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+--- Thread: Moonspear diamonds in his pockets (/showthread.php?tid=66457)
diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 23, 2025
The higher reaches of the mountain were fun to explore, but Kindle was glad for the need to mark the borders in the foothills. It gave him an excuse to spend time on more even ground without losing face.
And, well, it did need to be done. And Kindle loved to do what needed to be done.
He moved a long the fresh, strong borders, enjoying the weak winter sunlight that filtered down through the trees. It dappled his coat in patches and sprinkles at first, but soon enough, he emerged from the sparse woods and found himself in the beautiful meadow that had captured his attention some weeks previously.
Wondering if the strange boy from that night had stuck around, Kindle lifted his head and howled, hoping for an answer.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 23, 2025
Kira had been on her own for a time now. And, so far, she thought she was doing pretty well for herself. She had found herself wandering somewhere new, which didn't bother her much. She enjoyed discovering new places.
A howl pierced the air, startling Kira. Her ears perked and twitched as she tried to determine where the noise was coming from. And she started moving toward it.
When the howl ended, she paused, and let out a howl of her own, as if in answer before moving again, continuing in the same direction, still searching for the howl.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 23, 2025
A voice answered, but Kindle was sure it was not the voice of the boy he'd seen before. It gave him pause for only a moment before this new stranger appeared in the distance.
One thing was certain: she was much easier on the eyes.
Kindle barked in greeting and matched her pace, trotting toward her to help close the distance. The closer she came, the more he began to think he recognized her — until he came close enough that he was sure that he did not. Still, there was something familiar about the young woman.
"Peace be," he said when they were a conversational distance apart. His tail wagged in further greeting, his nose working overtime to reassure him that she smelled only of the lonely wilds, and not of any illness or malcontent. "Name's Kindle Morningside, of Dawnspear."
The name was growing on him, but it still felt strange to say.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 23, 2025
Soon, the owner of the voice that Kira had heard could be seen from a distance. Kira returned his bark as he matched her pace until they were close enough to talk. She watched him curiously as he introduced himself.
Kindle Morningside of Dawnspear. The name was unfamiliar.
"Peace be," Kira repeated as her own tail flicked, with excitement more than in greeting. "My name is Kira Lazore. It’s nice to meet you.”
She took a few steps closer, still curious as she wondered about this stranger. “I am not from here,” she told him.
As she got closer, she sniffed the air around him, curious about the scent.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 23, 2025
Kindle smirked when she introduced herself. He couldn't help thinking there were a lot of K-names running about. Kindle, Katmai, Kinusi, Cosmo. (He couldn't spell, you see.) Then there was Treepie and Tikaani, though he had only met the former — perhaps they ought to oust Alaric and Haedwig. Or have them change their names.
"Nice to meet you," he said, his voice polite despite his questionable smile. "I ain't from out here, either — but I live here, now. There."
He motioned to the mountain behind him with a tip of his nose.
"What brings you out this way, Kira Lazore?" he asked her, still trying to place just why her features felt so familiar to him. He sidled closer, beginning to circle her, now. The dog thing that dogs do.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 23, 2025
Kira looked where Kindle had gestured. “It’s nice,” she said. “Where are you from then?” She took another step forward, and Kindle spoke again. Another question.
As he asked the question, he began to circle her. She allowed it, standing still and watching him.
What brought her out this way? Kira wondered the same thing.
“I’ve been on my own for some time,” Kira said slowly, clearly hesitant to answer. “I got separated from my family. I’m not sure why I’m here specifically, though. Guess I’ve just been looking for a place to settle.”
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 23, 2025
He got a good look at her, and a good sense of her general health, too, by the time he came back around to face her. She seemed strong enough, even if she was on the small side. And the tale she told was one as old as time.
"Sorry to hear that," he replied, a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You've come to the right place, though. We're just settlin' here, too."
There were many of them, now. Many more than Kindle had imagined starting out with. It reminded Kindle of home. And,
"You don't hafta stay if you don't want to," he told her, "but if you're lookin' to settle, you may as well look here at Dawnspear, don't you think?"
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 23, 2025
"You are?" Kira asked, her ears perking and her tail flicking just a bit.
Something tugged at Kira with the offer to stay. Did she want to stay? Or maybe, despite saying she wanted to settle, she enjoyed being a nomad. If she were totally honest with herself, she was conflicted on which she truly wanted.
There was something almost poetic about settling for the first time in a place that was just getting settled itself. But, something about spending her life wandering also felt right.
"I'd love to stay, Kindle," she said after a moment. "It'll be nice to finally have some place to settle.
In her heart of hearts, despite being unsure, finding somewhere to call home has been what she wanted since she got separated from her family.
"I think Dawnspear would be a perfect place for me."
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 24, 2025
He was still trying to place why Kira seemed so familiar to him, when he was sure he'd never seen her before in his life. Her surname, too, was unfamiliar to him — but he was sure he must know someone she was related to.
