Larkcall Lowlands Fresh Start

Lena sniffed the air, brows knitting as she sorted through the array of smells. Prey. She had seen a lot of large and frankly intimidating herds on her journey, but none more so than here. Wood Bison and Caribou plucked at grasses and shrubs, fattening up in preparation for the winter. There had been rodents too, plentiful, and it was thanks to her speed that she'd been able to feed herself, keeping up with the healthy, skittering beasts. Marmots that had begun to grow rounded at the waist, hares that binkied and bucked, even the occasional lazy prairie dog that rushed for cover a moment too late. This was good land, Lena decided, so the next heavy scent that hit the adolescent came as no real surprise; pack.

Lena had passed numerous packs before, but she was always respectful of their borders. Being a runaway did not mean she had no manners, priding herself on the teachings her father gave her about being a mindful lass. But still, being amicable with strangers did not mean she would prance all happy-happy towards the borders of someone's home. In fact, Lena would rather keep her distance, save herself the woe of having to deal with a grumpy sentry, or the scorn of a lead wolf. She'd experienced that pain before, in a fraction, and the bruise on her buttocks would have been a telltale sign from the harsh nip she had received, were it not covered with wiry fur.

She stared in the direction the wolfy, heavy scent was originating from, wafting on the breeze, before turning away, taking up a slow trot. Perhaps she'd find some vagabond like herself to chat with, and interrogate. She was still on the trail for Relic Lore, after all, entirely oblivious to the fact she actually stood on the edge of it's reach. Lena wouldn't know where she was 'til she asked.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 12:54 PM by Lena.)

(OOC: Hope you don't mind Askan dropping in ^^. Lena is free to try and interrogate Askan to get some gossip)

With the pack so close to forming, Askan made a pointed effort not to stray too far from it's soon-to-be borders.  If he was going to live amongst his own kind,  with allies, then he had to get used to the feeling of sharing their company. He had to smother his temper and be civil. Which, surprisingly-for the most part- wasn't that difficult. The others were quite easy to get along with. Drestig wasn't too demanding and Jessie (for some reason he couldn't quite understand) seemed content to simply glare at him. Phoenix on the other hand was a delight (he'd never word it like that, not aloud at least), he was more than happy to spend time with the quickly growing pup.

With all of that being said, Askan wasn't one for loitering. He preferred to be active, to keep his mind and body busy and alert.  Napping the hot summer days away was a tempting prospect, and he had been indulging in it for the past few days. However,these days the Lowlands were practically crawling with wolves, and whilst that wasn't necessarily a problem Askan feared that perhaps one day it might be. Perhaps one day the Lowlands might get a little too crowded. So despite the fact he had told himself not to stray too far, he did anyway. He didn't intend to be long, he simply wanted to get a better grasp of the tundra that he now called home. How big was it? Massive, from what he could tell. He had spent days, weeks, traipsing through the long grass and he had never actually managed to walk from one end to the other. 

If the Lowlands were as big as he assumed then perhaps the abundance of wolves wouldn't be a problem, as long as everyone was respectful and paid attention to borders then perhaps all would be well. Pft, who was he kidding? When did things ever go that smoothly? Askan rolled his eyes and slowed from a trot to a leisurely stroll. Once again the sun was blazing down, warming the ground beneath Askan's paws and making his tongue hang from his open lips.  He didn't think he would travel for much longer, he had yet to see anything out of the unusual and the longer he stayed out in the heat the less he actually wanted to be there. The prospect of napping by the creek was getting all the more alluring with each passing moment. Just a little while longer so that this trip wasn't a complete waste of time and energy. He at least wanted to head over that ridge over there.

When the muddy wolf looked up from his musings, he spotted a figure trotting off.  They weren't heading in the direction of his home, so he didn't outright perceive them as a threat, but for cautions sake it took it upon himself to question them, to see what they were doing here. If nothing came of it, fine, but Askan was a vigilant thing so he had to know.

