Swiftcurrent Creek the sunstone

She's looking for @Bazi, but all welcome. :) Set on 9/12.

Kaskara had arrived back in the creek pack's territory late last night, howling briefly to let Bazi, Scimitar, and her other pack-mates know she had made it back safely, before hunkering down for a long night's sleep. The next morning she woke rested, but still tired and sore from her travels. Kaskara had been gone nearly seven days on her trek from the creek to Stavanger Bay and back, with a stop at the plateau in between.

There was much she needed to tell Bazi today, though she didn't know if the white dove would be around. She had learned much about Stavanger Bay, about the fate of Horizon Ridge, and about a new pack forming on the coast made up of women. Kaskara's head almost buzzed with all this new information, and she needed to share it with her leader sooner rather than later.

Instead of hurrying to her, Kas was taking a leisurely stroll along the creek, enjoying the morning's sunshine and cool temperatures as she stretched her sore muscles.

[size=x-small]So that our characters get to know each other before we go on the mission :)[/size]

Falwasi trotted north along the creek, headed towards the steep hill alongside the shallow waters. She was settling in well, and had developed a friendly relationship with Bazi. Unfortunately, she didn't have any other friends in the pack so much as acquaintances.

The grizzled wolf had plenty of energy, although that week's hunt had been a failure. The chill of the morning and the glowing sun emphasized her vitality. There were many locations within the pack's territory she had not yet visited, which she was planning on doing later in the day.

Fal caught a whiff of an unfamiliar wolf nearby, soon spotting it ahead of her. She hadn't noticed it before; she had her eyes on the creek. The wolf was a blob of rich brown as far as Falwasi could tell with the glare of the sun - the stranger wolf was far ahead of her. Falwasi increased her pace, inclined to introduce herself.

'Hi,' Falwasi said calmly as she caught up to she-wolf. She now noticed the wolf had mismatched eyes: orange/gold, half of her left eye turquoise. They were an interesting sight. 'We haven't met. I'm Falwasi, I joined the pack recently.' she explained, bowing her head.

Hi Maddy! :)

Kaskara hadn't been paying much attention, otherwise she would have noticed the other wolf approaching much sooner. But instead Kaskara was caught a little off guard and paused mid-step as the other came near to introduce herself. Kas smiled softly, wagging her tail in a friendly gesture to her packmate. Anybody who was part of the creek was welcome on her stroll this morning.

"Hi Falwasi," she began, giving the girl a nod. "I'm Kaskara, been a member for almost two months." Kaskara blinked, suddenly realizing how long she had lived with Scimitar and Bazi near their namesake creek. "How do you like living here so far?" Kaskara was a curious wolf, much more so now than she had been when she first arrived. Living with others, however different they were from what she was used to, had broken her hard shell and brought out the best (and sometimes worst) in her.

Falwasi smiled at the wolf who had introduced herself as Kaskara then looked to the ground and snickered to herself. It wasn't the first time someone asked her that question. The light-colored wolf looked up at Kaskara again, smiling open-mouthed, 'Sorry, lots of wolves have asked me that,' she said, repeating her thoughts, 'It's... different. I like it.' she finished, realising that she had lived with the Creek wolves a little over two weeks. Time had flown by.

'You like morning strolls?' Fal asked, lifting up her eyebrows and perking her chocolate ears. She loved morning strolls, to her the early morning was the highlight of the day. The temperature was cool and soothing; not too cold and not too hot. Although for some reason, this particular morning she was feeling edgy and competitive. And she craved a little exploring.

Kaskara chuckled when Falwasi explained why she had laughed, knowing the feeling all too well. "It's a standard question to ask new members, I guess. I was asked that quite a few times for the first month or so." Her brother still asked her that, but she knew it was more out of true brotherly concern rather for her comfort and happiness than a stranger's politeness. "It's different from what I'm used to, as well, but I find it's very relaxing living here."

Falwasi then asked a question, one that Kaskara wasn't exactly sure how to answer at first. Did she like morning strolls? Most of the time she did, when she hadn't been out the night before on a mission for the alpha. "Usually," she conceded with a grin. "But lately I haven't had much time. I've been away from the pack for about a week on an Outrider mission. Just came back late last night."

Falwasi furrowed her eyebrows; she was intrigued by the certain 'mission' the wolf had spoken about. 'Mission...' the slim wolf repeated silently for confirmation, hoping Kaskara would expand on the subject. Fal didn't pester; she didn't want the silver dusted wolf to confuse curiosity with nosiness. 'Anyways,' she said, changing the subject, 'Do you know of any quiet areas? So far I can't seem to find any.' she asked, thinking of how many unpredicted encounters she'd had over the past few days.

As she watched the wolf before her, Falwasi suddenly grew curious about Kaskara's past. She tried to strike up a picture of her parents, wondering how she had gotten her odd-colored eyes and dusting across her back and shoulders; her originality was beautiful and Falwasi wouldn't be surprised if any of the other wolves envied her.

