Kettle Pot Pond close one door, open another

For @Drestig -- Backdated for 11/4.  (Let me know if you need this changed!)  

It was with a heavy heart that Kyna realized it was time for her to turnabout and head south again, turn east at the mountain, and find her place back in Oak Tree Bend.  She’d told her packmates that it was a short visit to see a friend, after all, and it wouldn’t do to linger for days on end…especially when said friend had returned to his own pack after they’d spent their time together.

The youth’s mind buzzed at the memory of her last encounter with Greer, heat rising beneath her ruby fur as she ducked his head.  Oh, the things he’d said!  And to think, he actually felt the way she did.  It was definitely something she must discuss with @Sahalie at soonest convenience – and something that required her to go home.  At least it was something to look forward to at the end of her journey.

Kyna bent down, her delicate tongue lapping at the surface of the pond, aware there would be little chance for refueling on her trek home.  It was best to take advantage of what she had here.  “I will be back soon,” she promised her reflection, tail twitching slowly.  Nothing would keep her away from @Greer – nothing would keep her away from this feeling budding in the deepest parts of her heart. “But for now, I suppose I must move before the weather turns again.”

(This post was last modified: Nov 23, 2016, 05:37 PM by Kyna.)

A wild dissertation appears!

He was unusually far from the borders on today's scouting, their shaky standing with the northern neighbors otherwise kept him close to his lands. But every so often, everyone needed to clear their mind, forget all the worries, just for a little while. And the best way Drestig Avalon knew to do that was the good old scout's art of being on the move. So he went west, hoping to avoid any contact with the aforementioned neighbors, exploring instead the lush grasslands north of Kingsfall. The longer he lived in the Lowlands, the more he came to love them; The open plains, curving in soft hills covered in grasses and weeds, and farther north lower vegetation to withstand the cold, now dusted in a thin layer of snow. It was a completely new landscape for a wolf who'd grown up in the mountains, and yet part of it felt oddly familiar.

His trek went without decided target, first skirting the out runners of the mountain which nestled the Fields, then out in the open, tracking old traces of passing herds, going where the scents and his legs took him. That was until he caught one that wasn't prey, not only that, but it was also familiar. Veering away from the small waterway he'd been tracing, the graying man speed up eagerly following this new tail, brows knitted in confusion; What's she doing out here? This was very far from Oak Tree Bend.

She soon came into view, a spot of rust-red fluff in the pale snow. Not hesitating on his approach, Drestig's ears and tail where high in alarm, worry lazing his voice as he called: "Kyna?" She appeared to be alone, but calm, drinking from a large, circular pond, ringed in thin ice. He swiftly swept the area with his gaze, to be sure, but just like his nose told him, his eyes confirmed that there were no one. No threats, and no company. "What are you doing here?" He question, gasping lightly as he came to a halt a few steps away, brow still wrinkled as he watched her; What happened?!

Word count: 353

"Speech" Thoughts

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

The sound of her name had the girl jumping out of her skin, startled clear up into the air.  She was so deep in her thoughts she hadn’t even noticed another wolf creep up on her.  A good way to get yourself killed out here, and no one will ever know, she scolded herself angrily, ears laying back as her tail dropped.  It took several moments more for it to dawn on the girl that the sociolect was one familiar to her – was one she heard almost every day.  After all, the man before her hadn’t been gone that long…or had he?  Time simply seemed to fly by as nights became days, and days became nights just as quickly.

“Drestig, hello,” she finally greeted the older wolf; did he remember when they first met?  So long ago.  Perhaps it really had been that much time.

“I was just stopping for a drink before heading home.” That much, she realized, was probably evident.  The man probably wanted to know why she was this far north. “I was visiting a friend who lives up this way, and I--” Kyna stopped, blinking owlishly as her nose wiggled in the breeze.  The other wolf smelled like pack.  He was a loner, when he left.  Curiosity crept into her chest as ears pricked forward. “He used to live nearby.  Not so much, anymore.”

A wild dissertation appears!

Seeing her start send a wave of guilt through the dark man. He'd been so consumed by worry, he hadn't thought about announcing his approach more delicately. Now the poor girl looked petrified, voice temporarily lost to her. Drestig smiled sheepishly, flipping his ears down and letting his tail sway low, all to signal apology, while he let the young woman recover from her fright. Meanwhile, he studied her, taking in the subtle yet powerful changes to her from last time they saw each other. She'd been a pup then, almost a yearling, yet that extra time seemed to have added a lot of maturity to her bearing. She'd always been a beauty, that only seemed to grow more true as she aged.

Eventually the girl regained herself, and Drestig nodded at her greeting, smiling warmly. She seemed, not unhappily, surprised to see him; Guess that's all I can ask for… After the way he'd left things at the Bend it was a wonder she didn't run away screaming. Instead she tried to answer his question, an unexpected wave of relief washing over him at the openness; Part of him had feared what image his turbulent departure might have left in everyone's mind. Now he could breathe a small sigh, lowering himself into a seat with a merry swish of his tail; I'm not a monster…

Tuning back into Kyna's explanation, the silvered wolf tilted his head curiously, ears flicking at her words. "You have a friend all the way up here?" He asked, mistaking her break for the end, a small crease forming along his brow. Despite having just admired how big she'd gotten, the idea of her travelling across the lore on her own made him uneasy; And she's done so before..? Her final word helped clear things up a bit though, and though the furrow remained on Drestig's forehead, his easy smile returned. "Ah. That's an awful long way for a visit though," He noted, a sympathetic look in his eyes. For a moment he grew quiet, lips pursing as his head buzzed with questions, about Oak Tree Bend and how everyone was doing; What they're thinking… But at the same time he was afraid to ask. So catching hold of a lighter subject first, his face lit up as he offered: "But if you need somewhere to rest, now or next time you come by, Jessie and I have settled not far from here." It was such a small thing, but maybe it count count a small way towards setting thing right again with the Bend; Or her at least… He cared about Kyna, and he wanted to help her out in any way he could.

Word count: 450

"Speech" Thoughts

“It is, yes,” she agreed, a tired smile set on her lips.  “He used to live in Willow Ridge, but now he is up in the lowlands.  On a giant rock, I think.”  Kyna had never actually been to Greer’s home, but he’d described it to her before.  They just always managed to meet somewhere outside of pack territory (even if she was doing most of the legwork to get there).  “But – he’s very important to me.  And I miss him, so…  I come to visit him, sometimes, when I need to see him.”

That’s all there was to it, really.  Greer was important enough to spend the time and energy, and that was that.

The offer though, however unexpected, was incredibly kind.  For a moment, the yearling simply blinked, taken aback by Drestig’s generosity.  It wasn’t as if the man had given her any reason to believe otherwise, but when he’d left Oak Tree Bend, Kyna hadn’t done anything to help him.  She was young, yes, but wolves had spats over lesser things. “Really?  Are you sure?” she asked, head tipping to one side. “I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”  She was small, and young, yes, but Kyna did not favor the idea of abusing hospitality.  “How is it?  Your new pack?”

A wild dissertation appears!