Blackfoot Forest Lately

For @Leto!!

Aveline was up early and ready to go. She wanted to explore her new territory more deeply, scout out the borders and memorize them. Create a map in her mind. To her, it was a mandatory thing that she must do if she is going to support her pack. She stood there for a quick moment, pondering on which direction she should go first before finally deciding upon heading left. Large paws led the large woman through the thick but leafless foliage and around trunks. Eventually, she made it to the borderline, opposite from where she had sat, waiting to be accepted only days ago. 

Without stepping over the border just yet -- as if it could break the thread that bound her here, she began to trace the territory's perimeter. The wind carried cheerful, summery smells to her nose, along with the scent that promised new beginnings were to arrive. Green would return to the foresaken place and the herds would come back. The skinny wolves she saw around her would become healthy again. With her few days within the region, Aveline had already begin to thin. Her bulkiness was quickly turning into slenderness and before she knew it, she would be lanky and bony like everyone else. She feared for her health and just had to hope for the best. Soon, life would return, and then she would be able to help nurse not only herself but her whole pack back to health.

heyo!

His ill fated reunion with Liri left him down in the dumps, though most wouldn't be able to tell. Leto was good at keeping other's noses out of his past and hiding behind his joking demeanor. If any encountered him, they wouldn't guess that the poor boy was consumed with guilt.

He threw himself into pack life, giving Liri her space by patrolling or searching for meager prey. Spotting Aveline ahead, Leto loped to the dark female's side and feigned his usual cocky smirk.

"Hey, Aveline." Leto greeted her friendly, having known little of her since joining the pack. 

for some reason I thought this one of Leto's and Minna's threads??

Haha, you're fine! It happens to all of us at one point.

The large black creature turned her head at the sound of her name. This voice was not familiar to her, and she wondered how they knew her name. She sure didn't know his name. A smile formed on her lips anyways, as he seemed pretty friendly. His coat was of snow, and it slighly reminded her of Liri, but not quite. His frame was bulky and large, with visible muscles despite the toll the locusts had caused on everyone. Aveline herself was still taller than him, but at least he was a bit taller than Emily. "Hello...." She trailed off, not knowing his name. "Vat is your name?" She asked just in case he didn't catch the hint to fill in for her.

She continued to lazily walk along to borderline, scraping her paw pad against the dirt to freshen the scent once in a while. She knew her smell was still a bit foreign, but hopefully it would blend in soon. Her black ears twitched as she waited for the boy's response and she lost her focuse on him for a spilt second, eyes wandering around their surroundings. There, in front of them lay Little Goat Mountain. She squinted her eyes, tying to find any 'little goats' anywhere. That's got to be why they named it that, right? Because goats live up their? The name still remained a mystery. Finally, she pulled her gaze back to the white male to await his response.

"I'm Leto." He told her as he moved to patrol the border with her. His scent was still kinda iffy but you could tell he at least lived here if not that he was a pack member. Whenever he came across a weak spot he rubbed his scent onto as Aveline did, glancing at her every now and again.

"That's an interesting accent. Where you from?" His question was purely curious, she could choose not to answer if she so wished.

Leto. What an interesting name. It was nice though. He asked her where she was from, and Aveline opened her mouth to tell him. It didn't bother her one bit that he asked, and her past was not all that bad. "I come from a place vay up north." She told him. "But my family speaks German, or Deutsche." She said, stating the way it's said while speaking her language. Her tail wagged as she spoke to him, quite liking this conversation. She liked having others that were new, so she could share learning expiriences with them. Sure, it was always nice to have wolves who had spent more time in the pack than she has to look up to, but it was also nice to have others that were in the same boat. "Vere do you come from, Leto? Do you have family members in zis pack?" She added the last question just to check. Emily and Aaron were siblings, so who was to say that there weren't more? She continued to trace the borderline, a single ear focused on Leto while the other kept track on what was going on around them.

"I came from the north as well but I dont believe it was the same place you were from." Leto mused aloud. He didn't speak German or Deutsche. Nor had he seen any families of huge wolves that spoke it either. 

"Oh yes, my sister Liri is in this pack." His tail wagged at the thought of his sister, he knew she would forgive him someday. She had to.

Aveline smiled and her tail wagged. He was a mighty nice wolf who didn't judge and she felt comfortable around him. This was nice. She listened to him with a focused ear and nodded along as he spoke. "Yeah, vell zee north is a fery big place. I am not surprised zat our families have not crossed paths." She spoke after he finished his first sentence, glancing at him quickly to gouge his reaction before turning her eyes to the road again. 

She nodded in interest as he told her Liri was his sister. He seemed very happy and proud as he spoke of her and Aveline guessed they have a very good relationship. She didn't know of the hardships he and his siblings had gone through, nor did he elaborate on them, so Aveline had no knowledge of their fights. Maybe it was just better that way. "Ah yes. She is a fery nice lady. I am fery fond of her." She told him. She thought he ought to know that she thought very fondly of his sister.

Leto smiled kindly, glad that Liri was nice to someone if not him. "I think she's pretty good for a sister." Leto wasn't sure how to feel about Liri. She had been a completely different person as a pup and now he had to learn to love who she had become. He was certain he would be able to, in time.

"Do you have any idea of what you want your trade to be?" Leto tried to draw the attention away from the tense relationship with his sister, hoping to make a friend of Aveline.

Aveline nodded thoughtfully as she looked ahead of them. She paused and dragged her paw along the dirt to mark the borders again. Her tail swayed from side to side as she ramdomly began thinking about her future. She wondered what it had in stpore for her, but she soon shook her head and returned to reality. Leto asked her what trade she was aiming for and the thought.

"Mercenary -- Varrior to be specific," She told him. She was big and bulky and already knew an abundance of battle skills. She knew she could become an exemplary fighter if she put her mind to it, and she was putting her mind to it. She glanced around before her eyes fell upon Leto again. "Vat about you? Vat trade do you look for."

Leto's tail wagged as he smiled broadly at her. "The same as you, I was a warrior at my old pack. Perhaps we can spar sometime?" Leto suggested, shrugging in a friendly manner. Truth be told, the pale man was always up for a friendly round of sparring.

Aveline listened with interest, black ears pricked. Aaron had already mentioned sparring with her, but another training partner would be great. Practice makes perfect, and Aveline planned on becoming one of Rosings' best warriors. For that, she had to practice. "Zat is awesome! I vould love to." She told him with a hint of amusement hanging in her voice. 

She continued to walk along the border until she reached a spot where she could see Little Goat Mountain looming up into the distance. It would be rocky terrain from here, but Aveline was determined to make it all the way around the territory in one day. She dragged her paw along the ground once more before launching into a trot. She could see a hint of red and pink in the horizon. Lover's grove.

fade here?

Aveline agreed, causing Leto to smile. A moment later, Aveline was padding around the border in the direction of Lover's Grove.

She seemed busy so Leto dipped his head, deciding to go patrol a different part rather than slow Aveline down. "Catch ya later, Aveline." Leto called over his shoulder before loping into the dark forest.

Aveline glanced at him, suprised at his hasty escape, but she paid no mind. Maybe he had something to do that he just remembered, or didn't want to slow her down. Either way, she was fine with it. "Okay, bye Leto!" She called back to him, tail swishing with pleasure. "Hope to see you soon!!" The giant wolf then turned back to her task at hand, ears pricked and eyes alert. She was going to do this.

Thanks for the thread!