I'm Going Away for a While

Ooc: Sounds good ^^

Evann has been raised to hold loyalty above all else, to always stand by your pack and its leaders - and that no matter what they said and how they treated you - and though she eventually left her home, those lessons were still ingrained in her, and she had no wish to commit such treason ever again. But there was a difference, between loyalty and blind faith; You can have fealty and still question, can't you? For all her gratitude to Mapplethorpe and Hollowheart Keep, she wouldn't march blindly at every command. She had left her birth pack to find a place where she would be appreciated, considered worth something... She wanted The Keep to be that place, still thought it could be; But if they would start a war over so little...


Now she was getting ahead of herself, there was no war; Not yet! And if she could help it in any way, there wouldn't be! Naia seemed to agree, her eyes aglow with the same spark of hope that lit Evann's as she spoke of the other Keep wolves she knew. The brown lass saw each one before her as they were mentioned; Quick - the young healer who had joined the pack not long after herself, Karpos - the young guardian in training. It made the sable lady happy to be reminded of the potential within her pack; Yes, yes we are good wolves! She blushed slightly when the River wolf added her to the list, but accepted the compliment with a shy smile, the tip of her tail wagging lightly.


Naia continued to propose a plan; Evann's ears prickling. The thought of confronting, at least some of, her pack mates about the conflict send a small shiver down her spine, but she straightened up quickly; the idea was sound, taking the general temperature of the pack to know how far the anger and hatred had spread. She nodded in response when the light agouti woman paused and met her eyes, not wanting to interrupt before she had finished describing her plan. And as the small dame continued, Evann kept tossing the concept around in her head; Yes, it's a good way to start the... healing if you will. Perhaps talk to Naira or Mapplethorpe... Mention it casually... The better part of her attention was still on Naia though, and she nodded along a few more times to show her compliance.


When the paler lass paused again, after suggesting a rendezvous point and time, Evann spoke up again, smiling palely at the other; "You are r... right, though I d-don't know m... m... many of your p-pack mates, I believe they ca... cannot be s... so bad, with you amongst th-them." She grinned a little wider, waving an ear at Naia before continuing: "And your p... plan is g-good, I will t... try and do the same when I re... re... return home." A nod then, underlining her decision; "The s... s-solstice sounds like a good time to m... meet again, hope... hopefully everything will have ca... calmed by then." Maybe, when spring came and the herds returned, everyone would acknowledge the absurdity of the whole situation.


As Naia turned her eyes to the sky, Evann felt her own restlessness stir; it was getting very old to sit still. She stood, shaking her fur to fluff it up and nodded again, finalizing the pact; "Yes I... I know the place, we will m-meet there." Then the older dame mentioned home, and the Keep wolf automatically gazed in direction of her own pack, but she wasn't quite ready to turn home yet, so when Naia suggested they walked together, she nodded, offering a thankful smile in recognition of the risk the River wolf was taking; "I would l... l-like that, f-for a bit..." And despite all her troubled thoughts, Evann felt joyful in that moment, teaming up with the petite wolfess, happy to have a purpose; We can do this!


Word count: 664

”Speech” Thoughts

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Naia returned the sable lady’s smile as she complimented her and her packmates. They were good wolves—perhaps a little overly proud, but then again they had a lot to be proud of. Perhaps if she could break through that barrier, she could get to the core of the problem with Hollowheart Keep—at least for a few of them. It was likely that her packmates’ dislike of the Keep was based on rumors and assumptions, just as hers had been. Maybe a few of her packmates had met Keep wolves, like her, and could provide a little more insight. No matter the end result, it was certainly better to bring the issues to light rather than ignoring them and letting them fester. ”I’ll see you then,” Naia replied as Evann confirmed their meeting place and time. Excitement ignited in her chest at the thought of finally doing something to resolve this squabble. She was a pacifist at heart, and nothing motivated her more than the possibility of making peace with the wolves of Hollowheart Keep.

”Let’s get moving then, before my feet freeze to the ice,” she joked with a small chuckle. She was starting to develop a slight shiver from standing idle so long. The only way for a scout to survive these conditions was to keep moving.. toward shelter, food, home.. perhaps even toward peace, if her and Evann’s efforts were successful. As Evann’s footfalls pattered quietly beside her, Naia began increasing their pace, the joy of running with another wolf coursing through her. No matter how tired she was, she always picked up a little burst of energy when she had a partner to travel with. Naia was a social creature, after all. Soon they would part ways when they drew closer to Cut Rock River, but for now Naia reveled in the small happinesses: the wind whipping through her pelt and a companion at her side.

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