seein' red

Against better judgement-his own, even-Glacier had continued south. He was quite certain that this was no land anywhere near his family. If he had to guess, this was some sort of tomfoolery thanks to the gods or a new land separated by ocean, perhaps more than one, from his homeland. Or, maybe an unholy mix of the two options. Either way, the tundra held nothing for him but nostalgia and hardship. He didn't want to be reminded of Taiga and his sisters by the click of caribou ankles or the chill cutting through his coat like razor-sharp teeth. 

Black paws pranced him south, then. He didn't find anything all that piqued his attention, not for a long while, until the fog he was quite content to wander <i>completely</i> lost and aimlessly though allowed crimson to peek through, bright against the pale greys of fog kissed by the very early morning rays of the dawn. 

Glacier paused, arching a brow at the odd leaves after sidestepping closer to a tree and placing his front paws on the trunk to get a bit more height with which to inspect the plants. Odd. A sniff. Inconclusive. He batted at a leaf-Perhaps this area got ridiculously little wind and the fall leaves never fell. Nothing. A wiser wolf might not have tried next to eat a strange, unknown plant, but the Ascendants didn't get the rumors of plant-induced psychosis they had swirling around the family without doing things like that, so Glacier, driven either by a genetic predisposition to mad scientist carelessness or mere childish curiosity, snapped at a leaf and dropped down from the tree, chewing as best a wolf truly can. 

Tasted like a leaf, to his immense disappointment. Probably just a weird, mutated species of tree that liked to grow 'round these parts. The blue wolf huffed, spat out the leaf-mush and shuffled a bit of dirt over it tidily. He didn't much like making a mess, not without cleaning it up or at the very least, covering it up. His mother had performed an amputation in front of him when he was nearing a year, and while he certainly remembered how to perform the procedure as smoothly as possible, the <i>mess</i> had really stuck with him, especially when his sister had teased him about the blood-like splashes of red staining his coat. 

@Crux
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 The claim had been made, now it had to be maintained.

 The speckled hound made his way along the border, pausing every so often to rub against a tree or lift his leg to leave a mark. He had finally formed Event Horizon and it seemed that all those that he had brought into the camp had seemed eager to remain with the group not as a rag-tag group of loners but as a true pack, ranks and all. His tail wagged as the thought and he hurried along, pausing to scratch at a tree with blunt claws.

 Another scent caught his attention and he turned to follow it. It was as unfamiliar as any and carried hints of a watery smell - the North? He blinked in thought as he turned away from his marking to search for the source of the smell.

 Soon enough, he spotted him: a dark-coloured wolf with splashes of red that felt oddly familiar but not quite. For some reason, he found himself expecting the red along the stranger's nape to instead be splashed across his throat, like some mortal wound that would never take his life. He gave a bark of greeting - alerting the stranger to his approach shortly before conversation-distance was reached.

 Once he was close enough to see the other's eyes, he offered a polite smile, “Hello there!” he noticed the wolf's pink nose with a surprised blink, somewhat amused by the stark contrast of nose against face. He, too, had contrasts but he wasn't sure if he'd met a wolf with a nose so much lighter than his face.

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Content that his leaf-tasting mush was covered, Glacier gave a lazy flick of the tip of his alabaster tail and was just about to tilt his pink nose to the air to test it when a bark startled him, sending the small, light wolf springing into the air and away from the loud noise even as he snapped his head toward it to put a lavender gaze on the source. 

A looming wall of white and delicate blue ish hues, but that wasn't what caught the healer's eye. He stiffened for a second, well aware he was outmatched if there were to be a fight, but the wolf chirped a <i>hello there!</i>

The man twitched an ear, giving the stranger another quick sizing up before speaking. "Greetings." Oh, Glacier desperately wanted to comment on the strange teeth he'd noticed, but bit his tongue, opting for another route. "What brings you out here?" As though Glacier belonged here and the other was some random intruder.
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 The stranger leaped at his voice and Crux's nose twitched. The much smaller wolf was cautious, which the speckled man could understand — after all, he was massive in comparison. He was well aware of how his figure could be imposing, so he attempted to maintain a balance between confident and passive.

 After all, this stranger had shown no ill will yet.

