Duck Lake supermassive black hole

All welcome! Set between Duck Lake and Wapun Meadow.

Leaving Vermillion Rise hadn't been a hard decision to make; it wasn't home and Quicksilver wasn't there anymore. Though his failed rank challenge against their father had forced him out of their home in Saith Seren, Nova hadn't necessarily needed to leave with him. She had no part in his challenge and could have remained at home with her siblings and parents, but something had called to her after Q's loss, and she had wanted to follow. Though they were the opposite sides of their litter, Nova as the eldest and Q as the youngest, they had always been close.

His departure from Vermillion Rise had left her in the dust, though she followed him a few weeks later. At first Nova had thought to remain there for the winter, since they were kind and it was a comfortable place, but something had tugged at her heart again, something others would name wanderlust. Q's scent was long gone, but she followed the path of others, pairing with a smattering of yearlings along the way, toward a safe haven known as Teekon Wilds. She wondered if Q had come this way after he left the Rise.

Supernova walked among the grasses between a meadow on her left and a big lake on her right, moving gracefully with the help of her slender legs. Golden eyes surveyed the land around her, brain whirring as she wondered what to make of these lands. The cloudy skies above allowed only dim sunlight to guide her way, and this afternoon was chilly but not windy. Would she find friend or foe here? What about Q? She was unsure, but this would have to do for now.

Star had not slept last night, which didn't help the dark circles under her eyes. She'd taken a rabbit from a cache and eaten it, not caring to catch prey for the cache in turn. She was still scrawny and stained with her own blood. All she wanted was to get away from Blackfeather and the horrible things that had happened there in her dark prison. She would never forgive The White Wolf or the silver eyed beast, or the fiery girl, or the young dark girl, or the healer Alpha who'd drugged her, or the White Deceiver. She hated them all. She didn't want to face her packmates anymore, so she'd headed out of the Creek. She was now somewhere in between Duck Lake and the Meadow. She spotted a pale grey golden eyed canine nearby. "Hello," She called out softly, her voice quiet and strained. Blackfeather Woods had ruined her.

A small, fluffy white creature appeared in the distance, coming closer with every step each female took. Nova paused and studied the other, golden eyes flashing in the clouded sunlight. She looked poor, worse for wear, as if she had run for miles, got caught in a bramble bush, and decided not to clean herself afterward. What would cause someone to do that?

Nova wasn't entirely ignorant of the world, but she sure as hell didn't think this girl had done that to herself. "Hi," she replied, her gaze studying the girl for a long moment, her face barely concealing her arrogant thoughts. "You look awful." Well, there went that. Nova wasn't the nicest girl toward strangers, and this other creature definitely was one of those.

Star really needed to wash.. Everything off her fur. Blood, dirt, dust, tears, more dust, more blood... She really looked like somebody threw her in a pit from a high drop. Although she didn't like being calked awful, as usual, her face gave away nothing. Her eyes had no emotion at all. "Yes, I suppose I do. Sorry you have to look at me." She said, her voice not sorry for herself, but monotone. "I plan to clean it off though soon." She informed the stranger with a glance at her once-pure white fur.

"Don't be sorry. Looks like you got the shit beaten out of you," Nova replied. It was hard looking at this girl, but she needed to take care of herself better, even if she was beaten up only days prior. Whatever her excuse, Nova would have rejected everything in favor of a bath. Even now, after weeks of travel, she groomed herself and never let a hair out of place. Some called her vain, and perhaps she was, but nobody could deny she was well-groomed.

She chuckled grimly. "Yeah, yeah, that's pretty much a summary of what happened. While on the other paw you look perfect. Seriously, how much time do you spend grooming your fur?!" She chuckled again, her dark eyes moving over Supernova's perfectly clean pelt. Star liked to look good, but didn't spend all much time on how she looked. She wasn't trying to attract or impress anyone, and it didn't matter too much to Star. But this much dirt and blood in her fur was not healthy and too dirty for her. "I'm Star." She introduced quietly, her eyes drifting to the sky, glancing at the clouds for any signs of possible rain.

Nova shrugged her slender shoulders, dismissing the girl's comment on her pristine fur. Inwardly, however, she radiated pride at her accomplishment. It wasn't easy keeping clean on the road, and she had been traveling for weeks to find her brother. Q was nowhere to be found at the moment, and stopping in this heavily populated valley seemed to be the thing to do. Perhaps after winter ended she would move on, but for now she was content to stay in this mild weather for a bit longer.

"Supernova," she introduced herself with a nod of her slender head. "Let's get you cleaned up, Star. You'll frighten everyone away looking like that." Though she was offering to help, she didn't step forward right away. Nova had enough manners to wait for permission.

Star nodded as Supernova recommended getting her cleaned up. "Alright, Supernova. Where? The Creek?" She asked, not realizing how helpless she sounded at the moment. Star wasn't sure if the blood would come out all that easily, but the dirt and grime and dust would come off underwater easily. The spiral would probably be the next to come out, and lastly the big pawprint of her own blood on her head.

"If you want," she replied, wondering if this creek was the girl's home. She had yet to come across a pack she wanted to join, but perhaps today would be the day. "Is this creek your home?" she asked, motioning for Star to lead the way. She didn't know stem from stern in this place, and having someone show her where this creek was would be helpful. At least she could use it to mark where she'd been, if it was big enough.

As she motioned, Star went ahead, beginning towards the quiet creek that was her pack's namesake. When Nova asked if this was her home, she nodded. "Swiftcurrent Creek. It's the home of my pack. You can be here, but probably not too long, or else the others won't enjoy having you here. But I think I'd see if you were stealing prey or something, so you're good." She told Supernova. Of course, she could be memorizing the territory's landscape or something. Star couldn't know for sure. When they were there Star gently stepped into the creek, then lowered herself, letting her spiral soak. Reaching over a snow white paw to rub at the stain on her shoulder.

This will be my last post. Want to have another thread?

"I won't overstay my welcome," Nova promised. She followed Star to a shallow section of the creek and watched her wade in. Though it was chilly outside, it wasn't cold enough to worry about the temperature and being wet at the same time. After a long moment of watching Star trying to reach a certain spot, Nova stepped into the slow-moving creek and helped her clean that spot. 

Though she would have never admitted it, especially to a stranger, Nova felt a sense of companionship helping Star clean up. It wasn't every day that she offered to clean up a stranger's mess or groom the blood from their fur. Supernova hoped that Star appreciated her efforts, even if she didn't fully understand the depths to which those efforts went.