Dragoncrest Cliffs Even just a little bit

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Hoping for a @Kendra, but anyone’s welcome to join.

At some point, an even greater amount of snow had fallen than what he’d previously seen. It’d covered the world and left a pale blanket in place of all of the flora and fauna, creating a sight similar to what he believed his father’s birthplace to look like. It was difficult to navigate, and so he’d given up trying. There was no way to get through it without struggling, forcing him to settle for remaining within the cavern. To be what felt like confined wasn’t the least bit comfortable, but he’d tried to keep from complaining for the time being. The snow would eventually melt, he’d tried to tell himself, but even his own inner voice couldn’t convince the yearling. There was a lot of snow, far more than what could just melt overnight—it was clear that he’d have to deal for a bit longer than he would have liked, and all because the weather liked to play with peoples’ emotions.

However long had passed since he and Kendra had stumbled across the pack was lost on him, the days that had passed having not been paid attention to. The amount of time mattered little, anyways, because the fact still stood that he hadn’t made any attempts at socializing. Alexander had kept to himself, as per usual, interacting only with his friend when he saw her. Today was no different, either, as he began creeping around in search of the girl he’d arrived with.[/td][td valign=center] [/td][/tr][/table]

Kendra was often found in the cave, or around it. She had not explored much of the cliffs. In fact she had not explored much at all mostly because of the cold conditions outside. It kept her from exploring the territory. She did try to keep herself busy within the cave but she was always happy to see a familiar face. Kendra was far more social than Xan had been. Yet, Kendra knew it wasn't something personal. It was just how Xan was.

The girl let out a yip when she saw him. She was doing much better weight-wise and was more energetic. Before she had been sleeping quite a lot. The girl trotted up to Xan and gave him a lick under his muzzle, after all they were very good friends. "Hi Xan!," she greeted.

I wouldn't mind a jealous @Eske in here :P

ask and you shall receive! ;-)

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Eske had long since known that she did not appreciate or tolerate being cooped up well (at all); and she wasn’t overly graceful about their predicament. At the same time she wasn’t so willing to risk toes or her tail or her life to venture out into the snowstorm, either. So, she set to busying herself by exploring the caverns, seeing where the twists and turns led (though she did her best to avoid Portia, Did and Wildfire for obvious reasons). Arlo and her had discovered that one of the paths carried them all the way to Ankyra Sound and it was this path that she returned from. She’d been fortunate enough to come across a rather plump rat and had ate it to sate the rumble of her stomach — though she is grateful that when she does brave the venture outside there are plenty of frozen carcasses lying about so that starving to death is, at least, not much of a threat to Drageda.

A heavy sigh leaves Eske’s lips as she picks up her pace, eager to breach back into the cavern where the pack lays in wait for the snows to pass. Though she is not so eager to be trapped with others again she has travelled the path with little rest and she is tired. Her paces slows and she turns a corner tightly, brushing her flank against the cold, hard stone of the cavern, drawn to the sound of Kendra’s yip. It might not have been meant for her but it is a pleasing sound to Eske, nevertheless. It does not take the Drakru long to find the beautiful sylph, a rise of heat flooding to her cheeks as she admires Kendra from afar. Unfortunately, it does not take long for Eske to look upon the reason for Kendra’s happiness. Sea-blue green gaze moves reluctantly from Kendra to the pallid beau Kendra greets with a lick to his muzzle and something hot and furious rears up within her chest, twisting in a familiar fashion. Eske recognizes it immediately. She is jealous and she feels the need to vy for Kendra’s attention with her natural competitiveness.

“Kendra,” Eske calls out to her friend, letting her jealousy drive her forward, breeching on their moment with no consideration (haha, oops). “there you are. I was looking for you.” It wasn’t exactly true but Eske had no intention of letting that be known (and secretly she is glad that she found Kendra regardless of the ugly jealous writhing within her). “Oh!” Eske breathes as if she just notices Xan’s presence for the first time. “I don’t think we’ve met before.” Eske says sweetly as she forces her attention from Kendra to Xan, though she knows they have not properly met. “I’m Eske; Gona.” She introduces herself with a sheepish smile, knowing that if she wasn’t so selfish she would have turned and left (but alas she is selfish and thus here she was).

