it's a white forest thing /shri

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many moons have gone by since the last time scorchedfrost could remember talking to anyone. moons longer since he has been to his home: white forest. however, word on the island says there's a new wolf running the joint. lands getting claimed left and right; soon scorchedfrost would be trespassing everywhere he traveled. of course, joining a pack is always an option. ha, not really. not for this wolf.

crossing borders was nothing new to scorchedfrost; of course that;s how you have to get places in this world. walking up to the territory dubbed the dove hills, scorchedfrost caught the rather fresh scent of wolf. strange, how it seemed so familiar, yet so different. of course, he must've traveled this area a thousand times in his life time; maybe same-old scents are finally starting to register in his mind.

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Shri yawned as she lounged at the top of one of the taller hills. The sky was overcast, but the rain had stopped earlier in the day, leaving the land clean if not sunny. None had yet joined her pack, but she was content to wait. To be quite honest, she didn’t really look forward to dealing with new members, though she knew it would be a necessity. And what was the point of claiming land if there were none to share it with and to help protect it?

But as of now there was little for the alpha to do. Her belly full from the remains of a meal that now rested some feet away, she took the chance to simply relax from her duties of patrolling her territory. But at her deep inhale, Shri suddenly wondered if that had perhaps been a mistake. There was the scent of another wolf in the air. Paws pressing against the damp ground, she rolled to her feet, shaking the grass and dew from her coat in the process. She scented the air again, paying closer attention to the news the breeze brought her and somewhat confused when her gut instinct wasn’t to call the wolf a stranger. Well, this is new. Who are you?

The answer would not be found by waiting atop her hill. A frown on her face, Shri took off at a quick lope down to the foot of the hill, her steady stride eating up the ground beneath her. The stranger-not-stranger wasn’t all that far away and at the crest of the next mound she caught sight of a red coat below her. Unsure of just what made the sight so familiar, she hesitated slightly before calling out, "And what is your business here, stranger?” From this distance Shri could not make out his face, but she refused to give her advantageous higher ground away just yet.

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straightening his posture, he looked towards the direction of the voice. a female stood a ways away; just enough to make out her shape but not the details. "i am just passing through, as this is the shortest way to the black coast." his voice was calm and deep. had this territory been claimed too? or was she just naturally hostile? or... was there food nearby? no matter. scorchedfrost wasn't here to hunt. in fact he had eaten in bluebell meadows; literally just a few hills over. however, as she was now closer, the scent that came off her made scorchedfrost even more curious about her. he remembers a similar scent back at his birth home: white forest.

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The stranger replied readily enough, which Shri appreciated. He had yet to present himself in any sort of threatening way, and so she was inclined to believe him for now. But she couldn’t help but wonder if the familiar scent made her more accepting than usual. "I see," Shri said, voice detached as she began to make her way down the hill, green gaze glancing between both the steep ground and the male. "You should know this is pack territory now, stranger, and while I do not mind innocent travelers—" Her eyes once more darted from where she watched her footing to the wolf and her next words died in her throat. The wolf’s face was clear now that she stood nearer, and the familiar scent certainly made more sense now. "Well then. I haven’t seen you in a quite a while, Scorch," she said, a light tone of amusement weaving through her otherwise level voice.

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taken by surprise that the wolf had indeed known his name, he hesitated a response. oh, of course! it's shri kanti! scorchedfrost couldn't remember the last he saw her; it had been what seemed like a life time ago. "shri kanti." his tail did a slight wag at the reunion of his childhood friend. "it sure has been a while, hasn't it?" he offered a slight smile and took a pawstep closer. he soon then remembered his place, and withdrew his step, not wanting to offend the found alpha. "so, you now own this territory? well done." he complimented her on her new territory; it was a fine territory that offered lots of prey and land. although, she must get lots of loners like himself.

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Shri had always been a bit of a loner, but that did not keep her from valuing her friends nor did it mean she was incapable of being sociable. To unexpectedly stumble across an old friend was a welcome struck of luck. She sat, her entire body language switching to one of ease and trust as she regarded Scorch. At his words, she glanced around at the surrounding hills and let a small smile play at her lips. "Yes, I suppose I do. I don’t think anyone would have expected it of me." Her green eyes landed on him once again, and she frowned at the distance he kept from her. "Oh, don’t even start that ‘respect the alpha’ business around me," she scolded, her tone fierce to those that didn’t know better. But she’d known Scorch since they were young and she trusted he wouldn’t miss the warmth hidden underneath. "It’s not like we’re strangers. Now, tell me what brings you to the Dove Hills and what you’ve been up to."

