Not so calm and peaceful (Lukeri/open)

[persecutor]

Lukeri groaned inwardly, his great blue eyes glaring at the beach. He strayed closer to the water, but dashed further from it when the waves began to roll in, and the rain didn't help at all. One point he strayed way to close, and the water caught him by surprise, causing him to yelp and run deeper and further away from the beach. He looked down to see his paws wet, and he growled. "You have to be kidding me!" Lukeri shook his front paws, then his hind paws before looking around. He was in pack territory, no doubt, and he could be attacked at anytime.

[Kenren]

serran er rai

It had been a... very strange week, to say the least. Since the arrival of the goddess, Serran had heard stories, even in his isolated state, of the shock that had fallen over the land. Nobody knew quite where they stood, or what this new arrival meant for their world. Nature had always been a domineering mistress to them all, keeping them on their knees and properly respectful, but this was an altogether more tangible but no less powerful threat. Or that was how Serran saw it, anyway. She was completely uncharted territory. She offered them something new, magic, but no gift came without a price. Even if they didn't know it yet, it would somehow reshape their world.

Serran sighed, troubled, and weary from the act of being troubled. He'd been looking forward to a quiet life at Shore Woods, but no corner of their world was beyond the meddling goddess' reach. Whatever. Now he supposed he had some sort of magic himself, but he hadn't even tried to experiment with it yet. What use did he have to play with fire when he might accidentally destroy his tranquil woods?

Instead, he spent his time doing what he always had as a loner, with one variation. He hunted as normal, but now he also patrolled, idly spending his days jogging around and through the pack lands to make sure there was nothing amiss. It was because of this that he was on the beach, one of the most likely places where a traveler might be on the neutrally open territory. It wasn't so much about protecting boundaries as making sure he knew who was about. He didn't care if they were there, but he also needed to know who to be wary of.

The wolf he found this time seemed a little unsettled. Disgruntled, it appeared, by the sea's surf. Odd, but not altogether remarkable. "Anything I can help you with, or are you just passing through?" Serran asked bluntly, unable to hide the bit of bored monotony in the statement. He supposed his predecessors were probably more amicable sorts, but he wasn't going to sugar-coat when it was simply easier to get to the point.

persecutor ● Don't mind Serran, he's a grump.

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[persecutor]

Lukeri Naromil QUOTE MAYBE

Lukeri whipped his head around to see a male wolf. This male had gold eyes, and his coat was a mixture of pale orange, grey, and black, like other wolves Lukeri walked upon. He blended in with the environment unlike Lukeri's white, grey, and yellow tinted fur. "Oh! Uhm... Just passing though I guess." Lukeri spoke, his body slightly shaking. He glanced nervously at the male, then to the water. Lukeri forced himself to stop shaking and he introduced himself. "I'm Lukeri... What's your name? In case I ever find you again." His tail was in between his legs, and he waited for the male to speak.

Kenren

[Kenren]

serran er rai

The pale male was nervous, that was pretty obvious. But whether it was because of Serran's irritably intimidating demeanor or something else, the alpha couldn't tell. He didn't seem jumpy, necessarily, but he was definitely unsure of the situation. Which told Serran that he might be unused to others in general, let alone pack life. Interesting.

"Well met, Lukeri. My name is Serran, I'm the alpha of this pa... Well. I live here, anyway." He couldn't really say he was the alpha of a pack when there was no pack to be alpha of. Semantics. "Anyway, I'm not rushing you through or anything. You're free to stay as long as you like. That's just how this place works." Shore Woods was, and always would be, neutral ground. Historically, bad things tended to happen to those that tried to close its borders. Sickness, wild bear attacks, whatever. The alphas in charge would invariably die, and leadership would pass to their children or siblings. When the borders once again opened, things returned to normal. Whether it was just legend or superstition or that the gods were serious about what the pack stood for, Serran didn't know - but he did know that he wasn't going to take a chance. Not when someone came in good faith. Speaking of which, he should probably figure that out, shouldn't he?

"So where are you headed? Sharktooth?" he asked, referring to the island located just at the limits of eyesight on the horizon - the most common destination for those passing through the woods, to be sure. It was a dangerous swim, but not an uncommon one. Even as he asked, though, it didn't seem quite right. The wolf seemed to be eyeing the water with as much distrust as he did Serran.

persecutor ● --

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[persecutor]

Lukeri Naromil Here comes a thought.

