With a small frown, the reddish girl nibbled at the bones to clean them, making an effort to ignore the taste; I HATE fish! This was a new development for her, as she had, not too long ago, considered fish her favorite food - taking great joy in both the catching and eating of the sweet, scaly creatures. Especially because fish had been a new discovery to her, after she set out on her journey, growing up in the high north as she had, far away from any inhabited lakes. After two weeks of supporting herself almost exclusively on these lake-dwellers though, the taste was beginning to make her nauseous! Only the knowledge that she could never know how long the plenty would last, and how lucky she was to have such bounty, made her suffer through it. But she was at her breaking point! Very soon, she would have to leave the falls, and its fish-rich pond, simply to get moving again; her whole body was craving new experiences. And yet she had no energy, her wanderlust had abandoned her, and her thirst for adventure seemed no more than a weak cry in the back of her head, impossible to satisfy even if she tried; so why bother?!






After finishing her first great adventure, making two new friends and helping to reunite the Flint siblings, the lady felt lost and hopeless, without a new goal to pursue and unable to muster any enthusiasm to search for one; I just want... What exactly? What was it she needed?! A place in the world, a constant purpose, something to live for! Company... She wanted adventure, new experiences and quests to complete... But there was also a part of her that longed for stability, aching for comrades who she would not have to abandon to continue her trek; and that part was growing.






Sighing dejectedly, she got up and pushed aside the, now flawlessly cleaned, fish bones, casting a glance at the nearby water, where more glimmers were visible under the surface. Grimacing at the sight, the fox-like fae turned her back to the pool and trotted towards the nearby trees, to rest under their shelter, shivering as a sudden cold wind brushed trough her fur; maybe that was what had so drastically affected her mind - winter was coming!






Word count: 388




I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

She was moving towards the place where she had been sleeping for the pas weeks, a veritable nest of dried leaves and shredded fur after so much use, when she noticed a white shadow moving in her direction; like a ghost amongst the trees. Stopping in her tracks, the slender girl stiffened, copper-brown eyes locked on the shape as it slowly came closer. It was a wolf, a female; What'a you know! I haven't had company for a while! Relaxing a bid, Aideen found a forthcoming smile somewhere within and dragged it to her face, it should be nice to finally talk to someone else again!






The wolfess seemed to be searching for something, eye scanning the ground rather than what lay ahead, and she was fairly close before she finally noticed Aideen, who was standing still and waiting for her reaction, eager to talk, but still wary of the stranger. Her greeting made the girl relax a little more, her smile growing a tad; At last she didn't attack me! She was about to respond when the foreign fae's question made her brows lift, surprise and puzzlement making up her expression; Lavender..?! What a strange question. Aideen wasn't even sure what lavender was, some kind of flower, but which?






Shaking her head slowly, eyes focused on the other, still wide in confusion, the red dame replied: <b style="color:#c7470f">"Uhm... Sorry, no... What do you need it for?" The idea that you could need something that wasn't food, wolf or shelter was completely new to the lass, apart from maybe a bath, but that was beside the point! For whatever reason this stranger was searching for a flower though, she seemed to be pretty determined to find it, and Aideen was intrigued; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I could help you look if you want?" She felt slightly awkward, offering her help, but it also seemed the right thing to do, and even though searching for lavender could hardly be described as an adventure, it was still something to do.






Word count: 333




I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

Aideen's smile crumbled when the white dame told of the use she would put her herbs to, ears sinking in sorrow of the lost pup, even though she hadn't known neither it nor the mother or pack; No wolf should ever lose their lives so young! And the poor mother... Her resolve to help grew at the story, since it was now clear that these flowers were in fact very important, and could do a lot of good. In response to Ashanti's introduction, the red girl offered a polite nod and a faint smile, it's edges tainted by compassion, her ears flicking in interest at the foreign pack name; Secret Woodlands... It couldn't be too far away if the fae had come to the falls in search of her lavender.






She was about to give Ashanti her own name, when the other started talking again. Politely, Aideen held her tongue, smiling broader when her help was accepted, and listening intently, in genuine interest, when the white wolfess explained what exactly they were looking for; grateful to get the description without having to openly reveal her ignorance. She was about to turn away, to start her own search, when she noticed Ashanti stiffening, and instinctually froze herself, eyes darting around to locate the thread. Her other senses took an extra second to come into play, but as soon as she lifted her snout to the cold breeze, she smelled what had stopped the other she-wolf; DEER!






Before she had time to do anything about it though, Ashanti was off, disappearing amongst the trees in hunt for the prey. Aideen was left alone, gaping slightly, the surprise making her brain work slowly. It took several minutes before she started moving, trotting forwards after Ashanti, but she only made it a few steps before the white female reappeared, dragging a carcass with her; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Wow!" The tri-colored girl breathed, giving the other wolf a sheepish smile; What are the odds?!






Despite her full stomach, Aideen's teeth were already watering at the mere smell of proper meet, so when Ashanti offered her the pronghorn, it took some effort to hold back; but she did! There were some things needing to be said first; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Uh.. Yeah, thank you... Ashanti was it? I'm Aideen Smoke." Unable to hold back any longer, she ripped into the dead animal, tearing out a nice chunk of meat and then stepping back to allow Ashanti to get at it. As she ate, the small fae felt her optimism return, she was here with another wolf, a nice one by all measures, and they were enjoying a veritable feast of delicious, red meat; There's really no need to feel down..!






