Finally done running [open to anyone]

[novem]

The scene before Novem shocked him. He had heard the running water, and suspected that the river producing the sound had to be fairly large and dangerous, but he hadn’t imagined this.
The wolf moved slowly and soundlessly towards the water’s edge, his wide-set ears flipped back thoughtfully as he came to a careful stop a few feet away from the raging waves. His emerald eyes narrowed as he took it in. Novem had seen enough rivers in his three years of life to know that river this strong could easily overpower a wolf his size, especially one as underweight as he was. His frown deepened as he looked quietly over his body. He had been traveling on his own for a year now, and it showed. He was always restless, and always moving, and it seemed like no matter how much he hunted, he could never really keep the weight on. It had only gotten worse recently because his appetite was virtually gone. He ate when he absolutely had to, never because he wanted to. He wasn’t the type to enjoy the adrenaline rush of a kill. He would rather sit on the edge of treacherous rivers and think about being carried away by the rapids. It wasn’t exactly the best way to pack on the pounds.
He was incredibly thin for his size, but he was fit. His skin was pulled taut over his muscles, which rippled beneath his bright fur when he ran. Running was his life. All he did was run. He never had any destination in mind; all that mattered was that he got as far from his past as possible. After a year of running, the desperation was gone, but he could feel the loneliness and purposelessness beginning to close in on him. That irritated him more than anything else—that after running from responsibility and relationships for so long, here he was feeling alone and empty. Snarling quietly at the thought, he sat and lowered his head, shutting his eyes as tightly as he could in an attempt to clear his head. It was this type of thought process that kept him running.
After a moment, he opened his eyes slowly and deliberately, as though opening them too quickly would send all of the painful thoughts and memories he worked so hard to avoid pouring down on him. He sighed and shook his head. His fight to run from his past was a losing battle. He didn’t know what else to do at this point. Start over? How could he? He had been running for so long it was all he knew. What was a wolf at his age supposed to be doing? Finding a mate? Setting down? He just couldn’t do it.
He shook his head once more, focusing his eyes on the water for the first time. Just beneath the surface he could see a wide array of fish scrambling to swim against the current. He blinked thoughtfully for a moment before rising to his feet and strolling closer to the water, sitting as close to the edge as he could. His stomach growled, and he frowned. He’d never attempted to eat fish before. They always seemed more trouble than they were worth. This, though…this was just too easy. They were practically begging to be eaten.
Suddenly insecure, he lifted his gaze and glanced nervously around him. He had no idea how to do this, and he didn’t want anyone watching him in case he messed up. Seeing no one, he returned his attention to the fish below him.
Emerald eyes glittering with concentration, he carefully lifted a paw over the water. What was he supposed to do? Scoop the thing out? After waiting a moment to brace himself, he struck the water with his paw, batting at a fish. He pulled his dripping paw out of the water, and waited for a dead fish to float to the surface. None did. Discouraged and frustrated, he strode away from the water’s edge and plopped onto the ground a few feet away. He remained motionless, lying on his stomach with his head on his paws, wishing his mind was as empty as his stomach.

[/size]

OOC|| This is kinda long...heh heh. Anyone can post. I just wanna get him started. =]

[jiminiminy]

Siscarm was, in short, about as disinterested with the world as one in his situation could be. That is, in short, detached from existence as a whole.

The last of any wolf he'd seen was weeks ago, and the isolated femme of the caves could hardly be counted among the more sociable souls. Then again, very few of the inhabitants of Anikira were exactly outward. Most had their own agendas to see to, and not much were big on packs, judging on the sizes of the rag-tag groups of wolves. That left Crise, the inquisitive femme from nearly a month past. Maybe it wasn't their problem, but the elder's, that no one was apparent in their actions. Perhaps he should look for the young female, for a little cheering up...

Without warning, Siscarm's left paw struck a rock.

