Hidden Grotto striving for greater

<blockquote><i>Mostly Cloudy — Current Temperature: 38° F/3° C
Mid-day</i>

It had been a long time since she had came to the falls. About a whole year she came to guess, knowing since she had departed from the mountain pack it had been to far for her to visit. Some other reasons too, like trying to avoid the wolves of the mountain, or carrying puppies she hadn't wanted to risk. Now she had a great need to see the pool, and hear the rushing water if only to remember times before these days. There was something about the nose of water she missed, and alone she made the trip from the Hollow to the famliar rocks.

Mismatched eyes took in the familiar sight, and she stood outside the pool recalling her first encounter with a river wolf. It seemed she had been care free in those times, and still trying to figure out her life, and the world in general. It was wishful thinking really, and she smiled plainly at how different she was. Too sona tired sigh pressed from her ribs, and she was quick to check for any scents. She passed old familiar ones, and some she did not know. But, she was the only wolf here for the moment, and spied a large rock she had once rested upon. Much like she did last winter, she curled upon it staring into the twirling water, and pondering what this winter would bring.</blockquote>

Things were different now, more different then Dove could have wished for. She had been traveling for about a year, she estimated. Experiencing much harsh weather, yet today it was calmer, chilly and cloudy. At least it wasn' raining or snowing; She probobly wouldn't last much longer in such conditions. Her blood-stained paws were sore enough without the freezing sting of such weather. Soon she began to hear the rushing of water, and realized she must be nearing falls of some sort. The sound drew closer, and soon she also caught the scent of another wolf. Her body lurched forward, wanting water for her parched throat, yet her mind held her perfectly still.

Quickly turning on her paws, she sprinted away until she could no longer scent the stranger. She came to a hault beside a tree, and also saw a small stream, possibly coming off of the falls from the other way. Dipping her head down, she gratefully lapped up the cool liquid with her tounge, enjoying the bland taste as it ran down her throat. She sat down and began to lick her paws, trying to clean off the blood. She hated such a sour scent always filling her nose as she ran on alone. After giving herself a good wash, she stared solemnly at the water. The memories of being warm and snuggled up to her own family soon filled her thoughts, as her eyes became filled with unfallen tears. A stone fell into the stream when she shifted her paws uncomfortably, corrupting Dove's reflection. The fine line between crying and staying strong snapped, and soon Dove found herself crying into her paws, her body trembling.

<blockquote>She was trying to be blissfully unaware of her surroundings, but she couldn't really manage. The falls helped make the sounds mute to a point, yet her eyes would wander to the slighest of motion, and her nose had to check the air so often for a possible disturbance. She almost believed she would not be bothered, when a young female's scent tinged with blood was brought to her by the way of an lazy breeze. It was certainly no one she had met before, and no one of the river pack. A part of her mind tell her to shy away from an injured stranger, while the other may decide she should at least see if the girl could use some assistance. It was in that state of mind she climbed down from her rock, and cautiously followed the red trail.

She followed the little stream, keeping her head high, and her ears cupped forward. Most important keeping an eye out for a dart of wolf hide. She hardly had to look, in the plain landscape was an ivory figure, upon her belly with her face in her paws by the same stream. It was a miserable sight, and one she could relate to if only weeks ago she had done the same thing. Feeling the wolf was likely trying to stay clear of her, she stopped a good seven feet from the girl. Gently not to startle her she cleared her throat. <b>"Miss?"</b> She kindly spoke, not adding the silly are you alright, because it was obvious she wasn't.</blockquote>

Her body jerked at the sudden noise from behind her. Quickly she swiped at her watery eyes and attempted to remain calm, although her personality completely denied it. Shakily getting to her paws, Dove turned to face the stranger, and her gaze held steady on the white female before her. This one appeared to be of no threat, yet Dove still instinctivly began to cower down, tail going between her legs, and her eyes flashed with slight worry.

At the word 'Miss', she was slightly thrown off. No one had ever addressed her as that before. She racked her brain to find the right words, but found that she honestly had no idea. As she tried to think of what to respond with, her paws shuffled around nervously, scattering the <span class='word'>frondescence</span> of plants around her. Only slight whimpers escaped her throat when she attempted to speak. How would she explain randomly breaking down in a forest to a stranger? And what if this stranger wasn't as friendly as they seemed? She tried to shake the idea out of her mind.

(I'm pretty sure I used that word wrong ^^' whoops!)

(This post was last modified: Dec 05, 2011, 08:55 PM by Dove.)

<blockquote><i>your alright ^^) </i>

The girl shied at her gentle sound, but Jayse neither stepped back nor closer. Her tail feebly moved behind her, and she braced herself for the girl to either fight or more likely flee. She did neither, and to her slight surprise she sank down in fear perhaps, to the ground. The pale leader was steady like stone, her warm eyes only taking in the actions of the single girl. She did feel like some big, bad wolf, but only waited if she would be spoken too.

The girl seemed lost to what to say, that was if she could speak at all. A highpitched whimpers told Jayse her vocals were working, and maybe she was fearful because she'd been attacked by other wolves. Who could blame her for being scared? At another time, in another place Jayse would have been much like her.

<b>"I mean no harm, I just caught the scent of blood, and well you look like you might needed some help,"</b> she offered a pleasant smile with her warm tone of words. She was concerned for the poor girl's paws, they looked like they had to hurt. <b>"I know a wolf who could help heal them up for you,"</b> she added, tilting her nose to the girl's worn pads, not mentioning the crying at all. Jayse felt it best not to.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2011, 02:34 AM by Jaysyek.)

