Sacred Grove quite the little escapologist

As the forest began to grow denser around her, she began to feel strangely calmed - comforted, even - by her surroundings. It had been rather a long time since she had left her pack, performing a vanishing act in the middle of the night as her family slept; but she did not miss them, and she was beginning to feel more at home in this strange new place she'd found. So far she had only encountered one wolf, a huge white beast that had terrified her at first sight, but turned out to be something of a gentle giant. But though he hadn't said it, she could tell there were more than just a few wolves residing around these parts. She knew not all wolves would be as friendly as her first encounter, but his gentle nature had lessened her apprehension somewhat. Liadan continued her aimless meandering for some time, simply enjoying the rich scent of the soil and the trees and admiring the flowers that had begun to effloresce amongst the greenery. Occasionally, a small animal would detect her presence and abruptly scurry away, the unexpected movement causing her to start. She should hunt soon; there was plenty of opportunity for it here. But at the current juncture, she was far too relaxed to extend herself any further than simply wandering. Besides, her mind was too preoccupied to focus on a chase. She wondered what he was doing. If he was still alive. Yes, of course he is still alive. The implication that he might not be was not something she wanted to face. Even if she never saw him again, she wanted to believe he was simply living his life somewhere else. She imagined his lanky brown body slipping quietly through the forest, just behind her. Knowing it was foolish, she tentatively swung her head around to glance behind her. Nothing but the lonely forest. She wasn't sure what she had expected, really. She had no idea how long she'd bee exploring, but it must have been quite a while as she'd grown rather weary. She abruptly planted herself on the ground then and there, stretching her small paws out in front of her and setting her head atop them. She would not sleep - her fatigue was not that great - but a rest for her tired paws would do her good, and she could relax here amongst the peaceful trees.

Gone Tomorrow

Overhead, the sun was being hidden from those blasted clouds, again. The temperatures, which had risen to a warming degree, had fallen once again. The inconsistent weather and the watermelon that was her stomach was more than Corinna could handle. Frustrated with all things, she had forced herself into a hurried waddle, wanting nothing more than to just get away. Her stomach had filled out considerably in the past couple of weeks, the bulge appearing almost overnight. Or at least it felt that way. While she knew that she would love and cherish the pups that were growing within her, she was very aware that love was limited to when they were finally born. As for right now, with the kicking and her cravings, she was far from a happy camper.

Not that even her attitude was consistent. As she walked through the woods, under the budding leaves waiting to effloresce, she felt her anger and frustration begin to melt away. Maybe that was all she had needed - a chance to get away from Swift River and not have to deal with the pack. She appreciated their love and help, but she was not helpless due to her condition. Snorting, the creme female attempted to pick up her pace, but her hind leg caught on a tree root and she fell forward. Nose shoved in the dirt, she let out a whine/howl of frustration. Glancing down at her stomach, Cori grunted - the little devils would be just fine, more than protected in her womb. Hoisting herself up, she cast a wary glance around her, satisfied that nobody had seen her tumble, though the dirt clinging to her chest and nose would give her accident away.

Continuing on her path, Corinna walked in quiet for a few moments, enjoying the stroll. But she paused in her step when alarm bells went off in her head as a scent struck her. It was a foreign scent, though definitely canine. Curious, she set aside any sense of caution and began to follow, her head angled downward so as to better pick up the scent. She knew it was stupid, approaching a stranger in her condition, but she needed a new face, a new voice. Maybe this wolf would be willing to chat with her for a while. After all, when she had met Jayse, they had talked for a good spell and had left as friends. Maybe the same would happen with whoever this was that was strolling through the Grove.

It didn't take much longer, though longer than it should have thanks to Cori's bulging stomach, until the lone she-wolf came into view. Coming up short, Cori lifted her head, green eyes giving the other the once-over. She was pretty, a nice mottled mix of gray and white. She couldn't tell what color the eyes were. But definitely a loner - her scent did not carry any familiar pack scents, and it had been so long since Cori had met Alex that she was unable to pick up his scent on her coat. "Hello there!" she called out, hoping her voice sounded cheerful.

Since Corinna had become pregnant Indru had noticed the oh so familiar changes that had happened to the pack, the constant vigilance and preparation for the new arrivals were reminders of home and how Hidden Tree had changed when it was clear a new litter was to arrive. His father and mother had always changed the most dramatically, hormones causing a tempestuous ride of emotions in his usually calm mother and his father's protectiveness making him almost unbearable to be around. Yet it was Indru now who was stepping on eggshells around his mate and finding himself tensing every time someone strange approached Corinna, bristled and ready to punish them for any untoward action. He was determined to try and make it as easy as possible for her, so when she requested space he tried to let her have it, but the temptation of following discreetly behind and keep her safe was too much to resist.

Orange eyes watched as Corinna drifted away from the pack den into the Grove and he waited a fair while before rising to his feet and trailing slowly after her, shooting a significant look at the River wolves still gathered nearby. He was determined to leave her alone and let her be unless she needed him, and then he was nearby and could be sure that he could reach her before anything serious happened. Indru allowed his nose to guide him as he followed the scents of his mate, a part of him relieved that the overly teasing and tempting smell of mating season was now gone and replaced instead with the knowledge of her pregnancy. While Indru was fairly confident on her safety in the Grove he didn't want to be careless and every so often he would raise his nose higher and in draw in the scents beyond Corinna's, pleased when nothing else significant marred it. However, just when he expected the same result a strange, unrecognised scent of a female made his relaxed conscious snap awake and his fur to tense expectantly. A stranger, which, by the looks of it, Corinna was heading for.

