hoping for anyone in the grotto! Maybe
@Skeet?
The Grotto was calm, it was a change that the young girl really appreciated. She'd met a handful of wolves, each she found she didn't mind. Reek was probably her favorite, mostly because they spoke with similar dialects and (to an extremely impressionable yearling) she found him charming. Not really attractive, she wouldn't say that much, but he wasn't all work no play. He was kind and appeared generous to her, and she respected him. Taggarik was more work than he was play, and Jhala felt she connected more with her new Alpha.
She wandered aimlessly, following a few trails of wolves or prey but always growing distracted. It was just one of those days, she supposed. Jhala found nothing worth pursuing but had no desire to stop and settle. So she moved forward, her mind floating with her thoughts.
HERE I AM *trips and rolls in*
Skeet was still in need of meeting the other women and men that lived in the grotto, and he decided to take it upon himself to search them out. With his schnozz all jacked up, it would be a bit hard. However, his ears and eyes were extra keen to see what moved around the trails of the land.
With his long legs covering the ground, he strode over the dirt. His pace wasn't very fast, but his long strides made it seem as if he was overstepping. What came into view was a darker woman, looking a bit similar to Lani, but yet different. A kind smirk was plastered onto his face, his pace quickening. He decided to call out to her.
"Hey! Wait up!" He said, starting to trot towards her.
There was a moment where she was completely filled with thoughts and nothing but her own thoughts- but said moment did not last long. A call interrupted her inner peace (or unnecessary worrying), leaving the girl to freeze and turn to see where the call came from. She saw a male, dusty looking but friendly enough. She stared after him for a minute before she decided to make any movements towards him. He'd already caught up, for the most part, her standing and reabsorbing the world had taken up a bit of time. She greeted him with a friendly tail wag and a smile, but a step back as well. "Hiya," she woofed, head cocking to her right. "I'm Jhala," the dark girl greeted.
The darker girl seemed to have heard Skeet's calls, for she stopped to face him. Her paws withdrew in a step, her head tilted in a peculiar manner. Her body posture represented her contentment, a tail wagging happily. With his charming smile, he listened to her greeting. So her name was Jhala? New and different, exotic if you would.
Skeet liked it, it fitted her.
"I'm Skeet" he said towards her kindly, his smile not once fading.
"Mind if I walk with ya?" He asked, hoping to not intrude.
Sorry for the delay!!!!!
"Sure," she replied cooly, somewhat excited to have someone to decide what to do with- unless walking was all they would do. Skeet was an odd name. She felt like she knew it as some sort of profanity from her old pack, but she couldn't quite remember how it was use or what it meant- so she made no comment of it. Part of her did however want to ask what it was, or if it was short for Mosquito, but she once again opted to make no comment.
"What were you doin'?" she asked the male, her head cocking to the side as her long legs began to move forward again. Her amber eyes turned to face him, the sun glinting and warming their color.
She had accepted his want to walk with her, his grin widened a bit. Skeet looked her over and liked her coloring, it was unique to him. If she had asked the question, Skeet would've just laughed and shook his head. It was a middle name that he found more interesting than Nathan. It seemed to fit him more than such a sophisticated name. Just plain ol' Skeet.
Before he had joined Jhala, she simply asked about his actions. He looked towards her with a smile. Simply walking around, but I saw you and I didn't really know you. So I just came over to see ya. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything that you were going to do...
Although he could be a real jackass, Skeet had some manners and respect. If he was not wanted, he would in no time leave.
The girl shook her head, "Nope," she answered, the 'p' popping with a more feminine manner than she usually had. "I was just walking, it's been a really quiet day," she added, her tail wagging a little bit.
The pair continued on, and Jhala's ears cupped forward as she remained alert in the territory. "So- you wanna tell me about yourself or somethin'?" she asked, not great with conversations but at least making an attempt to start one. She looked to the other with a smile, her head cocked slightly as she waited for him to say something. He was handsome enough, a bit goofy maybe, but she found him friendly.
Skeet was pretty good at being social, but it seemed Jhala wasn't. Striking up a conversation seemed a bit difficult, but she was straightforward with her question. Skeet liked that, no beating around the bush.
Heh, sure! Well, my first name is Nathan while Skeet is my middle. I got a jacked up past, a brother, and probably a sister-in-law with nieces and nephews."
A mouthful indeed, but he meant every word. What about ya Jhala?
Ears perking, Jhala nodded with interest. She didn't have siblings, the two she was supposed to have died of natural causes- she didn't even remember them. The dark Epsilon shrugged, giving a brief smile. "I don't think there's much to know- no family, or anythin' like that," she told the other, amber gaze turning to the ground. She stepped over a stray log gracefully- enough anyway- her large paws thudding back against the ground. Her gaze raised to the blue ocean of a sky above them, clouds foaming throughout like crashing waves, and she studied it briefly.
"I came from Porcupine Ridge- a pack just over the mountains back there," she told him, smiling a little at the friendly male.
Jhala's explanation was sad to Skeet's ears, she had no family or anything special like that. Although Skeet was a bastard at times, he at least had the power to show some sympathy. He showed her a warm smile, his ears forward to show his interest in her old pack. She came from a pack called Porcupine Ridge, one over the mountains.
