Sierra Hills honey badger don't give a shhh

Ava did her best with her unwavering smile and steady-beating tail to sponge up what remained of his unhappiness. With her every breath she imagined herself sucking the somberness from the altitude, swallowing its stifling staleness and clearing the air. They deserved happiness. He deserved happiness. And it seemed they might achieve it, given the words that slipped from his pale jaws as he explained briefly to her the current nature of his situation.

Both facts struck her but with exquisitely pleasant surprise. For one thing he was east of the pass now, permanently, confirming a suspicion she'd held since he'd appeared to smack the shit out of that badger. It was one of those thing that she'd known without knowing, y'know? Hearing it put in to words was different all together; her eyes followed the line of his outstretched paw into the Spectral Woods, as though if she really concentrated she could see the drawn line of their border. Surely some time she'd have to actually go visit, though not without reason. If these Oak Tree Bend wolves were anything like they used to be she'd have someone's hot breath on her spine the moment she even got a sniff of their scent markers - and she meant that in a good way, of course. No, if Ava were to drop on by their new haunt she'd come with purpose... and a curling grin revealed she'd come up with one just then.

"Yay!" she burst into unbridled exuberance, leaping off of all four paws at once to ram her shoulder into his. It seemed appropriate as her excitement couldn't be contained in just words, so she did it again. "Our kids are gonna be the best of friends just like we are! And you're so close! This is the fate the stars had in mind for us the whole time, you know? It's destiny! I'm gonna bring along Mace and Rowan and Quil and Cinder and they're going to play with Ice junior and Ice junior junior and we'll just lounge creek-side and it'll be the greatest thing ever." By the end of her harangue she was prancing in place, paying no mind if she stepped on his toes or smacked him with her flailing tail while she was at it - it was just too gosh darn good!

There were perhaps a few holes in her flawless plan. For one thing she didn't know the mother whatsoever. It had to be the other Leader, right? Even the memory she'd had of Corinna's damning cry that fateful night Rhysis and Naira had fled Swift River over a year ago was basically lost. But why not begin anew? Make proper friends of their families and their packs?

♥ Allie

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. It wasn't like it was his intention to stay morose or something, but it was hard to deny the fact that anxiety had worn him down - Ava's happiness was contagious, even if it was vaguely exhausting too, but at least his tail couldn't keep still, and the smile upon his face felt natural, and not forced. He was sure she'd beat him up if he faked it, anyway. But the react was what he'd hoped for, he realized: the expression was sort of priceless upon her sometimes so somber face, and Ice found himself laughing, sidling slightly closer to the wall towering to the side as she shoved against him. The first time he simply braced; the second he hadn't expected it, and yelped at her. Her ideas tumbled out in a stream of words and he found himself still laughing, like draining an old wound, and shaking his head in a bemused fashion. He realized he had no idea where the "Falls" were, and the Hollow had been close enough. He guessed the main difference simply was that Ice's pack now had no reason to eat hers. "You thief," he said, sticking out his tongue at her. "That was my idea!" And to "punish" her, wicked witch that she was, he made a grab for her ear, just wanting to give it a rather toothless tug. Wolves got nicks and bruises all the time. It was part of wolf life, part of wolf play, some rough love to let you know you were still alive. "I'm sure Search and Sceral would be delighted," he told her afterwards, "to meet.. uhh... ... your four menaces." And he nodded sagely. The only name that had stuck was Mace, simple because it reminded him both of his own name, and Marsh's, but not even that thought was heavy enough to drag him down. "And I'd love to come visit you someday, too, without the kids. You know, just to see how you live, and make sure Kade keeps in line." Again, his tongue lolled out, to show that he meant nothing by it - if anything, Ice was genuinely intrigued in the dark patriarch. "I'll just have to warn Corinna we'll have visitors once the little furballs are old enough to make a trip," he finished off with a sage nod, as if it was that easy to plan out the few months ahead, no ups and downs. .ice aesir

Durr code have a wotd: sidle

let the stars above shine in your soul

Ugh sorry I took forever D: my computer ate my first reply and re-writes take me a while 'cause it's never as good as the original *quiet resigned fuming*

A giggle escaped from her jaws as her head was tugged along with her ear, giving a mock-offended shake and lifting a paw to run it over the offended ear. She wrinkled her nose as though it had been saturated with slobber before wiping her slate clean of nonsense. She let her pink tongue run over the scratch on the side of her muzzle, finding the soreness of it was far lessened by the pleasantry of their visit. For his sake she internalized her enthusiasm, lessening her spastic movement and concentrating all her excitement in the steady swing of her tail. Didn't want to send him on back with her scent and a whole lot of bruising; that wouldn't make for good neighborship, no sir.

Ava was pleased that he hadn't the need to consider her idea, finding his effortless agreement a good sign. Serach and Sceral? Well, she had to admit she preferred those names over Ice junior and Ice junior junior. Despite what she assumed was a vast difference in the six personalities the black-furred Leader was certain they'd all get along swimmingly, a catalog friendship. Coldwater Creek was turning out to be kind of a white picket fence, truthfully, with the recent kindness of one of Magnolia Glen's own in removing poisonous plants from Ava's border. Knock on wood nothing would change that soon.

