Broken Timber Pines the only house that's not on fire (yet)

@Matheo || Late Morning, Broken Clouds, 44.6 ° F, 7 ° C

She prowled through the forest like some kind of feline. Hawthorne was on the hunt for something - nothing in particular. Just something good to bring home to the Edge's leading duo. As she was on the cusp of being a yearling, she had really started kicking up her work ethic. Which was impressive mentioning she was already pretty much go-go-go all the time. Her routine fell into something like wake up, work, eat when hungry then sleep just to repeat.

Hawthorne didn't mind being busy though. It left her with little time to do something stupid like getting in trouble. That being said, she sniffed around the area to check that nothing was around her. The last thing she wanted was to be caught off guard by something - or someone.

He was curious – and Mathéo was pretty certain no one could blame him for that. He hadn’t said anything when he left (it’s not like his sister ever did, and nothing had happened to her for the poorer), and he had every intention of returning to Driftwood Surge too. He just… He just… He just wanted to see.

It was like an open wound, and he just wanted to know what it meant. What was happening.

He hadn’t made it all the way to his destination when his nose stumbled across a familiar scent and Theo’s ears perked up. The Tainn changed direction suddenly, tail wagging gently in his wake. “Hawth? Is that you?”

"If you were a piece of dust
I'd shine a light through the busted window
And I'd learn to trust
In the updraft that you're on"

She was just about to jump up on a fallen tree when a familiar voice called out. One that despite not hearing in a good while, she remembered pretty well. It was the large boy she had met in the snow with his dark talk of dead trees. Now that she looked back on it it was pretty messed up but it was a bit late to be thinking about that.

Hawthorne liked him though, he wasn't like the usual wolves she interacted with. So she turned and made her way towards him fast, aiming to playfully barrel into his larger chest. She had no intention to actually take him down but she prepared herself to stop in case he didn't react to the lively greeting so well.

Didn't think I'd get this good of a surprise today! The peppered girl admitted as she let her tail sway behind her. What brings you down here?

Theo let the other girl come running at him, not thinking for a second that she’d run right into him. No one had ever done that to him before – so he didn’t even brace himself, watching, unblinking, until Hawthorne greeted him with a hearty chest bump. Despite his large stature, the Tainn still went stumbling backwards, a tangle of awkward limbs and feet not grown into. It was only chance he didn’t go totally ass over tea kettle.

“Uh, hi,” he said sheepishly, tail still wagging. Was this how normal wolves played? Theo’s ears still pricked forward and he bowed cautiously, hoping he was doing it right. “I, uh – well I was curious, I guess. I think…my sister came down here.”

She hadn't really played with anyone except for when she was still really young back in the Notch. Sure she had tussled with others (both in a serious and nonserious fashion) but she never actually played during her time in the Edge.

So she trusted he knew what he was doing and mimicked his motions. Her tail draped over her back in an arching fashion as it swayed. She would have brushed off his words had they not seemed a bit serious. What was his sister doing down here? Did Theo's sister get lost like Hawth once had or had she left home like Elyan? Little did the peppered Edge wolf know...

Well...do you wanna find her or somethin'? I'd hate to keep you from her. She admitted with a half frown as she stood up tall again. The last thing she wanted was to be some sort of family buffer and keep the large male from his search.

Okay, well…. So far, so good. Given that he had no idea Hawthorne was equally as clueless – and that he’d seen the other wolves in Driftwood Surge sorta bow down like this before they played – Theo had to assume he was doing this correctly. His tail began to wiggle a bit more, ears cupped forward earnestly as he slapped the earth with his large paws. Okay. Okay! This felt pretty good, actually. He was kind of into this.

He only paused for a moment as the Edgy pup posed a question. Mathéo shook his head. “No. I suppose not. Risaela left on purpose. I was angry at her. I am angry at her. Leaving is all she does.” The wolf shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t expect to see a friend. I’d rather see you than her, undoubtedly.”

No? That...hadn't exactly been the answer that Hawthorne was expecting but as he went on to explain the situation she understood a bit more. She couldn't stop the sheepish smirk that tugged on her features (the kind that was typically reserved for @Sachiel) when he admitted he'd rather see her. Of course that boosted her ego a bit.

There was a pep in her step as she bounded towards the taller male. Forget about her then! At least for a little bit. She beckoned like some siren as she aimed to bump her shoulder into his own. It certainly wouldn't be enough to knock him over but maybe it would spark the playful fire again.

“Easier said than done.”

Still, Hawthorne’s advice wasn’t bad. He imagined Lachesis would say something similar – more tactfully put, of course – but the idea would be the same. Being angry would do him much good, and it certainly wouldn’t bring his sister back. Theo wasn’t even sure if he wanted her back after all of this.

Still, it would be rude not to give a warning. “I will, in a second. But first: she’s just the leaving sort, I think. Maybe it’s a family thing. Not my mother, of course, but my brother. My other sisters.” He trailed off with a shrug. Dispersal seemed to be a Tainn thing. Or a Baranski? It wasn’t as if Kisla had left, though – still. He was the only one who stayed. “But that’s enough of that.”

Finally, he allowed the siren to beckon him forward, pulling his mouth open in a friendly spar as he bumped back into the girl, muzzles brushing. It was so different than life in Driftwood Surge – it was refreshing.

@Hawthorne -- hello i am the worst.  pls boop me if i leave it that long again.  <3