"Me? Oh, oh absolutely not!" Lukeri let out a sharp bark, but lowered his head. "I-I mean no. You see I am deathly scared of water. I didn't know where I was going earlier so I somehow found my way here." His great blue eyes looked away, deeper into the forest. "How do wolves even live here, Serran? You have to travel rather far from this place to get fresh water, am I not mistaken?" Lukeri questioned, glancing warily at the water again before looking at Serran, a flash of fear showing before fading into a light of worry.

Kenren

[Kenren]

serran er rai

Huh. Well, it definitely wasn't the first time he'd met someone that didn't like water, but it was a bit more obvious in this wolf. It was terror rather than fear, it seemed, and he was very candid about it with a stranger. Serran couldn't necessarily blame him - he didn't particularly enjoy the idea of crossing the open water either. He'd have to at some point, he was sure, but that was something to contemplate in the future. For now, Lukeri. The large male sat down in the sand, gold eyes unoffended at what he was asked.

"Only me, mostly. Others come and go, but I'm the only one residing here full-time. Water's not much of a problem, though, we've got small tributaries that run to the sea." They could hardly even be called rivers - more accurately, they were creeks, trickling along in the warmer months. Winter was harder, of course - but when it was cold enough for the water to freeze, the snow always came soon after. And while it wasn't ideal, eating that snow could keep the wolves alive until the thaw.

persecutor ● --

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[persecutor]

Lukeri Naromil Here comes a thought.

Lukeri nodded, looking at the forest. "Of course. Why did I not know that?" His voice was soft, and he sighed inwardly. Of course he would not know, he was always inland! He shuffled his feet, and turned his body to face the forest. "Doesn't it get lonely all on your own?" Lukeri could hardly even think straight after what he just said. 'I live on my own as well, what even!' He looked away bashfully, but his blue eyes looked back at Serran.

[Kenren]

Serran shrugged - how was this stranger to know the finer points of his land? Somerset was so widely varied in terrain that there was plenty he himself did not know about it. Truth be told, he'd never been far outside of the central and western lands. The cold of the north and the heat of the south were unknown to him. As for being lonely... well, was he? It was true that he didn't particularly mind conversing with strangers when they wandered through, which in and of itself spoke toward him being at least a little put out about being alone. He wasn't a social creature by nature, after all. "I don't really mind," he said simply, but he didn't miss the way the other wolf averted his eyes. Well, that was interesting. He had no practice with all of this, but perhaps he should be taking this conversation in a different direction. "Do you? Mind being alone, I mean." He wasn't used to interlopers hanging around at all, or showing interest in anything other than traveling through his land. ----------- persecutor

CODING BY TEMPEST.

[persecutor]

Lukeri Naromil Here comes a thought.

Lukeri let his eyes wander before they snapped back to Serran's when he spoke. "Well, I've been alone for most of my life after a few....uh..." Lukeri paused , trying to find the words to describe the traumatic events of his puphood. "A few events in the past." He shook his head to get rid of the memories he had locked away for so long. He sighed inwardly, but kept his eyes on Serran. Dark thoughts and memories still hovered over Lukeri's head, but he still managed to say, "So I do not mind being alone." His mind then asked himself, 'Do you really like being a loner, or do you just want someone to stick with?'

[Kenren]

Serran gave a half-smile - after all, it was a common story. Even before he'd been an 'alpha', he'd been alone. Or rather, he'd been with his mother, for a time, but like so many he'd ended up alone to strike out his own path. In his case, he'd had a path thrust upon him, but really it wasn't so different. And he was no different than this stray, territory or no territory. The biggest difference was that he at least had that to offer. "Well, if you ever want somewhere to settle, know that Shore Woods is open to you. We don't have... some of the constraints, as it were, that some of the other packs have. Just think of it as a safe place to land, I suppose." He wasn't actively seeking out members to bolster Shore Woods, but he would always offer place if he could. He didn't look like a soft creature, and he wasn't, necessarily, but he had his own code he had to live by. ----------- persecutor

CODING BY TEMPEST.