Lost Lake Challenges of Life

Slowly, the trout began to return and Desideria had to quell a shiver of excitement. They were returning! The swam right around her legs, as if they were logs or rocks, simply part of the environment. She couldn't help her small smile as she studied the school, Kajika was right. Her patience was paying off. The longer she stood, the bolder her prey became, darting around in search of whatever they'd been feeding on prior to the disturbance. Her discomfort had been forgotten, the chill fading to a numbness in the pack of her mind. Nodding once towards her friend, she made not to speak, afraid (perhaps foolishly) that she'd scare her catch away again. For the second attempt, she took her time. Selecting a slower fish, she watched as it slid through the water, glinting when it caught a ray of sun. It was certainly not the largest animal, but the woman was not feeling ambitious on this particular attempt. If anything, she only wanted to prove that she could do it, and enjoy a fresh fish she had caught herself. Ears swept backwards as the creature slowly approached, clearly focused on something among the rocks. She lowered her head closer to the water, limiting the space required to strike. Tail held out straight for balance, Desideria finally struck, eyes open ways as she plunged into the chilly water. She felt something across her tongue and she clamped downwards. This time, she felt the thrashing body between her jaws and she surfaced, bounding forwards towards the shore as she held her prize tightly. Only once she felt it still did the timber wolf drop it upon the shore, shaking the water from her pelt. Glancing up, she regarded Kajika with nothing but pure, unadulterated glee. "I did it! Did you see? I caught the fish!" she babbled happily, leaning down to nose her prize as her tail wagged furiously. It was smaller than the male's, yes, but she was certain it would taste just as good.

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Sitting on the bank of the lake watching Des hunting the fish this time was almost torture, he really wanted her to catch her fish this time.  He lowered his head slightly in anticipation of her catch as he watched her intently.  He could see the fish returning and swimming around her legs, just as he had promised they would.  He thought that her staying in the water till they came back would be an advantage to her even if it was cold to be out there, it would pay off.  As did her patience, fishing wasn’t like catching other animals in his mind since you had to get out there with them and there wasn’t anywhere to hide from them till you were ready to pounce, skills that he would help her to learn the best that he could. Kajika shifted on his front feet, his anticipation growing as he continued to watch.  He say the movement of her ears and the lowering of her head and knew that she was preparing herself for the catch.  She was doing everything exactly as he had described and he was more certain then he had been that she would hit her mark and be greatly rewarded for it.  The moment was one of those where it was suddenly silent and everything seemed to go in slow motion as she finally went to strike her prey. He waited with bated breath until she brought her head out of the water and was coming toward him with a fish flopping in her mouth.  Kajika sniffed it when she dropped it before his gaze met her, “You did and yes I saw you were amazing.  It’s a fine fish,” he told her proudly.  She had taken his advice and used it and now she would be able to fill her belly and she could also feel proud of herself for accomplishing something she hadn’t done before. “Now what do you say to us going and enjoying our spoils?”

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2015, 07:54 PM by Kajika.)

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Her entire body wagged as she was praised, unable to control the joy radiating from her like heat from the great sun above. Forgetting how damp her pelt was, she leapt to his side and pressed up against her companion. Younger or no, Kajika's advice had been quite worthwhile. She was delighted to be able to add another skill to her toolbox – and this was one likely to get her fed whilst not putting her the same kind of danger some of her more practiced skills might. The female gave the other wolf a playful nip before dancing back to her kill, standing over the shimmering trout proudly. "Yes! Yes, that's a great idea," Desideria crooned, leaning down to scoop up her prize. She held it more gingerly now, not wishing to damage it further before she could eat it. Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure her partner was in tow before loping easily away from the lakeshore, to somewhere a little more sheltered. Deciding a large boulder offered the shelter she desired, she flopped down without ceremony. Her fish was dropped onto her forepaws and she tore into it avidly. Only once her hunger was slaked did she glance up, licking scales from her muzzle as she eyed her friend. "Where are you going to go, after this?" she inquired, head to one side. He was looking for a pack, and hadn’t yet found the one right for him. Selfishly, she hoped Kajika might find Fallen Tree Cove as attractive as she had – it would be nice, to have a trusted friend among the ranks. "Will you come back, if you don't find a pack? You could always join up with me. We're a good hunting pair! Useful, I'd say."

