Oak Tree Bend take me home tonight

@Serach because Aponi misses hanging out with him, also let me know if any assumptions aren't okay.

Oddly enough it would seem that for the first time in her life Aponi had friends. Actual friends, not just wolves that she tolerated because they were around and the least annoying to spend time with. It was ... nice, nice enough that the silver woman was beginning to set aside her own ambition for what was good for the pack and for her children, both of her daughter's though she doubted that @Kyna saw this. It troubled the mother to see how much distance had grown between them in what seemed like a blink of the eye, and the Aquila had no experience in mending things like that. Pushing other's farther and burning bridges she could do no problem, but mending them she was learning was much more difficult.

As it was the she wolf lounged near the borders as the sun began it's lazy descent towards the horizon. She had fallen into the habit of waiting here to do her rounds until Serach arrived every week or so. Before a few months ago she would have always done them in solitude, not that being alone had ever bothered her but recently she found herself growing quite fond of the light hearted conversation and laughter. The pale wolf brought it out of her in a way that even Aponi didn't know could be done, a smile playing across her lips at just the thought of doing their rounds together. Lifting her head at the sound of approaching pawsteps the Aquila let out a soft bark to alert him that she was nearby before standing, waiting for the Donata to come into her view.

No problem at all. Yay for friends!

The sun was begin to sink below the tree line - not that it was getting very high these days. The summer, which all things considered had been kind to the wolves of Oak Tree Bend, was coming to a close. Fall was here and the snows would be quick on its heels. Winter was always hard, but this would be Serach's first at the helm of the pack. Gratefully, he felt more confident going into it than he would have expected. @Triell was healing, he had a formidable partner in @Spieden, and he had discovered a friend in @Aponi. The sinking sun was his cue to meet with the latter to do their rounds, and he was eager to get to it.

Sniffing her out, he woofed back when he heard her call. "Hey," he told her as she came into sight. Lowering the front half of his body, he bowed into a stretch before rising up again. "All ready to go?" He asked her, a smile on his lips as the pair set off. "Think we'll find anything interesting today, or same old same old?" Boring was good, of course, but there was a youthful thrill in discovering a new scent and scaring away a curious coyote before it found itself where it didn't need to be.

oh god so sorry this took forever!

 

Her greeting was quickly returned and a smile grew across the silver face at the sight of her friend. Standing from where she lounged the woman stretched her back legs lazily before falling into step easily beside the paler form of the male. Chuckling at his question she smirked, "As long as we don't see any bears I'll be happy." Her body ached at the mere thought of the struggle the mother bear had put up when the pack had chased it from the territory. Of course it had only been protecting its cub which had somehow made its way into the care of Naira, so the bear had more than enough reason to be concerned.

The border was so familiar to Aponi now she could move along its markers without thought, easily brushing against trees to leave signs of her, marking spots with faded scents without hesitation. Somehow the pack that had been the only one she could think of last winter had become the home she had never had in her three years. Still, the weather was growing cold and with the changing seasons the world could become very dark very quickly. Glancing towards her companion her brows furrowed for a moment before smoothing, "Are you worried for the winter? I'm not sure how harsh it is here in the Oaks I only joined at the end of the season last year." The Aquila left out that her own leadership had ended before winter had truly struck, in fact she hadn't spent a winter within a pack ever.

As a pup she had been lost, a yearling she had been looking for Mapplethorpe's murderer, the last winter had been spent doing the same. How did winter even work within pack life? Certainly it would be easier than being a loner but was it just as desperate?

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 01:10 AM by Serach.)

No worries! I let this sit too long too.

She was happy to see him, and it made his heart warm. He had gathered from the mottled black and silver woman that she was very rarely happy to see anyone who was not her children, so he was comforted by the fact that he had managed to find a way into that limited circle of wolves. It helped motivate him to do better in his position as leader; he wanted to keep that smile on her face for as long as he could. "Well if I see any, I'll be sure not to tell you," he joked, his tail wagging easily at his heels as they set off. With any luck, though, there wouldn't be any other bears bothering them until spring.

