Without Shadows [closed]

[Meds]

DeSoto;

Confusion, or perhaps curiosity, passed over the female's face as DeSoto mentioned alliances. Ahh, yes. He kept forgetting she was new to the valley. After all, it wasn't like they had exactly shared their backstories or anything. She thought it over for a few moments, and DeSoto could almost see the gears turning in her mind. After a brief moment of deliberation, she decided that she was neutral. DeSoto was immediately aware that she was watching him for a reaction, so he kept his face blank—as blank as only a wolf trained in not feeling anything at all, could. He rolled his angled shoulders, and his pointed ears flicked once or twice, but other than that gave her nothing else to go on.

"You must look up to this Perjury, then?"

What was there to look up to? DeSoto had only met her the one time, when he had joined and she had showed him the awesome power of one that nature bends to. Look up to her? Yes, he did. But he was trained to be a beta. Being second in command was deep within his blood—and with a vacant leader, what was he supposed to do?

"Perjury is an old female..." He started, weighing his words carefully. "But more powerful than any I have come across in my existence." Save for Geist. "With a single breath, she can fell trees and shape mountains."
His deep voice was not wistful, yet there was a definite note of awe there. She was twice the alphess that Skia from Midnight Silence was, especially now that she had a littler of whelps to look after. But where was she? A growl built in his throat but he stifled it. Frigid Plague was well-looked after in the alphess' absence.

"You don't come from the valley," DeSoto said. It wasn't a question. Any wolf that didn't know of the alliances couldn't have. DeSoto had lived here less than a year and was already well-versed in them.

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

The description she was given of this she-wolf Perjury was one that caught her interest. More powerful than any wolf he had ever met? Shape mountains? Cause trees, possibly whole forests, to fall with no effort? Somehow that sounded false to her, but, at the same time, this male hadn't lied to her yet. Or at least she didn't think he had. Why would he? They just met and she was a new wolf to the valley. It wasn't like she had any powers of her own, nor was she a part of a pack, so there was nothing this male could gain by lying to her.

His voice now sounded a way she hadn't heard before. He seemed very immersed in his topic of speech, which was something to take note of. Her question was answered in the mere way that he answered her, almost more so than what he actually said. It was a nice sight, really, seeing a wolf who knew what they thought and believed in it. Though, maybe believe wasn't really the word she was looking for.

He then made the statement about her not being from the valley. She couldn't hide the slight bit of confusion on her face, but it wasn't because she didn't understand what he said. It was more she didn't know why he said it. "Yes.....and?"

[Meds]

DeSoto;

”Yes...and?”
If DeSoto had been a different kind of wolf, he would have flinched at such blunt words. But as it was, he barely batted an eye. And, what? It seemed to DeSoto that he had done an awful lot of the talking, and unless this female had something else to say on her end, he could occupy his time in other ways. He shrugged his shoulders once more and met her eye.
”And nothing. I know nothing about you, nor you me, save that you aren’t from here and that you suppose you’re neutral. It seems to me that you not only know about my gift, you know about my alphess and the white wolves as well. Perhaps I loosened my tongue too much in your company if you aren’t willing to reciprocate.”
He left the rest unsaid. He really had no plans of trying to hurt her or silence her or anything of the sort, but after all, all she knew of him was that he was evil. Who was she to say what DeSoto would or wouldn’t do? His words weren’t a threat exactly, that wasn’t DeSoto’s style—they were an observation. He wasn’t often so forthcoming about details of his own life, and felt halfway cheated if he wasn’t about to gain any knowledge in return.

”You can’t expect to make many friends here if you never get comfortable.”
His eyes flashed in his humourless joke. Of course, both wolves knew there was nothing comfortable about their interaction; and if DeSoto had to guess, he would say that Nanouk wasn’t worried about making friends, either. In any case, his words stood. He ground his teeth together lightly and glanced into the trees.

((Idk, sorry! Doing the best with what I have here xD))

[Calypso]

(I'm sorry >.< I didn't know where to go with it. But after that post I have something to go off of more. Hopefully this helps.)

Nanouk;

It was hard to deny that his words had slightly hit a nerve. A slight irritability grew in her chest, though she showed no sign of it. What does he expect? I just met him. All I asked for was general information. I didn't want to know any of his backstory. I just asked for conversation so I can learn about the valley. Now he wants my backstory? She let out a sigh after he was done speaking. She, as she had done many times before, considered what to say.

