Wild Rye Fields rest for the weary

Special mentions for @Chimera, @Sphinx, and @griffin, but all welcome! Backdated to Aug. 3rd, one day after Ris arrives at WRF

The silver child had been so exhausted, she could barely see straight. But Jessie had been so kind to her, and had offered her food and a place to rest that she so desperately needed. She had eaten and slept in the den that the Rye queen had shown her, and had slept all day, and night, and now into midmorning the next day. And at first she was confused - a sort of dissociation and out-of-place feeling was apparent the moment she opened her eyes and was filled with different scents and sights. She was more than a little afraid, but when she remembered the events that had transpired the day before, she relaxed.

She was in the territory of Wild Rye Fields. She was safe. There wasn't a reason to be afraid.

Dull silver eyes squinted slightly as she stepped out of the den and into the sunshine outside. It felt nice on her fur, and the smells of the grass around her were refreshing. It wasn't as woody or musky smelling as her home back at the River, but it was still really nice. She liked it quite a bit.

Speaking of the River, the girl wondered if they were worried about her. She hadn't thought much on it when she left, because she had been so sleep deprived that she wasn't thinking clearly, but now... she was a little concerned. But her legs were so sore and she was too tired to go back today, so she just lay down outside the communal den of the Rye wolves, her chin on her paws.

Other than the fact her mother was dead and that she was a Hearthwood pup, Askan didn't know a thing about Risaela.

He'd never even met the kid before, but even so he couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. It was hard enough loosing his family as an adult, so he had no idea what it must have been like for her. At this age she needed her mother more than ever, but she was dead and gone so someone else was going to have to step up into the role. As to who, he had no idea, it wasn't like he knew the River wolves like the back of his paw. But he knew- or rather hoped- that someone would do right by the little pup.

To any other wolf, finding the newcomer would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.  But no one knew the field like Askan did. He knew the little nooks and crannies, the little hiding spots the pups thought no one knew about and most importantly he had a strong hunch as to where Jessie had hidden away the little pup.

Slowing to a trot and then a walk, Askan approached the little den with his usual frown on his face. He'd wanted to check out the pup for himself, but now he'd laid eyes on her-as she took in her surroundings- he wasn't quite sure what to say or do. She wasn't one of their own so she wasn't going to get the special Selwyn treatment, but she was still just a kid so he wasn't gonna be a dick either. It was a fine line really, but surely it was something he could managed, right? Right?

"Hey." Askan greeted, once he stood at a reasonable distance. "You hungry?"

That was okay, wasn't it? Not too mean. He was looking out for her, this little sad, silver thing that had wandered into their lands.

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

I missed Askan so much T.T

The child hadn't really been expecting visitors - but, then again, she wasn't exactly sure what to expect from these Rye wolves. She had lain there for an indeterminate amount of time when one actually did show up - a dark-pelted man that she'd never seen before, though he kind of looked like a smaller version of Ayti, or a bigger version of Inna. But she guessed that most dark wolves probably would look a little similar, and it was nice to have that little semblance of home to hold onto as she looked up at the man.

He greeted her kindly enough, and Ris smiled softly from where she lay her head on her paws. Because she was tired, and she didn't want to move much, if she could help it. But then he asked if she was hungry, and her belly gave a plaintive whine in response. She hadn't even thought about being hungry since she woke up, but it was clear that the child needed more food. She'd been skinny enough as it was before Kisla died, and she'd only eaten two small meals in the week that followed. Once with Lorcan, about five days ago, and once when Jessie had fed her yesterday.

Risaela nodded her head, seeing no reason to disagree with him, or even to be afraid of him. It wasn't like he'd snuck up on her or yelled at her or anything - he seemed nice. The pup rose to her paws again, her limbs giving aches and throbs in protest, and she turned silver eyes up at the man when she was on all fours. Her tail was limp at her heels, and her head was lowered, but she offered him another smile. She wasn't sure how her voice was holding up, so she didn't want to test it, and she hoped he understood.

She shook her fur a bit before padding over to him, posture lowered and tail waving slowly behind her.

