Fallen Tree Cove I wanna know how you got those scars

OOC! @Tagg backdated to 1/8 set about mid/late morning. Sorry its a bit all over the place. I'm not always the best at starting threads

She was finally able to sleep. Now that Namid had reclaimed her role the ebony woman was able to get a solid full nights rest. She came back to the communal den about a week or so ago but still hadn't been able sleep all the way through the night. Now everything was back to normal and she was sleeping comfortably in her nook at the front of the den. Slowly she woke up giving her body a good stretch before she made her way out of the den. Mercury eyes shut tight as a mighty yawn left her parted jaws. It had been a while since she allowed herself to sleep so late. The extra rest really helped the dark woman feel much better. The burden of holding a rank that didn't belong to you and you had no idea how to hold it was gone. The dark female was glad to have things go back to normal, to have everyone happy and ranked where they should be. It was exciting and everything was looking up. Even this horrid winter now that spring was around the corner. Her colorless pools adjusted to the light of the outside world. Deciding to get a drink and maybe some breakfast Moon made her way down towards the lake. Dark paws glided easily down the well worn path and padded across the rocky shore. The hole in ice that the pack kept open for easy drinking started to refreeze at the edges. She used her paw to break away the fresh ice so that the home would remain open. Once finished she bent to drink. Her salmon tounge plunged into the icy water to bring the cool liquid into her mouth. The bitter cold felt nice against her parched throat. She sat and drank for a few more moments enjoying the serenity.

The lake had quickly become one of her favorite places within the territory. There was something about it had always calmed the young woman. Having gotten her fill the dark she wolf turned to go and start a border patrol. She decided against fish for breakfast. She wasn't really in the mood to have the cool with her breeze nip at her half wet face. She would hunt something else if given the chance while on her patrol. She moved at a brisk trot having much more energy from actually resting. As she moved she thought about checking in on @Kajika. It was about time she checked in since she didn't necessarily want to be pounced on. She expected to catch onto his scent at one point or another while on her patrol but she caught a whiff of another's instead. It was the male who had come back after disappearing before she had joined. She had been meaning to actually introduce herself and become better acquainted with him. She had just been kinda busy and preoccupied to say the least. But now was a perfect opportunity to do just that. She followed his scent along the border until she say his russet form come into view. She let out a friendly woof to announce her presence. Moonshadow definitely didn't want to sneak up him and startle him. Her stance was neutral and friendly. Even though she wasn't lead anymore she still ranked above the older male but wasn't the kind of wolf to wave that around unless absolutely necessary. She gave him a warm smile as she approached.

Is that a Batman reference? xD I laughed out loud! Also I have to ask: is your phrase from the song 'The Light' by Disturbed? Good taste.

Word Count: 234

Tagg had just woken up and was contemplating getting a drink when he heard her footsteps.  He felt the old tension start to coil in his shoulders but forced himself to release it as she announced her presence.  He was getting better, that was for sure.  He didn’t even jump.

“Goodmorning.” He greeted, turning to face her.  “What can I do for you this morning?” He stretched, trying to banish the tension from his spine completely.  He swung his head around, scanning the area on habit.  That was something he hadn’t been able to shake, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.  Even though he should be safe here, it wouldn’t do to let his guard down too much.

He had been contemplating finding Cernan today, but that could wait if the recently disposed alpha wanted a word.  He hadn’t had much time to talk with her since he joined, and he wanted to get to know everyone as best as he could.  She seemed nice, after all, and it wouldn’t hurt to make friends.

He definitely needed them.

“I was just thinking about trying to find some breakfast if you’d like to try for a rabbit or something.” He offered.  It would give them something to do and, if they were successful, offer a potentially larger meal than either of them would likely catch on their own.  “That is, unless you’ve already eaten?”

"Speech"  Thought

l

OOC! Yes it is haha I was proud of myself for that one cuz I'm not very witty XD and thank you :)

As she approached the russet man she could see him tense up but relax when she announced herself. She wondered what could have happened to cause someone to react that way. Maybe it also had to do with the story behind his scars. Knowing it would be rude to ask out right she kept the question to herself for now. She caught up and came to walk beside him on his right side. Her warm smile grew a bit as he greeted her. "Good morning to you as well." She said cheerily. "I just wanted to properly introduce myself. I'm Moonshadow, but you can call me Moon if it suits your fancy." The shorter version of her name had become popular among her packmates and it wasn't something she minded. She actually had become quite fond of it. The dark woman had decided it was best to properly introduce herself especially since Namid had reclaimed her crown since his joining and things were finally back to normal.

The pair walked a bit more along the border. The ear closest to the man was turned towards him as to listen to his reply. He went on to mention getting breakfast. This caused a happy sweep of her tail. She had decided that rabbit sounded more appetizing than fish today and was going to look for some on her patrol. Now maybe the two of them could hunt together and possibly find something a bit bigger to bring down together. "Oh no I havent today because I was actually going to go for rabbit instead of fish today" she explained. She was almost growing tired of fish and getting half her face wet in the freezing water. A chase would definitely warm her up. "Maybe we can find something bigger. If you're up for that of course." The smaller male still seemed to have sleep upon his eye so she didn't want to make any assumptions. So far the young woman liked this Tagg character. He seemed friendly enough even if he was a little jumpy.

Sorry for the long wait!

Word Count: 222

Tagg quickly noticed she stood a little taller than him, and he had to step a little quicker than her to keep up, but he also found that she didn’t move quite fast enough for him to need to really work to keep up.  “Moonshadow… I like it. Sounds mysterious.” He smiled. “I’ve always loved the moon.  It has a way of making me feel safe no matter where I am.”  He thought back to his childhood, when his parents taught him about how the moon was sacred and its spirit, Lupus, watched over them.  It had been a long time since he’d thought about it as such – too much bad had happened for him to believe some higher power was watching over him – but he still loved its pale light.  “It reminds me of my family.” He said a little more quietly.  His chest still ached whenever he dwelled too long on their fate, or his last memory of his sister.  His oldest scars tingled, as if they could still remember their making.

Her suggestion of larger prey made his tail wag.  There was nothing like a good hunt to help wake up! “I’m itching for a good chase.  Are there any deer up here this time of year, or would we have to go a little further into the valley?” 

"Speech"  Thought

l

OOC! No worries! Feel free to pp them walking down into the valley of you want :)

A smile crossed her maw as the smaller male complemented her name. Her tail also responding to the words. Mysterious huh? She mused, she had never looked at her name that way before but she could see how it fit. He went on to say how he had liked the moon and how it had always made him feel safe. She herself had always slightly favored the dark being able to blend the best under the cover of darkness. It had been especially fun as pup being able to hide from her siblings. "Thank you. I've always slightly favored the night, makes it easier to hide" she said with a small laugh. Her lightheartedness soon faltered when Tagg mentioned it reminding him of his family. His voice had lowered and she could hear the underlying pain. She knew what it had felt like to miss her birth family and could empathize with him. While she had no idea what his story was she could somewhat relate based off these few words. She hoped that he could once again feel at home within the cove.

Whatever sadness was with the russet man faded when Moon mentioned larger prey. His tail wagged as he asked if there was still deer on the mountian or would they have to going into the valley. "Most have moved towards the valley by this time of year. They look for easier terrian and there's more food options down there." She explained with her smile returning. While she may have only been in the cove for just over a year she done a good amount of exploring and tracking to have a good idea of where prey is. One had to in order to help keep the pack fed.

OOC comments here!

Word Count: 224

Tagg moved so he was standing with his blind side to his companion.  His fur prickled a little at the decision, but he wanted to be able to trust her, and he knew she wasn’t likely to attack him.  He would prefer to keep his eye on the forest around him.  He did keep on ear turned more towards her, however.  Old habits.

“Yeah, I figured there would be fewer up here… but it’s been a while.” He let out a breathy laugh as they walked.  “How long have you been in Fallen Tree Cove? It must have been a while if they trusted you enough to take the lead while Namid took a sabbatical.” 

The fact that she had been willing to take on such an enormous task and be just as willing to return the role was another reason Tagg found himself liking the woman.  Few could be trusted with that level of responsibility, and even fewer could be trusted to give it up once they’d had a taste of the power.  He respected her for that.  He also liked that she didn’t seem to coddle him because of his ‘disability’. She wasn’t trying to overcompensate for him by attempting to take care of him.  It was a refreshing change from the pack he’d recently left.

Yes, he liked her very much.

"Speech"  Thought

l

OOC! Out of character comments here

After mentioning that the deer had moved to the valley the dark woman shifted their course towards said valley. As they walked Tagg shifted his position so that Moon was on his blind side. She noted the good amount of trust behind the action. Not wanting to seem rude she snuck glances at his scars, curiosity filling her to the brim on how he got them. She'd eventually find the courage to ask, maybe after they hunted. His light hearted laugh caused her silver dusted tail to wag a few times at its tip. Any sadness that his voice had once held had seemed to disappear, making the young woman feel as if she accomplished her goal of making him feel better.

So it seemed that the russet man had a few questions of his own. How long had she been in the cove? He continued on to assume it was a while since she had been trusted to step in Namids place. While his assumption was true she didnt necessarily believe that they picked her based on full trust but instead of necessity. She was the only other female adult and if she hadnt returned when she did there might not have been a home for her to have returned to. "I've been here a little over a year" she said confirming his assumption. "Kajika had actually found me in the Wildwood and brought me back." She smiled at the memory and remembered the situation in which their meeting at occurred. It was a total disaster, 5 strangers, 2 of them pack wolves - from different packs, and 3 loners. The encounter went pretty well considering, there could have been a number of things happen that would have led to disaster. But it didnt and the ebony she wolf gained a home from it.

She debated for a moment on whether she should tell him that she had disappeared before returning and stepping up. "To be honest I'm not entirely sure if it was pure trust that had Vesper asking me to take over. I had only been home for a couple of hours when he asked me.." She trailed off with her ears lowering in shame. She still felt as of her reasoning for running off was ridiculous and most definitely shouldnt have happened. "I had been gone for a while after running off on a wild goose chase. I ended up getting lost and it took a while to find my way back. So I think I was the only option since Neha was too young to step up." Moon allowed her tail to hang from the guilt. While it had been true that Vespertio - and Namid for that matter - trusted her enough to be a temporary replacement and to step down when the queen was better, she had always been one to short herself credit and be hard on herself. She relied on others reassurance to tell her that she was wrong about herself. She had decided against outwardly saying she chased what she thought was her brothers scent. If her russet companion pressed for it she might give it up, but saw it as pointless information now because the cove wolves were her family.

The duo made their way down into the valley below the cove. Mercury eyes scanned for any potential prey as her nose searched for deer in specific. It was a bit foggy so everything was dampened but not so far that they'd be searching blind. Large dark paws walked past trees being careful in their placement. Finally a delectable smell filled her coal nose. Looking back at her russet company with a smile "I've got something". With that she tracked their meal with her tail swaying steadily behind her.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

OOC comments here!

Word Count: 243

Tagg shot a quick glance at Moon, just to gauge her expression, before returning his eye to its task of scanning the ground for any sign of prey.  He nodded as she spoke, explaining how Kajika had found her and then how she was the only choice Vesper’d had.  “I joined almost two years ago… it’ll be two years next month, I believe.” He paused, thinking back.  How time had flown.  “But I went for a hunt a year ago last autumn, and I was ambushed by a particularly large group of coyotes.  I had to flee, and I couldn’t get back until now.”  He hesitated again.  Though she wasn’t the leader anymore, she had been when he’d been accepted back.  She deserved an explanation.  “I got caught up in a war, you see…  I always repay my debts, and the pack that helped me needed my help in return.  I gave it.  When we won, I came back here.”  There, let her ask if she was curious for more.

The passed in silence for a short while, each watching for a potential meal, when Moon stopped and said she had something.  “The rabbit or something else?” The scarred wolf asked with a lowered voice, nodding to the fresh tracks he’d sighted in the snow the same moment she’d spoken.  A rabbit would definitely offer up the chase they wanted, but it would hardly give more than a mouthful to each of them.

"Speech"  Thought

l

OOC! Out of character comments here

Moon caught the glance Tagg gave her before looking back to the forest and nodding at her words. When she had finished her self pity party he went on to explain that it would have been two years next month since he originally joined. But that he had gone out for a hunt and was ambushed by coyotes and had to flee. Silver eyes widened at that information, there had to have been quite a few to cause him to not get back until now. He continued on to say that he had got caught up in a war because he had to pay the pack that had help him back. It was a very commemmorable trait for one to have. Her silver eyes were filled with wonder as she looked over him. Was that how he had gotten those scars? "That was very brave of you" she said with a almost girlish grin. "I'm sure Vespertio and Namid are glad that you've returned safely" she retorted. The regining pair had always been kind and she didnt doubt that they worried about any member that disappeared. "If you don't mind my asking. Was the war how you got your - uh - injuries?" She went with injuries because she felt scars could be a little abrasive and she didnt want to be rude or offend him. She like him and didn't want to aleinate him.

Now that they had arrived in the valley the dark woman hoped to catch the scent of deer. The larger prey would give the duo a fill as well as have enough left over to fill the caches. This would not be the case however since her nose had caught the scent of a rabbit. It wasn't completely disappointing since they were mostly looking for a good chase. With a smile she gave him a nod at his question of whether it was a rabbit. When she looked at him she noticed the tracks in the mud. She moved her large frame to follow the tracks and tried to keep her step as quiet as possible. She Didnt want to scare off their snack.