Larkcall Lowlands Fresh Start

Askan thought he had it covered by now, he didn't think that she could take him by surprise again. He was on his guard. And yet, as soon as she started flapping her tail about and throw herself around like an excitable pup, well it surprised him. At least the intensity of her response did. She was happy, ecstatic, that much was obvious. But why? Then she mentioned her Father-just the mention of a parental figure was enough to make him blanch with distaste-  and Askan was able to put the pieces together. He was able to make an educated guess.

"I'm not." Askan protested, verbally batting away the compliment. He was many things, but it was obvious to see that he was no angel. Not by a long stretch. Her apology though was unnecessary for once, Askan wasn't angry. She had been a little too jovial for his tastes, but it was fine, he had no qualms. "Makes sense." 

Funny how he had coming here running from family, and she was here to search for it. They were opposite ends of the spectrum really. She was so open and refreshing, Askan was closed and bitter, callous to anyone who he perceived to be disrespectful. They couldn't be more different. It was something Askan hadn't really done before, compare himself to someone else. He didn't see the point of it, he was who he was, there was no one like him, no one as Askan as he was. And that was what he wanted, he needed. He couldn't stand to live in the shadow of another again, he couldn't do it.

"Well, there's a lot of packs here, down south. If they're anywhere they're probably there." He shrugged, he didn't have much to add other than that. He'd never gone that far south, he saw no reason to. Neither did he have a desire to, his home was here. "Do you at least know anything about them? A rough idea of who they are, where they are?" 

He was prying now, he didn't need to know this. He'd succeeded in achieving his primary aim, to find out what she was doing here and now that he knew she wasn't a threat to his people well he was free to go. She didn't matter anymore. But like a fool- who secretly craved positive social interactions, well he hadn't gone anywhere. He hadn't even lifted a foot to leave.

(This post was last modified: Aug 27, 2016, 12:11 PM by Askan.)

Lena was practically ready to race off, find the place that her father was born, to meet her family ... and yet, it dawned on her that she didn't quite know very much. At least, not enough to give exact names of locations or territories. It also dawned on the tawny adolescent that maybe she had jumped the gun and left without knowing everything she needed to know. She had blindly rushed into the ocean without checking for sharks, so to speak.

"I honestly don't really know much. Dad never said anything beyond the basics. Said he had brothers and sisters in the eastern parts of Relic Lore. Erm ... which I reckon would be ..." she gestured with her nose, "that way?" To say her knowledge of this land was small would be an understatement--it was practically nonexistent. She had hoped that travelling around, spewing questions to every wolf she passed, would eventually land her in the company of her father's family's kith. "D'you know anything about the east? Packs, or families?"

The youth tilted her head, ears all lopsided. She was hopeful--well, when was she not?--that this swarthy, serious-til-poked wolf would have a lead that she could at least continue with. "Actually, what do you know about this place? Said you hadn't been here all that long, right?" She sat slowly, tail thumping the ground as if rhythmically chanting tell me, tell me. Any tasty morsels she could squeeze from her current company would help, she reckoned. Even if it were just landmarks to remember, or names to watch out for.

Askan followed her line of sight with a frown. He had never travelled that far southeast, so in this regard he was more or less useless. He didn't really have anything else to tell her, he didn't know her family so he couldn't say where she was from. It was as big as mystery to him as it was to her. And Askan found it more than a little irksome to be useless, to be unable to help. He was reluctant to admit so, but Askan wasn't one for lying. He was honest, sometimes brutally, so he wasn't going to defy his nature just to make himself feel a little better. Not that he thought it would do that much good.

"I don't." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've never left the Lowlands, not for long anyway. I've got..." He was a little hesitant to admit this, but he pushed forward nonetheless. "I've got friends nearby. We're working on putting a pack together, so I've not no reason to leave." It was a little odd for him to call them friends, but that's what they were, in essence. Maybe one day he'd get used to the idea of others liking him.

He did have some information to offer once she asked another question, an easier one. "I've been here a few months. I know the Lowlands pretty well, they go on for on as far as you can see. There's a forest in that direction," copying her, Askan pointed with his nose. "Think a pack's got lands there. Been told they come up onto the tundra sometimes, for hunting. Beyond that, I think it's mostly woods, maybe some grassland. I know it's busy down there though, lots of wolves." He wasn't used to talking at length like this so Askan felt a twinge of discomfort. He did a pretty good job of hiding it though, it only showed in the nervous licking of his lips.

"Wait..." An idea occurred to him. Askan looked away from his sitting companion and turned to gaze back in the direction of which he had come from. "I could ask the Old Man, he came from down south, he's travelled, he'll probably know a lot more about the packs in the east than I do. He might've even come from one." @Drestig seemed the sort to know a lot of stuff, even if he just learned it in passing as he made his way through life.

Askan regretted not being nosy now. He'd spoken with Drestig a fair amount by now, they'd chit chatted (for lack of a better word), so really he should have known, he should have cared enough to ask. Too late to regret that now, he supposed. What was done was done.

Askan turned his bright gaze back to his companion. "Depends if you're okay with waiting I suppose. Figured, you'd wanna find you're family as soon as you can."

(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2016, 05:03 PM by Askan.)

"Bloody hell! Must be exciting for you, puttin' together yer own pack with yer friends." Despite her optimism and playful attitude, Lena hadn't ever really had many friends. Her sister was her closest friend, and they didn't quite see eye-to-eye. Greystone Bluff was a small pack, consisting of family and a few loners who had settled with a similar mindset. They were relaxed in their way of life, with few strict rules. Funny, she thought to herself, never really took myself for a loner.

She blinked, following the male's nose to gaze off into the distance. Busy, he said. Lots of wolves. A real metropolis of activity then, huh? Exciting! Her mind conjured ideas of dozens of packs, bustling with work and life. No land was too tough to inhabit, no mountainside to steep, no swamp too boggy. Wolves were hardy creatures, and they thrived regardless of where they stood their ground, where they dug their dens, and where they claimed their homes. It was all for family, in the end. For family and for life. Both were important to a wolf. Those were the ideals that her father and mother had instilled in her. Family and life. There was nothing more important, and neither were to be taken lightly.

"Old Man?" Lena grinned slightly, yellow-white teeth peeking out between charcoal lips. Ah yes, the wise old man of the tundra, a cliché in every story she'd ever made up on a rainy day. The one who taught her to be a master huntress, the fastest scout, the strongest fighter. Old Man certainly had her interests piqued! "I'd love to meet him," she nodded, a jovial tune to her voice. "The more I know about the east, the sooner I can track down my dad's folks."

A pause.

"Oh hey, I never even asked for yer name! I'm Lena."

Askan wouldn't have worded it quite so strong, but it was exciting!  For a while he had been worried that he would have to roam the tundra forever on his own, without anyone to have his back. Things weren't set in stone yet, but Askan trusted the old man, he believed him when he said that he would have a place for him in his pack. Drestig seemed like a man of his word, so even Askan who was cautious to his very core was willing to take a leap of faith.  He dared not say it aloud, but the Yukon wolf was hopeful, looking forward to the years that laid ahead. 

"It is." He said, surprised by how genuine he sounded, how content he was. Things weren't perfect, but they were better than anything he'd had before and that counted for something. 

He couldn't say that he was surprised by her enthusiastic response. She seemed to always wear a smile, as though life hadn't yet instilled its sense of harshness, as if she were blind to how shitty things could really be. The petty part of him wanted to burst her bubble, to give her a taste of reality. But he didn't, he didn't want to. Ignorance was bliss, even Askan looked back on his childhood wistfully. He missed the days when he just didn't worry, when his wold was so small. He was envious really, she had the world at her paws, adventures awaited! But bitter feelings aside, Askan had no interest in dragging her down to his level of disappointment and self loathing. She was fine the way she was and he hoped she would stay that way, mostly.

"I can take you to him." Askan told her, after he spent a moment weighing up the pros and cons. He wasn't sure about bringing her to the heart of the territory, after all he was still a little cagey after his scuffle the other day. He still felt a little sore, but he was fine, he shrugged it off without a care. So he decided that he would bring her close enough so that Drestig wouldn't have to travel too far, but not so close that it was too risky. Askan didn't not trust her, but this was just in case, one could never be too careful. 

To his surprise, she then offered him her name. Lena. That was a name that he'd remember. It wasn't so common that it'd get lost in his mind, but it wasn't so outlandish that it would escape his memory. It was fitting really. Askan realised he hadn't responded with his name in turn, he'd been staring, his eyes a little unfocused in thought. Snapping out of it, he gave his name in his usual monotone voice.

"Askan Selwyn. Come on, it's this way."

(OOC, wanna wrap it up with your post? Also I am so curious about who her family is, I gotta know!!!)

(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2016, 08:10 PM by Askan.)

Sure thing! All wrapped up, ready for the next step ;)

Her mind swirled with the possibilities, that this Old Man might know her paternal family. Names and claims to greatness, men and women who were leaders and experts at their trades. There was no other option in Lena's mind. There was no way her father would have come from nobodies with nothing to their names. She believed her father. Believed what he said. That's what made his sadness so heart breaking, that's what made Lena feel like she had to do this. To know that he was loved. And when she found that out, she'd ... she'd ...

What would she do? She had told herself she would leave once she got what she wanted, go home and tell her dad that they still loved him, but did she really want to go back to baby sitting? Was that worth leaving adventure behind?

"Askan," she repeating, firmly lodging the name into her memory. She nodded, humming as she did, in an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts. "Awright, I'm right behind you!" She bounced up beside him, tail lazily swaying behind her. To say Lena was grateful would be an understatement. But that was something that she wasn't afraid to let people know, she was happy let friends and strangers alike know that she was grateful.

"Thank you. For this."

(This post was last modified: Aug 29, 2016, 11:39 AM by Lena.)