Stumbling forward, the elder brute fell into the shifting sands. He did not move for a moment, and casual observers might of thought him dead. Lucky there were no observers, though that might be unlucky if he had actually hurt himself. For the time being, he remained in a prone position, pondering the exitsence of a rock in the middle of a desert, where it surely would have been ground to dust, like the rest of the former stones that now made up the ground he lay on.

Dismissing the occurence as mere chance, Siscarm stood once more, and was promptly struck again, this time on his front right. Accompanied with the falling, the elder became instantly alert, rapidly taking in the area before him.

Stones, previously non-existant, had decided to congregate into a single area, linear and unfaltering, that struck through the sands like a bolt of lightning through the sky. In the center of the stones, a small brook babbled its way about, until it joined another, larger river that headed steadily Southwest, and, standing at the river's edge, a very small slip of a wolf.

As it looked around, Siscarm was thankful for the dirt that had so long mixed with his matted pelt, rendering him indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. He looked as if he were nothing more than a stone among stones. Apparently satasfied with whatever conclusion it'd come to, the wolf stared at the stream for a moment, then batted at it, as though angry at the water, stared for a moment longer, then, unhappy with the results of the experiment, stalked off and lay down a few meters away.

As it lay, Siscarm stood, walking the seventy or so meters to arrive at the wolf. Before making his presence known, the elder first glanced at the water, staring at the many fish that danced among the stones and currents, defiantly trying to fight against the inevitable. That's what he wanted... Watching for a moment, anticipating the actions of the river slamon, Siscarm quickly snapped up on of them, then turned to the resting wolf behind him. Without hesitation he dropped the still wet fish onto the ground in front of the wolf's snout, sending water and sand in a small radius around the impact.

"You bite it, you know. Don't try and paw it. You'll only hurt yourself."

[novem]

Novem had been lying in a daze, gazing at the ground in front of him, when a fish of all things fell in before his paws. He immediately jerked his head up, his ears pricked forward, staring at the fish in disbelief and shock. If that startled him, the sound of the other wolf’s voice nearly gave him a heart attack. He leapt to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. As he looked over the wolf before him, though, his breathing slowed and he relaxed a little. He looked considerably older than Novem; clearly he was wiser, given that he had caught a fish in a matter of seconds that Novem hadn’t been able to catch at all. Biting the fish instead of pawing at it? Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Stupid, stupid, stupid. “You’ll only hurt yourself.” What am I, a pup? But compared to the other wolf, he practically was. He just wasn’t used to being spoken down to. He hadn’t been talked to like that since…before his mother had died. That was back when his father used to take Novem hunting with him. His parents never really lived long enough to teach him to fish. He didn’t care much either way…it was just embarrassing. He’d never really been caught in a situation where he’d been so incompetent at something. Plus, he had been sure no one was watching. He’d checked. No one had been around. How had this wolf been able to call him on his mistake?
One look at the other wolf’s coat answered his question. It was matted with mud, obviously, but beneath the filth was a coat much darker than Novem’s. It was gray, shot through with white. Much better for blending in. That struck him as particularly odd, but only because he’d never really seen it before. Even among his own family members, all of which had red fur, Novem’s coat stood out. It was bright orange, as opposed to the usual reddish-brown. Even if he was as dirty as the wolf before him, he’d still stand out. He had no right to stare. Embarrassed, he dropped his gaze. Realizing that the other wolf was waiting for an answer, he glanced up nervously and spoke.
“Um…thank you.” His voice was quiet, but his tone was sincere. He hadn’t spoken to or dealt anyone in the longest time, so his social skills were buried deep, if not gone altogether. Under any other circumstances, he might have feigned a smile and walked away, but he was at the end of his rope. Being the introvert that he was, he hated to admit that to himself, but it was true. He couldn’t stay alone forever, no matter how much he’d like to believe that he could. Still feeling out of place, he looked down again, flipping his ears back submissively. Unfortunately, as he looked down, he caught sight of the fish again, and his stomach audibly growled. Laughing nervously, he averted his gaze once more, bracing himself for the other wolf’s reaction. Maybe he just wasn’t cut out for this whole social thing. Maybe he was better off living on his own.

