Panther Park twelve seconds, and you're in the wrong booth.

I have some Liffspiration, so I'm going to forward date this to Sunday 9/10

She couldn't take it anymore. The weight of responsibility to her pack was heavy upon her shoulders, but not heavy enough to prevent her from stepping beyond the borders and into the Wilds. A quick call to the rest of the pack was all she gave, just like it was any other scouting trip. Likely, the urgency and anxiety in her voice gave her away to any who heard that it was far different, but Liffey paid it no mind as she cantered away from the territory, directing herself towards the path she knew Rannoch had planned to take.

The young Blackthorn had run until her legs began to scream in protest. Even then, she had to fight herself to slow. She was panting hard as she finally approached a stream, lazily trickling between an unfamiliar grove of conifers. She'd passed by the edge of this forest before, but had always avoided it due to the strength of the scent of other predators. There was little choice in the decision she made now, though. It was this or collapse, and her still inexplicable desperation to find Rannoch meant that collapsing was simply not an option.

Hope it's ok if I jump in!

Finding the flatlands to her liking, Miyako had decided to stick around for a while, preying on deer that had broken their legs and were unable to carry on with the rest of their families. After a while, she got a little bored of the golden plains and wandered a little bit further south, seeing trees in the distance. Under the trees, it was cool and dark, and she found herself meandering through with curiosity, eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.

A low growl startled her, and she stopped dead in her tracks, heart in her throat. In front of her, a big cat snarled over its prey, a small adolescent buck, blood dripping from its massive jaws. Miyako knew how vicious mountain lions could be--they occasionally wandered down from the mountains to the coastline, her father having more than one confrontation with the creatures. She backed off quickly, keeping her body language neutral, and sidled off sideways, breathing a sigh of relief as the cat resumed ripping flesh.

She kept the corner of her eye fixed on the lion until it was hidden behind trees, then took off at a swifter pace, flitting through the forest until she reached a small stream. Wanting to wash the acrid taste of adrenaline from her mouth, Miyako dipped her head to drink, and was about to lap up the cool forest water when she noticed movement close by. Great, another fucking lion, she thought--and was surprised to find another wolf, just a few feet away.

"Oh, hey," she greeted, keeping her voice low. "I'm sorry if I startled you." Too late, she noticed the anxiety in the wolf's eyes, her legs trembling ever so faintly. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Miyako wasn't one to usually offer help except to those who truly needed it. This girl really looked like she truly needed it.

absolutely!

Liffey was lifting her head from the stream when she heard a voice behind her. She was surprised, but she didn't start at all due to the exhaustion and anxiety that dominated her feelings at that moment. The gamma's head snapped to the direction the voice came from and the fire of her eyes settled upon a young female bathed in swatches of black. There was concern upon her face and in her tone that put Liffey at ease, but only just.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Liffey answered, "I'm just worried about someone is all. A friend of mine left our pack a week ago and hasn't returned and I need to find him. I just have this feeling that.. I don't know. I can't explain it. I just need to find him." She paused to shake her head, realizing she wasn't making much sense or explaining herself very well. She looked off into the woods around them with desperate longing in her eyes. She needed to calm down and she knew it, but was finding it difficult at the moment.

Miyako heard the young wolf out, nodding intermittently at her words. She felt more than some sympathy for her plight, but there was a choice to be made here. It would be incredibly easy, and maybe smart, to tell the stranger, "Sorry to hear that; I hope you find him soon," and be off on her merry way. She had no idea what sort of a predicament this friend had gotten himself into! Or if this girl was trying to lead wolves into some sort of trap. . .

On the other hand, Miyako caught no trace of deception in her mannerisms or words, especially as she struggled to stay calm. Master manipulators could fake anxiety, but not quite like this. And living in a family full of said master manipulators, she had learned well to sniff out who was genuine and who was faking it.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," she said finally, giving the girl a sincere look. "What does he look like? Maybe I've seen him nearby." She only had seen a couple of wolves in the flatlands, and wasn't quite sure if she remembered their specific appearances, but it was something to say, at least.

"Or I could help you look for him," Miyako blurted in addition, almost immediately regretting it. You idiot! Don't get yourself hooked up in drama. Eh, whatever, she thought, basically telling her common sense to stuff it. "I don't belong to any pack, or have any responsibilities. I'm new here, so there's no places I'm afraid or don't want to go to."

The other wolf didn't need to do much to comfort her. Simply talking to someone about it was settling her hammering heart. Liffey looked at the other wolf's face as she spoke, focusing on each word in an effort to forget the toxic ones that were swimming about her head. The stranger turned out to be kind. She offered what help she could, which was truthfully not much, but the young Blackthorn was grateful nonetheless.

"He's a large wolf with slate gray fur and turquoise eyes," Liffey explained, the sight of his face swimming brightly in her mind, "You're very kind to offer to help. I just began to search, and I honestly am not even sure where to begin." She looked away, her eyes slipping across the horizon. It hadn't seemed to hopeless when she'd been contemplating this at the Vale. Now that she was away.. she didn't know what to think.

Poor girl, Miyako thought sadly. Younger than herself, this wolf was in shambles regarding the well-being of her loved one.

"Slate gray?" she mused, thinking. "I did run into a gray wolf with bright blue eyes the other day. . ." And he was young, about the age of this girl, but didn't seem lost? Still, it was worth bringing up. "His name was Mouse."

She screwed up her mouth, thinking. "If Mouse isn't who you're looking for, then. . ." Miyako racked her brain, thinking of the possibilities. Deep down, she really was questioning why she was helping this stranger. "Does he have any family nearby? Friends he could have gone to visit?"

