New Friends?

[krystalwolf]

Sina trotted along, she had explored a lot of Arnlan, and already had some of the scents of Arnlan became part of her. She carried that distinct Arnlan scent like a trophy. The new subordinate swished her tail to the side as she stopped to drink, she would hunt soon, but this being place being so new she had to get used to it all. She looked up at the rare sunny sky. There were some rain clouds in the distance, she could see through the tree tops. Sina shook her head and continued, wondering where the twenty subordinates Nightblood spoke of were. The only wolf she'd seen in Arnlan was Nightblood. She wondered when the sentry would return from her duties. Maybe the older wolf would make a small conversation with her?

A slightly warm breeze swept past her, as she walked under a fallen log. She had spent her first day exploring, and apparently she was going to spend her second day exploring as well. She blinked, wondering if there were any rules to where she dug her den, or if they slept in some sort of cave. She really could use someone to answer her questions. There was a patch of snow that was mostly melted. She turned around, leaped on the fallen log and laid down.
Sina glanced in all directions, looking for a wolf figure.

[ziko]

So used to such duller days was Ziko that it pained him to turn a gaze to the sky. The rare sunlight hurt his soft brown eyes. Piercing pains shot in his head whenever he came into contact with the light. Groaning with discomfort the young black and red wolf had taken to the shadows for most of the day. It was in there that he remained, grumbling about the weather until his body had become cramped and stiff.

Stiff so much that his body had become used to the position in which he lay and he was forced to stand and stretch and relieve his aching muscles. Gently he rose, kneading his toes in the ground to relax them, rolling his shoulders and hip joints with a casual yawn. Coming to a stand he sniffed at the air; he was hungry and had decided that he would need to find sustenance for the rest of his boring day.

Boring was every day to the young, yet elder member of Arnlan. In several days he had not met any other wolf in the territory. His assumption was that they, like he was, were waiting for someone to seek them out; waiting for something to happen. He could smell nothing and so began to walk quickly along a small dirt trail that he had taken to so often that it had so many prints of his paws. Little did the young male take notice of his surroundings- he had just strolled right past another wolf without the slightest hint; Sina.

[krystalwolf]

Sina was looking at the small patches of sky as Ziko began to approach where she was sitting, so she didn't see him coming. She yawned and lowered her head, licking her front paw. Who knew wandering aimlessly would make one so tired? She asked herself sarcastically. She knew she should have followed Nightblood as she finished her patrol. Then she would have had more company while she explores the land.

She blinked. In the corner of her eyes she thought she saw something red. Turning her head to where she saw it, she realized that a red and black wolf had just gruffly walked below her without notice. She was now downwind, so he probably doesn't have a chance to notice her again. Sina jumped off the log and trotted closer to catch up. He didn't look very elderly, but he was acting like a grouchy old wolf.
"Hello." she wasn't exactly sure how to start. The yearling was about to say something more, but couldn't think of anything that didn't sound awkward. Well. . . this entire greeting was a bit awkward. Especially since she just suddenly "appeared" from behind him.

[ziko]

With his head hung low concentrating on walking the path before him, all awareness had fallen and so it was such a shock to suddenly hear another voice that seemingly came from no where. The "hello" made the young wolf jump and yelp in surprise. His head spun around and he was met with this female watching him with an anxious face.

" Er... hi... " he said and took a few steps back. His fur bristled on end and it glimmered in the light that trickled between the branches and shone upon it. Where had she come from? Who was she? How long had she lived in Arnlan? He questioned in his mind, and when the question of who had accepted her a faint scent told him who. Nightblood.

" Where you... following me? " he asked in a rather high pitched tone that he was aware of. He gushed a little and his ears drooped; how embarassing. There was no way for him to cover that up and he turned his head away, grinning in discomfort. She could have been following him for all he knew... and for how long? He really wasn't top notch with his senses today.

