Wild Berry Meadow undeniable you

@Feidhelm is likely nearby.

Cyclone, forever trying to lose her older sister, had ducked out when Fern had been taking a nap. She wasn't really sure why she even tried to get away anymore. Fern was like that obnoxious zit that just kept coming back again and again. No matter how many times Cyclone thought she'd gotten rid of her, Fern was right back up in her business. Secretly, it was nice to have a sister that actually seemed to care about her, but Cyclone sure as fuck wasn't going to admit that to anybody (least of all Fern).

They'd been traveling at a steady clip for about the past week, Cyclone always trying to outpace Fern, and Fern always catching up while Cyclone was trying to catch her breath. Cy continued to cat-call every boy she saw, and Fern continued to thwart her every chance at ever finding love. Not that Cyclone wanted love from any of the boys she passed by.

In any case, her current mission was clear: find Finley and see what her older sister was like. Finley had been around briefly during Cyclone's childhood, and all she really remembered was that she'd been a wild child, much like herself. In a way, her older sister had been an inspiration.

Arrakis didn't know where he was going. He'd been lingering around the edge of the flatlands for a couple of days while he tried to pull himself together and truly focus on casting aside the girl who'd broken his spirit, but this was proving to be a difficult feat. No matter how hard he was on himself, no matter the months since he'd last looked upon her, Kayi had woven herself right into the heart of him. She was always part of him and while he still yearned to be close to her, Arry longed more for the fleeting moments every morning as he roused from slumber - those brief seconds when he would forget about her.

Moving on was tougher than he expected but despite the pain that he couldn't quite shake, the young Imperii-d'Erom was eager to start over. Pessimism had weighed him down for the entirety of the cold season, but he had taken care of himself to the best of his ability. Grouping with other young loners when the opportunity presented itself had been a good decision when it came to hunting and keeping warm, but as the Winter snows began to melt, Arrakis took his leave. Prey was still scarce, but he was optimistic that his father's old haunt might provide the new beginning he so desperately wanted.

He padded through the frozen meadow, nose to the ground as he pursued the tiny tracks of a small rodent, when the dark figure of an unfamiliar wolfess caught his eye. Arry lifted his tufted raven ears and paused to observe the charcoal stranger quietly.

Up ahead, a single figure cut a silhouette against the snow. In Cyclone's mind, she was already crafting ways to weasel her way into this wolf's life and ruin somebody else's life in the process (either his or her own). It wasn't that she really tried, it just sort of happened whenever she stuck around long enough to make any kind of impact. And sure, she could have changed her ways, but where was the fun in that? Cyclone enjoyed living up to her name, wrecking everything in her path and going along for the ride.

"Hey cutie," she crooned with a wag of her tail. Four white stalkings blended in easily with the snow, but every other inch of her was a dark grey. Her approach was as easy and carefree as it had always been, and her eyes were soft and welcoming. She had played this part so many times she'd lost count. "You out here all alone?" she asked, feigning astonishment. Wasn't she out here all alone, too?

Not surprisingly, the monochrome wolfess turned her attention on him. She veered his way, tail swishing, and regarded him with a cheerful disposition. He blinked somewhat dumbly when he heard her call out to him - "cutie", she dubbed him, and Arrakis found himself looking briefly from his left to his right, then over a narrow shoulder at the vast, white meadow behind him. He turned back to the female, torn between feeling uncertain or flattered by the title she'd given him.

At once the boy was drawn to the unusual obsidian stripe that trailed from the tip of her snout and along the length of her spine. She was a lovely thing, though lacked the delicate beauty and brightness that had attracted him to Kayi. Arrakis straightened himself as she spoke to him once more, and he settled his warm eyes upon her charcoal features to seek her sterling gaze as he dipped his head in response. "As are you, evidently," he chimed with a winning smile.