They had a comfortable routine, and Serach was happy to walk in quiet companionship with @Aponi as they took care to strengthen and remark the borders. Save for the darkness on the trunk of a tree or on the ground where they left their markers, the border was invisible to the naked eye. So when she asked him about winter, he looked down at the ground where the most important line in the world had been drawn. "Winter is always a concern," he told her after a moment. "Perhaps especially this year with so many younger wolves to take care of. The herds all move, so we have to expand our hunting ranges to follow them. But there's only ever been one winter that was truly dangerous and that was when I was a puppy myself. I think you'll find that its manageable, although not necessarily pleasant." He confessed. Aponi had no tolerance for bullshit and he wouldn't try to deceive her with false optimism.

"We're one of the only packs who live on this side of the mountain, so at least we don't have to compete for food this year. Maybe with lone wolves, but we're stronger now than we've ever been, at least in terms of numbers, so I don't expect they would pose much of a threat to us so long as we keep our border clearly marked and take advantage of every kill we're able to make. But," he paused before continuing. "are you worried?"

@Serach

 

Aponi laughed easily at his joke, gently flicking him with her silver tail as a human might smack someone's arm in amusement. The way that Serach took his time in answering her question did not go unnoticed and the woman's eyes strayed from where they had been focused ahead to glance at him. It was unusual that he would take his time in responding to her, something she had noticed he reserved for when fulfilling his leadership duties. However once he did answer the Aquila was happy to hear that he didn't sugar coat it or leave anything out to make her more comfortable.

Nodding to his words Aponi sighed, "I'm not entirely sure, I've never been in a pack for a whole winter. When I was a pup I got lost in a blizzard and almost starved to death, and I've spent the last two winters trying to find answers to my father's murder." The words were said as if these things were part of a casual conversation, a tone she often used when revealing her past to Serach who little by little she was opening up to. They were never emphasized for their importance or as if it was a clue into her world, even if this was exactly what they were.

Continuing on a few feet without saying anything Aponi's mind was turning. Over the last few weeks she had been considering her position as second and engaging in an internal war, one she had never fought before. Her inner ambition was pushing her to challenge for the leader rank but something within her held her pack, respect for Spieden, the lack of winter experience and something else. A part much bigger than she would like to admit feared what Serach would think of her if she did so. Having a friend was an all new experience and it bothered the Aquila just how much weight she now put behind the relationship. Glancing up towards the creamy form of her companion the brows furrowed before she dropped the bomb, "Would you oppose me challenging Spieden for her rank come the spring?"

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 01:10 AM by Serach.)

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Sorry for the hold up!

As comfortable as the pair were growing with one another, they still had their secrets. After all, how did one cover a lifetime's worth of stories and experiences in just a few short seasons? So when Aponi shared the brief story of how she had spent her previous winters, Serach was all ears. Pale eyes watched her in his peripheral vision as they walked, they widened as she admitted that most recently she had been looking for a murderer. His pulse quickened and his lips curled into the ghost of a snarl at the thought, afraid for a past woman he did not know and what danger she had experienced or could have experienced undertaking such a trek.

"Were you successful?" He asked after a moment, when it was clear she was not going to elaborate on her own, at least not immediately. Serach wasn't entirely sure what he would do if she said no, but he stubbornly decided he would help her complete her task if she wanted him to.

There was another topic on her mind, though, and true to form Aponi wasn't shy about putting it out there. "Hmm?" He murmured, coming to a stop as the gravity of her question hit him. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to look at her, eyes wide in surprise, but not alarmed. He wasn't really surprised by that request, to be honest, but more surprised she bothered to ask his opinion. "No...no I don't think I would," he responded after a moment, gaze lingering on her face as he tried to process and formulate a response. He respected Spieden, but they were not friends, not in the same way that he and Aponi were. And certainly no potential for anything further, he couldn't help but thinking. "Spieden kind of fell into leadership by accident, when Triell's mate Nayeli disappeared. And she's decent at it - she's certainly been a rock of stability during some periods of uncertainty. But I don't know that I would call her driven to lead, unlike you," he said with a smile, remembering her telling him about her short stint as leader of Silent Moon Plateau. "Why wait until spring, though?"