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Seeing her so happy with herself made Kajika smile.  Being with his friend had certainly raised his spirits quite a lot, part of him wished they didn’t have to part but she had a pack to join and he had to continue his journey.  When she pressed against his side he returned the pressure to show her that he was he was just as happy for her as she was for herself.  There was no doubt in his mind that she would fit in well with her new pack once she had joined them.  Kajika returned her nip before he bounced off to his own catch. “Great I’m starving,” he told her just before he picked his fish up.  Glancing over he saw that Des was already headed for a better place to dig into their meals.  So with long even strides he followed her to a place near a large boulder where he laid down next to her and tore into his fish much in the same manner she had.  This time he was so hungry that he wasn’t much concerned about using his usual manners and had finished the fish off rather quickly. Kajika lifted his head from what was left of his meal when she asked him about where he was going to go after he left this place, “I was thinking further south, see what’s there,” he told her. Even if there weren’t any packs there it would be good to know what exactly was south should he find himself there again. He nodded when she asked him if he would come back, “I can come and visit on my way back north.  I like Turtleback Lake I would like to visit there again.  If I don’t find a pack I can come find you and maybe you can help me out?”  It would be nice to be in the same pack as her.  To have a friend within so that he wouldn’t feel like such and outcast.  “We do hunt well together which I think would be good for any pack.”

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Despite herself, some of the timber wolf's enthusiasm drained through her paws into the rocky ground. Her tail began to slow, though it did not quite stop, and she tipped her head to one side. As she had wanted to travel north to search for her siblings, she couldn't blame her friend for wanting to explore. She had skirted around the south herself, and there were plenty of options – but after her run in with Aesire, she hadn't felt inclined to inquire about any of the others. Which reminded her. "Watch out for the pack due south of here," she murmured, glancing in that general direction. "I met the female alpha – on accident, sorta. Anyways, she nearly ripped my face off, so I don't think that's the kind of pack you want." The woman gave a little shiver at the memory. She didn't know the name of the pack, and couldn't offer than to her friend, but hopefully the location would be enough. "The pack is on the plateau. On the heights." Her tail swept across the ground as she relayed the information. Unfortunately, that was all she could offer, outside of the knowledge that other packs existed to the southwest. That, she imagined Kajika could figure out on his own. " If you come back this way without a pack, I'll help you, of course! If you do find a pack – I want to see you, anyways. We're friends, regardless of packs, right?" Privately, she still held out hope he'd return this way and join her in Fallen Tree Cove. "There's no one else I'd rather share my hunts with."

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Their conversation continued after they had both satisfied their hunger and after Kajika had told Des of his plans he felt something change.  As it was she had a warning for him about a pack that was to the south of where they were.  She went on to tell him why she had her reservations about the pack in the south.  He would heed her warning and she was right that wasn’t the sort of pack that he wanted to join at all.  “Don’t worry,” He told her, “I will be careful but you are right that is not the sort of pack that I want to be a part of and I am glad that she did not harm you.”  She also gave him a location to where that pack was, “I will not travel there,” he assured her.  Though he was sure that he could take care of himself he was not inclined to go looking for trouble when he did not have a pack behind him to back him up. Kajika knew that when he set out on this journey there would be packs that would not like the presence of an outsider.  He had found that out previously with the dark male and Raela but he had been lucky in that instance and had gotten out of the situation without harm but what Des described was much different.  He had considered going back to Raela and speaking with her about possibly joining her pack following a discussion with her alpha of course.  Now that he knew where Des would be he was considering coming back to this place. He was glad to hear that she would help him if it did turn out that he needed it when he returned this way.  Most importantly though was the fact that she still wanted to see him regardless of what pack they were in and he wanted to see her.  “Thank you Des and of course we are still going to be friends no matter what packs we are in.  I will want to see you too and I will be sure to visit as often as I can.”  He certainly try to visit as often as he was in the area, she was his first friend in this place and in some ways he felt she was his truest friend and he was not the type to abandon a friend.  “There’s no one else for me either,” he told her sincerely, “And when I come back this way I will be sure to check in with you see how you’re doing with your new pack.”

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Despite their successful hunt and the sweet flesh of fresh trout, Des found a bitter taste rising from her throat. With their meals finished and future plans discussed, she knew their time together was likely at an end. On the bright morning, she would seek out Namid and ask for acceptance to her pack and her territory. Kajika would disperse, following the warmer winds southward until he either found a group he found acceptable, or until he decided there was nothing there for him. Either way, the timber wolf imagined it would be some time before she ran into him again, and something in her chest clenched at the notion. Prior to entering Relic Lore, she hadn't close friends. She had family – brothers, whom she adored and cared for, and a mother, who she loved and admired. But there was no friendship among those bonds. The twins were tied by a golden thread, never to be torn asunder. They loved each other with a friendship that could never be rivaled. Her mother was… Well, she wasn't a friend, of that, Desideria was certain. Her mentor had been close, but-- Well, Kajika was the only wolf she would consider a friend at all among the forests of Relic Lore. A heavy sigh escaped her as she wrapped her tail around her haunches, jaw resting upon her forelimbs. "I'll be happy to see you visit. Will you stay with me, for the night? I wasn't planning on leaving just yet and-- Well, it'll probably be a while, huh?"

