Hush Meadow Whisper in the Rain

Requesting @Narimé and/or @Ash
- midday, Partly Cloudy — 30° F/-1° C

The mission continued. So far, things had gone relatively smoothly, though his exploration had revealed no sign of Fenru and Arlette. There was still hope, but the Avalon doubted he would find them, wherever they were, it was far from The Wildwood. It saddened him a little, he had liked Arlette, even though they'd not spend much time together before she took off with @Triell's tawny nephew; Fenru, the dark lad had no particular relation too, Triell had asked him to look for the man, so he did, but personally he held no particular care to whether he found him or not. The past many days had been grey, wet and uneventful, rain falling sporadically, though not much of it reached him under the cover of the lush trees. Though their leaves were dying, more and more falling to the ground every day, brown and crumbled, soon they would offer little shelter from the elements, but for now he was safe. The ebony lad shuttered at the thought of the approaching winter, remembering the last one all too well; At least I'll have The Bend and its caches from the start this time... And a dry den to huddle in. A soft smile curved his lips, the thought of his home warming him. Despite his longing for adventure, he was beginning to miss his pack, and he looked forwards to returning home. Before he could though, there was one more task he had to carry out. Having followed a mainly southward route, the boy was looking for the pack that had their home in these parts - he had never been there before, personally, but had gotten directions from Jessie - and moving out of the woods into more open land, he knew he was getting close. Stopping in the damp grass, he lifted his head to sniff at the air, trying to catch track of the scent of pack. The rain had stopped for the time being, but the air was dense and moist, grey clouds above promising more to come. Eventually, he caught a faint whiff of other wolves, and quickly moved in its direction. As he closed in on the borders, he raised his head and howled confidently, his request polite but firm; calling for the presence of the pack leaders. Word count: 384 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

Narime settled her haunches on the ground then glanced about the little strip of forest where Whisper Caverns main den was. Her blue orbs settled on the leaves coating the landscape as they blew around in the wind. Reds, yellows, and orange colors flashed skyward as the leaves blew about the silver wolf. She had just finished her round of marking the border to help out Ash with his duties. It wasn't the womans favorite activity, but she did enjoy the chance to stretch her legs. Narime shakes her ruff before settling down onto the earth and enjoying the brief chance to herself. Usually she was with someone doing something, and Nari enjoyed the interaction with others. However every once in a great while she liked to just view the landscape by herself. A howl at the packs northern border snagged the she wolfs attention and pulled a sigh from her lips. Lifting her own head to reply, Nari let out her own long call back. "I'm coming!" She ended her call before standing up once more and readying herself for the short journey to the border. Starting forward sharply, the gray she wolf propelled herself forward in a fast lope towards the cavern wolves guest. She spotted the dark pelt of a wolf as Nari approached the border. Her steps slow before she pulls herself to a stop at the freshly marked area. Giving the black male a curious once over and a friendly half smile, Nari then speaks. "So I've scented your packs scent before, but I cannot recall where. What's your name and where are you from friend?" Nari asked hoping to get a little information from the pack wolf. She assumed that he was either a hunter or a scout because of how close to her territory was, though she leaned towards the scout assumption. If he was a scout she hoped to get some information out of him just as he hoped to get some from her.

