It was all a mistake [open]

[dura]

Slender muzzle sank to the top of his paws as the young male dozed off. The huge expanse of water was lapping at sore paws, easing the soreness forth. For the time, his troubles remained at ease. What remained unknown to the young male was that he dozed off at the edge of low tide, the water would soon lift him into the water. Due to his worn muscles, the young pup just believed himself to be dreaming and was moving around in the rising water only in his sleep when he was doing so in the here and now. A breath of air turned out to be water and finally the male sputtered awake, his paws unable to touch any ground and he was far from land. He began to whine and cry, swimming hard towards the closest land. How he had remained asleep for so long was nothing short of a mystery.

The land was far and kept getting farther, the waves kept shoving him under and screwing with the poor soul's mind. Paws felt heavy as they hit a high sand bar, the tide had slowed down and within the hour would head back down. The red wolf remained with his legs locked in the sea, his brown eyes on the now far away homeland. When he did look around though, he found himself to be closer to another island. The half drowned rat swam for it after catching his breath. Towards the end he was only giving a half hearted paddle and breath, a wave shoved him up shore and the young pup blacked out, drop dead tired from his unwanted trip to another land. Now Dura was even farther from home and had no hope of finding his parents.

When he woke up, his coat was stiff with salt, every small move made the hairs crack and bend. Slender legs shoved out and forward, lifting the pup onto his tired paws and the male moved off in the night. The sand seemed to keep going forever even though he had left the sea far behind. Eyes were just slits as the long ears moved around, checking out the sounds of the night, the red male moved along faster when he thought someone was following him. It didn't take him much longer before he grew weary again and the haunch muscles began to cramp up and force the limbs to drag in the sand.

The stretch of lands was like home, sand and cacti spread before his brown eyes. With a warn out sigh, the legs buckled and eyes closed as the youngster rested in the night. Dura would of loved to hunt and fill his stomach with something other than the salt water he swallowed on his swim over. The time from loosing track of his small pack to now was a span of around two weeks. His stomach had only berries since, not many of them either. It was difficult to get anything to eat in the hot world of his life, but it didn't matter now. Times were changing and new foods would bee around that the male must eat or die since he saw no way home. Getting here was nothing but a mistake anyway... The sun rose on the young male and his brown eyes opened as he lifted his head, still tired, but awake again...

[savannah]

The sun seemed to rise swiftly, burning away what little dew that was collected upon the stones and dry grasses within less then two hour. Yet the desert never seemed to be called 'Lifeless'. Around three miles away from Dura was a group of small birds were near, their high pitched calls showed that they had found a small watering hole, fed only by a small underground stream. Yet the small birds happy and joy filled chirps and tweets stopped within moments, knowing that they were indeed being hunted be another, much larger animal...

This 'larger animal' that was stalking the small birds was called Savannah, an Arctic x Tundra wolf mix. The females odd pelt colors and marking gave her position away easily in the desert grasses, showing that once again, this hunt failed. A frustrated growl escaped her jaws as her sea blue shaded eyes watched the birds fly away with loud alarm chirps coming from them. "So much for that meal." Savannah mumbled to herself as she rose out of the patch of dried grasses, her torn ears aback showing that she was a bit frustrated at the birds leaving so quickly. Savannah's long legs carried her frame to the watering hole, her tail swaying with every movement that she formed. The females sea blue colored eyes darted from side to side, her pink tongue lapping up the cool water swiftly as she watched for any sign of other wolves. Savannah know that she was in another wolves land, she had come all of the way from Chamoru Plains to join the Zahir Pack, yet the thought of them rejecting her always lingered in the back of her mind.

Once Savannah was done with drinking a small bit of water she raised her head and started to walk deeper in the desert again. Her ears upright as she listened to the sheer silence of the desert, wondering a small bit if any others were near, and knowing that boredom was starting to set in. A sigh escaped Savannah's jaws, her torn ears went halfway back as she sat down on the hot sands, her head raised as she took a deep breath, a lonesome howl escaping her jaws within seconds. Her howl was loud yet smooth, it echoed though out the desert easily.

Now all Savannah had to do was wait. Would another wolf answer her call? Or would the howl once again fade into the four winds? Only time shall tell truly and the time is ticking...

