Secret Falls Not Gonna Stand Here and Wait

Word Count: 328

It was cold, and she was lonely.
She didn’t remember last winter being like this. She’d played in the snow with her packmates, and dashed across frozen ponds with him. Last winter had been fun and bright, if a little hungry.
But this year everything was different. There were no familiar puddles to skate across, nor playful siblings to knock into snowbanks. Her parents weren’t there to pull her out when she broke through the ice and plunged belly-deep into the frigid river. There weren’t any warm bodies to cuddle around her to make sure she didn’t get sick while she shivered in the cold air after drying off.
She was completely and utterly alone.
<i>This isn’t how it was supposed to happen.</i> She thought forlornly as she wandered through the frosted last. <i>I was supposed to be a queen…</i>
What she missed most wasn’t the thought of ruling, or the idea of having a territory to call her own. She missed him, with his playful words and sparkling eyes and the way he’d curl his tail over her nose when the cuddled together at night. She missed having someone to hunt with and travel with. She’d give anything just to have him, even if they never had a pack.
But with winter reaching its peak, that just wasn't a reality. She was hungry, and she knew the reality was that she just couldn't make it on her own. She'd smelled the pack the night before, but the border still seemed to be a ways off so she'd journeyed through the night to reach it. It was almost strange to smell so many wolves in one place again. It was so different from home that she couldn't help the prickling in her fur. Of course it was different; this was very far away from where she grew up.
Lenka sat a respectful distance from the marker and tilted her head back, calling for the patriarchs to meet her.

Hawthorne was quick on her feet that morning. She had sprung to the borders with ease, expecting her Edge Lords (one or both) to beat her there. Instead it seemed like she was first and a small pride swelled in her chest. She held herself strong but now overly dominant. It was Askan and Reyes' job to be the top dogs. Hawthorne was merely their shadow.

Who are ya? And what do ya want? She asked in a fashion that wouldn't be surprising to anyone he knew her. The girl made it her job to know who the wolves coming through were. Granted this one had called for the leaders of the Edge which meant that maybe she had some business to attend to here. All the better for Hawth to stick her nose in this one's affairs then.

Word Count: 145

Lenka had been hoping for a quick response, but she hadn’t expected such a… tiny answer.
The pup must have been nearby, as she appeared what seemed like mere moments after the call had ended. Her ears flicked back at the pup’s demanding tone, but she couldn’t help the small smirk that played across her muzzle. She had been the same at that age, always thrusting herself into her parents’ business so she could learn how to lead.
One day, she still would.
“I’m Lenka,” She said. Just because this was a child and not who she was looking for didn’t mean she couldn’t be polite. Besides, she’d always loved it when strangers would talk to her and treat her the same as the rightful leaders. “I’m looking for someone.” It wasn’t untrue; maybe Meech had come through here and these wolves had seen him.

It seemed as though his not-so-little (she was taller than him already, damn it) guardian was already on the scene. Catching the tail end of Hawthorne's question, Askan couldn't help but feel a rush of amusement. Not only did she walk like him, but she talked like him too. All gruff, demeaning  and anything but patient. And rightly so, she'd waltzed up to their borders and asked for an audience, she had one, so it was about time she started explaining herself.

Brushing against Hawthorne's side in a brief, if not friendly, greeting, Askan stepped ahead of his subordinate and turned his attention to the loner at his borders. Lenka's vague response earned her a displeased scowl. His tail , which was held high as a sign of his rank, began to twitch behind him as he dug his toes into the snow. He was never in the mood for nonsense and now wasn't an exception to that rule. If she wanted something then she had to be frank about it, the wolves of the Edge didn't faff or delay the inevitable, if something needed to be said then there was no time like the present.

There was something familiar about her, features he somewhat recognised, but rather than get caught up in her looks he merely shoved the thought aside and cut to the chase.

"Someone?" Askan asked, his bright gaze still heavy and unwavering, like the sun in the sky. "Be more specific. There are a lot of someones here."

He highly doubted her someone was here in the Shallows, hence he was referring to the Lore in general. There were far more wolves here than he ever wanted to meet. Tucked away in his forest he knew he was hidden from most of them, which served him just fine. The less pests he met, the better, but even he knew that they all couldn't be bad. Some, maybe just maybe would be worth his time. As to whether this one was, was yet to be seen. But in terms of first impressions she wasn't off to a great start, it would ever go up or downhill from here.

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2018, 08:51 PM by Askan.)

Lenka.

That was a strange name. Even stranger than Sachiel. The girl's name just sounded so rough and clunky. Her displeasure spread with the vague answer that rolled off Lenka's tongue. Hawthorne was well verbally equipped but the strong form of Askan made his presence known. She bit her tongue, pleased with what he said.

Just because her superior showed up didn't mean she was done here. Hawthorne had plenty left to do here. Being Askan's shadow was a full time job that had many duties. One which happened to be being on the scene back-up. So she stood by his side, a solid form not to be messed with. Two was always better than one no matter how old or young. Right?

Word Count: 183

Just as she was beginning to speak, another wolf showed up. He was obviously much older than the other wolf and carried a much larger presence. This was definitely the leader. His harsh answer to her statement was unexpected. Well, yeah, there were a lot of wolves around, but she had been answering the pup…
“His name is Meech.” She said sharply, not liking to be spoken to in that manner. It was true that here she was nobody, but she was still unaccustomed to anything but respect. She had to take a deep breath and remind herself to be polite. “He’s my age, with black fur. We got separated a couple of months ago.” She hesitated to voice her second reason for stopping at the pack’s borders. If everyone was like these two – harsh, brash, rough – would she really fit in?
Please. She wasn’t soft.
“The reason I decided to stop and ask, specifically, is because I am looking for a pack to join.” She dove straight to the point. These didn’t seem like the type to put up with chasing tails.

no need to match, you know how kana gets, Mr Mouthy

Meech? Jeeze, what was it with parents these days? Was there an unspoken competition to come up with the weirdest names? Or were they really just that tasteless? Askan was inclined to believe it was the latter. Which wasn't to say he thought his name was all that great, but it did roll off @Reyes tongue quite nicely....Ahem, anyway.

The description sounded familiar enough, he'd seen plenty of dark wolves come and go during his stay in these lands. He would have-for a brief moment- assumed she was talking about @Cancer, the Shallow's resident bird-boy, but it couldn't be him. His most obvious defining feature was his eyes, if she was looking for him she would have mentioned his blue peepers right away. Not to mention they had different names, though equally as stupid.

"Haven't seen nor heard of him."Askan said, as blunt as ever. He turned briefly to look at his companion, his gaze turning soft and warm like honey. Scowls were saved for strangers, not friends."Have you?"

"Bit of an odd way to go about it."Askan rumbled, not at all pleased with her approach.

If anything, it made him suspicious of her intentions. Why would she want to settle if she was looking for someone? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep moving, rather than root herself to a spot like a sapling? What was to stop her from waltzing off without a word when, or rather if, she found him? It was near impossible for Askan to take her request seriously when she was being so....skeevy.

They'd already just lost Cottongrass, was he really in the mood to let another one go, even if he wasn't at all attached? Not really. Being used like that was far too reminiscent of Wild Rye Fields. He'd sworn never to allow history to repeat itself and yet here another pretty face stood before him, all innocent and wide eyed like she could do no wrong.

"Well...hate to break it to you but you're going to have to do more than just that. How do you I know you won't run off whenever it suits you? It's winter, I get it, you're cold and hungry."He said, shrugging. And then his expression shifted, as sudden as the snapping of a twig, into something cold and callous. This was his home, his family, he would defend it with all he had."But don't you think for a second I will let you walk all over us."

Without even meaning to, his hackles stood on point down the line of his back. He huffed and shook his head, he was frustrated yes, but it was hardly anything to get angry over.

"So, like I said. Why should I trust you?

Meech? To think Hawthorne thought her own name was strange. This Lenka and Meech were rather out of luck with names it seemed. Nah, think I'd remember the name but the looks sound pretty usual. She was surrounded by darkly furred wolves after all. Even her top side was slathered in the darkness of ebony from her mother's side. Black fur was not much of an indicator in this part of the lore.

Then the atmosphere seemed to shift as Lenka asked to join. Hawthorne looked at the girl as Askan spoke but her attention was mostly focused on her superior in the form of a swiveled ear. It was when things got cold that orange eyes sought out the face of her superior. It made her stomach tighten to see him so defensive in that moment. Her own body took on something a tad bit more aggressive out of a defessiveness to Askan. Inky lip pulling up the slightest to expose her own ivory teeth as if she was daring the loner to speak lies to her superior. No one was going to waltz over the Edge Lords as long as Hawthorne was around.

Lenka fought down the disappointment that rose in her throat. She hadn’t expected much; she had no call to be disappointed. So Meech hadn’t come this way, then. Or he had, and just hadn’t stopped to talk. Was he even looking for her?
The alpha’s next words were almost soft, but he caught her off guard with his sudden vehemence. She flinched away from the pair’s aggression, ears pressing to her head – but not entirely out of fear. Is he suggesting… Who does he think he is? Irritation caused her own fur to prickle. “I wouldn’t do that!” She snapped, offended that he would even suggest that she might use the pack and walk away in the spring. What kind of wolves did this man have experience with to automatically assume that of a stranger? “I’ve been doing just fine on my own; I can survive by myself.” She hesitated, the fire fading from her words as her eyes dropped and she deflated. Her next words were much quieter, mumbled almost to herself. “I just don’t want to.”

She could claim otherwise as much as she wanted, Askan wasn't so sure. He'd never be until he'd seen first hand how loyal and trustworthy she was. He wasn't asking for damn subservience, he didn't expect her to treat him like a king, to wait on his beck and call. All he wanted was to know she'd stick around, that she-like the rest- would be there when needed most.

It was clear his words had offended her, but he didn't care nor would he apologise. He hadn't stepped out of his bounds, he had every right to ask that of her. After all, taking her words as gospel would be a fools move, a weak link in the chain of command, a mistake he was unwilling to make. She insisted she was fine and that she was capable of looking after herself, but that begged the question, why? It took some nerve to approach his borders, if it wasn't a big deal why was she here at all? Aside from looking for Mooch, Meech, whatever.

And then she continued, her words quiet and subdued as if she didn't want them heard. Askan's brows furrowed and he huffed. That sounded like something @Reyes would say. 'I can, but I don't want to. Not anymore.'

"That has yet to be seen." He told her, his expression falling back into one of practised neutrality. Otherwise known as a resting bitch face."I'm willing to give you a chance. One. Don't screw it up."He told her, turned and with a flick of his tail gestured for them to follow.