Plops a Sphinx in

Askan was up to something and Sphinx was going to go full Sherlock Holmes to figure out just what that was. Whatever that meant.

She had started to acquire the stealth of her mother's silence not only with words but movement as well and when the speckled child of the Rye noticed the pack's guardian slink through the grass with that typical frown upon his face and a sense of determination in his quick paw steps it only made sense that she tagged along too. She always enjoyed spending time with Uncle Askan and ensuring he stayed a little less broken than usual. At least while she was around or until Reyes could take over.

Dark paws followed in the man's footsteps some ways behind; unable to move as fast as the adult man but she sure would be damned if she didn't try to, and all the while curiosity ran rampant with the limitless possibilities of what they'd be getting themselves into. What she wasn't expecting, though, when she poked her head through the latest batch of grass was to come across someone her size; although much skinnier, she had never ever seen before.

Any stealth the child may have had was whisked away as her eyes widened in surprise and her paws kept walking. Walking straight into Askan's back legs and allowing a hefty oof to escape her inky lips while she tumbled back slightly to land on her rump, tail wagging a million miles an hour. A new face! And they looked to be her age too! "Who's this?" She questioned, also looking up toward the face of the man before looking back toward this unknown stranger. Watching closely as they began to approach with hardly any of the excitement that coursed through Sphinx.

It was a bit of a silly question really, but Askan was glad he'd asked it. He wasn't sure whether she would have asked for food or would have chosen to simply suffer in silence. The Rye pups never did that, they were loud and insistent when their tummies got rumbly, but after all this little one had been through she couldn't be blamed for not wanting to speak up.

He'd just been about to offer her something from one of their many caches when Sphinx entered the scene, curious and bumbling as always. He huffed in amusement as he felt her little form collide with her legs and turned to send her an amused, if not dry look. He hoped she'd never change, she was just so damn endearing, annoying little heck that she could be. Sometimes, once in a blue moon. He was trying to cling onto some shreds of his manliness, okay?

"This is Risaela." He told her, once the little pup had gotten back onto her feet. "She's from Hearthwood River. Remember I told you about them? Showed you were it was when we were at The Lookout?" He hoped he did, he'd told her a lot that day. Taught her about the Lowlands and their neighbours.

"Anyway, she's hungry, so how about we go look for a cache? Want to lead the way Sphinx?" He turned to Risaela once again."You can tag along or wait here if you want, I don't mind."

It was her choice, he wasn't going to throw his weight around and bully this little pup into submission. That sounded like a dick move, something Craw would probably do.

Soon after the man approached, a little girl came up, as well. She was dark-furred, with orange eyes like Inna's. Risaela wondered if the world was just full of wolves that looked like that, or if there were any that looked like her. She'd yet to find anyone colored in silvers as she was, though there were plenty of browns and blacks and creams. However, there were far too many green-eyed wolves like Kisla's, in Ris' opinion. Too many wolves that looked like she was gazing into her mother's own eyes.

She was glad that neither of these two seemed to have any features reminiscent of Kisla.

The pup didn't know how the adult knew her name, but she was glad that she didn't have to introduce herself. Maybe Jessie had told him or something. He went on to offer to bring her to a food cache, and Ris gave them both a soft wag of her tail. The girl got to her feet and looked between the two of them, intending on following wherever they wanted to lead her. She wanted to approach them and be friendlier, but she found that she didn't quite have that much energy.

But she did want to know what to call them. She believed she heard the older one use the younger girl's name, but she couldn't be sure. Clearing her throat felt like she was gargling river rocks, but it was necessary to use her voice. "S'yer n-na-names?" she asked, her voice hoarse and thin. She hoped that it didn't sound too bad, as it was the best she could offer at the moment.

A sheepish, hehe dang it I got caught, type of smile settled over Sphinx's lips when Askan made a bemused huff and turned to look back at her with an equally amused, tail wagging faster knowing that despite the fact she should have been with her siblings minding her business elsewhere her favorite gay uncle wouldn't come down on her with the hammer of punishment like mama would had she been in his place today. Phew.