He was, at the very least, receptive to her flirtations. "Good," she thought. Then again, the coyote had also been interested, right up until her damn sister barreled into the scene. Speaking of... Cyclone glanced casually behind her after the stranger spoke. Yes, she was alone. No Fern to ruin her plans (at least not yet). Perhaps she could evade her sister for a little while longer and have some fun while she was away.

"Well aren't you an observant one," she teased with a wink. "What's your name, or should I just keep calling you cutie?" Cyclone would continue to do just that if he wished, but she was also keen on ramping up the "getting to know you" phase as quickly as possible. Might as well get the boring stuff out of the way, y'know?

Arrakis, despite his initial uncertainty, drank deep the attention she bestowed to his eager eyes and ears. Following Kayi's rejection and his resulting departure of his homeland, he'd sought comfort in the company of other she-wolves on several occasions. They meant nothing to him, and his encounters with his conquests rarely lasted beyond a new morning, but they helped for a time - a temporary release from his woes. At least, until he roused before dawn broke when he'd unfurl himself from the embrace to slip away and begin his walk of shame.

It was not what he wanted, and most of the time he felt guilty of taking advantage of them. He used them as a distraction, a salve for his wounded pride, a reminder that he was desirable to someone. Foolishly, he was rapidly being lured to believe that he was seriously hot stuff by his newest companion; he promptly decided that if he was successful in trying his luck with her, she would be no different to those prevous.

"Arrakis," he responded, stepping in closer to reach out and touch his nose gingerly to the wolfess' ashen throat so he could test her scent. Content that she was no pack wolf, he purred encouragingly, "And what am I to call you?"

You can call her the one that got away, came the hollered reply of the elder Blackthorn, dwarfed only by the sound of her pounding feet as she closed the distance and thrust herself between the two with a clear grimace on her face; she had half a mind to snap at the guy and dissuade him from touching Neasa, but didn't, yet. Fern shot her sister one sharp look before returning her attention to the dark stranger, the black line down her back having puffed and raised in warning.

You don't wanna associate with this one, she persisted a breath later, her voice laced with a strong warning beneath the Jedi-Mind-Trick she hoped to be imparting on the creature. Bit of a mess, actually. Might infect you with somethin'. Run along now, back from whence you came. Fern sized up the stranger as she spoke and was happy to see this was at least the right species, but she still didn't think it was right for Cyclone to be throwing herself so willy-nilly at anyone walking by with a dick. Kids these days!

It wasn't her business, but that never stopped her before — besides, letting her sister get her jollies on with unsuitable men would only sully the Blackthorn name, and she wouldn't stand for that from anyone.

Cyclone let out an audible groan when she heard her sister's hooting and hollering, followed quickly by the pounding of paws against the snow. The girl's posture deflated, and she shot Fern one of her classic "could you NOT" looks. Unfortunately, it was too late, as Fern was informing her new potential beau that she was probably infected and that he should run along. "Fern, I swear to the goddamn MOON if you do not stop following me, I will... I don't know exactly yet, but it's gonna be bad!"

She was all bark and no bite, of course. Cyclone would sooner die than cause harm to any of her kin. Sure, they were annoying at times, but wasn't that just one of the many lovely Blackthorn traits? Cy turned her sights back on Arrakis, who had so kindly introduced himself, and she cleared her throat. "You'll have to excuse my old hag of a sister. I'm Cyclone Blackthorn. Wanna outrun this old bag and find somewhere better to talk?" she asked, shooting Fern a dirty look.

A voice resonated, and Arrakis withdrew his nose from the dark wolfess' ruff to jerk his head toward the sound of thundering paws. Ears high and eyes wide with surprise, he gawked at the approaching figure of another female as she scalloped straight for them. His potential companion groaned out loud and the boy made to exchange a confused glance with her before he found his right mind and scrambled backward through the snow before the newcomer could barrel him out of the way.

