Charming stranger (open)

He had been wandering for what seemed like ages in a barren landscape, searching for any sign of life that may present itself. Yet he was always greeted with nothingness, and it slowly began to irritate him and frustrate him. But he kept his cool, and in what seemed like an hour later, he spotted a thick tangled mess of foliage ahead. He picked up his pace, carefully slowing as he reached the wooded area. Ok, this was obviously an entrance to a packlands, since the scent of a male wolf was clearly present. But then again there was also faint scents of other wolves nearby. He sniffed around for a few moments, grinning as he picked up more female scents than male. Ah, and all of these wolves were unrelated. Interesting.

He decided quickly, and stepped into the trees, navigating his way inward as far as possible. Finally he managed to make it to a less dense area of trees, obviously well into the packlands, and he stopped, sniffing around and becoming familiar with the pack scents. He was trying to decide whether or not to remain on the boundaries or to try and join the pack. He continued to sniff around, contemplating his options. If he were to join, he may be denied breeding rights. But if he remained nearby but along the borders, he may be able to lure females to him like he had before. Here was a battle between his habit and his desire for a pack. It was a difficult struggle, but for now he decided to linger and explore, always alert and ready to run if he were spotted by a pack male.

(I think I'm going to keep him on the sidelines of the pack for a while)

Laek kept her muzzle down on the moss, but looked up as she saw a form appear in her peripheral vision. It was that scent again, the one of Casanova, but she wasn't aware of this at all. He spoke, and he looked happy. But Laek could only guess that he wasn't a pack member, considering the fact that he was straddling the borderline. Or the fact that he wasn't covered with the pack scent either.

She looked back at the moss, debating whether or not to speak. But he seemed friendly enough, but she knew she'd have to watch his every move. And even her own, she knew that she could not mess anything up, especially if encountering a loner. Especially on the pack lands that were letting her live there. She clawed the moss a last time before lifting her head and speaking, with a strong, quiet tone. "Hello."

Laek examined the other wolf. He was a tall wolf. A tall, funny-looking wolf. His fur was weirdly set, his large ears that crowned his face. And his neck, the mixed colours and it was sticking up too! It was an odd sight to Laek, but she didn't say anything about it, instead just waiting for his reply. But yet, he seemed too nice, too eager, just from how he was standing there and greeting her.

Casanova smiled as she recognized his presence, wagging his tail and lifting his head curiously. She was quite attractive, and it was clear she wasn't a pack member, which intruiged him. "Are you a member of this pack?" He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side, his large ears perked and his tail still waving gently behind him. She was a mystery to him, and he wanted to try and unravel that mystery. He remained a respectful distance from her, watching and smiling, but not approaching or entering the pack lands. He didn't want to frighten her off, and he merely wanted to chat at the moment. She interested him, and he was lonely, so this was the perfect opportunity for him to interact.

"My name is Casanova. It's a pleasure to run into another wolf again, I have met a pack member already, but I'm afraid she did not stay long. I was rather enjoying her company. May I inquire as to what your name is?" He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side and sending her a charming smile, his tail wagging and his eyes focusing on her face curiously. There was nothing suspicious or threatening about him, just friendly, interested, and curious.

Laek looked Casanova over again as he spoke more words. He questioned her status in the pack and she could only shake her head with a simple, "No, I am not." His goofy ears made his questioning head tilt look funnier than it should have. She let out a smile as he continued to look back at her. She eventually learned that his name is Casanova, which she thought was slightly a long name. Then again, her's was only one syllable.

"I am Laek." She replied simply, with the same strong, quiet tone in her voice. But wait, another wolf had been here and encountered this strange looking male? The only females that Laek knew of were Fallon and Molly, and she had seen Molly walking the other way. And Fallon had been with Blitz and Inferno, or, as far as Laek knew.

"Do you happen to know who it was, who you saw earlier? I just want to know." She asked with the same curiosity he had. This Casanova did not seem extremely dangerous to her, just extremely curious.

