Swiftcurrent Creek the nights were mainly made for saying things you can't say tomorrow day

she wondered how long, exactly, the pack had been here; hardly near enough to be considered any sort of threat or near neighbour, but too not far enough to go unnoticed for as long as it had. her brow furrowed once as she peered through the trees, a fair distance back from the markers that revealed little about hos long the pack had been here. perhaps a few weeks, perhaps a few months; she was willing to bet on the former, but didn't particularly care. 

muzzle tilted upward to let fly a summons to an inhabitant of this place, be it leader or ranking member. she merely wanted to trade information, to learn where this pack ranked on their scale of allies.

Arrille did some patrolling that day. So it was by mere chance that the wolf that called for the pack was to meet him, as he came for the call. He stopped, merely huffing to ackowledge them. He was never in a good mood. This was no exception. "How can I help you on this fine day?" he asked, with some attitude. He never really did stay calm, or lack attitude.

a boy arrived - huffy, it seemed, though if this were standard border practice of merely an angsty adolescent she had yet to determine. no names were offered or demanded, no introductions, merely a question laced with trace amounts of sarcasm. she paused a moment, briefly, before adapting to answer in a similar fashion.  "telling me the name of your pack would be helpful. I'm a scout, and I this is the first I've seen a pack here." 

Arrille guessed they were a loner, or a scout. As it was she was the latter. For the sake of his pack, he might as well try to give a good impression, even if it was ruined already. "Swiftcurrent Creek" the pale wolf had answered to her. "Best to know, it's a pack by a creek" he added, just not helping with his sarcasm.

he seemed especially fond of sarcasm, and she watched him a moment before continuing, not revealing her own allegiances or rank, and would not unless pushed. "and how long have you been here?" it wasn't especially relevant, nor useful, but less intrusive questions might have the boy open up a little more.

Arrille shrugged. "Few weeks. Give or take. I don't really keep track of time myself" he answered, and usually he kept quiet a lot of the time. So was it al she wanted, to know the name of this pack? He sighed, feeling now maybe he was a bit too careless about this. "Arrille. The name is Arrille."

he offered the information offhandedly, noncommittally, yet she took and stored it carefully. one never knew when tidbits of knowledge may become useful, she'd learned, and said nothing. finally, a name was offered, and after a beat did she echo his introduction. "Dawn, Morningside."  both a surname and her pack, though it would be seen how it was interpreted. 

she felt like this was very much a one-sided interrogation, and this had her hesitate before forging ahead. "who leads your pack, then?" leader's monikers could certainly be useful, and was hardly considered sensitive information in most packs.

The name seemed simple in his mind, Dawn. But he made no comment on that, just watching her with most curious eyes. "They're name is Constantine. Not here right now, must be elsewhere in the pack" the pale wolf answered to her. "What of your pack? I feel I should know some things in return, in case my alpha asks."

he offered the information easily enough, but seemed to clue into that he should be getting something out of this as well. she could hardly blame him, and it was only fair to offer information in return. "morningside is to the north of here. we claim the maplewood and the neighbouring plains." she bit in another question, allowing the boy room to speak, should he wish to, without more question to navigate.

Arrille listened. A place to the north it was, then. "And who leads there?" he asked next, curious more and more about this pack of hers. "Don't think I've been round there if I think. Been round the coast, more" he added, wondering what else was round that direction of the maplewood.

he continued to question her, making up for lost ground, perhaps. "my mate and myself, and a woman called Pema." she paused a moment before her next question, coutning through those still ingering in her mind and pulling to the firefront those she deemed most important. "does swiftcurrent claim any hunting ground beside the river?" as morningside had claimed the maplewood, perhaps too did swiftcurrent lay claim to some other territory she ought to avoid in the future.

Arrille nodded along. Then Dawn returned a question. "I remain in the territory most of the time, but yes. We hunt that way sometimes" he answered. Though he didn't join the hunts much. In the pack he preferred solitude, and was surprised no one seemed to care or at least for so far no one seemed to not.

so they hunted the length of the river, but not much beyond that. that was easy enough; she didn't have much patience, nor love, for fishing. backtracking to something he'd said earlier, she probed, "are you from the coast?" perhaps it was only him, or the pack, but either way the coastal packs had interested her always.

Arrille nodded. As much as he did not like thinking back to his time on the coast, he had once lived there and that he could not forget. "Lived for a time there. Not that I care for it anymore" he answered, huffing at the memories of the coastline that he had.

judging by his tone, he seemed less than eager to talk of his time on the coast, of the coast in general, and she merely nodded. she was fairly satisfied with what she'd gleaned from the boy; this was Swiftcurrent, led by Constantine, and they claimed the river. her tail shifted behind her, her weight shifted, and yet she was hesitant to leave just yet. "do you know of any other packs to the south of here, or in the valley?"  a question both to determine their own allegiances, and to see if any others had settled her recently.

Arrille shook his head. He didn't know of any others, having not left the area. He stayed in the pack. "If anyone did, it would be someone else in the pack" he answered back to Dawn. "I do no leave this place, and have not met any other packs" he added. If anyone was to know...well, he wasn't actually sure just who else could know.

well, that was certainly a dead end. still, she might as well ask the final question that weighed on her mind, still. "have you met a boy called sunny? greyscale, and wandering the valley, I think."  it was unlikely, surely, but perhaps he'd come here at some point or another, and she'd like to keep tabs on her hotheaded brother.

"Sunny? You have...rather simple names" he said, he could not help himself. "And no, no one named Sunny I'd met." So he was rather confused why she asked, someone of her pack no doubt. Or someone she was looking for. Arrille didn't really look into it, except that they weren't here.

her brow raised a fraction, and she replied, "our mother was a simple-minded woman, before she up and left." pausing a moment, she dipped her head, rising smoothly to her paws. "thank you, Arrille. I won't take any more of your time." surveying him once more, simple facts committed well to memory, she uttered a short farewell before turning on her heel and heading north, paws easing into a lope as the territory to her rear faded.

Now he felt bad. His mother had left him too. "I...I didn't know I..." He could not say anymore, his own pain of how his own mother had left him. He wanted to say more before she was thanking him, and then she was off. He felt bad now, for being all sarcastic and not really bothered.