Gust of time [Tagged]

[Deleted]

It took few hours for the blizzard to stop raging on. Hiding inside a small burrow, Veter was patiently waiting for the snowstorm to end. Unfortunately, the constant sound of wind and snow dancing around made it impossible for the elder to find any kind of sleep. After making sure that the blizzard was gone, the male peeked out and felt the breeze hitting his muzzle. And it was cold. Stupid winter, he thought to himself. It was really his least favorite season. It was cold, everything was white and dead and did he mention the cold? Digging himself out of the burrow, the wolf took a deep breath and then made his mind. Peeking outside for a second, he saw that it was now night time. Good, his favorite time of the day. He was going out tonight, he had to. He just couldn't make himself stay in one place for too long, it was against his nature.

It took him a moment of hesitation for him before taking one big leap out of the safety of the burrow and into the thick layer of snow. It would have been worse in the day with the sunlight reflecting into that icy snow. And that's also why he hated winter, too bright for his old eyes. Shaking his whole body to generate some body heat, Veter then sat down and looked up at the night sky. The moon was at her first quarter and the star were bright now that the clouds disappeared with the blizzard. Then, a gust of wind made the fresh snow dancing around him and it made him close his eyes. It wasn't very pleasant to say the least but he really had to go out of his comfort zone. Opening his eyes, one at a time, he looked at the stars and the moon hoping that they would guide him tonight as they did so many times before. Or at least, he always thought that they did, but it could well be just in his head.

After a moment of silence a distant howling could be heard. A very faint one as well. Veter looked at the general direction of the howling and looked at the stars once more. "Guide me." He whispered to the sky. Waiting for a moment to see if there would be another howling, the lone wolf came to the conclusion that it wasn't a pack howl. This one was alone and maybe lost. Maybe he or she got stuck in the blizzard and was now looking for his pack or just some help. It took a moment of hesitation for him to howl back and then start moving.

His first steps were heavy and sank deep into the thick layer of snow making him walk very awkwardly at first. It took him few more steps of trying to find a good way to walk, more or less. With a soft breeze hitting his body, the male did his best to move in the meadow. Looking up to make sure that he was indeed moving in the right direction, Veter had to slow down after few minutes of tedious walking. It was mostly due to the lack of sleep combined with the thick layer of snow. His old body wasn't made to travel in such fashion anymore. As he began slowing down and breathing heavier, he began talking to himself. "Go on, Veter." He whispered to himself. "This is not the end for you." His eyes were full of determination after saying those few words. "Now is not the time, you will keep on." And with that, the old wolf began walking faster and faster.

It would take him few more minutes before truly feeling the soreness in his muscles. He had to stop now or he would burn himself before the daylight. Slowing down to an halt, Veter laid down on his belly, closed his eyes and tried to calm his heart. It seems that he just didn't have as much stamina than he did years prior to this day. But he wasn't going to stay down for long. While his body was sore, his mind was burning. He is going to give it another push but he just needed a minute or two to catch his breath. He could hear his heart beating strong and also steps softly crunching the snow.

What he didn't know was that there was someone else close by, very close by to him.

Meds

[Meds]

Pan;

The moon wasn't all that different from the sun on nights as clear as this—and especially not when a thick blanket of white covered the ground. Pan's eyes were wide, and he was on the run. Nothing was chasing him, per se, but he was running anyway. His young body was full of life, and his mind had not allowed sleep that night. There were too many interesting things going on for sleep. For example, just a few minutes ago Pan had encountered a pair of bucks rutting. He hadn't been able to pass that opportunity, of course. A few barks and swatted snow later, and the bucks had been chasing him.

That was a while ago though, and now he was just running because he could. The snow was starting to get deeper though, and especially considering his short body, he was starting to struggle. The moon was bright and he could see perfectly, but the act of physically having to leap for every step was tiring.
After a few more minutes of this, Pan slowed down. His heartbeat was loud in his ears, but not so loud that he couldn't hear a howl, far in the distance. He had just decided to ignore it and press on, when another howl much closer at hand sounded in reply. A grin spread across Pan's face, and suddenly he felt a second wind.