Casanova sat down as she spoke, introduced herself, and questioned him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, miss Laek. And as for your question, the female I ran into earlier today looked quite a lot like you, actually. Although she was a bit larger and her coloring was a bit different. She seemed rather stubborn and very loyal to the pack, which I must say, is quite an admirable trait." He said, speaking of Fallon. He was fairly sure of her name, but he didn't want to say it wrong and sound foolish for no reason. He had only smelled two other females here, other than Fallon and Laek, and he had met neither of them yet.

He soon stood, stretching slightly before sitting down again. "Just out of curiosity, what are you doing so close to the border?" He asked, wondering what she had been doing when she had chanced upon his location. She had seemed rather busy, seemingly doing something important, but he didn't know what it was. Maybe he could help?

Fallon. Laek knew instantly who he was describing, mainly by the fact that he mentioned that they looked alike, save for a few differences. Laek hadn't exactly encountered most of Fallon's personality, but it still sounded like her nonetheless. Unless there were another female who looked like the two, but Laek highly doubted it.

"I do believe I know who you are talking about. I was just with her actually. And why am I close to the border?" She hesitated as she debated what to say. "I was just looking for some good moss for bedding. It gets cold in the winter, you know?" The falling snow continued to make it's way to the ground, even beginning to cover the moss that Laek had worked so hard to pick up. She looked at it and brushed her paw over it, wiping the snow clean off the top of the rock.

Oh, that made sense. She was helping the pack gather bedding for the winter. It was an interesting thing for someone outside of the pack to do, that is, unless she was trying to become a member. He smiled, standing up carefully. "Would you like some help?" He asked curiously, taking a tentative step forward and wagging his tail slightly. He didn't want to approach against her will, so he waited for her response, hoping that she'd be grateful for the help in gathering. He wouldn't return to the dens with her, no, he would stay near the border, but he could help her find things and hopefully make the whole ordeal easier on her.

Laek hesitated at his offer. She could tell that he was not a pack member, but neither was she. But she had been 'invited' inside the lands, as a home stay. She wasn't entirely sure what to do. Let him in to help, or deny the help and do the work herself? She did quick math in her head, and including herself, there were at least six, if not more, wolves to help provide bedding for. Maybe she could use his help.

"I would appreciate it." Laek finally said, nodding. "But if I were you, I wouldn't come too far into pack lands. I'm not entirely sure how they take loners yet." She quickly added, slightly wagging her tail. Looks like she would not be alone on her job.

Casanova smiled when she accepted his offer. His tail wagged as he approached, using his paw to swipe away the snow that had now covered her moss pile, picking it up in his mouth and depositing it under a pine tree where it would be safe from being covered by the snow once more. "I don't have the best track record with pack males. I know well enough to keep my distance. But I am grateful that you have trusted me." He said, smiling at her and wagging his tail. Then he began to search for more moss, digging up pine needles as he went, depositing it all under the tree for security and easy access. Soon he had a rather decent pile, and he stopped to look over at her, admiring her for a few moments before sighing and sitting down, his silver coat littered with snow. It was falling harder, and it was obvious that a blizzar was on the way.

"I'm afraid that it doesn't look like you're going to be getting back to the pack with this load tonight, Miss Laek. There's a terrible storm coming in and you would be much better off finding shelter nearby for the night." He said, his ears flattening slightly and looking over at her, obviously concerned. "I hate to put you in this position, but would you please accompany me to a nearby cave? We would be safe there, and we could wait out the storm without risking injury or sickness. If you would like to try to make it back to your pack dens, I could help you, but neither of us is unlikely to make it there safely." He said, frowning at the sky as the wind began to pick up. He had managed to gather enough food for a storm like this, but it would just barely be enough for two wolves, since he had only planned for one. But it would be good enough, at least until this storm blew over. He just hoped that she wouldn't be difficult. It wouldn't sit well with the pack if he had let her perish in the blizzard, even if she wasn't a pack member, it was obvious that they favored her greatly.

