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Into the middle of the region, the territory void! WOO

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He'd called for Blackfoot a few times, but had gotten silence in reply. It split him in two: one side fear for her safety, the other hurt because maybe she left the pack on purpose. Without any word. What had he done to deserve that treatment? He had hunted and patrolled and had always been open for talking if something was wrong. He hoped that he could have fixed things. Why would she leave? You didn't do that to family -- hadn't he said he wanted the pack to be family? But what if she wasn't gone by choice? This had happened before, hadn't it? Maybe she was hurt. Why hadn't she said she was going out on a longer trip? At least he'd know where to start looking.

It left him, well, sad. No matter what way he sliced it, he didn't have a good answer. It put some weight to his steps, his ears tilted back slightly, the metaphorical cloud hanging over his head. He knew he could only search for so long before he'd have to return home and ensure the territory was still marked as strongly as it could be. But for now, he moved through the forests that sprawled across the valley between mountains, searching for a trail, a hint.. Something. This whole thing was just ripping a healed wound open again, even if half the older details were still blurry or gone. Why couldn't people just be happy? Or at the very  least, why couldn't the world let him be happy?
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She was getting a better sense of the land. Around was mostly just mountains, where many seemed heavily scented by wolves, or wolves that once were within it. It wasn't surprising, as they were a stable claim to take and often lushed with prey and other riches to provide for a pack. When it came to defending one's own borders as well, remembering the terrian of so, an enemy venturing to the unknown ; was an extreme advantage. 

There was some forests around as well, but they were usually a lackluster of events. Good for the hunt though especially voided of claims — the areas itself seemed heavily populated of packs that she wasn't particularly used to being either so close together. But she respected their borders.. Usually, some places tended to be weaker then others that it seemed like an unknown claim of an attempt or not ; tended to not hunt in them, but sometimes didn't stop herself from wandering in if she saw something that was curious.

That was bad, she knew, but was just gonna ignore it for now for the sake of a peace of mind and for the knowledge of packs around.

Within the distance of one of those random days of walking around, she saw a smaller male. He was unusually colored, though gray that he was there was spots around that wasn't like a cat itself ; but mixture and splotted. Seemed like something akin to a dog and automatically assumed the man must be mixed. Though it looked like a cloud, hung over as she approached with a grin, "Hey there stranger, whats got you down?"

She was bored and nosey.

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He wanted to give up, to a certain point. He could so easily make up worst case scenarios that he'd feel guilty about for months because though he covered ground, never had he heard her voice or scented her on the wind. Sure, the world was a large place, and he couldn't be expected to explore every inch of it, but couldn't life throw him a bone for once? 

He hadn't noticed the other woman approaching at first -- she wasn't the one he was looking for, after all -- but eventually he did take note of her presence plus her far perkier-than-him expression. Hopefully she wasn't hogging the good luck. A very slight nod of greeting as Mal came to a stop but other than that his expression hadn't changed much, it wasn't like she was somehow his savior in this little escapade. She wanted to be nosy, then fine. He could dump some of the stupidity on her and see what she thought. Preemptively he was expecting a useless suggestion or two, maybe even something a little condescending because he felt like that's how the world was treating him, so the bar wasn't exactly too high for the conversation to start.

Left with his own demons for this amount of time, it was easy for him to put it to words, even if the concept itself was a little convoluted. “It's like a puzzle. Someone's gone. If she didn't leave of her own free will, then she needs help or rescue but I can't find a trail. If she did, then I face the fact someone I trusted thought so little in return as to say nothing and vanish into the night. The two require opposite actions. If I assume she left and go home, and she's actually hurt somewhere that's awful, but the other way around is hurting those I left behind to search for someone who doesn't deserve that effort. There's no winning, all four options are just degrees of how badly I lose.” He was trying to find her, at least. But this was the loop that knotted in his brain -- even if he guessed right and she was hurt or abducted, right now he couldn't find her, and if she left on her own, he just never would know. At least there would be Hua still waiting for him back at the Bluffs, unless something horrid happened. Let's not go there, though.
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Ah fuck.

She should stop asking, Orlaith was expecting a light answer where she could laugh about it with another about lame reasons ; but often, forgot most people had real worries and woes. Issues that couldn't really be laughed and clouded anothers mind and she — ended up coming with another situation where the other was now venting in a endless torrent that she wasn't expecting. At the very least they weren't crazy like another who was within at the run.

Both were a snore, one was a girl issue and the other was going off by an imaginary monster. If she at least smelled something, Orlaith would've been excited about the other ; but it seemed all like a fluke. She looked at the man, with an unknown name who decided to unleash all his woes upon her that really sounded like something like a mate went up and left without a word.

"Well, did you actually get to know her? It kinda sounds like more of acquantinces then actually friends."

Might as well give an honest opinion. If the other really did left without a word, he probably assumed more in their relationship then it actually was. Talk about a clingy boyfriend, amiright? Might as well prod a bit and give some of the truth on the matter.

