Lost Lake all my friends keep asking

Backdated to 1/17, taking place after this thread. Chan has howled, so notice to @Nash, @Aleister & @Neha.

The sun shone high above them now, having steadily burned its way through the cloud cover as they climbed. The day had become beautiful, but still Chan was beginning to sporadically yawn. He was used to sleeping around this time, and if he didn't have @Flair with him he would've been headed directly to bed now. As it was, when finally they found themselves in the small valley that housed the forest and lake Chan had grown up with, he beelined for the shore instead of the pack's den.

As they navigated the forest, he sent out a short howl, letting the others know as he usually did that he had returned home, but this time tacking on an extra note at the end that emphasized that he had company.

"It's just the four of us," he mentioned to Flair, so that she didn't anticipate getting mobbed by a whole pack.

"You hungry? We've got some food stored, if ya want a bite."

While Flair had had a good night’s rest, the climb was tiring enough in itself. She considered herself a fit wolf, but in her almost 5 years she had mostly travelled over flat ground; You have to do this every time you need to hunt...? She wondered again about this Fallen Tree pack, and Chan up ahead, who seemed to have returned to their lands so happily. She supposed the view might make up for it, to some extend – as they slowly scaled the slopes, the sun burned away the mornings fog to shine brightly down over the icy panorama, more and more of the surrounding forests becoming visible the higher they got. Until finally, they crested the ridge and dipped back downward, slipping into surprisingly dense pine forest.   Flair looked around curiously, sniffing in deeply to familiarize herself with this new landscape, while her eyes swept the ground with the same purpose. She’d expected the mountain top to be more similar to her family’s home in the north: freezing cold and mostly barren, but instead it reminded her more of the Woodlands, though the lack of proper underbrush made it a good deal easier to traverse; Thankfully...! Chan’s sudden howl made her muscles tense, unexpected as it was after they had walked so long in companionable silence. She couldn’t help but shiver slightly, for so long, hearing howling wolves had been a danger signal to her, a clear message to any loner to get the hell out of dodge. No matter the cheerfulness in the young male’s voice, those instincts were drilled in deep.   The fiery girl gave a strained smile at her guide’s explanation, waving her ears back and forth in nervousness; Four! As far as she was concerned it might as well be a whole pack. When she’d signed up for this mountain expedition there had been no mention of other parties, she had been hesitant enough about just the one. Still, it was far too late to back out now, all she could do was hope they were as laid back as Chan himself. At least his question was much easier to deal with; “Always,” She huffed, smile growing more genuine; “If you… all are okay with sharing.” It was the most polite way she could think of asking who the rest of these ‘us’ were, and whether or not Chan would get in trouble for helping her out. Word count: 403 ”Speech" Thoughts

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Chan maintained his own smile, hoping to simply show Flair that his companions were nothing to worry about. He supposed he couldn't completely vouch for the Vuesain siblings, having only known them shortly, but the Eastfall would be the first to protest if they decided to treat his guest with any kind of hostility or contempt.

"I've got my own store we can dig into," he offered for good measure, and it was true; they weren't an official pack yet, and therefor no one could tell Chan what to do with the meat he'd killed and gathered himself.

The closer they came to the lake, the further the trees thinned. Glimpses of it could be seen if one looked for it, the day's sunlight shining off ice and water alike. He always loved that sight.

"They'll likely wanna know who you are, but we can make it quick if ya want."

Chan hadn't made it this far to dismiss her comfort now; he assumed the others would understand, especially given that they all knew what it was like to live on one's own without a pack.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2021, 12:35 AM by Chan.)

Nash was napping when he heard Chan's call. He immediately perked up, looking in the direction the sound had come from. Not far, and he had company. Though his brother's return was enough to bring Nash to his feet, the news of another wolf had him trotting toward the border. It didn't take him long to hear his brother's voice responding to someone who was clearly a lady, offering her food from his stash. Nash twitched his nose in amusement. Oh Chan, ever the gentleman.

