Jade Fern Grove one but not the same

For @Haven!

The haze of early morning broke through the grove; sunbeams scattered through the fading color of leaves still left to cling on old branches. As tall as the dry grasses of a summer behind them, Pasha wove his way easily through to the center of the Grove. He was hot on the trail of something, though in this case it was more like someone. His mother had intrigued him with her talk of a newly accepted wolf among them and he desired to seek them out.

As he came to what could have been best described as a major intersection for the pack, he paused. The scent became muddied, mingling strongly with the others that had been through in their wake. He lost it for the time being, giving up far too easy. The day was still early anyway and if nothing else, Pasha was determined to find them. Calling for them would have been too easy — he wanted to see what she was up to first. He ventured onward then, letting his still over-sized feet guide him towards a nearby stream. Hard work made for a thirsty wolf, so he set to drinking from the cool waters.

johnny cash — one

Haven sighed a long and happy sigh. Today had been just fine. She had spent to morning hunting, in which she had managed to kill a nice sized rabbit. The rabbit had tied her over for the rest of the day and she had spent it lazing about in a patch of flowers by a small stream. The young she-wolf loved rolling about in flowers, the scent intrigued her and the luminescent colors simply made her happy. Haven thought she was alone, and laid on her back completely vulnerable. Her pink tongue lolled out of her mouth and she watched upside down a small bug crawl up the stem of a pink flower.

Suddenly she heard a crackle sound, the sound of a twig breaking and she could smell the scent of wolf. She immediately rolled over and sat in a crouching position, ears perked straight up as she looked dead at a smaller wolf standing by the stream and drinking his share. He smelled familiar, like a Grove wolf. This relaxed Haven a bit, he looked familiar too. He looked a lot like Scimitar, the Alpha that had accepted her into the pack. Maybe they're relatedshe thought with a shrug before she stood completely up and made a short and friendly bark to the younger wolf.

Haven slowly trod away from her flower bed and came over to the other wolf. She cocked her head to the side as she looked him over, and said cheerfully, Are you related to Scimitar? It was quite an odd greeting, but she the grey and golden wolf didn't care. She simply spoke her mind.

While he was no expert tracker, it would have seemed that Pasha had come at least a little bit close. Close enough that Haven found him all on her own, when he had hoped for it to be the other way around. He had no more gained his fill from the crisp water when a bark pulled his attention swiftly from the action. He swallowed as he found her; for a moment all processes locked up as he tried to place her. But he couldn't, he didn't know her. Yet the description that his mother gave him seemed to match the wolf he had been looking for — large, grey and white. Only it seemed she had a little bit of an earthy tinge to her too.

"Uh," he started, "yeah, yeah I am. That's my dad." She got the drop on him in conversation, too. He compensated for it. "You must be that wolf my mom was talking about. It's Haven, right? I'm Pasha." She seemed cheerful enough, but it was clear he had his leeriness towards her. Of course that may as well have been natural coming from him, if only because she hadn't been apart of their pack for long at all. And just as Bazi had told him, there were no guarantees that she would stay.

Haven nodded sincerely as the younger wolf confirmed her thoughts, Well I can certainly believe that! She replied teasingly, then giving her fluffy white chest fur a quick lick. Haven paused from her quick grooming to give the other wolf a smile and a nod as he introduced himself and inquired about who she was. It made her happy that someone in the pack had told Pasha about her, it made her feel important. Yeah that's me. The newest member of the pack. I hope your mother, whom I assume is Bazi, spoke well of me. Do you think I lived up to her description? She asked, partly curious to what Bazi had said about her, and partly to see if this Pasha had a sense of humor.

Haven liked Pasha so far, but she would have to see how the rest of the meeting went. She hoped she could find a friend in him, for she wanted desperately to fit in with her new pack. The she-wolf watched Pasha, her golden eyes glinting in the light.

lmfao i really couldn't resist him saying this... >_>;;

Pasha had come to understand that was very much his father's mini-me. Perhaps he was in more than one way, but he couldn't have said. In his eyes, his parents may as well have been idols of some sort, but perhaps that was simply how children saw them. He offered up a bobble of his head to confirm that yes, Bazi was his mother. But he didn't quite get a word in edgewise as she continued talking and that was all fine too. He didn't mind the chatter in the slightest; she seemed comfortable in his presence. No attempt to coddle him or otherwise talk down to him, which had been a change of pace from the last newest recruit encounter.