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Gah, sorry for the delay, guys!

Little time had gone into searching for his friend prior to her approach—which had put a smile on his face. There were few moments at which the yearling would share his fondness of the girl, whether it be with words or actions, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care for her. During the famine, he had found a friend in the young Melonii and had since then been drawn to the girl for reasons that he could not place. Perhaps it was his fear of abandonment that made him so keen to be near her, or maybe something else entirely; the answer was something that he’d been unable to come up with no matter how much self-reflecting he’d done, which confused just as much as it frustrated him. Whatever the reason, he felt at ease with her around, and so he’d responded to her lick with a swift wave of his tail and a content, “Hey.” That he had been looking for her was left out, the thought of mentioning it then having seemed rather redundant since they were already together.

Just as his mouth opened to speak their moment was intruded on, and by an individual that he’d immediately decided he was glad to not be familiar with. The moment she’d spoken to Kendra, the yearling’s gaze narrowed into a glare and his smile slipped from his lips, displeased by the interruption. When she spoke—first to the other girl and then to him—Alexander ignored her, having even gone so far as to turn his head away from her and refocus on his companion. Rather than introducing himself, or maybe even just apologizing for his obvious rudeness, the albino asked, “How are you?” whilst watching Kendra. She alone was the one that he wanted to spend time with, not her and some other wolf that he’d never before met, and he had no problem with making that known.

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Kendra snapped her head towards the familiar voice of Eske. She let out a woof in greeting when she turned a bit to the female. "You were?," she asked curiously. There was some surprise in her voice but also fondness. She was becoming friends with the female, and Kendra liked that Eske wanted to hang out with her more. She seemed really cool. However.... Xan didn't seem to think that she was cool. In fact he was rather rude. He turned his head away from her and didn't even greet her back. Kendra's ears fell back, looking confused.

Xan asked how she was, seemingly only wanting to talk to her but then Eske was also still here. "Um.. I'm good," she spoke to Xan witha hesitant smile. "Eske, this is Xan! He is my friend," she explained. "He is quite a private wolf but he can be nice at times! We grew up together and he is the reason I am still alive, so," she added. Hopefully that would explain his rude non-greeting. Kendra was currently still quite oblivious to both and their feelings. Even her own feelings for each of these two wolves.

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Eske offers Kendra a wag of her tail when the other girl acknowledges her, seemingly with surprise. “Of course I was,” Eske responds with a pretty smile for Kendra. Admittedly, she could have waited until Kendra and Xan had parted ways but the Drakru had never been one for manners (much to Gyda’s dismay). Eske had almost forgotten that Kendra had came here with the ivory male before her who seemed well intent on ignoring her. Instead of her normal annoyance, it took all of Eske’s willpower not to laugh. The truth was: she didn’t give two shits about him anymore than he surely cared about her. He was not a overly active presence in Drageda and she wonders why he is even here. Eske is not leadership and knows that she is not Freyja and will never see it and it is possibly a good thing. She would have no qualms about letting it be known what she thinks about wolves that do not pull their weight. She, herself, isn’t very sociable but she uses the excuse of her aggressive personality and that she is always working: patrolling, sparring.

She is introduced to Xan by Kendra, and for a moment Eske feels guilt that Kendra is placed in the awkward position of being forced between them; but Eske will not just go away if he pretends that she is not there. Eske will not back down. Though his insubordination is extremely annoying to Eske who is of a higher rank than he. “Just because he is private does not mean he should not at least greet his pack mates,” Eske tells him, fixing him in a piercing stare. Especially pack mates that are higher in the hierarchy than him, she thinks. Well shit, as Kendra tells it Xan saved her life and Eske is …reluctantly grateful for that fact. Though the more complex of her feelings towards Kendra are a jumbled mess that Eske is hesitant to unravel if only because she has never felt this way about another before she focuses on the simple ones: and as she truly does enjoy Kendra’s company she is glad that she is alive. Eske’s tail sweeps against her hocks. “It is a good thing that he did.” Eske says this softly, genuine in her words. Her gaze flickers from Kendra to Xan where it lingers for a few moments before it moves back to Kendra.

