Thicket of Secrets Code of Conduct

@Ishtar

When Nauja had woken and found how bright the sun was shining a smile formed across her inky maw.  The seagull had grown tired of the constant winter weather and was ready for spring to arrive and the prey to return.  Since coming to the Thicket the seagull felt she'd done well for herself but there were times it was still difficult for her to find something to fill her belly.  Sometimes she would have to travel away from the thicket which she didn't mind too much.  It gave her a chance stretch her legs and become more familiar with the territory.

The morning had been spent hunting as usual and she had been lucky. Which she took as yet another sign that spring was much closer with it's warmer days and bright sun.  As she laid in a bright patch of sun to enjoy her rabbit it warmed her ebony coat.  When she'd had her fill of the rabbit she took what was left in the cache she'd created.  Now that she'd made the thicket her home she felt comfortable doing things like that, making it a little more permanent.

She'd just finished with the remains of her rabbit when her ear twitched at the sound of footfalls.  Immediately the sea wolf became worried that someone had seen where she had stashed her left overs.  “Is someone there?” She called out as she turned to face the open part of the thicket.

(This post was last modified: Apr 10, 2017, 12:15 AM by Nauja.)

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Ishtar felt the heat of the sun warm up her cold body. The only advantage of having thick black fur in cold is when the sun would appear she could get warm in an instant. But she knew spring was coming and soon she would hate her dark fur, but until then she would be grateful for it.

Ishtar got up from her bed that she made in the dead of night and began to search her surroundings. This land was new to her. She was a little scared and cautious. She wasn't sure who's territory she was treading on, but from what she could tell, it didn't belong to a near by pack. So it helped ease her, but only a little. The smell of blood filled her nose, her stomach growled. It had been days since she ate. If she wanted to keep her strength and be some what decent for when she would find a pack that would take her, then she needed to find something to eat. She may be fast, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her speed if she was hungry.

Ishtar quietly walked through the woods and trusted her nose to guide her to the smell. Her hope was that maybe a coyote or something killed the rabbit and took off or maybe the rabbit injured itself. But as she got closer to a thicket that was before her and where the smell of blood was strong, something other than the rabbit consumed her senses. Her muscles tensed as the sound of twigs broke on the other side, and her heart stopped when she heard the voice call to her. She inhaled deeply and responded, "I am sorry, I didn't know the kill was already claimed. I smelled the blood and I hadn't eaten in days so instinct took over." Ishtar wasn't sure if it was just her or if there was others with her. She knew she wouldn't have the strength to take on multiple wolves if it came to that. "I apologize for disturbing you. Im new in these woods. Im just trying to figure out what to do next." Ishtar stood still, the heat from the sun was already starting to make Ishtar very warm and uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as she was right now. But she did what she could to hide any kind of emotion.

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

The cache she'd made for herself wasn't too far from where she'd made her nest in a group of the bushes that made up the thicket.  There was just enough space for her to curl up and it provided more shelter than she had originally thought.  So when she heard the footfalls she immediately became worried that not only had her cache been found but her shelter as well.  The sea wolf didn't know if what was approaching was friendly or not.  So she took a few steps forward away from both her nest and her cache as she looked for the owner of the paw steps she’d heard.

It seemed the thicket was becoming rather busy once the black female came into view since this would be the second visitor she'd had recently. As long as this loner didn't try to steal her rabbit they would be okay. Nauja wasn't in the mood to lose what could end up being a late night snack or breakfast depending on how she was feeling.  The younger female immediately started to apologize about following the scent of the rabbit, well she couldn't be blamed for that.  Nauja would probably have done the same if it meant a free meal she didn't have to chase.  What lone wolf wouldn't and it was clear this girl was a lone wolf.  “It's fine, as long as you don't try to take it this doesn't have to turn ugly,” warned though her tone remained friendly.  The girl hadn't done anything to warrant any different.

“I was just finishing up actually so you're not disturbing me at all.  I was new to these woods once so I know how daunting of a task it can be to knowing where to go.  However, I would day that if you are hungry you might want to hunt something.” surely she hasn't had to say it but she thought maybe hearing it might help the girl not seem so lost. “I'm Nauja and I stay here in the thicket,” she offered thinking it might help her to feel a little more at ease.

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Ishtar was actually kind of surprised by the welcoming she got from the wolf. Ishtar kept her distance, she didn't want to make her uneasy by her being here. When the wolf gave Ishtar her name, she felt like maybe this wolf could be trusted. "Ishtar is my name." She said bowing her head ever so slightly to Nauja. This was how the wolves in her previous pack greeted each other. It was to show that they meant no harm and that they were accepting of the wolf. But since Ishtar was the daughter of an Alpha she knew many kinds of greetings and departure gestures. She would hope that with this knowledge she would be able to move forward in this new world shes in.

As Ishtar listened to Nauja tell her that this is her home, she knew she would have to find some where else to stay once it got dark. But she still needed to ask, " Since the thicket is where you stay, am I not allowed to hunt in this territory?" She felt it was a fair question, she didnt want to be stepping on any paws. "and are there any pack territories that I should be aware of? That is if you wish to reveal that information. I am wishing to join a pack at some point but I'm not sure where I would fit in. But I know that I do not wish to stay a lone wolf forever." Ishtar had to much of a pack sense to want to be a loner. But she knew for now she would have to deal with it. And she hoped that maybe her and Nauja could at least be decent friends.

Having offered her name to the stranger she was rewarded by learning the name of the girl, Ishtar. Nauja felt it an interesting name that she hadn't heard the likes of but she supposed her name could be odd in its own right.  “It's nice to meet you Ishtar,” she said with a nod. The seagull also found it interesting the dark girl bowed her head, as a loner that kind of respect wasn't reserved for her. It made accepting the interruption of putting her leftovers away a little easier and made Nauja more willing to be nice to the girl.

