She was feeling restless, had been for a while now really. She didn’t know where to go though, having fulfilled her one goal since coming here in climbing the mountain. Now she was lost, tired of simply exploring; And yet… She liked the Lake area, sheltered as it was, both from the mountain winds and the forests and wolves below, and it had been nice not to be completely alone anymore. Not that she’d been overly social by any means, but @Chan had been checking in with her regularly and she’d felt safe in a sense she hadn’t known for over a year. Still, she was hesitant to bind herself to anyone, however nice the Lake wolves may seem. She’d decided long ago that pack life wasn’t for her, but at this point she was pretty sure loner life wasn’t either; So that leaves… Nothing.

The fiery shewolf kicked at a snow drift, sighing heavily. She’d been wandering aimlessly, trailing an old path along the edge of the lake. Now she paused, looking out over the frozen water, glittering in the evening sun. In her chest she felt a tight longing for… something, she just couldn’t figure out what it was. Amber eyes drifted back to russet paws, squinting at the bright light reflected off the snow. Except one patch. The white lump she had kicked at in her frustration turned out not to be a snow drift at all, or at least, not just that. Curious, the wolfess lowered her nose to sniff at the green mass, poking out from the fresh hole in the snow-cover. A plant of some kind…? The thought had only just formed in her head when the sharp odor filling her nose made her eyes water and she swiftly retracted her muzzle, sneezing loudly multiple times; A stink-plant!

Word count: 304

With a final wheeze, she managed to clear her nose of the offending smell, tongue running along her upper lip to clear the last irritation. As she did, her gaze roamed the surroundings, and she spotted a dark form approaching. Her initial reaction, as always, was alarm, shoulders stiffening and hackles and tail raising, purely by instinct. She had to force herself to relax, knowing that most of the wolves around here were part of the Cove group, posing no threat to her. And when the other came close, she recognized her as well, though it was one of the females, whom she had yet to meet properly.

Taking a deep breath, Flair shook out her scruff with a violent shoulder roll, emitting a half-cough, from the irritation in her throat. Finally, she looked up at the older wolf, who had come to a stop close by, her silver gaze inspecting the plants bared at their feet. Flair glanced down again at her words, giving the greenery another look, this time at a respectful distance. A sudden frost appeared to have seized the plant sometime in fall, keeping it from wilting as it normally would. She couldn’t figure out what was causing the smell though.

Just as the fiery wolf opened her mouth to speak, another wolf came to join them. Similarly dark-furred, but younger, probably around the same age as Flair herself, she didn’t recognize this girl, but her informal friendliness made it clear that she was familiar with the lake wolves as well. Flair nodded, a little stiffly, at the greeting and then, as conversation turned to the plant once more, she looked down at it, furrowing her brow; “No idea what it is… Smell’s like barf tho’!” One paw raised to rub at her offended nose, ears flicking towards either wolf in turn, attentive for their response. Ma would’ve known what it is… She mused. Unfortunately, the rebellious girl had never really taken to her mother’s medic lessons.

Word count: 331

The two dark women greeted each other with a courtesy that made something itch at the back of Flair’s mind – she felt simultaneously embarrassed at her own lack of manners and off put by the stiffness of the situation, her chaotic nature rebelling against this formality. She only managed to force a smile as the younger woman, Lila, addressed her, the question surely born of genuine interest and good will, yet all Flair felt was the claustrophobia of expectation. Socializing was so not her thing!

Luckily for her, Lila’s attention was soon returned to the plant, a breathy chuckle escaping Flair’s throat as she too commented on the smell. It really had been a horrible stench though, now that her nose was back in the open air, the fiery girl couldn’t actually smell it anymore; Lucky for me… She did however catch another scent on the breeze, one that could be arguably classified as just as foul, but to a lone wolf it was much more tantalizing. “A dead one,” she supplied, nodding in agreement to the black girl’s words, she’d realized it to.

Amber eyes scanned their surroundings, sharp and well trained through her years of scavenging, and they soon landed on the tracks, crossing the path a little ways into the woods. Glancing briefly at the other two, Flair took the few steps needed to inspect the tracks closer, bending her head to sniff at the marks in the snow. They showed a clear limp on one hind leg, a bright target to any hunter, and from the smell of it, one had already taken the advantage. Flair lifted her head back up, looking over at her companions, a silent question on her face. She wanted to follow the trail, but she had learned enough manners to know it would be impolite to simply leave, even if she wanted to.

Word count: 312