[/size]

[jiminiminy]

As the little slip of a wolf sized Siscarm up, the elder was performing a similar practice in return, though admittedly he was a lot more practical, whilst his suspect was more emotional.

He's so small... Was the first thought that ran through the elder's head. Being obvious, it didn't exactly require much thought. As he pondered the cause, Siscarm thought back to the failed fishing attempt moments before, and couldn't help but wonder if he was merely unable to catch any sort of prey, whether through incompetence or some other sort of disability. Almost immediately after the thought crossed his head, he dismissed it. If he couldn't catch prey, he'd be dead, not thin. Perhaps he just didn't like food, but that was an odd habit...

Next to note was his coat. It was orange, a colour that, in most cases, was unseen or very slight. This wolf, however, was far more than slightly amber or a little pumpkin, he was simply orange, with a little bit of red mixed in here and there. But then again, Siscarm couldn't much say different about himself. Grey wasn't a big interesting colour in his eyes, but then, it was probably a case of perspective. Maybe all of the wolves in his family were orange, and it was ordinary, just as grey was for the elder. But orange was a rather odd camouflage, the ground around wasn't exactly matching.

Before he could make any other inferences, the little wolf spoke up, his voice timid and sincere, but laced with embarrassment.

"Um, Thank you." Such a answer as a response to his actions couldn't help but make Siscarm have a little smirk, which grew to a larger smile when he heard the little wolf's stomach make a plainly audible gurgle, which seemed inevitable judging on how thin he was. As he glanced at the fish, then down to the ground, Siscarm chuckled and spoke, his voice a low rolling sound, something that generally happened when he laughed.

"Surely you don't think that I caught this fish for you to simply gaze at? Or perhaps to prove a point or show you up? I'm not cruel. Eat your fill, if you need more, I would be happy to catch another."

Siscarm looked back at the stream, where salmon were still apparent in the waters, leaping to and fro in an almost childlike manner. He could recall a story about the fish, why they are always dancing with another, but he struggled to remember it before abandoning the prospect that he'd recall the poem. A shame really, it was rather good... As his gaze returned to the little wolf, the elder spoke again, though it seemed more in passing than an official inquiry.

"...So tell me, Pelom, what is your name?"

[novem]

Novem still had his eyes focused dutifully on the ground before him when a familiar and yet long forgotten sound made him jerk his head up. He frowned thoughtfully, eyes curious and ears pricked forward. The older wolf was smiling, and...laughing at him. So I'm not hearing things, Novem thought silently. But where have I heard that laugh before? It didn't take more than a few moments for the young wolf to remember. It reminded him almost exactly of the way his father had sounded when he'd laughed, long before the fire, long before the death of his mother. It was a fuzzy memory, as most memories are from puppyhood, but Novem could remember gazing up at his father with love and admiration, asking silly childlike questions about everything and listening to his father laugh affectionately at his curiosity. The sound had stapled itself into Novem's memory; warm, low, and kind. Not an outright laugh, more like a deep, throaty chuckle, but so full of emotion that even after all this time, Novem still remembered it. It wasn't until the other wolf had already begun speaking that Novem had realized just how much he'd let his mind wander.
"Surely you don't think that I caught this fish for you to simply gaze at? Or perhaps to prove a point or show you up? I'm not cruel. Eat your fill, if you need more, I would be happy to catch another." Novem felt his jaw drop ever so slightly as he listened, but shut it quickly with a quiet snap when he realized how blank his expression must have looked. Don't stand there with your mouth hanging open like that, his mother had delicately told him once. Staring is rude and unintelligent. You'll never make friends that way. Still, even with his mouth shut, he couldn't help but feeling like a pup once more in this older wolf's presence. He flipped his ears back once more in submission. Unsure of what to do for a moment, he glanced nervously between the wolf and the fish. If he didn't take it, surely the older wolf would be offended, but if he did, he risked looking like an idiot while he devoured a meal he couldn't catch himself. With one last insecure look up at the other wolf, he lowered his head and ripped a mouthful of flesh off the fish's side, holding the tail down with one paw to keep the body still. He swallowed the bite after a few short but affective chomps, and ripped off another, smaller strip. It felt so good to eat again. Had he been less hungry, he might've been more aware of how different and interesting the fish tasted compared to anything he'd ever eaten, but he chewed and swallowed without paying much attention to flavor. He wasn't much of a meat connoisseur anyway.
"...So tell me, Pelom, what is your name?" Once more, Novem had to bring his attention back to his new acquaintance. He cocked his head slightly to the left, taking a moment to swallow before answering.
"Pelom?" he asked curiously. "My name is Novem." Of course, now it occurred to him that he most likely should have introduced himself earlier, or at least asked for the other wolf's name, but he was well aware that everything is clearer in hindsight, and that there wasn't much he could do about it now. Hopefully the dark wolf before him would understand to some degree, and cut him a little slack. Or better yet, maybe it wasn't too painfully obvious that he hadn't come into contact with another wolf in months, or had a real conversation in over a year. He wouldn't bet on it, though.

