Lost Creek Hollow no harm no foul, i guess

The black wolf had heard of @Mordecai's encounter with the cougar. She was not fond of such beasts, and had never met one she liked, but never had she met one so bloodthirsty. Of course she didn't know the full story, and was unsure if her alpha had done something to anger it, although that didn't quite sound like him. 

She had waited a bit before she went to check on him. Ilya knew that Luke and Harlyn were sure to be taking perfect care of him, and didn't want to crowd the injured wolf. She now sought him, planning to arrive in the evening in order to greet him in his den. The small girl had been unable to find any prey to bring to him, and instead resorted to fishing. She'd had to break the ice over a running stream through their territory, which took a while, but eventually she managed to make a large enough hole to fish through. She'd caught only one fish, but was not hungry and found no problems with feeding her alpha above herself.

She let out a low bark through the scaly fish when she finally arrived at his den. It was a bit later then she'd planned due to the hunting problem she'd encountered, but she could hear Mordecai stirring regardless, and was revealed that he was in his den and awake. She waited patiently for him to invite her in or to greet her at the entrance, her tail wagging.

careful with the powerplay! i don't mind letting it slide this time, but try to avoid it if you can!

What had been a small venture into the territory, turned out to be a wearying one. He was getting better, little by little, but was no means entirely in a position that he found himself comfortable with. While rest had been important to healing, he found that it had its drawbacks as well; his stamina for such ventures was considerably less. It would come back in time, there were no questions about that, and ultimately he had retired early when darkness had descended on the woodland.

But he found that even as he lounged, he was restless. He had tossed and turned, twisted up the random bits of fluff and leaves that had found their way in over the time he had been there. He disliked the confinement of the den, but also found that it kept him out of sight and at times, out of mind. He imagined it gave Harlyn some ease that he came back to the same place to rest, saving her the effort of having to track him down when the nights became more than just chilly.

So when a bark grasped his attention towards the den mouth, his restlessness curbed. He rose in an unseen stagger, tiredly shaking out his coat before heading towards the low entrance. Having not paid much attention to who the caller was, he wasn't sure who he was about to encounter until the small and dark shape of Ilya appeared in the gloom outside. She had brought a fish with her, which piqued his interests minutely and he yawned noisily, tail wagging; his greeting for the time being.

eck, I apologize. apparently I've been bad about the little things like that lately. I'll work on it. 

Ilya could see the shape of Mordecai when it approached the entrance, soon the dim moonlight showed his face a bit clearer. She did not wince at the sight of her poor alpha's face, but she could see where one might. He wasn't, in her opinion, as handsome as he used to be, but at his yawn Ilya still smiled. The black wolf realized quickly that she didn't really care what he looked like; he was still her alpha, and she still respected and loved him as all packmacks should to one another.

The black fae dipped her head to him, her tail wagging in a mirror image to the larger wolf. She nudged her muzzle forward, offering for him to lead the way into the den and also to show her fish to him. She hoped that Mordecai realized her intentions were that of friends, not of business, although she could tell that he already had. Her small worry that he might worry, had ebbed quickly at his friendly appearance, and she waited to be allowed in. 

thanks!

He was met with deference, though she seemed intent on venturing to the interior of the den with him in tow. Such action prompted him to dissuade it with a shake of his head, though an explanation was quick to follow. "Let's stay out here, I like the fresh air better." He wasn't the sort to sink into the confines of a den, though it had been quite the opposite in recent days. Of course, his condition had dictated where he ended up but as he healed and the restlessness grew, he found that he would soon default to the open air. Then again, he had been inclined to let Harlyn dictate where he ended up, as well.

Sweeping his gaze out to the darkened silhouettes of the forest around them momentarily, he distinguished between the frosty earth and the sprawl of the night sky. It had cleared out in comparison to the day, leaving the stars to slowly burn and twist on unseen tracks above them. But ultimately his gaze did not linger there long, settling back to Ilya curiously.

The alpha was set on staying outside, and although Ilya was hesitant, she obeyed and took a few steps back, sitting and setting the fish down. It was cold, and especially so late at night the light wind was a bit nipping. She would've preferred to stay out of it, especially with Mordecai still a bit weak, but she understood his feeling cooped up, and therefore remained silent on her feelings towards the matter.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, her head tilting. The small female nosed the fish towards him a bit, tail wagging in a friendly offering. "I only came to make sure you were doing alright," she then began a bit of concern edged into her voice. "I've heard a lot about the attack, but I've also head that you returned and were healing... I felt I needed to give you a bit of space," she explained in regards to why she hadn't come to check on him sooner. "You seem to be doing well." 

