[Alue]

They had discovered the tendrils, and it had turned bad. Alue had barely even seen them, let alone knew much about them. But as soon as news had reached him of the poison they were giving off, he fled with his patient, Phillip. If Nardir was still standing, he wasn’t sure. The panic of it all had gotten to the wolf dog, and he had bolted straight away. Now they had gone further than intended, not really sure where they were. They had run for a day, and run for a few hours at night, before laying down for a break. Surely they weren’t that far away from Nardir? Or at least others from the pack. The sun was setting on the second day away from the pack, and Alue had dedicated himself to hunting for himself, but mainly for Phillip, the elder he kept with him. Without someone to look after Phillip, he might not survive. The old dog limped, and both eyes were blind. It didn’t help that he was mean to pretty much everyone he met.

   Alue had made the elder rest in a shallow den - maybe it had belonged to foxes, he wasn’t sure. It was just deep enough for the two small dogs to squeeze into. As Alue watched the sun setting, he could hear the tearing sound of Phillip eating. He had been complaining about hunger, so Alue had hunting just for him, and brought food back as soon as he got it. As soon as the shadows stretched long among the sparse trees around them, Alue stuck his head into the den. “I’m gonna hunt. Please, don’t leave.” He waited for Phillip to confirm that he wouldn’t, and gave a sigh, and nodded his head. Alue smiled, even though the elder didn’t smile back, and ducked back out into the open.

   The woods they had found themselves in thinned in random places, and he went towards where he had found the trees to be closer together. He assumed prey would more likely be there, hiding among the tree roots. It didn’t take too long for him to spot some squirrels running between the roots, running into the branches, squeaking loudly. It took some time, a lot of patience, but he finally felt his teeth land onto a target that wasn’t air. He swiftly killed the squirrel, pleased with the little morsel. It wouldn’t fill him up much, but it was something. All of the sudden, he got a bad feeling, as if someone was watching him. Had Phillip gotten out of the den and followed him? The wolf dog turned around, trying to see if he could spot any creatures around him.

[Aphra]

Call it what you will; creepy, cowardly, or downright weird, but Aphra had only the mere intention of observing the two other wolves who happened to roam past her current place of rest. She was a curious creature, but she was also quiet. Approaching a stranger was not something Aphra did on a regular basis; especially when it could potentially get her maimed. Or killed. Her leg had mostly healed from her altercation last week, but the missing fur was a reminder to Aphra that any strangers could be dangerous. 

These strangers, however, didn't look harmful. One was an elderly male--whom she could outrun if need be--and the other was small. Smaller than her, which was rare. Aphra tended to be one of the more petite wolves in most situations. This observation brought her a small amount of comfort; while she disliked fighting, at least this time she may stand a chance if it came down to that. She watched the younger male leave his companion in a small den. Aphra silently followed him, licking her jaw in attempt to cleanse it of rabbit blood from earlier in the day. 

She watched her subject hunt a squirrel, a task that proved difficult most of the time. They were such fast little creatures. Aphra had lost track of her positioning and didn't notice that her scent would easily drift to the male's nose due to the shifting winds. Plus, she wasn't in a concealed area either; more so simply hiding behind a pathetic looking bush. It was too late to hide anywhere else, as the smaller male turned and likely saw her standing there. Aphra's ears folded back slightly and she dipped her head a bit in embarrassment. 

I didn't mean to startle you, she began. I noticed you and your friend...I don't mean any harm...

[Alue]

Although back when he had lived life as a loner he never ran into really fights, there was still that fear there. Alue wanted to call it irrational, but it was rational. In a sense, at least. And when he knew someone must be close, he wondered if that fear was still irrational. The first thing his mind went to was Phillip. If the two were in danger, the old man would barely be able to make it. With his limp and blindness, there was barely hope of running. Though, he was an angry man, and his bite was worse than his bark. Alue, on the other hand, was fast, and didn’t know how to truly fight. The pair were like prey in the forest, easy to take down if caught. The wolf that he could see, he felt himself back up some as she came closer. The dip of her head made him realize that this must not be much danger.

   ”I didn’t mean to startle you,” The girl was soft spoken, bringing obvious relief to the wolf dog’s face. ”I noticed you and your friend...I don't mean any harm…” So she had seen Phillip. Had the two spoken? Alue considered it for a moment, and realized that this girl wouldn’t be nearly as nice or happy if the two had spoken. Phillip was not pleasant to anyone who wasn’t a dog, so to speak. “You’re good. I’m just, like, pretty jumpy.” He said, dropping his prey to the ground. “You’re a loner?” He asked, knowing for sure this wasn’t pack land, but also slightly worried that it might be and he was trespassing. At least if they were, she seemed kind enough to just tell them to leave instead of attacking.