"You!" He called after them, breaking into a trot again. "I want to talk." As always, he wasn't the most eloquent but at least he wasn't outright insulting this time.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 02:47 PM by Askan.)

No qualms from me! <3 She'll do what she can, if she stops being a little prankster.

Colour Lena surprised when a voice suddenly bellowed out, causing her to jump. She wheeled around, ears pressed against her skull, and cursed herself. Had she really gotten that close? Had her nose betrayed her? The yearling could have sworn she had kept her distance! In fact, she knew she had. There was really no reason for such a demanding, rude order.

Pale eyes rested on the figure trotting towards her, and she raised a brow at his impolite attitude. He wasn't exactly close, so features were all smudged together and it was hard to pinpoint anything beyond he was black, with yellow eyes like little buttercups.

Lena's ears pricked and her chin lifted. Brute! For a moment she stood her ground, like a scorned little princess. If he wanted to be rude, she need not pay him any mind! She was no pushover, not now not ever. Respectful of ranks when it called for submission, yes, but there was a big difference between that and letting some bully tell her what to do.

She called back to the swarthy stranger, her voice laced with faux irritation. "You want to talk?" She turned away, cheekily, and gave a loud snort. "Then you better bloody well find yer manners an' ask nicely!" With an almost cat-like flick of her tail, and a titter, Lena plopped her rear to the ground. The little voice in her head that governed her logic squealed; perhaps this isn't the best idea! It was too late to run off now. Ah well, Lena had always been one for blind leaps of faith, so why should she change now? She quite enjoyed the thrill of it.

The girl paused. "Er... yer not creeping up on me, are you?," she twisted her head so she could gaze over her shoulder with a genuinely curious expression. She looked a bit daft, really, and entirely giving away the whole I'm-pretending-I'm-angry-at-you shtick.

Askan bristled at her response and his eyes narrowed in clear, seething annoyance. The nerve! He had simply asked her a question, a reasonable one at that, what gave her the right to-  the muddy wolf shook his head, trying to smother his growing, almost insatiable temper. It didn't work very well, and if anything the stranger's curt tone and body language made it all the worse. He stomped to a stop and his mind scrambled to come up with some sort of coherent response that didn't consist of a growl or a snarl. A few choice words sprang to mind, but they weren't much better than outright baring his teeth,so with a great show of self control he managed to bury them deep.

Askan wasn't a bad guy, yes he had many faults but he wasn't outright callous or mean. He tried to be good, he really did. He wanted to get better, to be better, but when he was faced with such contempt, such disrespect he sort of panicked. He scrabbled to hold onto his pride, his sense of worthiness. He wasn't wrong, repeated the mantra in his head, she was, it was her fault. She was to blame. And really, she was just fanning the flames with her indignant, petty response. Rude rude rude, that's what she was.
 
He hadn't quite had the time to form a vocal response, he did get a bit slow when he was like this, when the female spoke again. However, this time his response wasn't quite as audacious.

Tilting his head, Askan blinked owlishly. All of that pent up anger and arrogance just dissipated, sizzled out as though water had been dumped onto an open flame. His mind went blank again, though not out of anger, rather outright confusion. Creeping? As in stalking? Being a creep? A weirdo? Without meaning to, Askan stumbled back a couple of steps.

"No!" He shrieked, his eyes wide with something very close to panic. What was he doing? Gods he wasn't good with girls. "I-I wasn't-" He shook his head fervently, both to deny the accusation, but also in another attempt to clear his damn head.  Thankfully, it worked and he righted himself. He took a couple of steps forward, stood firm and his voice was level, almost bland in it's monotony. "Ehem. I wasn't, why would I do that? Like I've not got anything better to do."

The Yukon wolf eyed the tawny wolf with forced disinterest, like how one would look at a tree or a bush. As though he thought he was better than her. She certainly looked comfortable, confident in the way she sat. This was certainly new, and despite his frosty, somewhat put together exterior he didn't quite know what to make of this newcomer.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 03:53 PM by Askan.)

Lena practically guffawed at his reaction, her eyes lighting up in amusement. He seemed so offended, so distraught, at her little question and to say it wasn't funny was a truth-be-damned lie. His borderline girly shriek, his wildly shaking head. It was like she had accused the stranger of having a crush on someone. The laughter that erupted from within shook her whole body, tail thumping the ground as she gave an ugly snort mid-chortle. No one ever said that Lena was a graceful, dainty girl.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry for playing with you so!" She twisted, her rear never leaving the ground, turning to face the swarthy fellow with a toothy grin. "Anyone ever tell you that yer kinda adorable when you flip out like that? Eh, but I won't lie; proper thought you were a nutter for a moment!" Rising up to stand, she snickered. Boys were silly, and it turned out that adult men could be just as endearingly daft. Full glad she was, though, that she wouldn't have to dash for safety if he took her little manners statement wholly wrong.

She took a few steps forward to close the slight distance that he had caused by staggering backwards in shock. That holier-than-thou look flew right over her head as she tilted her head with a friendly wag of her tail--no harm done? A dozen more steps, full of brazen assurance, Lena decided that she best leave the rest of the walking to him ... well, if he were feeling up to it. At this proximity, she could make out the streaks of tan on his face, like racing stripes. "Awright, truce, yeah?" She had meant no harm with her verbal jabs, in her eyes it was all fun and games. Well, mostly. She had meant it about the manners.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Askan wanted to be offended, he really did but aside from the annoying prickling beneath his skin it was difficult- no impossible to follow through. He had been laughed at a great deal of times throughout the years, so much so that he had lost count, but never had anyone laughed at him quite like this. It was undignified for one, and her whole body trembled with it. Askan wanted to be annoyed, he tried to muster it, but it was like squeezing blood from a stone. He just couldn't do it, no matter how much he frowned. She was just so weird and the dark wolf was stunned by her.

She was still grinning like a fool, but Askan felt as though her apology was sincere. He wasn't the best at reading others, but this was what he surmised and he was happy enough to go along with his conclusion. And so, he had just been about to accept her apology when she continued and of course, once again he was taken back. Though to his credit, this time his reaction wasn't so dramatic and shameful. Instead, his gaze darted immediately away from the tawny wolf as though he couldn't stand to look at her. Adorable? There were worse things to be called, and a compliment was a compliment- but the circumstances...

Askan frowned, thoroughly embarrassed, which made his shame grow then he got further embarrassed and... It was a vicious cycle really and Askan resented how flustered he was getting. His ears pressed to his head and his tail tucked a little between his legs without him even meaning too. All because he was dumped (he had actually bought this on himself, but he wouldn't admit it) into a situation he had never been in before. He was flailing really, it was like watching a bird with soaked wings try to take flight.

"I'm not!" That didn't come out quite how he wanted. He sounded more like a petulant child than an adamant full grown man (which was fitting really considering his personality). "And I didn't flip out, you just... Surprised me is all, won't happen again." 

When the tawny stranger took steps to approach him, Askan didn't shift from his spot. Mostly he didn't want to appear weak or bothered by her presence, but he also didn't particularly mind her coming closer either. For all her bothersome words she was okay, he guessed.

"Truce." He echoed, taking a couple of steps forward to mimic her position. He wasn't going to apologise (he didn't think he could) so this was the best she was going to get. Hopefully she would recognise how much it meant for him to back down like this.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 11:20 PM by Askan.)

Naturally, Lena was far too easy going. She had very few walls, trusted easily--perhaps that was a lesson she failed to attend. It was odd, really, when her father's personality was taken into consideration, but there were certainly a lot of similarities between the two of them as well. Traits that were obvious, if you knew them both.

"And I didn't flip out, you just ..." "Uh-huh?" "... surprised me is all, won't happen again."

