Swiftcurrent Creek I walked alone

Arric shifted and moved through the pack lands. Marking trees, dirt. Digging claws across the ground and everything in between. There was a lazy air to his movements. Languid and soft. He was simply enjoying the walk, while keeping his mind active and body doing what it must.

He stopped to watch as the sun rose, splashing colors around the lands, until it too faded into the backdrop of gray and wintery clouds. he frowned. He preferred warmer months, despite his coat color. The winter always filled him with great melancholy.

He shook his head and found a quiet place to meditate. The thoughts he was having, were not welcome. So he took a deep breath in, breathed out. Stood still with eyes closed. Emptying his mind. He lifted one leg, standing still on three, inhale......exhale.

Sometimes she wished she was back at Brecheliant, or back at Sweetharbour, with family and friends around her. Sometimes she wished she was back with the pirates along the distant bays, causing riot in the night.

Sometimes she wished she was a homebody, but Jasmine had long learned she was so prone to wander.

Fair weather made travel easy today, and the sun warmed her where, just a few days earlier, winter had clung in icy shards along her back. She slipped through these wild yet familiar lands, knowing the shapes of the far mountains as the barrier between herself and the kin she had left.

Far less pressing than the barrier she traipsed along now.

A pack? A rabble, more like. They reminded her of Sweetharbour in the strength of their marker - or lack thereof, until Bartholomew and Heda had established their sanctuary and others had flooded the little Isle.

She wondered how they were doing, if they had missed her, if they ever thought of her at all.

Anyway, she supposed it didn’t matter much. Or shouldn’t, anyway. And like she said, she had more pressing matters now - like the tall shadow who hovered there upon the plains just beyond her.

There had never been simply once place he had called home. His father a rover by design. But he supposed he could understand. When you were given a black shadow over you and a red haze to your eyes in times of strife. Well you tended to burn the bridges and burn them fast. Which was precisely why Arric had tried his hardest not to be that way.

He was tossed from his thoughts and his immediate meditation by a noise behind him. Ears went to top of head and body immediately went into a strike pose. His tail over his back. He turned blue eyes on the pretty femme behind. She was a tiny thing. No bigger than a minute. 

Hello. You crossed a marker a bit back. Is there a reason for it?

He stood languid and easy, clear he was comfortable in his own skin, as he always was. Confidence he had in spades. 

FOrgive me if she isn't past the border I will edit. <3

He rounded on her, and it went without saying: Jasmine had done something wrong.

I-I did? shoot! She thought she’d been so careful! But she’d washed up on Sweetharbour too — hell, this wouldn’t make her record look any better.

Jasmine backtracked, belly close to the ground. Sorry, man! That’s my bad, was it stupid to talk so irreverently? He’d met her with words rather than teeth and brute force, the chatter just came naturally. But there was no saying what he’d do next. He looked more collected there than Jasmine thought she ever would.

As someone had once told her, she could have the tongue of an electric eel, but no one would take her for it while she scuttled around like a hunted crab.

let’s roll with it! :)

Okay, Arric gonna feel like an ass cause she's a baby and he scared her.

The poor girl went so low her belly fur drug. He raised a brow at her display. He shifted further and stepped closer, but non threatening. Blue eyes traced over her with a kindness there.

It's alright I s'pose. You backtracked quick enough. And the markers aren't that strong i'm afraid. Given that we are still gaining numbers.

White ring around his eye an the reddish tint to his fur was more pronounced as the sun rose behind him. 

I'm Arric DuAndris. Who might you be?

He kept himself calm, collected, his body still rigid, but not as rigid. He could easily move into a neutral stance from the one he was in. He waited patiently for her words.

<3 <3 hahaha I love him though!

Her mind worked overtime. She could t quite read the expression on his face; even with the ring around his eye, she found the shadows hard to decipher a smile from a frown. He didn’t show any teeth though, that was good. And his eyes seemed to soften now that he really saw her.

That was another thing the pirates had said would keep her well in this world: people had soft spots for little things.

Of course, she’d laughed in his face when he’d called her that and had flung herself high tailed into the ocean, but he had been more than a piece of work.

This man seemed way more put together, and as the sunlight struck him, she noticed how his fur threaded with more colours than black and white.

Jasmine, she said, with a little shrug as she eased a little from her submission on the ground. Just Jasmine. Arric DuAndris is a fancy name. Any more of your folk around? She wondered, briefly, if Diantha had found a fancy man to take the name of yet. Something about her sister struck her as the type who would - as long as she could find a man who could put up with her!

