The darkly hued male paused at the edge of the field, looking back over his shoulder towards the north west. For several long minutes he stared at the edge of the forest as though seeing something far beyond the trees. The sun had begun its descent from the sky and though it was unseasonably warm, the lessening light provided some relief, as did the winds from the north.

With a sigh, Dirk turned his head back southward. There was nothing left for him back there. Nothing to return to; nothing to call his own. With another heavy sigh as thoughts of things lost invaded his mind, the burly male pressed forward. He would continue on until he found a likely spot to spend the night. Maybe he'd even run into a wolf or two; he'd heard that the lands to the southeast were populated by several packs. Despite his more recent solitary inclinations, he wouldn't object to an occasional run in.

In truth, Dirk found the various loners that rambled about to be somewhat amusing. All of them had their reasons for not being affiliated with a clan. Some had stories similar to his own, some were just eccentrics. Others still were not suited for pack life. All of them were curiosities to him. None of them stirred much more than a mild reaction out of him. Really nothing did these days. The curse of those left behind, he supposed. He didn't wish to die, of course, but there were days, such as this one, where he wondered what exactly it was that he was living for.