Wandering

[Argona]

Argona stepped gingerly on the cracked ground, panting slightly in the heat. She was no longer sure of where she was, she had been traveling for so long that she had only been concentrating on putting on large paw in front of another. Shaking herself to wake up a little from her daze, she sniffed the air, starting to notice her surroundings for the first time since she had entered this desert-like land. Sighing, she scuffed a purple paw against the ground, sniffing the air for any scent other than dirt and herself. Finding another scent, though her mind was too groggy to tell if it was wolf, water or another animal, she turned to follow it, her deep red coat shining in the sun. But her concentration on moving was broken, and she took two steps and tripped tiredly over her own feet, collapsing onto the ground. After trying to get up and failing, Argona barked a laugh, wondering how she had gotten herself this tired.

Turning her head towards the bright sky, she let loose a howl that rang out across the land, calling for help or a pack leader. Then, as if the effort had exhausted her even more, she placed her blue striped muzzle on her forepaws, trying to keep her ears pricked, but her red and gold eyes drooped. The world faded into the dark of the sleep of exhaustion as she waited. Her huge form lay prone on the ground, not moving even in sleep, her breathing so shallow it was hard to see her sides rise and fall.

[Raiz]

Black paws stirred the dust of the desert. Raiz, the alpha of these lands, had been on patrol for hours. A howl rose from the desolete ground and he turned his head towards the sound. His eyes caught the sight of a female, her form made hazy by the heat. He saw her lay down on the ground, apparently exhasted from the heat. Raiz padded over to her and nudged her a bit to wake her, his silver markings shining in the sun.

((OoC: I am Raiz and will have his bio up soon. Bear with me here. Anubis))

[Argona]

Argona's eyes flickered open tiredly as she felt a nudge. Looking up, her eyes focused on the dark wolf before her, and for a moment she wasn't sure if he was a mirage or not. Then she remembered that she had felt a nudge, which must've been this wolf. Her jaw fell open in a slight grin, as she began to push herself up again. She struggled up, only to collapse once more. Sighing, she looked up at the wolf, "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to stand to greet you. Good day. My name is Argona, and I'm looking for a pack." She licked her paw, and for the first time realized how little water she'd had since she had entered this dry land.

[Raiz]

"I'm sorry, but I can't seem to stand to greet you. Good day. My name is Argona, and I'm looking for a pack." she said with a sigh. "You are in luck then, fae, as I am looking for new pack members." Raiz replied in a deep voice. "I am Raiz, alpha of these lands. And you are?"

[Argona]

"I am Raiz, alpha of these lands. And you are?"

Argona dipped her head in a slight bow, and then raised her head higher than before despite her exhaustion. "Argona, from-" Her voice caught before she managed to continue, changing what she had been about to say "from a long ways off. My pack was killed and I was the only survivor, I've been traveling for weeks since then." She pushed herself up so she was sitting instead of laying down, a spark of anger appearing her eyes at the memory and giving her an extra burst of strength.

[Raiz]

Raiz looked the fae up and down. She seemed a well enough wolf to add to the pack, other than the fact that she was parched and unable to stand. "What's say we get you some water and maybe some food if we can find it. We shall talk of your acceptance afterwards." he said, nodding towards where a small river ran through the lands. This river seperated the clanlands of the packs: Rencora to the north, Arcanian to the east, Tuscorian to the west, and the Dracosian to the south.

[Argona]

Argona nodded and stood up, summoning strength that she didn't know she had to do so. It was obvious that she was going on willpower alone. Pushing herself up to her full height of five feet, she said, "Thank you Raiz." Clenching her jaw, she wavered on her paws, her ribs showing, even with the still thick fur over them. She picked up her right forepaw to take a step, but as soon as she set it down, the burnt pad protested, causing her to bite her tongue to keep from yelping in pain. Even so, a small whimper escaped her throat as she held her striped leg off the ground, wavering even more on only three legs.

[Raiz]

Raiz watched as the fae rose to her feet. ”Her paws must be burnt, what with the way she is standing.” He went and stood beside her until she gained her footing. ”I will have Sira look after your wounds when we return o the den. We shall talk of acceptance once you have eaten and gotten something to drink.” With that, he slowly padded towards the river.

[Argona]

Argona nodded, her ears down and her jaw clenched to help her ignore the pain of her burnt pads and her exhausted body. As the alpha started to walk, her jaw tensed even more, and she forced her body to move, head down. She was determined to keep going, and knew that if she went down again she wouldn't be getting up. Her path was not completely straight, although she tried to keep it so, and as she continued following Raiz, the pad that was burnt worst cracked, starting to bleed. She grit her teeth against the pain, deciding that she'd clean it when they got to the river, for now she just had to keep one paw going in front of the other.

[Raiz]

Raiz stopped as he smelt the scent of blood. "Are you alright? I can send for Sira if you'd like." The fae was in obvious pain. They were very near to the river, so Raiz slowed his pace to allow the fae to keep up with him. "When we get to the river you can rest. It's not as hot there as it is in the desert. It's like an oasis really."

[Argona]

Argona looked up at the sound of his voice, eyes glazed with pain. She shook her head, muttering "No, don't worry about me. I'll be fine until we get there." She clenched her teeth together again, limping as she walked. Her ears had almost disappeared against her head, and she stumbled often, but she kept moving towards the water she could smell now, even through her clogged senses.

[Raiz]

"Very well then," Raiz replied as the reached the waters edge. It was considerably cooler here than anywhere else in the lands. Which was why the dens weren't too far off. Raiz dipped his head in the water for a quick drink before looking back at Argona. "Once you've had a drink, we will discuss whether you want to be accepted into the pack or not."

[Argona]

Argona didn't stop at the waters edge, but stepped into it, sighing in relief as the coolness touched her burnt pads. Then she leaned her head down for a drink, a long one. The water seemed to instantly give strength and her ears came back up as pain lessened. Without her throat and tongue so dry, she felt a whole lot better. Stepping back out of the water, she stood in front of Raiz and then sat down. She wagged her tail slowly, sweeping the ground behind her. Just getting a drink had already made her feel better from what seemed like months of not feeling well.

[Raiz]

Raiz looked on as Argona padded around in the water. He sat in the shade of the oasis trees. As he sat, he studdied the fae as she seemingly came back to life as her pain lessened. She seemed a capable wolf. Once she got used to the heat of the desert, she could be a great ally.

"You haven't told me what you are wanting to do. Are you wanting to stay with the pack or will you carry on your way? The choice is completely up to you, Argona."

[Sira]

Sira lifted her head from where she had been resting in the shade of a desert bush. She could swear she heard Raiz's voice. He did carry a bit with his deep voice. Then she saw them... Raiz with a fae she didn't know. She grew a bit jealous at the sight, but held her tongue as she suspected Raiz would reprimand her for chasing of a potential member.

She looked to the sky as the sun was starting to set. "The Gathering is nearly upon us yet again, and still no word from either the Rencora nor Dracosian packs. Damn these humans. If it weren't for the desert we would have lost our pack lands by now."