Drooping Willows So I Called This Therapist

@Enoki
~~262 words

Creamy paws beat a steady rhythm upon the hardened dirt, black claws digging in to find purchase then pushing off, creating a trail of paw prints and scrape marks. The tawny females' breath puffed out in clouds of white mist which disappeared in the freezing fog that hung and curled itself around the sweeping branches of the willow trees. Her dark amber eyes surveyed the surrounding area, always on a constant watch after the incident with the grizzly five days prior. Not wanting to repeat that event again, she had decided to make her way south again for a couple of days until the creature moved on from its scavenging, before returning to possibly join the pack that had settled itself among the cedarwood trees.

But for now she would enjoy her solitude among the willow trees, their widespread branches providing her a curtain of which to hide behind. It was a calming place, and she felt at ease as she trotted through the sprawling mist that clung to her sides. It created a sort of tingling sensation, but it wasn't uncomfortable, more just unwanted. Every ragged breath the tawny female took brought in searing cold air to her lungs, and the miniscule drops of water in the air kept her tongue and mouth from drying out. Maybe she could get used to winter after all.

Head held proudly, Yvly padded onwards in search of a spot where she could rest for a while, ears pricked forward on alert and tail pointed out behind her like a banner waving in the wind.

Aside from the wild hog encounters and the mishap of some wayward wolves out on the Rise, life had been mundane at best for the patchwork woman as the same routine played on an infinite loop. From sunrise to sunset her ebony limbs did a single, sometimes double upkeep of the borders, a small trek then taken out to Hush Meadow for some quick hunting should the constant descent of snow flurries deter not the snowshoe hares who's large feet made swift work of traveling about the surface of the snow. Leaving behind a tell tail trail of prints easy for the nimble huntress to follow back to an unsuspecting den.

Today, the Willow subordinate decided to detour from her usual path around the perimeter as a freezing fog settled over the land, the mist like texture swirling around the gentle swaying boughs. Hunting was out of the question given the white out conditions, but that didn't stop Enoki's smoldering amber irises from picking up divots in the snow intertwining between the smooth barked trees, too short in length to belong to a rabbit. Padding up to a set of discovered tracks, coal black snout lowered to snuff at the cold snow for any inclination as to whom had made these obvious wolf tracks. A couple deep inhales and exhales eliminated the possibility of herself walking in circles, but then who made them?

A low hum of contemplation reverberated her vocal chords as brows knitted together into a look of puzzlement. This was a mystery that needed to be solved and the piebald woman doubted the Archer siblings; whom both had come to reign at the top much to her dismay, would notice her slack from her duties this once. She'd pulled her weight enough around the territory to deserve a free day on occasion right? A snort was the only confirmation Enoki needed to pursue the mystery track maker. Lifting her skull from the ground swarthy limbs began to ghost over the paw prints at an easy stride, keeping those of the stranger neatly between her own as they made fresh impressions.

~~290 words

Padding away from the lagoon that nestled itself alongside the willow branches to the west, the tawny female went deeper and deeper into the confines of the sweeping willow branches. The isolation and near silence she was met with among the willows was almost heavenly, a much welcomed break from the recent events. She could handle socialization in small bursts, but prolonged experiences brought along with it irritability and a sort of emotional and mental tiredness. She never knew what to say, and so most of what she said wasn't the nicest or most direct of words. It was just so much easier to drive other wolves away with poisoned words and glaring looks, but some could be oh so very persistent, a trait which she severely disliked, yet often succumbed to also.

The freezing fog of which she strolled through was now beginning to sting at the insides of her sensitive nose every time she inhaled, before it being briefly relieved when she exhaled warm air which dissipated into the white out conditions. Deciding now was a good time as any to stop and rest for a while, Yvly slowed down to a casual walk, dark amber eyes glancing around at what she could see, which wasn't actually very much. Anything beyond a couple of wolf lengths was hazy in the swirling fog, and so she began to proceed further with caution, now fully aware that a wolf could very well sneak up behind her. Or from any direction really. Raising her head up, the tawny female glanced around swiftly, nose twitching as she inhaled in an attempt to gather scents other than willow bark and snow, but if there was another among the willows, she couldn't smell them.

The going seemed slow with each step forward rewarding the bi-toned woman with nothing more than a fresh blasting of ice crystals to her already dusted face, a shake on occasion doing little to rid the glistening crystalline specks before more clung to her fur. Squinting to peer into the thickening fog nothing but more swirling white met her eyes, a small sigh escaping her lips in the form of a vapor cloud. How was she going to find anyone in this kind of weather? She needed to pick up the pace before they managed to escape.

