Kingsfall A weed is but an unloved flower

scouting dem 1/3

Even though she had chosen to leave of her own accord, Lenae couldn't help but feel as though she was too far from her stone tower. She didn't mind the tundra so much, it was rather similar to the barren heights of her clan's homeland. The same sort of flora and fauna and oh so many rocks. But these woods-and any others, to be honest- were foreign to her.

It was hard to get a proper view of the sky, no matter how often she looked up, as the canopy blocked a large portion of the view. There was still sunlight, cracks between the branches, so to say it was dark and dreary would be an exaggeration but...It didn't help the feeling of claustrophobia that threatened to grab a hold of her with it's spindly, branch like claws.

That was the problem with an overactive imagination, she supposed. She could think of all sorts of sunny and wonderful stories on the spot, but the dark and dreadful came to her just as easily.

Like the stories of demons Everly and Kaela used to tease her and Askan with. They were so frightening, and yet Leane could easily see those beasts roaming in woods like this. Skulking between the trees, watching her like she was a little play thing for their amusement. And there she went, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The only issue was that-and she'd learnt this the hard way- reality was far scarier than anything she, or anyone else for the matter, could think up.

Wasn't this trip supposed to be like an adventure? Piety had said the River wolves were good, that they surely wouldn't mind if she sniffed around in the woods a bit-certainly not looking for flowers, why would she do that? It's not like she was some flowery lady...

Then again, maybe she was? Hummingbirds flitted from one flower to the next, collecting the nectar. Wow, Little Crow had hit the nail on the head...Was she a mind reader, or had she stunk of flowers that day? Lenae spun around and around, like a dog trying to catch it's tail, trying to sniff herself, to check if she really was a crazy flower lady!

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2017, 07:54 PM by Lenae.)

Since returning from the golden fields to the west and discovering that there had been an attempted raid on their food cache Lachesis had increased his patrols. The intruders had been smart in covering their scents; it was near impossible for the alabaster alpha and his subordinates to catch wind of their trail. The stench had disappeared into the redwoods, only adding to the Stark’s growing frustration. He wondered if they were the only pack in the north to be struck by the bandits, but he was not up for another venture west. Not so soon. XIX just hoped that because they had been caught, the duo would not return to the Kingswood—not when they were aware of their presence. But that didn’t stop him from patrolling. It was possible that the two were not acting as lone wolves; they could have been acting on orders given by another.

His upper lip curled at the thought, his shoulders stiff.

Just as he was about to return to the river an unfamiliar scent caught his attention, altering his path as youthful curiosity fuelled his steps. If it was one of the bandits they were stupid to return—especially so soon after their failed raid. At the thought his pace quickened and the willowy Stark weaved, effortlessly, through the trees.

His brow raised in amusement as he approached the stranger, a soft grin tugging at his dark lips. Upon closer inspection he caught whiff of the monadnock, causing his shoulders to sag in relief. But why was one of Piety’s wolves so close to Hearthwood? She did not appear to be on a scouting mission—unless she was taking a break by chasing her tail…? Perplexed, the ghost leaned up against a nearby tree and cleared his throat in order to capture her attention: “Something got your tail?” 

stick with those who stick with you

Scouting dem 2/3

Lenae was starting to get a little dizzy. Around and around she went, no matter how she turned she just couldn't twist the right way. Maybe if she sat down she'd be able to get a proper sniff, she was pretty flexible after all. But now that she'd started she didn't really want to stop, even if she was staggering just a tiny bit. Like she'd just eaten some fermented apples.

It was fun though, absolutely ridiculous, silly in all meanings of the word. But it brought a smile to her face, reminded her of simpler times when things were easy and not so scary.

The world blurred and span around her, a mix of browns, greens and...white? That seemed a little out of place, she stuck out a leg to stop herself when she heard a voice call out softly, the humour in his voice obvious even to her.

Staggering to a standstill, Lenae shook her head in an attempt to drive away the dizziness. She felt a little queasy and her head hurt a little but after a couple of deep breaths she was already starting to feel a little better, more grounded. It was only then she turned to the wolf-who, just  like Piety- was as white as fresh fallen snow. His eyes were an interesting colour, one she hadn't seen before. Most-if not all- of her former clan mates had yellow eyes, Selwyn eyes. But there weren't many Selwyns here, aside from her brother-who she was not at all ready to face yet- she was the only one.

Blinking rapidly, it dawned on her that she had been staring at the stranger much much longer than was probably considered normal.

Whoops.

"Ahh...Umm...Hello! No-I...Was checking to see if I smelled like flowers, that's all."

Piety had said the wolves around here were good, nice and most importantly their allies. They wouldn't mind her spinning around, making a fool of herself near their borders, surely?

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2017, 07:55 PM by Lenae.)