Abruptly Indru quickened his pace the long gap he had left between them now forgotten as he leapt through the forest towards her, continuously listening for any signs of trouble. Eventually he breathed a quick sigh of relief when his mates long, sleek pelt was clear through the trees and he didn't hesitate on approaching just as he heard her call out a greeting. As he brushed up along her left side Indru briefly placed his nose affectionately on the side of her belly before resting shoulder to shoulder with her, placing a loving lick on her cheek. Part of him was prepared for any signs of anger she may lay of him (her emotions were hard to predict for him now), but the majority of his attention was captured by the young female before them and while he just managed to stop himself being threatening he wasn't exactly welcoming either, nor would he be until she seemed safe. Corinna's greeting sufficed for the both of them and Indru contented himself with curling his tail over his back and watching her carefully, his side pressed tightly against Corinna's while he waited.

OOC: Eek, sorry for the late reply!

Predictably, as soon as she had let her head rest against her forelegs, her eyelids had drooped closed and the calming sounds of the forest had lulled her into a deep sleep. It was only until a voice nearby addressed her that she was suddenly brought back to reality, her breath catching in an ungraceful sort of snort, her head reeling upwards abruptly. She glanced around quickly, desperately searching for the source of the voice. She was flooded with a sense of relief when she found its owner - a rather friendly looking she-wolf, heavy with a belly full of pups. Liadan chastised herself for being foolish enough to fall asleep unguarded - this stranger seemed friendly, but she knew that next time it might be a different case. Just as Liadan was about to speak, though, the female wolf was suddenly joined by some else. A male; bigger and more sturdy than her, who drew himself close to the she-wolf. He must be her mate, she deduced. Her heart began to beat a little more quickly in its cage - would he become defensive? She had not detective the scent of a pack in this area, but perhaps she had strayed too close and this was her warning? No, stay calm, she told herself. Her over-active imagination was well-practiced at dreaming up worst-case scenarios, though. But surely he would've just attacked her on site, if he was going to? No questions asked? They had been staring at each other in silence for rather a long time, now. She supposed it would be awkward if she waited any longer to speak. "Hello," she responded, perhaps a little quietly, "I'm sorry, is this your territory?"

Gone Tomorrow

It seemed that she had caught the other female unawares, and for whatever reason, it made her grin. Cori was not particularly stealthy, not when she was carrying what felt like 200 extra pounds under her stomach. So being able to sneak up on anybody, for any reason, was a delight - only proof that despite her being three years old, she was really still a child at heart, or at least she could be. But still, she had not meant to frighten the poor girl, and she hoped that the grin plastered to her face would indicate that. At any rate, she didn't pose a threat - not in her current state anyway.

However, the tawny brute who materialized out of nowhere was not pregnant and was infinitely more dangerous than Corinna could ever be. She was not stupid, she was aware that her mate would be tailing her, but that didn't mean she appreciated it. She understood his reasons, of course, but she was a big girl and could handle herself, and it would take one sick bastard to physically attack a pregnant female. Verbally, the alpha female of Swift River could handle herself - nobody could out mouth a hormonal mother-to-be. That included her mate, and as she felt his warm touch along her left side, she turned to look at him, eyes narrowed in a glare. His lick was answered with a warning click of her teeth, but the menace in the snap did not reach her eyes, and her green eyes met him and she smiled to see him. She was pregnant with his pups, he'd get over the side effects.

Looking back the creme female, Cori waited as the other spoke, inquiring as to whether or not she had crossed into pack borders. Shaking her head, the alpha female spoke up. "No, you're not on our land. Yet. Our territory, Swift River, is a couple miles back that way," she explained, nodding her head in the direction that she and Indru had come from. "My name is Corinna Donata, and this is my mate, Indru Tainn. We're the leaders of Swift River." Pausing, she hesitated a moment, wanting to give the other female a chance to introduce herself as well.

Narrowed green eyes were no longer an uncommon sight to Indru and he did not drop his fiery ones from hers, not one to cower away, and it seemed important to show the strength in doing so instead of curling down like a scared wolf who could not defend himself let alone his pups. When he licked her cheek lovingly it was met with the threat of teeth clicking mere inches from his muzzle but Indru did not respond with anger of his own, understanding the hormonal ride he was being taken on, and instead replied with a handsome, wry grin and a quick look to try and win her over. Though as his mate's gaze returned to the stranger in their company so did his, the slight stiffening of his body an involuntary response he could not avoid with Corinna by his side. There was a high chance that if he had stumbled across her alone he would have been a touch more welcoming, but with one of the things he most treasured beside him, who was also currently growing more, giving the female the benefit of the doubt was not something he would do.

The female replied to his mate eventually and Indru noted the question with interest trying not to be offended at the unconscious suggestion that the scent of his borders would not be noticeable enough for her to be aware. Trust me, you would know if you had crossed them. There was a lingering of a warning there, but nothing more than would be expected from a Leader to a lone wolf and if anything humour showed in his eyes instead of the previous hard stare he had adopted towards the female, her timidness relaxing him as she appeared no threat to he or his mate. Corinna then continued on to introduce them both and after watching the unnamed female again he turned his head to quickly nip gently at Corinna's cheek, unable to resist contact for long even if he was pressed up tight against her side. What brings you here? The question was out of mere curiosity, and his tone had softened to almost match his mate's, a more welcoming tone to it as he watched her gently, a slight smile curling his muzzle, sure that Corinna would only tolerate his surly, protective attitude for so long towards the female when she showed herself to appear harmless.