 Crux laughed, “I could say the same to you,” he tilted his head. There was no aggression in his stance, but a comfortable confidence that came from being in once's home. “This is Ichorwood.” He smiled, nodding towards the trees. “The home of Event Horizon, my pack.” He pondered if the border was just not quite marked yet. Either way, if the stranger was to have a good sniff he'd probably catch on that Crux's own odor was everywhere.

 He stepped forward, sniffing in the general direction of the stranger to try to pick up any clues as to his identity. No pack-stink seemed to cling to the stranger's coat, at least from what he could tell, so Crux figured him a loner. “Are you a traveler?” A wanderer, with no home or identity. There was no malice in his voice, simply overwhelming curiosity.

 For the star-speckled male could not help but be curious about every wolf who came near his forest.

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I could say the same to you.

Glacier pursed his lips slightly, tilting his chin up a bit to narrow his purple-hued gaze suspiciously. Ichorwood, these parts were called, and even before the man confirmed it, Glacier's ears tilted back somewhat as he realized he was trespassing. 

Still, a lacking of bared teeth or growling or the summoning of backup was as good-will as it got, and Glacier would linger as it seemed he was permitted to do so, for now. "I see. Lovely territory you and yours have. I've never seen such red trees, except for the passing one or two in the fall." Never a sea of them like this. He lowered his head a bit, relaxing minutely. "What event is on the horizon?" He reeeeeeaaaally hoped this wasn't going to be one of those culty genocidal packs. A rarity, thank the gods, but something Taiga had encountered before, so something to be wary of, then. 

Are you a traveler? Glacier glanced away, mouth quirking into a wry grin before a soft chuckle escaped him. "More like lost."
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 The other seemed at first suspicious but as Crux went on, appeared to relax slightly. It was clear that by now he had realized his mistake, but Crux wouldn't fault him for it. The borders were still being formed, scents still being layered atop each other.

 “From what I can tell, they seem this way permanently.” He'd peer up at them, then, a queer smile on his lips. “As if it's the Forest that Time Forgot.” A question was posed and he considered it for a moment. Then, with a half-laugh, he answered: “Hopefully, the horizon ahead brings good events, leaving the bad behind.” And indeed, bad events were on the past horizon. Not on this soil, thankfully, but he had experienced Armageddon before Waking here. In fact, he had lived in a genocidal cult for half of his life, before an attack with fire caused the land to burn and all those who remained to have their lights snuffed out.

 Nevertheless, he'd turn back to the stranger, listening as he answered the previous question. Lost. The speckled male nodded to that, understanding it as well as any. “Are you heading anywhere in particular?” He'd tilt his head, ever the curious scholar. If the stranger had no destination in mind... perhaps Crux could help with that.

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Permanently? Mutated or hybrid evergreens, perhaps. Glacier didn't know and didn't totally care. His sister was the one who liked plants. He just learned what he needed to to tend to lupine patients, be it in a helpful or, sometimes, malicious way. 

The Ascendants were unique among their healer brethren where Glacier came from for good, if sometimes deadly reasons. 

A brow arched as the wolf continued. Well, wasn't this one all sunshine and rainbows? "Of course." He murmured a neutral, if not bordering on lazy, agreement. Doubtful such things would come to pass, but it really didn't hurt anybody to hope, he'd give this guy that much. 

Headed anywhere? Hell no. "No, I'm not." He paused, then, flicking his gaze to the man and narrowing it again. "Why, are you going to herd me into whatever pack thing you've got here with a pretty smile and those walrus tusks of yours? You don't even know what I can do."

A pause, then, before he gave a small huff, a mischievous smile tugging at the edges of his jaws. "Still, it might just work." He was aimless, and Glacier had never been aimless. His mother wasn't the sort to let such rotten ideals fester in her children. Purpose could be temporary, fleeting, even, but must always be present and engaged.
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 This wolf didn't seem too happy, but Crux had plenty of experience with wolves who weren't happy-go-lucky, just as he had experience with those who were. Every wolf was different and reacted differently, so it was hit-or-miss to be optimistic. Frankly, though, he was just sick and tired of shitty situations and expecting every wolf to want to kill him. Tired of the slavery. Tired of it all, so determined to make something fresh and new, where different wolves could be safe and not worry that their fellows would turn against them because they didn't believe in the same god.

 The stranger questioned his motives and Crux laughed, those selfsame "walrus tusks" gleaming, especially when the other smirked.