The smile did not fall from his pale as her spinning slowed and she stumbled to a halt, struggling to regain her balance. Clearly the tawny female had not been expecting company. He did not mind. The wolves of the monadnock were friends to Hearthwood, even despite what had happened between their packmates in the late spring. That problem had been swiftly dealt with, and fortunately for the two northern packs, there was no more quarrels between them. Which was why the ghost welcomed the spinning girl, even if she was close to Hearthwood territory. It also did not help that her actions were rather amusing, and considering all the grief that had occurred in the river pack over the recent weeks, XIX could use all the amusement he could get.

She seemed dazed by his appearance in the clearing—no doubt a result of her reckless spinning. His maw canted to the side, his eyes crinkling in amusement as she sputtered out a greeting paired with a feeble explanation. Smelled like flowers? A brow arched high into his forehead at her words, his nostrils flaring as he leaned forward to sniff at the air that encased her. “I guess you kinda do,” he mumbled in response, his lips curved into a handsome lop-sided grin. “There are definitely worse things you could smell like.” Like shit, he thought hastily to himself as he reflected on the incident at one of their food caches. There was no way this girl, or any of the monadnock wolves, were behind the attempted raid. Not when Wraith and Piety seemed determined on maintaining their alliance.

stick with those who stick with you

scouting dem 3/3

If the stranger claimed that she-sort of- smelled like flowers, then she was inclined to believe him.

Now, that wasn't to say she was in the habit of taking a stranger's words at face value, or that if he told her the sky was green she would believe him. In the past she probably would have, she'd been so painfully trusting, like a pup who didn't know any better. But these days, after all she'd been through,  she was far more cautious.She was still a slow learner, that was true, but in the end she still learned.

The ghost had a point though, there were lots awful things she could smell of. Even some plants, whilst pretty, didn't smell very good. She'd once found this flower, gorgeous as any she'd seen, only to learn that it absolutely reeked like cat pee! As though she'd just happened to stumble upon it right after a feline had weed all over it. She hadn't of course, and she'd made sure to check, but heck, she'd be happy if she never saw that sort of flower ever again.

"Mmm, that's true. Like fish! I don't like fish very much." She admitted, as a frown tugged at her lips.

They tasted nice enough but...Having one flung at her was a sure way of completely ruining them for her. As fun as it had been to try-and fail- to fish with Cottongrass, well she wasn't going to try it again anytime soon. Stinky wrigglers who had no right to be so slimy and smelly. Blech!

He-whoever he was- seemed awfully at home in these woods. All confident and suave, leaning against that tree like he was about to say something cool. Which wasn't a bad thing per se,  as she had to remind herself that not all smooth wolves were bad, but even so, he was sort of putting her on the spot.

How was she supposed to match his level of coolness? It seemed impossible. Lenae was many things, but cool she was not.

"Ah..Um. I'm Everly, from Whitestone Mona-I'll swear I'll get it right one day." She blurted out, with all the grace of a wobbly fawn who hadn't yet learned how to walk.

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2017, 07:55 PM by Lenae.)

His head fell to the side as she spoke, his lips twitching into a cool, lazy grin. The ghost knew that he did not have to worry about the girl being a threat, for she seemed completely incapable of being remotely threatening. Which was fine by Lachesis. He was growing to appreciate these less serious conversations, for they did not happen as often as he liked. Too much had happened over the summer. It was time for both hm and Hearthwood to move forward, even if sorrow still weighed heavy in their hearts.

“I suppose fish don’t smell very nice,” he remarked, his forehead creased. “Or maybe you’re just not catching good fish.” The Arctic wolf did not mind the taste, or smell, of fish. Catching fish was one of few skills that he had brought into the lands of Lore with him—aside from healing, of course. It had always been easier for him to fish than catching prey on land, but he quickly grasped the concept of that once he and Anastasia had settled down. His ears twitched at the thought. It had been too long since he had sat by the river’s edge and caught a few fish—perhaps it was something he needed to teach his daughters once they mastered the art of hunting without water hindering their movement.

Everly. His suspicions were confirmed as she announced she was from the monadnock, despite the words struggling to drop off her tongue. “It is a tricky one,” he mused aloud, flashing the girl another toothy grin. “I’m Lachesis of Hearthwood River.” He stepped away from the tree, finally, his maw canted to the side. “What brings you to the forest? Tired of all that fresh air?”

stick with those who stick with you

"You're right...I'm not."

Anyone else might have taken his words as an insult, but Leane knew he was right. It was almost as though he'd watched her struggle to fish with Cottongrass the other day. That had been a real fiasco and even then she was pretty sure she'd fudged up worse than that before. Like when she'd been a loner, roaming the lands with fear in her heart and empty stomach. She had tired to hunt, time and time again but her heart just wasn't in it. Nor did she have the strength or stamina. In hindsight she knew why she hadn't tried harder, she'd been yearning for the end but...Well, it never came to that.

