It had been a long time since the brute had some time to think by his lonesome. He had forced himself to care about someone so much, that he had begun to lose himself. He would do anything for her, and yet she, had decided to love another or at least, not love him back. He had done all he could to prove himself to her, what he would sacrifice for her. But yet, she did not care. Too consumed in the worthlessness of another, he was ignored. Rejected. Azrael was a proud wolf, capable of many wonderful things. He had taught himself to love. He knew the feelings of hate, both were equally powerful. Looking into those eyes again, it all flushed back into his mind, as if it were currently happening as he walked along the lands. He was no longer in Cedar Grove, now moving to the neutral lands, where he had met some rather interesting wolves from the other two packs. But still he continued on his way, not caring where he might end up, with the exception of those horrible caverns. There was no need to repeat that little fiasco, the one that forced him to reveal more to the fae he loved. He still loved her, and it would be long before he would even reconsider it, even after she took a mate. But he forced those thoughts to the back of his mind. So much had changed. He had found love once more and they were happy. So happy that they brought a litter into the world. The pups were darling and everything was right for Azrael again. Now serving as Alpha of Cedar Grove, he had to look unto the Elder fae he once loved.

But then terror struck the Alpha once more. This time it was in the form of no physical being. I stream of light jolted from the angered clouds over head. The summer had been increasingly dry this year, forcing the trees to hold their last bit of life within their gnarly bark. But it was useless. The first tree was struck with an electrical current so strong, it forced the branches combusted with fire. They swallowed the dying limbs whole, embracing Cedar Grove in it's evil glow. Wolves were forced from their dens, forced to flee and scatter. Azrael saw none of his family. They were lost. Months turned to a year, the Alpha waited. Forced to be a vagabond yet again, the Alpha made his way from his home. He joined the nearest pack and found himself seeking shelter from a fae Delta. He thought back to his days as a Delta. Would Ebonee still be breathing had he not ever mated her? Would she still be alive had he ever not given his heart unto her?

The bright summer sun was in full, shining down on his midnight coat, making him feel rather parched. As he walked into a large grouping of trees, his eyes caught sight of a small body of water. As he moved closer to investigate, he noticed there were three large geysers in the middle. Looking behind him, the atmosphere seemed to change, but he was still thirsty. Shrugging his shoulders, he lowered his head to the pond and lapped at the strangely warm waters.

As he felt the warm waters drip down his throat, he felt refreshed and ready. He lifted his head and looked about the area. The air seemed to cling to his coat. He shook his body, trying to rid the feeling it held about his body, but no matter what he did it would not go away. For now he would ignore it, and go about his way, discovering this new place. His tail swished from side to side behind his legs, bouncing upon them with each step. This place was rather strange. As he moved farther into the water, he discovered the floor became less solid. The muck and grime tried to cling to his paws, almost pulling him closer and closer to the ground. He snarled as he treaded through the mud and clay-like slime. He sighed as he finally gave up and jumped onto land which looked more stable. His silver hues scanned the area, looking for anything else of interest in this new surrounding.

[Not completely satisfied with this but I thought I'd get a post up sooner rather than later]

It was a strange thing. About half a year ago he had been in Erenyx, newly introduced to the lands he now called home. He had been so ready to settle down, so ready to find the place he belonged in, only to realize that the place he had wanted was not for him. Almost casting himself away to become a Rouge the call could not have come at a better time. He was alone in the lands of Erenyx when Desmond's howl had faintly reached his ears. It had interested him and so he went to find it, leaving the place he had first sworn his loyalty to. He was completely blind to what would come in his future, or what this new experience would be like. However, now as he walked inside the territory of his pack he knew he was home. The cold winter months when the pack first began of about seven or eight wolves had now grown to about twenty by summer. It was amazing how they had increased so quickly. He supposed that he should have expected it, they were after all a place for the misfits that weren't quite insane enough to be banned from pack-life. Course it was not supposed to end up that way but it did, and somehow it fit perfectly. The rouge-turned-Alpha, a brutish female, the anti-socials, the blind healer.. The list could go on, and some of it he might not even know about. The lands of Agavos were quite unique.

But now in the heat of summer things were pretty normal. As expected the pack had no young to care for in the spring. So besides everyday duties, it was pretty carefree. The rank promotion that he had gotten in the last season was now growing on him. Never had he had a high ranking position in a pack before, but now that he had tried it out he liked it. Delta was not very high, but he was still given opportunities that made him different from a Lead or normal ranked wolf. He had accepted at least one member, Warrior Altair, which whom he should check up on soon. He was sure that the brute was fine, he sure did seem to be at the pack meeting. But perhaps he should still ask, it would be the rather polite thing to do. Letting a sigh escape his jaws he continued forward, taking notice of how the air seemed to thicken and heat up as he walked.