Springing forward well toned muscles rippled beneath sleek fur, coral tongue peeking out to greet the frigid air as powder flung beneath each stride to bury passed over tracks. Gradually the sturdy trunks of willows continued to pass the woman by, a blurry silhouette beginning to appear on the horizon. There! That had to be whoever she was seeking out! A sense of excitement began to flow through her veins as Enoki pushed her body harder to propel her forward at a faster rate, dull nails leaving fresh scores in the snow. It was in her haste, though, that she missed a buried rock coated in the ivory flakes, a wrong step sending the Ashrelle woman flying forward with the weight of her momentum toward the strangers silhouette.

No attempt at trying to slow her seemed to work, paws digging into the snow futile. "Watch --!" The warning came too late as the two toned vixen collided into a giant tangled heap with the tawny wolf. Well, at least she found what she was looking for even if this was an unconventional way of doing so.

~~355 words

The peaceful aura of the willows was suddenly interrupted by a not very helpful shout "Watch--!", followed by a large weight slamming into her side, effectively knocking her over into the ice cold snow. Flailing wildly to regain some sort of balance, Yvly let out a shriek of surprise (and maybe a little bit of terror) as her limbs became entangled with the creature that had run into her. Thrashing beneath the body that lay partially upon her, the tawny female let out an alarmed growl, partly telling the creature to get off and partly wanting to get away from the situation. She was not prepared for this. "Get. Off!" She snapped, giving a great heave against the opposing body that sent her sprawling backwards, thankfully putting distance between them.

Jumping to her feet, she shook off the flakes of snow that had covered themselves on her body during the kerfuffle and eyed the stranger warily, lips pulled back to reveal her teeth. Unsure of whether the other creature, which now that she wasn't being lied upon could see was another wolf, was a danger to her or simply a nuisance, the tawny female was caught between giving a show of aggression or just simply high-tailing it out of here. Dark amber eyes scrutinized the oreo-looking wolf before her, ears quickly flattening against her skull in a show of defensiveness. The black and white piebald female was her size, maybe even a little smaller, and had eyes similar in colour to her own. She could also see three very definite claw marks along the left side of her muzzle. This spiked interest in her, but also more wariness. They meant she had been in a fight before, whether it be prey, foe or wolf, she didn't really care, but she'd definitely watch her closely during this encounter.

Sniffing the air, she could taste the scent of many wolves upon the piebald woman. So there was a pack around here then.... "Who are you?" Yvly practically hissed between closed jaws, eyes narrowing as she stared defiantly at the woman who had unceremoniously knocked her over.

Enoki's eardrums were met with a ear grating shriek from the tawny woman beneath her as a set of limbs began to heave against her sides in an attempt to remove the creature from atop them. A snapped 'Get off.' ringing in her ears as the darker wolf scrambled to right herself up after the mishap. "I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as swarthy audits flied back to rest upon her skull, taking a couple steps back to give the other female an appropriate amount of space, a look of mortification etched deeply upon the Ridge subordinate's facial features. God, when had she become so clumsy and unaware of where her paws were stepping?

Anxiety ran high throughout the magpie coated woman's veins as amber irises took in what they could see through the thin mist that lay between them. This wolf, clearly female as well, was similar in size to herself if not a smidgen taller with eyes a rich, dark shade of amber. Beyond those eyes that narrowed suspiciously at her, the she wolf held a pelt of various shades of tawny, rust and creams. Pretty even if it wasn't spiked defensively; given the situation, though, she had all rights to be enraged. "Who are you?" the question was hissed, warranting another flick of flattened ears. "I'm Enoki Ashrelle of Willow Ridge. Who are you?" A curious head tilt bringing the scarred side of her muzzle closer towards the sky. Even the incident of tumbling into each other couldn't sway her natural curiosity.

~~280 words

Yvly batted the piebald female's apology away without as much as a blink. She didn't care for it, especially as it didn't change what happened, but at least it meant she hadn't run into her on purpose, that was one good side to it. The tawny female sneezed in distaste at her apology, wanting nothing more than to steer clear of the topic at hand. If she wasn't so edgy during conversations she'd spark up something that had nothing to do with the incident, but alas, all she did was stare almost accusingly at the female before her, dark amber eyes scrutinizing her closely. She seemed to be giving her space by stepping back, and looked at least somewhat ashamed. That was good.

She exhaled heavily when the piebald female introduced herself as Enoki Ashrelle, giving her the chance to change the topic to something much more lighthearted, but at the same time, boring. However, the added Willow Ridge sparked some interest in her, and she brought her ears tentatively forward. That must be the name of the pack she could smell on Enoki's pelt. Relaxing slightly, at least enough so she wasn't baring her teeth at the piebald woman anymore, Yvly leaned back on her hind legs, one ear warily flicking to the side. Giving up her name was something she was always reluctant to do, but still did anyways. Couldn't hurt her, after all. "Yvly Doramor," she responded simply, dark amber gaze resting on Enoki's muzzle, eyes unconsciously drawn to the claw marks there. "But call me Crystal," she added quickly. It wasn't that she hated her given name, but she just preferred being called by her nickname.

