Jasper Rocks keeping me up all night

May 18th; Early evening; Clear; 62 ° F, 16 ° C.

Summer was on the rise. Rook could feel in his whiskers, sense it in the air, and hear it in the trees. Feathered creatures that had migrated last autumn were beginning to return and fill the Cedarwood with their birdsong. Even now, at evening's descent, the western reaches of Relic Lore whispered to the wolf in the sound of distant rustling grasses that change was afoot. Judging by the way his mate's abdomen had swollen greatly over the past few weeks, he was certain that Grizzly Hollow was to receive their third litter - and, soon.

Rook's afternoon of gathering more redcedar bark had been fruitful, with the last of his recent collection going to the old bear den in the south where he realized @Amaryllis was starting to "nest." While he did not dare to roam too far from home, he felt the itch in his limbs and the heartache in his chest. If he had known of things like calendars and the passing of time as humans knew, he might have realized that he was coming up on his birthday and the anniversary of his arrival into the Lore. As it was, he was merely aware of the fact that he was not as young as he used to be. He was without his littermate and twin, without his mother and father, far from his birthplace, and feeling very much alone despite having a pack, a partner, and a mate.

The most prominent of these feelings, he half-refused to acknowledge, was the fact that he missed @Quil. He missed their son, @Tomen, and the life that had crumbled out from beneath them just when he thought it was all going to be okay. Then, all too suddenly, as he stared at the freshly thawed currents of Jasper Rocks, everything hurt. The whole of his body crumpled and folded as he sat on the riverbank, head bowing as he pointed his nose to the earth in defeat. He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. It was overwhelming to try and remember more than the fragments he could remember from summers past.

He felt dizzy.

Inhaling the deepest breath he could muster, he lifted his head to the first glimpses of the stars, unsure of how to make the night pass him by.

know im on absence but oisin wanted to play with Rook

She really didn't know what she was doing. Well, besides the obvious wandering outside of the borders. She promised not to stray too far. The little scarred girl was happy with Grizzly Hollow and appreciated their hospitality so she had no wish to worry Veho (or anyone) that she had disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. She still had to find the nice man a gift. Constantly wondering if he would prefer plants or food. Maybe she should just get him both. That would eliminate most of her issues.

It was getting late. Late enough that the first stars seemed to push through. It made her tail wag with ease when she could catch a glimpse. Back in Fire's Reach stars always meant story time with Papa. A sigh left her lips as she remembered this was not Fire's Reach and there was no Papa here. This was Grizzly Hollow. Well, not exactly but it was close enough to the territory.

Per usual she was sporting a muddied coat from her adventures. It was rare for her to be clean nowadays. Oisin never minded the mud or the earthy smells that quite literally caked her. As the sound of water met her ears she had to wonder if perhaps she was due for a cleaning. Now that she shared a living space it might not be so polite to track mud in. A deep breath in let her know she wasn't alone, though. Granted this didn't match the smell of the kind pregnant woman or Veho but if she tried her hardest she could note scents of them in his scent.

As she stood behind him with no announcement she followed his lead. Looking up to the sky. There weren't too many stars in the sky yet but surely that would change with time. Her dirty yellow eyes looked back to the larger male. "You smell like Grizzly Hollow." She said with a soft tone. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to announce herself but it was better than just lingering behind him like a ghost. "I'm Oisin. Mind if I join ya?" Her posture lowered some but that smile and wag never left the girl.

Heh, I'm on "mental" absence 'til the 21st, myself... NO rush, please. Reply when able~ <3

The hairs at the back of his neck prickled and he closed his eyes as he leveled his head, unaware that the girl behind him also sought an audience with the emerging night sky. If it had been anyone he had known, he might have turned around and smiled and lifted his tail in a wag. A trace of Veho's musk did waft his way, though, and her voice was quick to engage him in conversation. "You smell like Grizzly Hollow." His ears perked up and he cast a glance over his shoulder.

What he could see in the gathering dark was a woman no taller than his Lily. She, too, had a muzzle covered in scars, and possessed eyes as gold as the now-hidden sun. Her coat was too tan, though, to be mistaken for the Hollow Leader. Rook didn't have to do a double take, most especially when she offered her name: Oisin.

"Sure," he obliged, his toned hushed and, perhaps, a bit guarded. His tail swept across the pebbled bank to press up against his heel and foot as if making room for her to sit next to him on his left side. "Wouldn't mind at all." He cleared his throat as an afterthought, his eyes turning back to the near-black creek. "You must be new," he mused, the obvious statement an indicator of his neglected social skills. "Have you traveled far?"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Slowly she crawled across the ground to come to his left. Her front paws dipping into the creek as it washed away the mud. A small smile tugging at her lips as he spoke. "I am. Veho was kind and allowed me to stay." That hadn't even been that long ago so truthfully she couldn't be mad that they were just meeting. Not to mention, Oisin wasn't one to get mad.

"Well I suppose I have. Fire's Reach was home and that's where Papa is. It's a far trip." The small female nodded her head kindly as she certified her own words. "But I haven't been in the area very long. Traveled around and through some large willows then to a lagoon. Now I'm here." Her yellow gaze flickered over to catch a glimpse of the male at her side before returning to the water.

She pulled her paws out of the cool water, staring at them. Above her ankle was still caked in mud. Oisin would need to wash better than that if she wished to not get the main den dirty. "What's your name?" She asked him casually. The Hollow wolf hadn't heard him introduce himself nor was she given a name to those within the ranks of her new home. Oisin had no problem with learning those kinds of things herself. It meant she could bond with them perhaps a bit better than if she already knew everything.