Felltree Marsh Left or Right?

AWareness Month :D

Valette traveled further, unsure if she reached the Taiga already. The girl had the assignment of exploring the Taiga. She even planned to outdo herself and maybe take some of the Rising Sun Valley along with her big exploration. Being alone on the road didn't gave her as much loneliness as she expected. She had met a great deal of wolves already and the girl was eager to explore more lands and meet more faces.

Yet, she also wanted to know that she was heading in the right direction. She knew she needed to head North, which she was pretty sure she was going in the right direction. The lone female let out a howl, asking if anyone was nearby to meet her. She could always try her luck, it was not always that she would bump into a random stranger, right? Maybe there was a local that could tell her if she was going in the right direction.

The mud sucked her paws down again, each squelching noise causing Banner's frown to grow deeper.  She hadn't strayed far from the Keep today - for the past few days, actually.  Stark's run-down of the discord between their Alpha females had spooked her in a way she didn't expect.  She sighed and stepped up onto a more solid piece of land.  It was soggy, but all four of her paws fit and she didn't sink back into the ground.  All in all, a good move.

A lone voice sang through the air and Banner snapped her head in the direction of its source.  Her dark chocolate ears cupped forward. There was a question in the howl, one asking to meet.  She didn't recognize the voice, but that meant nothing.  The short Marauder didn't have a massive network of associates and thus rarely ran into the same wolf twice outside her own pack.  With a shrug, she lifted her maw up and howled out a response in her low, raspy voice.  A moment later she set off toward the new wolf, careful to take the path of least mud-resistance by treading on solid ground and felled trees that seemed sturdy enough to hold her weight.

Valette was pleased to hear another howl echo not long after her question was called out. She turned towards the sound too and decided to move in the direction of the howl. She figured it would be polite to meet them in the middle, whoever this wolf was.

The girl trotted forward, though not with the occasional sink into the mud. Traveling through this area costed a lot energy she was trying to save. Luckily she had the color of the mud, she would have been rather filthy looking if she had her mother's up white coat.

Valette's hazel eyes quickly caught another dark figure. Her tail started to wag to indicate she was friendly enough. She stopped on a dry patch and het out a chuff in greeting. "Hello, thank you for responding to my call. I assume it was you at least," she smiled in greeting.

Banner's tail wagged too as she found herself mirroring the other female's good-natured body language.  The short Marauder slowed to a careful stop a few feet from her newfound company, only shiftng her eyes downward once or twice to ensure that she landed on somewhat solid ground.  "It was me," she answered in her low voice, the smile on her maw almost tentative as she faced the hazel-eyed female who seemed full of friendly confidence.

"I'm Banner," she offered, proud of herself for stamping down her own awkwardness for a minute to roll foward with good social grace.  Whenever she came across this familiar situation in the past, she found herself waiting on the other wolf to initiate conversation.  But, she eventually realized, that could come off as rude.  And Banner didn't want to start a meeting off on the wrong paw!  "What's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"  There, perfectly polite.  Everything was going well so far.

Valette quirked up her lips when the other seemed friendly. It was to be expected but still one would never know the intention of some wolves. Maybe the wolves were different here. "I'm Valette, nice to meet you Banner," she spoke. The girl didn't really experienced this as an awkward meeting, maybe she was a bit oblivious to that.

The girl went straight for business. "Are you a local? I like to know more about this place. Is it the taiga? I've been sent on a mission to explore the taiga and I like to check to be sure," she returned. It would tell the other a bit more information about her too. It was clear she was a scout for her pack.

Banner nodded when Valette offered her name, her smile lending a bit of brighness to her dark features.  "Nice to meet you," she replied with a flick of her tail.  Another friendly introduction for the books.  Her success in meeting other wolves thus far had been farily good with the exception of one male.  And even now, so far separated from that anger-filled afternoon in the mountains to the South, she couldn't recall if she'd ever learned his name.  Ah, it didn't matter much.  There was so much to explore here and so many other wovles around to meet - it was likely they'd never cross paths again.

"I am - I live over in that direction among with willow trees," she reponded, using a tilt of her head to illustrate the way to her pack.  "This is Snowforest Taiga," she confirmed before pausing.  Banner didn't posess a ton of knowledge about this place - only what she'd managed to see while roaming about, really.  "I haven't explored much of it fully.  I tend to stick to the mountains around Marauder's Keep," she admitted with a shrug.  Nothing wrong with that, but it probably wasn't the wealth of information Valette was looking for.