Laek wagged her tail and Casanova helped her in her search. He was grateful that she trusted him. But she followed the philosophy of good and innocent until proven otherwise, and he had so far shown nothing but kindness. She saw him go off into a search and so she did as well. It became harder and harder to search as the snow began to fall harder and faster. But the pair still gathered a fair amount. As Casanova sat, Laek shook out her fur as best she could then sat herself as well.

The wolf named Casanova seemed to be concerned for her safety as well, as he asked her to stay with him for the night. It was getting very chilly outside and both Laek and Casanova seemed to know they were quite the distance from the dens. But she still hesitated. Here was a stranger, but she also did not want to risk her life in the blizzard that was sure to come at this rate.

She tilted her ears back a little and accepted his request. "That would be the best idea, wouldn't it? I'll come with you." She knew that it was possible that the pack would worry about her, but she also knew they did not need another sick or injury added to their list. She stood and motioned for Casanova to lead the way.

Casanova smiled and sighed in relief as she accepted. He stood quickly, walking over to his pile and glancing over at her. "Let's bring these with so that you can bring them back to the pack after the blizzard. No doubt they'll need it." He said, picking up his pile and waiting for her to do the same. The cave he had found earlier wasn't too far away, and as the wind and snow picked up even more, he had to blink and squint in order to see through the gusts of snow that hit his face violently. They were there in a matter of minutes, though, and he trotted inside, shaking off the snow on his fur and depositing the moss and needles against the cave wall for later. Then he sat down, looking over at the entrance for her form, hoping that he hadn't lost her in the storm.

Laek went to her pile and picked up the majority and went to follow her new friend. The snow was falling faster and in large chunks. The butt of the blizzard was coming right at them, and Laek was having trouble concentrating on following Casanova. She couldn't keep a view on his form and felt as if she were going the wrong way. And she couldn't rely on scent as the wind and snow heavily hindered that sense. She blinked repeatedly, trying to keep her vision. By now, she had lost the form of Casanova and she hoped that he had found his way.

After a while, she finally found the cave that he resided in. It took much longer for her to get there, but she had made it. She dropped the moss and pine next to his pile and shook her fur of the clumps of snow that had built up in the storm. She looked and saw him, clarifying that she had found the correct cave.

But now she was cold, very cold. Laek brought herself to the ground and placed her muzzle on her paws, looking up at Casanova to see what would happen next.

When she didn't walk in right after him, Casanova grew worried. He stood, sighing in relief as she finally entered the cave. She looked frozen, and he frowned, walking right up to her and ignoring the fact that he was a near stranger to her. He curled his larger body around her's, beginning to lick her fur dry of snow, his larger body curled around her's, trying to keep her warm. "We need to get you warm before you get sick. I was getting really worried when you didn't come in right after me. I'm sorry I didn't make sure you were behind me." He said between licks, doing his best to get her warm and dry before she got sick.

After a while he had cleaned all the snow off her fur, and he rested his head over her shoulder, using his body heat to keep her warm as they both laid there. He wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable or not, but he didn't want to risk negative effects of the cold just to make her comfortable. No, her health was more important right now.

Laek felt the warm body of Casanova wrap around her and she was slightly surprised, seeing as they were two strangers. But she did not care, it was raising her body temperature and she appreciated it a lot. He began to lick the last bits of snow off her fur, and he spoke. She turned her muzzle a little so she could see him out of her peripherals. "It's quite alright really, I would have found somewhere to stay. I've lived in the mountains for many moons, these happened all the time..." And most of the time, she really did find safety. But she did not usually have a source of heat until the next sunrise, much less another wolf. She let him lick her clean, and then he placed his head on her shoulders.

Laek was very comfortable and getting warmer every moment. She was grateful for having met Casanova right before, or she would have been left ill in the snow. She was grateful that he was here to warm her up. She relaxed herself and let the quiet ensue between them, the winds filling the silence.

