Oak Tree Bend is this the real life?

@Serach! Was the last time I wrote with you back with Cori and Marsh!?

 

IT WAS REALLY HAPPENING.

In an effort not to overwhelm the poor denizens of the Bend - not least because Rue had quickly learned that there were three new mothers here, THREE, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT SO MANY PUPPIES - Ruenna had self-imposed a restrictive social schedule on herself. She would explore the surrounding forest during the times if day when the wolves were most active, and then when they slept, she crept around the den and innermost territory with something approaching obsession. She wasn't 100% sure, because some of the scents were fainter than others, but she counted around five distinct male scents and six female ones. Not including the horde of newborns, of whom she was pretty sure there were five. Of those, only Darrah, Sahalie and Triell bore the smell of Tainn, but that was okay. She had hardly expected this to be a totally-Tainn pack.

Okay, that was lying, a little. She'd totally dreamed of one day coming across a Tainn pack, full of all the wolves she'd heard about, but now that this was a reality, she had to admit that it would have been pretty unlikely. What were the chances of another Hidden Tree, huh? Nevermind.

This was still pretty freaking awesome.

"... three times as long as any wolf," she muttered, speaking to herself at a feverish speed as she paced down beside the river, the sky a muted blueish silver overhead as the moon shone down on Oak Tree Bend. Her new home! It was real! "Males are red but the females are brown, which is dumb but I guess it - anyway, what was - yep, babies look like females but with black beaks, then the beaks turn red as they get older, and their face is black..."

@Ruenna I think it might have been....god that's too damn long <33

Although none of the five newest members of the Bend were Serach's own, the subordinate had put himself to the arduous task of providing protection and nourishment the only ways he knew how. Daily he found himself making the rounds to the three dens, senses alert for any telltale signs that something was amiss. Although his own days as a pup were a long ways behind him now, he remembered with some sense just how helpless he had been, and so he had stepped in to ensure that any curious potential predators were chased off or killed before they could venture too close to the Bend pups and their mothers. That was the most useful he could be, in addition to helping to provide food to the three bottomless pits that @Spieden, @Naira, and @Aponi had turned into now that they were required to nurse their pups.

With a hyper focus on the pack's overall wellbeing and protection in that moment, he had noticed the newest scent amongst them immediately - that of a full grown female wolf. Newly accepted by Spieden, Serach could not say he approved. He was stressed enough as it was without worrying about a new potential danger infiltrating their pack borders and wrecking havoc on them unexpectedly. Her earnest exploration had not been lost on Serach, and so that night he decided to follow her and figure out exactly what it was she was doing. Nose to the ground, the subordinate followed at a loose distance, staying out of sight but not exactly hiding his presence from her. Why should he? He was more Bend wolf than she would ever be, after all, and this was his home to protect.

He followed her to the river, settling into an easy lope as he followed her through the wood. Poking his head through the underbrush, he watched her walk downstream along the bank. She was talking to herself, with a feverish pitch that set Serach on edge, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the foliage and further announced himself with a low chuff to call her attention. "Hey!" He called, his tone somewhere between authoritative and curious, whatever that was. "What are you doing?"

Definitely <33

The first reaction was that of guilt. Too absorbed in what was in front of her, Rue had completely missed the fact that she was being followed. It was such an unusual thing, for most wolves had no reason to pursue some wandering loner - and the only time they did, she had made a mistake. Normally so diligent about making sure that she never trespassed, Rue had nevertheless managed to mess up a handful of times thanks to her vast ability to get sidetracked. The moment a voice called out behind her, laced with what she interpreted as accusation, the Tainn froze and panicked for a heartbeat.

No, wait. This was different. She was allowed to be here! As her head caught up with her instincts and reminded her that, no, she wasn't doing anything wrong, the words which had first sounded harsh suddenly seemed a lot more innocent - just curious, perhaps even friendly! Head and ears perking up as she turned about to face him, she saw the light-pelted man watching her, and smiled wide at him, tail high and wagging freely. A packmate! One of hers! Because she was in a pack! It wasn't gonna stop feeling weird anytime soon, no sir.

"Recounting everything I know about songbirds," she chirped, quite earnestly. "Helps keep me focused, yaknow? Though I messed up the pine and palm warblers, I always do that... Do you know just how many different kinds of warbler are yellow? It's crazy."

Serach watched her freeze; it seemed she had been too preoccupied with whatever it was she was doing to notice that she had been followed. It didn't seem to bother her though, for in a half a moment she turned to face him with a smile plastered on her face and an eager tail. It was not the reaction Serach had expected, but he could not help but pull the corners of his own lips upward in a smile of his own, although certainly much smaller than her's. It only grew as she answered his question, offering an explanation so absurd that Serach had no doubt that she was telling the truth.