 

Despite the way her words had been said so casually the blue eyes flicked sideways to see the way that her friend would react. After all, he knew some of her past but her skeletons remained jangling their bones deep within the closet. Seeing the way his lip curled to expose his fangs caused her chest to flutter in a way she couldn't quite put her paw on. When was the last time a man had been protective over her? Looking up to fully meet his eyes Aponi shook her head, "Never anything more than a wild goose chase." And all those months wasted that she could have been with Kyna, instead she had been leaving scars could never have imagined.

Coming to stop a few paces in front of him the silver she wolf turned, icy eyes searching his expression for any clues to what he would say. His golden eyes were wide and at first he just hummed as a response, urging her to take a step to close the gap. Typically she cared little at what others thought about her but something about the Bend made her more cautious before chasing her ambition. Something about the Oaks that settled her in a way that she had never felt before, but not enough to calm the fire within her belly.

Aponi couldn't help the smile that grew across her maw at his response, tail waving slowly behind her in appreciation of his support. Any surprise that she felt that Spieden hadn't sought out her leadership position was hidden behind the happiness she truly felt. Besides her daughters Serach's was the only opinion that meant anything to her and having his blessing was the last thing she needed before she could begin preparing. "With my lack of winter pack experience I thought it would be best to wait, though I suppose with you at my side it wouldn't matter if I challenged now or later." Silver brow furrowed over her eyes as she spoke, but smoothed towards the end. The white man really had become a source of sanity for the Aquila, a much needed reminder of what was at stake before she acted.

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 01:11 AM by Serach.)

His heart hurt for Aponi. With every conversation, Serach got a few more glimpses into the enigma that was her very being but he was still trying to figure out how to put the glimpses together into a cohesive picture. What he did know, though, was that it was miserable to go on any kind of search and return home feeling empty and helpless. He had known the feeling all tool well when he had searched the forests of Relic Lore for traces of his brother. In the end he had returned home such as she had - with nothing to show for it but frustration. Probably for the better, he thought. As fierce as she was, it made his heart race to picture her facing down a murderer.

But there were the matters of the present to reflect on, and as they stopped and Serach passed his judgement, he waited with baited breath to see how she would respond. As she smiled, he exhaled and gave a nervous chuckle. It felt conspiratorial to even discuss it, but now that she had brought up the possibility, he was certainly happy to entertain the idea. "You've lived through more winters than most of the Bend's members, so I don't know that experience has much to do with it," he reassured her with a smile. Truth was, perhaps her experience wandering Relic Lore as a lone wolf was more valuable than it otherwise would have been because she had demonstrated her ability to endure. "I can't help you challenge Spieden, of course - ultimately it's up to you to get her to submit - but I'll certainly be there if you want me to be." Maybe it would help convince Spieden that this was a serious proposal rather than just pure ambition on Aponi's part.

"I don't think it'll come to a fight. But just in case, why don't you show you me what you got," he challenged, his tone cocky and a smile on his face. Lowering the front half of his body, he beat his forepaws against the ground in an invitation to play fight.

@Serach one more post from you and we can fade and archive!

Serach at least seemed confident that Aponi would be able to lead the Bend through the winter and his opinion went a long way with her. What had been a small seed nagging in the back of her mind had blossomed into a full tree now, taking root and not letting go. If only the pair knew what was in store for them when all of this came to light. Would they be having the same conversation? Would her friend be so willing to support her ambition of he knew it would tear the back apart and send it splintering into so many directions?

But they did not know. They did not know what was to come, the repercussions of this very discussion. Instead a sly smile spread across the silver face and her own tail wiggled playfully above her back as Serach sank down into his bow. Growling, her paws beat against the earth before she jumped forward with a laugh. Pulling gently at her friend's long pale fur around his neck and face she danced backwards, laughter ringing against the trees around them. Turning and prancing along the border she glanced over her shoulder, "Catch me if you can," before taking off at a gallop.