A cold night (Open!)

[Leo]

Leo had been travelling for days. He had rested and eaten when he had the opportunity, but he continued to walk, trying to calm his thoughts. He wasn’t aware what had been bothering him, and he still wasn’t. Just a restless spark in his mind, driving him to walk far, as if he could outdistance it. The nagging emotion had worn off about a day ago, but he was enjoying the solitude that his long travel had brought him. Time to himself should be easy to achieve for a loner, but it very rarely was. He would have even less time to himself once he joint a pack. Although Altan seemed to manage ok.
When he had seen the desert, he couldn’t stop himself. In his old pack, he had crossed many deserts, and it was a place he found he could relax. Which was odd, as it was a dangerous place, where death loomed. Although he had never minded that. In his opinion death loomed everywhere, but was overlooked, as most wolves were too busy going on with their everyday life. Not in the desert. It was too still, to quiet, to ignore the facts of life, which was death. He had approached the desert, quickening his pace.
That was why he was now wandering through the sandy plain, watching the sun set, a content glint in his eyes. The intense heat of the day never really bothered him. He was a fire lupus after all, and therefore he was not only resistant to fire, but to high temperatures. However, as the sun departed, the temperature took a rapid decline. He knew that the cold night could mean death if no shelter was found. He changed his course, searching for a shelter away from nocturnal predators.
It was dark by the time he stumbled across some shrubbery, that was large enough for him to take shelter in. He smiled, pawing his way in, and enjoying the slight warmth that it provided. The temperature had dropped, and was still dropping. Anyone out there would be frozen.

[°Nepara°]

Nepara had decided to follow Leo again. It was just too much fun to pester him and see his reactions to most wolves, which were quite dramatic to say the least. And when said fire lupus trailed into the hotali desert, Nepara felt like she had found her long lost home. Her eremus body easily taking to the harsh conditions.

As the day were to drag out, the fire lupus seemed unphased by the intense heat. Though it was obvious a fire lupus could take it easier than a water one. She was able to efficiently track behind him up until the sun set and night came. Her thick coat kept moisture and the cold out as well. She couldn't help but giggle as she watched the huge lupus try to fit into such a tiny bush for cover and warmth.

"You're silly!" she told him, wagging her tail back and forth as her legs extended and she became almost twice as high as him normally. "Oops!" she laughed again, but at herself rather than Leo. After all, to laugh at others... one must be able to laugh at themselves every now and then.

[Leo]

“You know, you’re terrible at stalking. I smelt you miles back, and heard you a few times” He hissed, tail flicking in annoyance. Truth be told, he hadn’t been aware the young wolf was following him until he had seen her. But it didn’t take a lot to realise she was tracking him. No two wolves could meet up this often by coincidence. He was thankful that he was a good liar, as it gave him the edge, as if it had the advantage all along.
“And I’m hardly silly for finding shelter, as opposed to freezing to death.” He pointed out, his face set in a smug expression. “Besides, you should have a look at yourself” He added. There was no way he could resist insulting such an irritatingly puckish wolf. He scanned her, his gaze hardening. This was what he meant by loners not being able to get time to themselves.
“Why are you following me?” He kept his voice steady, but the urge to snarl, and snap was strong. He narrowed his eyes, that shone with a dangerous annoyance. A clear warning. She was lucky he had got over his restless feeling, otherwise he would probably have attacked her, upon spotting her.

[°Nepara°]

Her tail continued to wag regardless of his harsh words and tone towards her. She truly knew he was good inside, she just wanted to catch the proof... "I don't care... maybe I wanted you to." she giggled. The eremus made her way closer to the lupus, even if he was uncomfortable and possibly threatening to harm her. She circled his bush, just to tease him. "Oh I don't freeze, I'm built for this weather! And besides that, it's just fun watching you try to fit in a tiny bush." another giggle resounded in the once quiet desert.

Nepara elongated her ears and let them widen as she flapped them at him. She paused and let them go back to normal once she thought she had his undivided attention, even if she did already. "Why? Hmmm... I dunno. Guess it's fun and I don't really like being by myself..." the witty little eremus pointed out. She sat and wagged her tail as it shortened to a stub. She stuck her tongue out playfully as it elongated almost to the sandy ground below.

