Wild Cherry Orchard In the Company of Trees

O O C | Not a prob', I've been very patient. :)

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To speak of humans and possibly instill a wave of curiosity for or fear of them into the wolves of Relic Lore had never even crossed Borden's mind. He wasn't even sure what had caused him to believe or assume that the forests had been breached by mankind. For Corinna to not know of these strange creatures that walked tall upon two legs was quite honestly strange, and if it hadn't been for the shock, he might have considered the discovery as a breath of fresh air. Even acknowledging the possibilitiy that the forests had not been breached brought him relief. He wouldn't have to worry about snares or traps or being extra cautious about anything that seemed unnatural.

Until stumbling into the Mountain of Dire, Borden had had to endure sleepless nights and nerve-wracking days of trying to survive on his own. However, he had only encountered these strange beings - "poachers" - on one occasion, but, that encounter alone had been enough to send him running for his life. As she came to a halt, he glanced back at her and turned around, listening as she apologized. An ear turned back and he tilted his head in slight confusion, "No need to say sorry." He returned her smile, wagging his tail to assure her. "Um... I-It's..." he bit his tongue to keep from stuttering. Humans... who knew they could be such a tricky topic? "'People...' Th-they're..."

Reaching into the depths of his memories, he tried to come up with a suiting definition, an easily-grasped concept. But, at the last moment, before he opened his mouth again, he gave her a nervous grin, "They're nothing to, uh, w-worry about. If you haven't seen one, then chances are ya might not have to worry about... about 'em. Heh..." His voice nearly cracked at the end of his sentence but he managed to say everything straight and as light-hearted as he could. Truth be told, he didn't want her to know if she hadn't had previous knowledge of people; and, to him, topics like this one were just some of those things that were left alone. Out of sight, out of mind...

Not wanting to extend on the topic and rather sorry he had brought it up in the first place, he nodded with his head to suggest they continue on their walk. "Let's just forget about it, hmm?" he proposed. "And, move on?" Though his tail had drooped somewhere in-between his words, he turned his ears turned forward and made it sway again with a feeble wave. He did his best in attempt to recover from her unexpected queries, but if she pressed him for answers, it seemed he would have no choice but to oblige.

Well, what do you want from me?

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna Donata was not a fan of feeling foolish or stupid. She had very little tolerance for ignorance in others, though she herself was quite ignorant in many things. It was hypocrisy at its finest, though in the end, all it resulted in was her typical asking one question too many. Which, judging by the look of confusion and uncomfortableness that crossed Borden's face, she figured that she had this time. Though he wagged his tail to reassure her, and his face never lost its smile, his hesitation made her second guess her decision to ask him in the first place. Ears flattening against her skull, Cori tucked her tail partway between her hind legs - a physical representation of the embarrassment she was feeling. "I'm sorry Borden. I just haven't heard that term before, and I like to understand things," she told him, her voice quiet, a mere shadow of what it had been before. "We can forget about though if you would like." She added, picking up on his suggestion of moving on their way and leaving that apparently taboo subject behind them.

Relaxing her position, the mottled gray female began walking again. The pace was easy going, it wasn't as if she had anywhere to be. That was the one benefit of being a lone wolf, there was never anybody to answer to, hence, there were no time tables to be followed. She could walk forever, and nobody else in the world could do anything about it. Borden, however, would not be so lucky. Eventually he would need to return to his duties as a scout for Alexander, the white male she had met a couple of months ago who had taken over for Honijo in Midnight Plateau. She grinned to herself, proud of her mini-history lesson. "So Borden, won't Alexander be looking for you soon?" She asked him, her voice returning to its playful timbre.

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Walking along and giving her a nod, Borden smiled again. ”Sounds good,” he merely replied, not knowing what else to say. He matched his pace with hers, not wanting to walk faster or slower. What he did not expect was her question. ”So, Borden, won’t Alexander be looking for you soon?” His ears flattened slightly, remembering his superior. Of course… How could he forget? His duties at the territory borders were waiting to done and the alpha was indeed expecting him to serve him well. ”Probably,” he said quietly. ”But, he’s off doing his own… things… Probably won’t see him until later. Tonight.”.

Obeying Alexander’s every order and living up to his every expectation was the one thing that had Borden eager to explore and learn all he could about Relic Lore. One setback to being allowed to scout out the land was getting caught up in lighthearted affairs such as this one in the Grove with Corinna. His tail curled slightly between his hind legs. Perhaps he ought to start heading back. The Orchard wasn’t too far away from the mountain, but still… The thought of Alexander looking for him or wondering what he’s been up to was something Borden didn’t want to think about, especially after being gone for quite a while.

Wishing he could stay the whole day with her, the Plateau wolf glanced to his companion and slowly came to a stop, ”I think I ought to be heading back though.” He bit his lip; he probably should have been more mindful of the time. His brows creased; he felt terrible for cutting their conversation short. ”I’ll, erm, see you around?”

Well, what do you want from me?

<b>OOC:</b> Excellent thread. We'll have to do another one soon. =)

Gone Tomorrow

Cori had not expected her question to result in the reaction that it had. She had been greatly enjoying Borden's company and was loathe to see him go. But, they were living two different lives. He was a pack wolf with specific duties. He was Alexander's second, which came with high responsibilities. While he was a scout, and his responsibilities did include knowing everything he could about Relic Lore, those responsibilities did not extend to keeping her company. Ears flattening against her head, she was unable to elide her displeasure at having to say goodbye so soon. "Of course. I'm sure we'll come across each other again," she told him, a smile crossing her face. Stepping close, she reached out, nudging his cheek with her nose in a polite and friendly gesture. Flicking her tail, she grinned at him once more before turning and heading off, away from the mountain that Borden had decided to call home.