Broken Antler Fen Couldn't look you in the eye

Detailed territory descriptions taken from here - https://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=13992

Wraen knew that this place had been inhabited once, when she found some old and abandoned dens and a cache of now whitened bones. It was difficult to tell, when had the former inhabitants of the area left the place or, what the reason had been. Other than the plentiful of water and a slight possibility of a flood in spring, there did not seem to have occurred any natural disasters to force a pack out. Perhaps, they had dispersed because of disagreements within. Or... as it happened sometimes - the allotted time for the pack had simply ran out. 

She managed to slide inside one of the dens, but soon found out that the ceiling of the place had caved in at some point, leaving very little room even for a small wolf like her to turn and twist around. She backpedalled out, then went to inspect another one, that was located in the vicinity and was in luck. Once a badger residence, then - judging by the smell - a fox had made it's messy roost here, and now - it was a perfect shelter for a single wolf and with a bit of squeezing in, there would be a place for another.

What's more - she discovered that there was another entrance a little away. Curious she crawled towards, where dim sunlight marked the exit of the tunnel.

"Oh."

It was a simple thing, the words involved. She stared openly as a wolf crawled into view, the pale greys a stark difference than her own. Wren had been exploring the surroundings of the wilderness when she came upon the cave entrance (or was it an exit?). Then this wolf appeared. She scrunched her face slightly, tilting her head to the side. Nope, never seen them before.

Which was... to be expected. The Teekons were huge and she was alone. For now, anyway, but she liked it like that. No responsibilities weighed her down. Nobody barked at her to patrol or hunt. From the smell of this other female, Wren would mark them as a vagabond too. No pack scent clung to their frame. Maybe that was a good thing too. She didn't need to explain why she was here or what she was doing.

Pack wolves always needed a reason. "Is this your den?" she would ask now "sorry - I'll leave."

Wraen did not remember the exact moment, when she had opened her eyes and begun to experience the world anew, but the feeling must have been very similar to the exhilaration she had now, when she emerged from the darkness back in the bright winter sunlight. She looked around, feeling dazzled and blinking her eyes against the light, until they adjusted and she could see clearly again. 

It was then she noticed she was standing almost face to face with a earthen coloured young she-wolf, who had the most beautiful blue eyes. Like the sky above, like the lake waters during a summer day. "Hi and welcome," Wraen smiled at her fondly, as if greeting an old friend and not a stranger she had met for the first time in her life. "My den - no, not exactly. I am on the lookout for one, though. There seems to be quite a few uninhabited ones here and I am den-hunting," she explained, beckoning to the area behind her. 

"You are welcome to rest here, if you need it," she offered. "My name's Wraen. Who are you?"

At least the other wolf was friendly. It was a lot better than she deserved, a lone woman on the road in a place she didn't know about. The den-hunting female welcomed her and was warm toward the stranger... it was almost strange, because Wrenly knew she was skeptical at first. Always. It's how she got to survive this long. Questioning everything and every one.

"Wren" she gave the other, raising a brow with an amused expression. Similiar names, too. What were the odds? "are you den-hunting for a reason?" Some females, Wrenly knew, liked to settle when pregnant. They dug their own dens mostly but would find old ones to rest in too. But Wraen wasn't pregnant. "like, is this a good spot to settle?" she added, glancing around them.

"I'm new to this place, that's all. Don't know much about it."

In her almost five years of life Wraen had gone through all the settings a wolf can find themselves in: she had been a family-pack wolf, she had been a loner, she had been a leader, she had been a vagabond with her sister and now she was returning back to being a pack wolf again. If things went well. Therefore, naturally there was some wariness, but experience had given her, what she believed, a good instinct about, what people's intentions were at a first glance. And she had rarely been wrong. 

"No way," she exclaimed and laughed. "What are the odds?! Wow. I don't suppose you are a Redleaf-DiSarinno too," she humoured, but, of course, three coincidences in one day were a bit too much to ask from fate, weren't they? "Well, long-story short I was travelling with my sister and a good friend, and the first happened to fall in... let's not say love yet, but have liking of a pack wolf nearby. He is more of a at-home-guy, she loves travelling, so we agreed - let's stay close for winter and see, where things go," she told.

"We found this place and are still in the process of discovering it, therefore, you are welcome to explore it with me," she offered. "I would offer you food too, but haven't had anything for breakfast myself," she apologized.

