The detour was a necessity after her scuffle in the Wildwood, a large arc in the opposite direction, to make sure she didn't run into any of the two grumpy wolfesses again. But it was time consuming, leaving the beat up girl even more annoyed than the fight itself already had. She was thrashing through relatively clear land now, finally finding her way back on track, the mountains visible on the horizon before her. All around, the grassland bore unmistakable signs of a fire, flames that had, no doubt, wrecked the forest long ago, leaving only black stubbles behind. Now the earth had been taken over by grasses and saplings, making the fox-like wolfs trek much easier, her paws moving swiftly through the meadows; I just hope this didn't make me miss my chance!






In truth, the last thing the lass needed right now was another encounter to slow her down, she was on a mission ! And her eyes were set on the invisible goal, finding Rayne's sister and reuniting the two. All that being said, she could surely need a pick up! Until now, the majority of her encounters in these new lands had been of the uncomfortable sort, and her natural enthusiasm had dwindled significantly. Her eyes, which were usually glowing with a bright thirst for adventure, were dull under her heavy, grey brow, focusing only on the ground right before her paws, and her mind was silent. She was going through the motions, low on both spirit and energy, only stubbornness keeping her going on; something needed to change soon!






Word count: 267




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

The sound of running water had been lingering in the periphery of her hearing for a while now, without attracting any specific attention. The remains of the last days' heavy rain still clinging to her fur, the orange dame wasn't particularly eager to approach the creek; so far, drinking water had been in abundance on her journey. So her brain had tucked the gurgling away with the rest of the areas sounds, at the back of her brain, and she'd pretty much forgotten about the water's existence, when a laud splashing made head jerk up to attention, eyes and ears turned in direction of the sound.






Copper eyes fell on a tan pelted wolf, thrashing through the stream, and a distant light flickered in their depths. After her last to encounters, instinct brought wariness before curiosity, but the girl noticed the approacher's bright grin and waving tail; Like a banner of good will... The thought surprised her, as it fleeted into her mind. It sounded like something her older brother would say, certainly not something she would never speak aloud. She shook the idea, keeping watch of the stranger as he came closer, her body posture selectively neutral. He was large. Not just normally big, but, almost frighteningly, huge; Damn, is every wolf in this wretched place a giant?! It did give him kind of a comical appearance though, as he waltzed towards her in his happy go lucky manner, apparently untouched by her solemn expressions. And despite her gloomy state, Aideen could not prevent a small smile from curling her lips.






The boy introduced himself with one word. A strange one, bearing some resemblance with a greeting, yet different. The slender lass raised her brow, looking up at the colossus with no sign of fear, but rather a substantial amount of curiosity, in her molten metal gaze. The encounter was unexpected, and another slowing of her quest, but it wasn't exactly unwelcome after all; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Good day sir." She addressed him with no small amount of humor, unhidden in her voice; which otherwise was marked by the hardships she'd been through, it's edges rough and the tone deeper and slower than normally. Still, she mustered a real, tooth exposing, smile at the lad, tail flicking curiously as she stepped back and awaited his response.






Word count: 384




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

The way he spoke was foreign to the orange lass, a strange, melodic nature to his rich, deep toned voice, and a an odd pronunciation of some words; Wherever he's from, it must be far away! Aideen's natural curiosity was awakened, and even through the worn haze that had captivated her young mind, she felt her usual eagerness press on, with a wish to learn more about this brute. He seemed lighthearted, cheerful, to a point that might even be called silly, and it was just what the adventurous girl needed!






The buff colored wolfs words made her chuckle quietly, and she already felt some of the weight lifting from her chest as she made a quick decision, determined not to let her former encounters effect her relationship with this boy, and lifted her eyes to meet his; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Thank you Coal! I have a feeling you might be pretty good company yourself." She smiled warmly at the huge male, no longer so worried about his size, and lifted her tail high, mimicking his own, waving appendage; <b style="color:#c7470f">"My name is Aideen!" Smile quivering ever so faintly, the fea cleared her throat and added, a bit hoarsely: <b style="color:#c7470f">"Aideen Smoke."






In her current state of mind, the homesickness that was otherwise fading, had returned to the sensitive girl, tightening her chest. And the long pelted male, despite his youth, reminded her of her father, with his joyful attitude and friendly approach. Aideen felt a burning behind her eyes, and swallowed heavily, swiftly setting into motion, to suppress her feelings and hide them from the stranger; No weakness! It was her mother's lesson number one, and the tri-colored lass never forgot it! So she moved forwards, beyond Coal, lightly brushing up against him as she passed; a light shiver traveling down her spine as his fur tinkled her own. Taking a deep breath to make sure she had control of her voice, she called back, with a lighthearted tone that was, almost, unaffected by her surging emotion; <b style="color:#c7470f">"I need to keep moving, but if you're going the same way as me... It would be nice to have some company for a while." Her voice nearly broke at the words, but she fought to keep it clean, and hide the desperation in her suggestion; Please! I could really use your amity!






