Mountain of Dire Sing For the Moment

All Welcome. This thread takes place around the base of the mountain. Right around here: -37.01352, 22.06192.

The Valle girl thought she might do some more scouting around the territory they'd chosen to make their home. They still weren't quite ready to call themselves a pack yet. Sharlee wondered if it was because they were waiting to see if more of their family would show up. Part of her thought it would be really great if they could be a part of it too. The other part worried that the older wolves wouldn't agree and try to change things. She supposed they woukd have to cross that bridge when or if they came to it. 

For the time being she'd decided to travel toward the mountain. She'd been wanting to see if it was all Aleister had said. She couldn't imagine that he was talking it up in the slightest. 

She'd only planned to be gone a day or two but as she approached the slope of the mountain she thought she may be wrong. 

Things were really starting to roll and Nash was confident they would be able to fully claim their territory and call themselves a real pack soon. This meant he needed to scout more, to know who their neighbors were - if they had any at all - and what their nearest resources might be. Maybe he could find a nice herd for them to hunt while he was out. He was already fairly familiar with the land as it was, but clearly things could change quickly.

This was proven by the scent of another wolf nearby as Nash was nearing the bottom of the mountain. His ears pricked up. Who might it be? Could Staryn finally be coming home? Nash picked up his pace, trying to quash the hope in his chest. He needed to get over this; what if it wasn't her? He was just going to be disappointed again. It wasn't healthy.

His reservations turned out to be right, as usual. The lady he spied through the growth was not his sister.

Still, no reason not to be friendly. "Hello," he called, not wanting to startle her by popping up out of nowhere right next to her.

A nearby creek is full to the brim with fish. +3 Health

The young advisor thought it was also good for her to get away from their little slice of paradise. Finding out what was around them would be important since they were going to stay. At this point she didn't see them ever returning to the Estuary. As hard as that was to swallow at first Sharlee was finally coming to terms with it. Having a new start in life was now important to her and she wanted to make the best of it.

What was also important to her was becoming a great advisor to her cousin. She wanted him to be able to rely on her to give him the best advice when he needed it. She believed that knowing the land and the other wolves around them was important for her to do her job.

In the middle of deciding the best way to go next a greeting caught her attention. Ahe turned to face the wolf as he approached. "Hello, this is a pleasant surprise," she greeted back. 

So sorry for the long delay!

Nash smiled when the pretty dark tawny woman returned his greeting. Already this was a better encounter than the last time he'd run into a mysterious woman down the side of the mountain; that pale lady had been abrupt and rude - but in her defense, Nash had sort of snuck up on her right after she'd caught some food.

"I'm Nash," he introduced, stopping a respectful distance from the woman. "What brings you to the mountain? I don't see many others here."

There. Friendly, and still gathering information for his pack. Besides, he genuinely was curious. If they had neighbors, he could establish good relations early on.

Sharlee had hoped she might run into some other wolves to meet while on her journey. It didn't just have to be about her seeing the mountain up close or the views from it. They were getting ready to start a pack and that was exciting but also hard work. She might still be young but she understood the important things about a pack. They would need to know what ans who was out there. So running into this man...or maybe it was the other way around? Was a good thing. 

Sharlee also craved to know more about the wolves outside her family. Whether Vayko like the idea or not. He had been very vocal in his opinions on the subject. Sharlee couldn't deny that but she also couldn't deny how she felt. 

So she greeted the man in a friendly way. "I'm Sharlee," she returned when he gave his name. As far as what she was doing on the mountain. "I met someone who told me the views from the mountain were beautiful so I thought I'd check them out." 

It was exceedingly nice to be talking to someone civil beyond pack borders. He was out here to find others, after all. Well, that and food, but he hadn't had much luck with the latter yet. Hopefully things would change soon. As the snow thawed he knew more prey would move back up the slopes.

Sharlee, he thought. A pretty name. Then Nash's ears pricked up. She'd met someone who talked about the mountain? It must have been Aleister or Chan; they were the only two he knew who'd met and made friends with so many others.

"They were right; I live up there. Who did you talk to? I probably know them." He smiled and wagged his tail a little. "Are you from around here, then?" Might as well find out if they have neighbors.

Sharlee took in a deep breath of the mountain air. It really did seem to be much different than down in Heartleaf Creek. She'd wondered just how much there was out there to explore and what it was like out there away from her home by the creek. She'd only lived her life by the ocean until she'd been taken from it. She supposed there would be time to find out later once the pack was better established. 

Her attention turned back to the man who'd come across her. Sharlee decided that he must be around her age as she looked him over. As it turned out he lived on the mountain as well and had the same opinion as Aleister. "Well then it's a good thing I came to see for myself. I spoke to a man named Aleister." She wondered if perhaps Aleister and Nash maybe lived together like her and her family. "I guess I am now. I live in Heartleaf Creek," she explained when he asked if she was from around there. 

Nash washed with amused understanding as Sharlee took a deep breath and seemed to be taking in the scenery. There was a reason he always came back - other than hoping his family would come back of course. There had been a couple times when, briefly, he'd been so lonely he thought about giving up and joining another pack - any pack, if it mean he didn't have to keep fighting on his own anymore.

But this was his home.

He perked up at his leader's name. "Yeah, I know Aleister! He's my alpha. Well, we're not official yet, but he's our leader, anyway. Good man, Aleister." his chest swelled with pride. He was glad to be part of a pack with such a great leader, someone who was clearly good at making friends.

Heartleaf Creek stirred his memory; he was sure he'd been there at least once when he'd been questing. "I think I've been there before, a year or so ago. I don't remember much about it, though," he admitted. "How many are with you? That is, if you're with anybody," he hastily added, then mentally kicked himself. If she was alone he didn't want to rub it in.

He knew how that felt.

There were plenty of times that Sharlee cursed the two-legged creatures who'd brought her here. She missed her home and the sea but moments like this… she could explore new places like the mountain or meet new wolves like Nash. That she didn't get home it was always work to become better at what you did. Sure she'd learned a lot but there was a hidden pressure to be really good at what she'd chosen to do. 

Now, without a official pack they were left to do what they could were they could. There wasn't anything to work toward besides survival. It was a nice break from what her life was like. Especially since she got to explore a mountain. 

Sharlee happily explained about Aleister amd meeting him as well as where she was from. Though it wasn't were she was originally from that was in the past and now she was from Heartleaf Creek. 

She smiled, "Small world then. You're right he is a nice man, very friendly indeed. Are you and the others with you wanting to become official?" She asked curiously though she wasn't sure she was expecting an answer. 

"Its a quiet little place and we like it well enough. There are a few with me, I'm not sure of numbers just yet." They were still waiting to see if any more of their family showed up. "I'm mostly with my family. We've decided to settle in Heartleaf creek."