Sacred Grove Somewhere a clock is ticking

<blockquote><b>"Oops, sorry,"</b> he laughed as she shook the droplets away, shaking his head at her concern. If the water really affected him, it would have been a lot harder to live there. Though, on that note... the river was becoming difficult, but for rather less physical reasons.

His surprise when she mentioned Ruiko's plans was evident on his face. <b>"He did?"</b> Was Aisling a closer friend than he thought? Or was Ruiko just being a little more open with his plans? It was worth securing allies anywhere they could, he supposed. Swelling with pride for his brother, Kinis said, <b>"I'm going with him. He'll make a great leader, don't you think?"</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

Aisling merely shook her head at his apology, smiling. She didn't mind getting a little wet. <b style="color:#388d10">"It's okay. A little water never hurt anyway." Her fur fluffed out with the little moisture that had settled upon it, but it merely kept her warm in the early morning chill. He seemed surprised again, and Aisling was worried. <b style="color:#388d10">"Should I not know? Is it a secret?" Lowering her head, her voice turned into a whisper. The idea of a new pack in Relic Lore was exciting, tempting even. Her ears perked, <b style="color:#388d10">"Really? Oh, that's so exciting. It'll be so much fun. He'll be such a wonderful leader." She nodded swiftly. <b style="color:#388d10">"I live in Grizzly Hollow. It's not so new, but it was quite exciting back when it was founded." She dipped her head, looking a little sad. It made her wish Kiche were still around. She wasn't really sure what was holding her there anymore. Everyone seemed to have someone. <b style="color:#388d10">"speech."

<blockquote>A secret? No, he supposed not, but he had been holding its eventual occurrence so close to his heart for so long that it felt like it should have been a fragile thing, needing protection and cultivation. Always so far and yet now so close - he wanted it so badly, but was privately, irrationally worried that something would go wrong.

But that was stupid. Ruiko wouldn't let that happen.

Aisling began to treat it like a secret, lowering her voice into an excited whisper, and Kinis found her enthusiasm contagious - she who knew barely anything of the plan, but was acting just as keen for it! Somehow, it made everything just that little bit more real. The boy grinned as she echoed his own feelings, and then dropped the name of her pack - Grizzly Hollow - which Kinis swiftly grabbed on to and tucked away as valuable knowledge. Maybe Ruiko knew something about it?

<b>"You like excitement, Aisling?"</b> he laughed, noting how many times she had spoken of things in terms of how exciting they were and amused by it. He wasn't one for living life on the edge for the sake of it, and though the female didn't exactly come off like an adrenaline seeker, perhaps she did enjoy the more unpredictable, fresh aspects of life. Suddenly, he was saying, <b>"You should join us,"</b> before he really knew what he was thinking, but it seemed like a good idea so he ran with it. All those loners he had spoken to had come to nothing - and here, he was talking with a pack wolf and it was the closest he had ever come to recruitment. Was he a bad wolf for trying to steal from another pack? No - it was only joking and speculation, she would surely never agree. <b>"We're only three strong at the moment - we'll need more for winter. I'm sure your pack could spare you! Plus, think of the adventure!"</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

For most of her life, Aisling had been saddled with problems that couldn't be solved by running away. Others liked to say that that wasn't a good way to solve your problems anyway, but if given the choice, Aisling would have run away from Pangur months ago. She probably would have run away from Grizzly Hollow on the day that Borden came back. But fear tended to rule her life, whether or not there was something else telling her what to do, so she never could run.

After speaking with Jayse just yesterday, she thought that she'd solved her woes. But the only thing she suffered from now was loneliness. She wanted to run far away from that. From the memory of Kiche, something that she was mature enough now to look back on with complete heartbreak, and from the memory of the feline that she'd once considered her friend. Unfortunately all of those problems rested within the bounds of Grizzly Hollow. When Kinis popped the question, Aisling looked quite surprised. Her head tipped to one side, and she blinked a few times.

<b style="color:#388d10">"Do-Do you mean it?" She asked him quietly. Was this the answer she'd been waiting for? Guilt clawed at her belly at the thought of leaving Grizzly Hollow, though only for her leader and Borden. If anything more, she worried about what they would do to her. Hadn't she just told Jayse that she wouldn't leave? But surely the white leader could understand...Or maybe not. Aisling whistled, her ears laid back atop her head, staring at the decision in front of her. <b style="color:#388d10">"speech."

<blockquote>Having expected a polite laugh and swift decline, Kinis was shocked to see her consider it. Was she actually, genuinely considering it? All those loners, all that potential - and all it had taken was for he, Ruiko and Volkan to get together and sort out the plan, and suddenly everything was falling into place. Four was so much more appealing than three, and who knew where it would go from there? Four was a lot easier to take seriously than three. The as-yet nameless pack would find it easier to grow from there.

Suddenly, a lot rested on this brief moment, when the possibility existed where Aisling would say yes.

<b>"Yes,"</b> he breathed, unconsciously mirroring her own lowered tone, his own disbelief at the implication behind her question clear. <b>"I didn't think you'd be interested,"</b> he said honestly, then quickly amended - <b>"I mean, giving up a pack for us is pretty... daring."</b> Why was he suddenly trying to convince her otherwise? That hadn't been his intention at all! So he snapped his jaws together and waited to see whether how brief moment of deliberation was to conclude, excited by the very idea that he could be stood next to a new potential ally.</blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

What reason could she give for choosing them now over Grizzly Hollow, other than escape? Or was that a good enough reason? She'd done it once, more or less, to escape her parents. Although whether or not she'd been talked into that by Pangur had been long forgotten by the cream female. Her ears twitched in shame, and she looked down at his paws before looking up again. <b style="color:#388d10">"Things have been happening lately," She began, though with no intention of divulging further into that. <b style="color:#388d10">"And such an offer seems a god send. Ruiko seems very kind. As do you. Something new and different might be just what I need." She smiled meekly at Kinis, her ears twitched again. <b style="color:#388d10">"speech."

<blockquote>She teased his curiosity sorely with her vague opening remark, but for the sake of politeness, he let it go. No good could come from pressing her now - he was so close to gaining an unexpected ally, he felt as though anything could shatter it. She said that Ruiko seemed kind, and Kinis himself, and he smiled and wagged his tail at that. He could settle with that description quite happily. <b>"You as well, Aisling,"</b> he said softly, trying to keep the enthusiasm to acceptable levels. <b>"You're more than welcome to come too. I understand the need for change,"</b> he added, slightly quieter, somewhat poignantly; striving for it had been his focus for far too long.

<b>"Me and Ruiko are leaving with another - her name is Volkan. In case you run across her. We should all get together, soon - this is about all of us, our survival. If you really want to... to join us, then... we should start working as a team sooner rather than later."</b> He cocked his head slightly, an ear flopping to the side, regarding her with controlled excitement; this was serious, now, and he needed this formality to keep his head level. <b>"Are you... going to be able to leave your other pack easily? I know what it's like to go against the grain... But I think it's worth it."</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>