[/size]

[jiminiminy]

As the not-quite-red wolf began to devour the meal that had been given to him, Siscarm nearly laughed once more, something rare for it to happen so frequently. "Slow down a bit, if you eat anything that fast you'll just throw it back up again." The small one was rather amusing, though it was more in the manner of a pet doing silly things than a joke or action intented to be funny. The elder knew quite plainly that he was not around here, but he acted as though he had little experience in the wild to boot. Or maybe where he came form was easier to survive in. Biased towards the latter insight, Siscarm wondered if he might be able to ask him where it is and take a little trip there.

As the small one introduced himself, Novem as is was, the elder was shaken from his idealistic thoughts of a place that one could survive with ease. "Hmmm. Novem. That name sounds different to my ears." Siscarm tasted the syllables, before he added"I mean no offense to a family name or anything, simply an observation." He said the word once more, though much lower, trying to find meaning behind it, before it was dismissed to the back parts of his mind for later use. "And yes, sorry, Pelom is a word in an old tongue. It literally means 'small one' and, considering you are small, I appointed you that title. Makes sense, no? Always liked the sound of it myself."

Siscarm then silenced himself for two reasons. One, he was beginning to ramble, that was apparent. Two, he'd heard something. As a short, piercing howl reached his ears, brought far by the northeastren wind, his head quickly rose upwards, auds straining to pick up the message it held. Though he heard it, it had become distorted in the wispering winds, and ambient sound caused him to miss some of the words.

"...Xinelil, Aldgar alpha. I...remaining members of Zahir..."

Making about as much sense of it as one could under the circumstances, Siscarm looked down to the other once more. When he made no move, he wondered if he'd not heard it, of was simply a nomad like him. Perhaps he could ask later. As Novem looked up at him, expecting something else, the elder blinked for a moment, apparently dazed by something. After a few seconds, he shook his head, clearing out the drifting thoughts, then spoke again.

"I apologize, I just heard something about one of my...friends I suppose would be the word. He seems to be looking for members of the pack here for whatever reason."

Curious as Novem had been earlier with the fish, Siscarm looked inquisitivly at the small wolf. For the second time, he wondered if the orange wolf was one of the wolves of this land, or simply a wanderer like himself. And if there's once thing that the elder had learned lately, wondering does far worse than asking.

"Should you not go and heed his call, or are you not involved with such dealings?"

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ooc: Quite sorry, there's been not very good posts on my part. Perhaps I should go to some sort of rehibilation for muselessness...