The seagull was curious as to what had brought the dark girl to the thicket but before she could ask Ishtar had a question of her own.  “Of course, it's just me here and I don't have claim on this land just the area where I've made my best it all.” She hoped that would answer ishtar’s question in regards to the thicket.  The truth was she wouldn't mind the company since she was by herself. The question about hunting wasn't the only question the younger wolf had for her though. Nauja didn't mind, she liked the chance to answer questions, especially ones that made her feel like she actually knew something.  “There is a pack nearby, I'm not sure exactly how far but if you travel in that direction,” she said gesturing in the direction she believed the pack Vasu belonged to resided. “There is also another pack about a day from here in that direction,” she then gestured in the direction she'd traveled to get to Grizzly Hollow.  “Living the life of a loner is a hard one so I can understand why you wouldn't want to stay one forever.” It was a struggle that Nauja was having herself especially now that Vasu had joined a pack.

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"Thank you." Ishtar said again with a nod. Ishtar looked around, it was quiet, except for the music that nature provided. She felt a sense of loneliness. "Have you thought about joining a pack? It seems very lonely here." It may have been a dumb question, but Ishtar wanted to get to know this kind wolf. She had hoped maybe the two could be friends and that maybe Nauja would let her stay with her for a couple nights until she could get her strength up so she could find a pack. She hasnt been sleeping well. Since all of her surroundings were so new. She has yet to be able to feel safe enough to actually sleep for more than a couple hours before she would feel like she would need to move again.

Though Ishtar had been asking alot of questions, she could tell that Nauja may have a few of her own. "My apologies, Im sure you have questions of your own and here I am rambling on with mine." Ishtar said with a slight laughter in her voice. Her legs soon grew tired from standing. She could tell her hunger was taking a toll on her stamina. So she slowly sat down on her hunches, it would probably seem like something odd to do, but she just had a feeling that everything was going to be okay, and she thought that maybe all the tension would ease between them if she did.

A nod was given to Ishtar to acknowledge her thanking the sea wolf, it really hadn't been anything to provide the information.  Perhaps by her doing so more than just the younger female could be helped not that it was Nauja's goal to do so. “A lot more lately, my companion recently joined a pack while I was way for a few days,” the seagull was still trying to figure out how she felt about that, “And I've been wondering if maybe I should do the same but I don't know if it's something I'm ready to try again.” Her last attempt hadn't gone well and now she had to pay for that.  Having left her family and Grizzly Hollow had caused a rift that she needed to repair which left her with more questions she needed to figure the answers to out. “But you are right it does get very lonely here so when I do get visitor's it is a nice change from what it's been.” There were just so many things the sea wolf had to figure out and all she did was put it off afraid to face the reality of it all.

Nauja waited to see what other questions Ishtar might have for her so when the girl apologized for rambling on about herself the seagull was a little surprised. She was right though there was something that had been nagging at the back of her mind during their conversation.  “Don't worry about it but I was curious what brought you to the lore?” The ebony Mizuno had found she rather liked hearing the reasons why wolves came to the lore.  It was after speaking with Ro that she had started to find interest in this.  That she wolf had an interesting story which left Nauja wondering that about others too.

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Ishtar took a moment to decide with in herself as to if she should reveal her disturbing past or not. She didn't want to scare Nauja off. She wasnt sure how the wolves here in the lore felt about wolves who killed their family. But she figured it was best to find out now. After a deep sigh Ishtar decided to tell her story.

"Well, I ran away after I got my brother killed and when I wouldn't mate with the wolf my father paired me with. That wolf was the one who gave me this scar. My brother was killed trying to protect me. I was only a pup and I wondered into newly claimed territory, and my brother was out number, which caused in his death. So as punishment, when i became of age, my father would choose my mate and I was to bare him a male that would take over as Alpha for our pack. And yes, my father was the Alpha of the pack I was with." She would hope that would explain her mannerisms to Nauja. "Anyway, when my father introduced me to my chosen mate, I felt the most anger flow through me, and when my father walked away leaving me and this male alone, I decided to take my anger out on him. But I didnt realize how much stronger he was than me, and he quickly bested me. Thats when I was done. I got up and I ran north. And I just kept running. At this point, I wouldn't even know how to find my fathers pack even if I wanted to."

Ishtar lowered her head. She wouldn't admit it but finally being able to talk about her situation did feel good. But now she feared what Nauja might think of her. Where Ishtar i from, if a wolf kills a family member or in anyway disobeys their Alpha/father, they can be killed or they are exiled, and any other pack in the area would not accept them. Thus the reason why she had to run as far north as possible. She had to find some place else that was completely different than where she was from.

Her curiosity about how Ishtar had come to the might have come back to bite her in the rear.  As she listened to the story that she was told many things went through her mind.  First that it was certainly like nothing she'd ever heard before but also that it was sad.  She couldn't imagine if her family had been like that, they were so important to the sea wolf.  Something else struck her though but she let the dark girl finish her take before speaking up.

“I'm sorry all that has happened to you and that you felt you had to run away.  Family isn't meant to be like that, force you into breeding with a male that you don't want to.” Nauja shook her head, the way she saw it Ishtar shouldn't have been punished for her brothers death. “I am sorry that you lost your brother, I can't imagine what a toll that must have taken on you.” She imagined the female in front of her had put a lot of guilt on herself for her brothers death.  Nauja didn't see it as her fault at least not purposely and that was what mattered.

Family was so important to the sea wolf and she would do anything to get back to her’s, even make it up to Pip for disappearing like she had.  However, she was slowly starting to learn that not all families were like hers.  That some weren't as loving as her own had been and she didn't think Ishtar should be blamed for that.

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