"Well, step right this way," he said, his tail wagging in invitation as he turned back toward the mountain. "You'll fit right in. Kira, Kindle, Katmai, Cosmo, Kinusi — it rings real nice, don't it?"
Leading the way back toward the mountain, he asked her,
"So, what are you good at? What do you like to do?"
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 24, 2025
Kira felt even more convinced that her decision to stay was the right one as she agreed to do so. Then, as Kindle led the way, it seemed even more so that she was meant to be there. “That does flow nicely,” Kira said, flicking her tail as he turned to lead her away. She followed after him.
Her eyes scanned the mountain with excitement as she wondered what this new life would be like.
Her thoughts were elsewhere until Kindle asked another question.
“Oh, I don’t know what I’m good at,” she said. “I like to do lots of things, though. I’m very curious and quick.” She walked next to Kindle and looked at him. “What are you good at?”
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 24, 2025
Kindle side-eyed the girl. He was glad she felt comfortable conversing and all, but she wasn't really selling herself. He supposed they'd take her either way, but —
"Hunting, one," he said, just a little pointedly. "You can hunt, right?"
Secretly, he would be pleased if she said that she needed lessons. He was already giving them to @Cosmo, and it would likely do the dog good to have another wolf in on their lessons. And it would please him, too, to have another pupil in need of his expertise.
But he knew he shouldn't want that. He should hope that all their members would be proficient hunters.
"I'm a good scout, too," he went on, once again failing to mention he was happiest looking after a passal of puppies. "I got pretty much this whole upper valley mapped out."
They climbed up into the treeline and began moving through the foothills.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 24, 2025
“Yeah, I can hunt!” Kira said. “I mean, I’ve been on my own long enough I’ve had to figure it out. But my mother is also a good hunter and she taught me.”
There was a pause as she considered any experience scouting. “I’m not so sure about scouting,” she admitted. “But I can learn.” There was something stubborn in the way she said it.
“And I’m sure there’s other things I’m good at, I just haven’t found all my things yet.”
Her excitement grew as they started into the woods. “I’m a quick learner, and I’m willing to learn.”
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 27, 2025
Kindle hadn't meant to trigger anything in her, but he still found her stubborn determination quite comforting. He could feel relatively sure, at least, that she would not be caught slacking. He felt his reputation had taken a nose dive when he'd brought a dog and an old, cranky woman home with him, so it was important that any new recruits prove themselves useful.
"Let's just focus on the hunting, for now," he said, huffing out a laugh. "And border marking. That's what I'm doing, now."
He found something interesting-smelling on the ground and dropped down to roll himself in it, covering the scent with his own.
"Like so," he said, popping back up with a jaunty wag of his tail. "When we're done, I'll show you where we've been gathering."
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 27, 2025
Kira’s head lowered in acknowledgement as she watched Kindle roll on the ground to leave his scent.
“Seems easy enough,” Kira said, sniffing at the spot when he stood up. “Are there certain spots that you mark?” She asked. “Or, how do you decide where to mark?” She sniffed around some more, curious.
“Do you think they’ll let me stay?” Kira asked, clearly nervous. Despite her stubbornness and original uncertainty about if she should stay, internally, she was insecure and worried they wouldn’t accept her.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 27, 2025
Kindle concluded that Kira must have left home rather early, or else her parents had just been very protective over their children. His elder cousins had taken him border-marking starting at perhaps three or four months of age, and so it did all seem quite simple to him now.
"There's nothing to it," he assured her. "We just want everyone who passes by to know who this land belongs to. So anywhere you can't smell us, you mark. And anywhere that smells like someone else, you mark."
He lifted his leg demonstratively on a tree trunk.
And then, at Kira's question, he offered a wink.
"Stick with me, kid. I've got an in," he replied. "If you're really worried, we can go see 'em right now."
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 27, 2025
Kira had left home rather early, though it wasn’t something she particularly wanted to talk about. And the conversation brought up some memories from when she was even younger.
“That makes sense,” she said, lifting her head to speak, then lowering it to sniff some more. “I guess I don’t know the scents I need to look for yet, though.”
At the offer to go right away, her tail flicked nervously. “No, we can finish border-marking, first.” Leaving now wouldn’t let her find out any sooner.
“You’ve got an in,” she said, a hint of teasing in the words. “I’ll stick with you like you say, so I should be fine anyway.” Light sarcasm replaced the nervousness that had been in her voice before. Though, even she wasn’t sure if she was covering it or if she was confident that things would be okay.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 27, 2025
A sage nod; that made sense to Kindle. She didn't know who everyone was, so whose scent would she know didn't belong? Kindle thought they were about due for a mixer. It would be good for everyone to get a look at everyone else's face.
"Relax," he insisted, smirking at her discomfort to maintain a bit of superiority. He didn't love the snark — though he couldn't quite say he hated it, either. "The leaders here are my nephew and his girlfriend." Nominally. Kindle wasn't sure how much they were actually leading just yet.
