Charred Ash Draw What are friends for

This was a bit strange, to be living in the midst of such charred trees, even if there was new growth around him. Yet he continued to follow @Treyah deeper into the forest, a pheasant hanging from his mouth as she lead him to a cache. He would grow use to his new home, in time.

Once they dropped the birds into the dirt and they were covered, he turned to her with a small smile on his face.

"You never mentioned you were a leader of this pack," it was more of a tease then a serious question but he was still curious. When they had been on the mountain, she hadn't mentioned anything about the pack, other then her mother had founded it.

And he wanted to ask if she found her mother, wanted to know if there was some blip of light for the girl but he held his tounge. If she wished to talk about it, then she could bring it up if she wanted to. "I'm sure you worked hard for the position. And I'm glad it was you who accepted me, I was a little nervous I'd be turned away at the borders."

and it hurts like hell to be thrown around

Treyah Tainn

With the phesants safely stashed where wayward cats weren't likely to carry them off she was trying to consider where they should go next. He had mentioned that he had hunted for his parents but found himself more dispososed to guarding so she thought a round of the borders might be the best place to start... unless of course, he was exhausted and wished to take a break. Yes, perhaps that was the best course of action for now, especially with Maera being out of action for the time being. The last thing she needed was another sick wolf on her paws.

So when he questioned her she sat, a short chuckle and a shake of her head offered in response. "Oh this is all very new. Maera, bless her, ran herself into the ground and now she's under the weather. I'm just filling in. Maybe one day I'll do it for real, but for now I'm just doing what needs to be done," and hadn't that been what she had always done? "The ultimate substitute, that's me! Substitute mother, substitiute leader, even a substitute friend!" Perhaps she was unable to keep the edge of bitterness out of her tone, but she dressed it up with a bright smile and a thump of her tail in the mud. "I'm glad you came back. Truly." Her face had gone all serious, but underneath all that, she was wondering just how long it would be before he left her too.

At first, he was a little taken back by her outburst, his eyes widening as she told him that it was only a recent thing and bitterly saying that she was only a substitute for now. He wondered what she meant by the friend and mother parts of her small speech, wondering if there had been any sort of betrayals by someone who she thought could be trusted.

Whatever it was that was bothering her, the smile and wagging tail didn't cover it up enough for him to miss it. Silently, he kept the name Maera in his mind and focused on Treyah.

"You know, I think I've seen better smiles on corpses." He sarcastically told her, planting his rump on the ground and eyeing her over carefully. Though they hadn't know each other very long, it was easy to see that maybe, just maybe, something was up. And it didn't just involve her mother. "I'm guessing it hasn't been a good however long this has been going for?" he then quickly added, flicking his tail side to side while he spoke; "granted, you don't have to tell me anything but it feels like you need to talk it out."

(This post was last modified: Oct 23, 2017, 09:27 AM by Dread.)

and it hurts like hell to be thrown around

Treyah Tainn

He always seemed to see right through her, probably largely due to her inexperience and youth. Her head tilted in apology, "Well... I mean, Mae and Kerb have had enough to worry about and dad's still dealing with mum up and vanishing again, I managed to track her down the other times. My brother vanished earlier in the year when mum started to go really downhill and while I was looking for him my friend, Zerxes, left without even saying goodbye, not that I even had a chance to notice right away. I've got three younger siblings and mum hardly remembered we existed most of the time and I didn't want them hurting. Maera and Kerberos, the other leader, had Lacey to keep them busy. Dad was leading for a while but he got sick so he had to step down, and now Mae is down too. Things have just been so chaotic. I mean, in amongst all that theres been talk of moving... I'm of half a mind to just go back to Oak Tree Bend, at least Aponi seems to know which way is up. I'm in over my head!" Once she started the words just wouldn't stop tumbling from her mouth. It had been so long since she had just talked to someone without worrying about what they might think of her, or her pack, or who she might upset by saying exactly what she thought. The poor man, he'd barely even been here for two minutes.

Treyah laughed nervously. "S'not too late to dig up your birds and run." She was only half joking.

With his ears tilted towards Treyah, he simply sat and listened to her as she rambled, hardly believing what he was hearing.

