Spectral Woods Lonely Girl

All Welcome - though I was thinking @Kyna since I don't think we ever agreed on getting a thread up? xD
Territory Discovery: Memorial Mound
  In the depths of Spectral Woods, where the fog grows so thick that even the closest trees disappear from sight, the forest suddenly opens up into a small clearing. Sliver's of sun light, burning away at the mist, reveal a small mound, covered in lush grass and scattered weeds. At the crest of the little hill sit a strange sight: Lain into the earth are two small rings of oval stones, separating out circles of colorful flowers from the surrounding grass. And in the center of one sits an impressive moose skull, safely anchored in the dirt, still attached antlers spreading like wings above the display. It is clear that this place was constructed as a memorial a long time ago, though by and for whom seems long forgotten.

This was farther south than she'd ever been before. Usually she was drawn to the more cliffy terrain, either in the mountains, or more recently the red hills directly east. But, just like when she was just a naïve pup running around the woods, expecting to bring home her father, she had found no trace of the wolf who had vanished so many weeks back. This time she'd given up sooner, the optimism of youth long gone from her system. Now she was truly lost. She had the Pines, which should count for something, at least there were a few wolves there that she cared about; @Arion and @Eirian, perhaps even the strange, but interesting, @Eek. But it wasn't the same as family, and as much as she tried to deny it, there was a small part of her heart that yearned for that.

Which brought her down into the Spectral Woods. The last time she'd been here, she'd run into Kyna and @Sahalie on a snowy day, and despite some start up difficulties, they'd had quite a good time; Playing games… It seemed such a distant thing, childhood. The slate coated yearling shook her head, waving oversized, russet ears, there was no use in reminiscing. And what she'd come here for was something else entirely, or so she thought. She was looking for @Naira, her grandmother now the only remaining strand of family she had within her reach. The old woman was supposed to live down here somewhere… In truth, Nalda didn't really know why she'd come looking, what she expected to gain from the visit. She just felt this need.

But so far she'd found no signs of pack, only trees and fog, hardly what she'd consider a nice home; Like the Timbers are much better… She supposed everyone would make do with what options they had. Golden eyes blinked, narrowing to gaze through the thick white, her fur already heavy with moisture. But she continued, ever the explorer. And after a few more steps, the mist did seem to thin a bit, though what she saw beyond it was not trees, it was grass. Curiosity blooming in her chest, the young wolf continued forwards, tall, wet blades brushing against her as she started up a small slope, ears perked. The hill was small, and with long tendrils of fog still curling out from the surrounding woods, there wasn't much of a view from the little top. But there was something else. Tilting her head, the girl looked down at her find, lips pursing as she tried to make sense of it. The little monument was obviously made by someone, but who; And why?

Word count: 446

Thoughts ”Speech”

No matter how many times Kyna took off on an adventure for the day, or maybe the night too, it never quite quashed her desire to set off again.  Sure, she’d be satisfied for a few days – but only a few days at best, and then she found her paws itching again.  The irritation never stopped, not until she picked up and moved.  She always returned to Oak Tree Bend in the end.  Was that the problem?  She hadn’t felt like this back at Silent Moon Plateau.  Perhaps it was the heights calling back to her; perhaps she just wasn’t old enough to understand wanderlust at that age.

She hadn’t gotten far when the youth noticed the eerie fog that had settled in the forest.  Surely, fog didn’t just come out of nowhere like this?  But then, she’d have surely noticed before she left the pack’s territory.  Kyna had half a mind to simply turn back and wait for better weather when a familiar scent caught her flared nostrils; curiosity quickly got the better of her.  The strawberry blond weaved through trees, stopping every couple of strides to scent, adjust her direction.  The thick air was making tracking much more difficult, but eventually—

“Nalda!” she greeted the familiar girl – oh, but she was certainly bigger than she was last they’d met.  Kyna’s tail hung behind her, wagging gently in a show of good faith as she slowed her approach.  “What are you looking at?  Did you make it?”

...never got this tag.  Apparently RoW wants me to keep up our habit of one post a month, lol.  :9

A wild dissertation appears!

Clearly >.<

There was no doubt that someone had meticulously picked out, carried and lain the stones, clearing the grass from their center and transplanting flowers instead. Many different types and colors, all of which the tri-colored girl didn't know the names of, neither did she care. Though one was familiar, larger than the rest and blooming on a long stem curving high from the middle of the bunch; Rose. Its scent wafted to her, thicker than the mismatched perfumes of the smaller plants, an almost sickly sweet aroma. She wrinkled her nose and turned to the other circle, a lot cleaner looking, mostly grass with a perfect circle of small, white flowers surrounding the large skull. Nalda couldn't help herself, she reached out, tentatively grabbing an antler between her teeth and tugging lightly. It didn't budge. Obviously someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure it stayed put; But why?!

