Cedarwood Forest Wanderlust and itchy paws

Set for the 19th, set in the section Ceadwoods closest to DEB

Getting lost had stirred something up within the girl, a deep desire that sprung forth from her heart with a burning passion. She'd always loved consuming knowledge. Expanding her mind beyond its current reaches. Leaving home had never been a thought, but now...now she'd seen parts of the world unknown to her. New types of animals. She wanted more. She wanted to know all there was to know about the world and understand it. To see more of it, beyond the backwater and its implied limitations. However, at the end of the day, she never wanted to lose her place within the pack.

Being a part of her family was her whole identity, down to her last name. She was a proud Valle youngster with a lot to prove to the world about herself. That she could rise to the top and be better than others, do better. Although she still quite enjoyed having them do the dirty work best. Such were the luxuries afforded by youth. Luxuries she would find diminishing this spring as more would be expected from her. For now, she could sit back and relax...or not. The latter had been her clear choice today. She'd given in to her desires and traveled past the borders while most still slept. Made her way to somewhere new to her and that didn't feel too far. She knew how to get home now, being lost had come with its embarrassment but also a newfound confidence in her ability to find the Backwater.

The pup strolled through the tall trees, looking up at their snow-laden branches. Curious about what they were called and all the differences between them and the ones at home. She found herself wanting to know the name of this place, every inch of its layout, and what set it apart. It was more than that though, she wanted to know all of the Lore and all of the places and about all of the different wolves. She knew there were other packs, why hadn't she ever met anyone else? Loners were coming to her home now. Competition. Strangers. Where'd they come from? Why did they live out here on their own prior? She wanted to know.

While the girl was meandering through a scent wafted up her nostrils unexpectedly. Her belly lurched at the potent stench of rotting flesh, causing her to gag. Her lips curled as she brought her eyes down to search. Following her nose she trotted along the trail until met by a decaying corpse. Surprisngly it wasn't all bad. Some of it was still intact and usable, that she could tell. Euna carefully reached forward to separate a chunk of still good meat, being mindful to avoid the yuckiest of parts.

Hello! Just thought I'd toss Cypress here to get some social interaction.

Having traversed through the forest for a good chunk of the day, Cypress felt the fatigue settling in his muscles. The sun cast a warm, golden glow onto his body as he searched for a place to rest, even if momentarily.

As the rhythmic sound of water reached his ears, Cypress followed the melody to discover a small stream running through a dip in the land. A happy sigh escaped him as he approached the water's edge. Lowering himself to the bank, he lapped at the chilly water, savoring the refreshing feel of the cold liquid running down his throat.

With his thirst quenched, Cypress tucked himself close to the roots of one of the many large trees the forest had, basking in the small amount of sunshine peeking through the leaves. The wind blew softly, ruffling his fur. His nose twitched as the breeze tickled him, and a foreign smell came to him. He hadn’t been around many wolves in a while, but he knew a wolf’s scent when it passed. Cypress lifted his head, ears perked with curiosity. He was on the edge of getting up to look for the wolf he caught a whiff of, but he also really just wanted to relax.

@Euna

The growing girl carefully separated a chunk of meat from the corpse before setting it down. She scanned over what remained, dark eyes locking onto an intact leg. Her nose trailed over it as she sniffed to check if it was too far gone like other parts of the deer. Then her teeth clenched down around the bone. She leaned her body weight back onto her hind legs so that she was practically playing tug of war. Her head jerked to one side then the other. Her tail began wagging as a muffled growl left her, this was fun! Sure beat sitting around the pack doing nothing but squabble with the others.

Euna created quite the ruckus as she pulled and yanked away at the corpse. It scooted some from its original spot, the limb not yet breaking free. She was blissfully oblivious to the concept of attracting too much attention to herself. Clueless to the nearby wolf, her nose full of rot and decay. Her playful demeanor of removing the leg was instisftying with frustration, her nails digging into the cold ground below. Her brows tightening into a deep furrow with her tail curling. Her developing muscles rippled beneath her winter pelt.

@Cypress

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

After tossing his thoughts back and forth in his mind, he decided his curiosity had won. With a half-hearted sigh, Cypress stood and shook out his pelt. He checked the air, this time honing in on the scent he’d smelled. He followed the directions his nose gave, intent on finding someone to socialize with. Or at least that was what he hoped would happen.

His slow gait came to a stop when he caught a glimpse of the wolf he would assume to be the once he’d been tracking. Cypress let out a soft woof, letting the stranger know of his presence. While he awaited the wolf’s action, he spotted what looked to be a carcass laying nearby. The realization hit him that he may have just interrupted someone’s meal, and he flattened his ears ever so slightly to show an apology.

@Euna

The leg gave a gentle thud as it fell from her mouth. She spun around defensively, her hackles up and ears alert. Euna riled up just as quickly as she settled down. The stranger didn't have backup to call upon, nor did he look all that threatening to her, whereas she had a whole family of ruthless wolves. Well, sorta, not all of them were cold-blooded killers. The girl stood tall with her fur smoothing down and offered a wag of her tail as it curled over her spine. Perhaps he wanted some of her meal? She wasn't one for sharing...but gathering information, now that was another subject altogether. Maybe he knew about the other packs around here?