"Sorry, I'm not" she smiled thinly, wondering what the odds are too. But different - that wolves had vast family trees here too they kept close eyes on. The place she had been before was like the same. Stock was placed in surnames. In blood. And it was damn hard to go anywhere and fit in anyplace with that in mind. Wren shook her head, chuckling now. Wraen was being too nice, even offering food she didn't have.

"I can hunt for myself" she said to the woman "but thanks" a quick addition had been given, in case it was offensive. "have you lived in this place long, then?" Wren asked as well. If packs were established then... that meant the Teekons were around a long, long time. Maybe as long as the place she had been. Seeing as the other was a woman, she felt it was safe to let down her guard a bit. The brunette moved closer, even if her stance was still wary.

Accepting silently the invite to explore it.

"That makes two of us," Wraen said. "That hunting thing - we can explore AND we can see, if any jolly old rabbit comes our way and wants to take the honour and become our lunch," she felt a little giddy. It occurred to her then that, when she had come here for the first time all those years ago, she too had met a wolf and they too had hunted together. But enough about coincidences, if she let her mind look for them too much, too far and wide, then the world would get a little crazier than it already was. 

"Not in this particular place, no. I have lived in the mountains - twice, then helped run a pack in a nice patch of a forest. Though the views from the cliffs are stunning and you get to feel as if you are the queen of the world, I would prefer forests any day. I was born in one and I feel most at home in them. Maybe because there is always room for secrets there. Whereas in the mountains, if you let your mind wander too much... you may fall to your death," she rambled on. 

"What about you - where are you from and where are you planning to land?" she asked now, falling in an easy step alongside her newfound companion.

"Rabbit sounds good right about now" Wren remarked with a dry chuckle. Her stomach was turning inside and out, eating itself seemingly for nourishment. She would listen as the other wolf spoke, noting that mountains were a thing here too. She knew this but it was comforting to know that her species could settle just about anywhere. 

"Wasn't born here" but that was obvious "but far, far away. In between that and here is... another place. Another realm. Lived there for a year. I'd like to find somewhere like that again" Wren knew she wasn't being direct but it was dangerous to tell a stranger about yourself. They could use it any way they wanted. If Wraen wasn't dangerous, it could be some one else listening in on them... "it was a vista. Right near the ocean."

She smiled fondly. "I liked to hunt there. I liked the people there. But we all went our separate ways."

It did not escape Wraen's notice that the other she-wolf was vague about her past. She would have pressed for more information on the pack specifics, traditions, religions, lore even, but she had a feeling that Wren did not wish to tell it for whatever the reason was. Therefore she did not pry and worked on those pieces of information that she had been given. 

"Well, if you continue to move up North, you will reach the ocean. It is quite near - come to think of it," she instructed. "There are quite a few packs in the flatlands in-between, therefore I would suggest you to be very careful on, where you choose to tread," she said, thinking about Moonspear, their hunting grounds, Firefly glen and the other two packs. "But there is a particular spot to stop by too. Have you seen geysers? Like, hot water shooting straight up from the ground?" she asked. "There is an area there called Fire Hot Springs. Snow never falls there and it is hot all year around," she said. 

"Oh, that happens. I have been in four packs myself and, though I always thought that this time this is IT, something happened and I was on the road again," Wraen shared, though there weren't any regrets now that she thought about it. She had learned something new every time and left the place being better and smarter than, when she had joined initially.

"I see" she frowned. It wasn't that she was unaccustomed to hardship, but rather liked to think that others had it easier. If she was the type to get a raw deal, might as well hope someone else got it better. She had been apart of one pack and that was it. Just one. It stood to reason others fell and such but... her pack had been around forever, it seemed. "I'll keep a look-out for this geyster place. I haven't seen one - only heard about 'em."

Of course, her previous realm had hot springs. But geysters? Not likely. Wraen confessed she had been part of many packs though, causing the brunette to side-glance. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking...?" if Wren was going to try to settle in the Teekons, she needed to know if this was a place of war and strife. If a pack just disbanded naturally, that was different. But raiding and such... She'd been part of that life. She didn't want to experience it again.