Thinking back to her resent, low mood, Aideen shook her head in astonishment; to think that she could have been that depressed! Looking to Ashanti, the girl felt a warm joy filling her, simply from having some company; So maybe that's the solution... She had wondered before, about finding a pack, and now that winter was coming it seemed like the best choice... Aideen decided to push these ponderings aside for now though, she would need some serious time to consider her options, and that should wait until they had accomplished Ashanti's goal; <b style="color:#c7470f">"So lavender... I didn't even know you could use flowers for something like that! Well I'll defiantly help you find some!" And then she couldn't help but add: <b style="color:#c7470f">"...Your pack, is it close by?" The question was offered in a casual voice, but mentally Aideen was kicking herself; Why did I ask that?! She wasn't ready to go with this, almost stranger, to an unknown pack! No way! And yet... It couldn't hurt to learn a little about it. Shaking her head to clear her muddled thoughts, the slender femme turned her eyes to the area around them, looking for any sign of purple among the fall colors; Lavender! Let's start there.






Word count: 653




I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

The orange girl's ears flicked back when Ashanti spoke again, her head turning to politely meet the woman's eyes as she explained; and Aideen listened intently, sucking up this new information as it was offered, silently marveling at this whole new world opening up, full of possibility and versatility. She nodded to signal her understanding, when the white wolfess finished her account, smiling lightly at her; both as a way of thanks, for so openly giving up the information, and because she was simply feeling happy - pleased to be in friendly company, and to have some form of purpose.






Determination glowing in her deep-brown orbs, the younger fae searched through the clearing, lowering her snout to sniff for foreign scents; Now, it would have been real helpful to know what lavender ACTUALLY smelled like..! She mused, moving swiftly over the dry leaves in her hunt; FOR PLANTS! To think that I should ever find myself actually LOOKING for anything green! The slender femme shook her head, chuckling faintly, but stopped quickly, ears flicking back as Ashanti spoke again. She lifted her small dome and turned it in the other wolf's direction, smiling, besides the heaviness reawakened by the question; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I'm used to hard winters, I grew up in the north!" Her voice was light, and her smile didn't falter, but the words rung hollow within her - no matter how cold her childhood home of Cimerra had been, she had had family to keep her warm. Here... I have no one...






Quickly turning her attention back to the forest floor, Aideen hid her crackling facade, blinking back tears and forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand; Find lavender! HELP! This she could do, this was hunting, and for something that couldn't flee no less; CHILDSPLAY! In her determination to not only find the herb, but also hide her weakness, the slender lass hurried over the ground, towards the falls, mentally repeating the characteristics mentioned by Ashanti; Narrow leaves, Purple flowers...WAIT! A faint image flashed through her mind, a strange scrub-growth with long, gray-green stalks and sweet-smelling flowers of a thistle-like color. She jerked up her head , back in the direction of Ashanti and barked, voice shaking a slightly; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I... I think I've seen some... A few days ago. U-Up by the waterfall I think!" Turning back in that direction, she clenched her teeth; YES! It had to be right! On the other side of the pond, close to the fall itself... She'd definitely seen it!






Word count: 419




I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

The orange lass didn't turn to look, but her ears twitched back as she heard Ashanti following her, the two quickly making their way around the pond, over the creek and over to the bushes Aideen remembered. Panting heavily from the run, she could clearly feel the scent of the flowers as it entered her nose with her breath; How didn't I notice this smell before?! It was nice, all bite its strength was a bit intrusive, an clearly separated itself from the more muted, musky scents of the surrounding forest, and the stark, clean air of water.






Proving what the smaller lass had already deducted to be true, Ashanti bowed down to pluck the lavender, blue eyes shining with glee. Aideen was very pleased with herself to have found the herb, chest strutting proudly, yet the dull ache from the mention of her family was still lurking underneath; I am all alone.






Suddenly the white wolfess got quite busy, gathering up the plants as best she could, glancing at the sky. Aideen followed her eyes up, to see the tinges of gold and salmon from the beginning sunset; It's already this late?! Speaking as if in answer, Ashanti gave a hurried farewell, briefly explaining how she didn't like to be away from her pack for too long; I can understand that... She then mentioned for the younger lass to come visit sometime, sparking an idea that should later come to be vital for her, but before Aideen could even move to answer, the other was off, trotting west along the creek.






Aideen stared openmouthed for a moment, before she scurried to her legs, taking a few leaps in direction of the arctic woman, calling after her: <b style="color:#c7470f">"Oh, Ashanti, wait!" She halted, cobber eyes staring at the disappearing silhouette to see if she'd heard; Damn it! Stretching her neck she howled after the healer; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Where is your pack?!" She wasn't sure why, didn't know what she would use the information for, if anything... But it felt important to her to know.






Sitting down, ears pricked in anticipation of the answer, the lassie felt a faint warmth caressing the hole in her chest, almost teasing at the empty space, promising that it would not always be hollow. The scent of lavender drifted down to her from the waterfall, its rich sweetness filling her nose, and she felt it's calming effect, slowly making her eyes heavy; I'm not alone... I have friends.






Word count: 410




I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”