Dove was Quite surprised when the fae stood patiently, waiting for her to speak. She still couldn't form words, as terror still held her heart at bay. Still, as a few minutes progressed, her bristling fur now lie flat, and she had stop trembling so hard. The aura surrounding the two didn't seem hostile, only concerned and non-threatening. Finally her ears perked forward again, and she struggled to think of a reply. Finally it came to her after the wolf had offered help.

<b>"O-Oh, these?"</b> She tilted her head to the side as she motioned to her paws with her nose. <b>"I've been putting up with t-them for awhile now, they don't hurt nearly as bad. Besides, I'd hate to waste your time,"</b> Once she had finished speaking, she felt a little more confident. Her tail finally relaxed and she sat down casually as she would have with a friend, although she had none. As she awaited the other wolf's response, she took note on how she looked. Proud, steady, leader-like.

<blockquote>Most patiently the pale leadess waited to see how long fear would control the girl. It seemed long minutes for her to overcome it, but she saw no waste in her efforts to offer her help. She was young, and appeared to be alone at the mercy of the world. If she refused the kindess of the stranger Jayse would likely continue on her way home without to much thought about what she was leaving behind. Mismatched eyes studied her with a gaze of indifference. When the reply came, her skull titled a degree with a slow blink listening to the soft tones. Her shoulders roll back ever slightly. <b>"If it was waste to help a fellow creature I would long have been on my way,"</b> she stated quietly, the end of her tail letting one casual flick behind her haunches.

Unlike the girl she did not sit, but instead dare take a step closer. She was mindful to keep a safe distance, once more looking at the wetness of her washing the blood away. The back of her mind she did wonder what had made the girl cry, as it could have been significant. Her lips drawn in a tight line she let out a quiet sigh. <b>"I live in the forest east of here,"</b> muzzle rotated in the general direction, <b>"Your welcome to come home with me, and rest or I'll be on my way, and let you be."</b> Her words were plain, and her pale mask was smooth, and empty of any emotion, though it was clear she was nothing <span class='word'>felonious</span> in her actions.</blockquote>

Though frightened, Dove felt a small pang of joy in her heart. It wasn't very often she'd encountered another wolf and they'd offered help. All the others seemed mean and slightly even angry when she was around them, but this one was... unlike the others. She spoke in a tone that was neither upsetting nor bothered, and nothing about her screamed out at Dove to flee. This fae seemed relatively harmless, yet strong and bold. It confused her, but nonetheless she felt awed by the wolf's presense. A realization came to Dove: If she didn't accept help from her, what would happen? Would she grow tired and fall in a heap somewhere not welcome? Would her paws become numb from so much pain? Would she dare endure such a risk?

Finally finding the courage, she slowly glanced upwards and locked gazes with the other wolf. Noting the mismatched eyes, her steady gaze faultered before relaxing once again. Carefully she took in the fae's words, considering the pros and the cons of her choise. Once she thought about it, she realized that perhaps resting with this wolf would benefit her more then harm her. <b>"I-I think..."</b> She started to murmur, but cleared her throat and spoke up more regularly; though her voice was still soft, <b>"It would be alright if I joined you for now... If you'll accept me?"</b> Framing her response in the form of a question, she truely wondered if the other wolf would mind her sticking around.

<blockquote>Real kindness must be a foreign concept to the girl, but it proved she was smart, beign cautious of true intentions by a mere stranger. Yet it was a smidge of sadness Jayse once more questioned if someone had hurt her, and where she had come from. Everyone had a past, and to be so timid didn't come about for no reason. The distant roar of the falls called behind her, and the wing's of a raven flapped somewhere overhead. Her attention did not waver, and neither did the silence while the girl seemed to think what choice would best suit her.

Intelligent eyes mildy took note of blue eyes shifting to hers, and away. She didn't take it as a sign of challenge, but more a search for courage. Finally when she started to speak, it was clear she was listening attentively to every sound coming from her dark lips. It appeared to take great efforts, but she managed to get to the point. A sliver of a smile worked it's way upon her mouth, and she further walked closer. <b>"As I said your more than welcome to come home with me, if you permantly wish to stay or leave you can decide after your well rested."</b> The smile grew reaching her angled cheeks, and she did a quick look for any other injuries to the girl. She didn't see any, and let out a careful breath.

<b>"I'm Jaysyek Lyall, and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"</b> Tones were warmer, and she hoped to obtain the calling of her new aquaintence. She wasn't sure if the girl would want to call Grizzly Hollow home, but for the moment didn't see any harm in helping the timid canine.</blockquote>

Warmth spread from her tailtip to her ears upon Jaysyek's words. The generous wolf was offering her some refuge and relaxation for once in a long time, and it took all her will to keep from leaping around with glee. It wasn't often Dove had stumbled upon kind strangers, and this one had not only offered her a temporary home, she'd told her her name, There was a moment of silence between the two, and for a moment she could just hear the falls in the distance. Various sensations hit Dove's senses, making the world seem suddenly more alive then it had been for many weeks. One paw shifted over the other in her attempt to stay in a sitting position, as she was getting anxious to jump with joy. Although almost two years of age, she still had many pup-like habits when joyous.

<b>"M-My name's Dove, Dove Takaru. It's nice to meet you Jaysyek,"</b> She replied with a polite dip of the head. In her mind she wondered if she'd end up staying with the kind fae, but then decided it was best to not worry about such things at this point in time. Her tailtip flicked to the side, feather-like tail beginning to slightly wag.