Moving right back into his strange hop-stepping through the snow, Pan quickly closed the distance between him and whoever had replied. The trees aroud him thinned, and soon he was at the outskirts of the meadow; at least, he was pretty sure it was the meadow. With everything covered in snow, it was a little hard to tell.

A wolf was struggling through the snow, but in a different way than Pan had. This wolf was larger than averagem and considerably larger than Pan, and the smaller wolf could tell that the stranger was strong (or at least, had been once). No, this wolf's struggles seemed to be coming from within. A few steps closer, and Pan could tell that he was an elder. He was mumbling to himself, urging himself on. Pan's smile widened.

"Not the time for what?" He echoed, making himself known and trying to surprise the stranger all at once. He leapt ahead and sat down to look at Veter. The snow rose almost to his chest. "Not the time for you to die?" Pan gave him an overexaggerated up-down glance, then tilted his head to the side. Hsi face was grave, but his eyes twinkled. "I wouldn't be too sure..."

[Deleted]

Veter instinctively lifted his head to see who leaped forward to meet him. His yellow eyes blinked twice to make sure that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. After a moment of silence with just him basically studying the younger wolf, he came to the conclusion that the newcomer was very much real. A bit small though. But then, most wolves were small compared to him. But this one was noticeably smaller than the other he met that wasn't a pup. But maybe it was just his tired eyes that made him look smaller. The elder lifted himself for a second only to fall down on is belly once more the second after. His body was still a bit tired from that traveling.

"Indeed." The lone wolf simply said. He took a moment to calm his heart and then turned his head around to face the younger wolf. "It is not my time to go, not yet." He then said very calmly. Taking one deep breath, he stood on all four for few seconds and shook his body to remove some of the snow stuck on his fur before sitting down face to face. He looked at him, tilting his head a side like he did and then chuckled. He took a moment to look up very quickly and stared at the moon. "So this is where you want me to be." He whispered to himself very low. But maybe not as silent as he wanted it to be. Some wolves might find it strange or funny that someone looks at the sky like the way he do but for him, it made sense, very much so. Maybe it was him that howled earlier, or maybe he just happened to be in his path. None the less, he wasn't going to argue with the stars, if he met him, there must be a reason for it.

"You seem almost happy to see an old wolf struggling in such harsh weather." He then say with a serious face as he lowered his head to see him in the eyes only to chuckled a second after. It was just how open he was when he made himself known. Jumping and maybe curious? It was hard to tell from the position he was earlier. "I see that you are young and full of spirit." It was a compliment from the older wolf. All he really knew what that he tried to surprise him, which he did, like an young pups trying to trick their elders

"My name is Veter." He would present himself proudly as he stood very straight with his tail high. "Would you mind telling me your name, little one?" He only called him little because of his size and not his age. While he was smaller, he didn't look very young nor old. Just somewhere in between. Waiting to see if the other wolf would reply to his request, Veter would then ask another question. "Are you alone, or perhaps lost?"

[Meds]

Pan;

Veter was large, Pan had been right. Old though, as well. Pan was two for two so far. The elder replied easily to Pan's jibe, and then looked up at the moon. Normally, this wouldn't have struck the younger wolf as odd, but then Veter whispered to it. Pan snorted in laughter, throwing his own head up to look at the moon as well. He tilted his head and let one navy blue ear droop down. Whispering to the moon? Howling, Pan understood—but speaking to it directly? Perhaps this old wolf was cracked in the head.

"You seem almost happy to see an old wolf struggling in such harsh weather."
Pan chuckled, his voice light, care free, and with just a hint of mischief.
"I was struggling too—" He shook himself violently and managed to make some sort of cave within the snow. "But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't entertaining to watch you struggle as well."