Valette started to use her nose and realized that she was familiar with the other's scent. She was so certain that this wolf would be a stranger to her she hadn't sniffed her out yet. Valette had a smile of recognition. "You are in Tavi's pack then!," she stated. Tavi was a good friend of her after all, and by the look on her face it was clear that she was well known with the other. She recently rekindled at the borders of Banner's pack.

"Thank you for the confirmation, that is what I needed most," she spoke to her in return. "Some wolves tend to stick more to their home, I wouldn't have been here if I didn't have this scouting mission to the Taiga. Do you like exploring?," she asked curiously, some wolves were more at home dwellers and Valette wondered if Banner was one of them, and if she was why she would be outside of her territory.

"I am," she replied, surprise coloring her voice.  Banner was sure the feeling translated to her features, too.  Marauder's Keep wolves tended to, well, keep to themselves.  Octavia had been of particular interest lately in this regard, but that was another story entirely.  The Alpha female hadn't been in her .. right mind lately.  Was that the right way to put it?  She fought off a cringe at her own thoughts.  Whatever happened between the Alpha and her brother would be figured out sooner or later.  It had to be.

"A mission?" she asked softly, her bright green eyes glowing with curiosity.  "That sounds like an important job," she mused, thinking on it seriously.  Did Marauder's Keep have scouting missions?  That was actually a briliant idea.  "I've never thought about it much, but there's so much around here to explore - so I guess I do like it."  Banner offered a small smile to the female, her confidence growing with each passing moment.  She'd never considered herself much of a wanderer before, but it was certainly something interesting to do in between mundane days.

Valette nodded, realizing that the female didn't gave away much. But she knew this from Tavi already that they kept to themselves. The girl nodded in returned, not going to ask more question because that would be impolite. Valette had always been very ambitious girl so once she had he mind set on something she would throw herself at it. Now it was her speciality she wanted to gain. It was important to her to show to her pack that she was willing to work for them.

The girl nodded. "Yes. It is actually quite fun! My alpha wanted to know more about the taiga. So that gives me an opportunity to expand my knowledge as a Ranger. Now I am currently trying to find out how many packs are in his region, and to gather more about life in the taiga. I hope he will be pleased about it!," she spoke. "If you are interested you could always ask your alpha if she needs to know about a certain region, or location, even a pack! Very interesting to see how differently wolves react on their borders, I always stay respectful though. I wouldn't want any injuries. Or you could explore a region really well or talk to loner and return that information to your alpha. They appreciate it often seeing they can't leave their lands that often, you know?," the girl chatted.

Wow, Valette sure did know a lot about this scouting business.  And really, it did seem quite interesting.  Roaming all over, learning about other lands and packs, and bringing the information back to your own pack to keep everyone in the know about their surroundings... Banner's tail began to wag.  There was an element of danger to it all, too, something apart from the general dangers of travel - asking for information about other packs seemed risky.  The lady Marauder had experienced how different social norms and even pack politics differed from group to group.  Scouting missions must also involve lots of diplomacy and she was sorely lacking in that department.

"Have you ever experienced danger?" she asked, brows furrowing.  "I can imagine that not all packs have been.. friendly with you."  Banner frowned.

Valette was happy to tell her about her scouting skills and what was important. At least, this was what she found important. The girl liked the question and nodded slowly. She also liked that Banner seemed so interested. "Yes. It can be dangerous but I treat every border with the greatest respect, and so far I didn't have too many troubles with it. Wolves seem to go off first impressions and if it is a respectful one they are more likely to talk."

She watched the wagging tail and smiled, her own wagging too. "Furthermore I rather choose avoidance instead of fight. If they want me away then I will go, I am not going to force me to talk about it. I am in a luxury position now. I can imagine it would be difficult when you have to talk to a pack that is not open for it. Then again... there when there needs to be spoken to one pack in particular it is usually a message, and you can make a pack listen if you tell them if you are a messenger!," she explained. "You also have to be able to sustain yourself on the road, hunting and spending nights in the open," she added.

