Secluded Spring The Wanderer's Fence

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The sky was clear. Even under the thick canopy of trees, Cessair could feel it. Surely, this was a good day for traveling. Never blessed with a place to stay, Cessair had become a wanderer by nature. Naturally, then, she continued to wander even though she felt like she was now home. There was just one thing about this home that was missing, however, although Cessair couldn't quite figure out what. Nonetheless, she continued walking, confident that whatever it was would soon turn up. Cessair focused instead on the scents that swirled around her as she moved, learning to recognize each new smell that she had never experienced before.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>One smell that Cessair easily distinguished wasn't exactly new. A refreshing scent of fresh water had suddenly enticed her to change directions. Thirst did not plague Cessair at the moment, but a drink of water would never hurt. Besides, she could probably also catch a fish; she had been growing rather hungry. As Cessair drew nearer to the source of water, another scent also began to grow stronger. It grew so strong, in fact, that even though Cessair was closer to the water than before, she could no longer smell it. All she could smell was the strange scent, yet it seemed oddly familiar. Where had Cessair smelled this before? She backed up several steps until the scent wasn't so overpowering, then sat to think. For some reason, Cessair could not bring herself to walk any farther. This was the first time she had come to any sort of barrier to her travels. What should she do now? Cessair began to trot parallel to the line from which the odd scent was emanating to see if she could get around it. She did not want to stop wandering today over something as simple as a smell and a weird feeling.</font>

The breeze was picking up in Copper Rock Creek territory. The sun just starting to rise sparkled down, keeping all who walked in the area warm. Others might have felt like it was unfortunate for the high sun but for the Creek wolves everything was quite different. They had the Secluded Springs there for him all the time, ready to cool them off any time they wanted. Their border’s scents rang strong, proving that they did, in fact, stay true to their borders. But then was a scent and her ears pricked. Lone wolf. . .it didn’t smell familiar but if it was in fact a lone wolf she had already warned off once they wolf would definitely fall into some deep trouble.

Her body moved forward in a regular pace, following the scent with the wind. It seemed as though the wolf were moving away from the Springs. Her pace continued the same, her leg’s own well-being safe in her mind. It meant that she only had to be careful, she didn’t want to break it again. As the golden brown female made her way closer to the scent she lifted her muzzle. She was approaching her borders and when she came upon the loner she sighed. Why must she be so close to the border?

She then cleared her throat and stepped forward, "Excuse me, ma‘am but you are on my pack’s borders."

Her tone was not threatening, she was just simply stating a fact and that was all she needed to do. If the female in front of her was smart enough she would back away and perhaps the two of them could have a worthy conversation. Nina’s stance remained neutral though, there was no use in intimidating the younger female. She seemed not much older than a year old. The golden female’s eyes quickly came concerned for the brown female in front of her. Why was she out in the world on her own? Didn’t she have a mother?

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice the signals of an approaching creature, Cessair started when a wolf suddenly appeared and spoke to her. The lighter brown female was standing just a little behind the line of scent that Cessair had been pondering as she mentioned a pack border. Of course! With widening eyes, the young female finally realized that she had been snooping around outside a pack's territory. Her mother had told her about packs before she was killed. It had been so long since Cessair had directly encountered another wolf that she had almost entirely forgotten what they smelled like (except for her own smell, but that was so much a part of her that she didn't even think about it).</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>"I'm very s-sorry. I didn't mean any harm..."</b> Cessair was about to take a step forward, but then froze with her paw hanging in mid-air as an expression of a sudden realization crossed her face. She quickly leaped backward, then proceeded to back up several more paces instead. Now that she was a bit farther away, the startled wolf sat and cocked her head to the side. She wanted to delve into conversation with the wolf in front of her, but was so bewildered that she couldn't bring herself to speak.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Somehow, the wolf in front of her reminded Cessair of her mother. Perhaps this was because the female appeared older than her and somewhat ragged, with various scars and one eye sealed shut, but still gave off a radiance of former beauty. Cessair had a sudden urge to be on her best behavior. If she could get into conversation with this wolf, maybe she could ask about her missing brother. As she continued to gaze at the wolf who had saved her from potentially earning the wrath of an entire pack, the thought crossed her mind that this wolf may not have conversation in mind. Just to be sure, Cessair decided to initiate the intended chat. <b>"I'm Cessair. What's your name?"</b></font>

The younger female in front of her seemed to understand what she said and she instantly backed away from the borders. Good. . .there would be no trouble here. The fact that she had scrambled back in unexplained fear confused her though. Then realization struck her. . .her eye. Of course it was her eye. The ugly appearance had even shocked her, but after awhile she had grown quite used to the look she had been given by her brother. But the fact she had gotten off the borders at first command pleased her. Another lone wolf she had met recently made it clear that boundaries weren’t her priority, and that had pissed Nina off completely.

