Sunrise Ridge and I know that I'm drunk but I'll say the words

All welcome! Late night, overcast, 0C/32F

It had been a couple of weeks since Chan had taken Finley in like a stray orphan. It was all weird, but for now it seemed to be working out. Her children would not have a father, but she wasn’t starving and they would have the protection of the others she was traveling with. Things were definitely not perfect, but it was not a total disaster.

Which was why when she had woken up this morning full of resentment at this situation she had immediately taken off. Not permanently by any means, but she knew well enough that she did not want to piss off her new friends and needed some space. So far pregnancy had not been easy for her, Finley was tired all the time, her moods were up and down on a hairpin turn. Not to mention, her stomach wasn’t showing yet, but she felt so bloated that she often had cramps and her muscles were sore.

It was late now, and Finley blinked herself awake, surprised that it had already gotten dark. Looking around the woman yawned drearily, had she really slept most of the day away in this strange meadow? Green eyes blinked again a few times, trying to wake herself up, she needed to get back to the others.

There was quite a lot to think about and do, but so far things seemed to be going well. And beyond that, he was enjoying every last moment. It was beyond liberating, to be doing things for himself, going his own way. Accomplishing things he’d never dreamt of as a pup, or would’ve been expected to. Beyond that, this portion of land was vast and expansive enough that Jet could get his fill of excitement from exploring, while still not wandering too far from his friends or the forest that he eventually hoped to call home.

The surrounding trees and meadows were nowhere near as beautiful as the forest of magnificent sequoias, but there was still a certain, subtle allure to it. Especially during the darker hours, when things got quiet enough to hear the barren trees creak and rattle in the cold breeze.

It seemed that even the moon and stars had been blotted out tonight, allowing Jethro a rare opportunity to stalk through the meadows like some kind of specter. A shadow, rolling almost silently through the night. Unlike such an apparition though, he didn't actually harbor any ill will toward anything or anyone, either. At present, his only purpose was mentally mapping the area.

Even so, upon the wind carrying hints of a wolfy scent that he chose to follow, he was sorely tempted to try to play some trick or joke on the stranger. But that would not be very leaderly, nor probably good for his image. So, a tamer inquiry it was. "Hey, someone else out there?" Jet was pretty sure they were close, but not quite close enough yet for him to see.


-saw your note on my plots, so I thought I'd snag this!

With the direction the wind was blowing, Finley had no idea that someone else was so close until a voice called out. Getting to her paws quickly, the dark tawny woman stretched briefly and tried to stifle a yawn, rather unsuccessfully. Blinking hard a few times, she called back, ”Um, yes, hello?” She suddenly wished she had not wandered so far from the others. Finley was well aware that her stature did not impose much threat, and to top that off she had the telltale smell of pregnancy.

When the dark man came close enough she could see him, Finley almost breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t recognize him, but his pelt carried the scent of Chan and the others, and she assumed that he could be trusted based on that alone. Smiling shyly she offered an introduction, ”Oh! I’m Finley, I’m uh, I think we’re traveling with the same group?” Well, that sounded pretty stupid, she looked at her paws and felt herself blush for a moment, heat rising up her neck. The motion of looking down caused a swift cramp in her side and she twinged. God, she hoped her pregnancy got easier.

Another voice called out, tentative. A woman. He could make out the lighter-colored figure, and green eyes, as he closed in. And there was something else Jet noted, about her scent, that took him a few moments to place. She was going to have kids, he realized. But beyond that, he recognized others had been with her. Chan, notably, and Flair, from the Cove. Maybe one or two others?

A fair number of questions came to mind with that, mainly - were they Chan’s? But he’d hold them back. For now, anyway. If Finley had been traveling with Chan and the others for any length of time, Jet was fairly confident he could trust her.

”Jethro. Nice t’meet ya,” the dark one offered first, along with a now customary respectful dip of his head to hopefully ease the other. She seemed perhaps a little timid or nervous. ”I do know Chan and the others, we’re not exactly travelin’ together, though. My goals are different,” he offered with a small smile, settling into a seated position. He wondered if Chan had mentioned anything about that.

The leaves held onto the morning dew, it isn't much but it is better than nothing +3 Hydration

The man that joined them introduced himself as Jethro and he seemed to be respectful enough. Finley offered a tepid smile at the dip of his muzzle, and curiosity flit across her features at the mention of other plans. Another side cramp caused her to wince again and brought her down into a sitting position. The woman let out a slow breath as her muscles relaxed and she was able to get more comfortable.

