Chinook Coulee Dancing with Destiny

He had come and gone to the Ruins once more. His search for Enera had led him with no trails, no traces, and no hints of her whereabouts. He opted to try the outskirting territories alongside the land of lore in vain. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that either she didn't want to be found, or it simply wasn't meant to be. Luca hoped that if there were children the other man had stepped up in his place. Regardless his anger had fizzled over. His heart had broken over someone he barely knew. What was graver in the matter was losing his home in Paradise Falls. And yet, the emotions surrounding the pack had settled. It was behind him now. He didn't want to return to the home his brothers had chosen nor take the long trek back up north. He wanted to move forward, whatever that looked like, and find purpose in his life.

It seemed that had brought him to a place within the lore he'd never been to before, and better yet, a meal. The grey man stood in the depths of the cool water with droplets dripping from his fur. A chinook clutched between his strong jaws, thrashing against his grip fruitlessly. Luca, unphased by the fish, casually strode out to the shoreline and plopped down to eat.

"HE SPEAKS"

The child wasn't sure how many days had passed since she'd last seen her family, and now she was certain she would never see them again. The thought didn't set well with her, but she had grown to accept it. At least as much as she could. What had overtaken most of her concern as of lately, though, was the everpresent sensation of hunger that gnawed at her.

There were times, days, when she couldn’t find anything to eat that it was almost paralyzing. When her stomach and body hurt so much she could do nothing other than lie curled up and cry.

As a child, she was not wholly familiar with the concept of death and the implications therein. Had she been, Pan might’ve been all the more frightened of what would almost certainly be her eventual fate. But she did know that her state was deteriorating. Things were harder to do than they’d once been, and that was not good.

The child was resting in a tiny alcove beneath a tree, not far from the water when she spotted it. A figure. Lighter. Like her, her kind. Instantly, tears burned in her eyes, blurred her vision.

It had to be him.

She didn’t even stop to think, darting out from her shelter. ”Paaa..!” the child cried as loud as she could, desperate to be heard across the river, for him to see her and acknowledge her and somehow cross over..

The man had settled down on his haunches, the water trailing down his pelt effortlessly. His strong jaws parted for that first savory bite. "Paaa!" The young voice stopped him. He cocked his head curiously and turned to look. His past flashed before his eyes, scrawny pups desperate for food out on the ice. He found himself whimpering at the sight of the child. She was so frail. He didn't move to stand, not wanting to scare her off. His tail thumped against the ground, "I'm so sorry little one." He choked the words as he looked her over. She had to miss her family greatly, his own heart aching as he took in what had to be a child no more than half a year old. She was too young to be on her own.

The man got up slowly, lowering his head and displaying a more submissive posture. He didn't want her to startle and run away from him. He picked the fish back up and started to swim over. As his paws met the shore, he stopped with his hind end still standing over the water. He dared not get so close that she'd fear him. Luca whined at the malnourished pup, dropping the trout, and nosing it in her direction, "It's alright...take it." He could only hope she could find it in her to trust him. To let him help her, who knows, maybe helping her find her family would help him find his purpose?

"HE SPEAKS"

The child tried to regain her composure, to blink away her tears and focus on him. See him, after being alone for so long. It did not really occur to Pan that the figure across from her couldn’t be her father, having never seen any other big wolves aside from her parents. To her, the only wolves in the world were mother, father, and her sister.

But then he spoke. He spoke. Father never spoke. He wasn’t father.

She stood still though, facing him, trying to blink away her tears and be brave like her father would. This new man made crossing the river look incredibly easy. The closer he got, the more she realized he looked a lot like father, but he was darker. Like a grey storm cloud, rather than pure white.

He would reach her side, and set the fish he had in his possession down, prodding her to take it. Pan, having never been given a reason to not trust anyone, stepped forth to do as he’d said. Hunger and a need to eat didn’t allow her to consider any other alternative.

Tentatively, she’d reach down and begin to tear into the fish, savoring its odd, delicious taste.

”You’re not Pa,” she pointed after a couple of bites, golden eyes peering up at the man with a mixture of sadness and pain, but also interest. ”Who’re you?”

Luca let go of a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when the pup began eating. He needed to help her, she needed regular meals. Warmth and companionship. He was looking her over with his brown eyes for any cuts or wounds when she spoke. A frown laced his lips, the man sighing as he shook his head solemnly. "No, I am not. I'm sorry little one."

A smile returned to his face, alebit weak, "I am Luca". He wagged his tail, "And you are?" He waited a moment before asking her, "Do you know your parent's names...or where you saw them last?" He wanted to help her get home if he could...but his mind was already calculating a plan if he couldn't. Perhaps Jethro might take pity on an orphan. That was...if he didn't believe the girl belonged to him. It was a trek away too...but he knew he was capable of feeding the pup in the meantime. He could try there, grovel for the child's sake...then if that didn't work seek the other packs of the land out. He hadn't met them, but this child needed a family. Not a lone man.

Pan did her best to listen to him at first as he spoke again. He said he was sorry that he wasn’t her father, but that wasn’t his fault. The child focused on him anyway though, curious, despite her hunger. She tried to mirror his smile, especially as he said his name. Luca.

The girl giggled softly. ”Pan!” She exclaimed, finding a tiny bit of confidence coming back moment by moment. Here she was, making friends with a stranger, all by herself! That emotion was short lived though, as he then proceeded to ask about her parents. Gently, she shook her head, averting her gaze as if she’d somehow done wrong. It had never really occurred to Pan that her parents might have names - they had always just been mom and dad.

”No,” she squeaked out later, after another bite. ”We were leaving the.. mountains? And I jus’… wanted to go ‘esplorin’. Then.. I couldn’t find them.” She’d gotten well and truly lost. To the child, it seemed as if she’d gone a great distance since she’d last seen them.

The girl stifled a cough. She hadn’t tried to talk that much for a while and it kind of hurt to do.

The man found his smile warming when the girl returned it, and he chuckled as she introduced herself. Pan? An odd name, he wondered what it meant, if anything. Perhaps to her Luca was an odd name. His face dropped as her demeanor had, and a pang of guilt twisted in the man's gut. Perhaps he shouldn't have brought it up so soon. He just wanted to help, but now the pup seemed distraught again. "No" It didn't seem unusual to him for a child her age not to know the names of her parents. He had only hoped, that maybe in preparation for this unfortunate possibility, they had told her. Had he been able to smell the slightest trace of Isomne on the girl, his worry would've been tenfold. The scents upon her pelt lacked that of a single other wolf, causing him to believe she'd been alone some time. That and how scrawny she appeared.

"Shhh" he coed as the girl worked herself up, trying to soothe her. He leaned forward and licked her crown, "It's alright, just eat." With that the man moved to lie down near the girl, keeping an ever-watchful eye on her, while considering what they might do. Briefly, he'd scan the horizon for the mountain range, then return his gaze back to Pan. She didn't seem to have the strength to make that climb again. He sighed. She might not have the strength to reach Paradise either. He rested there quietly for a long moment, pondering his decision.

Knowing that finding her parents was a gamble and that the falls were a sure thing, he finally broke the silence. "Well Pan, I don't know where your parents are, but if you want to go on an adventure..." He trailed off momentarily, struggling to make this sound fun and not scary, "I know a place with beautiful water that cascades down rocks. They're called waterfalls and a pack lives there. With children likely your age now." He wasn't actually too sure whether or not anyone in the pack had a litter after he left, but the lie was given regardless. He wanted to encourage her to come with him, after all, "They will have food and shelter. It won't be the same, I know, but it'll be better than out here alone." He paused a moment or two to let her take in what he'd said, "So....what do you say, want to go on an adventure?" With a stranger...gee he hoped he didn't sound like a total creep right now. He also found himself hoping that Jethro and Flair would take pity on the frail girl and allow her to join them.

It’d never occurred to her before, but what if this was her punishment? After all, she had been the one to run away from her family on that adventure. What if this was supposed to be some kind of lesson? Pan had never considered that before, but it remained a concept the child had difficulty wrapping her mind around.

It also wasn’t something she had to think about for too long either, though. The strange big man, Luca, promised to take her on an adventure!

To a place where beautiful water cascaded down rocks.. and then, there was a pack? Food? And other kids her age? Did that mean they were little, too? It was almost too much for the girl’s mind to handle.

”I wanna gooo! See it, waterfalls! And the pack!” She exclaimed, jumping up with more energy than she’d felt in a while, thanks to that fish. However, her excitement was quick to fade again though, as Pan began to actually process what she had been told.

Her eyes went wide, and her head tipped to one side in curiosity as she began to bombard the man with questions of her own. ”What’s a pack? And.. my family? We can.. look for them, too? On the way?”

His ears stood alert at the sudden burst of energy and excitement from the child. He hadn't expected such enthusiasm. He chuckled deeply, nodding his head. "Then we shall go."He lifted up onto his sooty paws, ready to embark on their adventure, "First we need to find a place for the night, heading north." He watched her cock her head and rose a brow himself, unable to predict the slew of questions about to depart from her maw.

Luca was puzzled, she didn't even know what a pack was. That clarified more about her upbringing for the man. Probably a pair of loners, perhaps...he frowned deeply at the thought. Hiding his face so she couldn't see the sorrowful expression. Abandoned. If they'd realized the responsibility was too great for them and were unable to feed the pup...It was a coward's way out. He felt his heart turning bitter at the idea. He needed to paint them in a different light, for her sake, and for the sake that he could very well be wrong. They might be searching high and low for Pan. "Well, a pack is like a big family. Usually, there's one pair of parents that lead, with their children from prior litters consisting of the ranks. However, oftentimes unrelated wolves join packs and strengthen their numbers. Even rarer, more than one set of parents will reside in the pack raising children of their own." He told her this while starting off northward, "Yes, we will keep our eyes and ears peeled for them." He reassured her of this, despite his own feelings on what be believed to be a very real possibility.

It was not his place to mention something so cruel to someone so young with so few details. Making assumptions could make an arse out of him. Trying to keep things lighthearted Luca lied to the girl once more, "I bet they're looking too." He forced a smile on his face while looking back at her, "C'mon, let's go."

The man’s laugh was contagious, and Pan’s smile grew all the more when he said they would go. Finally! She had a friend, and someone to share adventures with. Someone who looked almost as big and strong as dad, too. The child nodded enthusiastically to his suggestions, despite not knowing what ‘north’ was, eager to agree.

And perhaps she was afraid he might decide to leave her alone again if she didn’t. ”Okay.”

Pan also listened intently as he started to explain, and she started to understand. A pack was like a big family, with lots of parents and kids, apparently. And then sometimes others would join to add numbers? That sort of made sense, she supposed. ”So there’s.. more? Bigs, like you - and kids?” She inquired again, trying to draw clarification.

Luca also said they could keep looking for her family. Pan wasn’t entirely sure they’d find them, but she also knew they needed to keep looking. Maybe she just hadn’t been doing that in the right places?

”My family.. could they find me, at a pack? Easier?” In her young mind, it made sense. If a pack was a place where lots of their kind gathered, wouldn’t her parents eventually think to check there too?

(This post was last modified: Oct 25, 2023, 02:51 PM by Pan.)