Wildflower Glade race for the sun

The littlest Mizuno was finding her own inclination to roam. With confidence gained by being surrounded by the supportive, loving Grizzly Hollow pack - and her siblings with Nauja and Tyne along with them - Pip had started coming into her own. Out from under the abusive jaws of her aunt and other members of her old pack, the mute girl was learning things far rapidly than anyone had ever given her credit for. Back in Bella Coola, her inability to speak was seen as being unable to learn, unable to hunt, unable to thrive. She was a burden to the pack, sneered at whenever her siblings' backs were turned. Pip had seen even her own mother watching her with disapproval, though the woman had been quick to look away whenever she caught the pup peering at her.

Now, she was a valued member; a talented fisher and a budding hunter as well. She was learning to track, learning what creatures were good for food and which ones to avoid at all costs (beavers included!!). Even Veho had entrusted her with a task as a runner in a great time of need when Oula was giving birth to her three pups. Here, she was useful!

Knowing it had the little female standing a bit taller. No longer did she slink under their gazes and quiver whenever their eyes remained on her for too long. The only quivering now came from over-excitement which was generally tolerated well as she showed the correct submissive behavior throughout. A lift of lips and barely bared teeth was the only message she needed from her packmates that she was getting a little too out of control and she would immediately calm for them.

Of course, her confidence around other wolves was unchanged. Pip was incredibly slow to trust unless given good reason to do so - as with Kjell when the loner rescued her from the beaver. Thankfully, she'd come across none in her wanderings today.

A quick visit to Frog Chirp Creek had fulfilled her puppy-need to chase after the amphibians there, but a new sense of wanderlust had her looking beyond the familiar play place. The farther north she traveled, the more new scents she found. One she came across belonged to a rather sturdy looking, but long squirrel-beast. Its tail was quite bushy, too, but didn't curl up like she was used to seeing.

Eventually, she found herself in a large field of colorful wildflowers. Delighted, she bounded through them, chasing after grasshoppers and butterflies and anything else she could flush from beneath the pretty petals. All in all, it was a beautiful, sunny day!

Template courtesy of Shipwrecks

<3 hope you don't mind

Renier Lyall
It's a common casualty to trust in what you see

The last time he had been in this Thicket he had met Iopah for a second time. That conversation had been interesting. Why he faintly wondered what had become of the woman and the Secret Woodlands like other things he didn't bother to find out. He saw no reason. Right now he was rather aimless. But, if anything he doubted she was still there, or he might have considered seeking her out. He needed a home, and he would rather have one sooner than later. After that...no he liked to shove off thoughts of the future aside. Those images burned.

A sigh, he was taking his time, padding with ease while navigating the twists, turns, and wild vegetation. He had no where to go, and he was thinking about taking a good, long nap. It was cool, and sort of comforting here. His mother had brought him out quite a few times to hunt. At least practice. Or he had 'escorted' Aniu and Sibyl to get a certain plant that he couldn't quite recall. Until the sickness had struck, and his parents had made them leave. Often he wondered what it would have been like if they had stayed. Some how he didn't think his life would be less of a mess.

He had the intent to avoid the Wildflower Glad. Where his parents had ultimately meant, but the scent of a female from the Hollow caught him by the nose. He didn't need that teasing him. Home. Remembrance of where he came from. He had been doing so good at the numb, stifling thing these past days. Curious, and damn lonely he decided to see if she was still here. Trepidation to his paws, he padded just enough to peek out through the trees to the color field. It wasn't the flowers that caught his golden stare. It was the joyful girl playing in them without a care.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2016, 08:37 PM by Renier.)

Of course I don't mind! <3 @Renier

Back in Bella Coola, Pip would spend her free time off on her own chasing sea gulls down the beach. She'd not found such playful company in the more forested lands of Relic Lore, but the butterflies were prettier to look at! Their patterns were so many colors that her orange eyes couldn't help but be drawn to them. A peaceful smile left her tongue lolling before she gave a mighty leap - for such a petite thing - in the air after one such butterfly.

As she landed, her shoulders shook with silent laughter until she realized the butterfly was actually caught on her tongue. She shook her head, but its wings were caught fast in her saliva and she was forced to paw it off. The little female frowned down at the butterfly and nudged it with her nose when it didn't immediately take flight again. She saw its little black legs crawling along the ground, but one wing was irreparably bent, though Pip wasn't one to understand such a thing and continued to encourage it back into flight.

Maybe if she left it alone...

Her gaze tracked up and she froze. Directly in her sights was another wolf. How long had he been standing there watching? Was it his territory? Should she leave? Wouldn't he have chased her off by now if it was, though? Thinking back, she couldn't recall crossing any marked borders but Grizzly Hollow's as she'd passed over.

Nervously, Pip pinned her ears back and lowered her small frame towards the ground. Unable to call out a greeting, she relied on the male's body language to tell her whether to run immediately or stick around and maybe try to make a new friend. She held her breath and waited.

Template courtesy of Shipwrecks

Renier Lyall
The bullet in the blood came from those you trust

Ren was seriously not a creeper. For one if he had been he wouldn't be creeping on Pip, and two he would have noticed a few other things about Morganna and realized where he had went wrong.

Still, he did feel a little odd. Watching her frolic with such glee, trying to catch the small, beautiful butterflies as if nothing else mattered. The look of pure happiness, and care free attitude were so foreign. But, he would bottle up if he could. Why, how could she be real? He didn't think he had ever been like that as a child. Big brother had always had to look out for his brothers and sisters. He had gone through a small selfish period eventually, but not like that. Total abandonment.

He had every intention to move on, curse her under his breath. With faint brows  perched high in both puzzlement and astonishment the rogue was unable to step away. He didn't even realize a faint smile had touched his cheek either as she attempted to help one fly away. But, as simple as a flick of a wrist their eyes met and everything from before shattered. He had really not wanted to be there for that moment. Ruset head dipped sideways, and he held a paw upward in his uncertainty, feeling she was going to berate him. Instead the small wolf shrunk to the ground. Okay. He really didn't know what to think now. But he couldn't just keep standing their like an idiot.

"I'm..I'm sorry. I." Was just watching you? No, not the right words. Mouth hung open in search, but anything that came to mind seemed worse. He was trying not to come off like a serial killer in search for new prey. "You just looked so happy, I...I couldn't look away." The Lyall was sure he had had moments of happiness, but not like that.

@Renier Hahahaha, no worries, Ren. There's an actual serial killer on the loose. You get cut some slack for staring. ;3

It had become habit for the little wolf to submit first and wait for answers later. Since arriving in Relic Lore without knowledge of how she'd come to be there save for a dim recollection of horrifying two-legged deer without antlers, the reaction had served her well enough. This time did not disappoint either.

Red ears flicked forward as the male spoke haltingly with apologies. At his admission of being unable to turn away, Pip felt her cheeks growing warm beneath her fur with embarrassment. Couldn't look away because I had a butterfly stuck on my tongue, she thought, closing her eyes and shaking her head a little as if to scrub the image of what she must have looked like from her mind's eye.

Meekly, her orange gaze traveled back up to meet the stranger's again and she offered a timid wag of her bushy tail. Flowers were swept from side to side in the long arc behind her, but the stems remained unbroken and were otherwise unharmed by her presence. The same could not be said for the butterfly she had forgotten by now which was no longer moving. Perhaps it was best her attention was pulled away, for its death would have saddened the otherwise bright girl.

Cautiously, Pip stood. Her short height kept her head well beneath the taller male's. Regardless, he easily weighed twice as much as she did so she could only hope he felt no threat from one as small as her. If he meant to make an example of her, she was well beyond the boundaries of Grizzly Hollow and far from any help she knew. She thought she may be able to outrun him if it came down to it, but her confidence in that was alarmingly low.

Hopefully, a nervous smile and the wagging tail would be enough to prove she was no one of consequence.

Template courtesy of Shipwrecks

yeah there is :o

Renier Lyall
The bullet in the blood came from those you trust

Ren assumed she was disagreeing with him, but why he felt the need to argue his tongue remained tied. Why he wasn't a man of many words, not arguing for the sake of it was not. But, each day he was a bit less of the child he had been. Right now he wasn't sure what he had left.

The shift of her tail, sweeping across the beautiful assortment of flowers helped to squelch some of the awkwardness. But, was she so shy not to speak? Cause that could be a big, thing of awkward he would struggle to get around without further wounding his own pride. So he thought. But, could manners be charming?

The agouti girl rose, and he figured she might stumble over a name, or silly rambling of what she'd been doing. There was nothing but a fragile smile, and tail wag. All right. He was going to be the only one doing the talking. For the love of...

Clearing his throat, there was a sigh that rose in his chest, but never left his lips. Gingerly, he strode closer, but stopped at a reasonable distance where he sat down. It was from there he realized how small she was, she'd be lucky to reach his elbow. The imagine put a poor taste in his mouth. He didn't mean her harm, and he didn't think she was a weak damsel.

"I'm Renier. This spot was a favorite of my mom and dad." Rambling, was all he could do to fill the silence. " I don't mean harm. You just smell like Grizzly Hollow,and I use to live there. Is the pack doing well?" After all that happened, he now cared to find out how Rook was, even if indirectly.

(This post was last modified: Jul 08, 2016, 04:50 PM by Renier.)

He'd come to visit for his parents' sake? Pip smiled sweetly, finding the action as charming as his need to explain himself. She knew her lack of speech caused many to feel uncomfortable and could only hope the male would work his way through it readily enough. Her red ears perked as he spoke of Grizzly Hollow.

There was a moment of complete and utter shock that was clearly seen in her gaze. Her orange eyes had widened and her head pulled back a little. But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced again by a kind smile. It shouldn't surprise her that others knew of Grizzly Hollow; it was really a lovely place, a lovely pack! To hear that he used to be part of the pack let Pip feel some kind of kinship for him. And to think, they could have been packmates!

