Phantom Hollow we need someone to lean on

@Nascha

Forward dated to Sep 11th if that's alright?

He had taken going out to search for herbs to heart. Knowing that Namid couldn't leave the territory for long with young children he had made it his personal mission to stock the infirmary. The boy had hardly spoken more than a few dozen words in the past couple of weeks to anyone within the pack and he preferred it this way. He couldn't share the weight that he carried nor did he want to. Instead he spent his days out searching for anything that might be of us for the coming cold season and bringing it back for the matriarch to examine.

Today though, today he would be finding no plants. The fog that came up to just below the chest of the lanky teen obscured most if not all of the foliage on the ground. Instead the boughs of the trees seemed to sprout from midair and tower above them, dimming everything in the murk below. Maybe in a different month or a different mindset he would have cursed himself for wasting a day of precious time but it seemed to matter little. It was as if the mist that surrounded them had seeped from his own mind, his thoughts shrouded and thick making it difficult to focus on anything other than moving.

Even that he did slowly, the cold air swirling around the black legs and obscuring his paws. The mossy eyes stared straight ahead, unfazed by his surroundings. He just had to keep moving.

Alright, so kind of trying to figure out the timeline, since Nascha sort of impulse-joined a pack. Cade, hope the note I made to explain her absence with the distance is alright and if not, please PM me so we can figure it out? <3 @Draven Sorry it took so long!

Honestly, readjusting to pack life and all of the rule changes that came with it was difficult for her. She’d grown up in a lenient pack, and it bugged the hell out of her and so she broke what few rules they had, then she’d been kicked out, and as a result, she’d lived by no rules but her own… and now she had a pack with strict rules, which she was grateful for, a pack with a structure and a decent wolf to lead it, not like some other half-wits she’d run into with her time as a loner.

She’d gotten her duties done and briefly informed @Gent of her journey. She was going out to scout out lands and collect information, to see if perhaps the role of scout or diplomat were for her. She was trying to show that she wanted to put that effort forward, and that she was willing to hold up her part of the deal because, in reality, he held the power in what happened next. It wasn’t something that she was a huge fan of, but it was better than being a lone wolf come wintertime. She had to look intently at the long game, and figure out the best path for her at the time.

She’d travelled for quite a few days and had found herself in a swamp-like area that made her nose cringe and her paws start to web… she didn’t want to be there for longer than necessary, but she was scouting out different pack locations, reporting back on them, figuring that the pack could use the information and compare it to what they already knew to see if there were changes that they needed to note. She’d scented borders in multiple places that she’d be able to report on… but that was not what caught her interest. This territory was unmarked… there was a wolf. That was what had caught her interest, her emerald eyes piqued with curiosity, her head craning lightly to the side as her ears perked up. “Hello?” She asked in a warm and seemingly friendly tone, wondering just who was going to fall into her trap.

@Nascha

It seemed that fate had a different plan for Draven that day than just wandering through the misty woods. Given that he was hardly paying any attention to his surroundings it wasn't surprising that the yearling hadn't noticed the scent of another wolf lingering in the area. Had she not said anything the dark teen probably would have kept walking without ever realizing that she was there. As it was he gave her little more than a flick of his ear before continuing on his way.

That is until he noticed the scent that she carried on her pelt.

Turning abruptly the green eyes sought out her form through the darkness of the woods and the mist. Her grey coat almost blended in but the brightness of her eyes betrayed her standing there staring at him. She had sounded friendly and looked that way but the stiffness in his spine remained, she carried Gent's scent on her which made her very very dangerous. She looked to be about his age and Draven could only wonder what the purpose was of sending out a yearling alone into a place like this, not that Gent ever made good decisions when it came to his pack.

Narrowing his mossy eyes the teen's muscles tensed, "What do you want?" The tone carried a demand but also was devoid of emotion, even the anger hadn't seeped through. In the last few weeks hardly any of his emotions came through in his words, that is when he spoke at all.