"I don't know yet," he answered. "Mama says that you're a straggler and that sometimes stragglers don't last." After all, he hadn't seen Morgana for days, but had also gone out of his way to make sure she wasn't trying to tend after him. He was still a child but in his mind, he hardly needed to be looked after. "So are ya?" he asked after a beat. "Are you gonna leave after you're done doing whatever you're gonna do?" There was no tone in his voice to suggest that he carried some malice towards her — it was pure and inquisitive. The thought that maybe he should have kept his mouth shut on what Bazi thought never occurred to him.

Omg xD

Haven watched as Pasha nodded along with her speaking. I can see Bazi in him too. She thought, then letting Pasha speak. At his next words, Haven's smile dropped. Was that really what Bazi thought of me? She fretted, standing still with shock. The golden eyed wolf quickly swooped out of her daze and listened to Pasha's next question. No no of course not! She paused, thinking over her next words. 

I want this to be my new home. I used to have a pack, somewhere out of Teekon Wilds called Ivory Falls. We lived along this beautiful river, in the midst of a thick forest kind of like this one. In winter, the waterfall at the center of our territory would freeze over and look as white as ivory. It was beautiful there. My parents were Alpha's and I was Beta! I loved my pack, but there was a forest fire, and I got separated from my family. After the fire was done I tried to go back and search for scent trails, but all I could smell was the remnants of fire. I don't even know if some of my old pack members are alive. I miss them greatly. But I came to Teekon Wilds to find a new pack, and this is the one I chose. This is my new family, and I really hope I can prove myself to you all.

Haven finished with a faint smile, though speaking about her family had saddened her further. Her posture changed from perky and cheerful, to solemn and stiff.

Welp, that clearly wasn't the right thing to say. It was hard to miss the tone that turned up in her voice, but the reaction was by far the better indicator for him. She was still for fleeting moments but they soon gave way to something a bit more alive and animated. Uncertain of what was to come beyond her exclamation, Pasha had tentatively taken a step away.

And then she launched into a story. But not just any story, he learned as he listened. It was her story, what had brought her there. His ears laid back against his head as she spoke of the fire because he too, remembered fire. Perhaps not in essence of feeling the heat hot on his nape, but he remembered the lightning. He remember why they had left their home on the mountainside all that time ago (which wasn't really that long ago).

"Oh," he said, almost dumbly at first. "Our home caught on fire once too. That's why we live here now. Why the forest is ours." As for the rest of what she said, well, he didn't know how to comment on it. So he opted for the same response he had all those times Swift had shouted at him for trampling plants: "Sorry."

Pasha did seem sorry, for bringing up the topic. It hadn't occurred to Haven that the pack might not've been in the Grove very long. She had assumed that the pack had claimed this territory long ago, and that Pasha had been born here. She nodded when he spoke about his fire and how he had moved, for she understood how it felt. The brown and black wolf apologized for something, and Haven not really sure what he apologized for, simply smiled and replied, Its ok, I'm sorry too. Were both fine now, so the past is in the past huh?

Haven looked around the silvery blue stream trickling over stone and fallen branches. The water looked clear, and fresh, so Haven crouched down to take a quick sip. She lapped up the water, it tasted cool and pure. She stood back up, feeling refreshed, and glad that the whole sad backstory part was out of the way. So what were you doing following me? She inquired, mostly just teasing the pup. She gave him a sly smile, then turned to the stream and hopped on one of the rocks. She landed nimbly with perfect balance, then turned back to Pasha and beckoned with her head for him to follow her across the stream. She wanted to take a walk, she was done with sitting and wanted to explore.

The past was in the past? Sure, he could accept that as a truth of the world. It wasn't like any of them were able to get a grip on time and turn back the hands of the clock anyway, not that Pasha had come to entirely believe in that yet. He still wanted to believe that somehow Swift would see again, even though it lurked in the back of his mind that his brother didn't exactly have eyes to be seeing with.

His gaze followed hers for a moment as she looked around and as a question came forth she sprang away from him. Instinctively he followed, though his brow furrowed with a moment of confusion. "I wasn't following you," he said, though aware he was now. "Where are you going?" Was she done talking and that was that? He didn't like the connection he made but plowed through the narrow stream all the same. Pasha didn't mind getting a little wet.