[krystalwolf]

" Er... hi... " he seemed rather unsettled, perhaps she should have waited on the log and ignored him after all. there obviously wasn't an announcement about her acceptance, but maybe this pack is so big that new members wasn't anything big.
" Where you... following me? " his voice was a higher pitch this time, Sina didn't know he would freak out this much but also understood he had every right. Embarrassment flooded in her face, and he seemed embarrassed too, probably from how his voice cracked. She couldn't look him in the eye, she glanced away.
"No actually," she looked back at him, her ears perked. This was so embarrassing! "I was sitting on this log and I saw you pass by. . . thought I'd say hi."
She hoped he'd believe him. The first thing she needed was to be introduced into the pack as a stalker. The yearling was so close to just turning around and leaving him.

[ziko]

Ziko raised a brow and kept his head tilted to the side. From this angle though he could still perfectly see her and Sina seemed to be roughly the same age as him, perhaps a month or so younger. He noticed that she too was embarrassed and that she was looking away from him.

"No actually... I was sitting on this log and I saw you pass by... thought I'd say hi."

Oh, he thought turning his head now so that he could look at her with both of his chocolate brown eyes. He supposed if he had been in her position he would have probably said hello as well, so he nodded a little but still had an embarrassed look across his face.

" Oh... well uh... hello... " Ziko felt he had to say or do something that would break this awkward tension rising though he did not know how. Normally he could be comfortable when around others. He remembered when he met Levy, things were just so much easier than this.

" How long have you been sitting on that log? " He glanced over and saw that she couldn't have been following him because the log was only metres away. Unless she had followed him and then sat down and quickly said hello... but that didn't seem reasonable to him.

[krystalwolf]

" Oh... well uh... hello... " he said. Sina was feeling like the awkwardness was fading away, but she was still really embarrassed. " How long have you been sitting on that log? "

Ok they were starting a better conversation. Sina was hoping they'd forget that rather uncomfortable start.

"Not that long really." she replied. "I've been exploring a lot. . . I was just resting for a few minutes."

She wasn't sure what to ask. But hopefully the worse was over.

A warm breeze blew by, clouds were slowly coming closer. If they lived in a prairie the clouds would be here by now. But the wind was slowed by the trees. Sina guessed they would be here by evening.

[ziko]

"Not that long really... I've been exploring a lot. . . I was just resting for a few minutes."

Ziko nodded. He too was becoming less uncomfortable and the tension was slowly fading. He never noticed the clouds or the wind, they were not something he often paid much attention to.

" So... once you finished resting, were you just going to go exploring again? " Ziko sat himself down on the cold, moist ground and felt the soft earth under his paws. He gave a casual flick of his ears and looked to Sina.

[krystalwolf]

" So... once you finished resting, were you just going to go exploring again? " Seeing him sit down, Sina did the same.

"Yeah, I've just been going straight until I reach the edge of the border. It looks like it's going to be much longer than I suspected." Sina continued, sort of understanding why there had been so few wolves. The land was so big for about twenty-four wolves. A slight hint of pity for Nightblood trickled in her thoughts. Being half blind and the only sentry must be really tough for her.

During her last conversation, it took until the end of it before she learned Blood's name, so Sina was going to try to fit that in sooner.
"I'm Sina by the way." she added, noticing the sound of a bird near the top of the trees.

[ziko]

Arnlan was quite a big territory. Ziko did not doubt however that there was more space to it then what met the eye. It was certainly expansive... Sina would be going on for days trying to reach the other side of the border, he was sure. Perhaps it was lucky that she had come across him then.

Nightblood, for the moment, did not enter his head. Ziko was so focused on the conversation at hand and most side tracking thoughts failed to enter his head and deter his attention. His last encounter with Nightblood however, had not been a pleasant one. He assumed that they weren't on speaking terms.

" I am Ziko. I was born into Arnlan. " He gave a proud nod and raised his head a little, smirking. Then Nightblood came into mind as he was about to ask who had accepted her. Of course, it could have been one of the alphas but it was the sentry that sprung to mind.

He really didn't want to talk about her.

[krystalwolf]

" I am Ziko. I was born into Arnlan. " He raised his head proudly and smirked, Sina couldn't help but be a little impressed, even though she tried not to show it. She was proud to have been accepted so easily, and had no regret of living as a rogue with her family.

