Paradise Falls that which is pure I have destroyed

early morning, Few Clouds, 13.91 ° F, -10.05 ° C

Isla's life had contorted and twisted in many ways.

She somehow had never felt more certain, despite coming off the heels of a rank challenge failure. That left her bitter. It allowed her to brew and steep upon things in a more thoughtful way. For the first time, it seemed she did not seek to lash out immediately and cause chaos to better herself.

Isla had somehow become darker, but within the confines of the rules around her.

Yet she knew there were certain faces here that had seen her again and again. They might say they knew her. Among them was one she had even guided here. She had not been avoiding the other young woman by any means, but she had not sought her out directly before now...

Nadine, Her husky voice called out when she thought she spotted the other.

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

Nadine had not been avoiding her, merely dedicated and busy to learning the lay of the land… the borders, the trails, the caches… but as time settled she began to branch into learning those she was to call packmates. Knowing them was equally as important. She had been along a small creek that cut through the territory when she heard her name, a familiar voice reaching out to her as her head turned curiously towards the other woman… a gentle smile even found her features when she saw such a familiar sight.

She would trot over while remaining a safe distance away as well. “Isla.” She’d greet in her same cordial manner that she always had about her, trained and ingrained into her by her mother. “Thank you, for the recommendation… I think you were right about me finding a place here.” She offered up to her, needing to address the recommendation the woman had, even if Nadine still wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about the initial interaction between them.

Her feral streak had simmered down the last few weeks, most certainly within the last few days... She had not given it much thought beyond fleeting moments. Perhaps others noticed, maybe they did not.

Although her cunning had hardly left. A soft twitch of her lips hinted at something closer to a smile, but not fully. Amused maybe. You have been settling then? Half question, half observation. Something more lurked beneath her tone, sprinkles of curiosity.

She had thought Nadine might have wandered more by now. Perhaps taken to long scouting trips to continue looking for her people.

Isla had not forgot even if her care had lacked back then.

(This post was last modified: Mar 19, 2024, 03:41 PM by Isla.)

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

She had a plan. She was going to find those whom mattered to her, but she knew that it would take some time… and being a lone wolf was far from easy. Especially as winter began to subside… it had taken it’s toll on her and to some extent, she needed to build her strength back up. She would go out, find them, but she also knew there was a need to move on… not forget, not stop, but also think about herself rather than simply finding them. Magg had solidified that.

“I have.” She would respond as she tilted her lightly, a frown finding her features. “I still haven’t been able to catch wind of my family.” She added in for a moment. “I’m hoping that if I remain in one place, they might find me instead.” Between that and perhaps being a liaison to other packs would give her the freedom to wander, and to find her own way in the world… she wasn’t entirely sure.

A brow quirked softly, interested but...uncertain. What would happen if these resilient type showed up? Would Paradise Falls begin to resemble the Backwater? Would Isla find herself more aligned with the faces that might show?

You sound strategic. The word rolled off her tongue in something that would be as close as Isla might ever get to a compliment for another. Do you not mean to roam wide to look, then? Her head tilted softly. Genuine curiosity was painted across her face in this moment.

Isla found that she could be concerned about others and their actions, if it benefitted her...

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

Nadine felt like… she was not sure what she felt of the other’s comment. Was it meant to be a compliment? An accusation? She did not think the latter was likely, not with their previous conversation, and what she herself had admitted about the Falls. They had an arrangement that worked for her… that conversation still rang true in her head.

“I try to be.” She would state back simply, her head tilting to mirror the other girl’s as she asked about roaming. “It would not suit my odds…” She explained carefully. “If I am roaming, and they are roaming, there is a much slimmer chance we ever meet again. Meanwhile, if I am stationary, they may as well roam right to me.” It was possible they still never arrive… but that was not a possibility she wanted to consider.

“We could pass like owls in the night, and I’d never know… but at least I’ll have something concrete under my paws.”

She hummed, something simple but certain. She understood. Yet most times Isla preferred to be nothing more than owls that passed in the night. She had become independent even with the cracking stability of the Falls around her.

So what will you do here in the mean time? Her tail offered an interested swish behind her as she reclined and seated herself. In this moment she felt somehow older, wiser. Even if there was not much age or maybe even experience between them. Such a thought made her far more curious to know what Nadine excelled in when her life was not spent chasing lost faces...

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

Nadine supposed that was an important question… what would she do. “When I spoke with Finley, I told her I could serve as either a diplomat and scout, or as a hunter… I think I will explore both of those and see which path is better suited for the pack’s needs.” She offered up, her eyes watching the woman carefully as she said it as if gauging her reaction.

She wondered briefly if she’d be surprised by her ambitions. “I’ve trained in both since I was very young.” She had trained more so in diplomacy but she recalled the compliments she had received over her hunting prowess on more than one occasion. Yes, it would do quite well to perhaps even organize a pack hunt! It would be an opportunity to prove her mettle and to continue to push for excellence within herself. “What do you do here?”

Isla had not a diplomatic bone in her body. However that did not mean that she had no use for such things or that she could not maybe tempt someone to be diplomatic on her behalf, right?

A guardian. She had not carried the title yet but she did the job every waking moment. Although lately she seemed to...roam a bit more. However that too had come to a little close she felt.

I'd... Like to was not what she could bring herself to say, so she tried again. I wish to hear of your diplomacy. Genuine interest even if she fumbled with getting the words free from herself and she hoped it was apparent in the way she gave Nadine her full attention.

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

A guardian. She could see it, not because of anything the woman had done but because of her general demeanor. There was something about her that Nadine simply could not ‘place’. She wasn’t sure what it was that stood out to her… but as she trailed, thought about her words carefully, and then displayed genuine interest in Nadine’s craft, the girl’s head tilted a little to the other side that it had been tilted on, and she chose her next words carefully.

“Diplomacy is about mediation… it is about understanding both sides, understanding their motives and intentions… and using it to reach a mutually beneficial solution.” Aggressive negotiations were only for matters that could not be resolved in that matter… usually, when a diplomat failed, it meant war, or at least someone getting hurt. “It’s peace deals… alliances… treaties…” She added in, to name a few examples in hopes it would help her understand more.

She was not certain why the woman wanted to know, but she herself was equally intrigued. “And when you are a diplomat for one side, it is generally about trying to get as much as you can without compromise… and only compromising if it’s more beneficial to do so than it is to not.”