Word count: 386




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

A wave of warm joy surged through her body when the sand-muddled boy caught up with her, falling in rhythm with the small fae's shorter steps. They moved swiftly along the swelling creek, Aideen's eyes now lifted to the horizon, sneaking a peak at the large wolf in between every few strides; a faint stiffness seemed to have tainted his gait, but she didn't wonder about it, she was done with speculations for now! All she wanted was to talk, the way she used to do it with her father and sister, in that natural, rushed way of hers that her mother found so irritating; Without thinking first! The continued thoughts of her family, gave the slender lass' smile a melancholic twist, but it was different from the homesickness she had felt earlier. This was the fuzzy warmth of fond memories, nothing like the agonizing longing from before.






So when Coal asked his question, the tri-colored girl ignored the strained tone, dispelling the discomfort of the situation with a bright laugh; <b style="color:#c7470f"> "Well Coal..." She replied, turning her head to seek out his eyes with her own copper orbs; <b style="color:#c7470f"> "I'm on a quest!" Her tone was light, filled with laughter and thirst for adventure, but it was lined with a note of steel; it was not a dismissive answer, she was on a quest! Stubbornness shone in her eyes, as she waited for the man's response to this statement, would he laugh? Or understand this adventure of hers? She hoped for the later, but either way, there was no way to rock her determination; I will find your sister Rayne!






The dame hoped though, that Coal would have at least enough adventure in him, to provide this little reprieve with some laughs, she needed that today!






Word count: 295




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

She felt elated, the mere presence of his body next to hers making any remainder of loneliness evaporate, as the warmth of life, radiating off his body, graced her side. It occurred to the lass, that she had not walked with another wolf in this way since she left her old home, side by side in a manner like pack-mates on a hunt. The thought made an inexplicable warmth rise to her tri-colored face, eyes fluttering to her paws as, suddenly, it felt difficult to look at the large boy. The unfamiliar feelings confused the young lass, making her falter out of rhythm for a few steps. She had to pause for a while, shaking her head to clear the warm fuzz that had cluttered her thoughts.






Blinking a few times, she looked again to the larger male, watching his earth colored fur wave in the light breeze, cocking her ears at the sound of his steps falling in the moist grass; It's remarkable how little noise he makes... The rust pelted dame shook her body again, and set in motion once more; leaping a few steps to catch up with her companion, just as he turned and look to her, expression oddly mixed. Aideen perked her ears and tilted her head, watching the other with wide, warm eyes while he spoke; questions glistening in the depths of their molten copper.






As soon as he finished, she parted her jowls to answer, eager to give the man anything he wanted; part of her hoping to somehow cheer him up with her simple words. But then she hesitated, insecurities seizing her mind; Should I tell him? Could I?! The damsel was torn, on one hand she desperately wanted to keep up her conversation with this lively new comrade, make him forget whatever it was that had suddenly put him down, on the other paw she was bound by loyalty to Rayne; and after her experiences in the woods, she was hesitant to reveal her mission, even to Coal who seemed so trustworthy.






She looked him in the eyes, steps slowing as she no longer watched her path, apologies lingering in her gaze as she decided to keep true to herself by not betraying Rayne's trust. But that left her with a new difficult decision: what to tell Coal, who was still watching her, waiting for an answer; I don't want to lie to you! Had he been one of her family members, any lie fallen from her lips would have easily been seen by him, she wasn't that great of a liar, but as things were now, she had the option to tell him a fabrication, simply make up a story... But she couldn't! Her mouth was dry, ears flicking nervously, eyes scanning the other's for something to ease her choice.






<b style="color:#c7470f">"I... I'm searching for someone..." The reddish fae finally said, a sigh leaving her maw along with the words, as she such had found a way to stay true to herself both in keeping Rayne's secret, and not lying to Coal. She smiled at him, a slightly shaky grin, but one full and genuine, reaching all the way to her ears, which twisted playfully when something inside her made her add: <b style="color:#c7470f">"But I'm not in too much of a hurry, I have some time..." She had no idea where it came from, neither the words, nor the strange honey-like tone they were spoken in, a few moments ago, nothing had been more important to her than completing her quest, but now it didn't seem so pressing. The strange warmth once more rose in the girl's body, her heart beating violently against her ribs , but this time she held the man's gaze, ears falling halfly to the sides while she awaited his response.






Word count: 633




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