"Wow," she said, smiling, slightly amused with his open pride, not with him. At first she thought he was more of a closed in wolf, one who didn't think much of himself. She looked at him, he did seem to be suited for Arnlan, her pale yellow and brown coat didn't blend in with her surroundings as well as his- she just realized. "So, from a pure Arnlaner, what do you think of this place?"

Sina wondered what it would have been like, to be raised in Arnlan, she also began to wonder how other accepted wolves thought about him.

[ziko]

Ziko hadn't really noticed Sina's expression and if he had been paying attention he would have been looking for the slightest sign of being impressed by him. Though there was nothing wrong for a young male wolf to be proud of his heritage and history. He also hadn't noticed the contrast between her coat and the dark background of black trees and shadows behind her. Maybe he was being a little to self indulged at the moment.

" Well, it's very dark. " His words hinted that he was being slightly comical too lighten the mood. " To be perfectly honest, it has been... lonely... " he trailed off and looked away for a moment, remembering all the lonely nights he had had when growing up. His parents had died of disease and he had been left to fend for himself. However he knew in his heart the alphas had good intentions by not interfering with his early development.

He was put in a position were life would be tough without a parent wolf there as a safety net in lifes little challenges. He believed he was supposed to be left like this to learn for himself and become self taught. He also believed that the alphas of Arnlan too believed this. He have a slight sigh and looked to Sina with an awkward expression again. The silence he had started had lingered a little longer than he had intended to.

He smiled weakly and looked away from the female again. Of course, he hadn't been completely alone. As a very inquistive young wolf he was always following the other wolves around asking questions and no doubt getting in the way and bugging them. " My parents died... when I was very young... " he said quietly to explain the silence. He didn't want the female to feel that she had to pull them out of the tension. Ziko sighed.

[krystalwolf]

" Well, it's very dark. " Sina smirked, it did seem a little refreshing to talk to someone who took things lightly. It reminded her of her sister. But she didn't expect the small joke to be all he was going to say, and apparently she was right. " To be perfectly honest, it has been... lonely... "

Sina nodded slightly, unsure how to react to that. She looked at him as he looked away. Thunder rumbled softly from the clouds that were in the distance, she wouldn't have heard it if they hadn't started talking about it. But Sina wasn't focusing on the weather, she was thinking about how it must have felt to grow up like that. Sina hadn't met very many wolves, so after meeting Ziko, she figured that pups were scarce.

" My parents died... when I was very young... " Sina's eyes softened, she looked lower, as if she heard that someone she knew died.

"I'm. . . I'm sorry to hear that." she said, no longer looking at him. "That must have been rough."

And I think I understand how you feel. . . Sina added in her thoughts.
Her parents weren't dead, but they might as well be.

[ziko]

Ziko heaved a gentle sigh and decided that they would speak no longer of sadness and death. There were happier memories to be cherished. If he continued to linger on the past his mind would surely be lost along with it. Even though Sina had spoken to him he did not say anything back but merely gave a faint smile and looked up to her face.

He held his gaze there for a moment. There was little expression on his face but he did feel tense again which could be noted from his toes which gripped the earth tightly. He knew that if they moved on with the subject it would surely come to when, and who by, she was accepted to the pack. Ziko then thought it was better to get it out of the way now.

" When was your acceptance into Arnlan? " he said with a casual low voice, as if weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His grip on the ground loosened and he lifted his head slightly higher, looking curiously as Sina.

To him she appeared lonely. A young female alone in a big territory, a member of a big pack... that felt very disheartening. Though he did know other members he rarely saw them anymore. Crow had long gone left the pack, Pollux had been out recently on a mission with Orion and then there was the alphas who he never found the need to seek.

[krystalwolf]

They were silent again, it seemed as though that happened quite frequently around them... Why their conversations seemed so awkward was beyond her. But she was thinking about him, how sad it would have been to grow up without a parent at all.
" When was your acceptance into Arnlan? " Ziko asked.

She tilted her head.
"Oh. . . a couple days ago." she said. "Do you have a rank?"
She knew that this pack had a lot of normal members, without ranks, but she didn't know how that number differed from the amount with ranks. Maybe Sina would find out that there were more wolves with rank than without. . . or maybe she wouldn't.
She was also curious to know if Ziko didn't have a rank, what was his dream position.