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The thoughts that he had been pushing back since Des had appeared had been brought crashing back to the forefront of his mind as they discussed what they would be doing in the future.  He was happy that they had agreed to remain friends no matter what pack each of them ended up in.  The sadness that he had felt when he first realized that they were on different paths with no guarantee of them crossing often filled him once more.  What had started out to be a wonderful night spent in the company of his friend was now dulled by their inevitable parting. Still he was glad to know that he was not alone in this place, that he did have a friend and all he had to do was seek her out.  He knew that once she had joined her pack it would be up to him to visit her and he planned to at every opportunity.  Kajika was grateful that they had this night that they could spend together before they would be apart for whatever length of time it would take him to get back for a visit before he returned to Turtle Lake.  He thought that by the time he reached there once more he would find the information he needed to make his decision since.  One last visit to a place he wasn’t sure how long it would be till he visited again. He watched as she rested her head on her paws and spoke of being happy for a visit and wanting him to stay with her that night.  He rested his head on her shoulders, “I will stay with you tonight and visit as soon as I can but I am afraid it will be awhile,” he told her.  He wanted to tell her that he was considering the pack she was to join, the alpha sounded nice but he didn’t want to get her hoped up in case it didn’t happen. “Don’t worry though because this certainly won’t be the last time that we see each other and have a hunt together,” he assured her.

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"Yeah. I know," Des replied with a hefty sigh, ears swung out to a neutral position. It was sheer luck that brought them together again so quickly, and it would be foolish to think such happenstance would be repeated. That was the trouble with lone wolves, she supposed. They were like a leaf on the breeze, and not even they knew where they might end up next. Perhaps the most troubling notion was that she did not know if he'd ever be back – promises were well and nice, but nothing was certain in the life of a loner. Truth be told, nothing was certain for a pack wolf either, but risks grew the longer a wolf remained by himself. That was a choice Kajika would have to make for himself. Desperation had led her to poor choices in the past, and often the woman reflected on what may have been different if she'd remained a loner instead of joining the Crow's Crossing pack. There would never be an answer to that question, so instead she contended herself with the steady press of her friend's chin against her shoulder blades, shifting to rest her own head on his forelimbs instead. It would be foolish to waste what time they had on what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, so she only wrapped her tail around them both as they settled in for the cool evening. At least, if nothing else, she would remember him every time she caught herself a fish, as she often remembered her old mentor, Valor. Those were the sorts she never forgot – and as long as they were in her memory, they couldn't truly be lost. Fade.

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She assured him that she knew it wouldn’t be the last time that they saw each other.  Though he could not say how long it would be between their visits he could be sure that he would not stay away too long.  He also wished that he could tell her that he would stay but he couldn’t.  He needed to make an informed decision about where he wanted to spend the rest of his life, or what he hoped would be the rest of his life.  Kajika knew that the life of a wolf was never certain, he thought that he would stay with his birth pack and take his father’s place when it was time but that had not happened.  Now his life was even more uncertain and he was sure that Des knew that just as well as he did because she had lived it. What he hated most was that for now all he could do was give her words to assure her fears and that those words wouldn’t really be true for either of them until he came back.  Whether it was for a visit or to stay he didn’t know which it would be but he was now torn knowing that she would be in this part of Relic Lore.  It certainly made his decision more difficult but he was certain that he would make the right one for him.  As he rested his head on her shoulders he took in her scent, remembering that and knowing that she was waiting for him to come back for a visit would help him to not become too discouraged on his travels. “I’m glad you turned up tonight,” He told her, “I really needed to see a friendly face.”  He had started to doubt himself as far as his journey was concerned.  Her appearance reminded him what he was doing it all for and it would help him to finish his journey till he found his home.  He did not want the morning to come but it would, it always did and when it came they would part ways for what would be the last meeting in an undetermined amount of time.  Her tail curling around him and her head on his forelegs gave him comfort that he felt only a close friend could and she was most certainly that to him.  It was also comforting to know that he had someone in this new place that cared about him as much as he did them and he knew she would be there for him when he needed her just as he would be for her.

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