Larkcall Lowlands Bask in the glory of all our problems

For @Aleksei , I imagine that this takes place somewhere between Kettle Pot Pond and Lavender Ethos, as Alek goes to visit his dead fam ;_;  

Lenae was being brave again, scouting the Lowlands for anything of interest. Be it pretty flowers, fancy rocks or even a potential meal she could bring back to the Monadnock. She was only small and not very strong so it wasn't like she could haul an entire deer back. But if she did happen to stumble across anything of interest then she  had every intention of taking note of it's location so that she could tell Piety and Wraith about it later.

Ah Piety. Ever since she'd gathered the courage to give her those daises she'd been feeling better, like she had taken a step in the right direction, instead of twenty steps back.It might have been a silly thing to get all worked up about, but it mattered to her. It mattered a whole damn lot, made this land that was still strange to her feel a little less like a hideaway and more like a home.

So on she continued, padding along with a spring in her step. Even before everything had happened she never really had the habit of heading out on her own. She always preferred the company of others, whether it be a pleasant afternoon stroll with her Mother or a race along the ridge with her siblings. It was all good fun, pleasant fond memories that still stung whenever she thought of them. But the pain was okay, it was worth it in the end. She would much rather endure the deep ache than risk losing them to the sands of time.

It was all she had left of her family and home, and she would fight to keep it fresh in her mind.

The tundra-as beautiful as it was, in it's own way- had the habit of feeling a little samey. There was only so much grass and rocks she could look at before her mind began to wander. Or at least that was the case till her gaze narrowed in on a spot of pink in the distance. Oh, what was that? She had to go see, her burning curiosity wouldn't allow her to rest idle!

Kicking off into a sprint, Lenae grinned as she felt the wind caress her sides, like a lover's gentle touch. And it felt good. To be free, to run where she pleased but still have somewhere safe to return to. None of that uncertainty, no need to worry where she would rest her head at night.

As she sped along, the blur of pink transitioned into a flower patch, with dozens if not hundreds of petals. She slowed to a trot and then a walk, so she could bend down to sniff the flowers. And oh did they smell good!

She ambled along, head down, tail wiggling and she sniffed and snuffed. Nothing or no one could ruin this day, even if they tried.

Aleksei’s feet hurt. His heart hurt a little, too—visiting the graves of his parents had been difficult, but he felt better for having done it. He felt better for having met Mathéo, too. He and Risaela were good kids. Troubled and hurting, but good. Aleksei understood how they felt, with one detached from it all and the other blaming herself. Honestly, he saw snippets of himself in both their pain. It was more than a little depressing to see, considering their age.

There were a lot of sad wolves in Aleksei’s life, and he wished he could help them all. His mind drifted to Everly. The last time he had seen her (which had been the second time, really), she had fled the scene in absolute terror. Aleksei regretted that she felt so unsafe, but he didn’t regret telling Aytigin where he could stick his words. Still … was she okay? Had she gotten home safe? Was she feeling any better? At all? He frowned as he walked, gazing down at his paws. Had it been his fault? Had he been to pushy with wanting to defend her? Would knowing the answers even help? Aleksei sighed, only snapping out of his thoughts when grass transitioned to pink petals under his feet. He lifted his head and gazed around, wide eyed—had this flower patch always been here? As he scanned his surroundings, his gaze settled on a familiar figure.

Well. What a coincidence.

There was Everly, enjoying herself as she snuffled through the flowers. Aleksei smiled as he watched her for a moment before speaking up. “Enjoying yourself?” His voice was soft, but loud enough for her to hear. She certainly looked happy enough.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

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

The flowers smelled so good Lenae was having a real hard time stopping herself from rolling about in them, like a woman possessed.

There was no one around to bear witness to her moment of weakness, and even if there was, would it be such a bad thing? Why should she be ashamed of doing something that she liked? Both Piety and Wraith had made it clear that they didn't mind, that it was good for her to have a hobby, something to distract herself with during her free time. When she wasn't with Cyril or sniffing around the tundra, looking for something to eat.

That said it'd be a little embarrassing, no? Especially if a complete stranger saw her frolicking around like that, she wasn't a child anymore, she had to act with more dignity, pride and-

Lenae couldn't help but flinch at the voice that snapped her out of her train of thought, she whirled around to see them and-honestly, no exaggeration here- sagged in relief when she saw just who it was.

Not a stranger, or an evil dooer, just a guy she owed a bucket load of apologies too.

"Oh! Hi Aleksei! Yes, it's a good day, better with you around!"She admitted with a big, sappy grin.

Maybe that was a bit too much. Flowers made her happy, but she didn't want him to feel as though she was smothering him, shoving him face down into her-possibly overwhelming- sense of earnesty. She'd never known how to play it cool, to be aloof and casual, but in that moment she sort of wished she did. That she could be smooth as hell and apologise for how pathetic and flighty she had been before. Both times no less!

