Spectral Woods If it’s all the Same to You

She hadn’t been a good pack wolf the last couple of months - not that she’d ever really been a particularly good pack wolf - but lately the russet girl had become a shadow around Oak Tree Bend. She’d abscently noticed the trickle down in numbers, but without doing anything about it; What could I do?! Though the situation was reminiscent of that in the Pines before they fell, she had a lot more faith in Aponi and Serach to keep them afloat. Still, she cared little either way, in truth her interest in the pack had always been secondary, yielding to her main concern, which was herself.

But something else had gleaned her attention this fall, torn her away from the good image she was otherwise trying to project to her aunt. Since meeting Eirian on the mountain in spring, and learning that he had joined one of the packs up there, she had been by several times looking for her old mentor, but without luck. It hadn’t been long before she’d noticed his scent starting to fade from their usual haunts, traces of him, even close to the pack borders, disappearing with the first snow. Embittered, she’d remembered the scent on him back then, that stench of some slut he’d snared, and she thought of the pups they had supposedly made together. And now he was gone.

So she’d been searching. All along the mountain-sides, and into the western woods, but nowhere could she find any leads as to where the Asurn had gone; Nore did she smell anything like that stink on his fur, which was now burned into her memory. Now she was at a loss as for where else to look, and left to draw only one conclusion: Eirian, like everyone else who had ever mattered in her life, had left her; To be with his whore and their brats! And she was back to spending most of her days in Oak Tree Bend, grudgingly walking the border and trying her best to stick to herself.

Word count: 341

"Speech" Thoughts

(This post was last modified: Feb 15, 2018, 09:40 PM by Nalda.)

Winter had never been kind to the wolves of Oak Tree Bend, and it had not gone without notice that this winter had not been an exception to that rule. First Zev, then Reginald, and finally Roslin - all had slowly trickled away without a word. The pale leader had smelled their scents leaving the pack's territory and as the unexplained absence turned from days to weeks, he had simply moved on. He did his best to put on a smile when spending time with his family, but there was a growing pit of anxiety in his stomach that would not go away. They were in trouble - and with breeding season on the horizon and new wolves taking up residence to their north, he was worried that they might not be able to continue to defend their borders for much longer should the need arise.

That day, the anxiety was wearing on his mind more than normal. Walking the forest with a restless energy, he would have been content to stay to himself, but his nose wiggled as he crossed a familiar path. @Nalda was one of the few who had remained, an extended member of their family-pack. Adjusting course, he decided to seek her out and see how she was doing. Chuffing, he called out to her as her scent grew stronger, letting her know that he was nearby. "Hope I'm not intruding," he said out loud, offering a wag of his tail in greeting.

@Serach thanks for joining <3

It was a boring task, but also an easy one, a simple way to show her continued allegiance to the leaders of Oak Tree Bend. So she would take a stretch at the borders often, stopping frequently to leave her own markers in between those of Serach and Aponi. In the end it benefitted her too, keeping the borders strong; The more different scents a potential intruder encountered, the less likely they would be to take the risk. Their borders were the outward protection of pack strength, their first defence against rogues and other packs looking to raid their caches, or even steal their land. Nalda might be pragmatic about the packs future, but she wasn’t actively interested in seeing it fall either. She preferred the safety of numbers, especially in winter, even if she wasn’t to fond of socializing.

As if summoned by this very thought, a cruel bit of irony, a voice sounded behind her just then, announcing its arrival in familiar tones. The rust-tinted girl stopped in her tracks, whipping around to face her leader as he appeared out of the fog. Serach was still a bit of an undetermined to her, a mostly silent figure who seemed to prefer his privacy just as she. Still, he’d shown more character than either Koda or Iopah ever had, and being partnered with Aponi also spoke to his advantage - she doubted very much her aunt would choose a sissy for a mate. But she didn’t really know him, and while that was just as much on her own head as his, it also meant she remained cagey.

“‘t’s you’border,” she answered simply, giving one shoulder a light shrug. But she remained where she was, the faintest hint of a smile even playing around her mouth as she waited. She wasn’t one for small talk, but one should never be too hasty in backing out of a conversation, who knew what she might gain by staying?

Word count: 327

"Speech" Thoughts

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There was a ghost of a smile on Nalda's lips, even as she shrugged in a nonchalant answer to his question. Serach had been a little worried that she might have run to avoid having to talk to him, so he was pleased that she had decided to let him approach. Even if she had greeted him with a shrug and a few short words, it was better than nothing at all and he was going to seize the opportunity that had been presented.

Grinning back at her in response, Serach's pale head dipped ever so slightly in acknowledgment of the truth in her words. "True, but I've never been one to force my company on anybody," he responded easily. Gesturing his head to the left, he indicated that they should keep walking. "'Sides, you've been here a long time now - almost a year right? It's your border too." He told her, turning his head slightly so he could look at her to gauge her reaction. She was still here, which meant she had to feel some kind of ownership of the place, although he was curious to know how much. "I hope it hasn't been too bad, even if perhaps a little boring."