Soon he came into the clearing where pools of water were stretched around three tall geysers. The air was warm, add that to the seasons heat and it was hot. Despite that though, it was a relaxing place. The colors of the earth where very vibrant as they ranged from ivy greens to bright reds. The waters were unique looking as well, in someplace they were the color of the rocks around them, but in others they were almost as blue as the sky. It was an awful lot put into one place, almost as if someone had just gotten bored and added random colors to it. His tail flicked before he made his way over to a small pond of water. Leaning his head down he sniffed it, trying to see if it had any weird smell to it, which it did not. Then deciding it was not dangerous, he lifted a paw and dipped it into the water. It was warm to the touch, nothing like the normal rivers and groups of water that he knew of. Retracting his paw he let out  snort, shaking his head as he brought it back up to its normal position with a look of confusion. The place really was rather peculiar.

Turning away from the pond he kept walking forward, his golden eyes scanning the area for anything else that could be interesting. And after a few minutes of searching, something he did find. It was a wolf, a male no doubt with his sizing and frame. His coating was black and from where he sat he could not make out the color of his eyes, but they seemed to be dark. For a few moments he stood watching him before the delta decided to sit, his tail resting a bit to the left behind him. He sat in silence, a small smirk on his face as he watched in amusement as the brute snarled at what ever was below the surface before slowly trading though the water. He jumped out sooner rather than later, seemingly giving up to what was below. Still Desoto sat quietly, awaiting to be discovered by the stranger's own eyes rather than make his own appearance.

It would not be long before the wolf was visited by another. For a while, Azrael kept to himself. He acted as though he did not know of the presence watching his backside. After all, he was in no danger here. Teren was most likely dead, all who knew him - deceased. He was a nobody. Azrael was once the King, an Alpha over his lands, and now just another wandering soul. He held no rank of importance, the only ones he could command were those of the Omegas. It was fun to torment them from time to time, but not as a Warrior. There was no point to it, especially if the wolf in question was not an annoyance. If the Omega practiced respect, then he would show it to them. The black wolf could feel eyes upon him, an eerie sense that everything he would do was being watched. But he was not afraid. "Is it common practice for you to stare at wolves within your pack in complete silence?" His words were loud enough for the other to hear, even with his back turned to him. The silence that once was had now been interrupted by the sound of flaming hot water spouting out of the geysers. Taking a few steps back, Azrael was no longer in the water. The heat was a little too much for his liking. The large brute turned his form around, now his back faced the lake. "I saw you in the pack meeting, Delta something or other, was it?" Azrael's lifeless-colored eyes stared at the stranger before him. Standing at thirteen centimeters taller than the other, it was a challenge to show respect to the other. He dipped his head towards the ground and avoided eye contact during that time. But once his head was brought up from the slight bow, his eyes made not of the golden color possessed by the other. He had sen them before, during the meeting, but it had only been for a short while. The Warrior waited in silence as he looked to the higher ranked wolf.

He had been discovered, but not by sight. His stare, the Delta guessed, had been an alert enough that the large male was not alone. The words that were tossed over the shoulder of the stranger made a chuckle arise from the wolf's chest. It was true that he often found himself observing in silence, he preferred to keep his mouth shut when he could. Shaking his head he simply replied, "Not always, no. But we have two ears and one mouth, obviously we were meant to listen more to speak. Or we'd have one ear and two mouths, or three mouths and two ears." He let a smirk come on his face, even if the other could not see. He believed that he was a new Warrior in the lands, but could not quite put a name on him. Just like the little hunter I met a few days ago.. perhaps I am not just "bad" with names, but awful.. Ears flicking to ward off a fly from the sensitive area, the brute watched as the other slowly stepped out of the water, soon to turn and face him. His golden eyes came to rest on the rather large wolf. His eyes were a ghostly grey, almost blending completely into his pelt. When the other started to speak again, the higher ranked just nodded. "Desoto..." He said, answering the unasked question. Then after a few moments of remaining silent, he continued. "And you are Warrior 'something or other.' Don't take that as mockery, I am simply just bad with names if I have only heard them and never actually had an actual conversation." Looking down for a moment as he stretched his legs forward, laying his chest and stomach on the warmed rocks. It looked certainly strange for the other to keep his head low in respect and submission. He was considerably taller than Desoto was himself, but the point was he knew his place here now. Shaking his head he raised his gaze and head back up to the other, his brow cocked up as his head tilted slightly to the left. "So, what were you snarling at in the waters there? It looked rather strange considering I could not see what it was." He gestured with his muzzle towards the lake that the male had come out from, his tone generally interested.

