Horizon Ridge hum drum

Kennedy had always enjoyed peace and quiet, but even he was growing restless. As he lay on the grassy strip that separated the beach from the ridge, his tail twitched in anticipation. The air was warm, and yet he was doing nothing with it. Never before had he felt such unease within him, and the Delta was beginning to wonder if things would remain this way. Although his ascension into the ranks had been a huge ego boost, he did not feel any extra responsibility thrust upon him. In fact, he had not felt compelled to do much of anything aside from feed himself and occasionally seek out Pied or Pump.

Today, though, he could take it no longer. Raising his chin (and voice) to the heavens, he called out for anybody to do something with him. He was desperately bored, and the nearly five year old male needed something to occupy his mind.

Thistle cloud was now 2 years old. She didn't feel any older and she wasn't yet in season for which she was happy for, because in that case she could easily answer the call of a fellow pack mate that sounded male. She too had been bored of late and was in dire need of something to do. Her mind was occupied with many things, one such thing was whether or not she was going to find a mate this year. She of course realized that she was still young, but the words that the Gamma had spoken had struck a chord in the young femmes heart strings.

Soon enough she came upon the other wolf a male of her pack and she smiled while averting her eyes and wagging her tail. "Hello I'm Thistle Cloud. You called?

Edy was close to giving up when a young light brown wolf came onto the scene. It was not anybody that he knew, which made him slightly wary, but her scent mingled with Akhlut's gave him confidence that nothing was amiss. She introduced herself, and Edy nodded in response. “Kennedy Razorback,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” With the way she carried herself, Edy was almost certain that she was younger, but considering they were both adults, he did not put much weight on her youth.

“I was thinking of going for a bit of a swim, considering the nice weather today.” Spring was in the air, and it would not be long before all the days were warm and breezy like it was today. Kennedy knew the dangers of the ocean (especially after Pied), but not all dangerous things could be avoided all the time. At some point, the risk was worth it.

Like the other wolf before her she was wary as well, but she could smell her new pack on him, so she didn't stay wary for long. " It's nice to meet you too Kennedy. I believe Pied told me a little bit about you. She was telling me the other members of the pack. She smiled again and tilted her head.

Thistle looked down towards the ocean and then the river. "Do you mean in the river or in the ocean? I would think the ocean would still be a bit tumultuous would it not after that one storm? Thistle could swim if the occasion called for it, and she even liked it, but her father had always taught her to never go near the ocean when there had been a storm, the tides were usually to strong for even the best swimmers.

Kennedy could only hope that Pied had said good things about him, though he could not really fault her if she had not. Edy was not really sure there was much to say about him at all, so the fact that Pied had mentioned him at all was a bit of a surprise. Briefly, Edy wondered if Pied had also told Thistle of Pump, and he imagined that she would have. Pump had been around longer than he had, and she was a bit more colorful than himself (or so he believed).

“Perhaps,” he replied, “But as long as we don’t go getting too deep in the water, we should be fine.” One could never been one hundred percent certain of these things, but Kennedy had a feeling they would be fine as long as they weren't getting themselves into the riptide.

Thistle Cloud would not say what Pied had spoken with her about even if he had asked. Pied had certainly told her he was nice. The context of the conversation was a bit innapproiate anyway since as a matter of fact Pied had been ticking off the names of the eligible bachelors in the pack for Thistle. First and foremost it was a bit of an embarassing topic for a young one who was still learning and two you just didn't bring that up to the males in question. What would she say anyway oh i heard your free to mate with.

Thistle chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment and then nodded. "Okay i'm not the world's strongest swimmer, but it should be fun. You won't let anything happen to me right? The last part she partly teased, but at the same time she was a little worried about it and it added a slight seriousness to the teasing tone she held.

“Of course not,” Edy replied with a genuine smile. He would gain nothing from letting her get hurt, and considering she was a pack mate, he actually had something to gain by keeping her safe. Everybody had their place in the pack, and although Kennedy did not know what Thistle excelled in, he imagined it must have been something, or Akhlut would not have allowed her to join the ranks. At least he hoped that was the case. As much as the Razorback liked to care for others, he knew that dead weight was not something a pack wanted on their plate.

He trotted toward the waves which crashed on the shore, and when he was elbow-deep in the water, he checked back to see where Thistle was. “It’s a bit chilly!” he observed, shaking his coat to accentuate his point.

Feeling a deep relief when he said of course not, she had not realized how keyed up she was. It was partly because her father had always told her to never go in the deep water without someone. She was still learning to break the ties that bound her to her parents, it was harder than she thought. Thistle could heal and help others and she had a caring nature, that was probably why she had been accepted into ranks. though she would never really know.

Thistle bounded after him her tongue hanging out in merriment. A quick gasp brought her to the present when she hit the water and it was ice cold. "Oh my that is cold." She shivered slightly but she lightly pushed a pawful of water at her pack mate and laughed at him. "Can't catch me.

“Challenge accepted!” replied Edy, bounding after her with delight. This is what he had been seeking at the ridge. Pack-mates who cared. Those who sought his company and had fun doing so. Although his conversation with Pump was still on his mind, this particular moment would help to keep him here. Knowing that not all hope was lost; knowing that things could get better; knowing that his time here might be well-spent.

Little did he know his happiness would be short-lived. In just a couple of short weeks, Edy's life would be turned upside-down.

Thistle Cloud laughed with delight and splashed away from him turning now and again to splash a pawful of water at him. Thistle cloud did indeed care about her pack mates, even if she did not know them well. She was a caring wolf by nature and though a bit young and naive she did her best to approach most of her pack mates with maturity and kindness though like today her playful young side showed through.

She was enjoying this frolic in the ocean, it made her think of her brothers and parents in a good way.

Wrapping this one up, since it's nearly a month old!

Kennedy continued to frolic with Thistle for quite some time, playfully crashing into her and splashing water this way and that. Their time in the shallow waters was devoid of any blackfish, and for that, the Razorback was thankful. He would gladly give his life to save that of a pack-mate, although it was not the way he wished to go, of course.

When he had finally had enough of the salty water, he trotted toward the drier beaches and flopped on his side. Edy offered a spot beside him for Thistle, and then promptly fell into a deep slumber. When he awoke, he would head back to the higher elevations of the ridge.

Okay new thread sometime soon?

Thistle followed behind the darker male panting softly in exertion. It had been a fun day. Flopping down beside him she curled up and lay her tail across her nose and she soon followed him into the land of dreams, thankful for the day and the fun he had brought her.