She was from outside the valley. She came from a pack made of a large, branching family that all stuck together and protected and helped one another. The pack, the Golden Cave pack(<off-the-bat name), had been somewhat well-known outside of this valley. Any time a black wolf with golden markings was seen they were often associated with her pack, or something involving them. As far as she could tell, DeSoto had been in the valley for a while, so there was a very likely chance that he didn't know her family. She had to decide whether to mention it or not. As many of her previous answers had been, this one would be the truth, just not the whole truth.

She took a seat in front of the male and locked her eyes on him. "Before this, I was a part of a pack, though it was a while ago. In some way I was related to every member and a majority of them looked somewhat like me. My grandfather was the Alpha when I was there last. But he had many enemies. We were attacked by another pack. My mother was killed and so was my father, both by the same wolf, right in front of me." As she mentioned her parents, her eyes softened and seemed to drift away from her. She was looking at the navy male, but it was like she was looking through him in the far distance as she continued. "I killed that wolf and ran away. I wandered for a while on the outskirts of this valley until I recently came more inland."

As she finished, she shook herself out of her trance she had been in and looked at him directly, now seeing him and not flashbacks of her dead parents and missing pack. "If it makes you feel any more special, you are the first wolf I have met since that happened. I've avoided all others." That was the one thing she was completely truthful about. She had seen other wolves outside the valley, but any time she did she veered away from any contact in fear that it would be a wolf from the pack that had attacked her family. Finally, she realized that she had answered her own question, one that he had asked when they first met. Why was she here?

I want...I hope to find my family again...

[Meds]

((No, it's definitely me too! DeSoto is NOT a wolf for stirring conversation. I'm learning that maybe he is more of a three-person thread kind of wolf xD))

DeSoto;

DeSoto watched as the female's eyes adopted a far-away look. Ah, perhaps he was now going to see a little bit into her mind. The navy-blue male cracked his neck once or twice, and with a quick final sweep of the area, prepared to listen. It wasn't that he cared about her or her story, necessarily, it was that he was a strategist. He was trained to be a strategist. She knew about him, it only made sense that he should know about her, as well. And it just saved so much time if she was forthcoming with it; that way he wouldn't have to force it out of her and they could be... what word did he use? Ah, yes. Friends.

She spoke about parents and a seemingly loving, nurturing pack. DeSoto knew nothing of that way of life, as he had been taken as a pup from his mother and father and sent to the training camps. A wet nurse had raised him physically and kept him fed, but all other maturing and mental stimulation came from his leaders.
But then her story turned interesting, with a murder and an invasion. DeSoto's eyes lit up slightly, especially when she came to the part about her parents being killed and in turn killing their killer.
"It's not unheard of for Neutral wolves to kill other wolves, as long as they have a halfway decent reason..." He paused. "I suppose the killing of your parents would warrant a reason." He was half-mocking and half-serious. Was that the bond that a child had with its parent? He really had no idea.
It didn't make him feel like he was missing out on anything; after all, the only connection he had ever desired was that between a beta and his alpha. Though DeSoto was not a beta, and for all intents and purposes, he had no alpha. At least not recently.

"How lucky of me," DeSoto replied when she continued. "Well, I'll let you in on a bit of information. Most evil wolves—and if not most, many—aren't quite like me. Strategy and thought are laced in my veins. I bleed logic. Unfortunately, this valley is choked with the kind of evil wolves you mentioned earlier. The ones who will kill you without a second look—who crave bloodshed and all the rest. Keep a wary eye out for them." He wasn't exactly sure why he told her that. Perhaps to make a point. He continued.

"My upbringing was quite different from yours, though even with the murder and death in your history, I think it was still warmer than my own." Again, he did not feel cheated by his past. It made him stronger, if anything. "My pack, if you can call it that, was strong. Powerful. Nobody would dare invade it. Those that weren't already warriors were trained to become them. As such, though my past was chalk-full of security... it was not very warm."
DeSoto was continuing the conversation, not for pleasure nor kindness, but as always, for strategy. The longer the two of them talked, the more he would learn about Nanouk (and unfortunately, she him). A beta's strongest weapon is his knowledge—or so DeSoto was taught to believe.

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

It's not unheard of for Neutral wolves to kill other wolves, as long as they have a halfway decent reason...

