Wapun Meadow a different kind of pain

This is a very vague 'en route' thread, since I don't know exact details about the BCV split yet. Mostly for @Splinter !

Sesi had never left Bearclaw Valley. The closest she had come was an accidental trip to the borders with Xan. Now, moving through Wapun Meadow with a fraction of her family, she felt exposed - and scared. Above all else, scared.

It was out of character for Sesi to leave her sister's side, but that evening she did exactly that. The desire to be alone with her thoughts overshadowed the need for company, and whilst attentions were directed elsewhere, she stole away, melting into the sea of flowers and grass like a shadow. Someone that wasn't brave had to learn other skills to survive, and Sesi was becoming particularly good at sneaking.

She didn't go far - ten, fifteen meters at most, and came to rest in a patch of particularly tall grass. She carved a little burrow and settled down, sitting sphinx-like and tense whilst her eyes scanned the sky. It was getting dark, but the stars weren't visible through the cloud cover.

Hope you don't mind me!

Another venture out from the packlands, her legs carrying her easily across the ground as the Outrider explored what was South of them. Her intent was to make it a quick trip, considering that there were so few Phoenix wolves, and she would shortly return to take her turn at patrolling. The wraith-like Amazon moved through the coming night at a quick clip, cutting through the marsh to cut down on time away. Covered in mud, the girl then splashed her way through a lake and then kept on. These were places that she'd seen before, even if it had been brief. She wanted somewhere new, somewhere unknown, before she returned to their quiet Maplewood.

Eventually, she got there, venturing just past where she'd hunted the crafty little red creatures until she came upon a small meadow covered in flowers. What kind, she had no idea; perhaps Cita would be able to come here with her some day soon and tell her what was what, enjoying the time with her friend, even if they didn't have the same interests. Maybe she'd even find another helpful plant for Cita's the pack's garden. She would keep an eye out, of course, but first...

First, she picked up a peculiar scent, something faintly like that of a pack but also young. What was a child doing out here by themselves?, she wondered before moving forward, nose to the ground. Her steps were slow, not wanting to spook whoever was there — or enrage the mother for that matter. "Hello?" She called softly, ears perked to catch the sounds of whoever did or didn't respond.

He was not finding much of what he sought; but there were other paths to success, ones more winding and time consuming, but nonetheless leading to the same destination. That the straightest route did not seem accessible did not deter him, and as he roamed the wilds he continued to look out for opportunities that would benefit him.

His keen nose picked up on the scent of a child. He slowed his paws, coming to a stop. His dark ears turned, listening, and he lifted his nose to the faint breeze. Her scent was not the only one that drifted past. He circled, confirming that she was alone but not far from others, so he took a position some distance from where she had hidden herself in the grass. He concealed his shadowy form in the boughs of a bush.

He was about to call out to her, to see if she could be lured further from her family, when another wolf approached. He was quick to detect her soft steps, and to catch her scent, and he hunkered down tight to the ground, as still as the dead. For now he would watch.

Other wolf. Xan's voice repeated itself within the dome of Sesi's skull, mingling with the recent memory of Kove's angry words. The grey pup tensed and coiled, peering through the grass with wide, fearful eyes. Someone was out there. They were barely a stone's throw from the Valley and hey presto, here was danger - lurking, opportunistic danger. Instinct curled the girl's lip, but she wasn't aware of it happening.

The stranger's softly spoken 'Hello' sent her scarpering. In her panic, the displaced pup ran away from mommy and toward some bushes, which she squeezed herself into with catlike acrobatics. If the bush or its neighbours were occupied, the fact did not register. First and foremost, she had to get away from Other Wolf.

Shit... Her eyes had caught the scampering form of a pup and immediately, she knew that she would have to find the girl. Nochtli would not be responsible for scaring away someone else's puppy. Quietly, she followed after the youngster, chuffing softly to grab her attention, though she did not corner her as she kne that would only serve to make the situation worse.

"Easy. I was only going to see if you were okay..." Having an idea of where she had disappeared to, Nochtli trained her eyes there, completely unaware of the coy wolf's presence. "I wasn't sure if you or lost or something." She hoped she sounded pleasant; she really was only trying to help. "Are you alright at the very least?" A question prompted simply because the puppy was alone in the coming dark. She hadn't smelled blood or sickness, but there could have been something else wrong.

bit of pp, I think? Let me know if you need it changed, Karm!

The pup was as antsy as a spooked deer; she busted at the soft hello the other wolf offered and came fleeing toward him. The shadow did not move. The pup launched into the brush, apparently not having any inkling that he lurked there. When her paws stopped among the tangle of limbs, they did so right next to him. Their coats almost touched in their proximity to one another.

For now, he paid no attention to the female outside, who did not yet know of his presence. The coywolf turned his head, bringing the pup and him face to face. His unremitting stare held a glint of dark humor and his lips were curled into the devil's own smile. "Hello," he whispered.

The words were kindly spoken, but Sesi knew better. Deluded Desna would have insisted they reveal themselves, and for once she was glad to be without her sister. Desna was foolhardy and optimistic, and those qualities would get her killed.

Nochtli persisted - something that Sesi might come to admire her for one day, when they were packmates and not two strangers in the dark. The pup's heart was beating so fast that it hurt, and when the very face of satan poked out from the shadows and whispered 'Hello, she saw only white. A trickle of pee made a bid for freedom.

She had two choices - break down and give up, or.. the other one. Numbed by fear, Sesi chose to channel her inner Desna. She simply wasn't ready for disembowelment. "I FINE MOMMY HERE," she yelled in the shadowy creature's face, even though the words were intended for the Other Wolf. She stared at the thing, wide-eyed and barely breathing. It was so dark that Sesi could barely see its edges. The trembling little wolf sipped at the air, head bobbing as she attempted to make words happen "Take me to mommy," she whispered urgently, having convinced herself now that this ugly thing must be her own shadow come alive. There was no other explanation.

PPin' Nochtli out as permitted :)

He held his position unflinchingly, his shrewd nose immediately capturing the sharp scent of urine as the pup piddled in fear. She hollered out, and after a few moments of consideration, and not without a hint of uncertainty in her parting words, the black female turned and left, leaving the gray pup to her 'mommy'. The shadow was quiet for several moments after the girl whispered, permitting himself this time to relish in her fear of him.

"I'm not going to eat you," he chuffed at last, as he lowered himself to his stomach, such that his muzzle was now level with her own. He was not going to eat her, but nor was he about to take her and walk her back to her mother, who could charge him with jaws snapping for so much as daring to be near. His mind worked as he considered just what he would do.