With a soft, airy sigh, she shrugged sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't think her a fool, for her lack of fishing and social skills.

"I always just get a mouth full of water. Then there was that time someone threw a fish at me...It smelled really bad and was so slimy and I- I was already having such a bad day and it just made it worse, you know?"

Even now it was hard not to take it personally. To them it had just been a game, a practical joke for their amusement, but Lenae had found it anything but funny.

"So I think that's why I don't like fish. Even if they might taste yummy."

Lenae knew she wasn't very smart. The fact that she couldn't even recount the name of her pack sort of proved that, but rather than laugh and mock her, Lachesis merely assured that it was tricky. Maybe she wasn't so dumb after all. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

"I-you promise you won't laugh, right?"She asked, dipping her head low so she could risk a quick glance at him.

Lachesis understood the mouth full of water all too well, for his first times fishing he’d caught nothing but a soggy tail and the bitter taste of defeat. They were fickle creatures and did not like being plucked from the water by some weird, oversized land beast. Poor things. It was a shame they were so tasty.

“Someone threw a fish at you?” His features contorted, brows pinching together to form a thin line in the middle of his forehead. Had it been recent—was it one of the Whitestone wolves that had tossed the fish in her direction? Or had it been before she had stumbled upon the lands of Lore? “I can see why you don’t like 'em so much.” Poor girl. Who would want to throw something so scaly and slimy at her? His frown did not subside—not until he spoke up once more, his tone much lighter than before. “Perhaps I’ll show you how to fish one day. As long as Piety will let you wander away from the monadnock again,” he added with a small laugh, his features finally softening.

His curiosity spiked as the girl spoke once more. “I promise,” he responded quickly, giving her a solemn nod to reassure her as his expression grew more serious, lips tight. The ghost intended to keep his promise, for he did not want the skittish girl to think he was untrustworthy, or was just like the wolf that had thrown a fish at her. He was patient and understanding—or at least that’s what he liked to tell himself. But she did not need to know that. 

stick with those who stick with you

At his offer, she couldn't help but wag her tail as a dopey smile appeared on her face. She'd never been the sort to turn down a free lesson, learning had always been fun, especially if the one doing the teaching was a good person! Someone who made her smile, which wasn't exactly hard to do but... If she got good at fishing, like good enough to actually help feed the pack, then maybe @Odin wouldn't feel inclined to throw things at her.

She knew how things were, that the pack had once had moochers in their ranks. And that they'd been nothing more than a drain on their resources. Leane wasn't like that, or at least that wasn't who she wanted to be. She was trying to help, she was trying to be good.Maybe it was about time she took it up a notch and tried even harder!

"I'll ask Piety! I'm sure she won't mind."She cheered, as her butt wiggled behind her. The image of not so mature enthusiasm.

As to the topic at paw, well...If he said he wouldn't tell a soul then she was inclined to believe him.Pulling in a deep breath,Lenae ceased her joyous wiggling and held her head a little lower, like she was about to admit she'd stolen from the cookie jar. Which she'd never do, but the point was she was sheepish as heck. Even a blind man would have realised that.

"I've never actually...you know, been in a forest before. I just wanted to see what it was like, what sort of flowers grew here. I just wanted to see, have a sniff around, before I went back home. I wasn't planning on doing anything...weird."

It was a little embarrassing to admit. After all, what sort go wolf had never been in the woods before? And the fact she found it so novel, if not a little intimidating, well it only showed her character. Made it clear how much of a chicken she was.

He did not know if he was any good at teaching, but he would certainly try if the girl was willing to learn. And if Piety would allow him to train one of her subordinates. It would be beneficial to her pack, as Lachesis had enough fishers in the river and when prey grew scarce over the winter, they would need to look at other prey to feed their packs. Fortunately fish tended to stick around for the colder months; however, it was just a little trickier to catch them with ice in the way. Not impossible, though. His tail wagged in response to hers, his expression still calm and smooth. The packs in the north needed to help each other out, especially since the previous winter had been long and relentless. He hoped the cold weather would not linger long this year—despite being of Arctic descent, Lachesis had grown accustom to the warmer temperatures and was not as fond of the snow as he once was.

His lips remained tightly drawn as she began to explain her reason for being in the Kingswood, just as he had promised. There was no amusement in his expression as his brows drew together, forming a thin line in the middle of his forehead, his eyes glistening only with youthful curiosity. No laughter threatened to bubble up from within his chest and the tip of his tail remained still, only his maw canted to the side as he listened patiently to her response. “I didn’t think you were gonna do anything weird,” he mused in response, a small smile forming on his dark lips. “I had not seen many forests before arriving here, either. In the north all we had was tundra and heaps of snow.” And he had been so reluctant to leave it all, for fear of the unknown. Now he could not imagine returning. Not now, not ever.

“What did you have before you settled in Whitestone?” His curiosity had peaked, his ears cupped forward.

stick with those who stick with you