A Mind Like Mine [Open]

[ereyu]

Ereyu walked hesitantly through the misted woods, each crackle of a leaf under paw causing him to jump feet into the air. He whimpered, gazing from tree to tree, as if each one were a person speaking to him. ”I know where I’m going!” he snapped at the nearest one, scoring a paw across the rough bark. In his mind, the tree screamed and began to bleed profusely, begging for mercy. It was then that Ereyu fell to his knees, whining, ”I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, it was an accident! Please don’t hurt me!” The trees were moving in, closer, closer, their branches swaying down, down, down…They were all ready to gobble him up! They clawed at his face, his eyes, and he screeched and fled blindly, his eyes firmly shut tight. It was amazing that he did not crash into a tree; as soon as he thought of the word ‘tree’, one came flying out of nowhere! BAM! Ereyu crumpled to the floor, groaning, his eyes watering now.

’Nice going, idiot.’ A voice taunted somewhere nearby. It was the tree he had smacked into. ’Now you’ve gone and hurt me too!’ It cried, starting to sob and wail. Ereyu could only whine and shake himself as he got up, mumbling an apology before he hurried on his way. His tail curled underneath his belly, and his ears lay flat upon his skull as he traveled deeper into the woods. He’d smelled a border earlier; he’d run right through it. A short howl announced that he was here. Oh no, he could not forget pack etiquette.

Never in his whole life would he wish to trespass. It had been a complete accident this time. It t as the trees fault! They were the ones chasing him in the first place! A soft sigh and the Maned brute lay down in the leaf litter. It had been a long day, and he was tired. Yawning hugely, Ereyu lay his head on his paws and closed an eye; he’d need the other to look out for other wolves!

[drake]

Drake snarled softly, as he watched the bumbling wolf in front of him, hidden by a mixture of fog and bending trees. His lips curled up to show his sharp incisors, all indications of his anger. The small brute was cowering to the many tree’s that surrounded him, saying something that sounded like a pitiful plea for help, yet Drake didn’t move an inch. The wolf had cried, sobbed, and whined to the trees before letting the pack that owned these lands no he was there, and that alone was enough to convince Drake to not approach him. He had not planned on allowing the pack to know he was there, but had intended to pass quickly and carefully through. He seemed to do things at random, no plan, no real thought, and that was one of the few things could frighten him. Planning was succeeding, at least, that’s what he had always thought.

A shift of dirt in the corner of his eye caused Drake to turn his head, focusing on a mound of leaves that continued to shake softly from within. Finally, out burst some type of small creature that darted away. Sighing silently, he turned back to the noisy wolf that had managed to disrupt his walk, only to see that he seemed to have stopped to rest. Narrowing his eyes, he continued to watch him for a few more seconds before walking out into the opening with his head held high, ears pointed forward, and legs stiff. If he was going to be here for a while, he would need to meet someone. That was the first part of his major plan.

“Hello. My name is Drake. You seemed to be having trouble with these…trees. Might I ask for your name?” Drake asked politely. He had decided that being kind would work in his favor. Sure the brute was a little strange, but he didn’t see like he was mean spirited, and it was best not to seem that way himself.

First impressions were everything, after all.

[ereyu]

When the wolf came from the shadows, Ereyu jumped up, surprised, his eyes widening as he took in the large Mackenzie Valley brute. ”Oh! Hello!” he woofed with a smile, bowing his head respectfully. He wasn’t sure if this wolf was a part of the pack or not, but might as well show him some respect anyways. Ereyu wagged his tail in greeting and, at the mention of trees, he shrugged. ”Yeah, they’re too close together,” he joked, chuckling softly. His whole manner changed with the appearance of this wolf. He was no longer the pitiful thing he’d been minutes earlier; he was calm, cool, and collected. Ereyu stretched slightly, yawning again before he spoke. ”My name? Oh, I’m Ereyu,” he barked, bowing his head again in greeting this time. He pronounced his name as ‘Air-you’, but he didn’t really care if the wolf, Drake, got it wrong.

Ereyu sniffed the floor, letting out another howl. Where was the blasted pack? ’What, are you scared of these misty woods?’ the voices teased. He whined internally and retorted, ’Of course not! I just want a home!’ He looked back up at Drake and asked, ”So, do you live here? Are you looking for a pack? I’m looking for the pack here…” He trailed off, because the voices interrupted him. ’Can’t survive without a pack…’, ‘Poor little Ereyu!’ and one screamed, ’You little chicken!’

He whimpered again, though this one came out into the air, breaking the silence now. All of a sudden, he snapped back into reality and grumbled, ”Wish the Alpha would hurry up. I’m getting sick of waiting. Drake, where do you come from?” He stood, wagging his tail joyfully once more, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Ereyu hoped Drake didn’t mind that he was talking a little bit much; he hadn’t had much company since he left his home. Drake was the first one he’d come across in a while, and it felt good to talk and be a little playful again.

[drake]

It was clear to Drake that whatever has been bothering Ereyu seemed to have passed. He was much more calm, and quite frankly, this made having a conversation with him much more bearable. He was still a little antsy, waiting for someone from the pack who owned this land to come and greet him. He could understand that, feeling a tremble in the pit of his stomach as well. They were taking much too long, he decided, even though he had no clue how these packs handled their business. “If I were in charge, I would make sure to-”, with a small sigh, Drake shook his head clear of the poison thoughts. It had been happening frequently. No matter what he was thinking about, or what was happening, it all came back to what it would be like for him to be the leader for once. He would not lie, being the boss of a strong group of wolves was his ideal future, but now was not the time. Especially when he had company.

Drake un-knowingly let his head slump forward for a few seconds, before jerking back up to ponder the questions he had just been asked. He wasn’t quite sure where he lived. He had been on this island for a about 3 days now, and his day consisted of him waking up, hunting, walking, resting, walking, then sleeping until morning. He hadn’t planned on joining any pack, more in the market of having his own, but he knew that could and would take a while. Joining a pack now for support was the wisest thing to do.

“I’m quite new here, so I have no home yet, and yes, I was hoping to join whatever pack resided here.” He answered quickly. There was silence until Ereyu whimpered lightly, commenting on how the Alpha was not here, before asking his next question. Where was he from? Drake had to think before answering on the grounds of him not knowing himself. Losing the family he had, being hunted, sold, and hiding away on a ship were all he remembered of his past. After a minute or two, he answered quietly, “I’m… not sure.”