Appreciating the Vast

Out on the plains, crossing through a cluster of little hills and shrubs, a brown male wolf was making his way slowly, thoughtfully, as though his life had never known a deadline. His legs swung easily, and his paws dropped and lifted with the gradualness of melting ice. His eyes, each a dull golden-brown, were on the distance around him, rather than on the dangerously-near corners and hidden spots behind shrub and boulder and dirt-mound. He was thinking, and his mind was far away.

It’s always the *interruption* that tends to grab one’s attention, isn’t it? he thought to himself dreamily. The agate among the beach-pebbles. The single cloud in the ceaseless cerulean sky. And here on the plains, the boulder that breaks the unending vastness. Fomoir gazed up at that empty sky, then out to the horizon beyond the hills nearby. Are you jealous, I wonder? Can emptiness be jealous…

He looked down to his paws to the grass… to the many varieties of the plants each vying for soil and air and water. An ant ventured over his left paw. No, not empty. *Alive*. Aggressively so. Concerned with the moment, with the food and the water and the enemies.

His agate-colored eyes swept up again, now to one of the interruptions he was pondering; a single, massive boulder in the middle of a wide flat expanse. It stood out, this boulder, for there seemed to be markings on it… scratches, or carvings, or moss, perhaps. There was something about it, so Fomoir decided he’d head there and take a look.

Seduced by the interruption. he thought to himself, wryly.

@Caera
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Caera hadn't strayed too far from plains, mostly because if this area was going to be her home, she wanted to learn the ins and outs of it. She was excited to see if Kore had recruited any more wolves for her pack. Her new leader seemed wise beyond her years, and Caera was confident others would see that. 

The boulder she first seen Kore upon stood just in front of her, and Caera trudged up to it, not realizing there was another wolf just on the other side. She leapt, easily clearing the height with her long legs, and landed on top. Her eyes instantly saw the male, and she froze, unsure if he was friend or foe. Kore hadn't technically claimed this land yet, but was it Caera's duty to ensure that others knew of their plan? Was it her duty to fight off those that would oppose? She kind of hoped not. Not making the decision yet, she waited to see what his response to her presence would be.

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Fomoir looked up as he heard the scuffle of wolf-pads on stone. He noted the absence of the sound of a growl, or the scent of markings or other signs of warning around the boulder. I *believe* I checked for markings... he thought to himself, knowing full-well he might've just breezed right past any such things in his meandering. Above him, the rich blue sky outlined the she-wolf, and from his exact angle that single interrupting cluster of clouds happened to be right behind her. The clouds were fluffy, and shapeless... At least, they were at the moment. He tried to picture this moment in his mind, locking it away in a mental box to inspect later, to see what shape the halo of clouds might take around this boulder-striding female. She hadn't spoke, so he felt the onus was on him to make words first.

Outwardly the male's hackles remained where they were during his brief moment looking at Caera, and his tail remained at ease. His ears perked forward, but not to the extent that suggested aggression or any desire to command this place. Fomoir spoke with a voice that had depth, but no edge; a voice of a lake with a frozen surface, or a night where the stars are out there, but covered in soft, obscuring clouds.

"Beg your pardon." he began, genuinely apologetic. "I came here to look at this stone, not to interrupt you in what you're doing." He said this as though he had some idea of 'what she was doing'. He certainly didn't, but somehow, he imagined he did, that of course this she-wolf was here on this boulder. "Do you mind if I...?" he asked, halting his question mid-sentence, as thuogh it should be obvious what he intended to do. He even inclined a shoulder toward the boulder, giving no clue as to what he actually meant to do.

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Time seemed to pause as the pair stared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do. Caera could see the lack of aggression on his part, and made sure not to show any of her own, though there was a bit of hesitation as to if she should be outwardly friendly just yet. 

He spoke, sounding as if he meant the apology. It was Caera needed for her tail to begin wagging and her ears to fold softly on her head. When he asked if she minded, it took her a moment to figure out he wanted on the stone. At least that's how she took his motion towards the boulder. Oh, sure! she said happily. It was an easy dismount to the ground, tail still waving as she took a few steps away from the boulder to give him room. I'm Caera, she said, introducing herself. Kore, my leader, is recruiting wolves for a pack that will claim this land, she said, her tone light as she attempted conversation, 

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Lidded eyes watched as Caera wagged, and headed down from the rock. Immediately, Fomoir responded in kind, absorbing the kind energy like a sponge. It was a welcome and warm sensation he felt. The feeling was briefly twisted by a little knot of guilt, as he realized he hadn't introduced himself. By her ascendance of the boulder, and then by her words, she had more claim to this place, and he was the interloper.

"Caera... Caera." he said, committing the name to memory, and linking it to the sight and scent of her. She looks like a Caera. he thought, despite having never seen a Caera before in his life. Perhaps that was how he was able to arrive at that conclusion. "A pack that will claim the land!" he echoed thoughtfully. "I have to congratulate you and the leader, Kore, then. I think this is a fine place. Since coming into it from the west, I've been eager to see it at night." He didn't ascend the boulder yet, and instead moved just a hair counter-clockwise, and slightly away from Caera, to inspect a little marking on the stone. He blinked at it, not sure if it was the scratching of a wolf's paw, or just the natural fault lines in the rock. The shape was reminiscent of an eye; a vague oval, with a circle-within-a-circle inside of it to represent the pupil and iris. Or... it was just a scratch.

