Thicket of Secrets Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax

don't need reason

Morganna Archer

don't need rhyme

From the copper rocks at the base of the mountain she had travelled west, expecting to intersect with Enoki’s northern pack on her way to Secret Woodlands, however it wasn’t meant to be and he could only suspect that they must be even further north. With the thicket on the horizon she decided to fulfil her mother’s request first and see if they had any news on a direction to send her in.

Long legs ate up the ground as she cruised across the blackberry fields, her head canted to allow one ear to face forwards and the other back. Judging the distance to be far enough to carry her voice she paused in the shade of a scraggly bush, tipping her head back to call the to wolves of Secret Woodland. A messenger was on her way from Willow Ridge, and she would be there soon.

Having caught her breath she rose back to weary feet and set out again, the trees of the thicket looming in front of her like a wave, about to swallow her whole. She could smell them now and stopped, looking about to see if her call would be answered. She didn’t want to stop for long and if no answer came she would simply howl her mothers regards and invitations. There had been no urgency in her initial summons and she did not expect to be placed as a priority over the needs of the pack. She took a moment to relax, allowing herself to sit until there was a sign of another approaching.

She still had a lot of running around to do before she could make her way home to relax.

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Nios considered himself a guard of the borders rather than a message receiver, and yet when the cry echoed across his new home, the swarthy male knew he could not simply await another of his pack members to seek out their visitor and determine what it was they wanted.

No, it was likely he was the closest, and by default, that responsibility fell to him.

His own dark form swept forward -- seeking out the she-wolf who summoned them. His pace was steady, though not rushed, and he came upon the female within the next half hour. His amber eyes flickered over her in cautious study -- she was a sleek ebony creature, but there was something about those peach eyes that captivated him for a moment.

With a nod, the newly acclaimed Woodlands wolf stopped his gait a respectful distance from her, his tail swinging casually behind him much like a banner. Mirren or Nina could have possibly been along soon, but if not, he would simply take the message directly to them and be done with it. Nios was no scout, and his desires spurned more toward the art of battling, hunting and guarding. "Hello," he offered casually, his gaze finally drifting away from her facial features to make further note of her -- she seemed healthy enough. A pack wolf, most likely, and he silently wondered what ties she held to this pack, if any. Secret Woodlands had been dealing with their grievance over the loss of a young pup -- one who Nios had not ever met, and as it was not the offspring of his brother, he had little emotion to it one way or another.

So while the family grieved, he would be here -- aiding as best he could. "What's your business here?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 09, 2015, 02:14 PM by Nios. Edit Reason: Fixed a typo. )

'cause its home, but it's gone

don't need reason

Morganna Archer

don't need rhyme

If it wasn’t for the eyes and a build closer to her own she could have been looking at her brother. An easy smile came to her face as a result. She lowered her head and tail to show she meant no harm, a wave of her tail offered in response to his greeting. “Morganna Archer, Willow Ridge.” she offered by way of greeting, oblivious to the suffering the pack was enduring. “I’m lookin’ fer a newly formed pack somewhere north ‘o ‘ere… but mother asked I deliver a message while I was out.”

She hadn’t had much to do with the woodlands wolves herself, although her mother always spoke highly of Nina. She took a moment to consider before supposing the man before her could deliver it just as well as she. “She wanted ter invite yer all ter another hunt b’fore th’ snows fall.” It was a simple message really, but not one that could be delivered telepathically. She wasn’t certain if the wolf before her had the authority to deliver a response so she decided instead to enquire after their own wellbeing. “How ‘ave things been fer you’s out here?” she queried, hoping she would convey genuine interest and concern rather than sheer nosiness. “Scents jus’ seem a bit thinner all over than they use ter.” she clarified, uncertain if there was something driving the other packs away.

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The names 'Archer' and 'Willow Ridge' struck a chord of familiarity within him, but he expressed nothing upon the subject. His father had told him tales of Relic Lore and those he had known within it -- but Nios had little desire to discuss the pleasantries of the past that had little to do with him. Instead, he gave a brief nod, and responded in turn. "Nios Tainn."

His ears perked forward at her request -- a hunt with another pack seemed odd to him, but he had also been raised by the ever traditional Tainn family -- pack was family, and outsiders were unimportant. Still, the decision was to be made by his brother and Nina, and Nios was not going to deny their wishes one way or another. "I'll tell Mirren and Nina you've proposed the idea -- what time do you expect a reply by?"

He shifted his weight then, listening to the rest of her queries. She was a curious thing -- and the casual drawl to her tone was almost distracting. "I don't know anything about a pack further north -- I've just come from the mountains myself a few days ago. I can't deliver any news of the Woodlands, either. I just joined recently." He would have apologized -- but he wasn't sorry he couldn't offer her more. If she requested more information, they would simply send up a howl and ask for a longer term member to come forward. "Our packs must be on good terms, then?"

'cause its home, but it's gone

@Nios  - i'm so sorry for the holdup #worst

I'm not a choice, I'm a natural selection

She hadn't considered the prospect of expecting a reply, but she supposed she would be back this way on her way home if all went well. It could also be advantageous to have someone looking out for her return just in case not everything went to plan. "I should be back this way in about a week, a howl either way will do, no need ter be comin' all the way out 'ere jus- fer me." her upbeat tone implied that she would genuinely feel no slight at such a response. Already she was growing eager to return to the familiar ground of the willows and any assistance to speed up her return would be well met.