His flattened ears would only serve to boost the girl's inflated ego. She lifted her head high, taking on a haughty posture with a contradicting smile, "Hey loner." The pup greeted him with a kind tone that felt unfamiliar on her tongue. She was not worried about the meal next to her for the time being. She had questions, perhaps he'd have answers to quench her thirst for knowledge.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

The wolf had spun around quickly, almost causing Cypress to startle, but he held his footing. It would have seemed that his message had been relayed by the change in posture. His ear flicked back forwards as he was greeted, though he’d not been spoken to in such a way before. Most likely due to the fact that he hadn’t ever been around any wolves since becoming a loner.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement of the unknown wolf’s words, offering his name in turn. “Hey yourself, stranger.” He said with a slow wag of his tail, his greeting not meaning to offend. “My name is Cypress, may I have yours?” His question would be asked while he took a seat, sitting back on his haunches. This wolf looked young, though if he were honest with himself, not much younger than himself given the size difference. He was content with his position, so long as it kept him from standing. Maybe he’d let his muscles take a break and get some socialization.

@Euna

Euna's lip twitched slightly in annoyance as his ears shifted forward. She took a step towards him with a dominant stare in hopes he'd give into her whims. Almost a yearling now she was eager to sift others for their weak points and what made them buckle beneath her. She was always greedy for the next thing that caught her interest, and it seemed power was her current captivation. She watched as he dipped his head, studying his body language, looking to learn her place. Could she or could she not push a loner around? More importantly though, what sort of knowledge hid behind his eyes?

The girl snort-laughed, amused by his response, the tense muscles in her face forcibly softened by such. "Valle, Euna Valle." She boasted her name proudly and quickly followed up with a question, "Does Cypress mean something?" Her childish tone of voice held a genuine curiosity. Before giving him a chance to answer she was following up with more innocent questions, "Where are you from, have you seen any packs yet?" She was excited to meet a loner, even if the ones joining her pack were...pesky. She didn't want them there. Out here though, perhaps they could be an asset?

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

Steps had been taken toward him, to which he merely cocked his head, eyes lightening in amusement. Maybe he was getting to the wolf, or perhaps it was the other way around. The young wolf had let out a laugh, he couldn’t place it with a ‘why’, but he could guess. Now given a name, Cypress nodded appreciatively, though only yet to the fact he could now stop scrambling in his brain to come up with calling the Valle, Euna something that wasn’t a name.

It was now Euna’s turn to question him. How the tides would turn. There was one of his name, to which he opened his mouth to answer before another followed. He laughed softly, a glint in his eyes. He could guess now that this was some sort of game, though maybe it wasn’t. Regardless, he’d play along, though he couldn't promise to do so by Euna’s rules if such even existed.

“Indeed, it does. Mother told me my name was the same as the trees that stood in the forest where I was born. I would dare go as far as to say it was in an attempt to remind me of where I belong, but that’d be furthering the first lie.” He would lower himself to a sprawled out lay, making himself comfortable as he continued, being slightly more serious this time, “Truly, Cypress is a tree, but no. I haven’t seen any packs. Not for a while at least, definitely none worth noting. As far as where I come from, I couldn’t tell you. Don’t remember too much, all of the things one such as you would deem important have vanished from my mind. Family, friends, all sorts of things…just poof.” It was very possible that he was being over dramatic for the show, but who would it bother? Not him.

@Euna

What you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
Euna Valle

Euna awaited his response eagerly, expectant eyes fixated on him. She smiled at his laugh, opting to take it in good spirits...for now. Perhaps he was laughing in the same manner as her dad did when she barraged him with questions. If not, well, she had teeth. She listened intently, watching his mouth move as he gave her a story. She pictured it in her mind, all excited until...a lie? Her hackles immediately rose as a ferocious puppy bark left the girl. "No lying!" She shouted the command as if he'd broken an unspoken rule the girl had failed to mention. She bared her teeth with annoyance, utterly disgusted that he wasn't being truthful. She hadn't considered he could give her false information! She wanted to learn, not be filled with myths. She wasn't a baby needing fairytales anymore.

Her brows furrowed as he laid down, Euna's exasperation increasing. The insult on her face showed clearly how she felt about his casualness towards her. She wanted to be the boss! Her temper started to flare, Euna stomping a paw in a childish tantrum. He went on to tell her the truth behind his name, and she wanted to believe him, but he had already broken the small shred of trust they shared.  "Liar, tell me about the packs." Her voice was unbefitting of a pretty girl, clearly upset and losing grasp on her emotions. This would have been fun if she was in control of the situation, but she wasn't, and he was getting under her skin. "What do you mean poof? How did you forget your family?"

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

His words seemed to anger her. He couldn’t help but laugh at her remark of no lying. Of course he knew how to lie, most did. However the lie he told was something of a joke that seemed to be lost upon Euna. Oh well. Nothing would change that now, the only way to go now was forwards.

Her bared teeth would be noticed as he spoke. “No lying. Not anymore. Though I will say, if you have a distaste for lies maybe you should voice that before a conversation starts, no?” His question wasn’t one that required an answer, it was just something for the young wolf to think on.

He continued to indulge however, “I told you, I know nothing of any packs around here. I could however tell you of a pack I know.” His words were patient, though he wasn’t sure that would help her mood. “To be frank, I can’t answer that question…again, I don’t remember.” He would appear to be in thought for a moment. “Not knowing about my family is quite frustrating at times, I wish I could just wake up one day and remember everything. But alas, life doesn’t always give us what we want.” His gaze returned backed to Euna, "Do you have any other questions that I might be able to answer?"

His head would tilt a little to the side as he looked at Euna. He was wondering if he should ask a question that weasled its way into his head. Might as well, what’s the worst that could happen now? “Other than lying about my mother’s introduction to my name, have I done anything to upset you?” He wasn’t poking fun at her, he was just genuinely curious. Cypress hadn’t thought that such a little detail would irritate her so much. If he had done something, then perhaps there was something he could do to make it up. Maybe tell a story or two, even if to him stories weren't all that interesting.