Glancing over her shoulder to be sure that she didn’t scent any of her pack mates nearby and padded towards her boundaries. She would remark them so as the lone wolf in front of her would not get in trouble, for she had, in fact, listened to Nina on her first warning. The golden lady quickly marked her borders and she heard a sweet distinct voice exit the other female. She was apologizing and truthfully, Nina hadn’t been shocked that the female hadn’t known the was on the border, she was young and looked as though she had been on her own for quite awhile.

With a small smile, Nina spoke, "It is not a problem, dear. A misunderstanding. I am Nina. . .Nina," the female froze momentarily. She would not use the Hervok name. . .so she decided to just use her mates name, "Nina Reinier."

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Cessair started again when the wolf in front of her responded to her question. She knew why she was overreacting to everything, but she inwardly told herself to stop doing that anyway. The last stranger wolf Cessair saw had killed her mother. As she thought this, the small wolf shrunk in stature a bit, but straightened again after a few seconds as she tried to reassure herself. If this new wolf was anything like the last wolf she met, she would have been dead already. Upon re-analyzing this wolf's treatment of her so far, Cessair realized that she must actually be very kindhearted.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>But why then was this Nina's eye ruined so? She must have been in some serious fight. Cessair hoped with all her being that it was some other wolf who had initiated the battle. Still, an intense curiosity burned within her, and she longed to learn what happened. The young wolf studied Nina's eye as well as she could from the distance she was at to see if she could deduce anything. It surprised Cessair to realize that the horrible scar, which should have struck her as grotesque, did not really bother her. All of the nightmares and flashbacks that portrayed her mother's mutilated corpse after the merciless attack, Cessair figured, must have hardened her to such images.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>It took Cessair a moment to realize that she was staring rudely at the wolf in front of her when she should have been speaking respectfully. Horrified at her inconsideration, she shook her head violently and searched for something to say. Looking left, then right, she decided to comment on the land itself, and maybe this stranger's pack, too. <b>"From what I've seen of the forest around here, it is teeming with life. I'm sure your pack is very prosperous."</b> Hopefully this would be enough to spark conversation so Cessair could start rolling out questions -- as politely as possible, of course.</font>

She felt slightly bad about using her mates name to cover-up her own Hervok name. She felt it should have been an honor if Koda would have known about it but she couldn’t speak her last name anymore. It seemed to cause her too much pain. The small girl in front of her just stared at her, something she found quite often with her now a days. Others would stare at her face, horror and disgust sometimes written on those faces, other times shock and curiosity. When looking at the female in front of her, she saw the curiosity in her eyes but she could also see an utter calmness in those golden depths that brought her own unease down a few levels. What was so terrifying that her own appearance seemed normal to this young one? She was just a mere pup.

Then the girl spoke, trying to start a conversation. The golden lady didn’t want to seem rude and refuse an answer the girl, but she also didn’t want to explain her pack’s whereabouts to the stranger. She figured it could do no harm though, she might need a home. . .and that was something Nina couldn’t grant or refuse her. The golden brown beauty’s tail wagged slightly, showing the girl that she could be comfortable around her. She wouldn’t hurt her, she hadn’t ever wanted to hurt anyone. When she had been attacked by her brother she hadn’t even defended herself. All because of her screwed up family. . .it was the only reason to why she couldn’t live her life right. She was always on the run, now definitely from her brother and that was something she couldn’t deny.

Opening her mouth she spoke calmly, "That is true. And my pack is. . .thriving at the moment, to the best of our abilities. I see. . .you are curious. . .about something. Ask any questions, dear. I wouldn‘t mind answering them."