Wise words you speak, though by looking at you... You don't seem much older than I." Azrael looked to the male before him. He listened to him intently, being as he was of a higher rank and respect was certainly required. "It's good to meet you, Desoto. I am Warrior Azrael. I too have an issue with names, so I do apologize for not remembering yours. I can't even recall the Alpha's name and I've heard it about a dozen times. The other Delta accepted me at the borders, and she spoke a little too much for my taste. But that's a fae, right?" He chuckled to himself gently, watching the other lay on the ground. The thought of doing such was inviting, but Azrael would prefer to sit. He leaned his haunches close to the ground and fell with a plop onto the soil. "Such a weighted question you ask me.." he murmured as he looked back to the lake. There were so many different answers to give him. The first should be a lie, no wolf really wanted to hear a pathetic tale of honesty and woe. His story was pathetic and made the proud male look weak. But he had not been given enough time to fabricate a believable lie. As he turned his head back to look at the male before him, Azrael smirked. "Would you believe me had I told you I was snarling at a past image of myself? Before I even came to these lands, before I could even open my eyes, I was surrounded in darkness. My whole life has been wrapped around the idea of loss. Nothing has ever been able to stay mine for very long. My mother was taken from me, killed before my own eyes when I no longer needed her for nourishment. I killed my only family by commands of my Alpha as a yearling. I lost my pack to my own will. I couldn't handle the type of lifestyle they forced on us. I lost my first and second true loves. I lost my first born young. I lost my pack. I lost my home." Azrael released a deep sigh as he paused for a moment. "I used to be a King, I had everything I could ever want. I lost it all for my foolish ways. I should have done more to save them. But I did not." The black wolf fell silent, trying to think of a way he could pull the attention from him, and more to learn about this pack. "How long have you lived in these woods?"

[Sorry for the wait, my first day of High School was today so I have been preparing for that]

A small unsure smile formed on the lips of the brute. He supposed that was more of a statement than a compliment or insult, but he was rather unsure of how to say it. He let it go staying silent was the other continued to speak more. At the mention of him apologizing for forgetting his name the Delta just shook his head. It was not something to be sorry for if it was mutual, he had forgotten Azrael's name as well. But he waited until he ceased to speak, his last few sentences causing a bit of laughter to come out of his chest in amusement. It was true that Breeze did talk a sure bunch. She basically did all of that for him with the amount her lips moved, and most of the time he just tuned her out. Gosh she could take a mile and a half a day if you'd let the vixen have at it. As he finished Desoto gave a curt nod before speaking a little more, his tone light for once. "Do not fret over a silly things as names, Azrael. Especially when it is mutual, but since you did, I shall apologize as well. Do forgive me for forgetting your name, it is surely a mistake. On another note, it is good to meet you as well. The female whom accepted you at our borders is my counterpart in rank, Breeze. She does most of the talking for the both of us. She gets on my nerves quite a bit when she rambles, so I tune her out. But she is a good warrior." He pawed at the ground a bit, his claws making no progress yet in making a mark. But then his tail lifted up a bit as he remembered something. "Desmond, the Alpha's name is Desmond. It'll get drilled in there I'm sure. Easy for me since our names start the same." He gave the similar pelted brute a pointed look before looking to the left, his gaze scanning over the pools as he once again listened to the voice of the male. It was truly saddening, to think he had perfection only for it to be ripped away. The shorter male would not know what it would be like, he had not had his perfect yet, if it even existed. He gave the brute a nod of understanding, not willing to comment on it further. Letting it mull over his mind there was a period of silence. it was a nice one though, before it was interrupted by a voice. How long had he been living in these woods? Quite some time would be his answer. Definitely not the longest, maybe a little under or over a year, but he had been here. Tilting his head he answered and asked a question as well. "Just in general or Agavos? I have been here for many months in total of both. Originally I belonged to the pack here called Erenyx, which is lead by Alpha Teren. I stayed there for a few months, but found that it was not what I was looking for. Just when I was about to go Rouge Desmond had called all those who were willing to join a new pack. This was about six months ago in the winter. I have been here ever since. Why do you ask?"