Hearthwood River should've been a farmer and blamed it on the weather

Open for anyone!  Figured it might do Mojave good to meet some of her fellow pack mates. :D

Early evening had come to the territory and for perhaps the first time in the entirety of her travels, Mojave could not help but take notice of how much later in the day it felt.  The curling fingers of the end of autumn had come to wrap itself around all the things; she woke in the morning to find frost clinging to trunks of trees and bedding down in the thick, weary grasses she had rested in.  Now it would have seemed that the wind carried a bite to it, one that dared to reach in her coarse coat and lunge for the skin.

So she had simply kept moving through the day, snaking her way along the paths worn in by her predecessors both current and not.  Along the waterways that had led her there in the first place, she found solitude and silence hand in hand and for once, did not dread this.  It wouldn't have been too hard to turn back from the borders and venture inward to feel apart of something.  She had absently come out there in the first place to look around, to check on things.  Trying to drum up the memory of what a less nomadic and more stationary pack was supposed to do.

Of course, she had half-hoped to find someone else out there doing the same thing she had started out to do.  But for the moment, no one seemed to linger around or make themselves known.  All Mojave opted to do was mill about uncertainly, for once lacking confidence that she had right up until things had started to go from bad to worse.  The chill crept back towards her and she gave her coat a rough shake, dispelling the thoughts with it.  A drink of the cold water would do her good and she brought herself closer to the bank's edge to bring her muzzle down.

After that though, she knew she'd better keep moving.  The cold still felt close.

As tempting as it was to stay in the den all day now that it had gotten colder Inna knew that she couldn't. Now that she was older and understood the inner workings of the pack she knew she would have to start pulling her weight especially with winter coming and her father injured. She didn't like the idea of being away and not knowing what was happening with him but she felt that he wouldn't want her lurking about but instead out doing what she could for that pack. It had gotten slightly warmer throughout the day but now that evening was settling in it had gotten considerably colder.

Much of her day had been spent patrolling the borders though she wasn't sure what she could have done had there been a problem. Still she needed the practice just as she needed practice hunting which she had tried her paw as well the few times she had come across prey small enough she could catch on her own. Now though she was more concentrated on keeping moving to stay warm and get back to the den where she knew warmth and comfort would be waiting for her.

A scent halted her in her task which she took it as it was different than any wolf she'd met before and she was certain it belonged to a wolf. Carefully Inna moved toward it hoping to catch sight of the wolf before they saw her. Eventually she was able to see the wolf and recognized her from the hunt though she had not formerly met her. Inna stepped out into the open cautiously and keeping her distance. "Hello," she said watching the female closely.

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2015, 01:00 AM by Inna.)

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Thanks for joining!

The cold water did little to give her the sensation of retaining warmth. But it was a necessary evil, as Mojave knew that even within the confines of the claim that her pack had the water would be no warmer. As she gained her fill and lifted her head, she caught sight of a dark figure emerging from the thick brush; at first she did not immediately recognize it to be a wolf. Lost in her peripheral for a couple of seconds, she felt herself tensing up until she had drawn her gaze to the she-wolf. Young, like her, but only younger. The gangly features in spite of the size were a giveaway to a childhood she had left behind in build.

"Oh, hi there," she said. A faint smile came to grace her features, but she wasn't entirely sure if it would wash away the caution she noticed. Not that she could blame any of them for being cautious of her because after all, she was the new recruit so to speak. "Gettin' cold out here, ain't it? It didn't seem this cold the other day anyway. You were at the hunt, right?" Faint recognition was something that she did have for the girl, not that she could have claimed to know her name. Which on that note...

"I'm Mojave, by the way."

Your very welcome.

Inna thought caution was best in this situation which was why she had chosen to observe the wolf she'd come across before making her presence known. It was one thing to meet a wolf in the clearing outside the den but another to meet one this far from it and she had to think of her safety. Her mother wouldn't like it if she were to get hurt too. When she did finally recognize the female as part of the pack she thought it okay to approach since they would have to meet eventually now seemed as good a time as any though she still felt it necessary to be cautious of the new pack member, at least till she could get to know her better. After all she wouldn't have been allowed in the pack unless her mother had thought it safe.

When the woman spoke Inna relaxed slightly though still kept a safe distance since it didn't seem she meant any harm. She did return the woman's smile, "Yes it is, a bit too cold if you ask me and I expect the water doesn't make it any better ," she said her gaze flashing to the river before returning to the female, "I miss the warmer days and trying to hunt is more like it." For the most part she'd been unsuccessful but she felt with more practice she would get better so she wasn't too worried. "I'm Inna, it's nice to meet you," she replied when Mojave introduced herself.

