Wild Cherry Orchard the thing with feathers

With the white wolf's words the name was officially settled. Giving the swallow a calling made instilled an odd, lively feeling within Ava. With how intently Ruiko and Arlette watched each other and interacted she couldn't possibly consider the situation as child's play. Ava felt happy in the presence of their feathered friends, as though they were forging connections stronger than a species different. It was likely the same for her company - far from silly indeed. Besides, the small wolf's eyes lit up so charmingly when the name was accepted, the pale yellow striking Ava almost like two glowing stars. She felt her gentle smile widen slightly at the corners; more and more she found the gentle female to her liking. Ava was quite happy to have been stumbled upon by the almost yearling. The pleasantries made the day even more, well, pleasant.

"<b>Arlette?</b>" repeated the black female, nodding gently almost as if with approval. It was a very pretty name - delicate, light, much like the white-furred wolf to whom it belonged. Fitting, much like the bird-sounding name of Ruiko. There had to be some form of lyrical genius hiding within her for all these pretty names that were coming up. And What with her beautiful birdsong earlier... Maybe she was making up the musicality of it all but if not that, then certainly something. It was always the shy ones that housed so much potential; there was always some raw, hidden talent underlying the surface. What would come to bloom in the following years?

Ava was sufficiently though happily surprised to hear Arlette's question, though she refrained from assuming they were now officially chatty-cathy best friends. "<b>No, but I will have one soon,</b>" she responded, her mind briefly flickering to Rhysis' promise. She hadn't thought about that night for a while, and was none too keen to return her mind to the uncertainty of her future. Quickly she swung the focus of her attention back to the external world. There was a smell of belonging on the little wolf. It seemed almost familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. And new as she was to the land of Relic Lore, she could always be wrong. "<b>Do you belong to a pack nearby here?</b>" Perhaps a name would give her the ol' pavlov as to why she thought she recognized but couldn't place it.

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the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

Arlette was on cloud nine, captivated by the striking little creature. She had always believed in wondrous, magic things here was the proof not everything was ordinary, and things really could be extraordinary. Her little heart was only worried if her friend would follow her, or if at least she'd see him again. These were things she wanted to ask Ava because she did not know. It only seemed piratical to ask the older lady. Lettie often assumed everyone older was wiser, and full of knowledge she had yet to process. She wasn't sure if she was ready to ask more questions. She wanted an answer to the first.

Very happily she bobbed her head, and her white tail picked up speed again letting Ava know she was correct. "My family calls me Lettie though," she added, feeling a bit closer to this had been stranger. It did not take too much to win the girl over, and this wolf had after all taught her to sing to birds! Almost placing her into another world she had known existed but could never enter. That was something wonderful.

She tried to become still, a picture of attention so intent to hear her answer. The no could have made her frown, but the soon had her tail taking off again. "That's good, everyone needs a home." She stated with a knowing bob of her head. She did not quite understand how she would have one soon, at the same time it meant she was not completely without. Her new friend should have someone taking care of her. The question in turn was asked of her. She at this point thought it'd be alright, maybe wise to say she was. It didn't appear likely Ava was here to cause her or her loved ones harmed. "Grizzly Hollow actually, its not too far from here," and she turned her muzzle in the direction of home, holding her head proudly. She had pride for her heritage, and the pack her guardians had worked for to keep not only her but her brothers, and sister alive.

Ava's adoration for the child grew with every passing moment; from her quaint mannerisms to her sweet nickname, her identity to Ava was developing as quite the intriguing individual. It hadn't even crossed her mind who the young girl's parents might be - though childbirth outside of the leading mates was extremely uncommon, so it'd likely be the leaders of a nearby pack. These were certainly important facts, and yet they didn't contribute to the white she-wolf's uniqueness, and as such they didn't even cross her mind. The black female was much too enamored with their moment in time to be bothered with the past or future.

Following Arlette's comment, an almost bashful smile tugged on the corners of Ava's dark lips. What a good heart the young wolf had. She felt a desire within her almost like she wanted to protect the female she had just met, even though she had enough sense to figure she had plenty of protection within her pack. And speaking of... <i>Grizzly Hollow actually, its not too far from here.</i> Within the confines of her ribcage her heart skipped a beat. Ava inconspicuously leaned forward, taking a deep breath in and focusing almost desperately on the smell. There, among the grass and the cherries, their little swallow Ruiko and the young female's own white fur, was the same unified scent of territory that she could place on a certain dark male in her memory. To cover her expression - which was something like anxious excitement teeming with surprise - she turned her muzzle in the same direction and peered through the trunks of the cherry trees. Though she could not physically see the pack lands, it made her feel strangely out of reality to now know where he - and Arlette - resided. Meetings with strangers were like dreams - fleeting moments, memories that might remain to exist or might fade away. But knowing where to find the remnants of her memories brought the dream-state down and rooted it into the earth as <i>real</i>.