[novem]

Novem listened silently but not without interest as the older wolf spoke. He didn't have enough to say to reply (honestly, he was a little shocked that the wolf had so much to talk about regarding the three or four words Novem had muttered earlier) but in response to the nickname he'd been given, Novem had to nod. He had a very slight physique and he knew it, and apparently the other wolf had noticed. Feeling that the meaning of his name was still up in the air, however, he spoke up. "My name means "nine," because I was the ninth pup born into my pack, though I was the first born to my mother and father."

[/color] The name was an honor, his father had told him. It was given to him to remind him that even though he was the first son of the alpha, the other pups in the pack were just as important, and needed to be loved and cared for equally. Looking back on it now, it was most likely just a way for his father to keep Novem's status from going to his head. It had worked, though; he'd always been open minded and kind as a pup. Time goes on, however, and things have a way of changing.
Novem had just opened his mouth to ask what the older wolf's name was when the elder's head jerks up, ears perked attentively forward. Frowning, Novem twitched an ear thoughtfully, wondering what the other wolf was so carefully listening to. It took him a moment to realize that it was a distant call from another wolf that he was straining his ears for. Novem hadn't even noticed it, not because he hadn't heard, but because he had learned not to pay attention to such things. It was white noise in the background to him—unimportant, and not worth listening to. He didn't associate with other wolves, and their alerts or calls didn't matter to him in the least. He wasn't one for gossip, so listening in never did him any good. The younger wolf looked on cautiously as the elder shook his head clear of whatever thoughts the howl had brought on, unsure of what any of this meant. He was slightly relieved when he spoke again; he'd look so dazed that Novem had been wary for a moment. One of his friends? That seemed logical enough. The second thing he said made a little less sense. "Should you not go and heed his call, or are you not involved with such dealings?" Clearly this wolf was also uninvolved in the matter, otherwise he would have realized that Novem had never had anything to do with any kind of dealings here. He'd only been on this land for a few days, if that. He wasn't sure how far their territory extended. This elder was the first wolf he'd seen in the area, and the only wolf he'd seen in a few months. Novem was quick to shake his head, and spoke with grave confidence for the first time. It wasn't catching fish; this was the story of his life as of the past year. His emerald eyes flashed, and his voice was dark.
"I'm not involved. I do my best to avoid that sort of thing."[/blockquote][/size]

OOC|| Don't worry about it, your posts are fine =]
and thank you for bearing with me xD I still have to figure Novem out, plus this is my first time roleplaying in ages. I'm a bit rusty at it. ;

[jiminiminy]

"Hmm, first-born. I didn't have the luxury for such things myself. I was the smallest and the youngest, and most of the time I was thought to get lost and die one day." Siscarm pondered what happened, all those years ago. Family and friends were no longer a part of his life, and, looking back, he wondered why they had been in the first place.

Then, as he disceted the wors as he always did, Siscarm noticed something out of place. "What you just said. That you were the first-born. I did not ask that, and it was unneeded information on the subject. This means that you must have thought it important yourself, that being the first-born set you apart from the other eight that had been given life."

The set of steel coloured eyes were no longer impassive or watching, and the dormant parts of the elder wolf's mind were beginning to creak to life in much the same manner of an old machine. Words became information, information became theories, and theories became facts. "Being first-born is something that most wolves don't much care about, because most wolves don't inherit their parent's roles in the pack. The only ones that do are..."

Like a large tree diagram coming to a close, there was only a single answer that could tie up all of the loose ends. "The Betas and the Alphas..." Siscarm gazed across at the not-quite-red wolf, his steel blue eyes glittering with newfound knowledge. "It seems that every loner has their own surprises these days..."

That said, Siscarm lapsed into a thoughtful silence. He turned from the other wolf, choosing to gaze over towards the fish, leaping and dancing among the water and stones, fighting their way upstream. For the second time the elder's mind drifted from reality, wistfully wondering about the stories about the fish, their fight with one another about where to lay eggs, the great treck every spring and fall to the mating sites, then the task of returning to the oceans in the Winter and Summer...

