Can you hear the past calling on the wind?

[midnight]

[Trick]

There was a black spot in the distance. One would have to have a sharp eye to even notice it for it wasn't moving. Curled up into a ball next to a tree was a pitch-black wolf taking a nap. Why in the world it would pick this place for nap is anyone's guess. His nap ended when one of his ears pricked straight up into the air and locked onto the sound of something approaching.

The wolf raised his head up to look at what was making the sound. Were his eyes deceiving him? A wolf with a coat of white walking his direction. Surely this was a dream, ya that's it, he'd been staying out in this cold for far too long. It was just a simple dream, but why in such a cold, horrible place? Why was his dream here of all the locations he'd visited in the past? Maybe this wasn't a dream? Maybe the wolf was the angel of death? Was he on the edge already? He felt perfectly fine when he went to sleep, why was it here to collect him?!

Shuin jumped back on his paws rather quickly and the slight twinge in his feet supported the fact that this wasn't in a dream. He didn't want to die, not yet, not at when he was still young. Then the thought hit him. What was he doing? Thinking such things was foolish. How could the wolf be here to collect him if it wasn't even walking towards him anymore? Shuin shook his head, the things he thought up sometimes.

In the back of his mind though, the thought still lingered. His eyes held determination as he slowly approached the white wolf. He noticed that it was a she and she looked rather bored."I thought I'd never see another wolf out here but I guess you proved me wrong. My name is Shuin, may I ask what the white ball of fur name is?" Shuin asked, his voice as emotionless as ever. It was hard to read what he was feeling or even thinking at the moment, and he almost felt sorry for those he talked to...almost.

[midnight]

[/b][/i]

The sudden voice cut into her like thousands of thorns at once, shredding apart her mind as it would her pelt and skin. The wolf snapped to attention at once, much like the way one would when they'd been approached by something dangerous, deadly. Mogget's body language shifted from bored and curious to defensive and cautious, her entire being changing in the split second it took for his words to register with her mind. Of course, she figured, this other wolf probably wasn't about to do her any sort of harm just yet. Even if he was, he seemed a bit drowsy from sleeping, his mind probably coming back just now from the brink and veil of sleep. Mogget took this moment for silence, watching the other intently. He appeared to be at least a year older than her, perhaps a year and a half or two at most. This meant, if he was good at all the things that a wolf should be good at, that he was probably stronger than her. As for cunning, that differed with pups and even elders. Older did not always mean wiser, nor did stronger.

Mogget's air turned around so quickly that she herself was surprised that she still had it in her after being a loner for so long. Even when she had been in a pack she'd been like this, her fur fluffing out to make her look a decent size larger than she really was. Her right front paw raised slightly, as if somewhat offended at what he called her. She had that demanding sort of air now, one that demanded respect, but also stated that if she was given it she would give it back, and that it was not the same sort of arrogance some random pup would have upon meeting another creature, or in this case wolf.

This she-wolf was different, and she was going to let Shuin know that before she even introduced herself.

Of course she was going to do that much at least, an introduction was necessary when one was given, unless something had previously aggravated one to the point where it was deemed unnecessary. That was the complicated way that Mogget thought, specially considering other creatures that might become a good acquaintance in the future. Her head leaned to the side for a moment, one ear flicking around, listening, wondering if the other had a pack somewhere around him, the other ear trained on him. "I go by the name Mogget. You have a nice name, Shuin." Her eyes narrowed slightly. Despite the look, that was a compliment.

The other didn't seem to have a pack, as far as Mogget could tell. To her this was a good thing, elation was the first feeling to spread through her body, causing her tail to twitch ever so slightly, until he caught onto what he'd said before the introduction. A frown was obvious in her eyes, uncertainty echoed there. "You've met no other wolves, you say? How odd, where I come from there's quite a few packs of anywhere from three to six, sometimes even larger, depending on the area.." She only realized afterwords that she'd given it away that she did not come from this area.

Darn.[/size][/ul]

[Trick]

Shuin held his gaze, slightly surprised the air had changed so quickly. She seemed...different now. It was almost strange in a way. He had read her when he walked up, but the moment he had spoken, everything, even the air seemed to change in a matter of a few seconds. Shuin found that interesting to say the least, but he made no signs of showing it. Perhaps this could turn out to be a bit of fun, who knows, in the very least it'll be interesting. Shuin gave a light smirk which disappeared after a few seconds.

