Turtleback Lake We can always party on our own

For @Remington - set a few days before Askan finds Percy.

So raise your glass if you are wrong

Phoenix Avalon

She hadn't wandered too far from the Rye Fields, close enough to keep her promise that Askan would be able to find her if he wanted without too much trouble but far enough away that nobody else would catch her unless they were looking. She was pretty sure they'd given up by now anyway.

Which was why it came as such a surprise when a familiar dark wolf appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Even from here Phoenix could tell the woman was a shadow of herself, more worn than when the girl had last seen her, in the flurry of a snowstorm hunting foxes. It was a happy memory from a far simpler time... but she was sure she hadn't picked up Remington's scent when she dipped close enough to snoop around the borders on one of those nights when she almost considered just sneaking into her parents den and waking up as though she had never left at all and blaming their seniority for the belief she had ever left at all.

She was torn between calling out a greeting and slipping back into the reeds that lined the lake, the wind wasn't on her side, and what if the girl dobbed her in or tried to drag her back? But she remembered the glances they had shared when Askan's sister arrived, and whenever Adelayde was around... and she decided to take a chance. "Remi?" Her tail waved a greeting, though the rest of her stance was still unsure. Would she even recognise her?

So Remi did what she did best. She wandered rather aimlessly. Doing what she could not to pay too much attention to her empty stomach. The more she walked the more likely she could find something to pursue. The more she went the easier it was to deal with her thoughts.There was that Lachesis fellow she could find. He had been far kinder to her than she had deserved, and she really wasn't doing well with this whole alone thing.

"Argh!" Could it just be a little easier to make a decision? She didn't have to be stuck any where for life, and somewhere was better than no where? Wishing to take her mind off it, she began to take in her surroundings more thoroughly, realizing there was likely a lake about. Hmm, she'd never been the greatest fisher, but couldn't hurt. She paused, trying to decide if she should fight against bramble left or right. She chose left, and found herself closer to the lake. She looked upon it, admiring the uniqueness. She didn't know she was being watched.

It was the sound of her name that sharply pulled her from her gawking. Her head jerked finding a pair of bright orange eyes. For a moment her silver mask was concerned, trying to recollect..... "Phoenix?" No one else with those bright eyes could have known her name. The girl was a surely just a taller version of herself. Where on earth had she come from? Her tail beat in turn, but she held back walking up to greet her. She wasn't sure if she should. But, she did feel one thing. "Nice to see you are all right."

So raise your glass if you are wrong

Phoenix Avalon

Phoenix's tail waved a staccato beat at her back, eyes squinting shut for the wideness of her smile. Now that she had no home to worry about, she hadn't quite thrown caution to the wind but she couldn't help herself where a familiar face was involved. "Yeah!" She responded as she bounded forward to brush her side along the older woman's flank like an excited child. She couldn't remember when Remington had gone missing but she was almost certain it had something to do with looking for her. "Got into a bit of a scuffle with a stranger and knocked the memories clean outta my head, but they came back! Well, most of 'em." Otherwise, how would she possibly remember the sooty woman's name?

"So what about you?" Concern was clear on the dark girls scarred face, there had been something even slightly forelorn in the way she was walking, and while it could easily be put down to hunger she had a feeling that wasn't quite it. Now that she was close enough she could smell the familiar scent of Rye and tundra... "Was Kana mean? Do I have'ta beat his butt for ya?" She couldn't know all that was unfolding in the field as they spoke.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

A smile stretched her face, and she forgot just how tired she was as the yearling bounded over. She was just happy to have company once again. Her gold colored eyes widened in shock. A scuffle? Forgotten memories? Attentively, she looked over her dark coat finding she did appear rather well.  What a tough kid.

"Damn! You're quite like a badger!" She declared, impressed even though her head was reeling over it all. Her family had to know she was all right, right? It was then she realized she would probably have smelled a lot different if she lived there. Before she could figure a tactic way to word her question, the girl was asking one of her own. The look she was given her did not go unnoticed. If it would have done her any good she would have cussed under her breath. Was it that obvious?

Her lips twitched. The only good thing Remi could think about Phoenix being gone was the fact she hadn't had to deal with the heated season. A frown tugged at Remi's lip."Well, we were all hoping to find you. But, I failed miserably. I got lost myself, and returned not too long ago." Her ears folded, and she dropped her head with the shame, the defeat. It perked up at the mention of Askan.  Well, she wouldn't blame him if he had been. How did she explain? Suddenly, she shook her head.

"Not exactly. I haven't seen him, and wouldn't blame him for avoiding me." She gave a shrug of her shoulders as if that would shake it all off. If it didn't matter to her she didn't have many friends.