Siscarm stopped his train of thought. The fish fought the current to head upstream in the Spring and Fall. It was Winter, wasn't it? That wasn't right at all. It was as if they were... "...Trying to escape something..." The elder murmured softly, his words about the same volume as the babbling brook before him. Turning away from the abnormal sight, he looked once more at the small one -Novem he'd said his name was- and wondered if he knew much about fish.

"Novem, what do you kno-" Siscarm's words were cut short as he recalled the event several moments ago in which the little wolf had failed making the most simple of catches. If that was any sort of indicator, the little wolf didn't know very much about the little animals at all. "Nevermind. But tell me, Novem, Pelom and Alphasson, if you are avoiding the pack life..."

Siscarm grew a little smirk as he began to talk, and it seemed to ferment as time passed. "Why then, do you not wish to be where interesting things are happening? You do not know Xinelil -the one who called- but he is not suited for this region. His reasons for coming here must be rather...cataclysmic... I stand with you in the avoidance of the packs, but, I can't help but wonder, what does he want here?"

Siscarm's eyes darted between the wolf and where the call had come from, each time is paused more on the plains and less on the canine, until he was simply gazing out into the nothingness. Wanderlust is an interesting illness, the addiction to seeing everything in the world, regardless of the reprecussions. The elder, he had it quite bad.

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ooc: There we are, an nice post! And on a side note, that's the most Siscarm has talked in his entire history as a character.

[novem]

Novem winced as he listened to the older wolf come to his own conclusions. Yes, his father had been the alpha, and yes, he'd been trying to escape it for over a year now. He had no idea where his former pack was now or what they were doing, but he couldn't afford to go back and find out. Nothing could make him want to take on that sort of responsibility again. That wasn't the life he had wanted; it was the life he was born into. One of his other siblings had taken over, he was sure. They were all fine without him, as he was better off without them. Novem nodded warily, acknowledging that while all of what the elder had said was true, he was silently and tactfully closing the subject.
As the two lapsed into silence for a moment, Novem shifted his feet with discomfort. He thought he could see the direction this conversation was headed...and as soon as the older wolf spoke again, he knew he was right. It was the same comment he'd heard a hundred times, from a hundred different wolves in a hundred different circumstances—if you're not an alpha, than what do you do? It didn't take them long to notice that because he refuse to really associate with other wolves, he didn't do much of anything. He didn't involve himself with interesting matters, or seek out interesting things to be a part of. He avoided everything and everyone. But he couldn't really tell other that. It was...embarrassing somehow. They were out traveling with some higher purpose, or hunting for their families, or exploring, or finding land to claim, or whatever, and what was he doing? Roaming. Walking. Running. Sleeping. Eating, on occasion. Needless to say, that had ended a lot of conversations in the past. As Novem skeptically thought over the situation before responding, he felt an overwhelming urge to turn and run. This whole social thing after a year of nearly complete solitude was more than he'd bargained for. No, he told himself silently. This might just be my chance to start fixing things. I can't pass this up and go back to how things have been. I'll go crazy. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he looked back up at the elder, thinking of how to respond. The older wolf's eyes were dazed as he stared off into the distance. Novem couldn't have even begun to wonder what he was looking at. He wasn't really the type to enjoy sight seeing and traveling for the heck of it, so he couldn't really relate. He could guess what was going through the wolf's head from the longing in his gaze, and felt badly interrupting him.
"Um. I-I guess."

[/color] He practically had to force the words out of his mouth. No, he didn't want to go involving himself in other packs' matters, or find out what other wolves were up to, but that was the king of thing he'd have to get used to if he ever wanted to move on.[/size][/blockquote]

OOC|| Yay! Novem and I are honored ;D

[jiminiminy]

Siscarm was usually a very calm, collected wolf. He'd think things through carefully and from every possible angle every time he was confronted with something, and only ever made a descision after a painstakingly long process of thought. He did this to the point at which you could ask a rediclious question and still have to wait a little bit for a majestic 'No'.

What then, could shake such a predictable wolf from such a comfortable rut? Whatever you could call what had reciently happened to the elder. He was burbling over with anticipation, as a pup often does just before a snowfall.