Haven watched amused as Pasha rambled straight into the stream, splashing water everywhere. He asked where she was going, he seemed confused. I don't know. Somewhere. She paused before taking another graceful leap to the next stone. A bit of water splashed up into her eye, probably from Pasha, and she shook her head, golden and grey fur ruffling up around her neck. She sat on the next stone, for it was the biggest and glanced over at Pasha. So tell me about your family, do you have any brothers or sisters I should know about? Haven asked, hoping to strike up some more conversation with the Scimitar clone.

I had four siblings, before, well you know the fire and everything. I had two sisters and two brothers. There names were Ares, Aduin, Maja, and Owl. Ares and Maja were my sparring buddies, and Owl and Aduin were lazy. But they were all great. Haven recalled, not taking even a second to catch her breath. Talking about her family did make her sad, but it also felt good to share her feelings with another. And Pasha seemed like a pretty sympathetic wolf at much.

When it seemed that she wasn't so keen with getting out of the stream, he climbed atop of one of the many stones that dotted its path. So far she had stayed true to where she was going, which was well, somewhere. They had gone somewhere, even if it wasn't all that far away from where they had began in the first place. Shaking some of the excess water from his coat, he managed to keep his own balance as well. A small feat no doubt, seeing how the stones were slippery.

She wanted to know about his family and probably wasn't at all surprising. He guessed if she really did want to be apart of their pack then it would serve her well to get to know them. And as it were, he was a funnel full of information. "Well," he said when she had finished, "I've got like three brothers and a sister. Jorunn's the biggest of us, um, Whittier's just fat and lazy, and Swift's hurt and blind because bears scratched him. Allure's the girl." Real descriptive there, Pasha. A shrug followed his explanation of them.

"Someday there's gonna be more of us too, that's what Mama says." Of course, he had also fallen under the belief that after all this bear nonsense, everything was hunky dory between his folks too. The obliviousness that it was still otherwise suited him well, for now. Just like the obliviousness continued on stuff that was probably better left between family and not shared with every stranger.

Haven waited for Pasha to tromps out of the stream and onto her perch in the river. He shook himself off, water splashing over in her direction and all over her pelt. She frowned to herself and quickly turned to lick the water droplets off of her slick pelt. Once she felt clean enough, she turned back to Pasha and nodded for him to continue. He explained his family, and about how he had four siblings too, three brothers and a sister. His descriptions were short and brief and to the point. Haven approved with a giggle and a nod. 

Someday there's gonna be more? Well I guess they really have their future planned out. Haven thought sarcastically. After a moment, the Theta wolf's mind drifted back to what Pasha had said about the bear. Maybe he's talking about Morran, that bear Bazi told me about. She thought, then asked the younger wolf, Did you see the bears that scratched your brother? Did you have to fight them? Haven's eyes widened as she watched Pasha, trying to imagine the little tyke fending off a bear. She couldn't see it happening, but you know, anything's possible.

yay 100th post with pasha~

She didn't seem to like all the muck that he sent her way, but then again that seemed to be every girl to Pasha. Allure may have been the least clean of them all in his head, but then again that was because she was one of them. At least sometimes. Probably having four brothers to deal with had that affect too. Either way she seemed appeased with what little bits of information he could rattle off to her.

And then she had to go and bring up that bear. Or bears, as he had put it. Whether it had been one or several, Pasha didn't bother to clarify and wouldn't. His mother was still on guard about them and given all of the other weird things that had been going on, he didn't want to put it out of the realm of possibility that maybe multiple bears had something to do with everything.

"No," came his answer, "but I would have. We all would have. Because we're family." If any bear came back around to visit, he would have fought it. He didn't have the slightest clue on how to fight a bear, but he supposed he would figure it out. And he'd have to in a hurry, seeing how it hadn't taken much for them to hurt Swift in ways that Pasha only half-fathomed.

"Do you know how to fight them too?"

At first it seemed Pasha was a bit reluctant to talk about the bears. But he quickly answered her. She listened intently and a bit amused when he talked about fighting the bear. She nodded in agreement when he told her about how they would all fight because they were family. Haven knew she would've fought any bear to protect her family, and she could understand where the youngster was coming from. Then Pasha asked her a question she wasn't prepared to answer. Do you know how to fight them too?