While he was still a short distance out, he let out a short bark of greeting. "Chan," he called, not wanting to merely appear on top of them while they were getting food. He may have been a loner for most of his life, but Nash had still been raised to have manners.

aleister vuesain

the storm is here

It seemed Chan was certainly a busybody for the Cove, having called to the rest of them like he normally did when he returned from his nightly rounds. However, this time he announced he was not alone. Interest perked, the Vuesain male turned towards the source of the call. Another friend of the Eastfall boy? Or something different? He certainly didn’t sound alarmed, so the future king was happy to take some time in his walk to enjoy the beautiful morning.

Making sure not to take all his sweet time to make it to his companion’s side, he was met with the sight of two familiar bodies and a fiery, unfamiliar one. Nash beat him to the call, which he was not surprised of as the boy was quick to aid and as a magnet to his brother’s side. He was more surprised to see them apart. Mismatched gaze swept over Chan, a routine once of over to make sure the male was uninjured before moving to the fiery woman. Noticing the battle scars that littered the woman’s body, he noted to not get on her bad side as she seemed to be able to handle her own. Morning Chan. Nash, he nodded a greeting to each male, his gaze glancing to each before falling once again to the flame-colored woman. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?

Anxiety incoming! :x

It wasn’t that she was scared of meeting his pack, not really, after all Chan had been extremely nice and she would assume any wolves he associated with were similar. But the thought of being surrounded by strangers did make her slightly claustrophobic – for years she’d only dealt with other wolves one on one, and she liked it that way! Still, she couldn’t be mad at the younger wolf for simply informing his clan that he had brought a guest home; At least he’s warning me…   She nodded at his comment about the cache, giving her tail an appreciative wag. Good-mannered or not, every wolf was protective of food and finding strangers digging into their stores would rub almost anyone the wrong way. However, she wasn’t entirely put at ease and as they walked on, she remained silent and vigilant. Chan’s second comment earned him only an acknowledging huff while her eyes continued to dart around the woods, looking for any trace of movement. She barely even registered the glimmers of water in the distance, only noting how the trees were thinning which, blissfully, gave her a better view of the immediate area.   Her ears twitched as she heard movement through the trees, head spinning to face the approacher. A moment later, a young voice called out to her guide, and then she spotted the black form, quickly making its way towards them. Flair stopped in place, carefully keeping her hackles flat and ears lifted, as polite as possible; yet she couldn’t keep from rising to her full height, tail hanging down stiffly behind her; These are his friends…! She reminded herself, taking a deep, calming breath as the new arrival came to join them.   And then, just as she had appeased herself with this addition, another boy arrived. Older this one, he carried himself with a lot more poise. Glancing briefly between the three, Flair determined this oldest to hold the most authority, although the dynamic seemed a lot looser than any packs she were familiar with; He did ay they were only four… So, not really a pack then; Just a family perhaps? This latest arrival, with his mismatched eyes, did look like he could be related to Chan. He greeted the other two briefly, on russet ear twitching at the unfamiliar name; Nash…? And then his attention turned to her, the question making her neck nape unexpectedly. The fiery woman had to fight herself to keep from snapping at him, wanting most of all to demand he introduced himself first. But this was their land, and it would be unfair to Chan if she didn’t at least try to be polite to his companions.   Swallowing hard, she met the unnerving, two-color gaze briefly and gave a brisk introduction: “I’m Flair.” More she couldn’t muster and quickly looked away, eyes drifting to the one member of the group who was at least not a total stranger, hoping to find comfort there. Word count: 493 ”Speech" Thoughts

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Chan could almost feel the steady ebbing of Flair's sense of comfort and ease. By the time the others were filtering in, he felt bad in a way that he had brought her here, instead of letting her skirt round where they all lived. He chuffed back at Nash in greeting, and gave Aleister a nod with a toothy smile. Normally, he'd move to physically greet them both, but given the circumstances he chose to stay firmly at Flair's side in an attempt to lend her some semblance of security.


Her response to the aspiring leader was limited, and Chan chose to give a little more information himself.

"She's crossing the mountain, so we ended up on the same path. Figured I'd show her the valley so she could refuel before going back down."

It was common for travelers to do, if they could find the lake within the thick forest and without getting all kinds of turned around, sometimes ghoulishly so. Chan certainly didn't want the woods littered with dead wolves, but of course even if the valley were perfectly safe and easily navigated he would still be his helpful self and prefer company on his walks.

