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+--- Thread: The Heartwood I know that I ended it, (/showthread.php?tid=66279)
I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 08, 2025
Leonore had left the Teekons wrapped in a heavy blanket of grief, but returned with a new hardened layer in it's place. She felt herself growing into the woman she thought herself to be months be after leaving her home by the creek; maybe it was because she finally had the chance to be truly alone, to force herself to hone the skills she needed.
She couldn't return to the coast. She wouldn't dare to see what had become of Marina and her litter, to speak to her auntie Sobeille and risk being shunned. Leonore had abandoned them, and she felt little guilt for it, but nothing would sting more than if either woman were to reject her.
Leonore had done what was best for her, what was necessary to grow. She needed to leave her family behind entirely, she could not sit and wait for Sapphique, she could not continue to pretend that Marina was her mother. Whispers had passed on the wind telling her that the creek had been abandoned, so she would not dare to return there either.
Entering a forest of saplings and young trees, she felt a strange sense of kinship. She too, was experiencing new growth.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Although he normally avoided forests, there was no place for shadows to hide amongst the young greenery. Katmai wandered without fear, searching for something... special. A meal, at least, that he could slay and bring to lay at Kinusi's paws. But that was if he found nothing else.
The young male delved deeper, sniffing around for something of interest. A fine pelt? A pretty rock? A colorful feather?
Instead, he came across the trail of a stranger, and found himself trailing her much as he had Kinusi not long before. She, too, smelled like little but the lands she'd wandered. He was heartened to discover more and more dispersal wolves in the area.
He hunted her through the trees, sending up a low howl when he thought he was drawing nearer: Would you like company?
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Leonore was surprised when her brooding was interrupted by a howl. They sounded young, male, and had asked if she might be looking for company. She hesitated, took time to ponder it, then provided an agreeable response.
All of her time with Marina and Sobeille had taught her that men were something to be cautious of, and for her months away Leonore had conciously avoided them for it. She wasn't so sure what the danger was, of course, and without them here it seemed like it was worth pushing old boundaries
The pair were able to find each other, and eyeing him through thin stalks Leonore thought that maybe she did have reason to be nervous. He was significantly larger than her (which she silently damned her maman's genetics for), though he could only be a few months older. She had always been a runt, though she preferred to call it petite, but now she really felt it.
Pushing out a breath to conceal her nerves, Leonore 'whuffed' a greeting.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
This wolf did not sing or even speak as they found one another. Katmai quieted himself, his tail wheeling low, his ears splaying on either side of his broad head. He slowed, but pressed closer still to get a better look at the stranger.
"Peace be," he told her — politely, as his parents had taught him. Warmly, as his father had always done. Still, his nose twitch in insistent curiosity. "I'm Katmai," he said, hoping to earn her name in turn.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Everything about him was different from what she knew. Whether or not that was a good thing, Leonore was yet to decide.
I'm Leonore.She responded, her head leaning forward to get ahold of his scent.
Where did you come from, Katmai?She stood confident as she had been taught, but surrounded herself with an air of caution. The friendly exchanges they had shared so far were helping her ease up, of course.
She remembered there had been plenty of other pups her age in Swiftcurrent Creek, but she had never thought to wonder about the children in other packs.. he was the first wolf her age who she had met in some time.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
It was a pretty name; not one he'd heard before, and not one like any he'd heard before. Katmai filed the sound of it away, committing her face, too, to memory.
The question was not unexpected. He'd been wondering about her, too.
"I was born in a weald not too far from here," he told her, pointing with his nose toward the coast. "I grew up in a pack called Moontide."
Mostly. He did not think his full history worth the lesson, at the moment.
"Where are you from?" he asked her, glad to return the question.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Judging that it was safe, Leonore came closer. Enough that they could touch noses should she lean, but nothing more. 'Moontide' was a pack name that felt vaguely familiar, maybe from a pack gathering when she was young.
I was born in Swiftcurrent Creek, but I haven't lived there for a long time.The majority of her life had been spent outside of it now, which certainly felt strange.
Now.. I think I'm wandering.Based on Katmai's scent, he was too.
Admittedly, she was itching to get a good look. Still young, it was difficult not to want to push buttons when she met a stranger.
I'd ask you to hunt, but.. I just ate not too long ago.She managed a sort of soft laugh, hoping that her inherent awkward nature wouldn't make the conversation go stale too quickly. It was good to have company once in a while!
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
That was a pack name that he knew, though his grandmother had had more to say about it than his father, who had been there far more recently. He knew that it was in the same valley as the ancestral lands he'd searched for a few months prior — but he had not seen Morningside Cuesta and he'd not seen Swift current Creek, either.