Banner listened thoughtfully, taking in every word with careful consideration.  This Valette really was a smart lady!  And one tough cookie, or so Banner imagined based on the scout's experiences.  Avoidance over fighting was a purdent policy to adopt, especially if she'd been in a situation where the numbers were heavily stacked against her.  "Wow," she replied at first, clearly impressed with the depth of the dark woman's knowledge.

"Your Alpha found the perfect wolf for the job," she commended, her friendly wag starting up again.  "Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?  I'd hate to keep questioning like this if you've traveled a great distance to get here," she added apologetically.  "You must be exhausted!"

Valette's eyes widened a bit at the compliment and then she deeply blushed. "Oh. Thank you that is too kind really," the girl spoke, though her tail was swaying. She really liked meeting all the new wolves and hearing about her life. What she didn't know was that her mother had loved that too. She had traveled all over too. Valette had adopted her mother's friendly nature.

"I'm from Silvertip mountain. Other side of the mountain range. You should visit me one day!," she offered with a grin. "Though I was born in Rising Sun Valley. The girl thought for a moment, exhaust was not the right word, but she was somewhat tired. She knew how to balance thing out between feeding and resting. "Not too exhaust, I know when to stop and being a hunter I know what type of prey are useful for traveling. Most go after a rabbit, but those are quick and one would need to run a lot. It is easier to fish," she added. "You learn a lot from others while you are traveling though! Most of my own knowledge comes from others."

Ah, another wolf from a mountain pack.  "I might take you up on that offer," she declared happily.  So many wolves in these parts were friendly and welcoming - it was a lovely change of pace from the life of a lone wolf.  Banner took that moment to look in the direction Valette had indicated.  The other end of the mountain range, hm?  She hadn't been out that way yet.  Their position in the marsh didn't afford her any veiw of her companion's home, but she made a mental note to at least look at Silvertip Mountain when she had the right vantage point.  Maybe she'd be able to see enough to map a route, too.

"Do any packs stand out as more welcoming than others?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.  If the lady Marauder wanted to start scouting, it'd be helpful to know where to start.  ".. or .. less welcoming?"  That thought was less appealing.

Valette smiled at the other and nodded. "We would be welcoming. And to answer your question I know that our wolves at silvertip are all pretty friendly, if you are respectful they are respectful," she spoke.

Valette then thought about the packs she visited. There were some that were very unwelcoming. "Well I visited your pack but I knew Tavi, so that might be different. I also know Larksong but then again, the alpha there is kind of my father figure and all that. Um... oh! The brotherhood! They are not nice. You shouldn't go there. They are in a dark forest swamp area on the other side of the mountain. But! If you go over the mountains around the area of your pack then you won't be close to them," she assured.

The girl smiled. "You never know when approaching a strange pack, but if you are respectful it usually ends well, I believe. Or it helps if you are a fast runner," she joked lightly. "I think you will be fine though, you seem very polite and nice!"

The brotherhood?  Banner frowned and tilted her head at Valette's warning.  That name didn't sound very threatening, though her own pack of Marauder's Keep was probably at the top of the list of most intimidating pack names.  Still, she took the Scout's warning to heart - she'd probably had plenty of packs to compare if and that one stuck out, then then the threat was likely real.  Dark forest swamp?  Yeah, that sounded like a place a "not nice" pack would call home.  "Brotherhood, got it," she confirmed more for herself than anything.

Her head full of information, Banner looked back in the direction of her home.  The thick much of this marsh was starting to agitate her paws.  "Thank you, Valette," she began sincerely.  "You've given me a lot to think about, but I think I should head back the Keep now."  She paused and grinned.  "It was nice meeting you, though.  Maybe I'll visit you over at Silvertip sometime?"

Valette nodded, she wasn't aware that they changed their name again, yet still, the location distribution was more than enough to know that they were the ones to stay far away. Valette agreed that she should be going, and she was glad that she helped another female with something she might be interested in. "Please do visit me! I would love to see you again," she spoke with a smile.

"You can tell me then if you decide to be a scout too, yes?," she grinned. If she would become a scout then Valette might have a buddy she could travel and explore with. It was less lonely that way. With that said she nodded goodbye and left the female to return to her home. This was a very pleasant conversation. Valette was glad she bumped into this female.

Thank you for this. It was a super nice thread!