"Thank you Mogget. Mogget is nice as wel, unique in its own way." Shuin replied while looking her dead in the eyes. Respect, that was what was surrounding her. Shuin knew enough about respect to know when one wanted it. One wanting it and one deserving it were two completely different things. Whether she deserved it or not, he'd find out soon enough. If she respected him, he'd respect her and all would be good. Now if the female in front of him didn't respect him, then he could see no reason of why he should respect her.

"No, no other wolves. This place is still new to me. I know as much about it as you do now. All I can really say is that there are felines in the forest. You can smell them a mile away if you don't run into one first. So far they have not given me a problem, but if you know cats, you know that that could change at any moment." Shuin said as he thought about the cats in the forest. Shuin never really liked cats, almost all canines had some feeling of discontent towards them. Shuin could get past it if he wanted to, but it was always safe to be ready for anything.

"If you don't mind me asking Mogget, but what brings you out here? You say you had packs where you were...why did you leave?" Shuin asked, curious as to why she would leave the packs. He knew he'd probably understand, seeing it was how he had left his own so long ago, but it was good to actually hear it from the animal instead of guessing.

[midnight]

[/b]

A look of slight distaste passed over her. She'd eaten some once, to stay alive. It had not been a pleasant experience during or after. The grasshoppers were much better tasting than they were; but what more could be expected from eating something that fed on rotting flesh that even the most disgusting of creatures wouldn't touch? Mogget's ears pricked slightly as Shuin spoke again. His words were accompanied with his own experiences from this land, though not exactly with the cats she'd smelled, they were out there somewhere.

"If you don't mind me asking Mogget, but what brings you out here? You say you had packs where you were...why did you leave?" The female sneezed at the question. Really; he shouldn't ask things like that. It was definitely none of his business. An urge of need to talk to the other, however, pressed her out of her generally quiet and loner like self, front paws kneading the Earth under them fora moment as she spoke. "It wasn't where I belong, I suppose." Her eyes watched the other intently before her gaze spanned to their surroundings. "This doesn't feel right, either. But here I am. And here you are too." Her attention returned to him, ears twitching slighlty. "And you? Were you born in this land, or did you stumble here too?"[/ul][/size]

[Trick]

Shuin chuckled on the inside. Her name did sound very close to maggot, but that wasn't her fault. She was stuck with the name her parents gave her unless she decided to change it. If she wanted to change it in the first place she surely would have done so already.

"Yes, it does and what do you think a strong name will do for you? A name is a name is a name, nothing more. It means nothing but what you are to be called for the rest of your life. Besides, if you truly hated it, why haven’t you changed it?" Shuin asked, just as stoic as ever. She seemed slimmer when she sat down. Now he'd have to call her something other then the white ball of fur. Perhaps Sleek? "No, no, I'll just have to nickname her something that fits well. Maggot? She'd probably try and tear me to pieces, perhaps if she does something against me. She's avoiding eye contact. That's not very respectful, but I suppose I shouldn't hold it against her, some animals are just like that." Shuin thought as he listened to her words at the same time.

It wasn't where she belonged...he did understand that well. He never truly belonged with his pack and even his parents knew that. He was meant to be a loner but something inside him didn't want to be one. He wanted to be around others but he felt that his emotionless state would push everyone away. Didn't he say that he knew as much as she did about this place already? "I understand that. I wasn't where I belonged ether and like I said before, I know as much about this place as you do. I arrived a little bit before you did and I tried taking a nap but I couldn't. All I know is that there are some felines in that forest over there. Their scents flow with the wind every now and then. The forest is my next stop, I'm tired of this dreary and cold place. Care to come along?" Shuin asked, his tail slowly wagging without purpose.

He was tired of this place, it was so dead and the only thing that made noise was the wind when it howled. The only other thing that was alive were the trees that were randomly placed around the area. The forest had been tempting him and when his nap was finished he would have headed over there anyway. Going there with another wolf would be nice. If he ran into a problem, there would be someone else there to help him...well at least that was what he was hoping on at the moment.

[midnight]

"Yes, it does and what do you think a strong name will do for you? A name is a name is a name, nothing more. It means nothing but what you are to be called for the rest of your life. Besides, if you truly hated it, why haven’t you changed it?"

