Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2014 13:33:35 GMT -5
The sand beneath the wolf’s paws shifted beneath his hefty weight. His tongue lolled from the side of his mouth as the sun blazed down on his back until he felt as if he would catch fire. Midday was a difficult time for someone with such a heavy, dense pelt. Summit felt out of place every day, as if he was bred to live somewhere very different than Kal’dyne’s merciless humidity. The young wolf’s experience with other wolves had been limited to his own family and pack. Still, he was in no place to turn down any help that passing wanderers might offer him. The problem was, he hadn’t found any strangers of his species.
Summit had been wandering Tas’alea for several weeks now, aimlessly searching for his errant sisters or any sign of a friendly face. He couldn’t guess how many times he had circled the island. So far, he hadn’t encountered any other wolves. If they were out there, they were doing their best to avoid the large Arctic wolf, uninterested or even unnerved by his lone presence. The scent of them teased his nostrils around every corner, lingering in each location that he explored. His trek eventually brought him to the only link that joined Tas’alea with the much larger island called Anikira. Here, many distinct lupine scents littered the vicinity, each of them foreign. Summit knew that each step would take him closer to other packs, and further away from his old existence. That life was gone now.
Ready or not, Summit realized, it was time to move on.
He inhaled a deep breath, but his paws refused to budge. It was exciting, a new start, but something in the male caused him to hesitate. His mother had told many stories of Anikira, the place where she was born, but Summit had never ventured far from the invisible border between the Waryck Jungle and the rest of Tas’alea. What knowledge he had of Anikira was limited, though his mother had instructed him on the uses of herbs that were found only there. Otherwise, it was a place he had dreamed of, almost mythical in his imagination. There were so many more wolves, different kinds of areas – everything from arid deserts to lush forests, to snowy peaks just begging to be ascended by those brave enough to climb to the frosty summits. Now, he stood at the volcanic ridge that would carry him to a new life.
He cast one last look over his shoulder, a final, silent goodbye to the home he had once known. Voluminous white clouds were forming, sneaking closer to hide the afternoon azure sky. An ivory ear flicked as a sound caught as his attention, and his gaze lingered behind. Slowly, the large wolf turned, looking curiously into the distance to see who was close by. A soft ocean breeze from the west carried the distinct scent of another wolf mingling with the salty smell of the sea. Soft goldenrod eyes scanned the surrounding area for any sign of life, optimistic that here, finally, he would find someone with knowledge of the lands that lay before him.
With his tail hanging placidly behind his pale form, his stature suggested what was true about the wolf. There was not a dominant bit in Summit’s personality, and his stance was deferential. Whether it was an alpha or a loner nearby, he would show the stranger his respect from afar, his head ducking slightly. The possibility of hostility was an afterthought. Summit was a sizable fellow, capable of defending himself if the meeting should turn violent.
word count: 604
@wolfangelgirl