Secluded Spring a snowball's chance

@Sven <3

The ghostly wolf had hardly integrated well into her pack. She'd met a few of them, sure, but no real, lasting relationships had been formed. She was, on some sort of level, acquainted with several of her packmates, but the longest conversation she'd had with any of them had been with Kajika before she even joined the pack in the first place. Though, of course, that was of no fault of her aforementioned packmates; in fact, it was Eido's fault for being so shy and awkward around them. Maybe if she could just speak to them, things would be easier. Regardless, the pale girl still felt alone, and missed her old, familial pack more than ever. The formal, stiff, awkward interactions she'd had so far were not what she craved, and the yearling wished to whatever higher power there was that she could just go back, so that she and Neel could play again, and so that she could snuggle safely into her mother's flank at the end of a long, difficult day. But those days were long gone, and she could never, ever go back, no matter how much she wished she could. In the end, it was no wonder why the barely-adult would wander from Fallen Tree Cove. She wasn't necessarily getting what she needed there, and she was feeling a constant need to just run away; to get the hell away from... whatever was plaguing her so fiercely. It was getting harder to ignore the memories of her family spilling the blood of their own. Eido was pretty sure she was going insane. The little wolf sighed as she brushed against the entanglement of the Secluded Spring's vinework, feeling slightly comforted by the density of the forest around her. Her fur - just beginning to darken in anticipation of warmer months ahead - touched against the undergrowth and picked up frost. She settled down at the edge of the spring itself, glancing down to meet her own orange gaze in her reflection below. She barely recognized herself.

He was descending the steep face of the precipice, each step sure and steady. He'd made this climb and descent a thousand times now, knew each ledge and foothold by heart, and often was able to make it in solitude. A blessing, given the dark secret that he was visiting each time. Yet as he made his way down this day, his pale eyes were drawn to a cinnamon-dusted creature at the water's edge. He paused, a hum of disapproval sounding in the back of his throat before he sighed in resignation and continued on his way.

When at last he reached horizontal ground, he shook himself out before heading forward at a trot. The closer he drew to the girl, the more he learned about her, and swiftly it was realized that she wasn't the lone wolf he anticipated her to be. In fact, those scent markers within her pelt, they were familiar... nightshade, rotted pine, both crisp...

The memory fell into place, and he was given reason to pause at a distance. The pack that lived in the mountains, the one that had claimed the audacity to descend and hunt in the rise, on the Ridge's claimed hunting grounds. He'd wondered about them recently, plans for the future giving him cause to consider what had become of them and whatever leadership had committed such a grievous error. They'd certainly learned the lesson, as in the year that had passed, to the extent of his knowledge, the foreign wolves had not had contact with his pack.

It took only a moment for him to decide, and move forward once more. There were emotions playing across her features, ones he felt he might recognize. Perhaps she had wanted a private moment as well, but all the same Sven cleared his throat before sending out a soft boof to let her know he was approaching. He hadn't much wanted company either, but this could prove a necessary interaction.

The bark was soft, but the little wolf still jumped and spun to face the white wolf as though he were a threat. It certainly didn't help that the white boy was larger and bulkier than her, and that Eido was just scared of everything in general. She relaxed quite quickly, though, upon spotting him and judging that he wasn't going to hurt her - at least, not immediately. Her posture lowered submissively and she gave a soft wag of her tail to show that she, too, was only looking to be pleasant. "Hello, there," she greeted, orange eyes rising to meet his gray ones. "This, uh, this isn't your territory, is it? I'm not trespassing?" Worry rose into her tone, as she had been very wrapped up in her thoughts while she walked. It wasn't unreasonable to think that she might have crossed borders without realizing. "I didn't mean to, if I am. I'm not, like, here to cause trouble, or anything." She cleared her throat and shifted her weight, still taking on a submissive pose and keeping her distance. "I'm, um, I'm Eido. Eidolon Seren. From Fallen Tree Cove," she told him, her sentences broken up and nervous. She wondered idly why she had to be so awkward with new wolves, but at this point had just accepted it as a solid part of her personality. "I didn't mean to go all the way down here. I was just, uh, thinking, and this is where I ended up." She wagged her tail slightly and looked up at him with hopeful orange eyes. "What's your name?" she asked, tipping her head to the side.