The sudden voice made her spin around with a start, eyes wide and ears pinned flat while she searched for the source. A golden-red form appeared out of the fog, larger and bulkier than herself, and yet Nalda breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the girl who'd called her name; "Kyna." She muttered the name, eyeing the other yearling with ill-masked surprise. She hadn't imagined she'd run into the mountain dweller down here; Has she come to visit Sahalie, too… Or maybe not too; Is that what I came for? She honestly wasn't sure. Kyna's question offered a nice distraction from her thoughts though, and the slate lass turned her gaze back to the monuments. "No, I don't know," she replied, looking over the mass of flowers. Then, thinking the short answers might be confusing she quickly added: "Who made'm. I jus' found 'em." She looked back up at her friend, oversized ears now raised, her natural curiosity taking over; "What'a y'think they're?"

Word count: 317

Thoughts ”Speech”

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

“It is nice to see you again,” she murmured quietly, ears rotating forward as she was greeted.  It was not--  Well, it really wasn’t enthused as some of Kyna’s other friends.  That the other yearling was more like Greer, reserved and careful with his words, crossed her mind; but so did the thought that she’d offended the swarthy female somehow.  Fighting the urge to frown, the strawberry blonde silently vowed to look into the matter later, reflect on things.  She had liked her last visit with Nalda, and did not relish the idea of a broken relationship because she’d done something foolish.

But for now, it would be most beneficial to get out of her own head.

“Oh.  It’s very interesting, though,” Kyna murmured, slithering closer to the makeshift monument.  She tipped her head to one side, looking it over and back while the other female gave her brief explanation.  But what where they?  That was a very good question.  For a moment, the redhead found herself wishing she had Sahalie’s savoir-faire, having little idea herself what they were, or what to do with it.  Still--  Like Nalda, she wanted to know.

“I don’t know.  It seems purposeful, though.  Should we touch it?  Do you think that would be okay?” She paused for a moment. “It doesn’t seem like anyone has been here for some time, as it were.”

A wild dissertation appears!

The quiet but honest sentiment surprised Nalda, eyes widening slightly and turning back to the reddish girl. Their last meeting had been, nice, she remembered enjoying herself with the two other girls, but it had been a long time ago. None the less, she smiled faintly, remarkably not even having to force the expression, voice similarly low as she replied: "Y'too." Then the attention turned back to the plots before them, a sigh of relief dropping from the darker girl's lips. She didn't like socializing really, had no skill for small-talk and generally found it pointless; Unless you're trying to get something out of someone… But there was nothing particular she thought Kyna had to offer on that front, she certainly didn't seem like the type to hide big secrets. So much better to focus on something new and curious, discovering together as it was.

She agreed that the markers were fascinating, so different, yet clearly put deliberately next to each other. Kyna seemed to be thinking along the same lines, moving closer to investigate further. Nalda shrugged at her question, glancing around the empty clearing; "Don’t see wh'not." She couldn't imagine what damage it would do, and there was no one around to see anyway. Trailing around the spots, the slate-bodied girl followed her friend's suggestion, gently prodding one edge of the antler with her nose. "Mhm," She agreed as the larger yearling continued to follow the same line of thought as herself, bringing a fresh, soft smile to her lips. She nodded for emphasis; Maybe she IS still fun… It was an absent thought, fleeting though her mind as she continued to circle the plots. There seemed no point to the rings of stone, other than separating the flowers from the grass. "Wh'would 'nyone do this?" She mused out loud, finishing her inspection as she came up to the golden girl's opposite side. Stretching out a paw, she pushed lightly at one of the stones, trying to wiggle it but without results. Looking back up she raised a brow, meeting the bright orange gaze beside her; "What y'think?" Genuinely curious, she waited to hear the response eager to shed some light on the odd construction.

Word count: 367

Thoughts ”Speech”

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

“That…  That is a very good question,” Kyna mused, following her cousin’s lead.  She investigated some of the other antlers, sniffing and snuffling, but there was nothing interesting that remained on the bony protrusions.  After a moment, she nudged it forward with the bridge of her snout – even if she knew better, the youth couldn’t help a sigh of relief when nothing extraordinary happened.  Or perhaps that was disappointment?  Her lips twisted thoughtfully as she moved, circling around the careful arrangement twice before fire bright eyes sought out the slate-colored wolf.

