in another moment she shook it off and smiled again. He smiled back at her. When she asked what brought him to this beach, he shrugged at first. "I guess I could smell it for a while," he said, remembering the scent wafting through the thinning woods as he'd gotten closer to the beach, "It smelled good, like there might be food here. Then I saw the big water." His eyes were drawn to it then, as a shallow wave pulled up over the sand, bubbling at the edges. "The big water is beautiful," his eyes gleamed with delight as he looked over the vast sea.

Jareth looked back to Shaye. "Do you live near the beach?" he asked, wondering where she'd come from. He was so far from home himself, he had no idea where he'd come from or how he might get back. Not that he was all too eager to get back, and so he wouldn't even think of it.

She raised a brow in surprise as the pup asked her to show him one day. She didn’t know why he was here, and what his plans were for the future. She didn’t know if she would ever see him after today. Still, it was hard not to promise him something. “If I have the chance to, I definitely will Jareth” she was able to give him that much. It wasn’t a certainty, but it was a promise to try. She still needed to figure out why he was here alone.

“It is a beautiful sight” she admitted, glancing back up at the rolling waves. If she squinted she could make out the island that sat just over the way. “I do.” she said to his next question, and lifted her nose, using it to nudge the air, pointing at the rocky outcropping that made up the cliff to Serpent’s Plains. They weren’t far from there now - in fact, that had been exactly where she had been heading before the boy had distracted her. “My pack is just up there, we have these rapids that curl around a little cropping off grass, where ducks often live. And near the trees on the other side, you can often find little Salamanders. You have to be quick and crafty to catch them.” she explained, a warm smile gracing her expression. Her Auntie was the one who had once taught her how to. “How about you, do you live near by?” he said he could smell it for a while, did that indicate he had travelled a little ways to get here?

He couldn't help but to feel a little thrill when Shaye said she'd show him if she got the chance. He'd love to see the great birds that shed such vibrant feathers, and the lands the housed them. He was distracted from those thoughts, however, as she described the lands she was from. It all sounded quite interesting; he'd never heard of ducks or salamanders. He wondered what they looked like, and what it would be like to catch the quick critters. Maybe someday he'd find out.

He shook his head when she asked if he lived nearby. He pushed himself up into a seated position. "No, I don't live near here," he said, then added, "I guess I don't really live anywhere right now. Wherever I came from was really far away. I don't know how to get back. But that's okay. I don't need to anyways." His past was a mystery, something he didn't dwell on much, nor was it something he ever talked about. Perhaps he would address it when he was older, but for now his only goal was to find food every day, in whatever way worked best. Even if it meant asking a stranger to share their meal.

Wondering what they'd do now that they'd eaten and chatted a bit, he began looking toward the rocks just up the beach from them. "Do you think there's anything interesting to find on this beach?" he asked her, wondering if she'd seen things here before, "Something shiny or special?" He looked to her with wide, curious eyes, the pupil of his left eye dilated as always, hoping she might have some ideas of where to look.

He would finally shed some light on where he had come from. Not much, adding more pieces to the puzzle that was Jareth, even as it answered others. How far away was far? She was starting to think it meant quite a distance, considering his hungry state and the lack of parental scents on his coat.

He seemed far too young to be by himself, and already she was feeling an urge to protect him. She had no children of her own, had never considered them, or thought of herself as having motherly feelings. It wasn’t that, persay. Perhaps it was taking on the pack, suddenly being responsible for the welfare of many. It was hard to turn that back off again, when confronted with a hungry pup.

“Tell you what, Jareth. If you ever need a meal, all you need to do, is hop up that path there” she pointed at what could be called a path winding up the rocks. “If you need a healer, a safe place to bed for the night, you are welcome in my territory.” she promised him, an easier promise to make. He struck her as being on the verge of being too old to be told what to do from a stranger. She couldn’t drag him to her pack and force her care upon him, but she would offer it to him, promise him safety and warmth whenever he needed it. A temporary thing, or a permanent place within her pack. She felt she could offer him both, either, whatever he needed.

He would ask her about shiny things, and she twitched an ear in thought. “I’ve found feathers on beaches before. Possibly not Macaws, but there are other pretty birds that can be sometimes be found her. Or interesting seashells, moulded by the brush of the ocean. Lets have a walk around and see what we find?”