[dura]

The whole up in the day thing was wearing on the pup, but his stomach wished food and so far it didn't look like anything would be around. Dura was still growing, but soon would be through with that. He still remained a pup though and his attitude showed it as he looked around with dark puppy eyes. Some birds a ways off burst into the air and settled down not super far away from him again. So, with his stomach on his mind, the male began to stalk them, his paws moving as quickly as he dared.

He tried his best, really he did, but he was still a greenhorn at hunting and failed when he burst forward. Front paws got under his back paws and he tumbled forward, doing a faceplant into the sand. When he looked up, the birds were gone and a small sigh left the pup. This was not as easy as he hoped. When he was busy spitting out sand, a howl broke the dead stillness of the place, echoing through his skull as the pup got to his feet and began to run. Nevermind the fact that he was still worn down and bruised from his little "swim" to this unknown place.

Dura almost tripped over a snake in the sand, but instead danced around it, excited at the chance of possibly meeting another. Maybe they could help him home is what he was thinking. It was just a small snake so he was able to pop its head into the sand after a few tries and kill it. Although he had no idea if it was safe to eat, he ate it anyway, giving his stomach something. It didn't taste that bad, but wasn't super filling, for now though, it would work. With his breakfast gone, he bolted off again, tossing sand up behind him. When he saw the other wolf in the distance, he barked a greeting and kept running.

Once he was closer though, the juvenile wolf slowed down and flopped over on his back. He wasn't stupid. Anyone could take him down, that wouldn't be hard to do at all. Eyes remained on the sky instead of the female nearby and he whined softly, wondering what was going to happen. At least being submissive wouldn't get him killed, well, hopefully not. Between his hind legs curled his tail as he held himself on his back, whining and whimpering softly to tell the other he was no threat. The worst thing he could do in this new place would be to make enemies so soon.

[irirangi]

The lure of a howl sliced through dead air, causing a few muttered curses to fall from the lips of one rather leggy femme. Irirangi was currently exhausted, having wandered though the large expanse of desert all night. She'd been making her way back to the dens, hoping to reach the safety of the volcano long before the desert heat became so unbearable it would claim her life. Now that didn't really seem like an option. Someone had called to the pack. Like it or not, the Maned fae couldn't just let the call go unanswered.

Not only was a stranger in their lands, but this stranger seemed to have no idea of how to properly nagivate a desert. For all Iri knew, this howling wolf was some fluffy nomad lost in the sands, on the brink of death from dehydration. Traveling through the Sands of Rodorr during the daylight hours was possibly the most dangerous thing in Anikira, even worse than the steadily building band of Knaves. At least Knaves could be fought or outrun. The desert sun was untouchable as Alya's spirit, however, and running only made things worse.

Silent footfalls shifted the sands as Irirangi detoured from her original path. She had been only a few miles from the shadow of Pievunt-An, its formidable form looming on the horizon. At her current pace it would have been easy to reach the volcano long before the heat reached its peak. Now, however, she needed to go rescue whoever may possibly be in distress. Rounding up loners had not been something she was looking foreward since becoming Zahir's beta. In truth, she hadn't really wanted to be part of the pack at all. It was hard enough taking care of herself given her preferred living conditions. Trying to take care of others who may or may not have any idea of how a desert truly functioned would be very difficult. And Iri had a strong feeling that some of any new members they received would be ill-equiped for their way of life. If Vee was willing to stick out the summer heat with his long coat, who's to say other winter bred wolves would not dare to do the same?

For once Irirangi was left completely alone. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of Alya during her evening exploration. The ghost had wished to make her own rounds, confronting old memories in silence. Zahir, afterall, had a history rich in misery. It was this past that still tied the former Iranian alphess to these lands, and now that the pack seemed to be relatively back on track Alya had realized that just maybe it was time to start making peace. Of course, her soul would never fully be put to rest until that dreadful Ardemu was dead. Reguardless, she'd still thought it a good idea to try and extinguish the other demons that plagued her spirit.

The absence of her otherworldly companion was actually quite the relief for the Maned femme. For the first time in a long while she could breath easily without having to worry about another breathing down her neck and criticizing her every move. She had been left to do as she pleased, though now her beta duties had taken away that priveledge. Iri really was a puppet of the Zahir pack, forced to do its bidding against her will in order to live a relatively peaceful life.

The red furred female was panting by the time she finally reached the source of the howl, the sun steadily creeping closer and closer to that high noon mark. In the distance she could see two forms, and it took her a moment to be sure she wasn't seeing some sort of mirage. As the forms grew larger and more distinguished with every step, her mind reeled at the idea that not one but two wolves had managed to strand themselves in her lands. If she didn't hurry and get them both to a shadier area soon, they'd all be crispier than burnt toast.

"Are you two lost or are you just dense?" she drawled, commanding the attention of the two strangers. Her head and tail were held high, annoyance flashing in her silver eyes as she took in their forms and scents. The female was definately of the fluffy variety, as Alya liked to label them. She probably had little experience with the desert lifestyle. As for the male... His breed hinted at a desert dweller but his misproportioned apperance told her otherwise. He was an overgrown pup, probably lacking enough experience to survive much longer on his own.

There was no question of Irirangi's dominance as she confronted the tresspassers with little empathy. Her first priority was to get them out of the heat. Then she could take the time to find out who they were and what they were doing wandering about the desert at such a dangerous hour. As it was, she was coming off rather bossy and indifferent, her words holding their usual sarcasm as she went about trying to get the strangers to listen to her orders. "Only those with a death wish would wander the desert at this time of day. If you'd like to not end up as raisons, I suggest you do as I say. I can get you to the Zahir dens, and then we can sort out the issue of tresspassing in the most dangerous section of the territory."

[dura]

Uh oh.... Another wolf can towards them and Dura seemed to try and shrink. The heat was annoying yes, but he was a pup, he would survive. Although some fresh water would be nice sometime. Now, was he lost? Yes, but at least he knew about the desert, he wasn't that dumb just because of his youth. When the female spoke again, his dark eyes looked at the upside down fox on stilts basically. "Sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to trespass, really I didn't. I don't even know really where I am. Sorry." If they were going somewhere, he needed to stand up then.

The young male rolled onto his belly, keeping himself flush with the sand and his tail still tucked under him as he waited for more instructions from the one who seemed to be in charge of everything. If it had been up to him, he wouldn't of been awake right now, but sleeping in the shade, it was just from before that he had woken up since he had been in the middle of nowhere, but out in the open. "...then we can sort out the issue of trespassing..." He whined softly and pulled his ears back, worry crossing his face. Trespassing...the young male gulped and rolled onto his belly.

The young male got to his feet and kept his head low, there was no way he was about to say anything against her word even though he had no idea who she was. All he knew was that she said he was trespassing and he felt crappy about it. Within a month he would be full grown, but he was still lacking in so much mentally. With his eyes low and head down, he mumbled a sorry and waited for her to go on and head to the dens so she could go on and yell at him for being so stupid as to trespass onto her lands.

ooc ;; sorry for the bad post, I saved it awhile ago and went back to it, that is why it is so bad...

[irirangi]

Irirangi's demeanor lightened slightly as the young brute stammered out a reply. She hadn't meant to frighten him. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had it been cooler out, she definately wouldn't have been quite so demanding. As it was, Zahir's beta was more concerned with letting these loners keep their lives. She did not want her family to be known for letting others perish at the hands of Nature, and she definately did not desire to see one so young succomb to the horrors of the desert sun. Beneath the cold, easily adgitated exterior that often dominated the Maned fae's behaviour was a creature that did indeed care. She just had trouble showing it most of the time.

Releasing a sigh, she lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes. They snapped open a moment later as she resisted the urge to grind her teeth together. She'd received no reaction from the fluffy femme, but at least the pup was cooperating. She knew she'd cut him a break once they were safely to the dens. He was young, inexperienced, and if he was out here alone then he must have been seperated from his family. She would help him. First... She just needed to bite back her frustrations long enough to ensure they made it safely back.

Looking over her new charges, the leggy female gave a curt nod of her head. At least they seemed to be listening, for the most part. "Stay close. There's no telling what would happen if end up really lost. We should be able to reach the dens before high noon." With that she turned on her heal and headed in teh direction of home. She tried to keep her strides even and measured in order to not pull too far ahead. Her longer legs made that hard, however, and periodically she would stop to make sure she hadn't lost anyone. Thankfully, the trip to the dens went relatively smoothly.