Nascha hadn’t been around long enough to learn the rivalries and alliances… she hadn’t learned who had done what to who and frankly, she didn’t really care either. She looked at other wolves on their character, their abilities, not some spite that might have been done to someone she’s associated with. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the harsh and stoic tone used against her. How interesting? Whoever this wolf was, a pack wolf by the smell of him, she figured playing nice wouldn’t cut it… not with the distance he’d put between himself and his words. Her face shifted to a cold one, keeping her tone even.

“I’m just exploring… happened to run into you. That is all.” She kept her chin up, her emerald gaze focused on him. “Are you always this rude to strangers?” It wasn’t like she was one of those weird wolves who often soliloquized or floundered about in useless rambles. No, she’d been respectful and friendly even. If that was how he wanted to play it, then fine, she’d play an even game on an even field. She didn’t say anything further than that, and she would let his actions, not his words, speak for him.

@Nascha

The cold look that took over the stranger's expression was far from missed and it did nothing to loosen the tensed muscles of the yearling. Hackles raising slightly along his spine Draven couldn't say he was surprised. Anyone who chose to associate themselves with Gent and by the smell of her Raela had to be a stone cold bitch. While the lad remained on the defensive his own look melted from wary to uninterested, bored, unreadable. Snorting he had to hold back from rolling his eyes at her question, as if she had any problem being rude to strangers.

Sneering in a way that was rather uncharacteristic from him he glanced over her with as much judgement as a snobby lady at church. "I'm surprised your king let you out on such a long leash." After all, Gent had been the one to instate the laws against the children going out of territory unless he brought them. His ruling had been so different from his mother's who while strict had also been understanding and compassionate. Seeing any one of that bastard's subordinates so far from home could mean nothing but trouble.

Every part of him that had been grieving for his mother now burned with an intense hatred and rage for the dark man. He should have saved her, he should have treated his siblings better, he should have at least been able to maintain everything his mother had worked so damn hard for. Instead the Lieris is physically punished Ari, had driven them away and instated harsh rules, let the pack wilt away to nothing. Worst of all from the smell of this stranger he hadn't hesitated for too long before jumping on Raela either. Bastard.

@Draven <3

Nascha’s mildly amused confusion was replaced with intrigue for the situation as he sneered at her, her crown tilting slightly to the side as a polite smile crossed her features. She had an idea… and oh, would @Gent be proud if she could execute it properly. “I apologize if I have in some way wronged you… but it is quite rude to make assumptions about one’s status. My king, he is not. I just have not been away long enough for the scents to fade.” It was the easiest lie she’d ever told. With the arrangement she had, she was not entirely certain she could call him king, but perhaps business partner and she certainly had quite a large respect for the man, though she kept it quiet and refused to let it show.

“It wasn’t working out for me, and they were too domineering and controlling. I require a little more breathing room than they were willing to provide.” The words easily twisted in her head as she offered a soft wag of her tail. “My name is Emily.” She wasn’t daft enough to use her real name in this scenario. Could this entire lie backfire on her? Most certainly it could, but that is exactly why she was careful to differentiate her words. After all, how would he know if she left on a scouting mission versus disappearing in the middle of the night to separate herself from her home for good? He couldn’t, unless he could somehow read her mind. She’d been lying her whole life, and this was nothing new.

@Nascha

The head tilt that the stranger, Emily portrayed only solidified the situation. It was a movement he had seen his own mother perform a thousand times when she was deep in thought. Seeing it on the grey scale woman who stunk of Gent , even if paired with a polite smile and gently scolding words sent him over the edge. He wanted far away from her and this situation, he wanted to rip the Lieris man apart, he wanted to rub his nose in everything he had let die, he wanted her back.

Draven knew that nothing he could say or do could ever resurrect his mother, even if he completed everything he wanted to do perfectly. Nothing could bring her back. That didn't mean that he needed to stand around making friends with wolves who had once associated with Gent, even if they no longer did so. Taking a step away from her, hackles raising even farther he offered her no words in response to anything that she had said. The image of her tilting her head replaying in his mind over and over again like a loop until the picture melding into one of his mother doing it.

The yearling didn't turn and flee, or make a move forward. It was as if his paws had become roots and sowed him into the spot that he was on. He would give this Emily nothing else besides a cold stare, hackles raised and muscles tense but no other sign of aggression or movement. He could give nothing else.