"This good, neutral, and evil wasn't a thing where I came from. Though I suppose it would make no difference to someone like you, " she stated, more so to herself than him. In a way, the fact that he didn't care was somewhat obvious, but in an indirect way, if that made sense. He had only asked about her backstory because he told her part of his and got nothing in return. Why would he actually care? There was no way he was really that caring of a wolf. He had already stated that he was evil, which hinted that none of this really had any purpose. As far as she was concerned, knowing information about her provided him with no benefit. She was a mere loner, and a neutral one at that. Good and evil wolves were enemies, so him knowing info about a good wolf would give more of an advantage of sorts.

He went on to say something she honestly could have guessed herself. If all evil wolves were like this navy male, there was a good chance that this forest would be full of somewhat peaceful wolves who used logic and thought rather than teeth and claws. "Thanks for the warning."

His last statements turned out to be more about his past and how he came to be the wolf he was today. A more harsh environment than she had been in was what he called home, if home was even a good word to use. He wasn't cared for by a true family, or at least it didn't sound like it, and he wasn't nurtured in any way. He was taught not to desire that kind of interaction.

"I can understand that. But I will admit that, in my opinion, being a wolf who was cared for and nurtured, only to watch the ones who did so get killed and have to kill their killer...I think it made me stronger than what being raised that way would." Now it had actually happened. In her own way, she had challenged him. Not neccesarrily to a fight of claw and fang, but rather reason, which seemed to be his strongsuit. She was willing to do so, though she did worry he would get the wrong idea from this statement.

[Meds]

DeSoto;

Interesting. Wherever the female had come from, they did not have alliances there. DeSoto considered that closely. He had come from a long way off as well—was it possible there had been no alliances there, either? He had always just assumed they had been evil, at least since coming to the valley—and perhaps a little before then. He didn’t let his wonder show on his face, but his mind was certainly turning. It hadn’t even been a question for him to join the evil pack when he had arrived, but this was a whole new point of view.

Nanouk responded to his past in much the way he had imagined she would, but when she spoke he was surprised yet again. DeSoto was very rarely caught off guard, and it was seeming to happen more and more. He had to get away from this female. Then she brought a challenge to him. Not a violent challenge, but more an invitation to a deeper type of conversation. Now that, DeSoto could handle.
”Stronger than me? Really...” She hadn’t said exactly that but might have implied as much. DeSoto considered this. If not stronger than he himself, stronger than most soldier-born animals. It was not logical, in his mind.”Stronger than wolves who had the perception of fear starved out of their very veins? Fear that was lost, though not replaced by stupidity. Fear that was replaced by pure logic and strength of reason.” His tail waved behind him on the snow. ”A wolf who has had his limitations forced back down his throat from the day he was weened, until he broke through those limitations and rose above?” His dark eyes were dancing. ”An orphaned pup, off on their own, stronger than a host of wolves who had to kill their weaker brothers and sisters, sometimes even their own parents, simply because they were commanded to?” He looked at her straight on. ”Just how strong is a sad little story?”

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

She was cornered. The more that DeSoto talked the more she realized what she had started. Every point that he made was stronger than her's in nearly every way. The more he spoke the stronger his voice also got, as well as the fierceness in his eyes. He was full-on standing up to her. In a way she had done the same thing, but he had a lot more to say and more to defend himself with. Even as he spoke she took a few steps back, not all at once, but one step occasionally. She knew she was losing and so did he.

Just how strong is a sad little story?

In all honestly, that last statement was what set her off. It wasn't even the fact that he had just slammed down her backstory into the dirt as if it were nothing. She didn't even know what it was about that statement that had caused her nerves to snap and her anger to flare. What she didn't know was that it was the fact that he had in a way just insulted her parents, or at least in her mind he did. But she felt a sudden urge, one she wasn't going to hold back.

The fur on the back of the she-wolf's neck, or her mane, rose upwards, her long tail began to slash angrily, her ears perked, and her eyes could pierce glass. She began to walk forward - not even step, walk - towards the male, not caring any longer about whether he thought it was a challenge or not.

"'Wolves who had the perception of fear starved out of their veins'? 'Had his limitations forced back down his throat'? Killing because you're commanded to?" She honestly couldn't hold back a growl. "That sounds pretty weak to me." She took more steps forward, raising her head to make herself taller and larger. "You want to know how? You were forced. That sheer fact is what makes you weak. You were forced to get rid of all fear. You were forced to kill whoever these wolves told you to. You were forced the become whatever is standing before me in the shape of a wolf. If you would have gotten rid of all fear, killed who you pleased, and done what you wanted all on your own, then you would be strong. But no. Other wolves had to force you to become that way. At least in my case I watched the death of wolves I cared for the most happen right in front of me. I made myself watch that without running away. I made myself kill their killer with all of the strength I had. I built up the courage and the strength to take on a wolf twice my size on my own so that I could protect what mattered to me. And now look at me!" Her eyes flared. "Now I stand in front of an 'evil' wolf who was forced to become strong just because some wolves told him to. I may not be stronger than you physically, but I sure as hell am stronger in other ways."

