Sex: FemaleAs much as she had prolonged her journey before, she felt the pang of what she had done now. She had left Hearthwood River without their leader for weeks now -- and shorter of numbers. The selfishness she had bestowed now upon them clawed at her, and it was with a quickened pace that the Baranski sought her home.. once more finding herself in the red ferns of the forest.
Despite not having lived upon this side of the mountain for years, the regal had remained familiar with aspects of the territory. She could be home within a few nights, if she moved fast -- though the snow would surely slow her, and she was at the mercy of winter now. She had questioned her place in the world upon first leaving the river, but now.. as she longed for the tall redwoods of her home, and the winding river in which it took its namesake, she had never felt more displaced.
She slowed her pace only momentarily as a chilling wind swept past, stinging at her bright green eyes. Her breath curled before her through the air -- a wispy fog. She chuffed gently to herself, shaking her soft pelt before once more loping forward. The past was gone now -- and she needed to move forward.
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”
Thanks to weeks on the road, so to speak, Lena had developed a rather irritating case of itchy feet. It's probably why she had spent more time racing around, sniffing out every corner of Oak Tree Bend, than socialising with her pack mates. No doubt it had left some curious scent trails, which in turn had impressions. It wouldn't be unlikely that some wolves had found the zig-zagging Lena to be something of an odd one. Not that they'd be the first, mind you.
But now, she had grown bored of the same daily routine. Instead, the young woman decided today she would focus her mind on something beneficial: hunting. Her attempts at tracking and bringing down any form of critter would most likely result in some form of jollification—Lena had never been able to do anything without conjuring up some sort of fun in the process, with the exception of some incredibly rare circumstances (which, even then, wouldn't hold a serious air for very long).
Winter seemed to be the season that really brought out her fun loving, mischievous side. To Lena, it's the hap-happiest season of all.
Whilst she could be tracking small prey with her nose normally, she instead chose to use her nose as a snow plough, which mucked up her ability to smell quite wonderfully, which meant she was getting less than wonderful results. Perhaps that was how she'd managed to wander so far from Oak Tree Bend, even Spectral Woods itself. When she finally lifted her cold-bitten sniffer from the powdered snow, Lena's eyes widened.
Her lips formed a little “o”.
Well. Alright then.
She had only gone and gotten herself lost.
Luckily for her—luck certainly was a lady fond of the young Donata—there was another wolf trotting on ahead! Clearing her throat, Lena jogged forward with a call. “Ah, hello? 'Scuse me, don't mean to bother ya, but I've only gone and gotten a bit lost whilst tryin' to be a very nice member of my pack, tryin' to do a good deed before the winter solstice. Family's gotta eat 'n' all.”
Here's hopin' that she hears, and here's hopin' she can help out.
While her paws led her with purpose toward the direction of her home and without haste, it was with a flicker of her ear that a voice interrupted her thoughts, and pausing mid-step, the honeyed woman cast a glance behind her, surprised at the sudden appearance of the stranger. She withheld her bewilderment well – or so she tried to, and tipping her muzzle curiously at the words of the other, she listened with hesitance as the girl rambled on for quite a bit. Kisla, usually one to get to the point of the matter, found it suspicious how the girl explained the situation with such detail, but she withheld judgement for now.
Pausing, the she-wolf languidly shifted her weight and body to better face the other, noting the creamy tawny of her newfound companion. She was a pretty thing – young and eager. Kisla almost felt nostalgic for her own youth in that very moment. “And what pack do you belong to?” The wind did not drift to her to reveal her brother’s scent upon the girl, and so with bright green eyes focused upon her, the Baranski waited, hoping only that the conversation would be quick so she could return as swiftly back to the River as possible.
sparking up my heart
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”
Relief swept through Lena as the wolf turned, tilting her head as he listened. No doubt the lady was somewhat flummoxed by the incessant ramblings of the adolescent before her, but she had a look of experience about her, like she'd seen a lot, so surely she'd know about these lands well enough to direct people. The Bend couldn't be that far from here, could it? Perhaps the green-eyed wolf was a local? Regardless, Lena's tail swayed easily behind her, a grin resting on her features.
The wolf before her struck quite the regal figure, though—no way she could be a simple loner. She'd also been pushing on at quite a pace, obviously in a sort of rush to get somewhere. Perhaps the adolescent was simply distracting her, or wasting her time? Had she been any less eager to get an answer, Lena might have second guessed disturbing the lady. But, a question was asked, so it seemed that there wasn't too much of a problem in delaying her for a bit.
Lena answered quickly, lacking no enthusiasm at the prospect of having a conversation, even if it was a simple, fleeting one. If only she knew who she was talking to, she might have been happier to ramble on about something other than directions home. Whittling away time and getting distracted were two of Lena's skills, after all. “Oh! Yeah, sorry! I'm from Oak Tree Bend. You know it?” A charming little smile accompanied her question, her own head tilting curiously as she asked. Would luck grace her presence twice in one day? Would she get the directions she needed to head back home?
Years of uncertainty, abandonment, and fights had stirred a suspicion to always arise in the honeyed she-wolf – and even despite the bright eyes of the seemingly innocent girl before her, as the stranger mentioned Oak Tree Bend and gently questioned her if she knew of it, Kisla hesitated a moment, trying to determine if there was an angle the girl was trying to get to.
But she stood before her – innocent as a puppy – and Kisla felt her resolve crumble slightly, and in turn, her eyes became more gentle as she studied the stranger. “I do – my brother leads it,” she spoke, her tone nonchalant as her nose tipped in the direction she had traveled from. “It’s that way. The Vale seems confusing now, but you’ll get used to it. You might be able to follow my scent back to your home. I just came from there.” The visit had been anything but a happy reunion – but she had needed it more than anything. Triell and Serach had been the rocks she had needed for so long now, and she almost hated to leave – but her family needed her back at Hearthwood River, and she had indulged in the silence of solitude for too long now. “If you’re his subordinate.. treat him well. He’s one of the good ones.” She paused then, wondering if there was anything else the girl needed from her.
sparking up my heart