Nightcrawler & Jais

The two wolves contrasted each other like day and night, with Jais's white coat standing out against the darkened grounds of the volcanic area, while Nightcrawler's ebony fur better concealed him against he dark backdrop. Neither seemed to care much about how conspicuous they may or may not be - humans didn't frequent this area anyway, at least, not as far as the two of them knew. "You think it'll be a harsh winter this year?" Plodding along at a shoulder's length in head of his best friend, Jais glanced back at the smaller wolf.

Nightcrawler's bright eyes roved upwards, to the clear skies above them, as if it would give him any clue to the approaching fall and winter months. "I hope not... things have been pretty quiet for a while, and I wouldn't mind them staying that way." With the war a year behind them, and the seasons progressing in far milder weather than he was use to, Night didn't want to think of a bitter winter seizing the land. The packs were getting so large around here that he was starting to worry about a potential famine setting in during the leaner months. "I wouldn't mind the weather staying like this, to tell you the truth."

"You and me both." Jais returned full-heartedly, enjoying the cooling temperatures himself.

Amari & Sanctuary

Amari, still mourning over Windsong's death, wandered through the rugged terrain, her eyes staying on her feet and she dragged them along. "Why do they all die?" She wondered. "Why do I always end up alone?" Isabel and Rowan believed her to be the reincarnation of Tahti - and she was, more or less - but Amari had her doubts.

The tiny grizzled coyote blended perfectly with the scorched land. So much, in fact, that it would be hard to see her coming.

Amari, with her eyes on the ground, didn't see Nightcrawler or Jais until she bumped into them. She raised her head, and while she would normally be scared, she simply looked them in the eyes and stood her ground. Just like Tahti would. Well, she was starting to think that maybe there was something to that. "Sorry. My fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." It was hard for her to conceal the tears in her eyes. She walked a few feet away before she collapsed, trying desperately to hide the fact that she was sobbing. She needed somebody there for her, whether she liked it or not.

Sanctuary

In the morning I set sail on a whalebone
The gale force winds made the sky grow
And I was far out in the ocean
I cut the roof of my mouth on the potion
Down down down went the femur
I let my backbone slide into the ether
Laying low in a tropical hideout
If anyone finds out, I'll turn their lights out

Sanctuary was rarely far behind Amari. With the death of Windsong, the coyote needed a protector, and Sanctuary tried to be there for her, even though he usually came off as too gruff for Amari.

"What did you do to her?!" He asked the two males, raising his hackles, but he stepped back when Amari turned around and snarled viciously at him. "They didn't do nothin', Sanctuary! Why won't you stop following me?!" The coyote snapped. It was clear that she was unsure of Sanctuary. He was too protective.

In the evening I arrived to the wishbone
So I wished all the stars would go home
And one was a dog with its tail drawn
It laughed as it shed, now it's long gone
I remember the flavor
But I made a choice to stay here
Laying low in a tropical hideout
If anyone finds out, I'll turn their lights out

Jais & Nightcrawler

In the highlands that stretched on before reaching the foothills of the Ochotona Mountains, the wind often wreaked havoc with the sensitive ears of the wolves and other keen-hearing critters that ventured this way. With the dense blooms of steam and hissing vents constantly rising around them, it was no wonder that neither Jais nor Nightcrawler noticed Amari until she'd literally ran right into them. Night gave a short yip of surprise and sprung so quickly to the side that he blundered into Jais, who growled softly and side-stepped as well.

Wide-eyed, the duo took a moment to register just what had assailed them, and once they saw it was only a coyote, and a rather sorry looking one at that, they quickly eased up. Nightcrawler was the first to speak as he took a few subtle steps forward, "No harm done." Sympathy quickly welled up in him when he saw the creature stumble a few feet away and collapse, and he couldn't help but speak again, "Hey... are you alright?"

"Easy buddy!" Jais stalked forward when Sanctuary showed up, expanding his own ruff and baring his fangs in a defensive posture, "We didn't do anything to her." Neither of these two wolves were keen on fighting, though they were both well use to combat thanks to the constant turmoil in the Valley. Nightcrawler preferred to shy away and back down, while Jais was more for standing his ground and talking down a potential scuffle, which is what he attempted to do now. That is, until Amari snapped back at Sanctuary, which sparked warning bells in the minds of both wolves. Again, Jais spoke, "Is this brute bothering you, miss?"