Hearthwood River the deficit mounts

@Lachesis <3 but am happy for any HR wolf to poke their head in since he is right at their borders :) Wasn't sure whether to post it in the pack forum or not, but figured here made more sense just in case he gets invited in.

He had seen the signs. Really, it could have been seen as miraculous that she had lasted this long; Celandine's spirit had been almost as large as her ego, and it was hardly a surprise that Whitestone's sweet little princess had decided she couldn't do the whole subservient thing any more.

But Craw was disappointed. She took Maeve with her, the pair reunited by his actions alone, and this was how they thanked him? At least it answered the question of where the frosty Argyris' loyalty truly lay, and it was not with him. It comforted the spider, in a twisted way, to know that Celandine was capable of caring about anyone at all. He was yet to decide if he regretted finding Maeve, for his budding scout may have stuck around otherwise, and yet perhaps with an ever growing resentment for her subordinate position. It had surprised him that the white woman never challenged Capable - but @Isuni was hardly a wolf who presented weakness. Maybe Celandine simply saw no outlet for her ambition within Whitestone.

Craw sympathised with that. He just wished she'd been big enough to tell him, rather than abuse his trust and simply never come back after one of her long trips. But maybe she would come back one day, claiming that he had never really defined how long she was allowed to be absent for. He hadn't yet decided how angry he would be in that case.

It came at a delicate time, of course, with @Wraith needing time to chase his own ghosts, but at least Craw had absolute faith that his Second would return, barring extreme circumstances. It wasn't as though Whitestone was suffering from low numbers, and even with winter upon them, Craw was not worrying just yet.

Still he found this trip necessary. Making sure that @Morganna knew where he was headed and why, just in case it ended up being an overnight trip, Craw set off towards the forests to the east to find a ghost of his own. Lachesis was far more corporeal and less sinister than those that plagued Wraith's mind, of course, and Craw came for much less unhappy reasons. It hadn't taken him long to find a trail left by a Hearthwood wolf, and had ended up following the river down to the depths of the woodland where the pack's borders lay fresh and clear. But not strong, perhaps. Rather than announce himself immediately, Craw took a leisurely moment to lower his nose to the ground and sniff out their markers, to try and determine the state of the pack from who and how many were patrolling their borders. He could only smell full adulthood on three distinct scents, though they had a yearling in the pack, a cycle older than this year's offspring. He recognised @Lilya and @Lachesis among them most easily of all, and that was comfort enough.

Raising his scarred snout to the air, he let loose a few short, deep calls, just enough to resonate through the territory - a clear and curt declaration of his presence.

Since their numbers had dwindled so much and now that her mother had left Inna had doubled her efforts in helping the pack. Putting her grief aside knowing she had a responsibility to the pack her father had built she had started working from dawn until dusk checking borders and hunting to feed the members of the pack that still remained. She felt it was her duty as a Baranski. All morning she had been hunting but with the weather getting colder the prey didn't seem to be as plentiful as it normally was. Deciding to take a break she stopped at the river for a drink before she continued wanting to catch at least something for the cache. During her drink a voice sounded from the border, it was one she didn't recognize and thought she should check it out. Taking off at a full run toward the border reaching it in a small amount time. When she reached the border she stepped out of the forest slowly as the grey wolf came into view. Careful to stay on her side of the markers she addressed him in a polite manner, “What is your business here?”

(This post was last modified: Nov 18, 2016, 04:12 PM by Inna.)

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@Inna <3

The last note faded, his head dropped and he idly passed his rough tongue over his lips, ears high and alert. Intimately aware of the many duties of a pack's leader, Craw prepared to wait patiently for a response. Not only that, but a pack with low numbers could not promise a prompt response, and while the small size of this group did raise slight concern - he would not tie himself to the weak - he was not hasty in passing judgement. Lachesis had given a favourable enough impression to forgive what might have just been a temporary lapse in pack strength.

