━━If one was quiet enough, they could just make out the sound of a soft crunch nearby, the sound of pawsteps, just barely a whisper caught on the breeze. Pale amber eyes glittered with intelligence as the beast prowled through the forest, traveling in no direction in particular, the brute was merely strolling through without much purpose. Purpose. The word echoed in his mind, causing his eye to twitch. Is that even a word, considering it has no meaning? Well, at least it had no meaning for him, because he certainly didn’t have much purpose now. The brute snorted, shaking his head in frustration. Ever since his banishment of his previous pack, Fenrir could hardly stand himself. It was as if his situation grew even more dire with each passing day, as he struggled with his new circumstances. While he was confident he could surely handle himself, without a single soul to prove such to, it made him question his motive entirely. Why bother proving something if there wasn’t anyone to prove it to? He had no answer to said question. He seemed to lack quite a bit of answers to the many questions that plagued his mind each day.
━━One of the questions he had yet to answer was when his next meal would be. His last attempt at hunting had gone less than as planned, not only losing his meal but suffering an injury as well. It could easily be seen in his gait, which was uneven, much to his annoyance. Thankfully, he hadn’t come across any creature since, besides the occasional bird for the most part. Even so, it annoyed him solely due to the fact that he was unable to truly care for himself in this condition, though there’d be no complaints regardless. For one thing, there wasn’t anyone to complain to. He had no choice but to move on anyway, there was no going back to his pack, least he’d want to end his troubles for good, forever. He had no doubts that his former packmates would be less than pleased to see his return, even if they let him return, they’d never let him forget the day he’d been banished due to his actions. It would be forever held over his head and that was something he certainly wasn’t going back for.
━━And thus, Fenrir continued on his quest. His quest for what? Well, truth be told he wasn’t sure what he was after anymore. Perhaps he’d start a new life somewhere else with another pack, though he couldn’t imagine how long that might take, if he’d ever reach that point. If he starved, then he certainly wouldn’t. What an ironic ending for a wolf like himself, an ending he didn’t deserve and certainly would do everything in his power to keep from becoming a reality. Even if he must humble himself to the lowest of lows, it was all for survival. All merely temporary, he assured himself. He knew what he had to do, as much as it disgusted himself. He’d have to turn to the worst option possible, already feeling his body beginning to grow weak due to exhaustion. Just a little further, then a rest. I should be able to find a source fairly easily due to how much they stink, then I’ll hightail it out of there.
━━The brute searched for quite a few more hours, before an all too familiar scent met his nose. It twitched a bit, before his eyes narrowed slightly, his muscles tensing up a bit. The canid had only caught this scent once or twice before in his lifetime, especially so strongly. The area up ahead reeked of it, causing him to snort. Humans. Mankind. His ears twitched as the words tumbled about in his head, a feeling of dread quickly washing over him, leaving him shuddering slightly. He remembered being a pup when he first heard about humans, though it wasn’t until he was a little older than a yearling that he had his first experience with one nearby. It was one of the rare times he remembered the patrol seeming overwhelmingly cautious, some even seeming to fear the scent alone. His mothers words rang through his mind once more at the thought. Humans can be very dangerous, especially when there’s more than one. Plenty of us have suffered due to them, even a single one can cause disruption. They can kill a single wolf in an instant, so beware.
━━And how funny it was to reflect on that now. Look at him, preparing to simply waltz into human territory, just waiting to be claimed like many other creatures had been. Mother, you’ll be wrong this time. I’ll live. He said to himself, before continuing onward. Surely, he’d be fine. He wouldn’t go in there, he’d stay among the trees so he could escape quickly if need be. He heard that humans kept scraps of food outside of their dens, quite difficult to get to without making a racket. He’d have to try it though, his stomach demanded such. And thus, he forced himself onward, though his mothers words still lingered at the back of his mind.
━━Soon enough, human dens quickly came into view, all neatly in a line and hardly differing in appearance. If humans lived like wolves did, he wondered which one was the alpha’s den. He doubted they worked in such ways though, it just seemed impossible for creatures like themselves. He eyed them warily, occasionally hearing the odd noise here and there, along with peculiar creatures leaving the dens. How odd indeed. But alas, a new sound came into play, one very much like his own. The sound of barking. Eyes flickered about in a sudden new rush of panic, for a few brief moments he believed he’d been discovered by another pack. Fear and hunger entwined together was not a good mix. Horrible decisions were made during such a state. But the lack of cover was getting to him. One way or another he might die today, but he certainly wasn’t going down without a fight. It was currently raining, the perfect weather for a day such as today. Leaving the safety of the trees, the brute bounded ahead toward the nearest den, before trying to leap over the odd obstacle ahead of him. His leg failed him, causing him to hit the ground rather roughly. Oh of course. Perfect timing.
━━He let out a low growl before rising once more, paws scrambling against the wood that kept him from the other side. He’d be protected from view at least, so long as he could manage to get inside. But currently, that didn’t seem like it’d happen. He was stuck out here, in the rain, away from safety and without a pack to call upon. He was truly alone.