"Ummm... that is a very long story," Wraen laughed, side-glancing at Wren and wondering, if she could give the girl any advice that would help her stick to the first pack she joined. Could she have given any advice to young Wraen here all those years ago, in order to have things differently? Not likely. She had lost a lot, but gained friends and valuable experiences. Had she never left in the first place... Yeah, each person had their own path to tread. She could share her story, but it would not influence much of anything in the other's life. 

"I left my birth-pack because of unrequited love. I found out that my principles in life do not quite fit with those of that pack I settled in second. In the third I burned myself out, while being a leader. And in the last - both the previous cause and differences of opinion about, which alliances should be made," she summed up and felt smug about her success in doing it. Who would have patience to hear a five paragraph extended biography of hers. "In a nutshell - I have always followed my heart. It has not been easy or straightforward, but no one else will make you happy, unless you learn to find that happiness within you," she said. 

"Something to keep in mind."

"Sounds shitty" Wren ventured, grinning awkwardly and averting her eyes. Love, leadership and different opinions. She had risen to the rank of a beta in her pack through hard work and determination, never even wanting the title but having been given it regardless. She had loved her friends, loved her new family... and even tried to love one man. But he seemed forever out of her reach, every time they tried. Now she was faced with truly being alone.

She could handle the rejection but...

Not the loneliness. "Nobody's going to make me happy" Wren muses "gotta find it myself" repeating the words were enough for now. She glanced at Wraen, giving a nod. "fair advice" She'd be stupid not to take it. At least think on it in the coming days. It was good, logical and sane enough. She could stand logical choices and rational thoughts. "I think I smell rabbit though..." she trails off, her eyes focusing on the small trail before them.

"Shitty? No... I don't think it is. I have had a long and adventurous life, I have met the most interesting people and I have learned a lot. To put it in a very common and outworn phrase - I have lived my life to the fullest. With all the ups and downs," Wraen countered. Yes, at times she had felt really bad or very lonely, but that too had been part of the package deal. Plain and simple. 

"That takes a while to sink in. My mother may have told me the very same thing, when I was little, but I needed to live for a long time to finally admit that she was right," she chuckled. "That's the thing with most grea advice - people learn way more from making their own mistakes than following the advice of those, who have done the very same wrong thing," this particular thing never ever changed. That just showed, how very human (or wolf in this setting) we all were. 

"You do? Then let's find that bugger, before it disappears in the Wonderland," Wraen said and took her turn to sniff around and catch the scent of the little thing. It was not an easy feat, lagomorphs rarely had a distinct scent of them own, so you had to pay attention to other details too. Such as the physical track they had left.

No, Wren thought it was shitty because of bad things happening to the older woman. Experiences and learning aside, she thought Wraen was nice enough. Bad things didn't - shouldn't - have to go her way. But she kept her jaws shut, giving a nod as simply as possible. Trying to think of it from an older wolf's eyes.

The rabbit was a welcome distraction, else she might have slipped up and said something rude. Wren lowered her head to the earth, sniffing around as well. She raised her tail, picking up the scent and following it. Her steps became lower as she shifted herself to the ground, less scurrying and more focused. The rabbit was ahead of her so she signaled quietly to Wraen.

Maybe if one of them cut the rabbit's escape off, the other could chase it down?

Bad things happened to all people, regardless of age, rank, status in society, health and what other criteria are there to categorize people. The goddess of fortune was a fickle creature, you could not put your faith in her. She did as she pleased - graced some, punished others - and sometimes in the most cruel ways. Wraen would have argued also that just like light could not exist without darkness, so did bad things just made you appreciate good events in your life more. 

The conversation could have been endless, were it not for the rabbit that came in the view. "You chase, I will cut its path off," she whispered, not being up to the task of racing after the lagomorph just yet. Her recent cold had left a lasting impact on her lungs, she no longer had the endurance to do run for extended periods of time. With this information conveyed, she pondered a little, of all the ways the rabbit could dash off, then sneaked away and chose the best strategic venue for the task at hand. Now - all was in the paws of Wren.

A plan was made. Wren gave a curt nod as she watched the other wolf go off, cutting off the rabbit's escape. With that in mind, she stalked forward until she saw the critter. It was already wary from the voices and crunching of leaves - it didn't take much for her to get it running. Seeing Wraen's grey coat among the foliage, she launched herself at the rabbit. A few barks escaped her muzzle.