Deflated, he observed the heated exchange between the duo (parent and daughter, he automatically assumed, then wondered if they might be siblings) in awkward silence and just as he prepared to slink away, their attention turned to him once more. He canted a lobe back and lifted his brow, clearly flustered and unsure how to react. "Uh," he stalled, embarassed and quietly disappointed that his golden opportunity had been so rudely interrupted, "I should probably go."

Fern shot her sister a look and then snapped over her head, like she was aiming for an ear but missed on purpose. Who're you calling an old hag? She was as fit as a fiddle and living life in her prime, so that was uncalled for. But she knew Neasa was only kidding to some extent.

She turned to look at the eager-to-retreat dark wolf and chuffed softly, proud of her accomplishment. At the same time Fern knew she couldn't thwart her sibling's anticts for much longer; she was growing up and it really wasn't her place. Maybe she'd let her have her fun this one time — supervised, of course. Well at least this one isn't a coyote, she murmured, striding around Neasa and circling Arrakis as if to inspect him. What's your name, kid? Where are you from? 

If Neasa was going to fraternize with a stranger, Fern was determined to learn all she could. Knowledge was power.

Cyclone stuck her tongue out at Fern, although she was disappointed that the target of her affections seemed intent on leaving. Now that he was being interrogated by Fern, Cyclone was suddenly bored. She let out a loud, dramatic yawn, pointedly at her sister, and blinked sleepily. If this didn't work, Cyclone fully intended to be as obnoxious as possible to make Fern leave so she could continue with her business.

Arrakis watched the pair, clearly uncomfortable and unsure how to make a quick getaway. His biggest fear was that they might pursue him across the plain; he was fast, but they could easily be faster. Swallowing the anxious lump that rose to his throat, the raven yearling made to begin slowly scooting away until the older of the two females turned her fierce gaze on him once more.

He flicked his ears back, answering her simply: "Arrakis." The boy wondered what she meant with her mention of a coyote, though the concern diminished quickly as he eyed Fern suspiciously. He didn't like being surrounded, and made to slink away from the loose ring she trailed around him when the opportunity presented itself. More than anything, Arry wished to make a swift getaway, though he was loathe to turn his back on them.

It was a weird name - not that she was one to talk. Blackthorns tended to have some pretty strange ones themselves after all. But he didn't answer her other question and Fern took notice of this. Okay, Arrakis. You smell like a homeless person so I'll assume you're just a lone wolf, which made him only a little better than the coyote she had mentioned before. She shot her sister a look over the dark boy's head and then slunk around him, returning to her side. She looked to him again, her tone a little bit more ambivalent but her habit of sounding like a cop or something (hungry to interrogate) leeched in: I dunno about this one sis, I don't think your charms work on him. You gay, kid?

Last one for me. ^__^

He introduced himself, but Cyclone was bored of this, and Fern didn't seem to have any intention of fun happening. In fact, by the time Feidhelm was asking him if he was gay, Cyclone had given up, and her ass was going to be the last thing either of them saw. Maybe if the guy had some kind of spine, he would have fought for her, but that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe if Fern didn't stick her nose in literally every conversation, Cyclone would be a happier wolf, but that didn't seem to be the case, either.

Sorry for the wait, withdrawing Arry here.  :)

He breathed in deep, trying his best to keep himself from hyperventilating, and continued to eye the sisters with suspicion. His tangerine eyes drifted between them, though lingered more so on the eldest of the duo as she turned her attention on him once more. He paused, frozen in the spot for a moment as she saw fit to try and pick fun at him, and frowned deeply. Arrakis knew she was trying to provoke him, but he wasn't prepared to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

The previously interested female retreated then, clearly miffed that things hadn't gone the way she wanted, and the speckled yearling took this as an opportunity to depart. He turned away with a soft huff and made his way promptly through the snow in the opposite direction, ears tilted back to listen for any sound of being followed. Should the remaining wolfess try to pursue, Arrakis wouldn't hesitate to get the hell out of dodge.