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Noticing more signs of friendliness from the wolf before her, Cessair began to calm down a bit. She realized that if she wanted to stay in this vast forest that she stumbled upon, she would need to break her wandering habit. To do that, some sort of tie to the land was in order -- maybe just a friend, or maybe joining a pack. The latter could wait, Cessair decided, until she met more wolves and got a fairly accurate picture of how she would be expected to act. For now, she would stick with finding a friend or two.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The golden wolf gave Cessair permission to ask any question. She was still determined not to ask about the scars, so she began instead to decide how to ask if the other wolf knew anything about her brother. Cessair figured that the only way to properly indicate just who it was she would be trying to ask about, Rowan would need to be described. It would be a risk, indeed, as a flashback would almost surely attack if she thought too much about him. Maybe if she spoke fast enough, she wouldn't have to think too long and could avoid this consequence...</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>"Have you seen a male wolf about the same age as me, but a bit bigger and with a muscular build and a grey and white coat and dandelion-yellow eyes? I've been looking for him for a while -- his name is Rowan and he's my brother."</b> Cessair had forced the words out all in one breath. As soon as she finished, she bowed her head and concentrated on breathing so she would avoid dwelling on the memory further. After a moment or two, her eyes turned upward and focused on the older female's expression as she awaited a response.</font>

She listened patiently for the younger female to answer her. It seemed as though she was thinking about her questions. This young wolf seemed more mature than others that she had met so far, but she knew not to judge someone by their first encounter. It never ended well with judging from first encounters for it never turned out well. She then sat down and her tail curled around in front of her paws. The back leg that she had injured swooped out to the side. She was comfortable but to other prying eyes that didn't know what had happened it might have looked extremely uncomfortable. 

When the girl finally spoke, Nina froze. Brother. . .she was looking for her brother. A lost look made its way onto Nina's face, one filled with pain and longing. Her own brother had tried murdering her. How did she know this female wasn't looking to kill her brother? The only thing she could think of was the name. She didn't know the name at all. She had never encountered another wolf by the name of Rowan. She wouldn't lie to the female and she couldn't. She didn't know this male. So she couldn't help her. 

Opening her mouth, she spoke in a deadpan voice, "No, sorry."

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>When Cessair asked if the other wolf had heard about her brother, she did not expect an affirmative answer. Every instinct told her that Rowan was long dead, by now surely nothing but decaying bones. Still, her heart told her otherwise. He had saved her life, and she felt like it was her duty to find him and repay him. Even if he were dead, the least she could do was to ask around. With that question now out of the way, Cessair needed to change to topic so she could stop thinking about her brother. She was already considering a new point of conversation, even as she awaited an answer to her question.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>When the "no" finally came, the other female's voice held a tone that struck Cessair. Did she offend the wolf somehow? Quickly, she ran through everything she had said that might have triggered such a response, but came back with nothing. An idea suddenly struck her; what if this wolf <i>had</i> actually met her brother, but was denying it for some reason? If that was so, she certainly did not hide it well. Cessair was at a loss. She did not want to think that this wolf would lie, especially because she seemed so kind. On the other hand, she still lacked the knowledge of what had caused all the scars, and whether they were a result of this wolf's own aggression.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Cessair decided that the best path was an apology. Unable to collect herself, she fixed her eyes on the older wolf's paws and slowly stammered <b>"I'm s-sorry. Di-did I... Offend you?"</b></font>

The way her voice came out shocked the young female slightly and she winced slightly. Her brother had attacked her and that had made her drop her title and gain her mates. She didn't mind it though, it showed that she had family away from everyone else. She was bonded to someone outside her pack, something that could get her into some deep trouble in the future. She didn't want to disappoint her pack though, so she kept it a secret. Away from the prying ears of the rest of her pack mates. In fact, this was truly the first time she had used her mate's last name. She was no longer a Hervok but a Reinier, they couldn't hold the code over her head any longer.

When the female's words came she knew an apology was in store for the young girl in front of her. She didn't mean to act as rude as she had, but when the word brother had struck her, there was no going back to her thoughts Too many things had happened from her father's point of her view when he had been in his life, trying to steal her back into the Hervok family, she had curtly refused. She was going to life her own life and that was what she was doing. They couldn't hold anything over her head anymore, she wasn't part of them anymore. She might have been tied by blood, but she was never truly one of them.

Opening her mouth, she spoke more gently to Cessair, "I'm sorry. You didn't insult me. I was just reminded of my own brother, you are fine."

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2012, 07:07 PM by Nina.)

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.