   Once it would be confirmed that this was indeed no man’s land, Alue would continue speaking. It was part friendly nature, but partially rambling because of his anxiety. “My name’s Alue. If you saw my friend, the old guy, his name is Phillip. We were in a pack called Nardir, but, well, shit happened. Sickness, y’know?” He made a poot sound with the whole sticking his tongue out, trying to make light of the fact that he didn’t actually know if anyone got hurt or even died. He had tried to push the worries away. “It’s nice to meet you. I wouldn’t talk to Phillip, he’s racist.” Or was it speciest? Either way, Phillip didn’t like non-dogs. All the sentences the boy was putting together might have sounded confusing, and he knew that, but the anxiety of talking to a stranger pushed him into speaking more than was probably needed.

[Aphra]

Aphra felt herself relax; he was not hostile. Thank goodness. A soft breath escaped her and she instantly looked more relieved, she would imagine. At his inquiry, she gave several nods and stepped a few paces closer to her new acquaintance. 

Yes, I'm a loner, she answered, her voice still meek and soft despite not feeling threatened or afraid. I have been my whole life. Although the current plan is to get to Inaria.

She wasn't sure how much information she should divulge to a stranger, but the boy seemed friendly and not malevolent at all. Aphra was always thankful for encounters with others that were civil; after witnessing her sister die at the hands of another out here, she had every right to be anxious about meeting other creatures on her journey. Or so she thought; perhaps she was just too timid and afraid. She tossed it up to being a combination of both.

At the mention of Alue's home pack being torn apart my illness, Aphra's humanitarian side came into play and she frowned ever so slightly. When the smaller dog made light of the issue, she lightened up a bit. That's awful, I'm so sorry, she said, furrowing her brow. Realizing she never offered her name, Aphra flicked her ears forward once more and said, I'm Aphra...nice to meet you Alue. And hopefully Phillip too.

Although he mentioned his older companion was prejudice for one reason or another. Personally, Aphra was too kindhearted to ever truly hate someone for reasons outside their control, but she reserved judgment for after she maybe met the elderly fellow. Ah...racist how? she asked with a light laugh. Perhaps the old man wasn't a cat person?

[Alue]

    At the very least, this was a nice little meeting talking to someone else who was grumpy old Phillip. ”Yes, I’m a loner,” The stranger confirmed. It felt taboo for Alue to call himself a loner, but at this point in time, he was one. Not that he had any issue with being a loner, there was just a slight hurt to it. ”I have been my whole life. Although the current plan is to get to Inaria.” Alue shrugged his shoulders in a way more towards understanding than not caring. “I was born in a human village, so I can’t really imagine living my entire life as a loner.” He had heard stories about being a loner. There was a lot more danger, but so far, he had never ran into any. Maybe it was pure luck.

    “And I think we were allies with Inaria. I wasn’t an ambassador, so I don’t know much, but I’m pretty sure they were nice.” Being just a healer didn’t get him much information on what the other ranks did, or much information about other packs, but sometimes he got to know the basics. They went on, and the girl apologized about Nardir’s supposed demise. Alue tried to nonchalantly shrug it off, but it was probably obvious just by looking at him that there was sadness. I'm Aphra...nice to meet you Alue. And hopefully Phillip too.” Alue put back on a smile, trying to push back any emotions he deemed negative. It was nice to talk to someone positive - Phillip rarely said nice things, though none of the negative was directed at the younger boy. Alue felt almost like he was getting energy restored.

    ”Ah...racist how?” Aphra asked with a small laugh. Being the halo that had mainly watched over the elder dog, he had learned a good amount about Phillip’s past. There was also just hearing what he had done and seeing how he acted around others. “When Phillip was in his prime, he lived in a human village with the human’s dog pack or something, and they didn’t allow wolves or many ‘wild’ animals in, he said. So now he has some weird thing against wild animals, and really something against wolves. I’m only part dog, so he didn’t warm up to me that fast.” He shrugged again, but was smiling, as if telling a funny story. “He’s old and blind and he still tried to cause trouble because he doesn’t like wolves. I don’t understand it, but he’s too stubborn to change, no matter what I do.” Phillip had taken a soft spot for Nardir’s Queen, Alana, but that was only because she allowed Puffin to save the old man.