He moved ahead of her, sniffing around until he found what he was looking for. A bit of Katmai's scent on a fallen log. "This is him right here. Katmai," he told her. He moved along a little further. "Oh, and this here is my dog's. His name's @Cosmo. Smells kinda fresh."
He picked up his head and looked around, but he didn't spot the fuzzy little cloud anywhere in the vicinity.
"You ever meet a dog before?" he asked her, deciding he ought to make sure she wouldn't eat Cosmo before he let her in for sure.
Cosmo is welcome but otherwise tag is for reference!
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 27, 2025
Kira felt a sense of relief when Kindle said that the leaders were his nephew and nephew’s girlfriend. That made sense. So, if Kindle vouched for her, they were sure to include her.
“That’s good.” The snark dropped as she followed after him, sniffing after him to learn the leader’s scent.
“Katmai,” she said quietly, as if to memorize it.
“I’ve seen a couple before,” she said, when Kindle asked if she’d seen a dog. “Not many, though. Are they common around here?”
She sniffed the spot curiously. “Cosmo.” She lifted her head and looked at Kindle, wondering if the dog was nearby.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 27, 2025
He tried not to let on how disappointed he was. He would've liked to have wowed her with his worldliness, but apparently, he was the only one around here for whom Cosmo was the first dog they'd met.
"They must be," he said, shaking off his misstep. A new angle, then — "Since me'n Kat are both part dog, and from two different sides of the family."
He squinted at her.
"Got a problem with that?" he asked, moving along to the next scent marker. "Oh, this one here: this is Treepie."
His face warmed under his fur as he recalled the last time he'd seen her. He really ought to seek her out for another tracking trip.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 28, 2025
Kira continued following after Kindle, excited. Her tail flicked as she listened to him. She looked up just as he squinted and asked if she had a problem with it.
“Why would I?” She asked, her head tilting at him curiously as he moved to the next marker. Kira followed and sniffed. “Treepie,” she repeated.
“Is there a lot of border to mark?” She asked, curious. “Not that I’m complaining. I’m enjoying this. I mean, as much as I can.” A chuckle escaped her lips as she moved to sniff some more spots.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 28, 2025
Kindle shrugged; he wasn't sure himself, except that many wolves seemed to feel they had reason enough. He took this at face value, glad that Kira wasn't one of them.
"Oh, more than we could mark in a day," he informed her, his tail whisking. "We don't have to get it all done at once. I usually spend just a few hours down here at a time."
He moved along, finally finding Kinusi's scent and pointing it out to his new friend. After that, he began leading her deeper into the territory, away from the borders. Here they found Tikaani's scent, and then just a faint trace of Haedwig's, and the scent of an unknown male that Kindle assumed must be Alaric.
"That should be everyone," he said when he'd finished pointing out those scents. "And this is where I've been making camp," he added as they came to an area filled with his scent. There was a shallow dish dug into the earth, filled with soft, fragrant pine needles to sleep on.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 28, 2025
Kira nodded, following after Kindle as he showed her other scents. After he pointed out Kinusi's scent, Kindle led her away from the border. He pointed out a few more scents before finally saying that should be it.
"Oh, this is your camp?" she asked, sniffing the air, curiously. "It's nice," she said, giving a smile as she walked around. "I'll have to find a place to make camp, huh." The words were quiet, more a though spoken aloud than a point of conversation.
"Where is everyone else?" she asked, looking around and lifting her head to see if she could smell any other scents on the wind. "I'm just curious, not worried," she added, not wanting to rush Kindle.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 28, 2025
Kindle padded toward his bedding, yawning and stretching after a long day of border marking.
"Oh, they're around," he replied, sitting down beside his bed. He tipped back his head and gave a long, low howl for Katmai. After a moment, another howl answered in the distance. "Kat's over there," he said to Kira, nodding toward the sound. "You oughta go say hello and tell him I said we need to have a meeting. All of us."
He flopped over into his bedding, his tail thumping in the dirt.
"Don't worry. He'll let you stay," he assured her, convinced that his scent on her pelt would be a golden ticket of entry.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kira Lazore - October 28, 2025
Kira hadn't been expecting Kindle's howl, and listened for a responding howl. When it came, she watched Kindle as he told her it was Katmai before he flopped over onto the bedding.
"I will go do that," she said, her tail flicking with excitement. "You have a good rest," she told him, before turning to leave. Her tail flicking one last time before she wandered off in the direction of the sound.
The young wolf wasn't totally sure who she was looking for as she headed off toward him, but she figured (hoped) that she'd figure it out soon enough.
RE: diamonds in his pockets - Kindle - October 28, 2025
Though he's shut his eyes and begun to drift, Kindle lifted just one lid to peek at Kira as she trotted off. Just long enough to be sure that the proper and expected equipment was present.
Satisfied with his findings, but still feeling vaguely uneasy, Kindle let himself sleep.