Fisher's Split i'm a holy terror

It seemed Lana was just as wary as the pup was, which only added fuel to Llinnea's ire. She'd only just found this family and she was not about to let anyone take it away from her!

Lana might have been on her side, but Loach was quick to reprimand her. Llinnea's ears once again dropped and she turned her face away, tail lowering only a little as she all but sulked in place. The stranger spoke again, fumbling over the familiar words. She glanced back up at him. "I speak some," she said. If he was just a beginner, maybe... Maybe he didn't know him.

She trust Loach. She wanted to believe he wouldn't bring someone bad back... Knew he wouldn't, not on purpose. Her Mor had trusted her, too. She hadn't wanted to bring harm on her family, but she had.

She regarded Clouse with suspicion and stepped closer to Lana. Her gaze flicked to Loach's stern and hurt, and she dropped her eyes again. She didn't want to hurt Loach's feelings. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

Clouse seemed to balk at her question, eventually producing an answer. "You say you mean no harm, good then. Just know we'll hold you to that," she tried to smooth her fur, but maintained the protective stance she'd assumed. Where did that come from so quickly, anyway? She hardly recognized the woman speaking now.

Lana didn't understand everything the man said, but until she understood what was happening she was still inclined to trust Llinnea's caution. Something must have lead to a reaction like that, to her mind at least.

Her attention remained on the newcomer, but her gaze flickered to Loach as he spoke firmly to Llinnea. She'd not question his call here and now, and she was glad to see him do his best to smooth over the sudden tension. But she wanted them all, whatever they were here, to be able to share concerns, too. And she was not quite as easily reprimanded as the youth. "Maybe we can cool our heads a little, then talk?" she proposed, trying to navigate the uncharted.

Currently traveling with Loach, Llinnea, Clouse and Claw.

Loach came to his defense against this unanticipated suspicion, correcting the young girl that wasn't supposed to be family while the third adult present took the middle ground, clearly leaning toward Llinnea's side. Side of what, though? Clouse didn't want to be in opposition to anyone. It did nix his ideas of Lantana being the girl's mother, however. Just more questions mounting, without the suitable substrate for answers to grow.

The other man insisted Clouse was good, and the heat did not leave his face. It was charming how sure Loach was, but still the Hervok-Archer couldn't help his own doubts. Perhaps this had been a mistake after all.

His snowy gaze flickered to Llinnea as she gave her apology, but he knew it wasn't for him. He kept quiet through this and through Lana's warning, but her final sentence caused him to speak. Again, she was right; communication was needed, and clearly his presence was causing tension which would hinder this.

"How about I go for a walk, yeah?" he asked the group, but his eyes were on Loach. He spoke with a smile, a wag of his tail, trying to communicate that there were no hard feelings. It might not be his family, but the Halloween-eyed wolf had ties here all the same that apparently needed his attention. He wanted to leave the fisherman with a peck on the cheek, but settled for amiably knocking his shoulder against the other's instead.

"I'll head back in a few hours."

With that, he would attempt to turn and trot off, removing himself from the equation temporarily. He could follow the river a ways, distract himself with its nuances...

(This post was last modified: Jan 27, 2023, 10:37 PM by Clouse.)

some more cursin' internally

It sunk like a stone in his gut.

Clouse was already heading out. Llinnea seemed like a slinking dog, Lana was (rightfully) on guard. Loach had not wanted to cultivate this energy. He wanted this little crew to just fucking live. Hunt together and then go do whatever they wanted! Wander about, shoot the breeze, anything but this weird tension.

Alright. It was all he had to say as he softened his stance some. Reluctantly watched Clouse walk away, wondered if he'd actually come back.

Then he departed, to go wade through the freezing river.

Clouse was leaving and Loach was clearly upset about this, and Lana wanted them to cool down for a while. Llinnea knew it was her fault that this had happened, that she was the one to hurt the wolves that had taken care of her and were helping her to survive. She didn't like it. It was different than when she'd brought home that monster, but she was still hurting them and it struck through her like the icy water the first time she'd stepped into it.

Llinnea turned and slunk away, tail tucked and head hung low, to find somewhere to sulk. What better than to run all her mistakes through her mind over and over again?

Exit

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw