A Meeting [Veles]

[Karath]

The male grimaced as his paws became slowly soaked all the way through, leaving no dry places. Reminding himself however of the benefits of the area; it was teaming with prey. He had fed recently, but he was always up for a good hunt, and he didn't want to wait too long, so he didn't become too weak to hunt his next quarry. Still he probably could have gone somewhere drier, not bothering to dwell on it much longer he meandered to position himself as high as possible, for the best vantage point and to hopefully not get soaked up to his neck, even if it did hide his scent well. Glancing around at the terrain he uneasily felt his paws shifting at the not solid ground. Even if he hunted her before he never could get used to the way that it felt as if he were constantly sinking.
Scenting the air he tried to catch wind of a piece of prey that with his luck hadn't detected him yet. He hadn't thought he was overly loud coming into this area, but it was winter and prey tended to be alert when it was most inconvenient for the hunter. Hopefully there were few other wolves in the area, despite its plenty as this was not pack lands, he had no desire to squabble over meat at this point, he could pick his own fights if he wanted to inflict damage. Narrowing his eyes he wondered briefly if he would see anything, his grey eyes held the light as he scanned the horizon.
Not detecting any immediate prey the male picked up his paws and began to travel to across the ridges, the land slightly more solid, but still squelching beneath his paws and weight uncomfortably. At least he wasn't going for a swim, the frigid air while inviting dry he doubted would feel so pleasant soaking wet. Hopefully now one else is around was his brief thought as he concluded how difficult it would be to try to retain even the barest of pleasantries through this climate. Usually he was fairly hardy and indifferent to his surroundings, but right now he just wanted to come across prey, and not have gloom continue to descend upon him as the area continued to yield him nothing even if it was supposed to be densely populated with at least something for him to eat.
Ears flickering with irritation he stood again, only a short distance away from his previous position and again checked the air. Not wanting to sit down, he lowered his hindquarters into the damp surface. Shrugging it off the male finally resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to leave this place dry in the first place if he decided to take down big game so it was better just to accept it. He couldn't very well change the land itself, and it was pointless exercise to try. There was a slight breeze, and he could smell the sea in the air. The sea always smelled different from normal water, but here it was more mingled than he was used to. he guessed the reason it was so plentiful here was because of the water, and the fact that it was off the main island, he liked the how solitary it felt, but at the same time wanted to return to the other island sooner rather than later. The constant scent of the sea was overpowering, and the continuous dampness irritating, and made him constantly worry about slipping or being sucked in, and unable to get out. He still had not caught sight, sound, or scent of the game he would prefer, and soon he would descend to the lower part of the basin in search of smaller prey hiding there near the water. Maybe he could try fishing he mused, but didn't give the thought too much credit, he didn't know how, and wasn't sure that fish would really be all that good, he knew that if he could kill it it would be prey and he could most likely eat it, it wasn't a wolf. Still it was different than other things that lived near the water, this one lived in the water, and darted out of his shadow's reach.
Determined to try only a small while longer for larger game to come upon him he remained seated watching, and scenting, his ears fully up as he observed the world around him.

tagged||none
word count||748
ooc||If you want to hunt or just talk then I'm fine with either

[Veles]

Veles had always liked heat, but humidity did not suit him at all. Dry heat was much nicer. It did not cling to your fur and make you feel heavy and sticky. It was not at all a pleasant experience. And cold wet was even worse. At least Veles liked heat. He wondered what he was even doing out here. He was aware it was a popular hunting location, but he had never been up for hunting. He had never learned and did not see a reason to now. He had done fine on his own without learning that skill that most would see as necessary, and now he was part of a pack, and not in the rank of hunter, for obvious reasons.

The moisture had an odd way of making the chill in the air even worse as if he could feel it soak through to his bones. It was probably not even that cold, but Veles had grown up in the south and was accustomed to the warmer climate. He glanced towards the sky looking for any sign of vultures circling or sniffing for anything that might indicate something had recently died and would make a good meal.