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His ears twitched at the prompt response, paws drawing to a holt a few leaps from the scent-marked border; the fresh markings easily reaching his nostrils over so short a distance, making him wrinkle his nose. The smell of foreign pack was never a truly pleasant one to a wolf, and he found himself wishing he could have arrived at a time when the scent had been more faded; Just my luck! Even though it's been raining almost none stop for days... With a sigh, he straightened his face, at least the fresh marks, like the quick answer to his call, showed that the pack was active and strong; so far away, their thriving proposed no threat to Oak Tree Bend, but rather would make them a formidable ally. The faintest of smiles danced over Drestig's lips in approval. Soon enough, the answerer of his request showed up - her howl had sounded close, and swift paws had brought her quickly - and she was quite a sight; tall and lean, long legs carrying her with long leaps over the forest floor, and her frame was covered in a pelt of varying grey shades, no sign of brown to mare it. As she stopped before him, he was looked over by a pair of intelligent, indigo eyes, steely but not unfriendly. The black scout responded to her appearance by humbly lowering his tail and shoulders, ears low as he looked at her without quite meeting her deep blue gaze. Her greeting gave him pause, the rapid questioning unsettling him a little; he would have liked an introduction first, even if her high posture easily marked her as queen of these lands. Still, she spoke in a kind voice and made sure to address him as a friend, that was a big plus; No need to tiptoe. Taking a deep breath, the ebony man struck up a polite smile, ready to play his role as diplomat; "I am Drestig Avalon of Oak Tree Bend, beyond the mountain, and I come bringing greetings from my leaders, Triell and Nayeli Stormright-Tainn." He delivered the learned message with a gallant bow, then, after a short moment of thought added; "And from Jessie Swiftpaw, I believe she knows you..?" It was a gamble, all he had been told was the location of Whisper Caverns and that Jessie had been here before - the lead scout wasn't much of a talker - but it seemed logical that they would have crossed paths if Jessie had been in these parts. Now he waited, hoping that the grey female would offer her own introduction in reply to his, before he continued with his questions. Word count: 446 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

With a small shrug of her thin shoulders, Nari lets her smile widen a fraction as Drestig introduces himself. The name of the pack was familiar but the names of the leaders were different. Or at least the name of the female lead was entirely new to Nari. She had known of Corinna leading the dark scouts pack, not this Nayelli she wolf. However she did know the male leads name. Triell had helped her once before, and to know that he was doing well leading a pack of his own made Nari happy for him. He had been a respectable male and deserved the title he now had. Finally Nari decided to answer the dark man. Her words were strong but gentle as they left her lips. "Yes actually. I know both Jessie and Triell from days past." Narime glanced to the territory behind the males dark frame, her blue eyes wandering the hillsides for anything else interesting. "My name is Narime Lagina lead of Whisper Caverns, but I used to travel quite a bit in my younger years. I met both Jessie and Triell while traveling. I'm glad to hear that they are both doing well." Nari sifted her gaze close to Drestig's gaze but not directly onto it. Even if he was on her border she would show some manner of respect as long as he was submissive. Being a chatter box herself, Nari wasn't one to turn away a good conversation. Even if he was from a pack far far away.

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She was smiling kindly at him, curiously-colored eyes shimmering with both strength and friendliness. The dark mans own smile grew, its light reaching his own, fiery orbs as he straightened up, just a tad, glad to see that she was not sticking to formalities. The colorless woman confirmed that she did know Jessie, as well as Triell, which made Drestig's head jerk up a little, eyes wide in surprise; You sneaky bastard! You could have told me... He grinned to himself. Whether his leader had intentionally left out the information, or simply not thought to say it, he couldn't know for sure - both were entirely possible - but it amused him and he flicked an ear appreciatively; Always nice with a few surprises to keep things interesting. He returned his attention to the grey lady when she began talking again, listening politely, nodding contentedly as she offered introductions. She went on to explain how she'd met his two pack mates, and the dark lad met her eyes briefly, flashing a grin at her compliments. "Indeed they are." He replied, leaning back on his hunches; "Triell just fathered his first litter!" He couldn't help but smile, talking about the pups, and at the same time, he felt a sting in his chest, longing to see the little rascals again; How much will they have grown when I get back..? With a silent sigh, he returned his concentration to the situation at hand, raising one brow lightly; "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear of your well being too..?" Though it was more of a statement, he ended it in an inquiring tone, hoping to get this Narimé to tell him a little more about the goings on in her pack; hopefully his own forwardness about Oak Tree Bend affairs would help smooth the exchange of information; Hey, I'm getting pretty good at this diplomacy thing! Word count: 315 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”