Fallen Tree Cove A New Beginning

@Kajika @Draven @Cernan @Neha @Ismena @Lunette

Word Count: 260

Tagg sat at the edge of the lake, staring over its still waters. He remembered sitting here a year ago, talking with Anthem about the pack.  He’d gone looking for the beta, only to find that he’d long since passed.  In fact, the only wolves aside from the leaders that remained from Tagg’s time were the pups – correction, former pups, @Cernan and @Neha, and Kajika. He still hadn’t seen them, however; only scented them around the territory.  He kept mostly to himself, to be honest.

This wasn’t what he thought it would be like.  Instead of being comforted by the familiar surroundings, he felt like a stranger in a strange land.  It was like a dream, being in this territory again.  He was a fool for thinking things wouldn’t have changed.  Wolves come and go, wolves die. Things happen, ranks change. Life goes on.

Tagg sighed.  It didn’t help that he spent almost all of his time here, dwelling on things.  He’d made his choice. He knew the other pack would welcome him back – they’d said as much – but he didn’t want to go.  His home was here. If he wanted to feel like it again, he needed to start integrating himself.  “I’ve done a fine job of proving I’m worth the second chance.” The scarred wolf muttered to himself.  “Stop being such a yearling and dwelling on things that cannot be changed. Find a job and do it.”

But first he needed to finally meet his new packmates and make himself part of the family.

"Speech"  Thought

l

Kajika was feeling much better about how things were going in the cove, he and Moonshadow were speaking again and Namid seemed to be getting better. Little Lunette had been on his mind a lot as of late and he'd been considering taking her on another exploring expedition again or perhaps hunting. He was sure he could scare up a rabbit for her to chance. He'd been on border patrol for a little while and for the most part had been rather uneventful. Except of course for the small flock of birds he'd scared as he came upon them. They'd flown into the chattering angrily at him but he kept his pace.

After that he'd come across the scent of a new wolf in the cove who he assumed had been accepted. He supposed it wasn't an entirely new scent as there was something vaguely familiar about it. Having caught the scent a few times in the last few days he'd grown more curious about this wolf that seemed new and yet familiar at the same time. Thinking he might find the wolf later and introduce himself he continued his patrol but as he neared the lake the scent became stronger. Now was as good a time as any, he followed the familiar path down to the lake.

Emerging from the trees he caught sight of the wolf and overheard what he seemed to be saying to himself. Kajika cleared his throat to give the man some warning of his presence before speaking, “I find this to be a good place to figure things out,” he stated as he came onto the shore just behind the man.

(This post was last modified: Jan 03, 2017, 06:05 PM by Kajika.)

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Word Count: 220

Tagg had barely heard the crunching of paw steps before another wolf cleared his throat, causing him to start.  He leapt to his paws and whirled around, ready to defend himself from an attacker, but it was just a packmate.  He quickly relaxed his stance.  “Sorry, old habits die hard I guess.” This was another reason he had kept to himself; he was jumpier than he used to be.  After fighting for so long, he found he was more inclined to attack first and ask questions later – not healthy behavior for a wolf to have regarding his pack.

He recognized this wolf as Kajika, though they hadn’t really had the opportunity to get to know one another before the older wolf had been forced to leave. “But I would have to agree with you; I used to come here to think about things frequently.”

Tagg swept his gaze over the area, more to help calm himself than anything else.  He had to always be aware of his surroundings, and while he was starting to relax in the territory, where he knew he was likely safer than he had been in a year, he still had nightmares about the fighting, still waiting for that next attack.

The war’s over. He thought. And I’ve left the battlefield far behind.

"Speech"  Thought

l

It was clear to Kajika that his attempts to not startle the man had failed and so he kept his distance to give the man some space. He didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already seemed. What the man spoke the beta knew to be true, “I completely understand I've had some old habits to break myself.” Though he had managed to break most of them in the time he'd been in the cove he still knew they could be difficult. There were still some that stayed with him but he didn't find them to be anything important enough to change for the time being.