"Yes! Wonderful! Good to have you along! Of course;" Siscarm stopped pacing in a circle - something he figured would calm him down - and looked at Novem. "You should be able to keep up, no? I don't like to slow down for people, no matter where I'm leading them to or from. A bad habit of mine, I tend to forget that I'm leading people places. But if you can keep up, then I won't need to know or not, as we'll be going the same place. Oh dear, I've begun rambling."

About midway through his words, Siscarm had begun to pace in a circle again, which had thus far done nothing more than create an interesting pattern in the sand. At any other time, he'd have noticed the tone of the not-quite-red wolf's words, or maybe observed his body language in order to know that he did not, in fact, want to go anywhere but away from the eccentric wolf in his presence. And any other time, the elder would hae understood this and allowed the subject to leave freely. As things were, Siscarm neither noticed nor cared.

"Now then, where do we head to..." Siscarm made a sniffing noise, and looked towards the Southeast. Then, repeating the sound, turned to the Northeast. "I can't seem to recall correctly..." He stared over the one-dimensional sand, trying to piece something from nothing. "I seem to recall the Northeast...Yes, northeast. Probably over there somewhere, towards that mountain."

Though he had to squint to see the thin brown line that symbolized a mountain, it was visible to his eyes. For a half-second, Siscarm wondered what a mountain was doing in more or less the centre of a desert, then how he'd never gone there before. Maybe because he only headed to the boiling sands during the dead of winter, and even then only half the time.

"Come now, Novem, it's a good bit away."

That said, Siscarm set off at a good pace towards the appointed direction.

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ooc: I'll post again in the pre-existing thread, Kay?

[novem]

Novem watched the older wolf with weary eyes. What was there to be so eager about? He flipped his ears back regretfully, wondering what on earth he'd just agreed to attend to. You have to go through with this, he told himself sternly. Anyway, what's the worst that could happen? As Novem cautiously followed the pacing wolf with his eyes, he decided it would be best not to think about it. He knew exactly what was going on...he was forcing himself to socialize, whether he liked it or not. Regardless, he knew it would pay off in the end, one way or another. And, in spite of everything, Novem had actually grown someone fond of the older wolf, and didn't mind following him as much.
The bright, fire-hued wolf listened and looked on silently as the older wolf rambled on (more to himself than anyone else, Novem decided) and nodded in polite agreement where it was appropriate. His social skills were awful, obviously, but it was slowly coming back to him. He made an effort to stay focused on what the older wolf was saying, but it was difficult, considering the fact that very little of what the elder said concerned him. When he mentioned the location of where it was they were headed, though, Novem pricked his ears forward with interest and listened carefully.
"I seem to recall the Northeast...Yes, northeast. Probably over there somewhere, towards that mountain." Following the elder's stare, Novem turned his attention to the horizon. Narrowing his gaze slightly, he struggled only for a moment to see the sliver of a mountain against the sky line. Young as he was, his eyes worked flawlessly, though he would hardly have noticed; he spent very little time gazing out into the distance. Looking at the mountain now, however, sparked a sort of dull excitement within him, something he hadn't felt in the longest time. Maybe this little excursion would be worth it.
"Come now, Novem, it's a good bit away." By the time Novem looked back at the other wolf, he had already taken off. "Wait!"

[/color] Startled, Novem leapt into a quick jog, his black tipped tail trailing behind him. Afraid he'd lose sight of the other wolf if he lost focus again, he kept his gaze steadily ahead. Something good would come of this, he was sure of it. This was just his first step to learning how to live with others gain. Shaking the serious thoughts out of his head, Novem let a small smile play across his features as he fell into a steady lope to keep up with the other wolf. If anything, at least the run there would be worth it. [/blockquote][/size]

OOC|| Sorry this took so long, and sorry it's so bad. Midterms are sucking the life out of me...*shudders*
And I'll post after you do =D