Casanova smiled, sighing softly and relaxing as he curled around her, resting his head on her shoulders and enjoying her scent. His eyes closed eventually, and he yawned softly, curling a bit tighter around her, using his larger body to block the wind that blew into the cave from the storm. But he wasn't tired enough to sleep, and he soon resumed his grooming, mostly because he enjoyed it, but also because he wanted her to be relaxed and comfortable. He was surprised to find that he really enjoyed feeling her body curled within his, and although they didn't know each other very well, he was glad that they had run into each other, for he greatly enjoyed her presence.

Laek was comfortable and very relaxed as Casanova wrapped himself tighter around her, and began to groom her again. The winds were not dying down at all, but Laek could nearly fall asleep to it, as well as through Casanova's sighing and yawning every now and then. Laek herself brought up her muzzle and gave a large yawn, a sure sign that she was now exhausted. Sticking her right paw beneath herself, she adjusted herself to be even more comfortable. She leaned into her friend and was eventually sound asleep in his warmth.

She slept easy through the night, even with the howling of the wind, and the small clumps of snow that found their way into the cave. Her eyes opened to the light pouring in from outside, and the large body of Casanova wrapped around her. She smiled as she realized she had made it through the storm, many thanks to the male accompanying her. She nosed him and crawled her way out of his grip, soon after, she got up and stretched with a hearty yawn. Laek observed the scene.

They were in a cave somewhere along the border, she assumed. Their pile of moss and pine needles were near the wall, and many inches of snow lay outside, pouring into the cave. She jumped happily into the snow like a pup would have done, and played for a few short moments, or until Casanova would wake.

Casanova remained sleeping as the light poured into the den, but a nudge from his female companion made him stir, and he lifted his head slowly, yawning and blinking out at the bounding wolf in the snow. He chuckled softly, getting to his feet slowly and stretching, arching his back and yawning before walking outside to watch her play. She looked like she was greatly enjoying herself, and he laughed, swiping a pawful of snow at her and bounding away to hide behind a nearby tree.

He had never really loved the snow, but it was fun to play every once in a while, so a time like this was cherished by him. Especially since he was used to living alone, something that was habit, but not something he entirely enjoyed. He did enjoy Laek's company, however, and he romped around with her in the snow, wagging his tail and barking as he played.

Laek saw Casanova awake and splash her with snow. She let out a laugh and joined Casanova in a chase. Eventually she jumped and tackled him into a mound of snow. Laughing, she pulled herself away and slinked away into the cave. Once onto dry land, she shook her coat, snow flying everywhere. She was enjoying herself, having not really played in the snow like that in a long time. Smiling she turned and looked outside at the disturbed snow. It was now dotted with holes and trails that the pair had made.

Then she remembered where she was and that the pack was likely be looking for her by now. She remembered how early they all awoke yesterday. She gave a slight frown but then smiled again at how goofy Casanova still looked. With snow all over his weird coat. Laek wagged her tail as she called out, "Having fun?" In the back of her mind, she still thought of the pack. But she'd be fine and so would they, she'd just have to stop by later. Or soon, at least. But she was torn with what to do with Casanova though. He hadn't shown violence, and she might have let him into her old pack, but this was not her old pack. She debated taking him with her to the dens or not.

Casanova grinned as she chased him, darting off and bounding through the snow playfully. When she pounced on him, he laughed in surprise, letting her pin him down. When she got off and moved into the cave, he continued to bound around and play in the snow, leaving trails of holes and piles of snow behind him. When she finally spoke, he was laying in the snow, his face littered with white snowflakes. He lifted his head, grinning foolishly at her, his tail wagging and sending snow everywhere. But even as he opened his mouth to speak, the snow on his nose tickled it, and he sneezed, sending snow everywhere and falling back into another pile of it. In a few seconds his head popped back up out of the snow and he started laughing, unable to resist.