Her heart was beating fast in her chest as she let out an angered growl and turned, beginning to stalk away from the male. She didn't care anymore. If he attacked her then so be it. She spoke her mind and, in her opinion, she won, regardless of what happened after this.

(*whew* that took a long time to type. Just a little inspiration behind all that: when I think of neutral wolves it's kind of like the wolf has a good side and an evil side that can switch. This is definitely a display of her evil side Also, if you couldn't tell, she's a little sensitive about her parents, so that's what set her off by calling it a "sad little story". (Also, if I'm honest, I let a little bit of my own personality show through her towards him, just to be fun haha))

[Meds]

DeSoto;

The female seemed to be backing down (literally and figuratively) from him as he spoke. His words weren't harsh, but they rang with an undeniable truth. DeSoto hadn't exactly meant to spar with her, verbally or otherwise, as most everything he did had a cautious-neutrality to it, but he hadn't been able to stop himself from pointing out the obvious.
It wasn't until he belittled her own story that he saw the fire within her. Ahh yes, there it was. He had struck a nerve, and a large one at that. She began to advance on him, eyes burning, hackles raised, and a growl forming from the bottom of her throat. DeSoto watched closely through half-lidded eyes as she walked toward him, though he did not move even a muscle. She spoke her first part, telling him that his story actually made him weak rather than strong, before growling again and coming even closer. She now squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, broadening her chest and revealing her teeth in a wicked snarl. DeSoto was taller than her even still, but he was all-too-aware that that made his neck all the more vulnerable to her—especially since if she continued moving towards him, they were bound to bump into each other, because DeSoto wasn't moving; fortunately, she seemed more interested in berating him than actually attacking him. None of his thoughts showed on his face.

She tore apart his story, but as DeSoto listened, he realized it actually made a good deal of sense. She was arguing that because he was forced to become what he was, in reality he was weak, even if outwardly he was strong. He tilted his head to the side subconsciously as he ran her words over in his mind. Nanouk's eyes burned and widened still farther, and she spat out her final observation, stating that she was stronger in other ways, more so than he, even if she was smaller physically.
After that, she turned on her heels and began stalking away. DeSoto watched her go for a moment, un-moving, but then realized that finally, he had found somebody who could speak with him and actually make him think. That hadn't happened in a long, long while; and especially not within the valley.

The snow didn't crunch underfoot, there was no rustle of fur or exhale of breath, but suddenly DeSoto was falling into step beside her. He was unconcerned that she had began to walk away and end the interaction, for he now had an interest in at least finishing the current conversation. It was a stony-faced blue male that turned as they walked and fixed her with dark eyes.
"You make a very good argument," DeSoto observed, unable, for once, to keep a slight note of wonder from his voice. "And I'll admit that what you said has struck a chord with me." It was true. He now half-wondered if he wasn't what she claimed him to be. Was he weak on the inside? He didn't even know anymore. All emotions and self-feeling had been starved out of him long ago, and now he didn't even remember how to take stock of himself—if he had ever learned in the first place.

"I agree that with most wolves, your guesses would be correct—they might even be correct in regards to some of my kin." Far be it from DeSoto to let it be known that he was doubting himself, for perhaps the first time. "For only a weak-minded individual would let another in and allow their thoughts to be turned in any direction save their own—yes?" He side-stepped a piece of wet-looking Spring snow before looking back to her. "Though now that I think about it... I'm not sure that your observations apply to myself. I didn't let them do anything to me. I went willingly into this lifestyle. I had seen what the elders of my pack were like, what my brothers and sisters grew to be, and what I could become. I hungered for it, even longed for it. Yes, as a pup I was broken down into mere pieces of myself, in the harshest ways... but I think that I am a living testament to strength, for I wouldn't be standing here before you if I didn't pick those pieces back up and form them into some semblance of an animal." As he spoke, he was realizing that his words were ringing true. He hadn't looked at himself in this way before, at least not in memory. It was valuable, and very new, and he wasn't completely opposed to it. "At first it was ugly, and I needed work. I was angry, harsh, a shell of what I had hoped to become—but in time, as I grew and as my kin grew alongside me, things changed. Suddenly the exercises that had before seemed so brutal before had now become necessary. I no longer feared the closed-sessions with my captains or the rigorous training in which our emotions were stripped away from us." He watched her closely for a reaction. He had never gone so in-depth about his past with anybody before, though even now his actions weren't coming as a great surprise. This was the first conversation in which he felt to be gaining something, rather than carrying it all on his own, since leaving his original pack. Nanouk was no elder with knowledge to impart on him, but she was quickly showing him that not all wolves were useless (save of course, Perjury. DeSoto was not so doubtful as to question that).

"Perhaps I started out as weak, I do agree with you there. I think that as a pup and as a trainee, a level of weakness was required to reach the goal I desired—though were you to call me weak now," DeSoto shook his head. "That I would disagree with. That, I would say, was wrong." He paused once more, and for a moment his paw-falls beside her slowed. He gave the barest hint of a shrug, and flipped his head softly. "And I do apologize, for what it's worth, for belittling your own story. It appears that there are many levels of strength that I hadn't thought about for a long time..."

((I'm sorry! It appears that I just wrote a novel for you XDDD Also, I think it's doing a silly punctuation thing that Proboards sometimes does, oops))

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

Typically, the dark she-wolf never got angry. Usually nothing offended her when others insulted her or threatened her. Really she just found their antics amusing. But not this time. She was heated, and in all honesty she wasn't sure why. He didn't really...insult her family itself. He just said that it was a sad little story, even if it was meant to put her backstory lower than his. But everyone makes mistakes; in her mind she saw his words as a put-down, so she felt her burst of anger was reasonable.

As she stalked away, she almost doubted whether she should be just walking away or not. For just a moment, hardly even a second, the anger left her face and she almost felt bad for what she said. But then she remembered what she had said and what he had and the anger returned. The end of her tail lashed behind her and her fur fluffed out, taking in dapples of sunlight coming in through the trees. She had been unaware that the male was following her until she heard his voice next to her. When she heard his voice she had the instinct to look over at him and meet his eyes, but she chose not to. Maybe ignoring him and showing that he wasn't going to get in her head again would make him go away. She planned to ignore him until she actually heard what he spoke.

You make a very good argument and I'll admit that what you said has struck a chord with me.

Her golden eyes looked at him from the corners, not fully turning her gaze to him, but allowing him to continue, which he did. Surprised almost covered her face, but she hid it as to not give him any satisfaction as she had before, when he basically admitted that what she said was correct. She was about to turn her head and say something, but then his words turned on her again. His words were not really a challenge, nor were they really going against what she said. He just stated that what she had previously said was directed towards other wolves and not himself. Her eyes narrowed and turned away from him again. She still listened as he spoke, but he was pretty much making her words that had been about him have no purpose by saying they weren't about him. It was slightly confusing, really. He had just admitted that she was right, but then said it wasn't but also was, just not about him. He spoke of how he hadn't really been forced and had taken inspiration from the wolves he grew up with to become what he was. How he trained and worked to become what he was rather than having no choice. As he had done before, he made everything that she had said mean nothing. She had labeled him as weak for being forced to become what he was, only to be told that he was in-a-way forced but was willing to do so.

She shook her head, a low growl rumbling her throat but not coming out as sound. When he had slowed his pace towards the end of his rambling, she continued on, walking just as fast as she had before. But her thoughts swirled as she did so. Finally, she had gotten a somewhat good distance away from him before she stopped. She still faced away from him at first, but she soon turned herself, her side facing him and her head doing the same. She looked the male in the eyes, scanning for a hint of anything. But she had already, by this time, learned that this navy male wasn't one for showing emotion. Despite that, she saw nothing strange in his eyes, nor did she see any reason not to really believe him.

She let out a sigh and allowed her face to become normal. "I suppose I can let it go. But I will give you a piece of advice. Yes, you are an evil wolf, which means your mind is dark. And you feel no emotion, only adding onto that. But, as you said before, you're not like other evil wolves. Try to consider what it is you are degrading of another wolf before you speak. I'm sure that you couldn't care less about others' feelings, but doing so can prevent unneeded interactions sometimes."

Whether he had reacted or not, her head turned away, looking at the ground for a moment. She let her thoughts go to one question. Her eyes and face then turned back towards the male, her facial expression making no change. "Desoto...," the first time in the whole interaction that she had spoken his name. "Why did you tell me about your past? Or any of this? I'm just some female you happened to run into, and one who isn't even a part of your alliance, no less."