“Maybe they were bored,” she murmured quietly, half a smile forming on her lips.  “You know, no actual reason – seemed like a good idea at the time.  Or perhaps they were trying to play a trick on someone.  We are sitting here puzzling over it, after all.”  If they were gone, the wolf they were probably trying to trick was gone, too.  That was assuming it was wolves at all, and while Kyna had to assume that was the case, she knew it would be foolish to count out the other woodland creatures entirely.

Tipping her head, a thought struck her just then.  “Oh!  I…learned something, recently.  Have you met a wolf named Naira?”

A wild dissertation appears!

I WILL finish this! >.<

The taller girl continued her own inspection, seeming as genuinely intrigued as Nalda herself. It was just a small mystery, but there was something nice in sharing it, having someone else as bemused and curious as herself. When Kyna finally posed her theory, the darker yearling gave it fair thought, pursing her lips. It was certainly possible, she could easily imagine being bored enough to try something similar, just to see the look on someone's face when they came across it. The thought itself even made the shadow of a smile play at the corner of her mouth. Though, if that was true, then Kyna was equally right in saying the trick in a way had been played on them, sitting here now, discussing it. But it was all pointless then, really, for the spot seemed long abandoned, stones and bone set deeply in the earth. Nalda shrugged; No use talking more about it then…

Whether the paler girl had gotten to the same conclusion, or just suddenly remembered something else, she moved to change the subject then, and Nalda turned her eyes and ears on the other. The name she spoke surprised the visiting wolf so much that her usual composure cracked, eyes widening and mouth opening ever so slightly. She was so shocked that she didn't even consider lying, simply replying: "I have… I came'ere t'see her. She's m'gran'ma." Which was true, and what did it matter anyway if Kyna learned now? She was likely to keep stopping by to see the old woman. Then her brows furrowed, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion lacing her voice as it occurred to her: "Why? Wha'did y'learn?" How was it that the other yearling just happened to bring up Naira? It was almost eerie; Maybe I shouldn’t have told her…

Word count: 300

Thoughts ”Speech”

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

We can do it!

Apparently, Nalda already knew. Or she knew half the story, anyways. At least it would make it less unbelievable? At least, she hoped so. It was unlikely the swarthy female knew Aponi – but maybe being related to Kyna was undesirable, anyways. She had thought she was probably friends with her agemate; was she mistaken? Doubts swirled about her mind before she shook her entire body. She could spend all her time wondering, or she could simply speak. She’d already opened the door. To not walk through would be foolish.

For all she knew, Nalda’s parents already told her.

“She’s also my grandmother. She told me we’re cousins,” she hummed quietly. There was a small smile on the edge of her dark lips, though her expression was otherwise a careful neutral. Certainly, she did not mind the familial ties between them. “That our mothers are sisters. My mother is Aponi. She’s at Oak Tree Bend, too.” If Nalda was going to see Naira, there was a chance she would run into the other female in her family, too. She had another cousin, she supposed to, in Lila – but how much information would she want? If it were her, Kyna supposed she would be less interested unless she asked… And decided to leave it there.

A wild dissertation appears!

Only took a year x/ - Feel free to fade or archive as you please <3

Silence stretched and only furthered the girl’s suspicions, her large years flicking back, and then one back ahead, tail dead-still at her hocks. But then Kyna spoke, her words causing wonder to blossom in the darker youth’s chest. The old woman had been slick, not telling her supposed granddaughter the whole truth. But if this was it, then she had even more family in Oak Tree Bend than she’d thought. Golden eyes widened in surprise as the other girl confirmed as much, naming yet another relation; My… Aunt? She committed the name to memory, watching her mental family tree grow. How could her mother not have told her any of this? She had a sister, who also had children, and they all lived so nearby; WHY didn’t she tell me?!

Not wanting Kyna to know her thoughts, she let a slow grin spread on her lips. Regardless of her issues with her own parents, she was happy to know she had connections here, and the strawberry-blonde shewolf certainly wasn’t the worst she could get for a cousin. “Tha’s wild!” Nalda affirmed, voice excited; “An’we never knew!” Normally she wasn’t one to restate the obvious, but it seemed called for here, to underline her enthusiasm. She shook her head lightly; “Came ‘ere t’see m’gran, never expected t’get even more fam’ly.” It was a nice feeling, she was surprised to find, not being all alone in the world; Perhaps they’ll prove better than what I had… She could only hope.

Still smiling, she flicked her batty ears up at Kyna, wagging her tail almost shyly; “Guess I’ll b’stoppin’ by even more now.” She wouldn’t mind building some stronger bonds here; Can’t hurt to have options… She had no idea just how important they would soon prove to be.

Word count: 296

Thoughts ”Speech”

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity