Larkcall Lowlands don't fence me in

@Craw

She had become increasingly curious about the wolves to the north whom her and Lachesis had met with before the first snow had started to fall. It had her curious enough to start to wander closer, with no ill intention meant of course. The two seemed to be on good terms, from her conversation with Wraith and Lachesis’ with Craw. She was rather optimistic that in the coming months a sturdy alliance could be sealed between the River and the Monadnock. It would definitely give her a sense of relief to know they had someone watching their back after getting a growing understanding of how they related to some of their other neighbors.

It’d been a number of weeks since she’d seen Jessie too, being overjoyed to hear that the mother had achieved her goal of founding a pack with her mate. Perhaps, with Lilya’s friendship with the lady, an alliance could be formed there too. She hated fighting, but if it came down to it, she knew the side with the smaller numbers lost. She’d been on that side before, and it hadn’t been fun or pretty. It’d been horrifying, and she’d seen Maelia killed right in front of her because of i. She’d run away because she’d rather escape with her pelt than die needlessly with the rest of her family.

She didn’t understand why they hadn’t all just ran to begin with.

But that was behind her. Her head was tilted curiously, and she still remained a respectful distance from the border, looking around to see if she could find a wolf along the border. She didn’t call, because despite being temporarily nudged into the leader position, she felt it wasn’t her place to delve into pack politics by calling for the alphas. Perhaps they would run into her? She could hope, and also hope that they didn't take her growing curiosity in a negative light.

Setting this a bit before the WRF visit <3

Trotting back towards home with a dangling deer leg in his jaws, the thigh still heavy with good meat, Craw's eyes were on the grand structure in the near distance even though inside his head he was miles away. If the carcass he'd found had been any closer to the tundra, then he would have called them out all to feast on it, but he had not made the call. Instead, he had gorged on it, taking his times to pick at the well-picked remains.

Nudging the deer about and half-rolling it over to see what was left, he'd found that there was still a nice amount of meat left on the leg which had be caught under the animal's bulk when it had fallen, and so he deliberately left that for last. Once sated, and comfortable that he would not have to eat for a few days, the spider had taken his time chewing the sinews and flesh which connected the thigh to the hip, finally using his jaw strength to crunch through the bone itself, which had fractured and then come free.

He was debating whether or not to give it to @Odin, @Kara or their mother when he caught sight of someone lurking at their borders, making no sound. Glancing at the monadnock, he could see the shape of nobody descending it to meet their visitor, and had heard no call, so he had to assume that they had not been noticed yet. Shifting the direction of his approach so that he would walk by the wolf, eyes fixed on their silhouette as he tried to identify them, it was not until he was a little closer that recognition struck.

Since she had probably caught sight of him by now, for the woman had been clearly glancing about in search of something or someone, Craw grunted a chuff through the narrow leg bone in his mouth, not trusting himself to be coherent enough to greet Lilya without putting it down - but it wasn't until he got close that he would do so, tail comfortably but not aggressively high and with curiosity in his expression. He had been given no reason to be wary of a visit from Hearthwood - yet.

@Craw She's such an awkward thing lmao

It wasn’t long before she saw Craw come into the picture, nerves starting to play with the speed of her beating heart as she offered him a soft and relatively friendly smile. She was never really relaxed enough outside of pack territory to offer anything that wasn’t relatively friendly. “Ah ‘pologize fer ma un’nnounced visit; our original meeting with you and yer second left m’curious.” She thought it best not to mention or regard the change in leadership, lowering her tail a respectful distance, especially since he was the alpha of a pack they were on good terms with. She really hoped she didn’t say something stupid, because no doubt everyone on both sides would be furious with her if she did.

She was fairly certain she could handle the talking with packmates part of being leader, addressing concerns and things like that… it was the diplomacy stuff that she thought she’d struggle with. At least he had greeted her with a friendly tone… at least she thought it was. At the very least she wasn’t being growled at or chased off. She supposed she should delve around a little more into what she meant by her purpose being at their borders when she should be at her own, patrolling and things like that. “Ah’ve met other packs b’fore, fought ‘em too… b’fore the River o’course.” Sometimes she worried her accent was a little too thick for people, so she tried to slow it down as much as possible. “It’s refreshin’ ta meet a pack that won’t bear teeth at ya th’moment they see ya, at least not without reason.” She hoped she’d broached that subject while not screwing things up.

Did she seem tense? Mind skipping ahead to the possible reasons she could have for being at their borders in such a state, Craw's attention narrowed in on her movements, her body language, her words. He hardly heard her speak at their first meeting, and the earthy slur to her voice reminded him of his mate, though her accent clearly came from somewhere else other than just the Willows. Placing his deer leg onto the ground, licking his lips to enjoy the residual flavour, Craw's ears twisted up and forwards in open curiosity as he let her finish. It had become fairly clear that there was no urgent business to be worried about, unless she was holding something back.

At her final remark - not having missed that little morsel about how she had fought other packs before - his lips curled in an amused but amicable smile. "Our packs are on good terms," he rasped, "you'll be met with no teeth here, Lilya. I always welcome visits from friendly neighbours." Glancing up at the monadnock they stood near to, eyes tracing the goat track which would take him to the top, and to prove his point, looked back at Lilya with warmth in his manner.

"Would you like to see the view from the top?"

Honestly, the woman had been taking it a day at a time, taking Lachesis’ advice to heart and doing what she always did… the only change she made was making sure each of them were also working to the extent that she was. It was easier than she had thought it would be, but at the same time, she also had not to make any hard calls or delve into politics with other packs, except for her interactions with the wolves of the Monadnock, once with Lachesis when she was still new to the pack, speaking with Wraith and Craw… and now with Craw when she approached their borders, curious about them still and the alliance that seemed to be budding between the new lands.