It was Ruiko (the swallow) who brought Ava back into the moment with a delicate note from the branches above. Having recovered, she turned a happy grin on the white wolf. "<b>That's lovely news, Lettie, because I've heard excellent things about Grizzly Hollow and its wolves. I actually met one of your packmates a little while ago - Kade.</b>"

She held his name in her mouth delicately, as though speaking about him would make the memory escape her parted jaws. The feeling he caused her through his unique charm suddenly reappeared in the black she-wolf; her smile could only gain in enthusiasm. Her words were almost entirely true - the part where she had heard a great lot was just a white lie. Kade hadn't spoken much of his pack, actually, but she did think well of the pack in general. Actually, Ava found her impression of Grizzly Hollow - based upon both instances wherein she had borrowed a member for company - to be one of excellence. Maybe it was too soon to make a snap judgment (even a positive one) based on two wolves, but she really couldn't account for the good feeling they gave her by <span class='word'>xenophilia</span>. Everyone was foreign to her at this moment in time... it just so happened that two of three she had come across so far had been fantastic company hailing from the Cedars.

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I hope you don't mind if I bow out of here? I have enjoyed are thread, and I'm sure Arlette would love to see Ava in the future.

the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

She would only know Ava was smiling. She would not see the difference in it, nor be aware of the meaning it held. She merely saw another happy spirit, someone she could easily start to trust. Birds weren't fooled by evil were they? A question she would wish to ask Kiche, or perhaps Hocus if she could convince herself. Her yellow eyes fell upon Ruiko, not believing he would ever fall for nasty tricks. His darkened eyes were bright with intelligence, and she whispered simple nothings, half singing to the little bird once more. She hadn't really thought how her word's had affected Ava. They hadn't seem to strike anyone by surprise before, and she figured it was merely casual information like sharing names.

She slightly jumped if only in surprise at Ava's voice, her soft ears folding backward while she returned her gaze to the dark lady. She easily smiled back, the end of her tail wagging when she began to explain why she was so thrilled. She had met Kade. Arlette liked Kade, and again had no idea why anyone else wouldn't. It did make her happy she'd heard things about the Hollow. Something about other wolves like Ava thinking them as good, and a possible home were pluses in her book."Really?" She half blurted, some how picking up on the excited energy dwindling beneath the inky pelt. Arlette knew everyone kinda wondered, but the odds they'd met just seemed weird to her. She was happy, and it showed.

"He's a Guardian, very good actually, and my mum and I's friend," she said with the warmest, and most proudest of tones. Kade had long earned her trust, and respect. He next to Elettra, and her mother had been one wolf who had come and not left. There was something about him both fierce, yet kind to a point she admired him. The only the that worried her was how things would be between her parents...if they would ever be fixed. It was then Ruiko gave another chirp because she had suddenly began to frown. She did not want to leave either of her company. She did feel guilty for not being home. She tried to smile, but could not. "I"ll be back," she whispered to him as if she could read her sad thoughts. She look to Ava, managing a sheepish smile with her sudden change in mood. "Well, I hope you have a good home, and if not you'll have to meet my mum. She'd let you stay, but I better go home. She worries....a lot." Eyes would cast down, a strange sadness to them. A blink washed them away, and she made herself stand a little taller. "Thank you Ava, I hope to see you again...you too Ruiko," and she laughed, a sweet tinkling laugh while looking between wolf and bird. The young lady would politely dip her head, before turning round to go home.
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( no problem <3 )

A faint wiggle started in her tail at Arlette's similar approval of the dark male. There was a pride in the young wolf's tone that gave her a warm feeling, which she would pass off as simply being proud of herself for having a good judgement of character and having nothing to do with eye-candy. There were plenty of theories about whether or not pups instincts about others were true or not - the one where they were easily fooled into believing somebody was not a 'bad wolf' through charms and smiles, but then there was also the other where their immediate feel for one another was strikingly honest. She could recall a time in her youth when her sister, Tori, had met a new recruit of Feather Valley. He'd seemed nice, but she, for whatever reason, refused to trust him. A week later they found him stealing from the pack's cache while he'd been among the wolves to accuse their hunters for being lazy. Ava would have to say that between Lettie and her sister, they shared their pale coats and a good sense.

Ava was not surprised, but obviously just the slightest bit disheartened, that the young female had to return home. Squinting briefly, she remembered being that young and having family to report back to. It didn't make her sad any longer, but rather it pleased her that Lettie had a strong belonging someplace and a pack to care for her. Gently she smiled and returned, "<b>Oh, of course. I understand. I won't keep you any longer.</b>" She'd noticed her momentary bout of confliction and truly didn't wish to trouble the young girl at all. "<b>It was lovely meeting you, Lettie.</b>" Even Ruiko would whistle his goodbyes as they both watched her turn away and disappear in the direction of Cedarwood forest. The ceaseless chirping of birds among the red-dotted trees hadn't paused, but suddenly it felt much quieter among the orchard.

"<b>Suppose I should return as well, hm, Ruiko?</b>" She mused aloud to the tree swallow. In return he peeped once at her, twitching his wings. Then he tweeted the tune of her words, 'hm, Ruiko?' back. She raised her brows to his response and watched him for a mere moment before shrugging and rising to her feet. Ava would casually lope in the direction she had come - not before scooping a few ripe cherries from the ground, of course - to return to the edges of the Sacred Grove and await Rhysis' call.

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