As he studied the man before him allowing him a few moments to compose himself he tried to place him in his memory but was unsuccessful. Finally the newest of their ranks did speak agreeing to what Kajika has said upon arriving. “I do as well, it's a quiet place that allows you to collect all your thoughts,” he said as he stepped up to the edge of the frozen lake and looking out across it. Turning his gaze back on the man, “It's actually the place I finally made my decision to speak with Namid about joining.”

That was one day he wouldn't ever forget as it had been one of the best decisions he'd made. His gaze dropped to his paws for a moment as he thought about Des and her part on all of it. He still did miss her at times but he'd moved on after accepting that she wouldn't be coming back. Kajika then returned his gaze back to the man, “I'm truly sorry, I feel like I've come across your scent before but I can't recall if we've ever met.”

(This post was last modified: Jan 03, 2017, 08:51 PM by Kajika.)

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There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

OOC: Long time no see! c:

He'd only come down to the lake to see if some ice along the edge could be broken, and if a frigid drink could be lapped up while he took a break from his patrol. There was a coyote scent just fresh enough to warrant tracking that he needed to get back to at some point, but when the prince's hefty beige form broke through the pines and out to the rocky shore, his sunny eyes found something to stall all of his plans further. Much further down the bank were the distant forms of either Draven or Kajika, and one that resembled his father, but just wasn't quite right in tone. The young man's brows furrowed and he scented the air, unable to find further clues. Then he remembered. Pa and Moonshadow had accepted someone new into the pack. Well, he wasn't really new, in fact Cernan had known him as a pup, or at least his parents insisted that he had. It had taken the yearling a short time to recall the scarred, cloudy-eyed wolf from his memories. But sure enough, he did. Naively, Cernan had begun to wonder why Tagg had vanished so long ago, and for that matter, why Des had too. And then, his brain had stopped him and reminded him of Al. Ma and Pa said that Tagg claimed to have been attacked by coyotes, oddly enough, and hadn't just wandered off with some girl, and then once more for some other reason.  Still, he had to wonder just what had transpired after that attack that made it impossible for the man to return to them for more than a year. It was curiosity and a sense of familiarity with this long lost piece of the Cove's past that drew the boy over the rocks and pebbles and toward the two forms. He was easy to see coming against the bright snow, and when at last the young wolf was within something of a speaking distance he chuffed to greet them; ears catching the last of someone's words. He tilted his head up once toward Kajika, and offered the near-sized man a brief set of wags and a flash of a closed grin to match. Kajika was an old familiar face, and as he turned to look upon this “Tagg” he was surprised to find how familiar he was too.  His lowered tail hung limp at his hocks for a moment as he approached further and took the man in, scars and all.

 

Word Count: 227

Tagg opened his mouth to reply but paused when he noticed another wolf approaching.  This one was still young in the face and was familiar yet unfamiliar.  It can’t be… one of the pups? He thought.  But which one?  He greeted him before answering Kajika’s question.

“Yes, we have met, but it was a long time ago.”   He glanced back over the water.  “I was once a member of the pack, but about a year ago there was… and event that forced me to leave and prevented me from coming back until now.  My name is Tagg.”

Of course he wasn’t expecting anyone to really remember him anymore; it had been a long time, and Namid and Vespertio had shattered that hope on the day he’d arrived.  He had disappeared without a trace while on a hunting trip of all things.  What was his guiding force was for them just another fickle wolf, taking off to find his own way.

But he would prove them wrong.

Tagg turned his attention to the newest member of the conversation, finally having a name to put with the face, despite the fact that it had grown up.  “You can’t be Cernan, could you?” He smiled.  “You probably don’t remember me, but I knew you when you were a pup.  You’ve grown a lot.”

"Speech"  Thought

l

The man certainly didn't have a face one would forget but that didn't phase Kajika, he'd met wolves with battle wounds before. He was more concerned with trying to place the man in his past but as he searched his memory the chuff of another wolf brought his attention to the newcomer. Turning he saw that Cernan had joined them, he returned a smile and a few wags of his tail in response to the young man's greeting.