Casanova sneezed and Laek burst out with laughter, not being able to hold it in as he goofed about in the snow. The pair laughed for ages it seemed. Laek was lying on the ground, burying her muzzle into her paws, attempting to calm herself down. After a wheeze and another laugh, she just lay there smiling at her friend. Her tail wagged and swooshed around the melted snow from her fur. It seemed like today would be a good day, as far as Laek could see at least.

She then rose up and headed towards the pile of bedding they had gotten, (but ironically did not use,) and picked up as much as she could in her muzzle. She knew that it was time to head back, even if it meant leaving behind Casanova. She bounded over the snow to him. "I shou' probably ge' back to the pack, Cashanover." she mumbled through the mix of moss and pine. She slurred words together and realized that it might not have been understood. But she hoped that he got the idea when he sees her carrying the moss.

Casanova smiled, enjoying spending plenty of time laughing and joking. Finally he saw her get up and go to the moss pile. He stood, shaking the snow from his fur and sitting down, watching her. When she spoke, although he was upset that she was leaving, he couldn't help but laugh. But it was only brief, and he sighed softly because he knew she had to go. "It's probably best for you to go, I know. The pack is probably worried sick about you. In fact, I'm sure I smell a male heading this way right now. Actually, two." He said, picking up the scents of Blitz and Inferno, no doubt looking for her. "That's my cue to leave, miss. I'll be around here if you ever need me. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I do hope to see you again soon. Good day, miss Laek." He said, standing and bowing slightly, before turning and bounding off into the trees to disappear from view before the alpha and beta arrived. The snow would hide his scent, and there were so many trails from their play, it was unlikely that the two males would be able to follow him.

(Want me to have Jenn bring Inferno in here and I'll bring Blitz? At least for a bit?)

(Sure, why not?)
Before Laek could say anything on response, Casanova bounded away in a hurry as if he were scared of the other males. "Oh...alright. Goodbye then my friend." she added quietly after he disappeared, slightly disapointed that he did not offer to come with her. But she then realized that he was correct in his observations. The two males were indeed close and nearby. Laek hesitated before moving, but eventually she stood and trotted through the trails they had made and went as far as she could, which really wasn't that far. Still relatively close to the border, and not yet in pack grounds. She then bounded with long leaps over the glistening snow. Laek kept sniffing every now and then to sense the nearness of the alpha and beta.

Blitz had followed Inferno out to the border in hopes of finding Laek, whom they had lost in the blizzard last night. His large white form plowed easily through the snow, and soon he was at the Eastern border and had spotted Laek. He grinned, picking up his pace and skidding to a stop beside her. He sniffed her and looked her over, making sure that she was healthy and unharmed. "Heaven sakes Laek! I was worried sick about you! I'm so glad you're safe!" He said, wagging his tail happily, now that he knew she was safe and sound. He was so excited that he didn't even notice the lone male's scent on her fur.

Inferno left the male on the Ridge with his warning and continued on. He'd be back soon to see what had happened, but the male was not Inferno's main priority now. He'd be easily dealt with later if need be; right now, Laek had to be found.

The wolf moved quick and soon caught the scent of two more wolves - the wind had shifted. One was Laek. The other was unknown, but definitely a male. He ran the rest of the way to the scent, relieved to find both Laek looking well and Blitz with her. "Are you alright?" he asked her, stopping next to Blitz and looking over Laek to confirm for himself her condition. There was definitely the smell of a male on her. Inferno narrowed his eyes, wondering if it was the same one he'd seen on the border. It could be...but if it wasn't, they would probably have to pick up the patrols on the borders even more.

Laek gave as much of a smile as she could with the moss in her mouth as the two male wolves found her. She carefully dropped the bedding onto a safe spot of snow and swished her tail softly. "Yes I am fine, managed to find a safe cave to stay the night in. I am okay. I assume every one else is fine too, correct?" she was happy that they were so worried about her, even if she wasn't a pack member. It definitely made her feel like one though. She looked at the two males, with snow lining all their furs, and waited for the next move.