Wild Cherry Orchard let the life that you live be all that you need

Mid-day, patchy rain in the distance, but clear skies overhead.

She had heard all the talk of the nearby orchards filled with berries too numerous to count during the summers. As it was the peak of the season, Pip thought it as good a day as any to go exploring and try out some of the delicacies described to her. The little sea wolf traveled with a light-hearted pep in her step, pleased to have been graced with such a pretty day. She had slacked off on her fishing some lately since the catching wasn't as rewarding as it had been in months past. While the ocean provided year-round, she was coming to realize there were 'seasons' to the fish inland.

The place wasn't at all hard to find. While her tracking abilities were improving with her recent lessons from various sources, Pip didn't need them to help her get to the right place. The very air was saturated with the sweet scent of summer berries. On the coast, such a place was a rare find indeed and the one time she had stumbled upon one in Bella Coola, it had already been picked clean and she was forced to move on and forage elsewhere.

Overhead, the sun was warm and bright. The morning dew had long since burned off, but the bushes gleamed with blackberries. It wasn't something Pip had ever tried before. At least, not that she could recall. She wondered if her mother ever offered any to her as a pup and found herself taken aback. It was the first time she had thought of her mother in a long time. Part of her knew she should be upset with herself for such a thing. But the more reasonable side knew she should not. There was no reason to feel guilty over forgetting a mother who so often forgot her in favor of her other children.

Shaking off the thoughts of any family other than Grizzly Hollow, Pip delicately plucked her very first berry from one of the nearby bushes. Its tart, but sweet taste curled her tongue in an appealing way, leaving her tail wagging with pleasure. What a lovely place!

Hope this is okay? It's my first post with her so I'm sorry if any inconsistencies in her personality happen Dx!

Taslima had finally escaped the bad company she'd been forced upon months prior, and honestly it felt refreshing. Not that he was necessarily a bad guy, though with all of the strict rules he'd enforced it'd be hard for /any young wolf to see much of a good side. Though, where exactly was she now? The young fae gently tiptoed around her new surroundings, thoroughly inspecting just about anything in her sights. It sure was pretty, however she wasn't quite certain enough that the berries that drooped every which way were safe for consumption, thus leaving a sense of disappointment lingering freely around her. Perhaps if she could find someone else, preferably someone who bared enough experience with flora, she'd be able to come to a more positive conclusion.. Though just how would she accomplish that?

Tas couldn't quite say she was at all shocked when fate brought her to the exact scenario she'd been hoping for only moments prior. For the most part, the Autumn coated Lieris had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Peeking through a small mass of the fruited tree's, the forest fairy was able to make out the silhouette of another wolf, and they seemed to be enjoying the small luxuries with ease. "H-hello?" she chirped, shaking off the nagging feeling of anxiety that often took residence inside her mind before trotting slowly toward her new company with high hopes.

The woman was around her age and stature, that much was obvious. Now all Taslima needed to do was guarantee that she was friendly, or she'd likely be in for some trouble. "The berries, they're uhm.. Safe?" she squeaked, eyes lingering once more to the small rarities before them. "I wasn't sure, so.."

Dreaming of some other place warm.

Taslima Lieris

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Sorry for the wait, friend. @Taslima

Pip had already moved on to more fruitful bushes, quickly learning how to tell which berries were ripe versus those that needed more time based on differences in smell as well as they way the felt plump and full against her tongue. The little female was so engrossed in this new pleasure that she wasn't prepared for the wolf that called out and came from behind. Automatically, the mute girl's ears fell back nervously and she shrank down in case the newcomer wanted to quickly establish dominance.

Though she'd been expecting a confident wolf - almost all were in comparison to herself - the Grizzly Hollow female found herself surprised to notice a female whose confidence looked just as shaky as her own. Pip's black tipped tail wagged where it hung neutrally between her legs to let the other know she wasn't going to start anything while her orange eyes flickered to and from the other girl's face. The sea wolf never had been good at holding another's gaze. Without backup, it wasn't a bad habit to have considering her experience with fights were next to nil.

At the girl's timid questions, Pip offered a small smile and nodded. Yes, yes, they were fine. At least based off all the things she'd heard about this place!

Ah, no rush! :)

Taslima grinned as her company confirmed that the berries were, in fact, for eating. Upon further inspection it would appear as if the woman really had been consuming them prior to her arrival, thus concluding the possibility of telling a lie down to virtually nothing. Nice wolves told the truth, always. This stranger, she was a nice wolf. Tail wagging in appreciation of the positive discovery she'd just made, the fae closed in on the nearest berry tree. "Well that's a relief.." she peeped, taking a carefully selected fruit into her maw.

The flavor, it was.. Sour? No, perhaps sweet? Strangely enough, the small fruit seemed to provide both sensations.. Was this normal? "Oh!" Taslima gasped, returning her gaze back to the foreign russet female. "They're.. uh, really good!" the fae smiled at her company before taking just one more. "I'm... I'm Taslima.. Taslima Lieris," introductions were always somewhat bothersome, and they really never failed to make her feel at the very least slightly uncomfortable. But so long as she was looking for her missing family members, they were almost vital. With any luck the woman would recognize her surname, that alone would be a huge victory. "A-and I've never eaten one of these..er... things before, they're really good, so.. Thank you.." Awkward, so very awkward.

Dreaming of some other place warm.

Taslima Lieris

(This post was last modified: Aug 11, 2016, 07:16 AM by Taslima.)

With interest, Pip watched as the stranger tried her first berry. The sea wolf could see the way the berry's conflicting tastes both confused and delighted the tawny girl in her pretty eyes. No surprise to Pip, the girl took yet another berry to roll around on her tongue. Taking her cue from the stranger, the Grizzly Hollow wolf snagged a few more to do just that. As she did so, her tail swung low and slowly behind her. The last thing she expected to have was such polite company for a meal.

The mute girl lifted her head from the bushes as the other introduced herself. @Taslima Lieris. Pip never had been the best with names - thankfully, she never had to call anyone by theirs - but Taslima wasn't one she could easily forget. Politely, she dipped her head in greeting and allowed her tail to wag fully now in welcome. And now was the awkward part for Pip. No matter how kindly another introduced themselves, she was equally unable to reciprocate. The stillness between the pair following Taslima's introduction nagged at Pip's heels, but it wasn't exactly something she could do much about.

As the female awkwardly attempted to fill the silence with her thanks, Pip smiled and let out a quiet chirp. The birdlike sound was all that she was able of producing.

Taslima's heart almost instantly melted as the fae before her let out a soft chirp in response. Was she perhaps a mute? That sound.. Was it all the russet female was capable of producing? With a warm grin, the Lieris took a moment to really soak in the female's presence. "Y-you.. You have a wonderful aura, has anyone ever told you that? So pure.. Clean." unlike her own muddied, confusing aura. Perhaps her perception had been altered due to the new circumstance, however the teal eyed woman now held high hopes for her company, for better or for worse. It was almost as if she felt the need to protect the stranger all of a sudden, however that would require imposing on the woman's life, and that simply wouldn't make her a 'good wolf', would it? The whole thing was sort of contradictory. 'She's got to have people in her life that do that already, or she wouldn't be here now.. Right? But why is she all alone? Gah, I'm so confused!'

"Oh, s-sorry. I'm being weird.." Snapping out of her glorified fantasy of the new fae, Taslima took a couple more berries in her maw while contemplating the best way to approach asking about her long lost aunt. After all, that's why she approached the obscure berry picker in the first place. "Uhm, so I'm looking for someone actually.. And I was wondering if you could perhaps be of any assistance.." Not that the stranger was capable of providing any specifics, none the less there were a few simple questions that would be easy enough to just nod in response to if she were careful with her wording. "Eek Lieris.. I've heard she's black with silver eyes, she should be around.. let's see.. Five or six years of age presently? Have you seen or heard of anyone like that my dear?"

@Taslima's unexpected compliment had a warm flush rising to Pip's cheeks. Since arriving in Relic Lore, she had experienced an exponential number of compliments, but to date, that was the kindest she'd ever heard in her life. What a gentle heart this female had to say such things. They weren't pack, they weren't tied to each other, and there was no obligation to be sweet. They were simply two strangers in a berry patch, and already Pip felt a kinship for her.

Touched, Pip simply had to express thanks in the best way she knew how; stepping forward, the mute girl licked adoringly at Taslima's chin while her tail swept happily from side to side. The Mizuno didn't find her weird at all. If anything, she was handling her silence quite well! Most would have gotten angry or confronted her for her supposed rudeness by now, but the tawny lady before her accepted it with grace and took the blame upon herself instead.

As Taslima admitted her reason for being there, Pip's russet-tinged ears perked with interest. If she could help, she would do all she could! Eek... The sea wolf thought back to all the wolves she had met - which were admittedly few - and couldn't think of one named such. Pip had met a black and white wolf around that age, but she was certain her eyes had green. Crestfallen for being of little help, Pip shook her head with disappointment.

Sorry for the wait! Life's been rough and my muse has been unkind :(

Taslima blushed as the stranger licked her affectionately. How long had it been since she last received a gift so pure? It was enough to send her flashbacks from when she was young, happier times for sure. Though if she dwelled on them for too long they'd without question begin to upset her again, so the fae quickly returned her attention back to the topic at hand.

"Ah, really?" The yearling sighed, though it wasn't as if the fae gave her an answer she hadn't already expected. "Well, That's alright! I'm sure she'll turn up sooner or later!" After all, this was only the first wolf she'd dished the question out to. There were still plenty more resources lying about the lore to converse with. "Maybe it's a sign that I need to take a break from all this.." It had been months, perhaps in due time Eek would just find her! Wouldn't that be ironic? "H-hey, so.. Do you live around here?" It was a horrible attempt at keeping the 'conversation' going, however small talk had gotten Taslima plenty far in the past! 'She couldn't of just stumbled upon this place, right? She had to of known it existed out here.'

@Taslima - Jeez, I'm sorry. I thought I replied to this a while back and just found it in my threadlog. Forgive me! Pip's gonna lead her back to GH territory. Maybe after Taslima calls, it can turn into another thread with the more knowledgeable pack members? c:

It wasn't like that other wolf [@Dread] that had asked to know where she lived... He hadn't been aggressive, but far too pushy and bullying for what Pip cared for in a stranger. She remembered she'd gone a long, roundabout way to get home that day, too, to prevent him from following her back to Grizzly Hollow. This female, though, seemed like a genuinely kind soul in need of assistance. The mute's knowledge of other wolves within Relic Lore was limited solely to those that resided within Cedarwood Forest. Any others were beyond her scope, unless of course she had asked about a certain tall, dark, and handsome knight.

Trusting that the female wouldn't use the knowledge for ill will - and trusting that the pack could take care of her if she did mean any harm - Pip nodded her head kindly. Yes, she lived nearby. Maybe one of the others would have an answer for her.

The small female then turned to trot a few paces away back towards Hollow territory and paused, glancing over her shoulder at Taslima with a smile as if encouraging her to follow. Orange eyes would light with delight should the message come through, and Pip would lead her to the edge of pack territory where she would have to howl out a greeting to the pack herself as the mute was unable to do so herself.