Miyako stepped forward a little with a smile. "I'm Miyako. Let me help. I honestly am just wandering and have all the time in the world."

There was possibility on the dark woman's tongue, and Liffey found her desperation rising in the seconds before she announced that the name of the fellow she had met was not Rannoch, but Mouse. Her hope fell quickly and she shook her head. She wasn't looking for Mouse. She already knew where he was - safe and sound back at the Vale she had just abandoned.

She was quiet and thoughtful as the stranger continued. When she offered her assistance again, Liffey gave her a tired glance before nodding. "Thank you, some help would be great." She needed it more than she'd realized that she would, and that added to the fright she felt already. Of course, all she really needed was to calm down and catch her breath for a minute and she'd come back to herself. The Blackthorn was an experienced scout and gifted naturalist - wandering around by herself, looking for things was a job she'd been born to do. But at the moment, everything felt too overwhelming for the yearling, and companionship was a much needed bandage.

"I'm Liffey, and Mouse is actually a packmate of mine, but not the one I'm looking for," Liffey said, retracing the steps of their conversation to address all that had been said, "I'm looking for a wolf named Rannoch. His only family that I know of lives with us in the Vale. It's his brother that he left to find, so he would go wherever Cypress might go. I can't.. think where that would be, though."

Rannoch. Liffey. Mouse. Cypress. The unfamiliar names fluttered through her mind for a moment like the leaves falling from the trees above them, melding together slowly in a whirl of colors. She began to sort them out. This female was Liffey. Liffey was looking for Rannoch, whose brother was Cypress. And Miyako herself had run into one of Liffey's packmates, Mouse, but he was not the one she sought.

"Cypress. Does he look like Rannoch, or different?" she asked, cocking her head. "And you're sure he only has the one brother?" No harm in asking--had to be thorough, after all.

She began to pad slowly in a small oval, thinking. She lifted her head to look at Liffey. "I don't think I've been to the Vale yet. I crossed the mountains much further south of here. Is your pack big or small?" It was small talk, designed to break the silence while her mind was occupied in thought, trying to think of all of the faces she's seen lately.

"I don't think I've run into Rannoch," Miyako said after a little while, her voice sad. "But my travels are far from over. Even if I don't stay by your side, if I see him, I can tell him you're looking. I mean--he probably knows you'd be looking, but I can tell him roughly where you are, and--" She cut off, giving Liffey a rueful smile. "Just let me know if I could be of any more help."

Liffey nodded as the dark female responded. "Cypress looks different - all black with some lighter gray on his back," she replied, bringing him to mind, "Just one brother. He has cousins he considers brothers, but one has been gone a long time. The other is at the Vale, so Cypress is the only missing one."

She was still was Miyako began to pace, her own thoughts walking in similar circles in her mind. "The Vale is average-sized, I'd say," she replied, almost mechanically as she continued to try to work out where Rannoch may have gone. Miyako continued to speak, but Liffey's mind had finally settled enough to begind drawing her path, so she remained quiet for a few seconds even after the other girl had finished.

"I think.. I'm going to head North West towards Neverwinter Forest," she explained, "Rannoch and Cypress grew up there. It makes sense that maybe Rannoch would have gone there to look for Cypress. Maybe after I'll go to Moonspear, if I don't find him. They're our allies, and we have close friends amongst their ranks. I don't know why Cypress would up and disappear to go see them, but... It's the most I have to go on."

Liffey took a breath, feeling calmer now that she had some sense of direction. It also helped that she'd taken a sufficiently long break from her panicked sprinting. She smiled at Miyako gratefully. "Thank you. Talking this through out loud has been helpful," she said, "If in your travels you come across either of them, you can at least let them know where I'm headed. And you can tell them to just go home - I'll probably go back there if Neverwinter and Moonspear don't work out."

She returned Liffey's smile, feeling fortunate that she had provided anything in the way of assistance. "Well, I'm happy that talking about it helped," Miyako said amiably. "Hopefully I can steer Rannoch in the right direction if I run into him."

It had come to the point where she had just about given all the aid she could to the young female. Clearing her throat a bit awkwardly, she broke the silence and said, "I'll let you be on your way. If you're going northwest, then maybe I'll head the opposite way. Cover more of our bases."

Pausing, she lifted her snout and inhaled deeply. "Just to let you know, there was a mountain lion over that way," she said, pointing with her nose back where she came, "but it was eating. As long as you don't try to take its food, it'll stay put." Miyako dipped her head briefly to take a draw of water from the stream, then, shaking the excess droplets from her muzzle, she smiled at Liffey.

"Take care, Liffey," she said in farewell, touching her nose to the girl's shoulder before taking off at a slow trot through the forest, adding over her shoulder, "I hope you find Rannoch. I'll keep an eye out."

That girl had better be lucky, Miyako thought to herself grimly. Big world out there. Dangerous, too.

Liffey smiled as Miyako responded to her words. She truly felt lighter now that she'd had a moment to breathe and talk things through. The other girl likely didn't think she had done much, but she'd helped Liffey accomplish more than she could have on her own.

She looked in the direction Miyako pointed, her nerves twitching at the news that there had been a mountain lion so near them this whole time. In many ways, Liffey had inherited her mother's nerve, but not the stupid ones that said large, vicious predators were just playthings (fortunately). It was good to know it wasn't on the prowl, but Liffey was definitely going to be on her way as soon as they said their goodbyes.

"Thank you - you be safe out there. I hope we see each other again," Liffey said as the other girl departed. It wouldn't be until she was out of sight that the Blackthorn realized she should have suggested she head to the Vale to seek shelter. Hopefully, her wishes would come true and they'd happen upon each other again and Liffey would get that chance. For now, she headed North West, continuing her hunt for Rannoch.