Kingsfall A weed is but an unloved flower

Lenae couldn't help but wonder if their homelands were near one another. Aside from the steep slopes and plateaus of the Selwyn mountains, there wasn't much to see aside from tundra, tundra and maybe some more tundra. Oh and the snow! So damn much of it that even she-lover all of things pretty-got tired of it. Her legs weren't very long, so when the snow got really deep getting about was a lot more difficult than she would have liked.

It would have been nice if Lachesis had once lived near her homeland, but rather than get excited as she one would have, she couldn't help but be a little hesitant.'The north' was such a generic term, describing such a massive expanse of land.He probably had never even heard of the Selwyn mountains, let alone knew where they were.

Which she supposed was for the best really, the less people knew of that-now-dreadful place than the better.

"Umm, I lived in the north as well. My family-we uh, lived on a mountain range, I guess. So it was a lot like the Lowlands, really open and spacious. Freeing, you know?"

She supposed that was why she chose to remain in the tundra, because it felt familiar. Like home but not quite. Not as much blood or loss, or betrayal. As close to a fresh start as she could manage.Maybe she would move on one day, decide that the woods were for her. But for now, this was where she would stay. For as long Piety and Wraith would have her.

"I think change is good...but change for the sake of it just seems a little pointless to me. If things are good then why not leave it be?"

She was going off on a bit of a tangent, so she cleared her throat and offered him an apologetic shrug. This was what happened if you let her talk. Her sister's hadn't called her motor-mouth for nothing.

"Anyway," she flicked her ear, irritated with herself."Your home, did you come here because you felt like it? Was it an adventure?"She hoped so, there was nothing worse than being forced to flee from the place you called home.

Mountain range. That sounded much more appealing than the Reserve, where he was confined behind a fence that cut into a length of the tundra. The territory that they had been ‘assigned’ to was a clean, barren stretch of land. There were a few clusters of trees that had been trapped behind the never-ending fence, along with a few boulders and large bodies of water. To his father, it had been a paradise. Even Lachesis had grown complacent, never dreaming of leaving the confinements of the fence. Food was always abundant, even if it had been provided for them, and there were no threats. Not by neighbouring packs or larger beasts. Everyone got along, agreeing to the rules established by his parents, and nobody fought for authority.  

It was only now that XIX realized how boring life on the Reserve had been… and how happy he was to no longer be a part of it.

“My old home was like that, too,” he admitted, though he kept the whole ‘there was this big fence around my home’ on the down-low. There were not many wolves who knew about his life prior to the Lore. Not many asked about the strange markings on the inside of his ear either, which made not talking about it much easier. “Not as freeing as these lands, though,” he added with a shrug, choosing (once again) not to divulge any further.

He nodded in agreement to her words, offering her a small smile. His brother had wanted change for the sake of it. Pyrrhus had pushed him to leave. For what reason? To see what else was out there? At the time the thought of leaving the Reserve had been positively absurd. But now… now he understood why his brother had been so desperate to escape. It was so much better out here.

“No,” he started, the corners of his mouth falling slightly, “it wasn’t my decision to leave. It was a reluctant, forced adventure.” He shrugged. “I’m glad I ended up here, though.”

stick with those who stick with you

As much as she wanted to, Lenae couldn't quite agree.

There was nothing inherently wrong witDh these lands, if anything, she was incredibly fortunate to have stumbled upon them. After all, how many packs would have taken her in, when she had so little to offer in return? But as similar as they looked, in her heart she knew this wasn't home. She missed the crisp mountain air, the rolling slopes and the clouds that shrouded the peaks, making it seem as though they were in some ethereal land never seen before by the living.

It was hard for her to stomach, knowing that she would likely never see her home ever again. But at the very least she knew she should be grateful for what she had, for the kindness-almost-everyone had shown her here.

Honestly, she was a saddened to hear that he hadn't chosen to come here, that it hadn't been an exciting event he looked back on fondly. But at the very least, now that he was here, he was happy. For that she was grateful.

"I'm glad you're glad. If that makes sense." She frowned, chastising herself once more."So um..would you mind if...." She felt incredibly self conscious asking this, but he had seen her spin around like an idiot, so it wasn't like her reputation could get any worse."If I came back one day...I'd like to try and get to know the woods better."

If she wasn't careful she would be known far and wide as the Coward of the Lowlands. Which she supposed there were worse titles to go by, but still, it reminded her a little too much of how her sisters used to tease her. They saw it as harmless, they never meant to hurt her feelings, but as siblings often did they words wounded her whether they mean to or not.

It had taken him quite some time to get accustom to the feral world he had been so frightened of while he had lived on the reserve. Even longer to understand (and obey) pack law. But the reward was certainly worth the struggle. He could not imagine living anywhere else, or returning home to the Yukon. He thought about his family often—mostly because he knew they would be in disbelief if they saw him now—but returning was not an option. XIX hoped that his family was fairing well. Especially Pyrrhus, who had been separated from him soon after they left the reserve. The ghost liked to think that his brother survived. Just like Lekalta. Both chased off by cougars. Both surviving.

Being an optimistic was rather exhausting but it was better than being filled with doubt.

He was pulled away from his thoughts as she spoke and offered a hasty nod at her first cluster of words, a small smile tugging at his lips. …would you mind if… His ears twitched, the skin on the top of his snout wrinkling. … came back one day… The pale leader quickly shook his head as his smile grew wider. “Of course not,” he chirped in response, his tail swaying gently behind him. “You’re welcome to explore these woods.” She did not seem like a threat; therefore, he had no reason not to trust her. “And if anyone bothers you just tell them I said you were welcome.” He mostly worried about Aytigin intercepting the tawny female, for his words tumbled off his tongue without hesitation. Lachesis did not want him scaring the monadnock scout off.

stick with those who stick with you

one more from handsome dad?

His words gave Lenae a bad case of the butt wiggles.

If he didn't mind then she would come back one day to see, sniff and explore till her heart was content. Or as close to it as she could manage. And just like he said, if someone tried to give her trouble- she truly hoped they wouldn't- she would tell them that Lachesis said she could be here. That it was okay and she meant no harm. Not that she ever would mean anyone harm, she didn't have a mean bone in her body.

It was exciting and Lenae couldn't stop the grin forming on her face. Today was a good day it seemed, new lands to explore and yet another friendly face. Maybe Cotton had been right all along, there were good people here.

Bowing down, Lenae's tail thrashed from side to side. In her excitement she must have looked like an overeager pup. She was supposed to be a refined lady, calm and collected, but in that instant she was anything but.

"I will! Thank you! For being nice and cool and-"perhaps it was time for her to calm down.Lest she made even more of a fool of herself. She stood straight and held her head high, in the best snooty impression of her big sister."Ahem. Yeah, you're not so bad. See you around, sometime?" She couldn't maintain the silly facade for too long and so,yet another grin pulled at her lips.

Whilst there was a fire burning in her hear she wanted to rush off and explore. She would meet her new friend once again, sometime soon, she hoped.

faded & archived :B

Her reaction only furthered the grin on his face; his calm, stoic exterior crumbling at her youthful excitement. It was refreshing, to come across a wolf so honest and gentle, and he hoped it would not be the last time they crossed paths. They were neighbours—closer than Askan or any of the Rye wolves—which meant it was likely they would see each other again. Relations were good between Hearthwood and Whitestone and the ghost wanted to keep it that way. There was no reason for things to be tense between the northern packs. It was not like the south—the forests he used to call home. Where the packs were always gnashing their teeth at each other and tensions were high.

Just like Everly, the peace in the north was refreshing.

But what worried Lachesis was that peace never lasted long.

“You’re not so bad either,” he mused in response, his tail swaying behind him as a small laugh accented his words. At her question he nodded, slow and steady. It was apparent that he wanted nothing more than to explore the territory she’d been welcomed into and Lachesis was not about to hinder her. “Yes, see you around,” he chirped with a cheesy grin as he took a step away from her, his body angled toward the trees he had sauntered through earlier. “If anyone gives you trouble just call for me.” With that he gave another nod, faster than the previous one, and turned into the trees, leaving the girl to her adventures.

Fade.

stick with those who stick with you