Umbra Copse The Plan Is There Is No Plan

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Happy page two!

"Maybe not, but... Some days I feel it," ever since he'd been forced out of his home, he'd never been in the best condition. He figured he had one good year left, maybe followed by one crappy year. It was easy to play it off as if he was fine with the whole concept — everyone died, at least eventually. The thought terrified him, and being tossed into a void of uncertainty was more than he could handle. He could talk about it, maybe outside of his own mind, but Larkspur rarely let himself think like that.

Her next words brought a bout of silence from him, he studied the woman as if the deeper answer would be written on her face. It wasn't, but at least he'd managed to get some sort of info from her. That, in itself, was a victory to him. One of his hind legs reached up to scratch behind his ear as he quietly hmm'd. He had never considered others so much, and especially not strangers. Why would the safety of other wolves be more important than your own? That was something he couldn't bring himself to understand. Maybe it was a thing women did.

At last, Larkspur decided against prying @Kuwindwa for more information. After all, his intention today was to be the helpful stranger, and he didn't necessarily need her life story to be helpful. "Is it really so wise to be afraid for others before you fear for yourself?" he offered. "I'm all for worrying for others' safety," he wasn't, but she, and none of the other wolves he acquainted himself with, needed to know that. "But sometimes you do need to put yourself first. You might be surprised how understanding others can be...


Or wander aimlessly. It just doesn't really get you too far too fast."

Aww yissss! xD

Sometimes you do need to put yourself first.

His words were like a blow. Who was this woman, wallowing in self-pity? Where was the emboldened warrior, standing with head high and tail erect? She had appeared for just a moment when he Larkspur first reared his head, but she shriveled away moment by moment, day by day.

"I have feared for myself for a long time, and it has resulted in nothing but this," she motioned to the forest around them with a sweep of her muzzle, "Endless fog and wandering without end." Running from shadows. Shadows? She felt so much shame at that moment, enough to wake her spirit out of its slumber.

Kuwindwa wasn't an overly-emotional woman, but the fight between her heart and head was tearing at her, and her next words came out sharper than intended: "But how? How can I bring my fight into another pack? A peaceful people?" The fire in her eyes reignited, burning bright and fierce, though it was not directed at Larkspur, and she seemed to uncoil, a vision of pride, of a Kuwindwa who was unafraid. "I am tired of wandering. What good am I if I am a broken warrior? What good if I- I-" the woman faltered suddenly, shrinking again as she realized she had been caught up in a passionate dream of times past. "If I cannot protect others from me, then what good would it do?" If she could not protect herself from what she was running from, how could she protect them? Her words were scornful, and the fire began to die, the embers became coals again. She wouldn't look at him. He had made her remember. That wasn't bad, but it stung. Kuwindwa seated herself across from Larkspur and when she looked up her face was even.

She was a warrior without purpose. So long as she was alone she was nothing. Maybe what she needed was purpose, even if it was a purpose created by her presence. No wonder she was so empty this past year. But understanding? If a time ever came that she endangered others, what would she do then? Would they be massacred? Absorbed into another way of life? She had done it once. Survived it. Could she ask others to do the same? "I can offer my protection and skill as a hunter, for whatever they are worth."

Larkspur looked around as she mentioned the fog, which he thought was barely a good example. "There are very few things that are truly timeless," maybe time was, but he wasn't even certain of that. "Maybe you're going in circles," he suggested, though knowing he could offer little actual help with the information she'd given him. Not that he was entirely interested in helping, he was more curious as to what she was running from. A wolf? A pack? What had brought the woman here, wandering aimlessly in Relic Lore?

He let the woman speak, and even when she was done, Larkspur let silence fall between them. He thought on her words, which gave him more insight as to who @Kuwindwa was. A warrior, maybe far from home, and possibly running from something. "I don't think it can do any good. But it does do good to try," it had taken him a good chunk of time to come to that realization. Often times there was so little you could do, but to at the very least try was important. A lot of things had fallen into place because of it, even despite the hiccups he was bound to face.

Larkspur finally got up, he stretched and joints popped here and there. He scratched behind his ear again and then shook himself off. "You're putting so little value in something that's important," he got one last look at her before turning. "I'm heading back to Quaking Vale, but if you're interested in another direction, I'd head northwest if I were you. The fog clears a bit more quickly that way." He looked in that direction for a moment before giving the woman a nod and heading back to the aspen forest.


— exit Larkspur!

Kuwindwa blinked. He was right of course. Even if she failed to see it, her reasoning was circular and the past year had been a cycle of paranoia. She listened to him with perked ears, though her gaze remained downward for some time after he had risen. Only her eyes followed him as he turned to leave and she remained thoughtfully silent, only inclining her head to bid him goodbye. Was this really farewell? Her brow furrowed.

Her spirit was sparked by what he'd said, stirred in a way it hadn't been since she'd fled all those moons ago. It was enough to embolden her, press her into action toward something she had feared. It was curious how his words worked in her mind. Who was he? How had he known what to say? Did he really understand, or was it all condescension for her sake? The surge of spiritual strength was unlikely to keep, but she could try. It never did any good to live in constant fear; it didn't help her, her kin – no one. But old habits died hard, and doubt had such a jagged hold on Kuwindwa's mind her gaze did turn northwest initially. She entertained the thought of leaving, for venturing into a pack was a formidable challenge for the silver woman...

Going in circles. Those words brought a realization into firm grasp – like she had only ever needed to hear them spoken to know she was trapped... and a warrior was never meant to be cornered. She must fight back for her freedom.

Her gaze fell on the snow at her feet. Spring was coming. It would not necessarily be a good season, but it didn't have to be bad, and it didn't have to be an end. The circle must be broken. Larkspur had cracked it, just enough... just enough. Her eyes snapped up determinedly in the direction Larkspur had headed. The fog had long since swallowed him by that point, just like it would engulf Kuwindwa whose feet found their way almost of their own accord and she loped after the man. She left those woods as silently as she had come into them, and maybe – just maybe – a little less lost than before. Her steps would take her forward until he was within sight and she would make no secret of her pursuit. She would come with him to Quaking Vale.