Not, at least, unless there was no longer a pack there to speak of.
He didn't pry. Only told her, "I've heard of it," — and, truly, he believed that last he'd heard of them had been from one of the great hunts that seemed now like they might become a thing of the past. He hoped not — but it seemed he would not be hunting with Leonore today, either.
"That's alright," he told her, a little laugh in his voice. "I'm looking for something else today. Something pretty to give to — to a friend of mine."
He cast his gaze around, as if said prize might be found cast at his paws or else lying conveniently on a rock.
"But I don't know what," he admitted.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
So he was looking for a potential gift - that was something Leonore could help with.
A girl?She pried, the start of a smile crossing her lips. Boys were pretty stupid, so no wonder he wasn't sure what to grab.
I can help you look, I've been here for a little while so I know where the good stuff is.She decided, head turning back the way she came.
What sort of stuff does your friend like?That was the important part. How else would you know a good gift from a bad one?
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Katmai's face felt hot, but his smile was pleased.
"Yes, a girl," he admitted, not refuting the other connotations that came with such an assumption. He was not sure what applied or didn't in this scenario; if he needed to tell her that these feelings were new and not exactly clear to him.
He was grateful, at any rate, for the offer of help.
"Ah — thank you, Leonore!" he said, beaming. As for his friend: "Her name is Kinusi," he said, and.... "She likes to sing, and she is a medic, and she likes stories, and... And she grew up on a mountain..."
He was drawing a blank.
"Well, we met just recently," he explained to Leonore. "I am hoping this gift will make her want to be friends with me even more."
His face felt hot again. Those words did not express just exactly what he hoped.
"What do you like?" he asked her, dragging himself back to planet Earth. There was a girl right here in front of him, after all! And, while he was still attached to the idea of Kinusi, that was no reason to miss an opportunity to make another friend. "To do," he clarified. Not to receive as gifts. He thought it would be cheating to just come out and ask such a thing.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
So she had guessed right, and he quite clearly liked this girl. It left Leonore just a little envious.. she wished that she could have someone to care about like that, too.
Well.. why not something practical. Something she could hold herbs in, like a skull or a pelt.Leonore would be happy to be offered such a gift. Maybe it wasn't pretty like a flower or a feather, but it was useful. That was far more important in her eyes.
Katmai moved from the topic of gifts and back to questioning Leonore about herself. What a weirdo.
Um.. well,what did she like to do? It was a good question.
I used to like listening to my aunt's stories.. and I spent a lot of time watching a litter of pups on the coast. I guess I liked doing that.Was that a good enough answer?
I guess my life is pretty boring, huh?
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Something practical? Katmai looked doubtful, but he supposed Leonore might be onto something. He could try it, at least, and see what sort of reception that got. His father had often told him that women knew best.
He got to know Leonore a little better, perking up just a bit at the mention of stories. He was intrigued, too, by such a young wolf's experience with pups.
"Only if you're bored," he replied, his head cocking to the side. "Do you like pups, then? Do you think you'll have some?" There was a sense of immediacy in the question. He was speaking of the coming season; it had occupied his thoughts more often than not, lately. The idea of raising children was deeply fascinating to him.
He began wandering, sniffing around for the scent of old decay. A skull might be nice. Skulls could be pretty, couldn't they?
"I think I want lots," he told her, distracted by the mission but still interested in chattering. "Or to be around lots and lots. I'd tell them stories, too."
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Did she want pups? Leonore opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. She hadn't thought much about it.. it would still be months before she ever experienced her first heat and had the opportunity for such a thing.
Well, maybe.She decided,
but not yet.. I wouldn't want to do it alone. I never had a dad in my life, but I think I'd want my pups to have better.Leonore had always wondered about her dad, but it seemed to her that all she had of him was his last name. It could hurt sometimes, real bad.
Eyeing Katmai, she was surprised when he said that he wanted a lot of children.
Really? With one girl or..?She had met plenty of men who lived the 'bachelor lifestyle' while she was out and about. Katmai didn't seem like the type, but it was hard not to be curious.. because if she got the chance to judge it would be oh so satisfying.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Katmai paused to contemplate that. The idea of not having a father at all was a chilling one, so he could understand Leonore not wanting to risk raising children without one. Truly, he'd not spent much time contemplating the composition of any future family. He'd been exposed to quite a bit growing up, and no one thing had stood out to him as the right way to do things. Except...
"I think that children should have many, many adults to go to," he told her, feeling quite sure of this. "Lots of people who can be mothers and fathers. Aunts and uncles and grandfathers and older siblings and such. That way, if something ever happens to one adult, there will still be plenty more to raise them."