Perhaps that was why she was so tense? Kisla had been gone for quite a while on her journey and with winter encroaching upon them all and settling in for the long run. Lilya was concerned about when she might return. Still, she couldn’t tell them that, even if they were friendly. Even their friends needed to think they were strong. He assured her that she was welcome to visit, which helped ease some of the tension to say the least. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to visit seeing as how wary she could be at even the best times… but so far no harm, no foul… right?

A smile eased onto her features as he offered her a view from the top of the mass. “Only if yer sure it wouldn’t be a bother.” It felt very… unconventional to be there, especially with touring their lands like she was being offered, even if it was only a view. Still, if he didn’t mind, then she’d love to get a glimpse at how life was there, and how their pack could compliment her own. She didn’t want to impose, but if he promised she wouldn’t be, then she’d love to.

Maybe that little quip about being used to war explained her manner, her slight standoffishness and hesitation. Or maybe she just looked at his scarred face and dark features and didn't think they screamed friend. Or may e she was just trying to be polite, to not be hasty and make assumptions about how welcome she was.

Craw happened to be in good spirits, so he chose to take no offence and to take it as the latter of the possibilities.

"So long as you're not planning on being a bother," he wheezed, but said it with a smile and quiet, grunting chuckle. Would she take the gentle tease for what it was? Rather than wait for her to be indecisive and second guess herself, Craw took the initiative.

Reaching back down for the deer leg he'd dropped at his feet in order to talk to her, he glanced back up at Lilya, ears high and forward. "Help me carry this up?" There, now she could think herself doing him a favour and being useful, not that he truly needed the help. She even was offered it as a request rather than a command, by virtue of being neither his wolf nor a wolf whose opinion he didn't care about. But she would probably go back to Hearthwood and talk to @Lachesis of this meeting, and Craw knew the value of making nice with the friends of one's friends.

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

She offered him a smile in return when he responded to her uncertainty – he took it in strides and while it made her a tad bit weary, she kept it masked. She needed to calm down, and be a little more confident in herself. They were friends, or at least, their packs were… she didn’t doubt or act further on her uncertainty, but moved along him and matched his stride so she could keep up, picking up the deer leg when he asked for her help. It was the least she could do! She had to admit she was excited to get a view from the top of the monadnock… but then again she’d always been a sucker for pretty views. Given everything, she felt she was entitled to have at least one seemingly foolish love.

Now, she couldn’t be sure, given the fact that she was carrying a deer leg and the scent was overwhelming… but she thought she caught something on the wind, her nose twitching… it wasn’t her place, given that it was his territory, but she cast him a glance, wondering if he caught the scent too… or maybe she was just crazy. If he were willing, perhaps she could show her gratitude for the view by helping him take down a kill for his pack? She was, after all, a huntress at heart.

Asking her to fill her mouth with an ankle had the happy side effect of verbally suppressing her lack of confidence. Maybe by the time they reached the top, the splendid view might distract from whatever was making her so hesitant. Craw was yet to show it to a wolf who wasn't impressed. He did so love his little rock in the tundra.

Lilya consented without complaint, taking up the other end of the leg so that the weight was shared between them. It gave his neck some small relief, but he was more grateful for the opportunity to act cooperatively with the Hearthwood woman. She followed his lead and they turned towards the goat track, but it wasn't long before he saw her nose wiggle from the corner of his eye, saw the look in her own as she glanced his way. A quick sniff of his own offered a hint, and he snorted as he realised her suggestion, shifting his grip of the bone in his mouth so that he could speak mostly-coherently out of one side of it: "One thing at a time." But he chuckled in good humour at her enthusiasm, and otherwise nodded, for he was happy to try a hunt with her after this errand was run.

They passed the den where @Anaia was kept, and he glanced at the entrance briefly, nose attentive, to conclude that she was indeed still there. Then they carried on the rest of the way up the track until they reached the flat expanse which spread out in front of them, and the glittering white boulders could be seen not far away, and there he stopped, lowering his head to drop the leg and indicating that she could do the same. Sending out a short, curt call for anyone nearby relieve them of the deer leg.

Rolling his shoulders and stretching out the lingering tension in his neck, he turned back to face the way they came, reminded of when he had made this exact journey with @Piety not too long ago. Gesturing at the view with his nose, a small smile growing, he waited to see what his neighbour might think of this different perspective of the lands she knew so well.

She needed something to focus on, and taking the leg into her mouth was a way for her to focus on something other than her blatant hesitance. She didn’t want to give the wrong impression and she feared that if she did, that she’d destroy an alliance that appeared to be in the works between the two packs. She was a guest on their lands, and complaints were not something she’d been good at. Her confidence returned with every second, bouncing along but careful not to pass in front of Craw. She thought that might be a little rude to do to the king.

A soft grin grew on her features despite the leg at the one thing at a time. There were other wolves, she saw them in passing, glancing occasionally at them just to get an idea of what they looked like, dropping the leg where he instructed her to and guiding her to the edge of the Monadnock. Her eyes softened at the sight. “It’s ahmazin’.” She commented a couple seconds after she took in the sight, trying to process everything. She saw the flat lands that were foreign to her – she’d been to the borders once but getting everything in at once, that was something she had not expected. “Ya can see e’rethin’ up ‘ere!” She exclaimed, one paw lifting slightly to point towards the herd that a young deer had separated from, and then the trees. “Yer ‘ome was quite a find!” She was impressed, an a sucker for a good view.