As it turned out, though, Hearthwood did not ignore him; ears catching the sound of approaching footfalls, he saw the young black-coated girl slip out from among the trees and face him, bold but cautious enough to stay well within her own territory. The corner of his lips crooked in quiet approval and amusement. "My name is Craw," he rasped, body language kept neutrally warm as he constantly reminded himself that this was not the place to curl his tail. "I'm here to talk to Lachesis. What is your name?"

Meeting someone at the border like this was a first for Inna so she didn't want to make any mistakes. Hearing the stories that Lachesis had told her about her father had inspired her to be more like him. As she approached and spoke to the stranger she thought about how he might have handled the situation. Knowing what she did of her father she imagined him to be confident and respectful yet cautious and that was what she was trying to accomplish. She needed to get used to doing these kinds of things anyway since she was getting older and starting to have a larger part in the pack. She studied the male while waiting for him to answer her question. As she did Inna noticed a familiar scent that reminded her of Lorcan whim she'd hunted with in the Lowlands. If this male was in fact a member of Lorcans pack she wondered what brought him to Hearthwood River. Having given him the chance to speak she nodded at his response, “It's nice to meet you Craw,” She offered kindly, “I'm Inna and I'm sure that Lachesis will join us soon but in the meantime is there anything I might be able to help you with?” It was really all that she could do since she didn’t have the authority to do anything more, perhaps one day.

(This post was last modified: Nov 18, 2016, 08:19 PM by Inna.)

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She was a dignified young lady, who knew how to come across respectfully. If she was inexperienced at meeting outsiders at the borders, Craw did not notice; her easy and polite manner impressing him, the spider chose to seat himself. Where sometimes he did so as a sign of dominance, that he was not afraid of the other, this was not such a time; wishing no ill will to the pack and with no need to intimidate, he only wanted to put this girl, this @Inna, at ease.

Idly he thought back to that Broken Timber Pines lot, and his lips curled at the edge in private amusement; here was a yearling displaying a level of diplomacy that had been utterly lacking from both leaders by the Falls. How embarrassing for them.

"You can talk with me while I wait," he wheezed, the suggestion offered with casual tone - though he very much wanted her to oblige. "I'd like to get to know your pack - have us get to know each other better." He regarded the dark girl for a moment, and to her credit he decided he was unsure of how well she would receive blatant questioning - a compliment, for it implied that she came across guarded just as much as polite. "I'm from the lowlands," he offered, for it was only fair to share something of himself first. "From a great monadnock in the middle of it. Do you know what that is?"

The man seemed nice enough as he introduced himself and told her his reason for coming to the borders.  Kjors had seemed nice enough to until he was sent from the pack due to being untrustworthy.  So she decided it best to remain cautious yet still give Craw his fair chance.  As for Lachesis she didn't know where he was or what he was doing but she was sure he was on his way.  Until then it seemed she was it and thought it best to at least offer to do something for the man while he waited, it was the polite thing to do she felt.  His action of sitting was welcome and helped her to feel that Craw had good intentions by being at the borders, it eased her some and she followed suit sitting back on her haunches allowing her tail to curl around her feet. Inna was not however expecting for the man to request her to talk with him while he waited, go and find Lachesis perhaps since she was just a yearling after all.  She nodded, “It would be my pleasure,” she stated genuinely. Though she she became a little apprehensive when he expressed wanting to get to know her pack a little better.  As she gave this some thought he did offer a little information about himself.  For instance he stated he was from the Lowlands which struck a cord with her and she was a little more confident in her previous assumption, he knew Lorcan. He also asked if she knew what a Monadnock was, she shook her head, “I would like to know what it is if you'd be willing to tell me.” Inna did want to reveal anything about her pack that could be used against them and though this man had given his name he was still a stranger to her.  “I will answer any questions you have about my pack that I can,” she finally decided,  “Would you be willing to talk about your pack?” Inna felt that was fair enough to ask of the man, after all why should he be getting all of the information?