As he listened intently, he thought he heard the sound of another wolf. He was fairly sure it was a wolf. It did not sound like a hoofed creature and it was too large for most of the game with padded feet around here. Curiosity got the better of him and he slunk off in the general direction of the sound. As he got closer the scent was unmistakably that of a wolf, but he could not detect the scent of any of the packs he was familiar with.

One skill that Veles felt especially proud of was his knowledge of the island from his years as a loner wandering around the island. He had always had an insatiable curiosity and thirst for information. Information was power. The more informed he could stay about the goings-on in Ani, the greater his chance of survival as a loner. And now, as a recent member of a pack, the more informed he could remain, the more useful he would be to his pack, which he assumed was the only reason they kept him around. He had never possessed what one would call “social graces.”

It did not take him long to stumble upon the wolf just sitting there for who knew what reason. This was a wolf Veles did not recall having seen in his wanderings, and he was not usually one to forget a face.

“Hello,” Veles said as he confidently and nonchalantly approached. He was good at carrying a relaxed and comfortable air about him that did not frequently alarm other wolves and for some reason made them more disposed towards liking him. It did not work with all, but most, when he bothered to engage them and alert them to his presence to begin with. Mostly he was an observer. Interaction was not always natural to him. “I am Veles.” He sat down in front of the wolf and watched him as though waiting for a return introduction. “Are you new to Anikira?”

Words: 543
Muse: meh
Tags: Karath
Notes: yay! another post! much excited to see how these two do. I’m up for anything, but Veles isn’t really a hunter.. xD

[Karath]

Karath turned suddenly as he became aware of another wolf in the area Just wonderful, I....I'm simply jumping for joy at having yet another stranger to meet he contemplated running of and shrewdly observed that for someone who didn't much care for the company of others he frequently found himself running into them and doing nothing to avoid them. Besides he wasn't even sure if this was going to be a pleasant meeting, the dismal climate that seemed to penetrate everything and permeate his mood not really adding to his displeasure at having to brave another wolf. Growling to himself he waited for the two seconds it took for this wolf to show up. Karath observed the male, odd eyes, thick fur, and a wolf who gave off the appearance of never being uncomfortable. And he seemed...friendly, not exactly off-put by the introduction he thought about Veles words. He realized that he himself was still sitting and open for attack, but didn't really want to get up, as he knew that the water would have soaked through his fur making his current position more comfortable than the one he would inevitably face if he rose to greet the wolf, and that might look rather aggressive so he didn't bother. "No" was the first answer, and then he realized that he had to introduce himself "I've always lived here, I'm Karath." He thought on the words He's either new and doesn't know anyone or has been here long enough that he thinks he knows everybody which was rather arrogant, he knew a few wolves on Anikira, but he didn't think that he would ever have a complete knowledge of them all. He knew that especially with this season new litters would begin to be born all over the land and he while keeping up with the alpha bloodlines might be useful he knew that keeping up with all the pups would be a rather difficult task although in retrospect it might be interesting to see this male try and do it.
With that thought he asked "Do you know everyone on Anikira?" He wondered if this wolf too was a loner who was here to hunt, in which case he wondered why he had bothered approaching a stranger. He doubted that the male would need help hunting, he seemed to be large enough, and this was a plentiful area despite the dreary air that hung about it. Waiting for a response he sized up the other wolf. Veles was larger than him, which made him wonder what would happen if they did have a fight, but the other male didn't seem like the aggressive sort, and Karath didn't think that it would be a problem he would be facing anytime soon, the more pressing discomfort was the chilly air only made less tolerable by the humidity.

tagged||Veles
notes||Yeah, this is going to be interesting! If Veles isn't a hunter then how about the conversation turns to packs, because at this point Karath is a loner, but I want him to join Ananke.
word count||479

[Veles]

Do you know everyone on Anikira?

Veles could not help but smile, both with amusement and a slight sense of pride. Oh, who was he kidding – a good deal of pride. But he knew he must be careful with how he played his cards. This wolf seemed reluctant to speak with him, at best. Annoyed, at worst.

“I don’t know that I would say I know everyone,” he tried to appear modest, while also being entirely honest. He would not claim something as preposterous as that. There were wolves arriving and being born all the time. There was no way he could keep up with all of them all over Anikira at once. But he was familiar with a good deal of them, especially the loners. He had not liked venturing too far into pack territory, not wanting to be noticed. “But I do know a good deal, yes.”

He paused, not wanting to startle the other wolf or show off.. except that he did want to show off. “I perceive you are a loner? Not to worry. I do not intend harm. I was a loner myself almost my whole life, until just a bit ago when I decided it might be time to settle down. Don’t know how I feel about it yet.” His words were spoken calmly and confidently. Manipulation was one thing Veles was good at. If he wanted Karath to feel at ease, he could make it happen.

Just then his stomach rumbled and he grinned at the other wolf. “I apologize. You must forgive me. I was out looking for a meal.” He looked up at the empty sky and back to the wolf. “It does not seem the vultures have had any luck, either. Unfortunate.”

Veles felt he had spoken to much at this point. It was always his preference to listen, so he turned the conversation back to the wolf he did not know. “Where are you from and where are you going?” These were two questions almost always applicable to a loner. There was usually a place they considered home; their birthplace if nothing else. And, as wolves without a formal home, there was a lot of wandering done.

It did wonder Veles however that he had not run into this wolf before, if he was indeed from Anikira or had at least been here a while, as he said. The sandy coloured wolf found this quite unsettling as he did pride himself on knowing many, even if they did not know him. It was possible this wolf was lying, but he did not consider it likely.

Words: 430
Muse: decent
Tags: Karath
Notes: So, I suck. Break was weird and I didn’t have wifi half the time and then life got crazy, but I’m back into a normal schedule again and will be able to reply regularly. Please forgive me!

[Karath]

The male could tell that the male was proud of his knowledge of the area, and though with a hint of sarcasm wish he knew where the prey was hiding but paid attention to the other male for no reason other than the fact that it didn't seem like he had much else to do at the moment. Although judging by how much, this male seemed to want to talk and ask questions he wasn't sure if getting up and finding something to eat elsewhere would be worth the effort. Karath shrugged internally at the male's question, weighing the pros and cons of telling the stranger his exceedingly boring life story. He was fairly sure that it couldn't be used against him as he hadn't done that much out of the norm, besides annoy some alphas with his presence but if this wolf really was a loner previously as he claimed then he would have a fair understanding of that work and be none the wiser for his little episodes. Glancing at Veles he sighed, careful to keep it hidden, so it was more of an exhale. At least, the other would stop asking questions if this took a short while. So he started at the beginning, glossing over some of the details that he wanted to leave out, his voice rather monotone for explaining something personal but not all that unusual for his character. "I was born on Anikira, but to a small pack, well actually a pair of wolves not really belonging to any pack. I had a brother and a sister who I was close to, but both left our place, after my parents had another litter I left as well," there had been nothing for him there after his siblings left, but he felt no need to explain his placelessness to this stranger. Without his siblings each land or territory was exactly like the rest, and he found even less to care about, his usual dull nature refining itself without his kin. "I traveled for a short time, and I've met some alphas, but mostly kept to myself. I can't say how I feel about settling down, but I wouldn't be averse to it." He paused, knowing the polite thing to do would be to return the question. Almost grudgingly he forced the words to come evenly and politely out of his maw "What about you?" He wasn't overly crafty with words, preferring to be strictly to the point and fight it out if thre was a miscommunication.

word counter||423
tagged||Veles
ooc||no problem, everything is just crazy for me in the second semester. But glad to hear that your wifi is back!