The tension in his muscles relaxed as he processed just what she had said, trying to wrap his mind around the sheer ridiculousness of it. Is that what she had been doing during her nighttime explorations? Chattering on about songbirds? Shaking his head and relaxing his posture, he answered her at first with a mirthful laugh. "No," he told her as his chuckles subsided. "I can't say I know anything about songbirds, except that they sing." He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. There had never been need for him to know, and with five new mouths to feed, now did not really seem like an appropriate time to try and learn.

"You've been exploring a lot," he spoke up again, this time the laughter gone from his voice. Shifting forward, he took a few steps towards her while he sniffed at the air. Her's was an unfamiliar scent, but mixed with the familiar scents of his pack mates - Darrah in particular. He couldn't say he trusted his cousin's judgement in companions, but Spieden would not have allowed somebody too incapable of joining the Bend, especially not at that time. "Are you looking for something?"

Laughter was, without fail, the most rewarding reply that Rue ever got. Happy to have amused him - who she peered at a little more closely, now, and though the moon offered its full light it was still difficult to make out any little details. It didn't help that his fur was almost the same colour as the light which bathed everything, turning even her own more honey tones into a cool silver. It was so hard to tell for sure what colour his eyes were, but no doubt she'd find out come morning. He confessed to knowing little and nothing about the birds, and of course it didn't matter one bit, the reply met with only a broadened smile.

The next observation, while perfectly true, prickled with a hint of accusation, in much the same way that his first question had. Rue chose to ignore it, knowing that she was not in the wrong... or, at least, she was pretty sure. There weren't any rules against investigating your new home, were there? If anything, she assumed such a thing would be encouraged! She could tell he was studying her scent, trying to identify her, and for some reason it made her just a touch uneasy. She was allowed to be here. "No," she replied lightly, closing the gap between them just a little bit more, determined to show him that she had nothing to hide. His own musk swam about in her head and she knew instantly that he was one of the more established wolves here, for his scent was laced in every nook and cranny of this territory. His distrust made sense, intellectually. Unused to being in this particular role, though, of newly-accepted-stranger, Rue struggled not to feel offended by it.

Everything could be solved with more words.

"At least, nothing in particular, if that's what you mean - I'm just really used to always being on my feet, and there's so very much to see around here! It's kinda exciting to have a reason to really, really get to know a place, and not just pass through it. I'm just trying to learn everything I can about it, so... so it can feel like home."

Whatever discomfort she might have felt by his presence, she didn't show it. Rather than take a step back at Serach's intrusion into her personal space, she stepped forward to meet him. She was sizing him up as well, that much he could tell, but she was confident enough to not back away while he did the same. That was a good sign, and the man felt himself relax just a little bit more. If she had anything to hide, surely she would have run when she realized that the game was up.

Ears perking as she responded with a definitive "No", his head began to tilt to the side to look at her quizzically. Before it could reach it's intended position, though, she elaborated her response. He listened intently to her reply, his yellow eyes focused on her own. There's nothing hiding there, he realized after a moment, letting her words sink in and process. It seemed his preoccupation in keeping his packmates safe had gotten the better of him and raised his suspicions unnecessarily. She was certainly odd, but if she was dishonest, she was far too good at hiding it for Serach to realize it.

Stepping backwards a step or two, he gave her back her breathing room as a silent sign of acceptance. Looking beyond her, his gaze traveled up the river where he knew the Three Sisters to be several miles upstream. As familiar as it all was, he could still see the beauty in it all, and her professed excitement to see all of it warmed his heart. "There is a lot to see," he confirmed, bringing his eyes back to meet her own. "But why the Bend? What did you think was so special about this place that you didn't want to just 'pass through it'?" Having never left the Bend for any significant amount of time, he had a hard time understanding the wanderlust that so many wolves he knew had been afflicted by. "I'm Serach, and I was born here, so I hope you understand why I'm protective of the place - it's the only home I've ever felt." He wasn't exactly apologizing for his earlier behavior, but he did hope she would understand why his reaction had been as gruff as it was. If she was so intent on making the Bend her home, she would have to get used to the wolves like Serach who would give everything to protect it.

When he shifted back just a little, she recognised it as a small gesture of trust, and took heart. Where her tail had been showing signs of slowing, this shift in the dynamic reinvigorated her, the limb making the very softest of whooshes as it cut through the night air over and over. When his gaze slipped from her face to the river, she watched him for a moment before looking in the same direction, wondering what everything looked like from his perspective, the perspective of someone who knew a place so intimately.

Their eyes met again at the same time, her ears high as she listened. Ruenna made sure not to laugh at the question, even though she very much wanted to, because there was no way he'd realise why until she explained and she didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Her self-restraint was not enough to keep her grin from widening, though.

Serach explained his behaviour, and she nodded, understanding at least a little. Ruenna had never been protective of places, only people, but maybe that was the same thing for a pack? After all, without the wolves, Oak Tree Bend was just a bit of river in a patch of forest, right? The thought shifted something inside her head, and suddenly she understood him a bit better.

"I don't think I've ever spent more than a moon's cycle in one spot... nothing's ever made me want to stay put before. I've always found family to be home, not places," she said, "and my parents were nomads, so home was wherever they were. But I've been on my own for a while, so I guess that made me homeless, and, well... my name's Ruenna Tainn. I found home again." 

She was a cheerful creature, of that much Serach was absolutely certain despite this being their first meeting. Nothing seemed to deter her - the silly grin had never left her face and her mottled cream and brown tail had yet to stop wagging. In a place like the Bend, unfettered cheer was damn near impossible to come by and once again, he found himself wondering why Spieden had accepted the girl. Perhaps having children had lightened @Spieden's mood? Whatever the reason, the subordinate found himself silently grateful that this too-cheerful-for-her-own-good girl had been welcomed into the pack. They could all stand to be a bit more cheerful, me included.

His ears perked as she responded in a rambling way that seemed to match her permanently cheerful nature. It was hard for him to understand because he had always had pack, a permanent home to stay with. While she had never stayed in the same place for more than a moon's cycle, he had never been gone from the Bend for that long. Truly, they were polar opposites.

But it was her name that made him stop, his eyes widening in clear surprise. "Wait, what?" He asked, his mouth agape as he simply stared, his brain trying to put together the pieces. That would explain everything, cheerful nature be damned. "You're not...wait..." he stammered, trying to get the words out. That meant they were family, in the roundabout way that Serach felt himself related to the Tainn's. "Ruiko?" No, that wasn't right - Serach could vaguely remember the names of his uncle's children, and Rue was not one of them and he was certain he would have remembered. Not Borlla either, as far as he could tell, although she did have the cream colored look he vaguely remembered the youngest Tainn daughter having. The possibility of...no, there's no way, but he had to ask. "Indru? Are you Indru Tainn's daughter? I'm uh....I'm Corinna's son."

Some kind of reaction was inevitable. If he was born and raised here, then even though he wasn't a Tainn, the name would certainly mean a lot to him. Rue watched the surprise wash over his expression, gracious enough to keep quiet long enough for him to think it through, though at several points she almost blurted it out to save him the trouble. But just like when Darrah had heard her surname for the first time, Rue found herself needing to hear the names without prompting, the names which, before meeting her cousin among those magnolias, had been more like a secret between herself and her closest family. Towards the end, they'd been a secret for her and her father alone, something they shared with only each other, and Rue had fully expected it to stay that way forever. Ruiko and Indru fell from Serach's lips, and just hearing them made her chest light up in happy fireworks all over again, another it's really real! moment which would totally not be getting old anytime soon.

Corinna! She knew that name, too, and - if possible - she perked up even more at hearing it, for now she was able to write down Serach's name more confidently, in its proper place. "Kinis," she clarified, and took a step towards the pale man who was suddenly a lot closer to what she understood of her family than she'd first realised. "I know Corinna," she enthused, then corrected herself: "I mean, my dad told me about her, she lead Swift River with Indru when dad and Ruiko and Volkan left to make Copper Rock Creek, I obviously never met her." Rue paused for a heartbeat, but tact was never her strong suit. Nevertheless, she managed to only half-ask it. "Is she...?"

He could almost see the smug grin on her face as he tried to pick out the right Tainn sibling that she descended from. It was hardly a fair game, though. Rihael and Lani Tainn had been prosperous, and despite the havoc that the wild fire had wrecked on Hidden Tree, their children had also been largely successful at creating prosperous lives for themselves. She didn't let him guess for long, though, correcting his - thankfully - false assumption that she was the daughter of Indru. Now that would have made for an interesting conversation.

"Kinis," he repeated, mentally searching through the branches of the family tree to place the name. He knew it, although not as well as some of the other's that were on there. "He was, er, is Triell and Borlla's littermate, right?" That sounded right, and was only confirmed in his mind when Ruenna commented that she too knew about his parent. Not personally, Ruenna would have been too young to have ever met the Tainn matriarch, but that did not stop the pride and warmth from filling Serach's chest. So few wolves seemed to know who she was that even her awkward question about Corinna's state did not bum his out like his normally would.

"She did indeed," he confirmed with a dip of his head. "She founded the Bend after Indru left them for the third, and final, time. She passed away more than two years ago, when my brother and I were less than a year old," he explained. "I'm afraid Ruiko died that same year. I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to meet him - he would have loved to meet you," he added before falling silent to give her time to process everything he had told her. There was so much he wanted, and needed, to share and explain to her, but too much would overload anybody, even furiously energetic goofballs like herself.