Sacred Grove Embarking

For @Moonshadow

Midday with a light snow and the temperature is in the single digits.

As promised Kajika was on his way back toward the lake that he had previously visited only a few days ago to find Moonshadow and bring her back to Fallen Tree Cove with him. He’d never had the chance to bring another wolf into the pack and was his chance, he hoped that it went really well and that the young female would be welcomed into the pack. Though it was getting onto winter and she would be another mouth to feed if she was able it wouldn’t matter because she could help to find just as much food as she ate so it would hopefully balance out. He was sure that his alpha’s would consider that when they considered her acceptance. He also hoped that he would find her where he told her to wait and because her den wasn’t far from the lake she would’ve had plenty of food and water to last her till he returned for her.

He had followed the same trail that he had only days before when he had first discovered the lake which only took him a few hours to make it to the forest that surrounded the lake. Once he was there he began to search for Moonshadows scent which it didn’t take him too long to pick up on it. As he followed it he wondered if he would find her in her den or if she would be down by the water getting a drink or something to eat. Soon the scent became much stronger telling him that it was a place that she must spend a lot of time. “Moonshadow,” he called out hoping that she was nearby and would answer quickly. They would need to get a move on if they were going to make it back to Fallen Tree Cove before dark. “Moonshadow,” he called once more as he moved through the trees in case she hadn’t heard him before.

(This post was last modified: Dec 21, 2015, 02:52 PM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

The last few days had left her in a flurry of emotions. Excitement, worry, joy, glee, nervousness, and fear all filled her being as she awaited Kajika’s return. Or she hoped he would return. In the back of the young wolf’s head was the fear that he wouldn’t in fact return and she wouldn’t be closer to joining a pack. She shoved these negative thoughts and focused on the positive. Moonshadow had stuck close to her makeshift den like she had been instructed to do. She would only venture out to get some water. She didn’t need any food yet for she was still satisfied from the moose that she had a few days back.
 
The dark girl wasn’t use to waiting around for someone so she was over taken with boredom. So she would go back to the lake to watch the bears’ fish. She would stay along the tree line so that she would not be seen and would have an escape route if needed. Today however she had decided to not go to the lake but instead decided to take a nap since she hadn’t slept much the past couple of nights.
 
The youngster was dreaming about playing with her siblings as a pup. They were rough housing when the girl heard her name being called.  In her dream she turned around but no one was there. She heard it again but this time it sounded like it was almost right on top of her. She slowly began to wake realizing that her name was being called from outside her den. Her ears perked up as the sound of his voice pulled her from sleep.
 
It was Kajika! The girl instantly got up and bolted out of her den with excitement! “He had come back” she told herself barely able to contain her excitement. She faced her den looking above it into the forest. She could see a dark figure moving in her direction but facing more to her left. “I'm over here” she called happily with her tail wagging behind her. She was ready to start a new chapter of her life.

Kajika was glad that Moonshadow had agreed with joining Fallen Tree Cove, if she hadn’t he probably would have worried about her all winter with her being so young.  It might have been a different story had this been the summer or spring and she had a few months to prepare for the coming weather but as it was she did not and he felt it his duty to look after her so this trip in the direction of the lake full of salmon was to collect the young girl and bring her back to his home.  Hopefully over time she like he had would make it her home as well.  He had already decided that whatever help she might need he would give it to her.  Now all he had to do was find her in the forest before he came to the shores of the lake.

Her scent had grown stronger the further he traveled and that he found comforting that perhaps she had done as he had told her and stayed near her den.  When the scent became fresher  and then he heard her voice a smile crossed his face, “Well you can follow directions,” he said a slight joke in his tone as he approached her, “That’s good,” he added as he looked over what she had called a den.  “And this is better than what you described as far as dens go.”  Perhaps he didn’t need to be as worried as he was but he was here now and had every intention of bringing the yearling back to his pack.

He turned to look at her more seriously, “It’s good to see you Moonshadow,” he said a smile crossing his maw.  He was glad to see that she was still alive and that she had trusted that he would come back for her.  “I hope that things have gone okay for you here by the river and before we head back to my pack wanted to cover any questions that you might have,” he explained.  He didn’t know if she would have questions like he’d had when he had first had the thought of joining the pack.  If she did he wanted to get them out of the way before they were standing in front of Vespertio .

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

The thought of being in a pack again made the dark girls heart leap. To be surrounded by those who accepted her and could possibly love her again was all she ever wanted. Although she was filled with happiness, a sense of nervousness danced through her pleasant thoughts. What if they don’t accept me? What if they don’t want me? The youngster had never known what it was like to be among complete strangers. She had either been surrounded by family or completely on her own. It was an intimidating situation that left an uneasy feeling deep in the girls gut.
 