He began walking again, but he was still contemplative.
"I knew a man who had two wives, growing up," he said to Leonore. "I don't know what that was like for them — but I know, for me, growing up, I was always happy to have more aunts, and more cousins." Another pause. "I don't know what I want. As a man. I suppose it would have to depend on what the lady of my heart wants, too. Perhaps we will just be good friends with a man with two wives, or a woman with two husbands, and that will be how we build a village for our children. It worked for my parents."
Mostly. Until it didn't.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Leonore understood that. She remembered Swiftcurrent Creek had an adult around every corner waiting to tell her what was what.. no family except her maman and uncle Eti, and her littermates of course, but she'd always had someone to go to. Until she didn't.
I can't imagine the idea of ever having more than one mate.She admitted, a well-meaning snicker on her lips.
I like the idea that my mate would only have eyes for me.There was some of that girlish burn in her voice, like she was making a joke almost, but she was entirely genuine. Leonore knew all too well that when she found the one true love that fairytales promised, she would rip off his tail before she caught him with another woman.
I can agree that I want my children raised with a pack, though. I wish I had stayed in mine for longer.It could be mundane at times, but she missed familiar faces and the knowing that you weren't alone.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Truthfully, Katmai couldn't imagine it, either. He'd hardly begun to imagine one mate, and Kinusi was plenty to fantasize about, for the moment. He gave a placid little nod, ready to begin searching again, but then found himself lost in thought once more.
"I wish that I had, too," he told her, pausing to look Leonore fully in the face for a moment. He blinked at her, and then said, "Perhaps the most special thing I could bring Kinusi is a new friend," he suggest with a wag of his tail. "Would you like to meet her?"
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Leonore couldn't help but tense at that suggestion. At her core, Leonore was not social in the least - she liked familiar faces, but the idea of speaking to new wolves was often terrifying.
So I can be your third wheel?Her response came promptly, a bit meaner than she intended.
It was only a moment before her expression grew to be strangely gentle.
..Do you think she would like me?
That was the important part, wasn't it? Leonore didn't want to be pulled along only to be thrown into a terribly awkward conversation.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Katmai's ears popped to the top of his head at this accusation. He had to backtrack, and bit down on his immediate denial because he wasn't sure, exactly, if that was his unintentional intention. But, at length, he gave a firm shake of his head.
"I suppose there is no telling," he admitted, though he did not sound terribly nervous about that fact. "But what you say about family, and about leaving home — I think all three of us have things in common. And if nothing else, it is good to know the name and the face of another wolf. Someone you can share a hunt with, if you ever meet again on the road."
He began walking again, setting aside his grand plans for the moment. They could still just look for a skull.
"Consider it open-ended," he assured her. "For now — I think a skull can be pretty and useful. If you'd still like to help me."
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 09, 2025
Katmai didn't seem to take her kneejerk reaction too personally, which Leonore was grateful for.
He made some good points.. Leonore didn't know many wolves in this part of the wilds, it was smarter to take whatever help she could get.
I'll go with you.. but we can still look for the skull.She thought it might ease her nerves to return to Katmai's friend with something to offer.
Whether or not she would stay with the pair.. she didn't know.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 09, 2025
Katmai flashed Leonore a bright smile, his tail wheeling in happiness.
"Look at it this way," he suggested, being perhaps just a little cheeky: "I've only just met her, too. Perhaps she'll like you even better than she likes me."
In fact — Katmai was just a little bit afraid that this might be the case. That made finding an actual gift for Kinusi even more important. He sniffed a little more deeply, redoubling his efforts.
"This way!" he said, picking up the pace. The scent of decay was old, but that was likely for the best. He picked his way through the thin little trees and soon came upon the bones of a long-dead raccoon. He cast his gaze around, and then began to dig through the leaflitter.
"Do you see a skull?" he asked, still feeling chirpy despite this somewhat disappointing find.
RE: I know that I ended it, - Leonore - September 10, 2025
He was right - for all they knew, it could be Katmai who ended up as wheel number three. That thought made Leonore feel at least a little bit better.
Katmai picked up a scent that sent them to the bones of a raccoon, and though Leonore was hesitant given they were such nasty creatures, she helped him to look for the skull.
Pulling the small but charming find from the leaf litter with gentle jaws, Leonore was almost glad that the search was over.
Should we go find your friend?
RE: I know that I ended it, - Katmai - September 10, 2025
Katmai made a wordless sound of happiness when the skull was produced — even though he thought it rather unimpressive. He supposed flowers would not have been terribly impressive, either.
"Let's," he agreed, tail swishing. He picked up the skull very carefully in his jaws and began to lead the way.
last post from me, I think!