The Heartwood corrupted lungs

maybe @Heph, if she decided to stick around after the meeting for a bit? anyone else is welcome to join! :)

Atka drew in a sigh as she settled by the stream that bordered The Heartwood. Laying herself down, she pushed her back legs out from under her, keeping them sideways and looked over the distant meadow. She took this moment to ease the racing thoughts in her mind. Atka wasn't questioning her decision to stay with Dreven but was still wondering what things would look like if she had continued to travel northwest with Heph. The frustration also still lingered, she didn't understand what they were trying to salvage at The Heartwood, or The Forsaken.

Atka had not been seeing Dreven as much as she'd like, they'd both been busy trying to build caches. While she hadn't had much luck at large game, she still brought back what she could. Resting her head on her paws she still stared ahead as she thought. Regardless if she had no idea what they were doing in this forest she would stay and she would hunt, she knew what she signed up for at the start and she would gladly continue. It didn't matter if she liked this forest, she liked Dreven. She would do whatever she could to keep him happy, and that made her happy.

Heph had not seen much of Atka though she had lingered near the Heartwood. However, she did miss the other wolf and eventually desired to seek her out. She allowed her paws to carry her in wide sweeping arcs of the territory, attempting to pick up the most recent scent and keeping the older ones in mind so that she could track them down if she could find nothing fresher. Eventually she picked it up on the fringes of the border and then quickly set her pace in that direction.

She approached with a friendly bark to let her know she was there and sidled up in long slinking strides. "Fancy my luck at seeing you here." Her voice held the smooth flirtatious notes that she was accustomed to but the smile on her face was genuine as she gave the smaller white wolf a once-over with a flick of her gaze.

Atka's ears flicked back to the sound of Heph's voice. Now with a smile, she still stared ahead.

❝Lucky indeed.❞ She responded stifling a laugh. 

Silence lingered in the air for a moment, her expression almost dipping into a frown. It had been a while since she'd been able to enjoy Heph's company.

❝Missed you.❞ Atka said, turning her head in Heph's direction with a smile still, but her eyes told it all.

Heph noted the melancholy in Atka's eyes and a frown began to tug at her smile. She shifted her own body forward to brush shoulders, creating more points of contact. "And I you." While a part of her itched to leave she was able to find ample things to do while she lingered in the Heartwood.

Smiling she decided to offer the good news, hoping that at least would reassure Atka of her intentions. "You won't have to hopefully at least for a little while. I've decided to stay and help with the pack's caches until winter. I'll set out once the next season starts." It was a dangerous time for a lone wolf. Packs guarded their territory jealously and the prey was scarce, but the old and the frail were at their weakest and the bright promise of snow-covered lands was too tempting.

❝You'll stick out sorely in the snow.❞ Atka teased as Heph brushed against her.

She leaned into the affection of her friend, looking back ahead again.

❝Well I'm glad your staying, even if it's just for the rest of the season.❞ She continued after a small pause.

Atka had made such a dear friend so soon into her travels, whether she planned to or not. Even finding a purpose and reason to stay somewhere again, though had she not met Dreven, she probably would've continued beside Heph. The vagabond would continue to move, though she was not drifting without purpose, she was simply moving as the world did.

Heph smiled, falling easily back into old patterns of banter between them. Humor laced itself in between her words as she maintained that fleeting contact with Atka. "I have to stand out somehow if I'm to be next to a beauty like yours that could not possibly fade into any background." Heph gave a wink. While in truth Atka's complexion would give her an advantage against the winter snow Heph doubted she could ever bring herself to fully ignore the other wolf. She enjoyed Atka's company immensely and would most likely always seek her out. Though the future was inscrutable as ever.

She flopped down, laying herself near Atka wondering though the size difference did not let the other wolf to tower over her too much. She glanced around, musing aloud and enjoying sharing the space with the other wolf once more. "Mmmm we should find time to do some hunting or dare I say lazing about. Anything in particular you enjoy doing about the Heartwood?" They had not had much of a chance to spend while staying in this place Atka had decided to call home and Heph was curious how she liked to spend her time.

Atka giggled at the continuation of the joke, playfully scoffing at the wink.

❝You flatter me.❞ She lightly shouldered Heph, looking back ahead with a sigh.

She was so content and happy beside her, and while Heph may have been as well, she desired to see the world and Atka would not stand in the way of that.

Mmmm we should find time to do some hunting or dare I say lazing about. Anything in particular you enjoy doing about the Heartwood?

❝Hunting sounds nice, but so does lazing about.❞ Atka mumbled resting her head on her paws again ❝Usually to entertain myself here I nose through the herbs of the nearby fields or spend time in that quiet, foggy forest across the other stream. Or hunt, we need a lot of that lately.❞

Heph listened to Atka contentedly, she hummed along laying next to the white wolf. While she would not turn down a hunt she was curious to see the stream and the fields that Atka mentioned. Heph herself was not much of a healer but she was curious about the heretofore unrevealed talents of the other she-wolf and rolling onto her side she commented idly, voice languid and smooth over her words. "Well I wouldn't turn down a hunt, but I'd be curious to see these fields and I could help with some caches for herbs since those sound just as important as the food." Though Heph usually just rested when she was injured or sick and hoped that whatever it was passed quickly enough for her to hunt for herself next she knew that plants which could ensure a speedy recovery would be helpful in the winter, especially which was a particularly unforgiving season to the ill and frail.

❝How about we do both?❞ Atka said, voice strained as she lifted up her head and stretched out her paws.

They could see what creatures roamed the field while also nosing through the plant life.

❝I think it would work, no? Or we could do it another day if you were preferring to lay here.❞ Atka had no objections to staying here and sharing Heph's warmth.

Heph smiled, and murmured slightly soft "Such wise words." She got up and stretched, her limbs warming at the movement and she shook out her fur to the autumn chill before turning to Atka with an open posture waiting for her to lead the way. "Let's sleep after we've tired ourselves out." While Heph treasured her ability to roam she also enjoyed immensely these moments with Atka. It was not at peace, the Forsaken did not have quite so strong a hold on the Heartwood as would make them completely safe, but there was a calm to it that quieted the discomfort of loneliness.

❝I'm a genius.❞ She quipped back with a smile as Heph refereed to her words as wise.

❝I don't think it will take much for me to tire.❞

Atka shook her fur out in suit of Heph's, beckoning her to follow. She winced as she stepped into the stream in front of them, sucking in a harsh breath. The water was frigid in response to the continuous drop in temperature that came with autumn.

i'm good with starting another thread and dating it back if you are? :)

"Cold?" Heph said with a grin, brushing up her own fur against Atka's. The chill of the water penetrated her own paws as well but she shrugged it off with a short bursting laugh as they hit the small stream. And she followed Atka the rest of the way.

sounds good to me!

❝Just right.❞ Atka responded with a strained voice as she hopped out the stream, jittering from the cold.

Her sarcastic responses were endless with Heph, but she always responded the same. Heph's temperament seemed to mesh with Atka's perfectly, it was no wonder they had traveled so far together. She continued to laugh and ramble about pointless things to her friend's ear as they headed off the meadow, the familiar feeling of companionship settling over her once more. The thought of Heph departing when the snow would fall lingered, but she ignored it at this moment, choosing to enjoy her presence until she did.

last from me, once again thanks for the thread ^^

Heph followed Atka, the meadow was lovely and she smiled and took instruction readily and hunted where she could. While the prey was scarce in the field and all she managed to turn up was a few field mice she still found the diversion and the company distracting and pleasant. 

<3 anytime this was fun!