Lost Creek Hollow Is a new philosophy

Walking in to the forest was like entering an empty hall -- if her pawsteps could echo, they certainly would, but on the soft floor of the forest there was no such luck. The world was damp from the thaw and recent rain and snow. If anything, there was some squishing, but no satisfying tap or click. It wasn't particularly theatrical.

It was also a realm of memories. She hadn't been back through the forest since they had left months ago. It was a closed chapter, and yet here she was wandering again, not for memories, not for hope, but just because it was there. It was more like wandering through a skeleton. They were dead times. She raised her head, sniffing the air, to see if anyone resided now where she once had, where she had given birth to her children, where there had been good and bad times. But what was now? What was the future? Still vague.

Every day, he traveled further and with each step he took, he grew more and more certain of himself. In some aspects, anyway. He knew what he wanted and could see clearly in what direction forward did not take him. The rest... Well, he needed to work on the rest.

Only problem was, the rest made him feel a little sick to his stomach. So, it was back to avoidance and distractions. Today, that presented itself in the form of a forest with a spider's web of little creeks and streams patterning the grounds. Penn had spent much of his time tracing the lines the waterways made through the territory, making a mental map in his head just for the fun of it. When that began to bore him, he switched to frog hunting and was just chewing up a rubbery leg when he noticed a scent on the breeze.

Someone else was here. He chewed on this fact slowly, like he chewed on his amphibian snack. After a moment, he shrugged and stood, snatching up the remaining half of the frog and trotting off into the trees.

When he saw her, he slowed. She seemed deep in thought and kinda... mopey. Penn had been there. Feeling oddly charitable, he gave a low half growl, half howl, half just your average weird canine-y sound to get her attention, his tail wagging and posture neutral. "Haffa frog fer yer thoughts?" he asked best as he could with half a frog between his teeth.

Well, it certainly wasn't like Arbiter was the sort to smile to begin with, that was for sure. A slight tilt of her head to his question initially. The wolf who had appeared was a yearling, if that. Young, that much was certain. There was enough of a difference between his grey pelt and Liffey's that she didn't associate anything between them -- she hadn't met any of the other siblings, or if Arbiter had, the player doesn't remember. Blame it on the fuzziness of time.

She didn't really want the frog, but she'd talk anyway, her voice perhaps seeming slightly mournful from the subject more than the tone, I used to live here. My children were born here. And now many of the faces are gone, but the world moves on, regardless. She shrugged a shoulder. It was the surface level summary -- she didn't go into the variety of betrayals that she'd suffered (or imagined to suffer) because there was no point in doing so. A sweeping glance across the once-familiar landscape before looking back to him, What brings you here? Out to seek his own future, perhaps?

Penn was actually surprised that she went ahead and spilled so easily. He certainly wouldn't have. He probably would've told himself to go fuck himself. As she spoke, he found himself sort of wishing she had opted for the more aggressive, unfriendly route. He didn't know shit about kids except that they were obnoxious little attention thieves. He decided to keep that opinion to himself. But he did catch onto something else she said.

He shrugged and tossed the frog her way. He'd made a bargain, and he could just go nab himself another so what did it really matter. "Moving on," he answered succinctly, a sly smirk dancing across his dark muzzle. "This is a pretty cool place though," he added, "How come you used to live here?"

A curious boy. He'd mirrored her word whether he meant to or not -- she obviously didn't know him well enough to know for sure, but it did earn him a slight curious tip of her head. Opportunity perhaps?

She stepped forward to investigate the frog then, sniffing at it a bit but deciding she'd speak before she picked it up. She did agree with him, though, It was a nice home, with memories good and bad. But the famine didn't help us. We moved north so we weren't fighting our ally for resources. Probably a wise decision for other reasons, it turns out. See whatever had happened in the Merrick thread, but that was not the topic here. None of the information she gave was particularly important -- it was all history, and not a section she thought needed to be hidden. Still, looping back to what he'd said before, she inquired, What are you hoping to move on to? She was very familiar with the fact that yearlings were fickle beasts. He could be deciding to move on for like three hours and then just decide that was too much work and head back. Or he could be serious. Too little information to discern.

Then she scooped up the half-frog then, chomping on it while he had the chance to reply. No doubt Arbiter wasn't big on being a super dainty creature -- it was food, so she'd eat it without too much ceremony. The end.

Penn couldn't well remember the famine that had plagued much of his childhood. He'd been so young and the Copse hadn't seen the devastation the rest of the Wilds had. He had been fortunate and would've been grateful but for the fact that he was a self-centered yearling with a very healthy god complex. He thought the concept of worrying about fighting with allies strange--I mean, they were allies, doesn't that mean you didn't fight on principle? But, he didn't really care, so he inwardly shrugged it off. Whatever her reasons, they were hers. He would judge, but he'd keep it to himself and forget about it a minute later.

He tensed slightly when she began her question, but settled when it ended in to instead of from. He didn't want to talk about his parents. This whole trip had been about moving forward, not looking back. So, he was glad that she turned his focus in that direction. "Not sure yet, really," he admitted, smiling over the fact that he was excited over that truth, "Just... on. To something better. Something.. else." Penn paused, feeling his good mood slipping slightly. He shook his head and strengthened his grip. "Kinda hoping the rest'll figure itself out," he added with a confident smirk.

