Grizzly Hollow Wonder Years

The pale coated yearling was a far cry from the skittish, dirty gangly pup that had left these woods so close on his mothers heels almost a year ago. Taller, and fuller the boy walked with his head high and a careful grace that had not been present before. @Calla had left before him, and @Taima had never returned. @Renier seemed to be growing more restless by the day and he found himself lashing out at his brother more and more each day. The borders of their parents new lands just didn’t seem large enough to contain both growing boys and so a plan had been hatched in his head.

He didn’t plan to be gone for long, just long enough to stretch his legs and gain a sense of self (although he wouldn’t be amazed if Renier popped up out of the blue to outshine him once again).

Quietly, he had taken his father aside to voice his intentions, not wanting to worry his mother and then he had set out for the towering cedar trees that they had once called home - seeking, searching, hoping to find his sisters sheltered under the care of Kade and Ava. What met his eyes and nose was a far cry from what he had been hoping to find.

Nothing.

No scent, no sign of the pack that had once reigned over this forest. No Kade, no Ava, no Calla, no Taima. Vexatious dark nose pushed through the leafy undergrowth, rustling noisily as he went. The old den loomed ahead but even from here he could smell the staleness. He forced the air through his nose, chuffing to the silent sentinels before moving to drag his pads through the dirt. This was still the place where he was born, and he would make it his home again.

OOC: I can't find where I stored my tables!! D8 I'll find and pretty later!

She had succumbed. Her need to find her family had outweighed her leaders words of caution. Calla respected Elettra, but she also wanted to find her sister and family. The yearling had left Willor Ridge one evening with the intent to spend the night away and return come morning, but even the best laid plans went awry. She had found herself in trees that were familiar but unfamilar at the same time. Cedarwood forest called to the pale ghost, and she answered. She had found the old pack lands of Grizzly Hollow, the place of her birth. And once again, she had stood in the clearing, staring at the den where she and her siblings had spent countless hours playing.

Upon her departure, the yearling had fallen and found herself stuck at the bottom of a ravine with a steep side. She hadn't seen it, as it must have been a new addition during her absence from Cedarwood. Perhaps carved by a torrential downpour of some kind. Thankfully, she had no broken bones, but on the tumble down, she had lacerated her left hind leg on a branch or rock or something. The climb back up had been nearly impossible, but she managed it. If slowly. The yearling had made her way back to a small den on the outskirts of Grizzly Hollow.. Perhaps it had been home to one of the pack wolves at one time. But it had served to give her a place to rest for a few days.

In that time, she had lost weight, as hunting was difficult, but as her leg healed, she had gained strength and was out catching herself a meal when Ryvet had come calling. Calla had come to think of the Grizzly Hollow lands as <i>hers</I> for they were. She was one of the few who had the right to call it her home. She approached the densite with a pheasant entrapped within her jaws to see a pale form standing near HER home. A growl vibrated around the avian as she stood, plumed tail arching over her back. From the distance, she didn't recognize her own brother, and she was standing upwind from him and failed to capture his scent in her nose.

<B>"Begone. You do not belong here."</B> She dropped her catch and stepped over it, hackles raising. Truly, she had no claim on this place, but she had more than this stranger did! As the yearling approached, doing her best to look threatening and to scare off the intruder, something about him was familiar and tugged at the subconscious of her mind. He was familiar.. But surely her brothers would not have come so far north? Would they?

You do not belong here. @Calla’s voice seemed to speak from the bottom of his soul, for truly he couldn’t have possibly found her already. Truer words had never been spoken. He was beginning to realise - there was nothing here for him. He belonged back at Renegades Reach, with his mother, father and gentle spoken Aniu. He should not have travelled further than the outer reaches of the Greying Glades, but something had driven him on and somehow he now found himself back where it all began.

The scrape of nails against the forest floor pulled him from his reverie with a start. His own hackles raised in response as his head whipped about to face the intruder, his mismatched eyes widening and ears tipping back as recognition struck him like a bolt of lightning. She was a little skinnier than he remembered, and seemed to have taken a tumble, but at least half of his problem was solved. “Calla!” he barked her name with a familiar grin, his tail lashing the air at his rump. “It’s not like you belong here either, father was beside himself when he realised you were gone. You know how he worries.”

He trotted across the distance between them to rub his muzzle along hers in greeting. “Now we’ve just got to find @Taima and then we can all go home! Da only got as far as the mountain, I’m sure if we get up there we’ll be able to find her... she’s probably just over the other side...” and maybe I can visit @Adonis on the way! he quietly schemed. When he had last seen his friend he had spoken of his home up on the mountain, and Ryvet had promised to visit one day. They were a long way from the Glade, but he was closer than he had ever been and he had every intention of visiting while he was so close.