The rabbit bolted and Wren began the pursuit. She tried to make it go to where the other wolf was, letting its panic overwhelm its senses and refuse to smell reason. She snapped at its hindquarters a bit but was careful not to overtake it early. The wear from travel was taking a toll on her and she slowed as the rabbit darted toward Wraen. She let it believe it could escape.

What false hope the hunters gave their prey.

Wren was actually very good at her side of job - her namesake (save for slightly different spelling) wasted no time, got the rabbit on its feet and running. The chase was not long and soon the second hunter was presented with an opportunity to finish the game. She left her ambush and cut off the rabbit's path, one swift motion and she had pinned the creature down with both of her forepaws and was holding it by the scruff in her jaws. This did not allow the prey to escape, but it also left very little range of movement to herself too.

Therefore she glanced up at Wren, when the other had come in sight, asking for help to finish the business.

Huffing, Wren came to a halt in front as the other wolf pinned the animal. It kicked and squealed in fear, giving the brunette's heart a deep twist. She couldn't abide by the suffering so she moved closer, aiming a quick bite to the neck. Blood welled from the clean wound, staining the yellowed grass and her muzzle slightly.

Stepping back, she watched as the life left the rabbit's eyes. Slowly, surely, the animal grew still. In a few hours the body would be stiff. But by then, she would have cleaned the carcass and left the rest to the birds. Dipping her head to Wraen, the bruntte uttered thanks. "Good job." It was a quick and clean kill.

As a former hunter for her pack, she was used to finishing prey off and chasing them down. Usually alone, as there had been hardly any hunters but herself and a few. Once she outranked them in seniority, she had been promoted to beta. It wasn't something she felt she had achieved even if, yes, she had been a good and loyal member.

"Despite, what people might think - wrens make very efficient hunters," Wraen remarked, letting the now still animal go, but sniffing it all over once again just to make sure that it would not jump up and scram. It did not - the job was well done. She decided to take one of the hind legs first, leaving the second best choice to her hunting companion. It took some effort to free the limb, but once it was in her jaws, she retreated and settled down few feet away to eat in peace. Wren could take, whatever she wished. 

"What is that you plan on achieving here?" she asked her, once first half of the meal had been spent in silence. "If it's home for winter you seek, I can offer you a place here. But if your heart is drawn to the ocean, I am sure that one pack there at least will catch your interest. I know leader of Yuelong - wolves that live on an island, led by Huā and there was some other coastal pack located nearby, but I never learned their name." 

Wren dipped her head, acknowledging the praise. The other wolf would come closer to grab a leg, wrestling it free from the body. She took the other hind leg, flopping down in front of their catch just in case scavengers were nearby. Wraen had questions but also advice. "I dunno" the brunette rolled her shoulders before digging into the meat. She tore a chunk off, chewing and swallowing before elaborating.

"I thought my old pack was gonna be my home forever" she confessed, averting her eyes. She thought she had found her people. She thought she had found someone special. But he had chosen not to go with her when the pack split up. She didn't know where the pirate king was. But his rejection hurt deep. "I'll wander around until I find a good spot to settle." Current autumn, she had some scarce time before the snow.

"Maybe it's time for a change of location - a fresh start somewhere away from the water" she muses. Wren wasn't rejecting the offer, she just wanted to gather information until she found a suitable place. Jumping headfirst into another's community was a bad idea.

"Oh, I know the feeling," Wraen nodded, having gone through this many times before and had eventually come to a conclusion that nothing was ever permanent and that she should not look too far in the future. And, when all future holds for you is gradually failing body and mental capabilities, you want to drag out (and enjoy, of course) time as much as possible. 

"In my opinion, place matters less than, who you are sharing it with," she said. "It is the people, who make it worth it, without them land is just a land," she shrugged and reached out to tear another piece of the rabbit, leaving the rest for Wren to finish. There was no way of guessing, when the lass would get a meal again, whereas Wraen had an advantage of having people to hunt with.

She nods for want of something to do. She nods not to agree but to glumly accept. With her piece of the rabbit finished quickly, there was not much else to do. "Thanks for hunting with me" Wren would say as she rose. Licking the blood from her muzzle, she would turn to leave. "and the talk." She bobs her head to the horizon, glad for it.

"But I should head out" she'd stayed here for too long. It was time to keep moving, before the snow hit. Before winter arrived. "I'll come back and visit once I have a plan" that is, if Wraen was still around this place. She flashes the woman a grin before walking off. "see ya!"

exit!