Lost Lake go make your move girl

you'll stay with me won't you?

i'll be there every step of the way

This place was unlike anywhere that Cambria had stepped paw before, and although she was uncertain, her thirst forced her to keep going. The young wolf had been separated from her birth pack, and after a full day and a half of searching, she had not only lost their scent but also realized that the drought had fully set in. Everything around her felt hot and dry, and she had turned her attention to the most pressing matter - finding water.

Luckily she was able to smell that on the breeze, and she kept moving. She still held her pack in a part of her mind, but her senses were in demand elsewhere. She was finally starting to think that she was getting close to hydration, when she picked up the scent of other wolves. Her ears pricked eagerly at first, but she quickly felt her body droop in disappointment. It was not anyone she had ever met before. Still, this told her that there was a pack living nearby.

Her throat was parched, and she could only hope her howl would be loud enough still. She sat, tilting her head back to let out her voice, signaling to these strange wolves that she was at their border. Her pelt prickled as she waited. Would they be welcoming? With a shortage of water, Cambria couldn't be sure, and she wouldn't blame them if they weren't.

The drought was taking its toll on the lore. In all the years he'd spent there Kajika hadn't ever seen such conditions. It worried the large male as much as he knew the others in the cove had to be. It was especially worrying with the arrival of two litters of pups. The little ones would need water as well as their mothers. He could be thankful that they still had the lake and that prey came to it for a drink. However, prey was becoming more and more scarce as the plants had begun to die and turn brown.

The older wolf had taken it upon himself to do patrols of the territory. It was during his patrol that he heard the howl at their borders. The dark man made his way toward the area the call had come from. Though he didn't over as easily as he once had be came across the young female. "Hello there. What brings you to our borders?" He asked sitting back on his haunches.

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The Vuesain girl made her way down to the lakeshore, a large bundle of moss clutched in her jaws. She had crammed so much into her mouth that it protruded comically at every angle, making her look like she had a great fluffy green beard. It was something she'd learned from Leo, and now it had practically become routine to carry as much of the stuff to the lake as she could, and soak it with precious water before carrying it back to the pack's den area. Stella didn't know what to make of so many new pups about underfoot, truth be told, but at least she could make sure they and their mothers and caregivers did not go thirsty.

She took a moment to satiate her own thirst before collecting the soaked moss and turning toward home. An unfamiliar howl brought her to a halt before she could take more than a few paces, though. Curiosity piqued, the yearling changed track and made off in the direction the sound had come from. Perhaps, she hoped, it was someone with news of their acquaintances elsewhere in the Lore. Shaded ears pointed forth, though the moss prevented her from voicing a response of her own, even if she had known what to say. A note of relief touched her as she drew nearer and saw that Kajika's large, familiar form was already present.

She appeared wordlessly and placed herself a small distance from Kajika's side, giving him a silent nod of greeting before waiting and watching to see what would unfold. She didn't recognize the stranger at all, though. Even the scent that hung in the air was strange to Stella's nose. The girl's gaze was curious, but scrutinous too, her serious attitude utterly at odds with the ridiculous bearded figure she currently presented, though she seemed to either not notice or not care.

you'll stay with me won't you?

i will be with you every step of the way

It didn't take long before Cambria spotted the larger male approaching. That meant the borders were well defended, she thought. A good thing, as long as they didn't turn hostile on her. She dipped her head respectfully as he sat, her senses overwhelmed with the smell of what was certainly the residing pack. Before she could even begin to speak, another form appeared. This one was a female, and one that appeared to be close in age to Cambria. If she were more relaxed, she might have been amused by the mossy beard she was sporting.

"Hello," she spoke, her voice slightly hoarse as she hadn't spoken in a couple of days and on top of that, her throat was parched. "I'm Cambria, I uh...got separated from my pack...I am so thirsty." The words tumbled out, coming quicker as she went on. She threw herself at their mercy, her yellow eyes betraying her desperation. She knew they were surely thirsty as well, and she could only hope they would be so kind as to take pity on her. If they would allow her to drink, then perhaps her mind would turn to more civil matters, like what their names were. At the moment, she couldn't concentrate on something like that.

Kajika waited tomfind out what had brought the younger wolf to their borders. Before he did thought another wolf appeared from the depths of the cove. He turned his head to look and found it to be Stella. She offered her a kind smile in return for her greeting. As she took up a place not far from where he was his attention returned to the newcomer. A smile.was offered to her, a sign that she would hopefully taka as a show that they weren't going to hurt her.

She explained that she'd gotten separated from her pack and that like a lot of others she was very thirsty. "Hello Cambria, I'm Kajika and this is Stella. It's nice to meet you," he greeted still smiling
As for her thirst that was an easy thing to fix. [/b]"There is a lake or what's left of it. You can access it without crossing the borders. That should quench her thirst. First things first after all. Are you looking for your family or something else?"[/b] He asked wondering just what her plans were. Kajika felt now wasn't the time for a wolf so young to be on her own without a pack. Especially on that had water.

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you'll stay with me won't you?

i'll be there every step of the way

She felt relief flood her body as the male spoke. There was water that she could access, regardless of anything else. Cambria felt herself visibly relax, her body sagging a little as the desperation lessened. She was tempted to run straight for the lake, but now that she knew she could get a drink she could be perhaps a bit more patient. After all, his questions were completely valid and she didn't want to make a bad first impression. She swallowed, trying to wet her throat as much as possible.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you as well," her tail swished easily as she spoke, she had gotten to her paws as they approached, and had not resumed sitting. She was too ready to head for the water as soon as the important bits were taken care of. "I'm not sure. The drought has affected us all, my pack had been falling apart. I of course would love to find them, but I haven't the faintest idea of where to start, and I don't like the idea of walking away from water." It had taken too long to find this lake for her to want to head out on a long search - at this time anyway.

So her name was Cambria. She was looking for her pack, looking for water, for simple survival. Stella's ears fell, all too familiar with the situation, but she gave the other a reassuring wag of her tail, for whatever it was worth. She wondered if it were one of their close neighboring pack who had disbanded, hoping it was not, but the news was concerning either way. This drought was cruel, and things seemed to be growing more dire by the day.

Stella turned from the conversation with a nod of her head in invitation. She was all too familiar with the feeling dehydration and the desperation that followed. Following Kajika's words, she felt there was no reason not to invite the stranger to quench her thirst before continuing their chat. The Cove could neither claim nor defend the whole lakeshore, but the Vuesain girl was confident enough that no trouble-makers would be allowed to linger here. Cambria had found herself in a safe place, for the moment.

Stella was quiet while he spoke with the newcomer Cambria. They both listened as the young girl explained her situation to them. He wondered about her pack and if perhaps she might be from one of their neighbors. Perhaps they just never had the chance to meet her before. He also wondered if it was the drought that had caused her pack to decline. This were all questions that could ve answered later. There was a much more pressing matter to take care of first. "Stella," he said turning his amber gaze on the young Vuesain girl, "Do you mind leading the way to the lake so that Cambria can get a drink before we talk some more?"

His gaze was returned to the girl. "Once you've quenched your thirst maybe we can figure some things out. That sound okay to you?" Perhaps there was something they could do for the girl. Kajika thought it was worth finding out.

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2022, 03:12 AM by Kajika.)

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you'll stay with me won't you?

i will be with you every step of the way

Any question of what had happened to her pack was also a question that the young wolf had herself. She felt the panic rising in her chest again, but it was so dull compared to when she had first lost track of her family, like her emotional nerve endings were too tired to continue feeling.

At least she found herself in pleasant company. She felt safer than she had in days, reassured by their kind tones and gestures. "Thank you, yes that sounds perfect." Cambria met Kajika's gaze, blinking her gratitude, before turning her eyes onto Stella. She would follow her quickly when she showed the way to the precious water, and then dip her entire muzzle in in her excitement to quench her thirst.

Stella made her way back to the lake's edge, dropping her mouthful of moss back into the precious waters where they could soak safely. The Vuesain girl dipped her muzzle to the surface, taking another quick drink to clear her mouth of the mossy taste, then raised her head.

"That's the least we can do," Stella offered in return to Cambria's words of thanks. Though, if there was anything else they could do for her remained to be seen. Stella's heart went out to her, it wasn't easy at all to lose someone and never find an answer. Stella hadn't lost everyone, though.

As she waited for Cambria to finish drinking, she looked out over the lake, then shifted her gaze to Kajika. She wondered what he had to ask of the loner, and hoped that she wasn't overstepping herself by tagging along here. Until now she'd been silent, but without a mouthful of moss to stop her, she would have to remember not to let her social nature and curiosity run away from her. Lately, she had been wondering what sort of role she might have in the pack, what her future might hold, and as hopeful as she was that Cambria might be welcomed, she was also interested to see how the Cove's advisor might handle such a situation. Her gaze was attentive as she waited for the elder wolf to speak.