Lavender Ethos Not about angels

@Lilya // Partly cloudy -14*F, -26*C Afternoon // Set a couple hours after this thread (going to be vague)

The white yearling had crossed - quite carefully - the frozen river a while back, though he had kept close to avoid getting lost in the tall forest. The snow made it just that much harder to navigate effectively, and he did not want to get turned around and even more lost, though he was not sure if he really was lost. Lost meant the he would have had a certain destination in mind, and as he had just picked a direction and started walking he surely could not be lost. Wandering aimlessly would be a better description he mused to himself in his mind as he picked his way through the tall trees. It was quite serene walking through the woods with the quiet chattering of small critters hopping about and darting away if he got too close, much better than the dense silence of the Ghastly Woods. A shudder ran through his body at the memories of that place; he would never set a paw in there ever again.

White ears pricked curiously at the dappled light sprinkling down from the canopies up ahead, bounding forward so he arrived at the edge of a clearing in just a couple steps. Amber eyes spotted patches of flourishing lavender and hopped forward excitedly, nosing the patches with great interest. They looked very much like the medicinal herb, but he could not be sure as they were all withered and brown from the snow with no signs of purple on the stems. He would have to wait until Spring came around to make sure. Sitting back on his haunches, Niki gazed around the clearing, tail thumping on the snow behind him. It was large enough for a fairly large sized pack to gather with enough room to spare, though with a quick sniff of the air he could not detect any wolves nearby. At least it meant he had not accidentally crossed a pack border as the snow dampened his ability to properly smell things a fair distance away.

338 words

@Neem Sorry this took so long <3

Lilya had found herself in the bad habit of losing herself into her thoughts more and more often, though she was still careful to be mindful of her surroundings so she didn’t fall into a river of break a leg by tripping over something. No, the agouti moved through the familiar landscapes she called home and had long since passed the threshold that was her family’s lands. Not her blood family, the very thought reminding her of the pain she’d endured, the pain she tried her best to ignore and push away… she hummed quietly to herself, the voice barely audible against the wind as her paws lightly crunched.

She noted the soft flowers that seemed to manage to fight against the suppressing siren that fell from the sky, looking pretty until you fell into its trap… she’d visited the Ethos on one of her late-night walks when sleep evaded her, but that’d been before the first snows had fallen, and it’d been a much clearer imagine back then. She almost didn’t recognize it despite not much changing. She almost didn’t notice the white yearling, the color of his pelt reflecting against the snow and almost blending in if not for his eyes, maw, and snout. She forced a soft smile onto her features that appeared genuine – it always appeared genuine. “Hello.” She greeted softly with a wave of her tail.

@Lilya

At the sound of a voice Niki turned his head, maw opening in a large grin at the sight of an earthy-coloured female standing at the edge of the clearing. "Hi!" He woofed in response, tail stirring up the snow where it swished back and forth excitedly. "Name's Neem bu'y'more than welcome t'call m'Niki if tha's wha'y'wish. I don'min'." Jumping to his feet he bounded closer to the female but stopped a fair distance away so as not to invade her personal space if she had any. He did not want to cause distress nor be nipped for acting so rudely, and so he stood patiently - and by patiently he hopped from one paw to the other - to hear her response, always happy to meet another wolf no matter the time of day or night.

Head tilting to the side, the white yearling sniffed the air, picking up the same scent that had been on the dark female he had met with earlier. White ears perked up for a moment before they splayed to the side as a soft whine escaped his lips. "I hope 'm no'intrudin' on y'pack's borders miss, don'wan' t'cause an'trouble, hones'." From within the clearing he had not been able to catch a whiff of the border of the pack he knew to be nearby, but with all the snow he could be closer than he thought. If he was too close Niki would happily move to an acceptable distance away from the border with no complaint if that was what the earthy-coloured female wished. As a lone wolf he was at the mercy of any pack wolves, not that he would put up much of a fight, be it verbal or physical. He was a peacemaker, not a fighter, and would rather roll over and show full submission than attack another without a very good reason.

313 words

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