Fomoir looked to Caera, curious about her, and the claim. He wanted to know more about a pack which would be as interested as he was in this patch of plains, but the symbol was stealing his attention away first. "Is this familiar to you?" he asked gently, and then backed away a step to give her the chance to see what he thought he saw.

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He said her name twice, which made her smile. She waited a moment for him to introduce himself, but it never came. Maybe he was nervous, or maybe he didn't want his identity to be known, Caera wasn't sure. But, she rolled with it. He seemed friendly enough, and wasn't taken aback by someone wanting to claim the lands, which told Caera he didn't feel he had his own claim to it. 

We could hang out until night fall, she suggested. Maybe Kore would come along in the time and meet the stranger-turned-friend-even-though-she-didn't-even-know-his-name. He approached the boulder, but didn't jump on it, as Caera had expected. Instead, he seemed to inspect a certain spot. Unable to calm her curiosity, Caera made her way beside him, trying to figure what he was looking at. Suddenly, he turned towards her to ask if it was familiar to her. She gave a slight jolt in surprise, but gathered her wits quickly. She looked at what she thought was a crack in the side of the stone, inspecting it closely. I think, she began slowly. It's a crack. She looked at him to see if he agreed.

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Fomoir came back in, giving the inspected spot a second look. His eyes narrowed, following the thing from one end to the other, gazing at the little settlements of moss growing up within the larger crevices. Up close, he imagined little forests in a canyon, outgrowths of life clustering together for the only deposits of soil and water available on an otherwise lifeless surface. And the lines of these cracks, worked by time and changing temperatures, angled and twisted and spawned new rivers of depth until, as a whole, they resembled an eye. And the meaning of it, a symbol of living sight worn into unliving stone gazing not up, but out.
 
Or not. It might just be a...
 
”Crack. Yeah. Yes, I think that’s a crack, also.” he said. Which was true, it did seem to be a crack, and not something carved deliberately. The meaning he assigned to the crack however, that ran far deeper. Somehow, Fomoir felt it would be rude to continue staring into the eye, so he looked away from it. Speaking of rudeness... he though to himself… You thought about telling her your name, and then you didn’t. You should correct that.
 
”Oh, and I’m still Fomoir. My name is. I am.” he rotated his head for a moment, as though trying to drain something out of his left ear. Nothing came out. The she-wolf had mentioned a pack, earlier, and he wanted to know more about it. ”Do you know, Caera, if this pack that Kore leads accepts temporary members? Short-term visitors in the territory? I’d like to stay longer than one night. A few cycles maybe.” His nostrils quietly flared, taking a moment to draw in the scents here closer to the boulder. He smelled her, of course, and maybe a few other wolves here and there. A coyote or two, and some burrowing creatures, a stinky little snake, bugs. ”I’d contribute to the pack of course. I can do a few things.” His claim that he could ‘do things’ might have sounded a little detached, as though ‘doing things’ wasn’t something he considered terribly important. It was unclear.

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Caera didn't have the same feelings towards staring at the rock because she didn't think it had feelings. It was just a rock to her. Her tail wagged when he introduced himself. Nice to meet you, she said with a smile. She rather enjoyed meeting new friends.

Her head tilted a bit when he asked about Kore possibly accepting temporary members. Her expression was thoughtful as she mulled over his question. Well, I wouldn't see why not, so long as you pull your weight. Kore seems like the type of wolf who goes with her gut, so if you make a good impression, you'll have a better chance of her saying yes, she explained. But, I can't say for sure, she added. She didn't want to speak for Kore. I could howl for her and we could ask. Worst she says is no, Caera offered. 

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”Yeah, we are meeting.” he said, as though it was just occurring to him that this was their first time encountering each other. ”It is nice." he confirmed. "Running into other wolves isn't always this polite. I really prefer it this way, the talking way.”  

He listened carefully as Caera shared further, eyes on her body language, and briefly on her tail, trying to get an idea of this interesting wolf out here at the boulder. ”I’d love to see what Kore’s gut has her say, certainly. If her gut declines, I’ll respect that.” Though he said he’d respect the decision, his lackadaisical air did seem to fade into disappointment at the prospect of having to leave. ”If you don’t mind howling for her, I’d appreciate it.” His eyes widened then, and he raised his head. ”Oh, Caera, I can cover my ears if it’s a secret howl. Or uhh...” he looked left and right, brow furrowed. ”Maybe a hole I can bury my head in. Respect the privacy of it.”

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Caera smiled when he agreed that it was nice that they met. She really felt the same way about friendly wolves. Meeting surly wolves was never fun, and Caera much preferred wolves like Fomoir. 

