Strange and Unusual Places {ARCHIVE}

[Aurik]

It was almost a stalemate. The two wolves were so busy watching each other, the world could have imploded around them and neither would notice. Well, Roka probably would have noticed but unless it was right in front of the grey male, it would have gone completely unnoticed. In some ways, his deafness was a gift. He was able to see the best in others in a way that many could not because they overheard things. Wolves were fickle creatures, and it was hard to get a bad opinion of someone when one could not hear the other. It also kept him perpetually optimistic; never could one know when someone might need to hear uplifting words. Even if those words were not meant for the stranger, why would he sully the air with words not worth speaking?

It was days like this where Aurik's optimism paid off. It seemed that Roka was in need of a healthy dose of his happiness. While he continuously lived his life in fear of the wolves around him, he could not allow fear to rule him or he would never wake up in the morning. This time, his kindness had paid off. While it was only a temporary arrangement, he had the company of another wolf. Even better, this stranger was in no way related to him, so she was not even obligated to like him. It was encouraging to see that, perhaps, he did have some redeeming qualities to someone other than his mother.

"Where did you come from? You smell of the sea," Aurik offered quietly, his tail wagging slightly in response to Roka's own twitch. It was an encouraging first step. Perhaps, with time, he could integrate himself into this world as something more than just the strange loner that wandered the loner lands in hopes of finding his next meal. If Roka did not find him to be repulsive, why would anyone else?

Word Count: 325 words
Tags: Roka
Notes: Sorry, bad muse on this one.

[Roka]

Roka was a little startled by his question, blinking a few times trying to think about where she had come from. She knew where she had been born and where she had grown up, but she wasn't sure where she had been when the crash happened. She had ended up here because of the humans, but she had no idea where they had been taking her. They hadn't released her after she had healed, instead they had her loaded up into a metal box and sent somewhere. Roka couldn't smell anything but the salt so Aurik was probably right about her smelling of the sea. "I came from Russia. After cat attack, humans take me. Going somewhere new. Crash happened." She did the best she could to explain the events that had happened to her, but a few of the words she couldn't quite form. The crash had led to her being dropped here, and as much as she missed her tundra she wouldn't regret it. This land was beautiful in its own way, not like her tundra that was nothing but white and brown. She was still young and still had plenty of time to adapt to this new place. Plenty of life left for her to live.

She was curious about Aurik and whether he had been born here or if he was like her. A lost soul. "You? Where come from?", she wanted to know about him. For the first time in a long time she was interested in someone other than herself. She had spent so long in solitude with no one but her own mind to keep her company. She had chosen to keep herself isolated, whether by her own preference or out of fear, she didn't know. She had been running from the pack for so long, but now she was so far away from them she could lose some of her fear. She knew that there were probably other males here who sought to take advantage of her to further their line and their power, but none had come for her yet. She wanted to badly to have faith that this new life that she had found for herself would be better than the last. She liked her solitude, but there was also something to be said for the company of others. Aurik had caused her no harm and she was really enjoying their conversation more than most.

Aurik

[Aurik]

All that water was starting to make a lot more sense. As the male watched his companion's lips intently, he nodded his head in acknowledgement of her words. Of course she would be absolutely soaked. She had clearly come out of the ocean like it seemed so many others before her had. It was not uncommon for Aurik to encounter foreigners. It was not a bad thing, per say, but most of those wolves seemed to feel entitled over these lands when they had not been here their entire lives. Whereas Aurik could not see to find it in himself to possess anything, these strangers sought to form packs and claim territories all over the continent. With each encroaching wolf, there was less room for a loner like the grey brute to wander. One of these days, there would be no space left, and Aurik would either be forced into the ranks of a pack or killed. However, he truly felt the latter was more than likely the outcome.

As Roka inquired about him, he sighed softly. "I was born here. I have lived in this land ever since I was but a little pup. Not too long ago I wandered out on my own... I was tired of being a burden to everyone," he droned out, his ears falling back slightly. It was his greatest fear that after he left his mother's care, he would find yet another wolf to latch onto and it would be the same situation all over again. He could not find it in his heart to put anyone else out. It was why he avoided other wolves so often. Coupled with the fact that he nearly always got attacked by lone males, the mottled brute had little desire to interact with others these days. It was a cruel world out there. He would be the first to attest to that.

"But I find that the wilderness is very nice. It is always quiet, too," he chuckled softly at his own joke. It was always quiet in his world, no matter how hard he tried otherwise. His acceptance of his disability was one thing that no one could ever take away, though. While many other wolves fought to discover themselves or find their place in the world, Aurik was hyper aware of who and what he was. He did not see himself through twisted filters or the eyes of other. He was what he was, and that was not changing any time soon. Acceptance was the first step toward moving forward.

Word Count: 428 words
Tags: Roka
Notes: A little better muse this time around.

[Roka]

Roka enjoyed hearing about his history. It distracted her from thinking about her own. She didn't want to think about those who had tried to hurt her. Didn't want to reflect on the choices, good or bad, that had lead her to this place. She wanted to be content here in this new life. Roka wondered what it would have been like living here being raises by two parents with siblings. She had longed for brothers and sisters when she had been younger, wanting playmates more than anything. Instead she had grown up alone, raised by her father and the other pregnant and nursing females in the pack. They had been kind and raised her up the best they could, but their own pups always came first. Roka was always the last to eat, to be groomed, and the first to get discipline. She had always been accused of being too rough with the other pups, being too big to play with them. She had never forgotten those life lessons, that in a mother's eyes her pup always came first. Even when the new alpha had called for her life wanting to force her hand into being his mate. She had been raised to be ashamed of her parents and their rebelliousness. To turn her back on her blood. She hadn't realized how much power blood had until it had come knocking on her door. He had wanted her for nothing more than the power in her blood and she hated it. Aurik's life sounded like it had worked out a little better than her own. There was only one thing that caught her attention. "Burden?" Roka couldn't understand why he would call himself that.

Why would he think of himself as a burden? He just admitted that he was a skilled tracker. She couldn't wrap her mind around what would make him feel so negatively about himself. "Burden? I don't understand." She wanted him to explain why he would ever think of himself has a burden. Even when her father had turned on her, trying to rent her out as nothing but a broodmare she hadn't thought worthless or burdensome. A surge of some feeling she couldn't place rose in Roka. She might as well call it protectiveness. She didn't want Aurik to feel this way about himself. No one should have to feel like a burden. "This land wild and beautiful. Greener than Russia." Even now she could feel their conversation helping her. It was becoming less and less difficult to find the words she wanted to say and actually form them. A shiver of excitement stole up her spin and she felt pride in her chest. She was pleased that Aurik was here to help her improve, wanted him to keep talking about his life and the things that happened to him. For the first time in a long time she cared about someone other than her.

Aurik