Smiling in a way that she hoped portrayed friendly interest she inquired, ”Different goals? I’m not even sure what anyone’s goals are to be honest.” She had gotten herself in quite the situation, pregnant with no father to help, traveling with a band of nomads she just met. She had no idea how it was going to work once her pups arrive, and the whole thing would only become more complicated once she realized Flair was pregnant.

Chan had been nice enough to take her in while she figured things out, but would he feel the same once he had his own pups on the way? These were thoughts that were sure to plague her in the future weeks, but for now her biggest concern was making it through her pregnancy. It had certainly not been fun so far and she was sure it was only going to get worse.

The pained look that briefly adorned the woman’s face and the tensing of her body did not go unnoticed. His gaze softened sympathetically, observing as she seemed to get into a more comfortable position. Admittedly, Jet did not know too much about pregnancy things, he could not imagine how it might feel to have lives growing inside of you. Painful and uncomfortable were about the only certainties he could think of.

Finley expressed that she wasn’t aware of anyone’s goals. A bit surprising, but something he could help with, at least a little. ”Well, Chan, far as I knew, wanted to head out and about. To explore, see new things.” That, at least, had been his goal as of the last time Jethro had seen him.

”I’m explorin’ too, but with the intent of findin’ somewhere to settle and maybe, to build a pack. The kind that any decent wolf could call home, regardless of their history, and without worryin’ about being part of an accepted lineage or family, or things like that.” As potentially lofty as the goal was, Jet remained optimistic about it. There were other qualifiers of course, but that was an accurate summation of things.

Though he knew little about Finley, he certainly could see extending her an offer to be part of that - but he’d wait on that. It would be better, he thought, to let the other guide him to that, if she chose to. In case she had other plans.

(This post was last modified: May 06, 2022, 11:05 PM by Jethro.)

Finley listened closely as Jethro explained his knowledge of everyone’s plans. She had not known the ins and outs of everything, just that Chan had been nice enough to offer to help her. He had offered her the companionship of his friends, help with the hunting, and safety in numbers. It would not be enough to keep her children safe forever, but it was enough to get her through her pregnancy and she would figure everything else as her sides began to swell.

Which was what made Jethro’s goals so interesting.

The woman did not want to seem overly eager, she had just met this dark man after all. Still, the interest was clear in the sharp green eyes and the dark face as she thought over her next words. ”That sounds like a lofty goal, something you plan on doing alone?” You can’t make a pack with just one wolf afterall. She smiled softly, ”I don’t know my plans to be honest, but I know I probably can’t keep traveling for too much longer. Certainly not once my children arrive.” And what would Chan’s group do then if their goal was to see the world?

The other seemed intrigued, at least, by his idea and plan. Though to what extent was not immediately clear. Finley posed a question first, before elaborating a bit on her situation. She didn’t have any solid plans, it seemed. While that brought more questions to Jethro’s mind than answers, it did seem to provide answers to a few of the biggest questions he’d had.

”Oh, nah. A good friend of mine is around here somewhere, and Chan agreed to help if I needed it. Couple of others I met recently could be interested, too.” That, potentially, brought their numbers up to around five, if he included Finley. And that seemed more likely, now. Five bodies was pretty decent, he thought. Better yet that they all seemed of good character.

”Whatever the others choose though, I’ll be around. When the time comes.. I’d be willin’ to help ya to the extent I can, and as much as you would want, need, or permit.” He had his thoughts and assumptions about Finley and her situation, but now wasn’t the time to get into that. Her kids deserved the best chance they could possibly have, regardless of their circumstances. That was the first priority. If he could play a part in bettering things for them, Jet decided he would, regardless of whether the pack thing worked out or not.

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2022, 06:19 PM by Jethro.)

Feel free to fade and archive with your next post! Thank you for the great thread <3 it's nice to see poor Finley making friends

So he had a few others, but Chan and his gang were probably not going to settle down. As much as Finley would have preferred to stay with the bobtail as he was at least familiar to her, she knew she could not keep traveling. For now the best bet for her and her children’s survival would be to find a pack to settle down in, and now here was one materializing before her. Smiling at the dark man she decided that holding her cards close to her chest was probably not in her best interest for now.

The woman heaved her swelling body up back onto her paws, ”I really appreciate that Jethro. I don’t want to act too presumptuous but when the time comes for you to make your pack consider myself at your service. If you’ll have me, and my children.” At least this way she would have a plan. Sure, there was no father, and she was not returning to her birth pack to face that shame, but they would survive. She would make sure of that one way or another.

Gesturing with her muzzle back towards the way she had come, ”Maybe we can talk more as we walk back? I had not intended on being gone so long.” She needed to get back to the others, and back to the den that she had been working on. It was not safe to be out here napping out in the open.

(This post was last modified: May 28, 2022, 11:00 PM by Finley.)