"Hey, you wanna play?" She asked him, almost pleadingly, spit flying everywhere.

[Leo]

Leo was irritated by the eremus’s reaction. He fought back the urge to leap from his shelter, and sink his teeth into her neck. The urge grew stronger as she circled his bush, and he gave a huff of annoyance at her words, his teeth rubbing together at yet another giggle.
“Oh, I’ve met enough eremus’s to know what conditions they can withstand” He pointed out, his tone dry and bored. “I however am not an eremus, in case you hadn’t noticed. Therefore, I am enjoying my shelter, which is keeping me warm, and therefore alive” He added, going into what his sister had called ‘rant mode.’
He was annoyed by her presence. Her words that drove away the serene silence that only the desert could offer. The desert was a place he escaped to when he wanted solitude. And yet, even that small blessing had been taken from him, by a stretchy giggling devil. He growled as she flapped her ears at him. “Most intelligent wolves are aware of their motivations, especially when it comes to the decision to follow someone they know almost nothing about.” He hissed, hoping the remark would sting. “Besides, I’m an introvert. Go find some extroverts to make friends with”
He made a face as saliva dripped everywhere, her elongated tongue causing her to spit when she spoke. What a great power, the ability to drown your enemies in spit, he thought, sarcastically. The words took him by surprise, and the pleading edge made him soften slightly. Although, only enough that he didn’t chase her away for the very suggestion. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a pup. I have no interest in ‘playing’. Especially not with someone who continues to stalk me, just so they can torment me.”

[°Nepara°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][tr][atrb=background,http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q21/winkatuck/2woo-1.png] "You have?! Where have you seen others?" Nepara, now intrigued became silent for a long moment. Other eremus? Like her? She only knew of the others from her own pack which resided outside of any territory she had seen in wonderwhy. If he had truly seen more around, why didn't he explain that to her sooner so she could leave him alone? Unless he was just lying, but she wanted to believe him. They were scarce, if not practically extinct besides herself. She would give anything and do anything to meet someone like her. She completely ignored his next comment about needing shelter to live and his ranting about her following him pointlessly. She elongated her legs to peer over the vast majority of the desert before her. Hoping, and praying she would see another wolf and ask if they were or had seen other eremus. But it was a barren wasteland like it was commonly known for being. She had missed the rest of the whole conversation because of this... She just sat and continued to ignore him until he was finished, then she peered up at him with wide eyes. "You don't think I'm the last one... do you?" Her eyes watery as she fought to keep a slight smile on her face. She did not want to break down and Leo make fun of her or tease her for being weak.

[Leo]

Leo hesitated, realising that she had missed most of what he said, because of his comment about eremus. He could see her eyes were beginning to water. He was no good when it came to crying. He was no good when it came to emotions full stop. He couldn’t comfort her if she started to cry, for his selfish pride prevented it. Plus the fact he didn’t really like her anyway, he added quickly. For now, he would pretend he hadn’t noticed her emotional state, and remain aloof.
“Of course you’re not the last. That is such a small probability, it might as well be impossible” He said it with a bite of an insult, but he knew that they were the words (or close to the words) that she wanted to hear. Not that he said them for her sake. No, he just didn’t want to be loaded with a crying wolf. “I’ve seen them in my old pack. We used to travel a lot. That’s how I manage so well as a loner” He added. It was true at least. As for the chance of her being the last, he wasn’t really sure. He hadn’t really given it much thought, as it never really bothered him. Eremus rarely mixed with other species anyway, so not seeing them wasn’t really surprising. He did however doubt it. She was one small wolf, too focused on following a stranger, to locate a member of her species, or even bother to join a pack to see if there were eremus in there. There were bound to be loads of eremus around, if she bothered to look in the right places.

[°Nepara°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][tr][atrb=background,http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q21/winkatuck/2woo-1.png] Nepara fought to regain her composure now as she nodded back in reassurance. She couldn't be the only one left. She knew better and was just letting the subject tease her heart. What she would give to meet one of her own kind apart from her pack. Then she began to wonder about something. Something possibly a bit more sensitive, but she took a more calming and generous tone when she asked leo about it. "Say leo, we could only assume I come from a pack of all eremus like myself... but what was your pack like?" she began , curiosity lighting up her soft eyes. Nepara laid down before him in front of his bush as she awaited, calmly amazingly, for his answer. Her tail brushed against the sand left and right as she let her hooves fold up underneath her, making herself comfortable for a possible story. Though it wouldn't surprise her if Leo brushed it off again and refused to tell her anything. Why do you insist on keeping everyone locked out Leo? It couldn't hurt to have a friend or two, right? The cheerful Eremus gave a weary smile his way, hoping he will be okay with opening up to her a bit, just this once. She wanted to know what could make him so grumpy all the time.