"Yep, I went to Stavanger Bay, which is a pack on the coast, to learn more about the pack and give thanks to two of their members for saving a friend of mine." It was no secret what her mission had been, so she didn't see any reason for keeping it from Falwasi. They were pack, after all, and she was sure Bazi trusted her.

Kaskara chuckled but nodded. "I felt the same way when I first joined. You've got to look, but there are a few places. Near the borders, there's a small creek that branches off and goes into a copse of trees. It's usually quiet there." That was her favorite place to take a nap, and so far she hadn't been interrupted too much. "You've got to explore for yourself, though, because everybody is different. And you may find something I haven't yet, honestly."

Falwasi listened to the she-wolf as she talked about her mission; although the young brown wolf had only been here for nearly a month, she wanted to explore a little more. Maybe she would go on a trek to another area in Teekon Wilds, meet some wolves, find a peaceful sanctuary. She was intrigued by the idea that she might find someplace no one had yet found before. 'Thanks.' Fal said to Kaskara for her input on a quiet place near the border. She paused for a moment, not knowing what to say - she wasn't a great conversation prober, after all.

'Umm.. so do you like swimming?' Falwasi settled for, immediately regretting the awkward questioned as she cringed. She wrinkled her forehead and laughed softly as she nodded towards the creek. What a stupid question. she thought to herself. If only she were more of an extrovert when making conversation with an acquaintance.

Kaskara wasn't expecting a question quite like that. Did she like to go swimming? The answer was pretty easy, at least in the warmer months, but as it was getting cooler, she wasn't about to take a dip today. "When it's warm, I love swimming. As the fall settles in, though, I'd rather avoid water unless I'm drinking it." Getting wet and staying that way when it's cold out could be a recipe for disaster, or at least that was her experience. Maybe it would be different here during the winter.

"What about you?" Kaskara wasn't normally an idle chat type of wolf, but she decided that being polite and asking the same question was the least she could do. Scimitar and Bazi would appreciate the fact that she was trying to make friends instead of sulking in her den or out on a mission by herself. It wasn't that she was introverted or a loner; Kaskara just liked being by herself whenever she could, and most wolves weren't worth her time. Maybe she was a changed wolf.

[size=x-small]Fade? :)[/size]

The competitive wold nodded in understanding of why Kaskara didn't like to get wet in the cold - the water was numbing and even more so once you jumped out of the river, the water clinging to your fur threatening to freeze in the bitter weather. 'What about you?' the dark wolf asked. Falwasi contemplated for a second, 'I love it. Anytime, anywhere.' she said. The cold never bothered her anyway She never minded the cold, the joy overruled it; most of the time.

Her ears twitched. 'Well, I'd better get going. I'd like to go visit the place you told me about.' she said, changing the subject back to Kaskara's recommendation of peaceful sites. Her converse with one of the few females in the pack started off well, but it was going no where. Falwasi had run out of questions and wasn't too keen on embarrassing herself with awkward pauses, allowing their exchanges to plummet even more. And she was itching to find somewhere to rest.

Aw, why did you change the end of your post? :\

Kaskara wasn't sure what it was about her, but not many people liked to be around her for longer than a few minutes. Mostly Bazi and Scimitar were her constant companions, if she even decided to seek companionship for the day. Otherwise, she was mostly a lone wolf, doing her duties for the pack, but mostly keeping to herself. The Creek wolves just didn't seem to like getting to know her.

Maybe she smelled.

"It was nice to meet you," she said sincerely, smiling despite the ache of loneliness in her chest. "I hope you find what you're looking for. Maybe if I have another quest, you'd like to come along?" Kaskara wasn't usually so open, but it wouldn't hurt to get to know another member of her pack. After all, there were few females in the Creek, and they needed to stick together.

[size=x-small]I thought we could maybe spar in a new thread![/size]

'It was nice to meet you too,' Falwasi replied courteously, a fragile smile appearing on her lips, 'And definitely.' she said, grateful for the invitation considering she had been so awkward and painless. The slim wolf studied Kaskara's face one last time and turned, prepared to leave. A few steps after, she looked back, 'Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.' she said casually, a half-hearted tone.

It was true, and it was a rule Falwasi would have to learn to live by. She was a solitary wolf, with little patience or conversational capacity, but she lived in a full pack (to her, at least) and she would have to become a good companion when one of her pack mates needed her to be. Not a social butterfly, but be able to listen when they needed to be listened to, with some occasional knowledgeable inputs from her part.

"I'll let you know," she promised, moving to go about her day. Then Falwasi spoke a hauntingly familiar phrase her father had once told her, 'Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.' It wasn't exactly the same, but the message was still there: better to be with friends than alone. Her father would have added a few things about rank, but she knew his voice was speaking through Falwasi at that moment.

"Thanks," she said with a brighter smile, glad that the girl was at least warming up to her. They both seemed the solitary type, and though Kaskara wanted to be a good pack wolf, sometimes it was hard to open up to others and depend on them. In her experience, many wolves were not dependable, and would betray at the first opportunity. She was glad, at least, that she had Scimitar to lean on here. Kaskara turned and left, seeking out food, then water, then her brother, to see how he and Bazi were doing.