"Won't happen again. Is that a challenge?" She chuffed, clearly joking. His response changed very little. Whilst he hadn't suddenly had an outburst, his embarrassment was clear to Lena. She noticed he was flustered and so she let her gaze soften, her smile sweeping across her features rather than bursting at the seems. "Just kidding," she offered, like it was soothing ointment for aching limbs. Her sister sprang to mind at this fellow's apparent character; just like he, Amelié was a bit rough on the outside ... and so, Lena wagered he was just as gooey on the inside. Metaphorically speaking.

She was secretly delighted that he opted to follow suit, taking small steps towards the tawny adolescent and repeating the oath of truce. Right. He'd said it. That was that, no more teasing. For now. Her tail gave a reassuring wag, a sort of I won't bite sway.

"Might seem a tad hopeful to ask this, but ... I'm looking for a place called Relic Lore. D'you know if I'm headed in the right direction?" Pale eyes lit up as she waited for his answer, praying that she hadn't messed her orientation by her little mountainside escapade--that'd be a rough part of her journey. Veeery rough.

For a moment -a dreadfully long moment- Askan thought she was serious, but then she conceded and backed down. It wasn't that he was scared, because he wasn't- he could take anything she could dish out- but it was a little irksome to be teased like this. For once, he let it slide and pretended that she hadn't even said that. Her soft gaze and sweet smile were a pleasant little aside that he couldn't help but take in, as though he was basking in the evening sun. Not that she was as bright or warm, or something he would seek out. Ahem.

If her posture and body language were meant to reassure him then it was working wonders. The tension leaked from his shoulders and slowly his tail slipped out from between his legs. He was sure of himself again and in no time at all he re-assumed his regular, conceited Askan way of standing, of holding himself high as though he knew everything. As though he was the best of the best. Funny how she had him so easily pinned down, though there was no way Askan would have found it funny. He would have been appalled. 

"Relic Lore?" He titled his head as the name rang a bell. "You've found it. I mean, haven't heard many people call it that, but this is it." He shrugged and looked at the expansive tundra on which they stood. "We're in the north, Larkcall Lowlands. Why, what you looking for? Haven't been here too long but I might know something, I could help." 

It felt weird, the words felt heavy, a little unnatural on his tongue but they were said and out there now. It was true though, and there was no hurt in asking. The dark wolf turned away for a moment, looking over their surroundings once more, then back at the stranger. He didn't even know her name, he wanted to know but wasn't sure how to ask. Well, he didn't know how to ask without being a demanding prick, or embarrassing himself. He wasn't sure what was worse. 

(This post was last modified: Aug 27, 2016, 12:20 AM by Askan.)

It would be easy to understand why many wolves would find Lena tiresome company, and even irritating. She had yet to discover something that would ground her, bring out the adult in her. She was a teenager but also still a child, despite not really knowing it. It showed, if you went out of your way to pick her apart. Her naivety, her youthful energy ... how long would it last? Not a question she ever asked herself, but it was a question many back in her birth pack did. She'll grow out of it, they'd say, she needs to focus. She had to. But she never quite did mature in that sense. Ever the playful joker.

Lena's questions received an answer, and his words caused her heart to sing. Her tail was practically vibrating and she beamed with delight. "This is Relic Lore?" She barely registered that this was the northern reaches, barely registered the fact that she was starting to pant with the excitement. Dad's from here! "Wicked! I didn't think I'd find it this fast! I mean, when I think about it, it makes sense. Dad probably didn't wanna stray too far, but he made it seem like it was miles and miles away. Technically it is, I guess. But that's not the point! Yer an angel in disguise, aren't cha?" She threw herself full force down into an excited bow, her tail twirling in the air like a ribbon.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that, I'm looking for my family. Well, my dad's family. He never told me much about it, I just ... felt like I needed to come and experience it. And meet them." Her explanation was honest, if not a bit vague. Her father never gave her the name of the pack, said he didn't deserve to say its name. She thought it daft, how he muttered about how he left them with such a forlorn look. Family never turned away family ... right?