Free spirit, it seemed. After a quick thought she figured it was probably best she did make sure to give him a bit of a warning about Merrick -- the youth seemed like a reasonably good natured kid, so best to not have him wandering on in to something where he might regret his decisions. Even though Arbiter was a jerk, but she wasn't outright cruel for no reason -- at the very least it had to be entertaining, and that wasn't entertaining. There are certainly opportunities here in this region if you're not looking to go much farther. And others to be wary of.

Easthollow is just south of here. Very family oriented, from my understanding. Kind wolves. But their new neighbors are Bearclaw -- I'd recommend giving them a wide berth. As mentioned my pack is north a ways -- Legion. A pause, If you're curious I could give you the rundown, but if not, then I can keep it to myself unless you show up at the borders. That was actually accompanied with a bit of a smirk. Let him decide. She could just point him on his way to elsewhere if he didn't care.

And thinking a bit more about it, maybe it would have been nice to find an Easthollow wolf and confirm they knew about Bearclaw. But was that for this trip?

Penn's excitement began to spark once again as the woman spoke of opportunities. It didn't falter in the slightest when she spoke of potential trouble, mostly because he barely noticed. He was headstrong and overly confident. He'd gotten in enough scrapes to know the world was full of dangers, but he'd also gotten out of enough of them to think himself indestructable. He would be wary of nothing.

The boy pulled up his mental map as she continued, marking here and there the locations of the three packs she mentioned. Easthollow sounded lame. He would probably pop by, but only because he was curious about everything and saw no reason not to. Bearclaw sounded more interesting, especially because he was essentially told not to go there. Obviously he would have to now, though he nodded sagely along as though he wouldn't.

The last pack was hers, and Penn didn't wonder at all if she meant that literally. She seemed the kind of woman that would run the place--harder than Wraen, but with that same sort of commanding presence. Penn wasn't sure if shacking up with a new pack right away was what he wanted, but some aspects of the idea had merit. So, he shrugged. "If you've got a sales pitch, I'm all ears," he replied, matching her smirk with one of his own.

2am posts, WOO

She wasn't sure what to make of yearlings at times -- what would he think of what she had to offer? Did she think of them as such wildcards always or just since she'd had her own children? She'd give it some thought later, but for now she rolled her plans out before him. Legion would be better than what she left behind, she knew that, and if he looked back to what she'd said first to him, there was a definite shift in tone even if subtle. I'm building Legion as a place that should appeal to those who want to grow -- rebuilding means opportunity. For those seeking skills I'll ensure they're trained -- teachers found if necessary. I personally know how to train fighters, but I know that's not everyone's interest.  For those seeking advancement, things are set so that they can learn to lead, try their hand. I make sure that the wolves under my care are happy and rewarded. A pause and a smirk, As long as it's something reasonable, of course -- I can't promise a three-headed moose. Gotta set some sort expectations there. Arbiter operated in the realm of reality, not crazy nonsense land.

And you'll find I am not a wolf that plays games with the truth -- my packmates deserve that respect. She wouldn't blindside them like Rannoch had done. But with the initial pitch done, her ears tipped inquisitively forward towards him, The real question is where do you see yourself? She imagined him on either side of a coin -- too much make a decision later, or jump right in. She wasn't sure why, but perhaps he'd surprise her. Sometimes wolves did, after all -- the judge was not infallible.

Penn had asked for a sales pitch, and he certainly got one. He hadn't set any expectations for what she was about to say, but this certainly would've subverted them. He'd spent his entire life with the Firebirds, so theirs was the only structure and culture he knew. What she described of her pack--this Legion--was similar in a way, but also very different. They were more like an army with challenges and rewards. Penn was lazy, but he considered himself to be innately talented. He could get used to being rewarded for it.

Her comment about playing games with the truth went entirely over his head, but he didn't care to understand it anyway. He considered her question instead. Where did he see himself? "I don't really know yet," Penn answered honestly, "I just know that I don't see myself where I've been. Not anymore, at least." He took another moment to consider. He hadn't said that aloud yet and it was strange to hear it. Strange to really acknowledge it and to know it as the truth.

"Legion, huh?" he said after a beat, picking his eyes up to look at her again. He let it settle for a moment and then added, "I'm Penn." They hadn't actually exchanged names, he realized, and he felt certain that he wanted this woman to know his name. Whether anything came of the interaction, he knew that much.

She did and didn't appreciate honesty. This was one case where it was certainly easier if he did have an even slightly vague idea in mind -- she wasn't keen to promise the world, she promised specific things that were nice and reachable but also not at the same time. She sort of quickly looked him over to make her next point (not quite so judgily as usual, this was just for theatrics), I think taking this time in your life to explore is a fairly normal thing. Finding out what you actually want is an... interesting puzzle shall we say. She had joined Sunspire for lulz, really. And when she had later pondered leaving, they'd given her what she wanted and she stayed put. In the end, they'd all left, but such was life. But what you want does exist somewhere -- especially if you make it happen. As she was now with Legion. Being the boss meant less people could argue with you.

She dipped her head in that typical polite greeting-ish way, I am Arbiter. Her true name wasn't as good of a test as saying she went by Treason, but there was that one woman once who asked if it was a title. You know what, that was one thing she did kind of miss... But not enough to go back to the old alias.