Moonshadow had always been good at hiding her true feelings and showing only what she wanted to be seen but her excitement was able to mask her uneasiness, even from her awareness. She met Kajika with a smile as he came towards her. He had commented about her being able to follow directions with a slightly joking tone that made the young girl chuckle in response. “When given such simple instructions it would be harder to not follow them” she said matching his tone. When he commented on her den being better than she described she felt a small sense of pride for being able to something well on her own. Nobody had ever been around to comment on how she was doing or give her pointers since she had to do things on her own. It was nice for her to get reassurance and simply have ones company.
 
“It’s good to see you too!” she exclaimed maybe a little bit too happily and eagerly. She pushed aside the overwhelming happiness so that she didn’t come across as too juvenile. This was a very serious situation that she wanted and needed to face as maturely as possible. Kajika asked if she had any questions that she wanted to cover. She indeed did have a few since the only other pack she had known was family and this would be filled with strangers.
 
“I do actually” she started unsure where to begin. “May I ask how many members are in your pack?” she wanted to know what exactly she was walking into so that she could be mentally prepared. “Also I would like to know what would be my responsibilities as a member…The last time I was in a pack I was a pup so I understand that I would have a much different role to play now that I’m older.” She asked shyly, she didn’t want to seem as if she was naive but it had been months since she lost her family and she had never paid particular attention to the exact roles of each adult. She needed to know so that she didn’t come across as a burden and felt like the dark male would be better to ask instead of the alpha. She felt a sense of protectiveness from the older wolf, as if he wanted to look after her. It made her much more comfortable and allowed her to be more open about what she knew and didn’t know.

Kajika couldn’t imagine what the last few day had been like for Moonshadow waiting for him to return and not knowing if he would. Wolves by nature weren’t very trusting creatures so she had to put a lot of faith in him that he would show back up. It was of course lucky that Kajika had never been one to go back on his word. He’Dirty. Proved that to Des, where ever she was now and he would prove it to Moonshadow when he showed up. She would need someone in the pack to help her through her first through months, it had helped him to have Des. The least he could do was be that for Moonshadow since he was bringing her in. Still he would help her more if that was what she needed since he felt that she would be his responsibility.

Without too much trouble Kajika found her just where he told her to be and that he was glad for since he wanted to get them both back to the pack before dark. She had also taken his comment about following directions well which he considered being a good sign. “You do have a point there,” he said thoughtfully in response to her come back. Kajika was also impressed with her den though he hoped that after spending sometime on her own she would figure out the best way to make a den that worked for her. Even though there was a communal den for the pack Kajika felt that it was a skill that was necessary to know.

She too was happy to see him which he didn’t blame her at all for. She had been the one waiting and not knowing if he would in fact return for her but he excitement now and the fact that she had waited only convinced him more that she was serious about joining the pack. He hoped that she was up to though as long as she pulled her weight and helped where she could then he was sure that she would be fine.

Kajika also remembered when he was trying to join a pack that there had been a lot that he had to consider before he would say yes so he thought that perhaps there were some things that Moonshadow wanted to know too. As it turned out there was and he was happy to answer any questions that she might have. Her first question was a simple one, “Not too many,” he said before he counted them in his head, “Just nine including myself,” he added. Her next question was a little more difficult and would require a much longer answer. “As a new member you would be expected to pitch in doing things such as hunting for the pack and patrolling the borders. Later when you have found your place in the pack you can try for a role in the pack such as scout or hunter. Just remember to do your part to help the pack and you should be fine, he explained while also trying to reassure her. “Now is there anything else you would like to know, ask whatever you like.”

(This post was last modified: Dec 23, 2015, 10:01 PM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

Nine wolves she thought that’s about how big her original pack had been and she tries to remember the exact number but it dance on the edge of her memory just out of reach. Moonshadow looked at the ground after she asked her second question slightly embarrassed that she didn’t know. She almost didn’t catch Kajika’s answer because she was trying so hard to remember a detail that escaped her. He explained that she would be expected to help hunt and patrol borders among other things to help the pack out. These things are all what the girl had figured was going to be the cases seeing that a pack has to eat and protect its land.
 
 “Alright” she replies looking back at him “I may need a little help with both of those tasks…I was always too small to go on patrol and don’t have much experience hunting large prey” she admitted with reluctance. She was a wolf, she was supposed to know these things and often felt inadequate since she did not. “But I can hunt small prey and fish just fine” she added so that he would know that she could contribute something at least. “I mean I have survived on my own for quite some time” she said with a laugh trying to lighten the mood, well more like her mood. She hated going into the negative and tried her best to keep things light. She smiled at her new found friend and hoped that he didn’t think less of her as a wolf for not knowing basic skills.