<3 Thank you <3

She was a tiny thing. And colorful. She had all kinds of colors in her fur. A little unkempt, but it didn't look bad. Gave her a wild look. He imagined she was a firecracker if she felt the need to be, then again he could be wrong. He sometimes was.

Well met Jasmine.

A pang at her gentle question. There were no more around. Not that he knew of. His dad has a sister, but if she had children he didn't know about them, that was for certain. Jace had cut all his ties when he had left the Teekon, but his sister had gone before him, to settle elsewhere.

It means Soul warrior. Unfortunately no. I'm the last one. Haven't continued my line either.

He eyed her again. What brings you this way Miss Jasmine?

He gave something of a pause when she asked after family, but once again, she struggled to read the emotion on his face. Damn well, this man had composure down to a science! But what he didn’t offer with his eyes, he gave in his words.

No way! I wish my name meant something like that, she said with a little smile, hoping it might cheer him up if her question had brought up anything he preferred to forget, and man, same here. But hey, at least we know we’re not alone in the world’s lonely wolf club. Should have a secret handshake or something. A misplaced joke, perhaps, a misplaced laugh, but she found sad things were easier when you laughed your way through them.

She shrugged again, just looking for my place, I guess. It was the same thing she’d said to Bartholomew - at least from what she remembered, but maybe I should take a page outta your book and make one for myself instead. Seems a classy move!

Arric had worked for years to stay calm and collected. He was pleased to see that it was still working. But he was honest to a fault, and he saw no reason to wear his history and his family close to the chest. No one could hurt them, and they def couldn't hurt him with anything about his family.

He laughed. That's my father's last name. There is actually a tradition in our family that all male wolves, go in search of their own surname. I haven't found mine yet so I use dads. But I'd like to someday.

Laughter colored his vocal chords full bodied and warm. I'll get working on that paw shake right away. Should we have multiple steps or is simple better? He teased gently, with mirth in his eyes.

Do you need a place? We have the room?

And they did. It wasn't like they were bursting at the seams with new recruits. Honestly, it was a little sad. Though he stopped mid thought and spoke again.

though I should warn you there's been some trouble for us from another pack. So I mean that may still be a thing.

Man, she liked this guy! At first thought Jasmine had wondered if he’d be a stick in the mud (though to be fair, these days she wondered this about everyone first time she met them), but he seemed easy-going and fun. She grinned when he shared about his family tradition.

Dude, that’s pretty sick! How cool would that be, to pick your own name! Man, I dunno what I’d even call myself. So, like, whaddya do to find it? Bartholomew had taught her about God when she’d lived on the isle. Was He the one who gave wolves their surnames, too? And how do the girls get theirs?

She laughed along with him, and teased with an air of mischief, oh, I expect MANY steps. We can even add a new one every week, to keep it extra secret. The more steps you know, the more lonely you know you are, after all; us lonely wolves have all the time on our paws for handshakes, between the times we set aside to cry and stuff, she grinned, if you make ‘em, I promise I’ll race you to the top of that lonely wolf pecking order.

And then, he mentioned a place.

Jasmine expected their talk to turn this way, and it didn’t take her guard. But that still didn’t mean she was any more prepared.

She was thankful he mentioned something else to grab hold of. Gave her time to think a little.

Trouble? she quirked a brow, you don’t look like the type to find yourself on the side of trouble. What kinda things they stirrin’ up?

The calm demeanor he held, well it hid an imp deep inside. Just because he was a meditator and he liked silence often. Didn't mean that he also didn't know how to have fun. Truthfully, he liked to laugh as much as the next guy. And this pretty she wolf, she wasn't half bad. Thus far.

Therein lies my problem. You just go on a journey of self discovery I suppose. My dad got his when he fought. My grandad too. I'm not a fighter. I mean I can fight, but I prefer not too. I've never heard of the girls doing it, but my auntie Vienna called herself Songbird, cause she loved to sing. So I don't see why a girl couldn't do the same thing as me, just go on a journey to find it or to find yourself.

I prefer to brood than cry. Should we have a password too? He teased.

He grinned then. The toothy kind.

Jasmine shrugged, doesn't seem like too big of a problem to me. You already know you're not a fighter, that's half the work done, and for the record, she thought his name would sound just as lovely whether he was a Songbird or a Soul Warrior, so what'dya like to do? What'dya want to be remembered for?

But maybe even that wouldn't help. She'd been on her own journey of self-discovery since she'd been old enough to think, and she didn't know if she'd been getting closer or further away from who she was supposed to be.

Ah, brooding, she nodded sagely, I see you are a man of finer tastes, and she giggled a little. We definitely need a password! But let's make it really happy so that the wannabe sad woofs can't guess it too easy.