"Which is....I mean to say...Hello again! I promise I won't run this time."She dipped her head, embarrassed but soldiered on."I hoped I would see you again...You were very kind, I wanted to say thank you."

Her greeting caught Aleksei off guard, and he blinked a few times as he caught up with the moment. His heart leaped in his chest, as if throwing its arms up and hooting, and a dumb grin spread across his face. Slowly, he moved closer before lowering down to his haunches. He studied her for a moment, thoroughly pleased at what he saw. Everly was looking a lot healthier now. She wasn’t so skinny, nor did she give off that constant feeling of uneasy anxiety. She’d settled somewhere, and it’d been good for her. What a relief! He was happy to see her looking so much better—feeling better, too.

“Oh, you’re welcome.” I think? He hadn’t thought he’d done much for Everly. He certainly hadn’t been the one to help her find some sense of stability and balance. “I just … did what felt right, I guess. I’m glad to see you again, though.” And he was, truthfully and honestly.

“I was just thinking about you, actually.”

Was that weird to admit? It was probably a little weird, and in hindsight he kind of wished he hadn’t said it. What a creepy direction to steer the conversation! “By that I, ah, I mean that … you know, I was wondering how you were. If you were feeling any better.” Promptly, Aleksei cleared his throat, glancing around at the flowers surrounding them. Boy, it sure was pretty here, huh?

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

Lenae didn't mind nor protest when Aleksei came closer and sat down amongst the pretty flowers. The scene suited him really, all the soft colours and sweet scents matched his gentle, kind nature. He was large, yes, but there was nothing imposing about the way he carried himself or how he spoke. Lenae had seen the worst the world had to offer, but she liked to think- even now- she could recognise a good man when she saw one.

And Aleksei, well he was more than all right in her books. He near the top, amongst the best of the best! A very high honour if she did say so herself.

Plonking her rear on the ground-forever the embodiment of beauty and grace, not- Leane stretched till her belly skimmed the ground and her front legs reached out before her. Wasn't this nice? How they both sat together like they were age old friends? It was certainly a new feeling, and Lenae quickly decided she could get used to this. Both the company and the flowers.

As steady and as calm as Aleksei seemed to be, he certainly had a way of taking Lenae by surprise. She was glad that he was happy to see her again, this situation would be terribly awkward if it was one sided, but the thought that she had been on his mind, well it came as a shock to her.

Who was she, plain ole Lil Lenae? Nothing memorable about her, too small, too timid, easily out shined by her older sisters.

The only thoughts men had about her were bad ones.

"Oh?" She fidgeted, not uncomfortable per se, rather...still a little bewildered. She trusted his words and his intentions but perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing? After all, wasn't it common place to think about those you considered a friend?"Well...Think more of me if you'd like! And I'll do the same for you! Well wishes and all."

How smooth, real slick. Lenae the smooth talker.

"But um...I'm doing better, trying to be braver.That's why I'm out here." She glanced around with mock suspicion and crawled a little closer so she could speak in a hushed tone."Between you and me, I told my alphas I was going to try my paw at hunting...But really, I just wanted to look for some flowers. Never seen any like these before. Don't they smell wonderful?" She asked him, desperately hoping he was just as enthusiastic about them as she was.

Everly stretched out in the flowers, and Aleksei felt as though he were privy to a private moment where her guards were let down. She was fine being in his company now, hardly comparable to the woman he’d seen before, skittish and afraid. How many other wolves had been allowed so close? He certainly considered himself lucky.

He flustered at her words. She’d be okay with him thinking about her? Was she actually encouraging him to do so? His tongue felt thick in his mouth, only for the heat to rise in his cheeks. Well wishes. Right. Right, of course! What else would it be regarding? “I, uh, I’d like that,” he choked out with a nervous chuckle and a smile. “Lets think about each other from time to time then, yeah?” Internally, he was both laughing and full blown hollering at himself. Ha ha, what the fuck? Why was he so bad with talking to women?

Everly went on to explain that she was trying to be braver, and crept playfully closer to spill her secret, as if it were pack law she was breaking by not hunting. Aleksei found it all … really endearing, in an innocent sort of way. He grinned, thoroughly amused. “Your flower seeking secrets are safe with me. I’d be willing to help you find something to take back to your pack, just for the sake of good cover.” And then, because she asked for his opinion, he lowered his head, sniffing the delicate flowers surrounding them. “You’re right, they do smell good,” he mused aloud, thoroughly surprised. It was a sweet sort of scent, one thick with pollen. No doubt a hive of bees would find this little lowland gem soon and be all over it. In fact, he gave them another sniff for good measure. “You like flowers then, huh?”

(This post was last modified: Sep 09, 2017, 07:35 PM by Aleksei.)

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

Maybe if Lenae hadn't been making goo-goo eyes at the surrounding flowers she would have immediately realised the effect-and connotations- of her words. Contrary to what some people thought, they weren't feeble things that could be flung around without consequence.Words could hurt just as easily as they could heal. And that's all she wanted to do really, return his kindness with bucket loads of her own. He'd been so good to her, it only seemed natural to treat him just as well.