Though nine wolves in a pack was a good number he thought there however some sadness in his thoughts when he thought about their numbers. His thoughts drifted to those that had been lost in the past month’s Des, Anthem, and Primrose. There had been much that he had been told about the white female and he didn’t have much of an opinion of her from the things that he’d heard but Anthem and Des were great losses to the pack and Des especially to him. He thought as his gaze looked over Moonshadow that she could if she worked hard enough become a valuable member of the pack. In fact that was his hope for her.

She was truthful with him about her skills and what she had learned in the past and that he admired. In the position she was in she could have lied so that he wouldn’t second guess himself in helping her to join his pack. “You don’t have to worry,” he assured her, “There will be time for you to learn whatever you want and all you have to do is ask for help if you need it.” Though he hadn’t been completely sure when he joined Fallen Tree Cove if it was the right place for him he had found in time that it was. He had made the right decision. Kajika chuckled, “You do make a good point, you have survived for some time on your own and those skills will help you in the pack.” He glanced at the sky for a second before looking back to Moonshadow, “If there isn’t anything else we should be on our way,” He added, “It would be best to reach the borders before dark I think.”

(This post was last modified: Dec 26, 2015, 09:57 PM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

OOC Comments:
---Sorry it took me so long to reply I went home for Christmas and left my computer at my place---
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He was reassuring in his response to Moonshadow’s PROBITY of her skill level. This made her feel much more relaxed and ready to begin this new chapter. Her tail swished with eagerness as Kajika looked at the sky to gage the time. “It would be best to reach the borders before dark I think.” He stated. “Alright lets go” she replied excitedly and spun on her heels in the direction from which he came. However while turning quickly the youngster tripped on her own paws and stumbled for a few steps before regaining her footing. “That was graceful” she said more to herself than to her companion with a small laugh. She turned back to Kajika “uhhh – you should probably lead since I have no idea where I'm going”.
 
She smiled at him and then looked back at her make shift den. She felt a pang of sadness for a brief moment; this had been her home for the last few weeks and the place that marked a new beginning for her. The girl looked at it for a moment more, for sentimental reasons and looked back at the dark male who she hoped could be a mentor to her. “How far is it anyways” she asked as they began their way towards the pack lands.

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2015, 07:35 AM by Moonshadow.)

No worries.

The truth was he didn’t expect her to be great at everything when it came to the skills that she knew. He remembered what it was like growing up, trial and error until you got it right. Even though he was three and had lived on his own for some time he was sure there were things that he wasn’t very good at. He thought that reassuring her that it was okay of she wasn’t the best would help her to feel more comfortable asking for help if she needed it as well as knowing that it wasn’t expected for her to know and understand everything. He smiled when she agreed with him about getting their journey started and watched with concern as she stumbled a little, “Are you okay?” He asked his concern clear in his tone. He nodded when she said that he should probably be the one to lead, “That might be best,” he agreed.

Kajika started in the direction he’d come from before noticing that Moonshadow wasn’t with him but instead she was looking at the den she was leaving behind. “Not too far, a couple of hours,” he told her when she finally looked back to him. “It seems sad and uncertain now but in time you will see you’ve made the right choice,” he told her letting his gaze fall on her den once more.

(This post was last modified: Jan 06, 2016, 02:28 AM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

His words filled the space between him and the ebony youngster. She trusted in his words easily and hoped that they would turn out to be true. Moonshadow had always been trusting of others but this was the first time she had trusted this much this quickly. With one last glance at her den, the girl closed the space between her and Kajika. She walked at his side but a bit back with her muzzle in line with his shoulder so that he could lead the way.
 
The pair made their way through the forest towards the Fallen Tree Cove territory. It was snowing lightly and the view was breath taking. There hadn’t been much talk during the trip due to the girl mulling things over in her head about what was about to unfold. “So…”she began not wanting to seem nosy “what made you decide to join this pack?” She kept looking at the scenery as she asked, but then looked at him to see if she could read his emotions. Kajika reminded the young girl of her older brother Icen, in the way that he showed concern for her and her well-being. This brought a small smile to the girl’s face as she reminisced in fond memories.
 
She was brought back to reality when she stepped on something a bit sharp. She looked down to see what it might be, but saw nothing. She kept going without missing a beat because the pair was to make it to the pack borders and the sun had begun to set.