Jasmine returned Arric's grin with a sly smile. Toothy shouldn't be a problem, and she gave a little click of her teeth, I can be toothy too, and then she laughed, Hey! Maybe their trouble ain't so bad! So you don't like to fight, but just think: and she threw her paw in an arc through the air as though gesture his new title, Arric Tooth-Warrior.

He tilted his head at her question and he thought about it. Thoughts racing. What did he want to be remembered for. I guess being calm and kind. At least for right now. Most of the males in my family, were kind, but wild. A little rough around the edges, sometimes beastly. I don't want to be that way.

He also didn't want to feel guilty for the life his father had led or his grandfather and for the most part he didn't. But there were times where he felt sad. And he could understand in a way, how they had felt. He too could feel the rages coming on. He had just worked not to allow them too. But he had felt it when the gang had attacked them. The red had seeped into the corners of his vision, and for a moment he had feared he'd be lost to it like Jace, like Wildheart.

He chuckled. of course I am. He held a paw to his chest and gave her a small bow, with a toothy smirk. So we want something like sunshine and rainbows.

He stared at her for a moment, then snorted and burst out laughing. As creative and clever that name is. I don't think I want it, but thank you.

She thought it best not to say that so far in her brief five minutes of knowing Arric, Jasmine did think him a little wild - but not in a bad way. He had something feisty about him and she liked that. Something spunky, something fun. But she supposed he didn't seem like a mean wolf, and perhaps that was what he had meant by wild. Beastly, even. No, she didn't think he seemed very much like that at all.

Well, I think those are great things to be remembered for! she encouraged, even though she knew she probably wouldn't be remembered for those things herself. A whole myriad of ideas rose in her mind, but she'd probably offered enough 'help' already. So instead she said, And I for one am excited to hear the name you do come up with. But you'll have to tell me at least second. Reckon your Alpha should probably be the first to hear it.

Why, she scoffed a silly laugh and shook her head with a smile, a charmer, too! I say we scramble those words and make the password 'sunbows and rainshine'. We both might forget it, but I guarantee that password is unguessable.

Jasmine smiled and tucked her nose down, but her own laughter danced with the outburst of his. It had sounded quite ridiculous, and his reaction was better than anything she'd dreamed of. That's good, because as soon as I said it, I decided I wanted that name for myself, she gave a little wave of her paw, You can address me as Jasmine Tooth-Warrior from now on, and I promise I'll even earn the name. Jasmine Tooth-Warrior, of -- she pursed her lips and looked at him with a squint, did you tell me what your pack is called? You'll need it for my full-title.

Arric knew there was a bit of a feral energy to him. It was hard to be alone his entire life and not have a little bit of a wild soul. He bet she'd love his grandfather's name. He wondered briefly if he should share.

Arric chuckled. I will definitely tell you second. Akavir probably wouldn't mind even if i told you first, truthfully.

Arric grinned again. Darling, you strongly underestimate my brain power. But i agree. No one would remember that. Whose gonna look at this mug and be like RAINBOWS.

He nudged her with a gentle laugh.

We're called Swift Current Creek. So how do you do Lady Jasmine Tooth-Warrior of Swift Current Creek.

He made a small regal bow at her with a dancing smile, and laughing eyes.

He would even tell her first! Well, he had pretty words, but she wouldn’t hold much stock in him remembering this conversation. Sometimes, when you were having a lark, words were shared that didn’t really mean much in the long run.

Akavir, though she thought to continue jesting, this new name caught her attention, so that’s the bossman ‘round here?

Jasmine laughed, from now on, your mug will only look like rainbows to me, you flirt, she teased, and wove her tail in a playful arc.

It was fun, to just have fun again. She thought of the sea wolves and their roguish charm. In a lot of ways, Arric reminded her of them, though he was a little more refined and much less crass, at least, on first impression. Jasmine had learned to hold her ground with them. Holding her own with these boys would be a walk in the dog park.

Jasmine accepted Arric's bow with a wolfish curtsy, crossing her forelegs and dipping her head to him. Well, Lord Arric Soul-Seeker of Swift Current Creek, she looked to him with laughing eyes, I'd say I do well enough for a tour of your little kingdom now. Care to show a lady around?

Arric would remember. If one thing he did know of himself, was that every conversation he had with anyone, was potential to be used and remembered in the future. 

Arric nodded his head. He is. Strong silent type, but he can joke once you get past that initial barrier.

His tail waved back and he gave her a saucy wink. Good. he purred quietly and with laughter on his face. 

He grinned. Gladly, right this way m'lady. he bowed again and then moved into position that she could tug on his fur with teeth if she wished, the gentleman wolf version of holding out an arm.