"That's my brother Nash," he pointed with his muzzle before winking at the Vuesain, "n' our soon-to-be boss, Aleister."

Chan turned, making it clear that he was willing to keep walking if his guest wished to.

"Did I miss anything while out?" he asked both his brother and his alpha.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2021, 01:29 AM by Chan.)

Aleister arrived almost as soon as Nash did, much to the Eastfall boy's joy. He liked that Aleister was always keeping up with the pack and meeting them at the borders. He returned his soon-to-be alpha's greeting and returned his eyes to the girl - Flair - that had come home with his brother.

Nash stopped when Flair's tail rose. He didn't know her, but he would guess she might be uneasy, if he had to say anything about her demeanor. To add to it Chan, who usually jumped up to greet both his brother and their friend more intimately, stayed firmly by Flair's side. Nash glanced at Aleister, then sat down. He knew he was a big wolf and could be intimidating, so the smaller and more vulnerable he could make him self, the better. He wanted to put their guest at ease.

aleister vuesain

who's gonna fight for what's right

As quickly as her amber gaze lifted to him, they swiftly left his face once she introduced herself. Committing her name to memory, his mismatched gaze looked to Chan as he began to explain how the two of them met. Nodding understandably, he couldn't be entirely upset with the Eastfall male for aiding a stranger, however he hoped Chan would continue to be smart on who he brought back to their home. Not everyone was worthy of being helped and escorted to the safety. Aleister knew that first hand being a loner and the numerous times he had stolen from a pack cache just to get Neha and himself by during the winter months. Flair seemed like a decent wolf, but only time could tell.

Chan continued to introduce him and Nash to the fiery woman, his head nodding in greeting. It was still slightly uncomfortable knowing that he was the one everyone was looking to him to guide them. He didn't know what he was doing half them time and the Vuesain just hoped he was doing everything right by them. Perhaps he should eventually appoint an advisor to help him. No, you haven't missed anything that I can recall, Chan. He answered with a soft smile, before he shifted his gaze to flame cloaked female. You are welcome to stay here as our guest while you rest. If there is anything that you need, please let me know. Opening up their home to anyone in need was exactly what his parents had done and continued to do throughout their years as leaders, Aleister wasn't going to change the tradition of the Cove now.

Sorry guys, she'll do better in one-on-ones until she's gotten to know everyone a little better <3

It would almost have been easier if she knew these strangers were unfriendly. Aggression, she knew how to deal with, but being all polite and cordial? She hadn’t done much of that in ages. Of course, she had met friendly wolves before, she’d been in several packs after all and none of them had had the habit of assaulting strangers, but still, she didn’t have a lot of great experiences with groups.   Obviously, the lake wolves sensed her unease, and both kept a respectful distance, which helped somewhat, as did Chan’s reassuring presence at her side – as fresh as their friendship was, she still felt more comfortable with him than without, at least as long as she was surrounded by strangers. Her ears faintly registered him explaining their meeting, but she had no presence to react. Her eyes just shifted slowly back and forth between the gathered wolves as they talked.   She was able to nod a single time in understanding, even offering a hint of a smile as Chan introduced his brother, then her attention turned to Aleister, as her initial impression was confirmed; Soon-to-be? So they weren’t a pack, yet. Still, the agouti man seemed to be taking his role seriously, welcoming her as a leader would. Flair swallowed, trying to wet her tongue and throat, both dry as a dessert. The manners her mother had so diligently attempted to drill into her were putting a firm pressure on her to answer the older wolf, and after swallowing twice more she managed a: “Thanks I… Appreciate it.” Then she looked down at her paws again, mentally growling at her own awkwardness; This isn’t difficult! They’re not monsters!   Finally, with another push of effort, she managed to look back up, nodding at both wolves in turn; “Nice to meet you… Both.” Then her gaze turned to Chan, and she tried not to look too desperate or sound overly pleading as she asked: “Could we… Go find that food now? I’m… feeling a little light-headed.” She offered a quick, apologetic smile to the other two, ears folded back against her head. She couldn’t help it. They might be near the very top of the world, but she felt like she was trapped in a den during an earthquake; I just wanna get out of here! Word count: 385 ”Speech" Thoughts

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