(I return your novel xD also, because I just wrote a long paper for school, I feel like writing longer posts *off to all my other threads*)

[Meds]

DeSoto;

His way with words seemed to confuse the female slight, and for good reason. He had pretty much been figuring it all out as he said it out loud, the same as her. When he had come to a pause and given his apology, Nanouk kept walking, then stopped in her own turn, but a distance off, now. She said she supposed she could let it go, then offered him a piece of advice.
Despite what he had just said not seconds before, his fur prickled irritatingly at her presumption that she was telling him something that he didn't already know. Advice was a powerful thing, not to be given lightly. DeSoto lifted his chin and regarded her with a slightly cooler expression. She told, nay, reminded him that his mind was dark, and that most large-scale emotions had been hammered out of his body. This, he already knew. He had worked very hard to arrive at such a place. Nanouk then advised him to consider others before he spoke, and that though she knew he didn't care about others' feeling, that it might help him avoid unneeded contact. What she was saying made logical sense, but he felt an urge to point out that he already knew it.
Avoiding unwanted interaction was an attractive option though, he had to admit. He half-imagined that that was why he had followed after her in the first place, though. DeSoto had been avoiding interaction for such a long while, and if not completely, definitely in conduct. He couldn't abide slow or stupid wolves, and the valley seemed to be choked with them, and such wolves weren't likely to hang around if a smarter, quicker stranger pointed out their flaws with blunt, open honesty; therefore, DeSoto hadn't had a real, decent conversation in recent memory. He half-wondered if his apology had been largely to keep the conversation going.

Was he lonely?

With a fearsome internal snarl, though nothing was outwardly heard, he silenced his mind.

Nanouk then brought him out of his thoughts and asked him why he told her about his past. Why he had opened up to her and apologized. Well that was the question of the hour, wasn't it? DeSoto said nothing, keeping the mute expression on his face as he considered the situation. He supposed that in short, the answer was that he had not yet come across anybody willing to talk or listen in the valley so far; nobody except Perjury, of course, but DeSoto barely even knew her, and a willingness to talk was rather hard to assume if the other party was nowhere to be seen.
But DeSoto didn't want to say anythings like this to Nanouk. It was too raw. Too open and fresh. Too real. In the back of his mind, there was a little piece of him telling him that being a decent animal didn't make him weak, but a larger part of his mind stamped that out, afraid of the possibilities of getting vulnerable like that. With a clipped, almost inaudible sigh, DeSoto fixed his eyes on Nanouk. He was trying to ignore the sound of his name as it came out of her mouth. He hadn't heard another wolf say his name in such a very long time. It wasn't necessarily that she said it, but that anybody had said it. It was almost painful—like a heavy weight was coming loose in his chest. Those were emotions, he realized with fear, and suddenly his mind was engulfed once more in the cool of his training.

"At first you were," DeSoto nodded slowly, almost totally recovered from his momentary lapse, referring to her being 'just some other female', as she had said. He shrugged those pointed shoulders of his. "Perhaps you still are." Another slight pause. His eyes found hers. "But honestly, I couldn't give you a real reason. I don't know myself. If you were surprised that I spoke at all, imagine how surprised I was when my past came tumbling out of my throat." He didn't smile, but his words were not quite as cool as his expression might have made them seem to be. He was being mostly honest, though admittedly skirting over some of the more sensitive details. His tail quivered behind him, drifting back and forth over the snow.
He had to be careful around this female—that much, he knew. It was not everyday that a simple conversation could crack such a solid foundation.

"Same question." He tilted his head just slightly. "For all you knew I was just some raving evil wolf, spilling my past to you before I gutted you." He gave a sharp smile, though for once it seemed like there was a joke hidden beneath his words. "And yet you replied in kind. Why?"

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

He had remained silent for a moment. Any other wolf may have heard his silence and assumed that he wasn't going to answer. Any other wolf may have walked away and left him in the dust by now. But Nanouk wasn't just any other wolf. She knew that he was a thinker; he thought before he spoke, which was a good trait to have when it came to this valley. Every wolf you talked to could be a danger to you, so just spilling out everything about you and the answer to every question before thinking could get you in trouble. Though, maybe that wasn't true. She just assumed it to be so since she was still new here. So far this was the first wolf she had met; her thoughts went solely based off of what she had seen and heard so far, as well as the knowledge he provided for her.