"What about you? Do your folks know you're all right?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2017, 04:06 AM by Remington.)

So raise your glass if you are wrong

Phoenix Avalon

Well Phoenix had never been called a badger before, but she quite liked it. The one she had been silly enough to rile up had chased her for what felt like forever, snuffling and snorting at her rump until she managed to outrun it. Her delight was shown with another wide smile that began to slip away as Remi told her of how she got lost looking for her. So it was her fault Remi looked so miserable.

When she enquired if her parents knew she was ok she gave a short nod, "Yeah, Bojack bought me home when the Whitestone kid with one eye found me in Willow Ridge and told him where I lived. Things just felt... wrong so I left again. I haven't seen em since I've been back, but I've run into Reyes and Askan. I just... I can't go back. They've got enough kids to keep them busy, I'd only be in the way." There was a hint of bitterness to her tone but she was quick to brush it away with another smile.

"So you got any plans? Wanna hang out here with me? There's plenty o'fish and I'd be glad for some company." For all she knew Remi had plans and she didn't want to impose on her... but she wouldn't deny that company would be well recieved, especially with the days growing shorter and the temperature steadily dropping.

Remi was rewarded with a smile. No doubt about it, she noticed as it waned. She could hardly know what was in the child's head. It could have just been sadness, and realization things weren't an easy fix. Her gold eyes fixed on her. "Shit happens Phee. Don't go thinking  you coulda prevented it. It just doesn't work that way. I could have done things differently, but I didn't. This is where I am." She'd thought it all over enough times to know the choices she could have made. She nosed at the girl's muzzle with her own. "I know I'll be all right. Especially, seeing you made it too."

She became all ears again. A faint feeling of relief rising in her chest. Good. Everyone else who cared about her knew she was okay. Even if she didn't feel she belonged. Somehow replaced. Had she always felt neglected? Remi could sympathize to a degree. She'd had a lot of competition with her own litter mates. But, her father had always made her a priority, and even her mother,the pain in the ass she was, still showed her she had loved her in her own way. "Well you gotta do whats best for you." It was the only advice, only words she felt she could speak on the matter.

A light laugh fled her lips. "Plans, what are those?" She wanted a home, a pack, a family of sorts. Where she'd find them she didn't know. She was just trying to get by till something better came along. It looked like it had.

"Are you kidding? Hell ya, I'd hang here. Lead the way to these fish."

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2017, 08:47 PM by Remington.)

So raise your glass if you are wrong

Phoenix Avalon

Remington's response quickly put the girl at ease. She was right, and perhaps that was a wisdom that came with age, or maybe it was just a different way of looking at things. Regardless, much like her namesake, Phoenix was ready to leave her expired ashes behind and start over again, for better or worse.

She couldn't help the tempo of her tail to learn that Remington was just as much a waif as she now that she had no loyalties to tie her down and at the echo of her offer of fish she answered with a laugh and a tilt of her head, motioning for the older wolf to follow her. "Just over here, y'gotta see it. The lake is huge. If it wasn't so damn cold I'd try and swim out to the islands in the middle, but I reckon I'd freeze half way there at the moment. I wonder if anyone lives over there?" As she spoke the trees thinned and opened up to offer an uninterupted view of the turtleback lake before them. "S'not much but it'll do for now."

Thankfully there was no argument. Remi hoped her words had done the trick, and they could leave it all behind them. She saw no reason anyone should fuss over her.

Feeling lucky to no longer be alone she fell into step behind the yearling. Nothing was going to dampen her spirits. With ears perched upon her head, she mused over the description. "That's peculiar. Never seen such a thing." She was all about seeing and doing things she hadn't experienced. "Would be interesting to know. How 'bout we make a pact to find out? First of summer of course." The water welcomed them, and her eyes reached to the island. She grinned at Percy's description. It sounded like something she would have said. "Well if we can get some fish I'd say it'll be the best lake I've been to. Do you know what its called?" She strode closer to the edge, her eyes measuring the depth. Hoping she may see a hint of prey.

Nope hope, no love, no glory, no happy ending

Phoenix Avalon

Percy managed a laugh, "Deal!" She responded to Remington's pack, if they were still close enough to swim out that was. As to the name, well, she hadn't encountered anyone that had a name for it yet, "I'm sure it does but I don't know what it is yet. Maybe someone at Hearthwood knows but I'm dodging pack at the moment." She mentioned with another chuckle. The Rye fields might have been formed with the best of intentions, but at least before they became a pack the wolves that joined them stuck around, not like afterwards. She didn't like the fragility of their supposed security. At least if she stayed a loner she wouldn't get her hopes up that things might be better than they actually were.