Oak Tree Bend Killed the czar and his ministers

The woman had been in the pack less then a day but she had already made an effort to try and stay within the confines of the borders. She was trying to cease her constant wanders with the hopes of remaining around Oak Tree Bend for a little while rather then wandering away like she did so many times before. She had left out that part of her because she had been trying to change it. The dark brown and grey femme had been hunting within the shady pine trees. The Soli woman had been tracking the scent of voles within the territory close to the stream that ran through it. A small grin formed on her muzzle as she closed in on the scent. They would eat tonight and she hoped that she was a reason why. Food was always important no matter the season. It was especially important because there were pups to feed too, though they did not eat meat yet.

The dark figure, who went by Nayeli and had accepted her earlier that day, had been nursing two pups in the den though it would be any day soon that they would start to ween off the milk and onto meat. Arc knew the drill because she had seen it before. There was regurgitated meat and then eventually full meat that they could chew on their own. It was a beautiful process, the growth of puppies, and it was something she would not wander away from. She was trying to establish ties early to weaken her sense of wandering and keep her close to the borders. It would be a fight but she would not get hurt. She could do it. She was confident that she could overcome the adversity that her personality presented with pack life. She could always scout but she feared one day she would forget to return.

The scent of voles had caught Nayeli's attention as well, as she made her way to the stream for a drink. As soon as the aroma registered in her senses, her mouth started to water at the thought of fresh meat. She had been relying upon the rest of the pack's members to fill the caches entirely too much lately, at least in her own opinion. Not only did it rankle the pridefully self-sufficient streak within her, but she had also begun to miss the taste of meat fresh from a kill. Of course, the realist in her knew there was not much to be done for it until her children were old enough to spend more time alone and tag along on hunts, except to snatch what she could, when she could. Larger creatures like deer and elk had been wisely avoiding the central areas of the pack's well-marked territory, leaving the dark woman to hunt mostly rabbits and squirrels of late. Between the duties of motherhood and a short jaunt to the borders to meet with a newcomer, she hadn't had the time to eat anything yet today, and her stomach was beginning to grow disgruntled with that fact. Catching a vole - or a few - seemed like a far more attractive option than eating stale meat from the caches once again. Perhaps she might even catch enough to add something to the pack's larders rather than taking it away.

It was with this objective in mind that she closed in on the scent, rather single-mindedly. So much so, in fact, that she almost didn't notice the aroma of the Soli woman - the very newcomer she herself had accepted earlier that day. Well, perhaps she could see how good a vole hunting partner this Arcania made... with a flick of her tail, Nayeli pierced through the last layer of foliage that stood in her way, trotting towards the other she-wolf. "Well hello again. I would ask how you're settling in, but you've hardly even had the chance to start," she said, mostly to try and start the interaction off on a casual note. Their earlier meeting at the borders had been brief and business-like, what Nayeli had begun to think of as the usual song and dance for a wolf wanting to join the ranks of a pack. Now Nayeli hoped she might learn a little more about what this Arcania Soli was really like - she had always been a rather unceremonious woman herself, and as long as the other was respectful and made her self of use to the pack, she could see no harm in trying to strike up a friendship. Until recently, Jessie had been the only other adult female in the pack, and even the rather tomboyish Nayeli had begun to miss having another lady to chat with at times.

She had been so focused on the small fortune that the voles offered to her that she hadn't even noticed the scent of the queen of the Bend protruding into the area. It wasn't until she heard the casual greeting that Arc knew that Nayeli was there. She nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard it to but when she realized who it was her tail tucked submissively immediately. "Sorry, I had been so focused that I hadn't noticed..." She murmured an apology for being so jump as she looked at the voles. She rushed them and caught two of them within her paws before killing them. She carried them over to the queen and offered her one while Arc kept the other. A nice meal often helped a conversation last longer then five seconds.

She had a small but a little goofy smile imprinted on her muzzle as she took a seat and took a bite of the vole. Arcania feared she wasn't the best when it came to formalities and since it seemed like a casual occasion she greeted the queen as she would a close friend or family member. "What's crackalackin?" Immediately after she had said it, she began to wonder if it was right to say it. She was a little nervous because she knew nothing about Nayeli or how she would react to such a casual greeting. Arc was rarely insecure but with her trying to settle into a new pack she found it hard to be sure of herself and what she was supposed to do. She suddenly forgot her urges to wander from the pack land and began to think about how she was going to settle in.

It seemed she had caught the other quite by surprise. The girl jumped, hastily offering an apology. Nayeli accepted it with a wordless nod, saying nothing else for the moment, for Arcania had just as quickly shifted her attention back to the voles, as was only natural. Her gaze narrowed slightly in appraisal as Nayeli decided to watch the she-wolf. Voles were only but a mouthful apiece, but they were often common enough to make a good snack. Arcania managed to catch two of them rather swiftly indeed. She was quick to share as well, and Nayeli took the vole with a nod of thanks, somewhat impressed with the girl so far.

The young woman seemed to relax a degree as she sat and began to eat. The phrasing of her question drew a smile from Nayeli. The starred woman paused for a breath, answering before tossing the vole down in one bite. "I was headed to the stream," Licking her lips, she stood and flicked her tail up, ears tipping back toward the tall grasses and underbrush that had grown up near the stream. "But a snack and some company is always worth a detour," The abundant smell of the rodents and the dark little tunnel-mouths visible here and there spoke of a number of the creatures - likely there were more safe underground. It would be good to remember this was here.

"Have you had a chance to meet any of the others yet?" the dark lady asked, turning her gaze back to Arcania. Triell had said to her once that the Bend was not that welcoming of newcomers, but Nayeli felt like they could use a few more good wolves here. She hoped the pack, new members and old, could find strength and unity, for something told her they would need it again and again.

The girl listened intently as she snacked on her vole. The leader was the only wolf she knew besides Hotei and she hadn't really had the time to meet others. She figured she could socialize once they actually trusted her. She had no illusions that there was this immediate trust between a new member and the pack when they were accepted. She had to prove she was worthy of the honor. She smiled softly as she started to form the words she would say to the esteemed leader of Oak Tree Bend. "I haven't really taken to socializing. It's just that all the packs I've seen don't really trust newcomers and they aren't necessarily the kindest either. I... I gotta prove myself before I get to know wolves." She hoped she didn't sound like she could be locked up in an insane asylum.

"I hope I don't sound too crazy. It's just the way I was raised I guess." She explained rather shyly. The scout and hunter looked around. She wasn't normally so bashful and normally she'd be off praising an idea by using tautology. She was changing but she was okay with that. Perhaps it would sedate her wanderlust as well. Part of her wanted to be bold enough to ask to be trialed as a scout and a huntress, to see which she liked better for when she could obtain a pack role, but she decided that she was too new to try such things. She hadn't even been a part of the pack for a day and she was already thinking about months in the future!