She couldn't help but laugh when he said he wanted to know what Kore's gut would tell her. Caera hadn't meant that literally, but to think that it actually would tell Kore one thing or another was funny to think about. More giggles fell from her maw as Fomoir asked if it would be a secret howl. No, silly, she said with a smile. Not private at all, she promised. She tipped her head back to call for @Kore, then turned back to Fomoir. If she's around, she'll come, Caera was sure. 

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^^

The call from Caera came without expectation though once the sound touched her ears, Kore's smile turned from pleasant to affectionate. Not at all bothered to hear the summons, the girl drew herself from her lounged position, watching the horses graze in the distance. They were interesting beasts to watch, powerful and graceful in their own right and though she could have lounged in the sun watching them for the rest of the afternoon, Caera had called her. Kore wouldn't keep her waiting. So she swept down the hillside with a light wag to her tail, casting one last look to the grazing horses before she turned away completely and set off to where Caera's howl sounded from and where her scent grew the strongest.

Not long after did she spy her and with her she had company, a man of similar colours decorating his form and Kore pressed on, intrigued. "Caera," she cooed softly as her ears perked, her petite paws carrying her closer with a genial wag of her tail. "You have company," the girl stated airily as she turned her mismatched gaze to the man, who's fur now up close didn't hold the delicate red shades that Caera's did. He reminded her of the desert, tawny and sandy. It didn't seem that Caera held any signs of distress so Kore cooed her next words with welcome, "it is lovely to meet you, my name is Kore," she dipped her head in greeting, wondering what would happen next. ^^

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Fomoir did not try to cover his ears as Caera made the call. He made a note to listen to the sound, then, to the tone and to the way Caera worked her throat as she howled. It was a fine call, he thought, one that made him imagine a wolf calling for friends, and his tail set to wagging. The open plains carried the noise and, apparently, successfully reached Kore.
 
Where Caera’s fur was a fine red tan, tinged with cream and some brown not too dissimilar from Fomoir’s own earth tones, Kore’s fur was in shades of auburn and flows of red, emphasized by a white fur on her undercarriage. Even the fur outlining the insides of her ears was white. To Fomoir, Caera was a mountain sunset; all red tans and bright mountaintop stone. Kore was fall leaves above, and cold winter snowscapes below.
 
Fomoir remained seated, tail wagging politely, as the she-wolf drew nearer. He was still a little dusty from his travels, and had enjoyed chatting further with Caera as they waited, so his demeanor was all positive. He dipped his own head, matching her depth.
 
”Hello.” he said easily. ”Thank you for coming, Caera kindly put the call out on my behalf.” His voice was relaxed, but present and in the moment. ”I was out here looking at this boulder, checking out a marking on it, and she and I met. I’m interested in looking at the rocks out here, stargazing at night, and seeing what this land has to see, so I wanted to ask your pack’s permission. Join up for a little while, or however long.” He thought about this for a moment, remembering that yet again, other wolves didn’t know his name unless he remembered to tell them. ”I’m Fomoir. And I can do things. Hunt. Patrol. Carry my weight. I won’t be a drag.”

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It didn't take long at all for Kore to arrive, and as soon as she was close enough, Caera's ears folded softly, her head lowering and her tail wagging fiercely as she approached Kore, her intent to bump her nose against Kore's cheek in a friendly greeting. After, she would quickly retreat to give the she-wolf her space. 

Her gaze went between the two as she sat back on her haunches, her tail sweeping the ground behind her. Talking was already underway before Caera could make introductions, but she hoped that was a good thing. Kore seemed friendly, and Fumoir was open about his intentions. But, how would Kore feel about a temporary pack mate? Caera could only wait to see. 

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^^

Kore's smile would beam across her features as Caera approached her and gave her the familiar similar greeting as when Kore had welcomed her into the Pack. She leaned into the touch of her nose and wagged her tail, mismatched gaze watching the dusky woman as she retreated a few steps. The man spoke and Kore would draw her attention to him, settling on his burnt touched orange gaze. He was to the point, not mincing his words as he spoke of enjoying everything the lands had to offer, the dancing stars of the night sky whilst holding a tie to Greenwood for however long he intended to remain. She smiled softly, thinking that it was, perhaps, a chance that he would never leave but if he did, she only hoped that they had forged a friendship for a life time.

"I appreciate your thoughts to return help in order for permission to remain with us," Kore cooed softly. It was a good sign and so far, the man had not rubbed her the wrong way. Willing to give a chance whilst she was not immediately put on edge by his presence, Kore would nod her head in agreement. "We are fresh and would appreciate your abilities, perhaps you might find some joy in patrolling and finding every nook and cranny to explore whilst you are at it," the girl mused, knowing that patrolling would mean knowing every part he could and in doing so, he might find things out before others. "We all hunt though certainly others it comes to much more naturally. See how you go with the patrolling, Fomoir, perhaps you might find your calling," the stars would have not put their paths to cross if there was not something there.

A lesson, a bond, something -- nothing was done without reason. "How does that sound to you?" ^^

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The answer came in wags before it came in words. Fomoir nodded with acceptance, panting a little, despite his usual relaxed nature. ”That’s perfect for me. I like nosing around. Thank you Kore, Caera. If the pack calls any conferences or meetings, I’d love to be invited.”

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