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He was a little baffled as to the mental jumps she was making, but probably they were just more clear to him because he was embroiled in it all. “What? She was a packmate. Quiet and didn't remember much either I think. But that doesn't matter, if someone says they want to join my pack, they're family, and I give a damn about their well-being and safety -- it's part of the package. Maybe other packs don't care if someone wanders off but I know bad things happen to good wolves and won't have that happen here. A leader who just shrugs it off doesn't deserve their titles or respect.” And so, Mal was out here, trying to figure out if bad luck struck again or if Blackfoot was just scummy as hell beneath the surface. It really rubbed him the wrong way to think he'd thought she was someone trustworthy, maybe a leader beneath himself and Hua and she'd potentially ditched him like that. That or something happened and he couldn't help which was frustrating in a different way. Wait, we've been over this, right? “Pretty sure I even said something like if something takes her elsewhere to just let me know, not a problem -- so there's no questions and stuff. Usually do say something like that at least. Just up and leaving after that is rude as hell. Wasn't like she just joined either, she'd been around for a few months, hunted together, all that. Still, issue is no idea if she left on purpose or something happened. For all I know a bear is chewing her legs off right now.” And thus the puzzle he'd already presented.

Why did people just leave? She hadn't said anything was wrong, so how was he supposed to assume anything other than something awful had happened? But then again he knew a lot of wolves were just plain jerks too. Too self-centered or flighty or both. Mal just wanted friends who'd give half as much in return as he was willing to give to them. At times it seemed that was too much. Hell if he knew entirely why he had such a strong reaction to it all -- some things were best forgotten -- but he'd not be accused of not caring.
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The dude guy like some sad-sap whose ex left because she couldn't handle his lazy ass, and he didn't understand why. Orlaith, obviously so, rolled her eyes at the guy, and found him overall childish, "Dude it sounds like you didn't really get to know her, and mostly just used her as another body for your shitty pack." She made an obvious sniff toward him — for the warrior only smelled the faintest scent of others. Not something she'd even call an official pack or anything, most likely just another newbie trying to make his own claim to the world itself and failing miserably, especially by his.. Complaints of this one who left. 

"She probably left because you took her for granted. I wouldn't want to follow a shitty leader who just used me as a tool either." She somewhat didn't mean to take a jab at him, but she totally meant to take a jab at him. He took her asking if he knew anything about her to a more offended angle, and went on how they were packmates, and how much he cared if she left — and wished she at least told him. Sure, maybe it was a dick move on whoevers part to leave without a word, but honestly.. Orlaith would do the same.

He talked as if it was the others fault for being silent, but even the stupidest people would know at least anything about them. Not just 'we hunted together.'

What an asshole, she thought.

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He looked at her like one who just saw someone get turned into a toad -- confusion at first that turned to subdued pity. It was no wonder this incredibly judgmental woman was utterly alone. Her personality was foul -- and he had no further wishes to converse with someone who would leap to utterly incorrect statements and then try to bully him with them. She was just that over the top about it. And kind of a hypocrite, given the fact she was making all these assumptions about him. You know what, she'd get along with Nosey well, he figured. They were made for each other -- it was just unfortunate he was pretty sure that pack was gone. He hadn't gone to look.

None of what she'd said rang even a least bit true. Mal knew his selflessness was often his downfall more than not, and that had he had done quite an amount to get to know her -- maybe not her past, but how she operated as a wolf, how she hunted -- and to share his own history when he knew it. There was only so much you could do with someone who was quiet and businesslike, and he wasn't one to pry. This woman? Something told him that was what she probably would have issues with which is why it came to mind -- to him it was so very clear no wolf who'd just "used" random wolves would be out here searching for them!  “No, I'm afraid that's not the case,” was his customer-service-nice reply -- even and slightly positive just because he was concluding it here. Firmly final. Since her little tirade had made it clear she wasn't exactly someone who had an answer, it was time to move on before she got more snippy. He would go weigh his options elsewhere, possibly with better company. “Have the day you deserve.” He started to head away the direction he had previously been traveling without any further fanfare. He didn't really trust her though, keeping an ear on her as he walked just in case she took offense -- it wouldn't surprise him if she was that twisted.
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"Pathetic," he was in denial about it and she snorted at so. Couldn't take the thought that someone had rejected him, or wanted to go in his flimsy pack ; she had some sort of pity.. A very small amount, at first at the very least. It hurt to be turned away from someone, but over the course of this sad conversation she deducted he had no one to blame but himself due to that. His inability to detect of anyone else but himself made it seem sure, though he seemed nice, he was a selfish man within the end.

And he, who didn't want to admit it, turned away after throwing some words at her. She only rolled her eyes at it, before watching the dappled man walk away. Well, she at least learned there was some within the vicinity that were trying to make a pack ; meaning there was enough land for more then a few, and wasn't a particular dominating one. Especially if he was so relaxed on doing so.

She moved, turned away, internally giving the middle finger and being on her way.

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