When she glanced back over at him, her smile was soft and ever so relieved. For a long, scary moment she'd feared he would take it the wrong way, that he would assume she was being overly friendly or worse yet, weird.

And then Aleksei continued on and...hearing him repeat it rubbed in just how silly she'd sounded. He was taking it well, like a champ really, but the more she thought about it the more she knew she'd made a mistake. Who even said something like that? What was even happening? Why had she suggested that in the first place? What had she been thinking?

It had seemed harmless enough at the time, but now she couldn't help but inwardly cringe, or more accurately, internally bellow like a bison in rut.

Play it cool, Lenae. This was totally salvageable. Hopefully, maybe?

"Yeah! Sounds like a plan to me."

Aleksei-bless him- then took the incentive to change the topic and in turn brought up a wonderful idea.Two birds with one stone!

She pawed at the flowers before her, her gaze flickering sheepishly between her feet and Aleksei's face.It seemed a little too much to ask...but he had offered. Surely he was a man of his word, she could hardly imagine him saying something to just appease her.

"If it's not too much trouble. The last thing I want to be is a burden."She paused for a long moment, but the mention of flowers brought her beaming smile back as bright as ever."I do! I like how even when it gets cold and tough, and they struggle to even survive...Give them a few months and they're back as beautiful as before, like they never even left."

She could talk about flowers for days, if allowed. But she doubted he was that interested, he was just being polite, a true gentleman. Or at least the closest to one she had ever seen.

"Your eyes...I've never seen anything like them before." She squinted, staring up at his green peepers. "They're really nice!" And there she went again, running her mouth without considering how weird she might seem.

He offered a grin to Everly, tail wagging back and forth a few times. Too much trouble? Really? Is that what she thought it’d be? A hunt was exciting—a hunt was (usually) fun. It got the blood pumping, the heart beating, made a wolf feel alive. It was the furthest thing from a pain. And Everly’s company—her presence, really—was in no way a burden; it got Aleksei’s heart beating, too. “Really, it’s no trouble. I’d love to help—spend some more time with you.” Oh, wait, was … was that weird? Was he being weird? He should stop being weird.

Ah, so it wasn’t just the beauty of petalled flora she appreciated. It was their tenacity to bounce back after each winter, no matter how harsh. He’d never given that side of flowers much thought. It was an interesting way to think about them, and admire them. Maybe Everly was like a flower. She was struggling now, finding her way, but she’d sprout new leaves and display bright petals. She just needed time, sunshine and care.

She complimented his eyes, and Aleksei laughed sheepishly. “Thanks. Green runs in the family, I think.” His mother and father had green eyes, like him, but his siblings were all a little different. Perhaps green wasn’t as prominent in his bloodline … maybe he’d just inherited his eyes from his father. “You know, I like yours too.” Perhaps if he were paying a little more attention, he might have realised he was staring. “They’re bright. Like dandelions.” And they were. Little pools of sunlight, buttercups against dark soil. Doe-eyed.

She really was very pretty.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

Lenae knew that sometimes-when she wasn't making a complete fool out of herself-she was okay to be around. That she wasn't the worst company in the world. But the fact Aleksei liked and even wanted to spend more time with her was something she found a little hard to take in. Not because she disliked it, far far from it she was thrilled even, but it was such a nice feeling that she couldn't help but flounder a little. What was she supposed to do with this warm, tingly sensation in her chest? How was she meant to focus on the prospect of a hunt when he looked at her with nothing but kindness?

She was an adult! Focus wasn't supposed to be something difficult to come by and yet Aleksei here was being so very distracting. Bad Aleskei...except that he wasn't bad at all. He was the furthest thing from it, he'd proved that time and time again.

"I'd love that too."She eventually admitted, steeling her nerve as she offered him yet another one of her sunny Selwyn smiles. All squinty eyes and wagging tail."Maybe once we're done here. It'd be sad to leave so soon."

Lenae wasn't the sort to offer empty compliments, nor would she ever feint interest in a person just to get into their good graces. Lenae's problem was that she gave everything her all. She cared too much, loved too much so when things fell through she often tumbled down with them. It had happened so many times one would think she would have learnt to put distance between herself, but no. In the end she was always battered and bruised. But not this time, not with Alek. Or so she hoped.

"Aha, thanks. It runs in my family too! I don't think I've met anyone who didn't have yellow eyes...well no, there was maybe one, or two? I can't really remember anymore. But I'm glad you like them because...."

She honestly had no idea why it pleased her, why his words made her thrum with satisfaction. But they really did and she wanted him to continue saying more nice things about her, what he liked and what he loved. Was she being selfish? Probably but...She was doing that thing again, overthinking things.

"Because I need them to see and I don't think it'd be a lot of fun stumbling around in the dark. Nor would I be able to see you and I think that'd make me sad. So none of that, hurrah for pretty yellow and green eyes!"