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scorchedfrost smiled at shri, oh how he missed talking with her. "i am heading towards the black coast; i hear there was a beached whale; i'd love to see it and it would be an easy meal if it's there." he too, sat down. "opportunity for a free meal is always good, especially if you're a loner. well, you know." he blinked his icy blue eyes. looking over her, she had turned out quite beautiful from which he last saw her. she looked healthy, strong, and confident. "it's good to see you doing well."

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She listened intently as Scorch spoke, eager for news from an old friend, his familiar voice a comfort she didn’t need but certainly welcomed. The Black Coast was a land even further east than her own, and Shri couldn’t say that she had ever made it to those shores. The idea of seeing a whale intrigued her, as she had never seen one for herself. Scorch’s words had the wanderer in her wanting to pack up and leave just to see what could be found, but she could hardly afford to leave her territory unguarded for such an extended period of time.

Warmth filled her at Scorch’s sincere words. “Thank you, my friend.” A small, but genuine smile pulled at her lips. “It is good to see you as well.” She gave a short laugh. "These lands have probably made me soft—it’s not all that difficult to stay fed here! I think only the worst of hunters would find themselves starving in these hills. Which reminds me...” She looked him over with a critical eye. He had the look of long, lonely travel about him—something which Shri knew well. "You are more than welcome to any food and shelter you find here, now or in the future.” She met and held his gaze then, imparting sincerity with her next words. “And while I know you are a loner, my pack is always open to you should you desire a home."

ooc: Don't know if you really want two characters in Maira, but Shri wouldn't let Scorch leave without at least offering, haha.

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scorch dipped his head in gratitude. "i thank you for the offer, shri, however there's too much i want to see in this world." he said, then looking at her in a more serious tone, he added, "but, should you need an extra paw in fight, i'd gladly stand by your side." although he did somewhat long for a home, he wasn't done exploring the land. there were too many things that he had not seen that he wanted to, so settling down to one area wasn't set in his mind yet.

ooc: that's alright! who knows, maybe he'll return one day to stay. (:

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Shri smiled at his reply, not at all offended by his desire to explore more lands. She knew that feeling well, having only recently found the desire to have a home to be more appealing. There was freedom to be found in such a life though. Even if it was at times lonely and difficult, the lack of any ties to hold you back was tempting even now.

"I hope to avoid fights whenever possible, but thank you." Her gaze flitted briefly over the surrounding hills. "I have no desire to conquer others. There is nothing down that road except death." Her eyes hardened. "But I will protect what is mine," she added fiercely. She paused before looking at Scorch once more, a curious look on her face. "Do you think you will come through these lands again, before too long? I would like to see you again before too much time passes."

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scorchedfrost's tail wagged slightly. it made him happy that shri wanted to see him again. "yes, i do believe i'll come by these lands again." he smiled at her, and thought for a bit. last winter he had nearly starved, perhaps he would take shri up on her offer to stay. "...your offer, shri. last winter was rough; if your offer still stands by next winter, i may join your pack." he hated 'mooching' off others, but he couldn't afford another near-starving winter. "of course, i wouldn't do nothing if i stayed. i would hunt with pack to feed the pack."

ooc: i have like no muse; i'm sorry this sucks. Dx i figure that ej isn't coming back. it's almost been two months.

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A warm sense of relief filled Shri at Scorch's assurance that he would return. She counted very few wolves as close friends; it simply wasn't in her nature to offer that sort of trust to many. But she cared deeply for those she did count among her inner circle and valued any time she had with them.

"My offer will stand for as long as these hills are mine," she said firmly before a slow smirk spread across her face. "But I do have my doubts whether your hunting skills will be good enough. I hope you haven't gotten rusty since we last met," she teased.

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scorchedfrost chuckled and batted at her playfully. "rusty?" echoed the male. "i may not be lithe and agile like you, but my hunting skills have not withered since we were back home." he offered a smile to her before rolling onto his back; exposing his soft underbelly.