Love at first sniff?(Forte)

[zaharia]

Violet trotted into the clearing, shaking out her fur roughly and bits of mud flew from her once light colored coat. She had tripped over a tree branch and rolled through a puddle of mud on her way here, but it was to cold out to jump in a river and now he has to figure out how to get clean with out filling her mouth with the taste of dirt. She huffed and plopped down on the ground before shaking her head roughly again to try to throw some of the dirt off her ears. At least it had stopped raining. Maybe when her fur drys she can scrap herself along a tree till it shakes off.

[forte]

The weather on this autumn day perfectly matched Gren's mood: gray, solemn and quiet, as it had been for quite a while now. Following the disappearance and probable death of his brother and closest friend, Gren had been feeling pretty depressed. Only the company of another wolf, for a time, and then of a new pack, had revived him; but those aspects of his life had since melted away like ice in the sun. His pack's territory was now mysteriously empty, so he had decided to leave it for the time being. Perhaps he would find company out in the wilds, and break out of this wretched gloom.

The day's light was fading as Gren unexpectedly emerged into a clearing. It was much brighter in the open than in the forest, and the black-and-green wolf stopped at the edge of the clearing, blinking in the sudden light. He could see a strange jumble of stones in the center of the clearing, but the eerie quiet of the place put him on edge. Still, his curiosity got the better of him and he pressed forward through the long, wet grass.

As he neared the ruins he began to see that there was more of a pattern to the construct than he had at first thought. These rocks had been placed here; how or by whom, he couldn't begin to guess. He found himself feeling more relaxed and peaceful than he had for quite some time.

Gren started a little as he rounded a bend and caught sight of another wolf. Her true appearance was a mystery, as she was covered in dark mud. "Hello," Gren said amicably, if a bit awkwardly. "Sorry to barge in. I didn't know there was anyone else here."

[zaharia]

Her head shot up in surprise and whipped it around to look at him with her ears perked forward and her eyes slightly widdened in surprise. She shook herself again as if trying to hide that he had scared her and shrugged. "No big deal, it's free territory." She turned to face him. "Who are you?"

[forte]

Gren chuckled humorlessly at the stranger's question. "I wish I knew the answer. I know my name is Gren, but a name tells very little about the wolf, don't you think?" He walked closer to the female, feeling oddly and recklessly careless of how she might feel about being approached by a strange brute. What was the worst that could happen? He sat down a few yards from her, keeping his stance casual, relaxed. "What about you? What should I call you?"

[zaharia]

"I suppose so, but it might help if I know what to call you." She watched him carefully. The other wolf, Gren, had deffinitly peeked her interest. She carelessly walked the final two yards between them so that she was only a few feet away. "I'm violet."

[forte]

Gren gave a wag of his tail as the female approached him. He was glad to see that she wasn't shy or aggressive or terrified like some wolves. In fact, the situation reminded him of the time he had met Kendil. He had been denned down from a storm, and she had stumbled in for sheter. Now, he was in the opposite position, having barged in on Violet accidentally. He found himself a little excited at the prospect of getting to know Violet. Perhaps they could get to be as good friends as he and Kendil. "So, where are you from, Violet? If you don't mind me asking."

[zaharia]

"I grew up here, and because I know the forest so well I decided to stick around." She stretched before walking a lazy circle around him, releasing some won't up energy. Her mud covered pelt forgotten in her curiosity of the new stranger. "What about yourself? Your scent isn't familiar."

[forte]

Gren shifted uncomfortably at Violet's question. Too late he realized that he probanly shouldn't ask questions that he wasn't himself at ease with answering. Oh well, nothing to do about it now. "I come from far away. I came to the valley months ago, but I suppose I still smell like a stranger to those who have lived here all their lives." Gren's youth had been rough, and it was hard for him to talk to anyone about it, especially a wolf he had only just met. He decided to change the subject. "Hey, since you know the forest so well, do you know where I could get some water? I haven't had any for hours."

[zaharia]

"Yeah of course!" She finished her circle by trotting left, getting a few yards before stopping and looking back at him. "There's a creek up here a ways." She turned back and started walking again, expecting him to follow. His unease of her question hadn't blown past her, she had noticed but decided not to pry. Perhaps it was a story for another time.

[forte]

Gren got to his feet and followed the mud-covered she-wolf, feeling happier than he had in a long while. For a social creature, isolation had been hard on him, even though it was he who had chosen to cut himself off from his remaining pack members. These days, they felt like strangers rather than family. He was already more comfortable with Violet than any of them. "Are you all alone out here, Violet?" His paws felt lighter than normal as they made their way across the meadow. The question was intended innocently. It was far too soon to invite her into his pack, but it would be good to know if she already had one, or a family, or anything.

[zaharia]

She nodded, not pausing as she made her way forward. "You're the first wolf I've seen in several months." She glanced side ways at him. "What about you?" She weaved between two trees. "Are you from somewhere around here."

[forte]

Figured. With winter coming, most wolves would be staying close to home, preparing for the cold weather, stocking up on food. Few would be so far from a pack's territory, or the easy hunting on the plains, where all the deer would be. He and Violet were outliers. "I belong to Eden pack, in Wildflower Clearing. I suppose I'm the beta but a lot of the others kind of disappeared, so I don't know exactly where I stand. Where any of us stand." Gren realized he could hear running water, and his ears perked up. He had expected to find water somewhere out here, what with the recent rains, but all he had come across were stagnant puddles. His mouth felt like sand.

[zaharia]

"Maybe they will return with warmer weather." She stopped when they finally reached the creek and she sat down beside it. "This is where the freshest water is, it taste the best too." She rubbed her paw against the wet grass near the creek to get rid of a bit more of the mud on her fur.

[forte]

Gren hoped Violet was right. He hadn't gotten to know any of his new packmates very well before they had mostly vanished. When he had left his natal pack many months ago, it had been by choice, but having it happen again out of the blue had been much more painful.

Suddenly the stream emerged, shining through the shadows, a vein pupmping blood through the dying forest. Gren fell on it, lapping at the water with such gusto that he splashed his own face. When he was finally sated he sat up, panting a bit from holding his breath while drinking. He flashed Violet a smile. "Thanks for taking me here. I owe you."

[zaharia]

She tipped her head as he threw himself at the water. She flicked some of the water off her paw and laughed. "It was no problem." She switched positions so she was downstream from him and considered jumping in to clean her fur of the mud. "How colds the water?" She looked up at him again.