[Leo]

The sudden change in conversation shocked him, and he quickly found himself closed off again, as the subject turned to him. He narrowed his eyes watching the eremus’s carefully. He analysed the question carefully.

"Say leo, we could only assume I come from a pack of all eremus like myself... but what was your pack like?"

She was merely asking what species his pack was. There was no harm in revealing that, and then he could move the conversation on to something else.
“Mainly Lupus’s like myself, although I was the only one with the elemental power of fire” He replied after a short pause. It was true.. His mother had been able to control electricity, while his father could control ice. One of the wolves that travelled with them could control both water and ice, and the other wolf was a keiyou. His sister of course had never discovered her elemental power, and he hadn’t hung around long enough to see what his younger siblings power would be.
“Why did you leave your pack?” He asked quickly, not really interested, but the subject was better when it was about her. And, he noticed, she was more tolerable when the topic was serious.

[Pantera]

Silence had been broken in her dreamed state, as she awoke hearing voices flood from afar. Pantera must have been asleep for awhile to not notice anyone approaching nearby. She obviously had been exhausted from travel. Her orange eyes popped open, and her tail moved from her nose, and slowly and groggily she unfurled her body from the balled up position she lay from.
Stretching as she pulled herself out of her position she offered a large yawn baring her pearls as she finished her stretch to her lower body, and a flick of her tail. Pantera was already feeling herself revive from her travel, but her stomach rumbled in hunger. The scent of the pair of wolves now became apparent as she became fully conscious. Coming from her hiding spot, as she slept in a semi den that looked as though it was dug from a badger or wolverine; but it kept her sheltered from the elements and from being seen by other predators and wolves.

She loped out to find herself greeting the pair almost face to face with Nepara. Why did you leave your pack? The male called Leo whom asked such a silly question. Packs! Blah! Pantera fought the urge to say anything at all as she stood there looking at them. Now there were 3 of them, and the loners where basically forming a pack with Leo being Alpha male by default in the eyes of on lookers.

Pantera assessed the advantage to speak up before Nepara even said a word as she made her presence quite clear as she sat comfortably, and scratched an irritating itch from behind her lobes.
Packs are for the weak!

Her voice boomed with irritated echo as she stood back up and shook out the debris from her onyx pelt. The Lupus looked to the other fellow Lupus who perhaps understood where she was coming from within her words. Her eyes danced upon the odd looking species before her. Pantera offered an indifferent smile.

I'm sure you don't need a pack lass. You look quite independent to me. But then again my judgment means nothing... She turned away briefly to nip at an itch from her hide, then looked back over to the pair as she respectfully stepped back to observe. She had no intentions of really introducing herself to them, nor any interest, but she might as well if they asked her. She was beginning to feel her energy fully restored again, and had the urge to go into a wild frenzy. She had to keep it bottled up for now and unleash it if necessary. A lupus with frenzy rage could be a dangerous thing if feeling aggressive; however, Pantera wasn't feeling aggressive at all, she was just ''hyper''. The 3 year old knew how to keep that under control, and keep a serious tone in case these two decided to gang up on her.

Pantera wasn't afraid, she was just smart and conscious enough to know better. The other female seemed playful as well, and it would only worsen Pantera's condition, and unleash a force-field of unstoppable energy. The fire wolfess had a hard time controlling her powers, and this was why she was keeping her body under control for now.. She could feel herself tensing up and trembling slightly as if bracing for a bite to the throat, but it was the pent up energy building up inside her. She needed to escape these two before havoc broke loose.... It may be fun for her, but these two didn;t know her from a hole in the ground, and they may not know how to take her high driven energy force, and see it as aggression or pure immaturity. Poor Pantera, she could feel herself trembling like an earthquake and knew these two could see it. She looked to the ground to avoid eye contact. This was embarrassing...