The female gave a something disinterested look as he said this, taking a slight offense to this. What would a stronger name do? Give confidence, at least it would for her. Mogget was not a name one wanted when they planned on running around alone for the rest of their lives. Something mysterious would have been quite fun, she imagined. Perhaps something based off nature. Something that had nothing to do with the nasty-tasting maggots that fed off carcasses. Her gaze rolled over the surroundings, looking for something that would spring forth the idea of a name into her mind. She saw nothing, therefore could think of nothing. Claws flexing against the ground, digging into the earth, the she-wolf yawned, maw snapping shut. This was not boring, and she was not tired, but it was an instinctual sort of action, something she'd done before she had thought about it.

The female's gaze returned to the figure of Shuin, the questioning of herself in her own gaze. She still didn't look at him directly, eyes staring past him almost, though really they were watching his ears, his legs and his tail.

"Mmm, it depends on the creature, I suppose. If one is happy with their name, they`ll be more inclined to introduce them self freely, without having to worry what another thought about their name, or worry that any laughter was about their name." She raised a paw and lowered her head, scratching at her ear. The other didn't seem to be a threat. If he was, generally the threatening type were more feral and edgy, looking to be in amazingly poor health. Perhaps that wasn't the way it was, here. Her gaze was still on Shuin, though she seemed less tense, more open perhaps.

"A name that would suit me? I have no clue. If I did, I would have definitely changed it by now. Names aren't things that are to be looked down on. Introductions are very important when making first impressions. You wouldn't want your name to be Elephantdropping, would you?"

Her ears flicked forward and she sat up. The way she'd spoken the words had an obvious ring to them. She was joking, though not trying to be disrespectful. It could be taken that way, and if she'd said that to someone where she came from, most of the time it would have elected a small smile with a gruff reply, or a randomly started fight by the one she'd been talking to. It was not that Mogget was repetitive or did not learn from her past mistakes, but everyone was different, and to find out how to act around them, she had to repeat things, go through a course of something like trial and error.

As the other asked if she'd like to come along with him to the forests, where the very cats mentioned earlier remained, the female went stiff. She was never, ever, invited to go anywhere with anyone. Being seen with another animal of any sort was somewhat of an odd thought for her. Mogget wasn't quite sure if she wanted to, but at the same time, if it meant getting out of the cold and somewhere she could enjoy herself for at least a little while, why not?

Standing on her feet, the female shook herself, body returning to it's fluffy size for a moment before laying flat against her again. Muddy brown eyes watched Shuin intently, wordlessly saying that she'd follow him as she spoke her reply, a simple;

"I`ll travel with you for a while."

The female shifted on her paws slightly before turning towards the forest she assumed they would be heading towards, yet her muzzle stayed watching the other intently, waiting for him. She wasn't about to lead the way, not when her back might be turned on him and he might do something she'd regret later on.

[Trick]

He listened to her words with one ear pricked up and the other flopped lazily to the side. He was still tired and didn't feel like making the effort to raise both ears, besides, he could just fine anyway. A branch swayed in his peripheral and he turned to look at it. This land was so cold and almost lifeless. He hated places like this but yet he was usually found in one. Why that was, Shuin didn't know, he just figured he was drawn to them in some freakish way. Her words circled in his head and brought him back. She avoided his eyes like the plague so he focused on something behind her before she got up.

Shuin lead the way in a slow walk. He was eager to leave this place, but at the same time part of him wanted to go as slow as possible. "Did I laugh when you introduced yourself? Did I even cough, make some kind of motion that would tell you I think it is funny? No, I did not, so you don't have to worry about it...at least not around me, others might be different. I don't look down on your name, so why should you? It is not like you were actually named maggot. Mogget is a whole entire different name. And no, I wouldn't want my name to be Elephantdropping, but that is a bad name, yours is not. You think Shuin is a good name? Do you know how many things rhyme with mine? How many names my...my old pack members used to nickname me? No...you don't do you?" Shuin shook his head. She was worried about her name.

What the wolf should be worrying about if anything was that she was in an unfamiliar land where she didn't know anyone. The black wolf looked ahead of him at the distant forest, it looked so green and full of life. More importantly it looked warm. "They used to call me...Shu and other names I don't want to tell you...they were bad. Of course we all gave each other names but it still stung when you were called them." Shuin admitted, his body language may have been stone cold, but on the inside he was hurting and laughing at all the old nicknames at the same time...all the ones his "friends" had anyway.

His black tail was left lifeless close to the ground, both ears had gone limp, his eyes held nothing at all, and his voice was blank. Too bad he didn't play poker or he'd have the best poker face of all.