His body seemed to make a few odd motions before he eventually did answer. His tail had begun to sway behind him, his head would seem to twitch, and his eyes seemed to mirror that he was contemplating what to say. She could appreciate that much. Then he answered her, but at first his answer was kind of disappointing. He seemed to be a wolf who didn't care for wolves who had nothing to offer that would benefit him. She had snapped at him before and began to walk away, yet he followed her. If she really was just some female like he said, would he have followed her like he did? But she tried not to think of herself as special.

He said that he didn't have a reason for telling her and that he was just as surprised as she was that he revealed his past to a stranger. But he went on to throw her own question back at her. Why had she been willing to talk to him and tell him about her past? In reality, her answer to the question was the same as his: she didn't know. She looked away for a moment, considering what she should say. Saying that she didn't know may just disappoint him as much as it kind of did to her.

She looked back at him and her tail flicked to the side. "I suppose it was just my first impression of you. You had the perfect opportunity to attack me when we first met. I even gave you chances after that where you could have torn me apart. Yet you didn't. And any time you would speak you would think of your answer first, just as you have been doing now. If you really had the intent to gut me, as you said, you would have just told me everything about you without having to think about it first." She turned so that she was completely facing him. "But you didn't. You were careful about what you said since I was a stranger, which I can respect." She then slightly lowered her head, smirking slightly with a sarcastic look in her eyes. "Perhaps I'm not just some random female after all?"

[Meds]

DeSoto;

Even as he was thinking, so she was as well. She watched him closely, weighed his expressions (or lack thereof), and thought about her own responses. It was such a refreshing change from the other wolves in the valley, that even with his unease at his own behavior, he couldn't help but enjoy himself a little bit. It had felt as if his mind had been rotting away without his knowledge and was now getting a new lease on life.

She answered his own version of her question. She gave a reasonably good observation of his character, as well as some fair assumptions about him. He especially liked that she highlighted that if he had been planning on killing her outright, he wouldn't have thought over what he was about to say. This rang all too true, and for once, DeSoto hadn't seen that side of the argument before hand. She ended it by saying she could respect his actions and line of thought, and then asked him a question.

DeSoto heard her words, but had since lowered himself into the safety of the familiar void, and so did not react outwardly. Inwardly, his mind had suddenly formed a good may questions, both about himself and about Nanouk, but on the surface, it was dangerous territory that he didn't want to breach.
He shook his head slowly. He wasn't willing to find out. However, for some reason he didn't want her to think he was just writing her off. He had never really cared what others thought before then, but for some unknown and blastedly frustrating reason, he might have just cared about this one.

He wasn't immature enough to assume she meant anything more by her statement. He didn't fancy that she was hinting at a romantic relationship between them, but he also didn't assume that she wasn't just making pointless conversation. For all he knew, it was an innocent surface comment, subconsciously designed to lure him into a reaction that would give his true thoughts away. Well, DeSoto never gave his true thoughts away, at least, not until today. The thought of everything he had shared now was almost outrageous.

"Perhaps... and perhaps not. But are either of us willing to find out, truly? Me, an evil wolf bound to an evil pack—though, admittedly, not the most evil pack in the valley—and you, a neutral loner. Is it safe, or even smart, to wonder or hope that this encounter is anything but random?" His words, though still deep with his voice, were not harsh. He was honestly asking these questions because he wanted answers, not because he had any agendas or prior wishes. "After all, who am I to you, that you should want to keep in contact with after this day? And who are you to me, that I should stay to find out?"

DeSoto had never had a friend before, especially not a friend with such differing values or of another alliance. He didn't quite know how to go about it, and indeed, didn't even know if such things were safe. The last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize a working relationship with Perjury that he hadn't even had a chance to start yet—but friends weren't so bad, were they? And if not friends, perhaps a close acquaintance that he could go to when he needed an intelligent conversation?

[Calypso]

Nanouk;

As usual, he wasn't showing any emotion to her words, which normally would have slightly bothered her, but she didn't really care. He hadn't showed much emotion before this, so she couldn't expect such things now. But he did prove a point in what he said in response. Was she willing to become friends, or even more if it had ever came to that, which seemed unlikely, with an evil wolf? Did she really care about alliances or packs? Did she think anything of this male except for the first wolf she met in the valley, and a pain in her rear in addition?

