Lost Lake My Home is a Prison

<blockquote>Her question surprised him. There was something in the way that she asked it which seemed a little off, perhaps even hostile? Her tone was gentle as always but there seemed a little spike of venom in there perhaps. In truth, he didn’t know the female well, not as well as he had liked but she had kept to her word in the beginning and during the heat of the moment he didn’t have time to get to know her. She offered to help, he wasn’t going to turn her away. Still, he should probably take the time to get to know her a little better. All he knew of her was that she reminded him of Naira in ways, perhaps that had swayed his normally careful judgement on this occasion. <b>”In truth... not much.”</b> he said, not ashamed of his lack of investigation just yet- he had a lot on his plate at the time.

<b>”She seemed agreeable, eager to help. She reminds me of Naira, happy and laughing despite how tough the situation was.”</b> he continued with a light shrug. <b>”I found her half starved. A few days later and I don’t think she’d have lived. I offered her food and water in exchange for her allegiance and so far I have no concerns with her. “</b> He then glanced back down to the little white wolf with a tilted head. He was eager to know just why she had asked such a thing.

<b>”What do you think of her?”</b> he asked casually. Her opinion would of course carry some weight, but for the time being they were still strangers. Rhysis might have known Athena a while now, but he still didn't <i>know</i> her. With everything coming together so fast they were all still settling from the whirlwind that they had endured- now that things were calming down he hoped that they would all "bond" a little better. Not for his sake, but for the welfare of his pack and his young. The closer the pack were, the better their chances of survival.
</blockquote>

She nodded at his answer. So, a deal had been made between them. He gave her food to keep her alive and she would give him her loyalty. Not bad, it was almost like their unspoken deal. He would give her a strong pack to thrive in and she would give him loyalty and support as a second. Indeed, he did know about her desire to be in a strong pack to prove her father wrong, but they did not speak of a deal, just that she would join him in his plans. She kept her word and planned on for a long time as long as he kept up on his side of the deal.

"I haven't had a lot of time to speak with her, but with the occasional meeting I have a neutral judgment for her." She told him, truthfully. She did not know her very well, just that she was along with Rhysis. She was just weary of her at the moment. In time, though, she may be able to get closer to her, but for now Athena was very apotropaic right now. There could not be a disloyal one in their tight family; it could mean the demise of the whole pack if one them slipped up. Three out of the six had a bounty over their heads and could not risk being betrayed.

"Also, I haven't seen her or smelt her along the borders since our arrival and I didn't know if there was a reason behind it." She continued. Athena had made sure that the borders were well kept and invader-free for the safety of the overall pack and Naira in particular. They could not afford a Swift River wolf to come prancing in and attack Naira and her future pups. That would mean no new life for the pack, no heirs to the throne. Another way the pack could fall like an avalanche down the mountain that they called home.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

<blockquote>He shrug, having kept himself away from really patrolling the borders. There had been so much he had to do, marking them was taking enough time and it seemed Naira and Athena had been doing a good job of it. Still, he knew he should have made a better effort on the task. <b>”I cannot speak for her on that. Maybe it’s something you could ask her? Perhaps she doesn’t feel it’s her place... she seems quite timid in herself.”</b> he said, though truly didn’t know the reason behind it all. Only Ava could answer that but he was certain that outspoken Athena would get to the bottom of it. She normally did.

With a roll of his shoulders, he elevated himself to four paws and stretched. Arching his back, his rear in the air and his legs outstretched, pushing his muscles awake after their comfortable rest. He’d been sunbathing, taken his rest and it was time to move on. Continue his survey of the area and discover what else the place had to offer. <b>”What are you plans for the rest of the day?”</b> he asked casually as he skipped down from the boulder he had been on and landed next to the little wolf with an elegant skip and a silent land.

He didn’t really have plans himself, but he supposed more border marking, patrols and exploration would fill the rest of the daylight before he would retreat home to find Naira and set things straight with her.
</blockquote>

She nodded at his reasoning, maybe he was right. Perhaps she wasn't comfortable just yet with her surroundings, so it was taking her a little bit more time to get adjusted. Athena, on the other hand, was completely comfortable with her home. She loved the mountains and the rough terrain. They gave her a challenge that she was determined to succeed at. Mountains and the prey here were a ongoing challenge, but she was quite sure that Ava could adjust too. Even if she was not used to them just yet; sooner or later she would get used to it.

As Rhysis stretched and stood, she couldn't help, but feel a bit tired too. Returning to all four paws, she bowed to stretch out her relaxed muscle, mimicking Rhysis. A rush of wind rushed past her as he leaped down to stand next to her. Smiling slightly at his subject change, she cleared her throat to respond. "Perhaps a trip back up into the mountain for a bit more patrol. Then the sunset and then back to the den for me." She told him, releasing a small yawn after. Indeed, she was getting a bit tired, but a trip into the mountain would wake her up.

"What do you have planned?" She asked softly. She glanced back out towards the lake, admiring it's beauty that it was so willing to show the Poisoned wolves. Such a beautiful sight.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

Shall I wrap this up here? We can start our training and hunt one then? <3

<blockquote>He had often wondered where she headed each morning and night. He wasn’t going to go intruding, it wasn’t his place and so long as she always came back home, she could do as she pleased- that was one rule he would stick by. So long as the Poisoned wolves were there when they were needed, he didn’t care what they got up to. He didn’t really consider that she simply got up to watch the sun rise and fall every day- he didn’t see the beauty in it like she did, to him it was just science, life, another wasted day on a mission that had no end.

He shrugged to himself. He didn’t really know. More exploring, more marking, more watching his back everywhere he went. Nothing new. <b>”I dunno. Border patrol I guess, I’ll cover the lake if you’re heading up the mountain.”</b> he said, somewhat distracted with his own thoughts. <b>”I suppose I best check on Naira, make sure she hasn’t gone wandering off... I know she’s waiting for an opportunity to slip out of here... just to prove a point I think. Silly girl.”</b> he said with a slight shake of his head. He was fully expecting to return home at some point and find her gone, it was just a matter of when. Honestly, she was such hard work, but he had always enjoyed a challenge.

With a final glance to Athena, he nodded and said. <b>”Enjoy your day then Little Wolf. Stay out of trouble.”</b> and with a half smirk, he made his way at a trot back towards the hidden mouth of their densite. Little did he know he was going to find it empty and he was not going to get any sleep tonight.
</blockquote>

Yup, totally fine. Do you want to start the training one and I could have Athena show up for it? Or should we have a returning from the fight thread first?

She nodded at his vague plans. Unlike her, he did not seem to have a set routine. He seemed to just go with the flow and do what he felt like doing for the day. Nothing wrong with that. Athena contemplated on trying that out for a while, but she felt out of whack the first time she tried it. It felt like she was not getting anything done for the day. So, she went back to her old ways. Her old routine.

His comment of Naira made her grin. Indeed, she always seemed to get herself in trouble with her, but Athena has not let her out her sights when she was watching her. With his last comment, her grin got bigger. It seems she has a nickname now. Little Wolf. It matched her very well, with her size and all, but that should not apply to anything other than that. She nodded and said, "You too Rhysis. Keep an eye on Naira for us." and returned his smirk. She returned her eyes back towards the lake. Her home.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||