"I'm sure you'll find the master of the house keeps it all in tip-top shape," she countered his jest, though it was truly a group effort. Maksim never once let the borders go without a good lap. The two yearlings were good at filling the cache and Sibyl and Destin were watchful of the den and its miscreant inhabitants. They weren't the largest pack out there, she assumed, but it felt like a full house when each member had her unshakable trust. "Regardless, you're always welcome." Despite her exaggeration of the words, her brows lifting as though she was suggesting bi-weekly brunch plans, they were the truth.

She did, however, purse her lips in consideration of his lady Leader's name. "Y'know I don't think we've ever met," Ava reminded him. "You think she'd want to be allies proper?" Ava was thankful the personal vendetta had never been against herself, exactly. As casual as her suggestion went, she did kind of enjoy the idea of a good diplomatic relationship surrounding herself and others. She was a social wolf and craved those friendships, especially now that she couldn't go wandering all around the Lore when she was supposed to be asleep.

♥ Allie

art - threads

You don't beat me in taking forever! XD

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. He was beginning to realize that one of the reasons Ava's company lifted his spirits so, was the fact that they were nothing but wolves, tugging and mock-growling and waving their tails at the world. Her manner made him think anything was possible, that everything would end up alright, that tomorrow was worth living for and the sun would keep rising every day; he wasn't at all sure how it was that way, or how it could be that way considering the tension last summer, but here they stood upon red, unfamiliar mountains, having set a wolverine fleeing helter-skelter, the Lore free of pup-snatchers, and it seemed the wave of rabies was slowly drying out again. It was the kind of thing that was enough to give anyone hope, or at least reprieve. "Even when you're not there to keep him at it?" he replied lightly, lolling his tongue out one side of his jaws at her. He didn't doubt that Kade was a hard-working, honest kind of father - any wolf who wanted to lead a pack had to do at least twice the work of the others, to keep it secure, safe and happy in its set structure. Kade didn't seem the kind to shirk a border patrol even when the rain poured down, but he based a lot of his assumptions about the dark man on the fact that he'd had enough guts to go to war against rabid wolves, as well as the fact that Ava thought he was good enough for her. The declaration that he was always welcome warmed his heart, to the point that he had to bounce forward again and press his cold, wet nose against hers. Truth to be told, the prospect of getting to see her more often did wonders when it came to his spirits; if she could make him feel like this, he was ready to make the trip north as often as he could, sons or no sons in tow. If only the rest of the pack would feel the same... Ice was, even if he didn't care anymore, quite aware that Ava had been one of the ones fleeing with the pregnant Naira, Rhysis and Athena in the middle of the night. He'd stood beside Corinna when she howled her bloody vengeance to the skies, been there as she broke almost all the way down. Ice's tail had slowed its wagging, and he turned his head aside, heaving a small sigh. "I don't know if she caught your scent that night," he rumbled quietly, staring at the nearby ledge and its sharp contrast against the distant backdrop. "We've never talked about it- or Naira, or anyone, really. I hope she would want to be allies.. we moved here to start over, and you never betrayed us, precisely; you simply ran with them." He sighed, again; why was life never easy, never straightforward? Slowly, he turned his silver eyes back to Ava. "The only way to find out, is to ask." .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

oh, love, you will nevvaarrrr be worse than me D:

"Even then," she responded to his probe, amber eyes ablaze with jest but only until her pale-coated friend leaned forward once more. Her grin, worn crooked and jovial, dissolved into something of a quiet smile in recognition of the gesture's sincerity. The night-cloaked female appreciated it as long as she could, keen to the quiet sigh that would follow her question.

She struggled with the idea of full disclosure for a quiet moment. If no one remembered her anyway then what was the point of bringing up the big hoopla that had gone down that spring night so long ago? Perhaps it was the idea of rejection that worried her, contemplating if there was a route without needing such information anywhere in the transaction, but truthfully the dark she-wolf knew better. Lying was lying even if by omission, and after all the River - er... Bend? Oak Tree? whatever - they had been through she knew it was better not to add any transgressions to a ledger that had already been stained before.

"I suppose you are right," she would admit finally, even though that didn't make much sense given he'd only said she would have to ask. Of course, Ava didn't notice, still recovering from her mind's dissonance as a wag slowly grew in her tail. She was already imagining how to spin a business venture into a family vacation. "Whenever they're old enough to travel I'll swing by," Ava added more definitively, her eyes seeking the silver of Ice's. It was true she couldn't leave them on their own quite yet. Maybe if there wasn't four of them, but they were mischievous when they were all together and nobody got business done like mom and dad.

Still, this was important to her. Ice was important to her. The need to do right by him and his pack was overwhelming in a way even ankle-biters weren't. "Is that alright?" she sought his express permission, not keen on procrastinating or screwing it up in any way.

art - threads