So the elders name was Veter. It was an odd name—Pan hadn't heard one like it before; and yet, it seemed to suit him. Common at first glance, but given more thought, perhaps a little bit mysterious. Not without its own story. He then asked for Pan's name, and called him little. Small, perhaps. Younger than his current company—maybe. But little? Pan bristled at once in mock-offense.
"How patronizing of you. Why, if I was a very different kind of wolf, I might just excuse myself after that. Or attack you." His eyes widened, but the red one twinkled in his jest and his smile was sharp and sudden in the light of the moon. "I'm Pan." He lifted his head, and the wind pulled at the longer hair on the back of his neck and back.

Then the elder asked if he was alone. Pan gave an exaggerated look around, then acted surprised that company hadn't popped out of the snow like daisys. He smacked his lips then turned back to the elder with an innocent smile.
"Why, wouldn't you know it, I think I am alone!" He laughed quietly, the sound like a dancing light in the dark. His tail wagged under the snow, lifting a slight mound of it behind him. "And lost? No! I've never been lost." A beat. "Sometimes I'm just not sure where I'm going—but isn't that half the fun?"

[Deleted]

Veter laughed softly upon hearing that he did had some fun watching him struggle in the snow. At least he was being honest here. Which was a good quality to have, even if it might not be always welcomed by some. The elder was one of those who preferred someone to be honest rather than trying to hide the truth, however harsh it is. It was amusing for the larger wolf to hear that if it if were for a different wolf, he might have attacked him. He wasn't the kind of wolf to back off a fight, if it were to happen. But it didn't and it was better that way.

"Pan." He repeated after him. It was a nice name, simple to say and to remember. "It is nice to meet you, Pan." And he sat down now that presentations were made. The wind also made his fur dance around and it even made him close his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath after the gust of wind and felt the cold filling his muzzle. It was kind of refreshing now that his body got used to the temperature. Hopefully, it wasn't going to drop any further. The night was young but it should get warmer, if only slightly.

"Quite honest and the jokester, are you?" He asked knowing the answer. "It is good a good quality to have, both of them." And he smiled and chuckled quite entertained by the smaller wolf. The wolf waited to hear what Pan had to say about himself before speaking some more. "So you are always alone, are you not?" He would ask with curiosity. He didn't seemed to belong in a pack, but looks could be deceiving. But he also looked like he was quite happy being alone, or maybe somehow amused by seeing the elder.

Veter couldn't help but to laugh again. Indeed, one is never lost if they don't have a destination. He had to agree to that seeing that he too spent most of his life traveling from places to places without any real destination. Wandering could be the right word here. "Wise words you speak there, young one." He said before looking at the sky with s smile on his face. He took a second to enjoy the constellation before turning his attention back to Pan. "So did you know where you were going?" He would then ask. He still wasn't sure if he were the one to howled before but he didn't felt like asking.

[Meds]

((OH MY I'm SO SORRY I thought I was checking this regularily for your reply!!))

Pan;

Pan waited patiently, somehow, for the elder to respond. He certainly took a long time thinking about what he was going to say before he said it. What an interesting concept... Maybe Pan should try it sometime...
So according to him, being honest and being a jokester wre good qualities to have. Well, he would know, wouldn't he? He had to be... what? Six? Seven? Pan's forehead creased as he tried to size up the older wolf.

When Pan had said his piece about never being lost, it earned him a laugh. His chest swelled almost unnoticably. Pan was happiest when making people laugh. He shook his head to downplay the straightening of his shoulders.
"Not exactly," He started, mismatched-eyes dancing. "But a moonlit night, a barely contained blizzard howling at the base of my den, fresh snow falling... Why, it's downright romantic out here." It was obviously sarcasm, but he smiled as he said it. Truthfully he hadn't had any idea where he was going. That was Pan's way. He woudl travel and travel, going on until he met someone who inturupted his forward momentum. He would stop, talk, then move on again. He was wild at heart, and not having a plan sometimes made everything seem more fun.