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Kendra responded to the intrusive child, which would have been fine, had it not been for the fondness in her tone. His gaze shifted, narrowing into an accusative glare as his head turned towards Eske. He did not like her being there, nor was he particularly interested in letting her remain. When the two had met, he didn’t know, but he wanted to put a stop to whatever sort of relationship might be forming between them; Kendra was his friend, and he’d never been too keen on the notion of sharing. Before he could say anything else, however, she’d started speaking again. With his name shared, it seemed as if he was dangerously close to being dragged into a conversation with someone that he, at the moment, had no desire to speak with. Frowning, he took a step closer to his companion, ignoring the other female once again as a comment about him was made. Regrettably, he had stolen a quick glance Eske’s way as his saving of the witch was noted as being a good thing. Some part of his mind insisted that he should say something in response to that, at least, but he did his best to ignore the nagging voice of his conscious and focus back on Kendra—though he agreed that it was a good choice to have helped her, seeing as it had resulted in him acquiring an actual friend.

“Can we go somewhere else?” he asked, practically muttering. “I wanted it to be just the two of us, not us and someone I’ve never met.” Stranger danger wasn’t really a thing in his mind, he simply found not knowing others to be problematic, whilst getting to know new wolves was bothersome. He liked keeping his circle small, finding himself able to tolerate only a few individuals, and regard even less as actual friends. Whilst the two females seemed to have met at one point or another, and even seemed to be fairly friendly, Alexander did not feel even the least bit interested in getting to know someone new. It was difficult for him on a regular basis, and even more so when Eske was involved. They had only just met, but the way she spoke and presented herself irritated him—if he weren’t so focused on himself and his friend, perhaps he would have noticed a few similarities.

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Kendra wasn’t sure how she felt about Xan’s behavior towards Eske. The young female was actually glad that this warrior female was so nice to her, she made her feel more at home. However Xan didn’t seem to feel the same way, at all. Kendra glanced between the two as if she had to pick someone to hang out with now. Eske had been looking for her, but then Xan also wanted a moment alone with her. Kendra suddenly felt quite popular and wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Eske didn’t seem to like Xan. It seemed vice versa for Xan. There was no option they could hang out all together. ”Xan it would be a bit rude to send Eske away,” she responded to him and gave the female another apologetic glance. She was not sure how the handle the situation which seemed to make Kendra grow more uncomfortable with it all. ”Eske. It seemed Xan is not in the mood for anyone else. Is it okay if I come look for you later?,” she asked, her voice sounding unsure.


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exit eske

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The Gona does not appreciate his attitude. He acts as if he has the right to ignore her when he is nothing. He is just Kru. Unproven. An outsider. She is Gona and it lights a dangerous flame of slapped pride and seething ire within her. She was the daughter of a queen and some asshat was not going to treat her like that. She pulls up to her full height as her lip curls back from her teeth. “You are only a stranger because you want to be Kru,” She tells him bluntly, all sharp edges of broken glass. “If he does not want to be apart of Drageda and get to know us then perhaps he should leave.” Eske suggests with a lash of her tail. She lets out a low huff at the dismissal, looking to Kendra as she stands as a buffer between them. The Gona thinks that it is a good thing that she respects and likes Kendra but she cannot help but feel her heart sink when Kendra asks if she can leave. “Fine.” Eske snaps, a bit harsher than she means to. Her eyes narrow at Xan before she turns abruptly and leaves them (likely to do her own sulking).

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There was a brief moment when Xan thought that his request might go unanswered. He had known Kendra for a long time—nearly her entire life, he realized—but, despite that history, there was a growing feeling of doubt that she’d send the other wolf off on her way. The thought, despite not having enough of evidence to truly be supported, made him frown; he had been searching for her, whether he’d admitted to it or not, and didn’t want her attention to be given to anyone other than him. Driven by his innermost feelings, he countered her statement by saying: “It was rude of her to just barge in on us. She deserves the same treatment she gave.” There was an edge to his voice, sharp and obvious, but unintentionally used—lucky for him, the albino noticed the alteration of his tone and offered his friend an apologetic look shortly after.

When the other spoke, he shot her a glance but paid little attention otherwise. Her words, whether they were true or not, mattered not to him; he was there for Kendra and that would not change over the course of a single night, if ever. Maintaining himself, he bothered not with shooting back a retort of his own—he hadn’t even flashed his teeth—and instead focused on the witch. She had chosen his wishes over those of the stranger, something that sent a wave of relief running through his body. Xan was glad, and this he showed once Eske had left them, a triumphant smile spread across his maw. “Thanks for getting rid of her,” he said, doing nothing to hide his joy. Feeling as if he had been chosen over the Drageda wolf, he saw no need to limit the display of his emotions.

Out of nowhere, he was hit by an echo of the stranger’s voice, speaking of him leaving. “You know I won’t leave, right?” asked the yearling, feeling the need to clarify. “Even if I never feel right here, I’m going to stay.” To leave was out of the question, no matter his opinions or personal feelings towards the place. For there within the pack lived Kendra, and it was her that he could not part with.

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Kendra felt a bit uneasy with the whole ordeal that just happened. She disliked that she had to send away her new friend in this pack and that Xan had been such a jerk to her. She hoped that Eske wouldn't be mad at her. Kendra wasn't sure what to say to Xan and about his behavior. Kendra slowly shook her head. "If you can't get along with the others in the pack I wonder how long they let you stay Xan," she pointed out to him. Not entirely pleased.

The fact that he seemed so smug about the female leaving made Kendra a bit upset. She put in a lot of effort to be nice and to make friends, and Xan was sort of ruining that for her right now by making her choose. "I am trying super hard here to be nice to the new pack we are in and if you are going to be an asshole to others then I am not sure if I want you to stay," she pointed out to him. She let out a long sigh. He couldn't really change how he was, could he? She realized her words might be a bit harsh. "I'm sorry. I just really want this to work."

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Although he was pleased—and obviously so—by the child’s departure, it seemed as if Kendra did not share his relief. As she spoke, his ears fell back and his tail drooped, whatever glee that had previously settled into his features now gone. She had a point—if he continued to act as he just had, there was a chance that he might be forced out of the pack. Normally, the possibility of being cast out wouldn’t bother him, especially since he didn’t feel the least bit attached to the coastal wolves’ claim. The only reason he’d yet to leave on his own was because Kendra was there, and it was because of her that he couldn’t stand the thought of being sent elsewhere. Dread, reluctant to be banished and overbearing in every which way, began to grow within his stomach. He gave a slow shake of his head, attempting to rid her words from his thoughts, but it was pointless. No matter how much effort was put into relieving his mind of the notion, her voice continued to echo all throughout his skull—until everything suddenly just stopped.

Snapping his head upwards, a widened gaze sought to lock with her pallid one, the hurt as clear as the day was young. Her words struck him, the stinging feeling that lingered able to compete even with physical pain. “You don’t mean that,” he stated, the confidence in his words missing. Maybe she had wanted him to leave ever since their arrival, but only then had she found the words to get that across to him. The thought, invasive and conniving, was almost believable. Swallowing, he tried to steady his voice, but he couldn’t keep his pitch from rising as he asked, “Do you want me to leave?” And, if she did, would he be able to?

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Kendra let out a sigh. Who was she kidding? She wasn't very nice herself either. She had a history of torture and unsocial behavior. "No, I didn't mean that," she then admitted and shook her head. "I just feel accepted and supported here. I feel at home, and I don't want to lose that," she admitted to him. However she noticed that his words before lacked some of his usual confidence. She didn't want to make Xan feel bad either. It was just had juggling her new life here with someone who knew her dark past. She wanted to fit in for once.

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