Oh what a perfect situation he had stumbled across. No, what the perfect wolf he had met. So much chaos in her life already and he could use the already rolling stone to cause even more. It's why he had asked questions, to see where they would lead, taken a little too far steps that had thankfully worked in his favour. Even though he wasn't much older then Treyah, he knew exactly what he was doing and what kind of mess he was getting into.

So he said nothing while she talked, making the appropriate faces and noise until she had finished speaking. When she jokingly said he could still take his birds and go, he shook his head with a small chuckle.

"Nah, don't think I'll fly out of the nest just yet. Besides, just when I thought my family was bad, you manage to one up me!" Which was somewhat true. Between friends leaving, being consumed in looking after their own offspring or parents being ill and/or straight up vanished, it did seem like the girl had a lot on her shoulders right now. Not to mention also juggling leadership now as well. "And anyway, even though we haven't known each other for long, I'm pretty sure friends don't run out on each other do they?" It was true that they hadn't known each other for long and it did surprise him a bit she was so forth coming with such information. If it had been him talking to someone he barely knew, they'd get little more then his (fake) name.

"I will admit though, I'm surprised - and impressed - that you haven't run off screaming into the hills yet, after hearing what you've been going through as of late." He joked, leaning over and gently bumping his shoulder against hers. "Truth be told, I'd have probably run long before now."

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

what if it's you and not the world?

Treyah Tainn

Treyah managed a nervous laugh when he claimed she had one-upped him in the crazy family stakes. Not that she was surprised at all. As far as she could tell from all the stories she had been told growing up, nobody else struggled to hold their shit together like the Tainns. But then it was her chance to laugh again, "Oh I've run plenty of times, how do you think I wound up at the Lake? I just can't seem to keep myself gone." She always came back, no matter what. She couldn't just leave them like her mother had. They might have looked alike but she wasn't her mother. There was enough of her father in there too to keep her coming back.

"So what about you then? I thought you were going back to Oak Tree Bend? What made you change your mind?"

"you bewitched me up at the lake remember?" He tossed out jokingly, remembering their time on the mountain and how she had 'bewitched' him in helping her find her mother. "And any way, who could resist such a damsel in distress?" Stretching out his front legs, so he was laying down now, Dread thought for a moment, as if considering Treyah's question.


"I did think about going back but figured if they survived after that spilt, they could survive one wolf going else where." Then tilting his head with a somewhat thoughtful look on his face, as if he was thinking of something.

"Though if you're really worried, I could go over to the Bend and let them know I'm alright? I'm guessing you're on somewhat good terms, from how you've spoken about Aponi." At the very least, from the way she had talked about Aponi on the mountain, it seemed there was no ill will between the sisters, if not the packs.

and it hurts like hell to be thrown around

Treyah Tainn

She managed a laugh as he bought up the bewitching again, "Ah that's right, curses muttered in the storm and all that, next thing we know I'll be talking to the crows and growing a big ol' wart on my nose." The thought alone was enough to illicit a shiver from the girl, she never thought herself particularly beautiful but she was vain enough to want to avoid any unseemly marks on her face.

It was true that her sister was a capable leader, and she supposed were she not her flesh and blood that Treyah might worry about returning to her after an unexplained absence too. A smile was quick to settle on her face with a shake of her head, "Nah, she's not the sort to get sentimental about wolves that leave without warning. You turn up smelling of another pack and you might not make it back." Her tone was joking but her expression was serious. As much as she loved the silver Aquila, she could be scary when she wanted to be.

"Besides, you should probably rest up for a day or two, once the kids get used to you you'll be hard pressed to get them to leave you alone." And wasn't that the truth.

"I'd have to agree with you there, I think," After seeing what she was like during spring, Dread wasn't sure he'd want to see Aponi actually angry. "I guess she's a little like my mother in that regard." His mother could be ruthless with wolves who betrayed the pack but if they had done something absolutely traitorous...

Well, he never quite knew what happened to them.

"Suppose they would get excited about a new member, wouldn't they?" He chuckled lightly. "I don't mind if they hound me, if it means a small reprieve for you and the others.

But then, laughter burst out of him as an image of Treyah, her nose drooping with the weight of a large wart and circled by crows popped up into his mind.

"Who nose, maybe the crows might try to attempt a murder, so you won't have to be such a worry wart." With his tail thumping behind him, he grinned widely up at Treyah, awaiting her reaction at his words.