Mysterious Lands.....[acceptance]

[tripswitch]

A cool breeze blew through the dark, ebony forest of Arnlan. Though to some it might be a refreshing gust of wind, it spoke only of caution to the small pup who now wandered aimlessly through the lands. Even only a few feet past the border, anyone of the inhabitants would surely find him, and his scent was being blown all through the pack lands thanks to the wind.

He was unnerved, even scared to a point. The feeling of being watched came from all around, and even the shadows themselves seemed to reach out at him. It was the least he could do, to keep himself sane in this place. If this pack was like what he had heard of Sallin, he would get killed for sure.

It was truly a place of mystery, the lands he had found himself on. Both that and a place of wonder. For a time he sat there, thinking to himself, wondering just how dark this place could get, how tall the trees were, and even there were monsters inhabiting the place along with the wolves. But that was another thing of fear.

The small, slate-colored pup had found himself at the point where he would doze off in his dreams, and no longer could tell if anything was coming upon him. In a place like this, in an unknown land, that very thing could mean death. He tried to snap himself out of it, he did, but Tripswitch found that he only got more and more questions as he tried.

But something did get him back to reality, and it came to be a loud noise, the snapping of a twig by the force of one's movement. His lithe form whirled around, now facing the general direction of the noise. All his senses were alert, and his nose sniffed the air just as his ears were perked, listening to anything and everything.

"Hello......", his voice came. Unsure and somewhat fearful of the darkness that surrounded him. The moon shone brightly in the sky, and dark clouds had begun to gather. Like the coming of a storm.

[blackrage]

Darkness shrouded the forests of Arnlan, and the moon shone bright in the sky. It was full and round, and it's color portrayed that of blood with almost an orange hue. The dark clouds that covered the sky nearly blended in, so deep in the shrouded atmosphere to which they clung. The winds barreled through, whipping the ebony trees to and fro in an exhilarating dance, and soothing the souls of others.

He stood alone; in the midst of it all, the booming wind, the shadows of darkness, and yet, he heard nothing. He had long learned to block out all sound, so that the only thing he felt was the soft blowing of air upon his pelt as it passed through. He was in the full moonlight, and would be fully seen, had it not been for the shadows that absorbed his body and hid him within the shadows. As the churning wind struck his body, it lit his markings, turning them from as they were and making them alive, and so to the point that they seemed to leap from his pelt, licking up his legs and swiping at the air; flames that had sparked.

But not all of his senses were dulled, and his nose became sharp within moments as a scent came to him, it's path traveling on the high winds. In seconds his entire body came to life, and the powerful beast suddenly sprung forward and darted elegantly across the land. His muscles rippled against his bones as he moved; his fur bounced on his skin. Leaves and water parted about his feet as he dashed across the marshy earth in the immediate direction of the smell.

Who was this newcomer to Arnlan?

Slowing down now, he neared the source of the scent. Where he was, the brush had grown up around everything, and so he would not be able to get past it without making noise. I was not what he wished to do, and so he went around the clearing, flashing, pelt blending and distorting within the shadows, and only once did his paw connect within the ground and issue a sound.

He had now fully came around, and as soon he looked through the undergrowth, glowing, orange eyes came upon a small being no larger than a pup. It had whirled around at the sound he had just recently made, and it seemed so full of fear, so afraid, that for an instant he couldn't help but feel sorry for the small life that he gazed upon now. He had once been small, and even though that was now long ago, he still knew what it felt like to be all alone.

For moments it was silence, until the pup's voice came through, piercing the darkness. "Hello......" Unknown to him, the fur on his neck bristled. Maybe it was because of that voice so young, or a breeze that had just blown through his risen fur. Great body rippled as he moved out and into the same clearing as the pup, attempting at making no sound that would alert the small life, and at the same time, come up behind it.

His own voice came into the forest now, and no matter how he tried for it not, it still held the same quality it always did; harsh and gruff, almost indescribable by words, and hardened by many years of war. "Yes....little one?"

[Karolek]

There are those that would say that the mop of black hair that covered most of the Alpha's face was an inconvenience.

Karolek, however, begged to differ.

You see, with a dark sheet to cover the eyes that would otherwise glow and give away his prescence, sneaking around the forest like a shadow come to life was made all that much easier. Of course, there were those mysterious green dots, but they didn't reflect light like eyes did -- They even added to the camoflauge. Sometimes, at least. Other times they stood out like little green flashlights, but Karolek disregarded such minor things. He could get around virtually unnoticed with apparent ease -- The Alpha had been here since the beginning of time itself. He knew every contour of the land, every tree.

And, he knew when there was an intruder about.

It was for this reason, specifically, that the black male had wandered over to this very spot, observing the situation carefully. A pup had made it to Arnlan. A pup had survived this forest to get to this point. The hidden Alpha raised a brow with skepticism. Perhaps an adult had dropped him off and ran away, hoping that her child would have a life in the pack. Or, perhaps he really had made it this far.

Stepping out from the shadows and into the yellowy moonlight, Karolek stared through those unseen eyes at first the pup, and then the Arnlan wolf who accompanied it. His face was set in a solemn frown. It was almost as though he wanted the pup to think he was angry. Of course he did. He wasn't going to be too terribly cruel to someone so young. But, he had to weed out who was going to be worth something and who was going to be a hinderence, didn't he?

At last, the wolf spoke. "Young one." Pausing for a moment to glance yet again at the older wolf, the male brought his gaze back down the puppy, that stern frown still fixed in place. Karolek liked the feeling that he was intimidating. Anyone who knew him well enough, specifically his sister, would most likely see through the act immediately.

This puppy, however...

"How did you get here?" He decided to speak a bit more simply. While he normally would ramble on for a bit, twisting his words into puzzling riddles, the Alpha felt that this was not the time. It was just a puppy, after all.

Karolek remained silent, standing in place with his stone-like gaze fixed on the tiny creature before him. While he may have looked cruel and disapproving on the outside...The male was fighting with the impish smile that seemed to want to spread across his face. His expression remained still, but if those eyes were visible, one would see immediately the fact that they were positively dancing with amusement.

Oh, what fun it was to interfere with the minds of the young.