He returned his gaze to their newest packmate as he began to speak explaining what had happened. “My memory must be slipping as I should have remembered,” he was glad that Tagg wasn't taking the slip in memory badly. “I'm glad you've found your way back and that we have this chance to become more acquainted. I'm Kajika,” he felt the need to give Tagg his name in case he didn't remember. “Is there any help you might need while getting settled into the cove again?” He asked in regards to what he'd overheard as he'd come up.

Kajika looked to Cernan to see if he might have something to add and also he wondered if his packmate remembered Tagg better than he did. As it became clear by the man's words that he had been in the pack around the time the beta had joined. He remembered Cernan and his siblings still being young then so perhaps it wasn't his memory but merely the fact Kajika hadn't had the chance to really meet him before Tagg had disappeared.

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2017, 06:57 PM by Kajika.)

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Couldn't resist!
<3

A new, yet distantly familiar scent recently planted in the heart of the Cove was what had gotten Neha bolting from the other side of the territory to investigate. Finally, some action around here! A new face; someone to meet and trail at their heels just like the little lovable pest she could be. Her pink tongue hung slightly to the side out of her jaws, making for a somewhat goofy expression painted clear as day on her otherwise refined face. Her thoughts whizzed by a mile a minute as she sorted through memory after memory. Oh gosh darn it, where did she know that scent before?! She couldn't quite place it, and that's what was driving her nuts.

The lake always seemed to be a hot spot for everyone who had the luxury of living right at it's shores. The number of encounters she had with nearly each wolf in the pack now, seemed endless. Cernan, Moonshadow, Namid...Draven. The list went on. Water was supposed to be a calming, nurturing element. A source of peace. Maybe that's why so many were drawn to the lake, regardless if it was frozen over as it was now, or crystal clear in the summer. Although it certainly could never provide any true answers to the many thoughts and worries of her pack mates, as a budding healer, Neha was beginning to understand just how it could influence the mental health of another, just by it's soothing properties. At the lake, she saw three figures gathered. Two of which she immediately identified as Kajika and Cernan. The third, sitting closest to the lake, she didn't recognize. Introducing himself as Tagg, and a former member of the pack, her brows furrowed curiously. "I...can't say I really remember you. But...your scent...I recognize it." She said as she came to join Kajika on his open side, brown eyes locked onto Tagg's scarred face, desperately grabbing at strings, trying to remember him from so long ago.

 

 

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

OOC: Having both of the kids here is adorable.

An event? He was even more curious now. When the tattered man's mismatched eyes finally landed on Cernan and he smiled, the young wolf couldn't help but smile sheepishly back. Now that he was finally staring Tagg in the face, the memories were becoming clearer. He recognized the faint jest in the idea that last he'd seen the prince, he couldn't have reached higher than the man's stomach. It must have been more of a shock to him to see the pup had grown so much, than for Cernan to realize that he remembered Tagg being bigger than this. The scarred man's friendly words coaxed a short chuff of amusement from the tawny youngster. And you shrank, his mind mused jokingly. "No, I remember," the prince assured him calmly with a hint of a grin; finally coming to stand within a comfortable conversation distance. A single rounded ear flicked aside to catch the approach of his one remaining sibling, and Cernan's gaze switched swiftly upward. The recognition of this wolf was instant, and his tail resumed wagging until she was upon them. Neha was definitely not as sure of the man, judging by her expression. The younger male turned his attention back to their newest addition, wondering at once what his reaction would be to her words, and then offered some of his own. "I remember playing with him and Des; you remember her?" The question was mostly aimed at Neha, though there was a hint of him that wished to know if the other gathered parties also recalled the woman. An entertained but faint smile tugged at the yearling's lips as he watched his sister absorb the words. It was kind of cool to recall things from so long ago, especially when others could do it with you. This was like... reminiscing, wasn't it?

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 06:10 AM by Cernan.)