It sounded like a nifty place, Skeet wondered why she left. Better chances here? Mean alphas? Strange philosophies? He looked to where she gave her answer before turning his attention back to her. "Why's ya leave Jhala?" He asked, not wanting to live with curiosity.
The girl's ears flicked, flattening for a moment. "Don't think I was wanted," she admitted quietly, shrugging. She wouldn't go into detail unless he asked, she was trying to shove it far back into her mind. "Change of scenery, I guess," she finally added, hoping that was relative enough to her answer. Maybe he wouldn't dive deep enough into it -- or maybe he would, she didn't know.
"What brought you to the Grotto?" she then asked him, turning the conversation back to him. He seemed much more interesting.
His scarred ears could barely pick up on her words, she thought she wasn't wanted. What a strange thing to say, she seemed like a capable woman with a dash of strong loyalty. And that was just a quick reading that Skeet was pulling from her. But what did he know? She added in a want for change of scenery, something very common. Wolves can't just stay in one place for their entire life, they were made to roam.
"I think they're unlucky not to have ya now" he said to her, nudging her shoulder in a friendly manner. However, the topic was changed to Skeet, Jhala questioned Skeet about his motif to join the Grotto pack. He chuckled a little before answering her. "I was alone for a pretty long time, I missed the perks of being in a pack. Hunts, socializing, all that good stuff" he replied to her, looking around the beautiful territory.
"Mostly it was when my brother left, I really wanted to have some company again." Skeet and Marsh were very close to each other, and when Marsh left, it was heartbreaking to Skeet. He wasn't going to have a companion anymore. He wasn't going to have someone to annoy, or hunt with, or just be around with.
The girl blushed a little bit at his comment, giving him a smile. She wanted to ask why he thought that, but she kind of figured it was just something to say to someone as reassurance -- he didn't know her well enough to actually think that.
He answered her question, and she nodded along curiously. "I don't like living alone," she chimed in, head cocking to the side. "I like having a family, even if it's sorta distant-- it's been than never havin' anyone to talk to," she added. She wondered about his brother, and where he had gone off to. She didn't want to dig too far into his past, however, they really didn't know each other well. "What was his name?" was all she asked.
Skeet was happy to see the girl before him smile, it was quite pretty. Jhala's next sentence brought his attention off of her smile, she didn't like isolation. She liked the idea of having some kind of family, even if it's not nuclear. He nodded his head, agreeing with her. Skeet was changed by his time being alone. He became more careful about his surroundings, he didn't even try to spread his genes out. He was quiet, elusive almost. But being around others seemed to bring out his old self.
Jhala's voice and question made Skeet almost pause in his steps. She asked about his brother, name specifically. Now, Skeet didn't mind talking about marsh, he even gossiped a little about him. But he was hurt when he left so quickly with his mate. His goodbye wasn't formal, nor very loving. It was just a explanation and a turn to leave. Skeet was left in the rain alone, no longer being able to huddle with his brother for warmth.
"Marsh, though I called him Sam since his middle name was Samuel" he said to her, now starting to think about him. Did he have his kids yet? Was his mate even pregnant? Was he still alive?
/realizes that Samuel from Rosings is Skeets brother and screams bc I love Samuel
He changed... Jhala wasn't sure what she'd said that was so wrong but she'd effected his mood entirely. He answered, and she nodded to show that she'd heard, but quickly shook her head afterwards. "You don't have to talk about it-- I can tell that it's touchy subject or whatever," she told him, offering a gentle nudge to the shoulder. It probably wasn't as reassuring as she thought it was, but she'd tried. She didn't remember her family, and almost longed to at least be in whatever situation Skeet was in. Just to be aware of having a brother or a sister... Or even a mother or a father... That was something she wished she had.
THAT WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED, I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT, TIME T MAKE THEM BROTHERS I GUESS
Jhala picked up on Skeet's edgy mood about talking about his brother, though he wished he didn't dampen the mood they were in. He picked up his smile again, hoping to lighten up the aura.
"No worries, Sam probably is doing well anyways" he reassured. He continued to wonder about his brother, was he happy? Did he find what he looked for? Skeet hoped so, he wished the best for his baby brother.
As they continued to walk, he looked over to Jhala.
"Believe me when i say this, family can drive you nuts" he said to her, hopefully not hitting any rough patches with her.
OOO. I WAS WRONG. OOOO. super happy tho that its actually a thing now omg. last post for me! thanks for the thread (:
The girl smiled weakly, shrugging. "Ye-- you're right," she agreed, but really had no way of knowing this for sure. Jhala's nose twitched as she picked up the scent of a flock of geese, and she nudged her newfound friend quickly. "Wanna go huntin'?" she asked, her tail wagging as she changed the subject. She could go for something to eat, and together was always better. Without waiting for a response, the dark yearling took off, into the territory and towards some good eatin'.
She seemed somewhat content with his words, and Skeet didn't take another deep look into Jhala, He just left her be before agreeing to go hunting with her. With a nod of his head, he followed her to hopefully a good meal and a good relationship-maker.