Her final comment was more of character, rather than health. She had no idea of his true health, and in truth he didn't really look that great to her. But it may have just been her own shock to his missing eye, something she'd never encountered before, despite her long while on her own.

An ear fanned to the side demurely; it would have seemed he was on everyone's topic list. Of course that should have been expected, given the nature that had led him to needing time to heal among other things. A cougar attack was no light thing and had it been anyone else, he would have felt the same as they did. But with himself, with the sudden turn of spotlight cast upon him he found himself wishing he could simply shy away and play outlier. But that was hardly the approach to have to it, he had reasoned minutely, subconsciously.

"Thank you," he murmured as Ilya nudged the fish to him; he reached to pull it all the way to himself and left it to rest on the cold earth. In truth, he had eaten, but that didn't mean he wouldn't eat that too. There was only so much foraging he did for himself with a bum and healing shoulder, and it would save Harlyn the trouble of tracking down something later regardless of whether or not he wanted her to. No doubt in his mind, she would aggravate him when she decided his wounds needed tending to, so the fish would serve him well then to gnaw on.

"And I am doing better," he went on to say, gaze shifting back to her. "At least better than I suppose I was after meeting that cougar. I'm healing, anyway." Though he could not see his own wounds, he presumed they were healing well. Perhaps not right down to perfect given that it was slow progress and the season was far too late for fresh healing stock, but they were nowhere near as raw as they had been in the first day following the attack. Infection had not set in and had been kept at bay, though also hardly because of his attention to them; he couldn't have tended to them if he had wanted to.

"What about you, though? I hope the strain of picking up my slack hasn't dampened your spirits." Faint humor etched the latter of his statement, though he was curious whether or not Ilya had been at hand to aid his co-leaders. He imagined she had, but he knew little now of what his subordinates were up to from the sidelines.

Mordecai spoke of his healing, and she dipped her head in response, glad to her that her alpha was at least feeling better. "I'm glad to hear that," she replied, her tail wagging a bit. She wanted to ask him about the attack, but knew better than to be so nosey. The question rested on the top of her tongue, but she remained silent to keep it in.

Thankfully, Ilya didn't need to remain silent any longer. Mordecai spoke once again, and this time he asked of how she had been fairing. In truth, she didn't feel that much had changed. She went about her duties same as always. Had the pack life really changed much? Surely it had. A missing alpha was bound to effect the whole pack. Perhaps she was just a bit oblivious to what had truly happened. And perhaps now the black wolf felt a bit guilty, should she have been doing more? If anything, she was as useless as ever. Even with the shock of a bloodthirsty cougar on the lose in the Valley, the black wolf wasn't any more on guard than she normally was. She had yet to truly learn any lessons, but she definitely hadn't been slacking on her regular everyday duties.

She chuckled quietly at his joke, but then shrugged. "Luke has been a little strange lately," she replied, not answering his question but wanted to lead up to it. "He's still been on hunts and patrols but I worry a little bit for him," she murmured, shrugging again. "I have continued with all of my normal duties and picked up a few extra here and there," she answered him finally, her head tilting a bit in thought. "Food has become harder to find, but that's hardly your fault," Ilya winked, somewhat playfully, at him, hoping to play a bit off of his own vague humor.

"Winter has that effect," he said, a faint smile tugging at his features. He had anticipated the lack of prey, but there was confident beneath that assured him they would endure in spite of it. As long as the caches remained free from raid and were maintained, they'd survive off the small game more common to the winter months. But there were still be elk and deer to found, as long as they knew where to look. Knowing that only prompted him to desire wellness to his being; while it would be some time even after he was well that he could hunt with any precision, Mordecai was confident that he could still track keenly.

However, he could not help but bring his thoughts to the tidbits of information that Ilya imparted to him regarding Luke. While he had not seen the blue-nosed beta since he had come to see him, Mordecai had been troubled by his responses. Those things had been pushed to the back of his mind shortly thereafter, but they rang in again loud and clear, leaving him to prompt her for more. "But what makes you say that about Luke?" He was curious, unquestionably so, and wondered if his companion had unveiled his thoughts to Ilya as well about things.

this is going a bit off assumption for her, as the only threads i've had with luke are from before mordecai was attacked, and we try to only have one at a time as to not overcrowd ourselves. but i went ahead and assumed that ilya would had most definitely attempted to find luke between the previous 'hang out' and now, and based off his newer posts i don't believe he would've been too perky. (: thought i would explain that just in case! hope that's alright

Even though Mordecai only asked her why she would think such a thing, she could tell he wondered if Luke had mentioned anything to her. Truthfully, Luke had done nothing of the sort, she'd hardly even seen the pale wolf. But that was the thing. Despite his position as an outrider, quite often to Ilya see her friend trotting around the territory, personality full blown. He was always perky at pack hunts and she had sought him out on multiple occasions to play and he was always willing. Now, he just wasn't around. Perhaps he was busy doing his job and just hadn't been in the same place at the same time as often, she wasn't sure. But something in her gut told her that something was just a bit off, and she trusted her gut.

The female shrugged a bit, not uncertainly or as if she was hiding something, just a shrug. "I'm not sure I can explain it," she murmured, avoiding his gaze as she went through her thoughts to explain what she meant. Surely Mordecai understood a gut feeling, he was an alpha for crying out loud she was almost positive that he used more than just sheer coincidence to get where he was. "He's usually around, you know?" she continued, a bit vaguely but still trying to string her words together. "He's been a bit quieter and off on his own. I haven't known Luke as long as you but I can tell that that isn't usual for him," she finished, thinking that perhaps that was what she needed to say. 

"You've spoken to him, since... Well since the attack, haven't you?" she asked, tilting her head. Perhaps it was none of her business, but she knew that she wasn't the only one who perhaps noticed something off about the male. 

Perhaps where he had anticipated some concerning piece of information, what he got was nothing too out of the ordinary from what he had seen of Luke that day. Where the blue-nosed beta felt he had not shown enough responsibility to his perceived duty, Mordecai had felt there was little he could have done to quell that feeling. Had their roles been reversed, it was just as probable that he would have felt that way himself, albeit that he would not have brought such feelings out into the open. That was where the comparison ended sharply between them — Luke had always been more open about things compared to Mordecai. Even now, the same remained as Ilya's statements turned to questions.

"I spoke to him once, a few days ago at most," he said with a shake of his head; Mordecai felt a very weak grasp of how much time had passed. He had been in a worst state then, not at all keen on leaving the den he and Harlyn had relocated to once she had tended to his wounds and let him rest. "But, he's probably extended our range a bit, and maybe further out of our normal borders. I wouldn't blame him if he's making sure that the cat is staying away." And perhaps Luke had dispatched himself to warn others, though Mordecai did not know who he would have gone to, or where he would have headed. Harlyn had not informed him of such, either.

And maybe, he had gone to recruit others to bolster their numbers and reinforce their claim.

"Either way, I'm not sure I would worry too much," he went on with the return of a smile; his best attempt at trying to reassure her. There was no doubt to him that these things were meant to be a sobering experience and it had been, but it would affect them all differently. Things would be calmer eventually, their more solemn and business-like attitudes would taper off in time. And if they didn't entirely, that was a just response too; none of them could be too sure what sort of nefarious events would come their way.

A sour taste grew in the mouth of the small black wolf. She could hear Mordecai's words loud and clear. They echoed in her head as he attempted to reassure her of Luke's safety and clear-headedness. She did not know how to argue with him, so she simply nodded. It was not that she did not believe her alpha, it was simply that she could just feel something wrong. It was not a communicable sense, so she let the thought hang and eventually drop out of mind as she sat with Mordecai. 

Perhaps now she could find something less heavy to talk about. The feline attack was unfortunate and left it's heavy toll upon the pack, but she knew that there must be something uplifting as the winter season approached. Ilya's tail thumped against the ground. 

"I apologize if I'm intruding, but how have you been?" she asked, smiling to him politely. Perhaps this may have confused the alpha, considering she had already asked how he was. But to this she implied something different. "I've actually decided to begin to study plants," she continued, tail wagging. "I thought maybe I could study weather patterns but... They're too unpredictable, in my opinion. The plants never change, and they all have hidden benefits that I want to learn to use to help the pack," She hoped Mordecai would understand that she wished to know about him, and what he had been up to lately besides the attack and sitting in a den all cooped up. Had he found something interesting in the territory? Had Harlyn discovered something and shared? She was curious, and she wished to make a decent conversation with her Alpha on something other than the overhanging fear of a bloodthirsty cat on the look out for wolves to slaughter.

Silence lapsed between them, though not long enough that he sensed their conversation drawing towards a close. If anything, he considered that silence as their way of working through curious thoughts of their own and either way, he took on the subject change easily. He mirrored her polite smile with one of his own, not at all concerned with her probing. She seemed the sort to care and as it were, her next statement seemed to agree with the thought, if not share insight into her own considerations of how she could better help them.

"I'm tired of being cooped up," he admitted, though that much was as obvious. "But I'm healing, so I suppose that's to be expected. It shouldn't be too much longer before I'm out and about more though." At least that was his thought on the matter. It had been slow going, but there were plenty of factors he hardly understood that came into play. What times he did get out, he never wandered too far, finding it far easier to be conservative with his own energy. But each day, that distance seemed to grow more and more, and was worth pushing a limit or two to get to.

"But if it's plants that you're interested in, I'm sure Harlyn could share some knowledge. That's her area, though I'll warn you... I hope you've got a strong stomach for it. Some of those plants taste terrible." This he knew first hand and was not keen on nibbling on any more of them if he could help it. But he could not argue with their abilities, even in spite of how awful they were by taste; if not for those, it was more than likely he would have been in far worse condition than what he current presented himself as.

this will be my last response. (: feel free to reply again <3

Listening thoughtfully, Ilya nodded. A feeling of sleepiness suddenly overcame her, and she fought to hold back a yawn. She frowned, but felt a smile creep back onto her face. I know the feeling, she chuckled slightly. I'd actually just injured my foot when I was accepted into my first pack, she began. The sentence was filled with the beginning of many recollections, and a touch of bitterness. A strange thing, to be accepted while injured, I know. But I was taken in either way. I wasn't allowed to do much for a while... She trailed off. She knew that at first it was because of her injury, but eventually she was cooped up for greedy reasons. She simply dipped her head. "You'll be better in no time," she reassured him.

Mordecai spoke again, this time to her about plants and herbs. "Harlyn?" she questioned, her tail wagging a little. "I didn't know, I'll be sure to ask her next time we cross paths," she replied, dipping her head in a thankful response to the twang males helpful advice. She giggled, noting the strong stomach. She puffed her chest out in mock arrogance as she spoke. "I was on my own for quite some time, I've eaten more shit than you could ever imagine," she let her posture fall again, her eyes twinkling with a bit of mischief. She stifled another yawn, rolling her shoulders again.

"I'm glad that you're doing well, Mordecai," she murmured. I wish you a quick healing process, but I think I'm going to head back to my den for the night, it isn't too far, she assured him, dipping her head. She smiled and stood, dipping her head one more time before she turned to leave. Have a good night, she woofed, Enjoy the meal whenever you need it, she nosed back to the fish before she began to pad off into the night, her black coat quickly disappearing into the darkness.

She seemed amused with his assessment of the healing variety of flora and for her, the jokes did not quite stop there. Her display of mock arrogance earned her an amused huff, but it may as well have been some insight into the truth. For as travel worn as he recalled her at their borders, he would not have been surprised if she hadn't done that very thing. He certainly didn't have the palette for it, but... Mordecai would have been lying if he had been asked whether or not he had seen others do it.

While he had not acknowledged the first stifled yawn, the second one seemed to have more of a powerful sway on her. In that moment, he felt the same sort of weariness cross him; yawns were notably contagious and he found himself inclined to join her. But he didn't in favor to bobble his head, understanding that she no doubt was tired from her own regimen. The day would expire before too long in his eyes and he too would retire after a while.

"Good night," he offered as she moved to leave. He did not rise himself until the darkness had engulfed her, only then scooping up the fish carefully and returning to the warmer depths of the den. There was but a moment of debate as he considered picking it apart then, but he opted to wait for Harlyn to split it. But his mind was made up — he would have that fish head.