Normally she may have needed a bit of time to consider such questions. But she was having a conversation with another wolf, and one that she couldn't just suddenly go quiet for either. Though, as she thought, she knew the answer to at least one question that he had presented her with.

"Regardless of what either of us would want or hope, this encounter and interaction was random. Or at least to me it was. You appeared out of nowhere when I got to my den and started speaking to me. I'm still unsure as to why, but nevermind that." She then tried to think of the question that she hadn't thought of herself. Was he a wolf that she would want to keep in contact with after this interaction was over? Her golden eyes seemed to looked him over. A navy blue wolf with no emotion, a messed up past, and a member of an evil pack. Was he worth it? Was she willing to risk it to find out?

She recalled their previous conversations. He had informed her about the valley, pretty much all information that she didn't know before she had met him. He had introduced himself and revealed some of his past to her. He even managed to dig a claw into one of her few nerves that set her off. It was that last thought that brought her mind to its decision.

Nanouk locked eyes with him again. "You were the first wolf I met in this valley and I learned things about this place that I didn't know before from you. That, and, if you hadn't told me so, I wouldn't have instantly pinned you as an evil wolf. Honestly, at the moment, this alliance stuff doesn't mean much to me. So even though you are evil and I am neutral, I suppose having you around could have its benefits." She then considered something, whether it would ever happen being debatable, but still something to think about. "Plus, if I ever did...switch over to the evil side, if you'd word it that way, and wanted to join a pack, I don't know any other wolves. At least if I came looking for your Frigid Plague I would know one wolf." But then she thought about something again, only making her speak more, which would usually be odd for her. "But its not just me that were to decide this. I could have left right after I snapped at you, but you followed me, so talking to me must be of some interest to you. I know what that echoing howl of yours sounds like. Perhaps if you ever needed a wolf to talk to, that would be a way of calling me, I suppose. But that is up to you."

(So much irony. Talking about turning evil while in another thread she's technically joining a neutral pack. Also, the wolf version of giving someone your number ^ xD)

[Meds]

DeSoto;

"You appeared out of nowhere when I got to my den and started speaking to me. I'm still unsure as to why, but nevermind that."

Guilty. DeSoto would have flushed if he hadn't had such good control over his expressions. He knew now, that he had been lonely and starved for conversation. He had spoken with an unrealized need for company—and had stayed because she had proved to be an exceptional verbal partner.

Nanouk basically ran through a brief synopsis of their interaction from her point of view. DeSoto's near-black eyes stayed pinned on her. She was still sitting a good way away from him, where she had come to rest after trying to leave and having him follow her, but she was more open to him now, and was at least facing him. She mentioned that she might not have pinned DeSoto as an evil wolf right away.
DeSoto blinked at that. Not evil? Why, he hadn't never even considered that—not even throughout their conversation had he even looked at that as a possibility. Everybody he met had always just assumed he was what he was, though perhaps that was because his company was often slightly less agreeable. How interesting, that this female should see past that. It certainly hadn't all been roses during their initial meeting.

"I suppose having you around could have its benefits."
Again, DeSoto felt as if a chill took over his body. Everything seemed to be going fine, perhaps even pleasant, then she would say something that would rub him the wrong way. Not bother him so far as to push him into anger, exactly, but enough that he sort of remembered who he was each time. As if he was coming up for breath after being submerged under cold water.
She would keep him around because he could prove useful to her? He broadened his chest and his shoulder raised slightly, and because he was a tall male he was suddenly looking down at her. He was about to speak harshly, when she continued talking and stole the words from his mouth.

She spoke of switching to the evil side, and of perhaps even joining Frigid Plague. He would be the reason she would do so, for he was the only wolf she knew. He paused and his chest deflated slightly. Perjury would surely thank him for bringing a new member into the pack. And besides, DeSoto thought, running his eyes along the length of her—perhaps she wouldn't be awful to have around either. Yes, it irked him to be viewed as something that she could use simply for his benefits, but then again, he could flip that and use her just the same.
He could use her for conversation and companionship. He could bring questions to her, knowing that she would actually listen and give him a half-way decent response. Interesting...

"Nanouk," DeSoto said slowly, his voice laced in a growl as it almost always was. "Be sure that talking to you is of great interest to me. Don't become confused—" Or perhaps even hopeful? He silenced the voice. —I am an evil wolf, no matter how you might have pegged me upon first meeting me, but..." He watched her closely, his body like a statue. "But I would like to see you again all the same. Maybe we can have another conversation like this one soon, save perhaps the anger—?"