The other didn't immediately run off once both regained their footing, so that had to be a plus right? The derogatory sneeze that Enoki received in response to her apology rubbed her fur the wrong way. At least she was kind enough to apologize for her mistake, mirrored amber irises momentarily shooting their own scrutinizing look back at the tawny woman. She was lucky Enoki was the one who happened upon her trail and not one of the many Archers that claimed this land under the name of their bloodline. They were of the less friendly sort to strangers happening upon their doorstep and would offer the same derogatory sneeze at any pretty painted words she tried to offer.

A heavy exhale was expelled from the other female causing a small flick of the patchy woman's left ear before it positioned itself into a neutral position beside its counterpart. The stranger relaxed slightly and in turn so did the Ridge wolf, even going so far as to allow her rear haunches to connect with the snowy ground. Yvly Doramor was her name, but Crystal opting to be the title she wished to be called by. Fair enough, but Enoki couldn't help noticing the way her eyes roamed about the general area her muzzle would have settled, a brow quirking upwards curiously. Then the memory struck her that a trio of scars had come to adorn the swarthy snout. A departing gift before the huntress to be ended the wolverine's life for daring to come after one of Elettra's boys; Deacon to be exact.

A friendly smile risked to appear upon her leathery lips, unsure if the woman even deserved it after the sneering of her earlier apology. "They were given to me by a wolverine while defending someone." Hoping the vague statement would sate some of the tawny vixen's curiousness while also possibly warranting a conversation from the girl. Perhaps she would be eager to know the full tale of that day. Enoki wouldn't mind talking to someone outside the pack, especially outside the Archer bloodline for a change. It made her feel claustrophobic and even an outsider at times being surrounded by such an expansive family with no real connections to any of them. Sure, Adele was nice and they shared a love for hunting and then there was Elettra she honestly respected. Deacon, albeit half Archer, she had bonded with yet he had made the decision to venture beyond the borders. His whereabouts now remained unknown, but she felt a closer bond to the willows she navigated each morning than its inhabitants these days.

~~342 words

Noticing the hesitancy of the smile that appeared on Enoki's maw, the tawny female decided that she would try to act a little nicer. She knew she was acting a little bit harsh towards the piebald female, it had been an accident after all, but the complete suddenness of it all still had her slightly on edge. It was her preferred choice to scope out wolves before engaging in conversation, so she was making do right now to the best of her abilities, but at the same time she could try a bit harder to not seem like a total bitch, going off some comments offered casually by a few she had met during her expedition for adventure. Maybe she could even walk away from the conversation on a positive note, instead of the usual slinking away when she became overwhelmed by the other, or even others.

Yvly perked her ears up as the piebald woman explained how she had received the scars on her muzzle, intrigue flashing momentarily in her eyes. She herself had taken on a few foes here and there, but she always steered clear of wolverines, not wanting to take the risk of getting hurt. The fact that Enoki had done it to save someone, a friend or a lover, even, was an interesting thought. It would take some thought on her behalf to decide whether she would do that for another, but then again, she kept everyone at bay. It was just in her nature. "And who is this wolf?" The tawny female asked hesitantly, head canting to the side curiously. She didn't want to invade privacy, but it almost seemed like Enoki wanted her to ask. Plus, even though she would never admit it in a million years, she had always loved listening to stories. It didn't matter what type, war or love, she had just always loved them since she could remember. She was an avid listener, and clearly not much of a talker. "Are they part of your pack?" She added as an afterthought.

Hook, line and sinker. Just as Enoki had hoped Crystal took the bait and further prodded for more information. Asking questions about who this mystery wolf she had saved happened to be and if they currently resided within the pack. At the memory of that eventful day, a look of sadness adorned her features before disappearing behind a neutral expression. It had been so long since she last saw the Archer-Lyall and how her heart ached to receive any clue that he was alright on his own out in the world. Of course, he wasn't her child to worry over so, but that didn't stop the tenderhearted woman from doing so anyways.

"He was a friend of mine I grew close to, a yearling from the leading pair's spring litter at the time." So young and full of life he was. At this a smile etched itself easier onto her lips at the memory of Deacon, the one pup always finding a way to get into trouble while his siblings seemed smart enough to leave trouble alone. Now Greer, an almost disturbing miniature of Skoll, being the sole member of that littler to still reside under the willow canopies. "But no, he no longer lives within the pack." Slowly her tail began to thump against the snow, flinging bits and pieces into small piles in close proximity of her rump. "Itchy paws to see the world is a contagious thing and gets the best of us. I know it's snagged me in its web a few times."