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2015, 12:30 PM by Inna.)

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Inna, well that was a pretty name. She took that exchange of names to be a good sign that she wasn't going to entirely be the social pariah in their midst, and her smile broadened slightly. It was those little positive interactions that bolstered her confidence and already she wondered how well she would befriend the wolves of the River. So far, they were coming across pleasant on first impressions alone. Even if the chatter was all small talk.

"No, the water doesn't really help things at all," Mojave replied once Inna's voice had tapered off. "It's definitely colder than when I first came here. Makes me wonder what kind of winter this place'll have, I mean, what if it's bad? It would suck if we were all snowed in somewhere." That idea of being restricted did not sit with her well; there were too many horror stories growing up about snowstorms that didn't want to cease. She had been fortunate enough not to need to deal with such things and, well, it wasn't like she could really ask Inna what winter was like, could she?

She decided to make a go of it anyway.

"Do you know what kind of winters happen here?"

The more that she spoke with Mojave the more she felt that the female didn’t mean her any harm so she relaxed enough to move towards the water for a drink of her own. She still kept her safe distance but after all of the walking and practice hunting she’d done Inna couldn’t resist having a drink of the water even if it was colder than normal. While Mojave spoke about the weather and what the winter might be like Inna got her drink in. She’d definitely been right about it not helping and she heard Mojave agree with her.

“How long ago has it been since you first came here?” Asked Inna curiously raising her head to look at the woman. She was sure that had Mojave been around any longer than a week or so Inna would have been sure to have run into her before the pack hunt. The female also voiced some of Inna’s own concerns about the winter that she hadn’t mentioned to anyone but she tried to comfort herself with the thought that her mother and father knew what to do if the winter got bad. “Yes it would, not being able to go out and stretch our legs,” agreed Inna when Mojave spoke of getting snowed in and being stuck inside. Then the woman surprised Inna a little when she asked how the winters were in Hearthwood River. Inna shook her head, “I’m not sure to be honest,” she stated, “I haven’t ever been through one but I’m sure that we will all be alright. They have already started making preparation’s and my mother and father probably have a plan if things do get bad,” Inna assured Mojave with the same arguments she’d been using on herself.

“What brought you to Hearthwood River?” Inna asked curiously since she thought that it might be an important question to know the answer to.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2015, 08:09 PM by Inna.)

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Questions bubbled up, but this time it wasn't Mojave who was rattling them off short of sounding like a machine gun.  In the midsts of their conversation she had managed to glean just who exactly Inna's family was -- the mention of mother and father was enough to lead Mojave to figure that she belonged to Maksim and Kisla.  Or at least that would have been her best first guess anyway; she wouldn't claim to know anything else about the pack.  They seemed a friendly sort, but she couldn't contain the lingering tinge of wariness that had been carried with her all those times.  And the more dire those times had become, the more she felt it coming to a head along with everything else that affected her.

So when Inna mentioned that she hadn't been through a winter, the only thing that came from Mojave was a mute "oh", which all in all was to herself.  She had misjudged the age of her new found companion.  Or at least they could have easily been born on opposite ends of seasons, who knew.  She didn't really hold a mastery over the fluid concept of time anyway, something that no doubt was obvious in her statement.

"I don't know how long I've been here.  Um, a while?  A few days?  I haven't really kept track to be honest with you.  Before I stumbled across this pack I just kind of wandered around on my own."  Her ears splayed uncomfortably, though this was more out of the fact that she was still trying to work through how long she had found herself in the company of Hearthwood River.  "I actually didn't think it was this close to winter already.  Seems like just yesterday it was all sunshine and flowers.  Now things are... bare.  Again," and it was there that a solitary note of sadness had came to her voice.  Her lips pursed and to shake the feeling, she gave her dark-haired companion a shrug.

"But uh, I guess you could say I just stumbled across this place.  And all of you."  Her composure came back to her, though it was shaken in its own way.  Whatever minute realization of how much time had passed struck her and continued on its way to leave her with the urge to change the subject.  "I'm guessin' you were born here, yeah?"

It worried Inna that she didn't know what winter could bring. No one had been specific really. What she did know was that there was worry about if there would be enough food to make it through. She also knew from days past that there was snow and that it would be cold. Other than that she didn't know anything else. What she told Mojave was true though, Inna did feel certain that her parents had a plan to get them through the winter. She also hoped her father would be fully recovered by the time winter had fully set in.

Inna didn't really like admitting that she hadn't been through a winter but she supposed there really wasn't anything wrong with it considering she was still young. She wished she could have given Mojave a better answer. Something that could have helped her prepare for the coming season. Inna felt that winter was just another obstacle that she would have to overcome and at least she would have her pack to help her.

A definite answer was not to be had when Inna had asked how long Mojave had been with the pack. "I suppose it doesn't really matter and your here just in time. I can't really imagine what winter might be like when you’re wandering alone." The truth was she didn't think she could imagine what it was like to be without a pack. "I think you will like it here” Inna was starting to like the newest member of Heartwood River and hoped she'd stay for a while. "I feel the same way," she admitted, "It came much too fast, I certainly wasn't ready." It had been quite the surprise the first time she'd seen snow and felt the bitter chill in the air.

"Maybe you were meant to find us and be a part of the pack?" She suggested. Inna felt it made sense since Mojave had just stumbled upon the pack. Perhaps it was a sign she was meant to be a part of Heartwood River. Inna nodded at the question, "Yes, I was," she replied when asked about being born in Heartwood River.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Nov 19, 2015, 04:41 PM by Inna.)

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Unfortunately, Mojave could attest a bit to what it was like to wander through a chunk of winter alone.  It hadn't been pleasant and perhaps that had attributed to her finding a pack to house her.  Of course, she supposed if she hadn't gone off on her own whims earlier in the year she would have found herself in a much different place.  But the summer winds had tempted her to wander and so she had, and the thought of doing so again when the seasons changed had yet to broach her mind.  Surviving winter was the only thing that she was concerned with and of course, making herself useful to those that had been decent enough to take her scrawny hide in.

As Inna spoke, she could not help but nod at the confirmation that she wasn't alone in thinking winter had come all too quickly.  While the chilly winds had been around for a while, they were certainly tolerable.  But the dampness, the chill that sank into their bones and lingered was something she hadn't prepared for.  Though she scarcely realized she had returned to the Lore, her previous winter had been in much milder climes than where she found herself.  It had also been in the company of family that she had not seen since, perhaps for the better.

"Maybe so," she said when Inna spoke of her finding them as something meant to be.  Perhaps it was, but Mojave could not say for certain.  "Either way, I'm glad I'm here.  Beats roughin' it out there in the wilds anyway."  An easy smile came to her features, complete with a wave of her tail.  She'd take the comfort of companionship over a lonely cold night any day.  Even if she wasn't really acquainted with the majority beyond gleaning a name or appearance here or there, she hadn't sensed any reason why they all hadn't accepted her presence one way or another.

"And if you were born here... I reckon you know where there's some awesome places to check out," she went on to say after a beat, "and I bet we could warm up if we explore a bit.  What do you say?"  Granted, she had gotten a bit of a tour when she had been taken in and had sought some stuff out for herself, but her mental map of the territory was far from complete.

Winter did worry Inna because there seemed to be so much uncertainty that went along with it but at the same time it was also a little exciting because it would be her first winter, but only a little. She knew that it was part of life and she would have to go through it sometime and it seemed the sooner the better. She hoped it wouldn’t be that bad and part of her wanted to get it over as quickly as possible so they could go back to summer months when it was much warmer and something she as used to.

Sometimes she could hardly believe she had gotten so big as fast as she had and the fact that it seemed that winter had come so quickly only seemed to make it more clear how fast she had grown. That thought however really didn’t make her feel any better about winter coming and it only caused her to wonder what the spring would bring for her. Inna also wondered if the winter would pass just as quickly as the summer had, part of her hoped it did.

Inna thought that with Mojave ending up in Hearthwood River when and how she did it might mean that the female was meant to be a part. She was pleased that when she did voice that opinion Mojave didn’t dismiss it and she smiled when the woman said that she was glad she had ended up in Hearthwood River. “Me too,” stated Inna with a smile, “I expect it does and with a little time I am sure it will feel like home if it doesn’t already.”

A mischievous smile could not help it’s self in crossing Inna’s features when she realized where Mojave was getting with her question and then suggestion. “Yes, I think that I can come up with a few places that we could explore,” she stated not at all against the idea, “It is getting a little chilly sitting here isn’t?” Exploring would definitely help them to warm up from sitting and talking. Now all she had to do was come up with a few places that she thought that Mojave would like to see.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2015, 02:46 PM by Inna.)

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