His admission that he was new to the area surprised her a little but she shrugged it off with ease. "Yeah mother an' Nina go way back ter before I was born, we did the same thing last year." she added conversationally. She supposed she should warn him about their most recent neighbours given his newness to the area.

Her smile was replaced with a more serious expression "There was a young male wantin' ter set up in the Cedarwood. Watch out for 'im an' his lot. They're no friends o' ours. A few of 'em used ter be in our pack, I ran inter one while I was out gatherin' herbs an he attacked me, without warnin'!" her indignation was clear. "Mus-n't 'ave expected me ter fight back, turned tail an' ran as soon as th' odds levelled out." of course that wasn't the way things truly happened but it would forever be Morganna's word against Titan's, and he wasn't here to tell anyone otherwise.

Bemusement flickered across his features only briefly before he gave a nod. He considered her request with a small nod – he would see how @Nina would like to reply and go from there. Yet the thought of packs joining for a larger hunt seemed an intriguing idea to him, and with the hint of an aloof grin, the Tainn wolf canted his muzzle ever so slightly. “And that means I’d get to see you again?” The words were joking – but he found himself drawn to the girl’s drawl.. and her upbeat determination.

The conversation would drift to a wolf in Cedarwood Forest – an area he had not thoroughly explored as of yet, but his gaze narrowed slightly. “A Cut Rock River wolf?” Whisper Caverns had held some hesitance with the pack in the Forest, but nothing had truly ever come from it. But the pack had been established for some time – or so he had been under the impression. And so, with calculation, the swarthy male watched her, his tail giving an idle lash as he debated what this news meant for Secret Woodlands. By association, it sounded as if they had landed themselves yet one more enemy. It almost made him long for the simplicity of Copper Rock Creek or Sequoia Vale.

'cause its home, but it's gone

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

She wasn't sure if his question was bordering on a request but she offered a smile regardless. "I'm usually out an' about, I'm sure we'll bump inter each other regardless." unless of course he chose to relegate himself to the borders of his pack... But she didn't get to dwell on that train of thought for long before the mention of another pack that had resided in the Cedarwood set her head to shaking. "Its long, an' complicated but I can only assume they've reclaimed Grizzly Hollow." she had barely been aware of Cut Rock River, choosing to keep her travels further west and north of the marsh and meadow up until now, but if there was another pack so close, perhaps it would be in her best interests to seek them out on her way home.

"I've only got mothers stories ter go off but they should be somewhere south an' west o' here, it's why I came by way o' the orchard an berry fields. Nina should probably be informed if she isn' aware already. Might be some conflicts over huntin' grounds when things get bleak." she wasn't sure what areas the wolves of the woodlands had claimed but surely they had fairly free reign up until now. It was a lot of information to process and she was sure there was more news to share, she just had to sort that of worth from idle fluff.

Sorry, love. <3 Wrap this up, maybe?

Grizzly Hollow was a new pack he had yet to hear of, but rather than question her further on the matter, the dark wolf offered a brief nod of his muzzle. He could relay the information to @Nina and see if she wanted to do anything else with it.“I guess we’ll see what the winter brings,” Nios murmured quietly, his eyes drifting from the she-wolf before him and to the direction of Secret Woodlands. It had been awhile since he had settled down in a pack for the winter with his family, and this time he felt the desire to protect them further from harm. A large hunt as proposed by Morganna seemed a decent start, and with the tip of his head, the Tainn studied the female with piqued interest.

It was a tempting thought, given the brightness of her eyes and the seeming soft texture of her fur – he could have asked her on a small hunt for the moment and perhaps sought to get to know her further, as he had hinted to before. She didn’t seem opposed.

But what good would it do? The two were in entirely separate packs – and even more important, his own rank was not one to boast of if any form of a fling could even turn serious. Best to let it lie, for now.

“I’ll inform Nina,” he offered then, in way of closing the conversation. She seemed busy, and he would not hold her up for much longer.

(This post was last modified: Jan 06, 2016, 08:01 PM by Nios.)

'cause its home, but it's gone

@Nios so sorry this took so long.

Morganna rolled her shoulders, the desire to keep moving while the light was still with her evident. Had she not been intent on travelling so far she might ask the woodlands wolf to accompany her for a bit, but even she wasn't certain of her final destination. Her grin held a sheepish edge as he offered an out for her itching feet to continue on their way. "That'd be a help, she mus' be a busy lady." she offered in response but stayed in place just a moment longer. She filled the silence with a smile and drew a deep breath before giving herself a mental shake. There were places to be, things to do. She released her breath in a puff that could have been mistaken for a small laugh under her breath.


"I'll be back this way b'fore th' snows set in so theres no rush on an answer," she offered to spare any of the woodlands wolves the journey to the base of the heights. "I suppose I might see yer then?" she might have even sounded a little hopeful. Rather than embarass herself any further she turned to leave. No point is saying goodbye if she was going to be back so soon.