Batty ears pricked forward and her little head gave a tilt once the man revealed who this strange girl was, the moniker not ringing any familiar bells until it was paired with the mentioning of Hearthwood River and the lookout. That she knew and the connection was made known for Askan by a small nod of her head. Boy, had she learned a lot of stuff that day and by the end, her growing brain was hurting from all the new information she had to process. There was something about a pie on a mono something. A big rock it sounded like? It confused Sphinx as to why someone wanted to live on a rock. She liked the wide open space of her home. Of course, being the good girl she was she tried her best to remember what she could from that special outing.

Turning her attention to this Risaela girl the brightest of grins returned to her face while hoisting herself back up to a standing position, needing no further invitation from Askan to take the lead on this one before starting to turn about. Since their trip to the Lookout she had been secretly working on her sniffing to prepare herself for the revenge she would inflict on the rabbit that got away, but before the trio could set off toward a nearby cache under the guidance of leader Sphinx the silvered girl finally spoke and boy was the young Avalon not expecting it to sound so rough like the collection of pebbles that dotted the banks of their pond.

Paws pausing in their steps, the speckled girl glanced over her shoulder and rose a tiny brow curiously. Why was her voice so funny sounding? And because Sphinx was, well, Sphinx, there was no holding back that very thought. "Your voice funny. I'm Sphinx." Grin and happy tail wag still in tact.

Sphinx's question was harmless, asked out of innocence rather than malice. But seeing how his voice had once been just as funny as little Risaela's not that long ago, he understood that it didn't feel good to be called out like that. That having such an obvious flaw shoved in your face was anything but helpful. There was no way the River pup didn't notice how her voice sounded. So there was no need for Sphinx to point it out.

Leaning down, Askan gave her a light shove with his front paw. A gentle, guiding, reprimand if nothing else.

"She knows, lil lady. Leave her be." He then dircected his attention back to Riseaela, who was taking this all like a champ. Good girl. "I'm Askan. You can call me Kana or Kan if it's easier, whichever you prefer." He shrugged.

With a flick of his snout, he gestured for the little ones to follow him. He figured they might want to chat along the way, or not. Sphinx was quieter, more approachable than her troublesome brothers. If anyone could make Risaela feel a little more at ease it was her.

"Don't worry, it's not far. You can have your fill and head back to the den if you want. Or Sphinx can show you the field, if you'd like.The choice is your's, I don't care." A blunt way of putting it, but his point stood. 

The other girl had the biggest smiles, and it seemed to be at least a little infectious. Ris felt the little tug on her lips that reminded her of the feeling of wanting to smile back. Every positive expression had been so forced lately. It brought up a lot of conflicting emotions within the young child and she swallowed hard when the Sphinx girl commented on her voice. Because yeah, her voice was all kinds of messed up, but it didn't hurt her feelings. It was the fact that these wolves were being so nice to her, and her positive emotions were conflicting with the tidal waves of negative ones, that had her hurting inside.

"Mhmm," she replied, in regards to the voice comment, and a smile found its way onto her maw. It was true, after all; she wasn't wrong, and Ris didn't care. But the feelings weren't ebbing in the slightest, and though it had nothing to do with the voice thing, tears welled in her eyes even as she smiled at the bigger girl. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing them to dry off. "S-pinx 'n Ka-Kana." Her voice was still a croak, but she felt it necessary to say them aloud. Wasn't that kind of polite? And, speaking of... "N-ni-ice to muh-m-meet yo-ou."

That was probably enough politeness for the moment, because she was so tired of speaking. Her voicebox had been overworked these past couple days, and the stutter was even more pronounced than usual. She was content to follow the big black male and the other girl, keeping silent. Askan assured her that the cache wasn't far away, which was nice because her paws hurt. She offered him a thankful smile, silver eyes flicking up to meet his yellow for a moment before turning to look back at the fields they were walking into.

If she felt better after eating, then maybe she would ask Sphinx to take her on a walk.