 “I'm getting there! It'd be rude to suggest it if you already had a destination, after all.” His nose twitched in humor, though his words held a serious meaning. If this wolf belonged to another pack and he inquired about joining, it could cause strife that the speckled male would prefer not to bring to Event Horizon. “Well, what can you do and what's your name?”

 He tilted his head. “And I suppose you want to know about us as well. We are a pack of lost souls from various backgrounds,” Some more dark than others, “In Event Horizon, you needn't fear being torn apart for simply crossing the wrong wolf,” it was clear from his tone that he had witnessed just this. All too many times. “We are a society with one goal: Survival together in a place where we each belong.”

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Glacier laughed, sticking the tip of a pink tongue through gleaming white teeth as he grinned, gaze dancing with mirth. "Very well, my apologies. I didn't mean to rush you." He was mostly teasing, though there was a hint of sincerity that he'd jumped to conclusions instead of maintaining the manners Taiga had so meticulously ingrained in his very soul. 

"Glacier Moss Ascendance of the Ascendant clan, humbly at your service. I can cure your ill or injured and off your enemies." Another of those playful flashes of a grin. "And look good doing it, too." 

A curt nod as the man assumed he wanted to know about them, too, giving a small wave of the very tip of his tail. 
It sounded like most packs he'd encountered and never joined, but these were uncertain times, uncertain lands. And the promise of protection from those surrounding him from others was a temptation Glacier was in no position to deny. "Sounds nice."
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 Crux grinned at the apology, accepting it with a flick of his tail. He wasn't offended in the slightest, simply amused, which was fine as the other seemed not too worried about the potential offense anyhow.

 “Ah, a man of many talents,” Crux mused with a glint in his eye, “I can see the one is true but time will tell on the other two,” a playful smirk played across his face, an eyebrow lifting momentarily to match with it.

 A pack was a pack was a pack, but honestly, the main goal that Crux had was to have a little place to call his own and have it be starkly different from the Valley in which he was born. He would eventually confide in others the truth about his past, but for now it could be as vague as any other wolf's past. Memories were fickle here and were one of the most common things left behind, along with deathly injuries, it would seem. “If you're interested, we can always use another healer that can fight.” Of course, it would be ideal if every member could fight, but that was no matter right now.

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He lifted a dark paw to the red feathering on his chest melodramatically, giving a coy tilt to his chin at the compliment. He wasn't the sort to pretend humility-he'd rather bask in praise whether earned or not. "Indeed."

Crux mentioned having another healer who could fight, and Glacier nearly chuffed a laugh. He had no intention of fighting, but he wouldn't say that, of course not. He'd made it thus far in few and far between battles, preferring others to do such things for him or letting poisons take care of problems before they even arose. Taiga had taught her children thoroughly in everything they would need to survive, thrive as Ascendants in their world, and Glacier was sure those skills would continue to serve him in this one. 

He swayed his white-tipped tail lazily as he got to his paws, sidestepping closer to the mottled man. "Plenty interested. I'm also curious, whether such a striking wolf as yourself is native to these lands?"
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 If Glacier had said he wasn't interested in fighting, Crux would have been fine with that - his warmongering days were long past and honestly, he was ready to settle in with a pack that wouldn't want to leap straight into a battle. He had the power now to avoid conflict with a silver tongue, if he could shine it up enough. In fact, he would probably suggest that there were multiple ways to fight, something he had learned from his mother.

 He chuckled at the gracious acceptance of the compliment, enjoying this little flirtation. His fiery eyes rested keenly on the man as he came closer, inquiring about himself.

 “Striking, eh?” Crux smirked, so called 'walrus-tusks' glinting, “As native as any of us can be. I woke here in these very woods,” He figured the "waking in a strange land" situation was universal enough not to have to preface it with an explanation, “and quickly was quite enamored with its oddity.” How the woods filled with life even when winter's cold grasp was hanging on elsewhere. Now, with spring well-set-in, nothing much had changed. He himself was a strange one, a mutant. A man with five toes and fangs that reminded him of home and how much stranger there would have been to the wolves he met here.

 “That first hour, I began meeting others,” The brown wolf who was his first companion here was hard to miss, being the bulkiest of all of them. He figured that if he decided to stay, he would meet the friendly Mordecai pretty quickly. “Since then we've gathered both 'natives' of this forest and wolves who traveled from far and came across us,” like the girl Kei, who had come from a desert, if he recalled properly. He shook his head thoughtfully as he continued, “But I've yet to meet a native-born to this place.”

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