She nodded at his question before her head tilted in a silent question of her own. If he had been part of the pack, what had caused him to move on? Pip saw no reason to ever leave, though she knew her siblings were anxious enough to be on their way.

For her, they stayed. Or so they said. Part of her felt they - Blitz especially - were only waiting for the path back to Bella Coola to be revealed to them. Well, she wasn't going back. As much as she loved the ocean, she felt no need to ever return back to the pack who had caused her so much grief and emotional turmoil. No, she was better suited to this forest and its rivers. She was learning things here and not stagnating back on the beaches.

But what had caused @Renier to leave? Was it on good terms or bad terms? Mmm, maybe she should have worried about that first in case he wasn't happy with them. But his posture spoke of no ill will and she pushed the worrisome thought away. He was a friend to the pack. At least, she thought so.

Cras ante nulla, interdum id volutpat et, lacinia sed augue. Aenean vitae libero sed quam ultricies facilisis ac quis velit.

Template courtesy of Shipwrecks

Renier Lyall
The bullet in the blood came from those you trust

He supposed he was revisiting old haunts, for different reasons. Whether they helped his sanity was yet to be decided. 

There was a different smile she gave him at the mention of his purposes. Why he hated to make assumptions, making an ass out of himself,  he felt he had little choice. All he had were her facial expressions, which weren't too reserved. Though the talk of Grizzly Hollow seemed to blow her mind. Or was she worried he wasn't a friend of theirs?

But, a nod was a good induction nothing was wrong in the Hollow. After the considerable amount of time he had distanced himself it was a blessing to obtain it remained and was intact. Though it really sucked not to have details, this could help him live easier with himself. Russet ears tipped back, brows forming together as he tried to understand the incline of her head. Far from a champion of charades it took him a moment.

"Why am I not there any more?" The words fell from his tongue with a question mark at the end. He still didn't like assuming. His voice could counter act that in turn. In any other encounter he wasn't sure he would want to divulge the information he was about to give her. "I left with my parents because of a sickness. I didn't join my brother because we don't see eye to eye..among other things." If he hadn't known Morganna he wasn't sure he would have liked being under his younger brother. "Have you been there long?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 08, 2016, 11:19 PM by Renier.)

Mirroring him, Pip took a seat herself in the flowers. Behind her, butterflies continued to fly on, unaware of their fallen brethren already forgotten by its accidental killer. A stiffer breeze parted the mute girl's thick fur along her chest leaving her to close her eyes protectively for a moment until it passed. Her smile returned in full as Renier successfully guessed what she was trying to communicate. She was impressed! It wasn't many who could catch on so fast. Only her siblings had ever been so spot on before. The little female nodded in encouragement, wiggling excitedly in place.

She could almost feel normal. Not like the oddball she was, but really normal. Having a friendly conversation with a stranger without worrying about being thought less of. It was a nice change. Of course, she'd had quite a string of good luck with the loners she met recently. Fondly, her mind strayed to @Kjell. She wondered if she'd see the wolf again and hoped he would return to the area soon. Whenever he was around, she never felt she had to worry about anything.

The light in her eyes dimmed a bit. A sickness? One so bad it forced an entire family to leave? It was a miracle the wolves of Grizzly Hollow still existed then! She frowned a little as he mentioned a brother. Did that mean he had a brother still in the pack? Subtly, she sniffed at the air a little, trying to pick out his scent from the noxious flowers. It was hard to tell, but from what she did smell, Pip supposed it did seem a bit familiar.

At his last question, she smiled and shook her head. Not long. A few months. She remembered it was the middle of winter when @Yvly first found her alone and frightened in the middle of a forest she didn't know.

Looking back towards Hollow territory, Pip tilted her head before returning her gaze to Renier. Did he...want to join her, maybe?

Template courtesy of Shipwrecks

Renier Lyall
The bullet in the blood came from those you trust

The side of his lip turned up by her reaction. She certainly made yes  an obvious answer. Maybe, she wasn't shy after all, and it was a different reason she couldn't speak in turn. He didn't feel the need to dwell on it, not all things had reason. He would know.

Intentionally Ren didn't elaborate on the details. He didn't like to talk about it, and he didn't want to needlessly place worry. Whatever had brought the disease had ended. If it came again, the signs would be evident and the residents could make their own decisions. Besides he hadn't blamed his parents for leaving, not with two children already in the ground, and the youngest missing. Oh Taima. His wandering sister who would forever be on his mind like the others. He forced those thoughts of family aside.

The frown she gave him was not a sentence, but he felt she must not know who his brother was. Part of him wanted to keep it that way. The one who wanted to just be Ren or Dyami to the world now. He was still convinced he could have a whole new life, one that wasn't screwed to pieces. Shadowed by doubt, and pain.

It was evident she was new to Grizzly Hollow by her next gesture. But his brows furrowed  when she looked away. Or..wait. In the direction of home? "I don't know if that would be a good idea.  Rook and I haven't spoken for a long time." Maybe, he was a sucker. Giving away little pieces of information to a girl who couldn't even speak.