Wild Cherry Orchard When you blow at high dough.

It was time to head east, Dalton thought. Although these lands had been a welcome change from the barren lands he'd been traveling from in the North as far as food went, Dalton was certain that there was nothing beneficial for him if he continued south. He had already traveled through endless open fields of blackberries — delicious — and hadn't come across any wolves that had even heard of the name Ash Hervok. He couldn't be heading in the right direction, something told him. Though, Relic Lore territory was vast as one could possibly imagine, and he could run himself mad with worrying if he was heading the right way to find his brother. Instinct was all he had left after years being apart, and months of searching. The sooner he found him, the sooner he could find out if Nina had been eliminated for her lese majesty against their father.

Moving forward, Dalton moved east to where he saw foliage taller than him for once in a long time. Blackberries were tasty, but nothing beat the taste of meat and blood. Nor did blackberries give you the thrill of chasing them down and killing. No, they really seemed to lie down and take it. Perhaps there would be some small game in the trees. As the dark brown male trotted forward, he realized how weary he had become in the heat lately. He could use some overcast weather, or even some rain, some humidity at least. The heat felt nice to laze in, not travel endlessly through. Especially for days through fields without shade. The male's tongue hung lazily out of his maw, panting softly as he neared the trees.

When he had almost arrived at the eastern edge of the fields and the beginning of the trees, it occurred to Dalton that these trees would not be bringing him the forest he was wishing for. In fact, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me.." it was actually an orchard. More fruit. Excellent. He closed his maw momentarily and raised his head to sniff the air. Cherries, oh his favorite. Not. He padded into the first set of trees, stepping on the overabundance of cherries on the ground as well as in the trees. His emerald eyes gazed at the ground disappointingly, then looked around to find some shade at least. He walked lazily along the edge of the orchard until he reached a thicker area. The descending afternoon sun gave the trees looming shadows large enough for him to relax in for a half hour or so. He ate a cherry or two before he stopped and tiredly flopped down under the shade, the cool grass feeling heavenly on his hot paws and belly. His eyes weren't tired, but his body gave him gratifying approval at the resting session. His ears flicked back lazily against his head, halfly listening around him.

Recently Eva had been straying away from the pack den. She felt as if Nina and Koda needed some space with their children, and she did not want to get in their way. Besides, there was still much to explore and the girl felt safer when she knew more about her surrounding area. This line of reasoning brought her out of the forests and bushes that covered the den, and more towards the meadows and more open areas, where she had not been before. Eva vaguely recalled traveling through this part of the territory when coming to the Secret Woodlands territory with Ash, but in her nervous excitement and anxiety she focused more on her own thoughts than on any landmarks or other surroundings.

Though her coat was lighter than some she could still feel the heat of the day. As the lands became further enveloped in summer's embrace, it was clear that the sun's heat was becoming more vocal and a prominent fixture of each day. In order to combat this weather slightly, the girl tried to stick more to the trees and shade wherever she could find it. It was in a roundabout way that she first came across the wild cherry orchard.

The Hervok sister had seen many types of berries before, including the shiny red ones that now hung on the bushes before her. She had been forced to scavenge them, at the request of her mother, and soon learned many other fruits' and plants' names. In her additional delight, there was a nice canopy of trees that sheltered her from the sun's rays as she explored the area, sniffing every bush and even tasting a couple of the berries as she went along.

When Eva pulled away from one in particular, she scented something... different. It was not the sweet smell of berries, nor of rabbits or prey that might venture here as well. She could tell it was a wolf, but in the fluky wind she could not exactly tell from where this stranger was. The girl wandered until the smell became stronger, and soon enough she had found a wolf lounging beneath the trees. He had no smell of any pack that she had encountered, which really did not mean much. Eva recalled the scents of Swift River, Willow Ridge, and Poison Path, but this smell was none of them. His fur was brown with tinges of darker colors, that much she could see from where she was standing.

Anxiety filled her small body as she wondered what to do. There was no reason to be aggressive, Eva decided, since he was not in Secret Woodlands territory just yet. She did not see a reason to bother him about coming any closer either, since he seemed so relaxed at the moment and Eva did not want to invite any anger if she disturbed him. Maybe she should say hello? Or perhaps walk right by and pretend she never saw him? If she did say something, what should she say? The girl stood there indecisively, watching his movements and wondering what she should do. Finally she took a deep breath. "Hello?" the Hervok asked shyly and uncertainly at the stranger.

(This post was last modified: Jun 28, 2013, 11:50 PM by Eva.)

As Dalton relaxed in the shade, he slowly felt his body and mind calming to an almost sleepy state. It felt nice to be resting in a cool area, letting his pads take a breather before he headed further east on his journey. It was only when a soft, female voice pricked his ears that he realized that he really had been on the border line of slumber. His eyes opened and turned to the source of the sound, as he noticed the female voice's scent in the air. Yes, he realized, he'd taken note of it but it hadn't occurred to him in his half dreams that it might be cause for concern. His eyes fell on the young fae, Dalton noted that she, too, was riddled with dark brown fur with black accents in her pelt.

Strangely enough, he noticed this first before he lifted his gaze and met hers, the unique one that it was. Even at a distance, Dalton noticed the stark difference between her green and blue eyes gazing back at him. Well, that's not something you see everyday.. he thought, raising his brows ever so slightly with amusement. Noting his manners, he moved to a sitting position as he spoke. "Ahem, yes, hello. Apologies, I was dozing off from this heat.. You were talking to me I assume?" He gave his pelt a good shake to awaken him and make sure there were no cherries clinging. He didn't find himself all too worried about his presentation as a lone wolf in the orchard. As far as he could tell these were unclaimed lands, and the fae seemed hardly aggressive or assertive in her greeting. In fact, she hardly seemed if she was sure she was greeting him at all.

It seemed like her hesitant greeting had gotten the job done. "Oh.. that's okay.. I'm sorry for bothering you," Eva replied, apologetic. "Yes.. I was speaking to you," the small girl replied, stepping a little closer to get a better look. He was a lighter brown, like herself, with green eyes that reminded her of her own, or maybe Nina's. If he was this tired, he had probably traveled quite a ways. Although he was not exactly in Secret Woodlands, it would probably be best if she made sure he was aware of how close to multiple borders he was. "What brings you around these parts?" Eva decided to ask simply, looking at him with a shyly curious expression on her face. She did not want to pry, but it was her job as a subordinate to protect her new family... even if it put her on edge socially.

The girl was hesitant in moving any closer, so she sat down where she was, still a small distance away. At a loss of what to say next, she moved her mismatched gaze to look at her environment again. Those juicy cherries caught her eye, and Eva decided to try a few when she could. She waited in silence for a reply, wondering what this wolf's story was. Everyone had one, though many chose not to share... and with Ash and Nina's warnings about others sent by her father Eva was hesitant in sharing hers as well.