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@Inna followed suit and sat down herself, and Craw felt another quiet surge of respect for how she was handling herself. Not that she had anything to worry from him at that point in time, of course, but her composure was admirable. Her self-control and cautiousness was even more so; he had misspoke, perhaps, in saying so blatantly that he wanted to learn about Hearthwood. Whether or not she was distrustful of his purpose, though, was hidden behind a pair of perfectly calm and cool orange eyes and an utterly calculated response.

He resisted the urge to laugh, and contented himself with wondering how feasible it might be to steal her away for himself.

"Of course," he wheezed, "I am very proud of Whitestone; ask whatever you like." The smile on his lips now surely a permanent fixture, he watched her, purring with each breath as the air rattled over his damaged windpipe. "A monadnock is a structure of earth and rock which rises from the ground, like an island in water, but on land. Like a mountain, but much smaller, flatter. Mine is out in the tundra, and it is quite grand. You would be more than welcome to come visit it."

Inna had yet to form a firm opinion of Craw but he so far she didn't have a negative one of him. He was pleasant and non-threatening with her as well as patient considering her age which she appreciated. Though she was apprehensive about sharing information about Hearthwood River with him the fact that he had agreed to share information about his pack eased some of her worry. It helped believe that he meant no harm to her pack but she still wanted to remain cautious about the things she revealed until she was sure of this man's intentions. That was something she thought she would only find out once Lachesis arrived if he allowed her to stay which she hoped he would. She after all was a Baranski and though her family had all but disappeared she hoped it still meant something in the pack. “Thank you I appreciate your willingness to share information,” she said in response to his agreement. She was curious about his pack but being a pack wolf herself she didn't want to offend him by asking questions she knew she wouldn't feel comfortable answering about her pack so she felt it best to let him lead to see what he might be willing to answer about his own pack. “What is it that you would like to know about Hearthwood?” Inna hadn't ever heard of a Monadnock so she listened intently as he described it to her. “It sounds grand,” she stated offering the man a smile, “A great place for a leader to have meetings with their pack. It sounds like something I would definitely like to see. I appreciate your offer and might take you up on it one day when I have a chance to get away from my pack.” She thought it best to speak to Lachesis before she took off on another adventure with the pack in its current condition and her mother away.

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2016, 05:09 PM by Inna.)

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Despite her apparent gratitude for his offer, @Inna asked no question, instead spinning it back to offer much the same about Hearthwood. His head tilted slightly as he considered her, wondering if it had just been a test to see if he would reject the suggestion of talking about Whitestone. Had he passed, then?  Maybe she didn't want to know anything in particular just yet. He mulled over her question as she complimented his choice of home, scarred snout dipping once in agreement of her conclusions, his smile rekindling at the suggestion that she might accept his invitation. Craw made a note to talk to @Lachesis about it - perhaps get her a little more scouting experience, if that was what she wanted. She certainly had the cool-headed manner for it.

He wasn't going to go around in polite circles forever, though. If she was passing on the right to ask first, then far be it for him to let the opportunity slip. Right at that moment, though, his interest was rather more focused on the girl in front of him than Hearthwood in general. "I understand the pack settled here last year? You would have been quite young - and you're not related to Lachesis. Do your parents live here too?"

His first question was somewhat unexpected to say the least since she had expected him to ask something along the lines of their numbers or even perhaps how the hunting had been. Her parents...a sore subject indeed considering how much had happened in the past months. Inna wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question since she wasn't sure how much to reveal to the man. His question also caused Inna to wonder how much the man actually already knew about Hearthwood River. In the end she decided to tell Craw the truth about her parents since she felt that the knowledge of Maksim’s death would eventually spread across the lore if it hadn't already. “It is true that the pack settled here last year,” she confirmed, “And my mother still lives in Hearthwood but my father passed away recently,” she added trying to keep her emotions under control. He did not need to know how she truly felt about what her family was going through. That was her personal thing that she would have to deal with and now wasn't the time. She had to keep her composure while talking with the man.

(This post was last modified: Nov 25, 2016, 03:07 PM by Inna.)

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