Haven shook her head no, and explained, Well I've never fought a bear before. I imagine its pretty hard. bears are pretty big animals. Haven got a little side tract for a second, thinking about bears and how scary it would be to face one. She snapped out of it quickly, turning back to Pasha a bit embarrassed, But of course I would fight one. If any friend of mine gets stuck with a bear, I wouldn't hesitate to help. Like you said, I'd protect my family at any cost. And seeing as you're my new family you don't have to worry about a thing. She joked around on the last sentence, batting playfully at Pasha's ear.

Ooooh congratulations C:

danke!

Well dang, she hadn't fought one. Whatever imaginary pointers he had hoped to gain went crashing to the earth for the time being, though he was keen to listen to what she had to say. And what she said, well, let's just say that Pasha found himself uncertain of how to take that effort into how much she was willing to make them her family. It left him with mixed emotions, adding another wolf to their family. In a way, they already had Jorunn but as far as Pasha was concerned, Jorunn had always been there. He had been there through most of the stuff that mattered, anyway.

He bobbed his head away as she batted her paw at him. "Yeah, well, I guess we'll see," he said, though this time aware of how poor that sounded. "I mean, who knows what will happen right? Maybe the bears are gone." And maybe she'd up and leave them. Maybe she was in cahoots with the bears... no, that was silly. He dismissed the possibility. "So what are you good at, anyway? Me, I'm gonna be a warden and stuff." That's right, you heard it here first.

Haven, only a tad hurt that Pasha didn't seem to trust her quite yet, gave an inquisitive shrug when Pasha considered that the bears might be gone. I sure hope so! I'm sure not to excited to face a bear quite yet. She took a second to think about the younger wolf's question, then decided. Well I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to be a warrior. I've always found fighting kinda thrilling. You know all the adrenaline and excitement of not knowing what will happen! I'm also thinking about becoming a counselor, I really love helping others. And talking. Helping and talking that kinda muh thang. Haven put a comical accent on the last to words, and giggled a little.

She paused for a second, thinking over what she would say next, then decided, So you want to be a warden huh? Protecting borders and that kind of thing? The grey and gold ticked wolf smiled, her pearly whites showing a little. She found it amusing to hear Pasha talking as if he knew exactly what he was going to do with his life. Haven always thought she would spend her whole life at Ivory Falls with her family. She quickly found out that things change, and pretty fast too.

Man, it seemed like she had an answer for everything. Then again, given the fact that she was the one who was all grown up and everything, perhaps she was truly the one who should have had everything figured out. And that's how adults struck him — they had everything all figured out. They made the rules, they did all the cool stuff. And when in doubt, they also handled all of the stuff that usually made little sense to someone of his likes. Either way, it was a place and a time that Pasha couldn't wait to get to, even though he hadn't really the slightest clue that a place and a time wasn't how it happened. The intricacies of life eluded him.

"No, not want," he said with a sigh. "I am. I'm gonna be." He fought the inclination to roll his eyes dramatically — that was something he expected Whittier to do. Not like he hadn't done it to Bazi a few times trying to get his way. "I already protect the borders and stuff. I learned from my dad," he went on to say before she could get a word in edgewise. If anything, he was steadfast in "tending" to the borders. It was a learning process, but to him he was already doing more than just acting out what he thought he needed to be.

Haven nodded in approval at Pasha's determination. She believed him, for he wasn't joking around. Unlike most others, Haven had never really found a difference in younger wolves and adults. She thought that being young just meant you were smaller, and it hadn't occurred to you that people associated age with knowledge. She treated all as her equal. She did notice that he had spoken quicker, trying to get everything in before she could speak. She found that funny. You can't talk to Haven without hearing what she has to say about every topic brought up.

 Well its a good thing your planning your life out already. I had plans too, but I guess they didn't turn out exactly as I thought they would. She shrugged, then looked down into the river around her perch. Time seemed to have gone by quickly talking to Pasha, and Haven had quite enjoyed getting to know her fellow pack mate. However she was getting hungry, and she could feel her stomach growling softly. I should go hunting for a snack at least, I haven't eaten since last night.She thought with a thoughtful look. She then turned back to Pasha and smiled, Well I had a great talk with you, its nice to get to know my packmates. But I'm starved, a girl's gotta eat you know. But if you ever need to talk, you know who to howl for! She winked charmingly, coming to her paws as she prepared to leave.

Wrap it up here? Feel free to pp Haven running off if you want c: