Nova Peak the scar on the mountain

Bellflower had been using the mountain as a landmark to guide her for hours. As she had drawn closer to it, she had realized that something about the mountain was wrong. Instead of seeing green the nearer she got, she saw a blackened mark like a scar on the north face of it. A forest fire had ravaged this side of the mountain. She found her normally jovial attitude dampened by the prospect of a forest fire. She had grown up in a forest herself and it would devastate her to learn that a fire had ravaged her home. Luckily, such a thing had not happened while she’d been growing up there. She supposed if one had happened since she’d left, there would be no way to know about it unless someone tracked her down to tell her.

Bellflower shook her head, realizing she was getting sidetracked. She now stood at the base of the mountain and turned to begin walking around the left side of it. She was not sure where she was going. These wilds were unknown to her. She had been given Oakstead’s blessing to leave and seek out new adventures and new friends. Traveling had been lonely, so used to company was she that being alone made her depressed. She’d been ignoring this depression by studying her surroundings as much as possible and hunting small game, come out of their burrows for the spring.

As she began to walk around the mountain, she only hoped she’d find a new place to settle down soon, for she was young still, and she tired of the constant travel.

she had to admit she felt kinda guilty for just abandoning drageda and leaving the teekons altogether, especially after how good mallaidh had been to her but there had just been so much responsibility and she could conclude she was not ready to give up the freedom to go wherever she wished. she had, however, found herself returning to teekon because frankly it was quite lonely out there and she didn't really trust her skills to get her far enough to another area so populated with fellow wolves. plus she hadn't even gotten to explore a fraction of the teekon lands as of yet! as creamy paws carried her golden form forward at a quick and eager place she could come to the conclusion that this was certainly not her favourite part of the lands.

firstly it was wayyy too fucking cold like damn, her short pelt had nothing on this. also she could not enjoy flat out sprints on such rocky, uneven terrain. finally it just wasn't too pretty either. she missed the sea.

there was much more she could complain about like how lonely she was feeling but she'd been trying her hardest to have a more positive outlook on life simply because her parents would definitely not believe she could fend for herself and be happy. so that was as good a reason as any to enjoy life.

a little longer of aimless wandering found her catching the scent of another wolf! a new burst of energy would fuel her at the prospect of finding another and she'd bound along as nimbly as possible on the unfavourable land until a pale wolf came into view- looking close enough in age to ali making it even better! "hey!" she'd greet, hopping closer with of course no consideration for whether the other even wanted company. she wasn't really used to thinking of anyone's needs beyond her own.

Bellflower turned happily at the sound of someone approaching, her tail wagging. “Hello there!” she said. The newcomer was not shy and came right up to her. Bellflower gave a little dip of her head in greeting, something all members of Oakstead did upon greeting anyone. “What brings you here?” she asked, trying to strike up a conversation. Not wanting to seem nosy, she offered her own explanation first. “I, myself, am heading farther south, trying to find a new place to call home and make some friends.” After a pause, she added, “Bellflower of Oakstead, at your service!” She gave a little grin, inviting the other to say their part.

she was pleased to be greeted back with a similar enthusiasm, not that it had really entered the girl's mind that this could've been someone less outgoing than her. the golden whisp of her tail wagged lazily as teal eyes gleamed in the weak spring light which might she add held aboslutely no warmth and did not help make these lands any less unbearably cold. the other was quick to ask what brought her here and go on to provide her own reasons. her slender shoulders are lifted in an effortless shrug "just taking the time to explore the whole area better, i can definitely conclude i'm not a fan of this particular part. much too cold and rocky!" she'd blink curiously "i don't think i've gone too far south yet, i spent most my time near the sea" she failed to mention her brief time of being at drageda before leaving without a word of goodbye, still not liking the guilt that stirred dully. "so got any pack in mind or just browsing?" she'd ask curiously, starting to continue slowly along the trail the girl had been taking in the hope she'd follow suit- it was much too cold to stay standing in the one spot.

amusement would flicker across the golden girl's gaze at the formal way in which the other introduced herself, very much the way ali's parents would have wished she would speak. "well nice to meet you bellflower!" she'd chirp "i'm ali"

Wow, Bellflower is SUPER talkative lmao

Bellflower nodded in sympathy at the complaint about the cold, although her thicker pelt kept her better insulated than the other female. “My home got really cold a lot,” she said, “but the summers were actually pretty warm!” She took a look up at the mountain again, frowning at the burn scar. “I don’t much like this area, either. I grew up in a forest, so this open, rocky area is… different.” She perked her ears when the other mentioned the sea. “I haven’t spent much time by the ocean, myself,” she admitted. “What’s it like?”

When asked if she had a pack in mind, Bellflower shook her head. “Nope. I’m not sure if I should join one or… maybe find some like-minded wolves and make my own… I’m not sure if I’m really a leader type, though… Hmm. I just want somewhere that reminds me of home. Somewhere in a forest, somewhere with lots of laughter and fun times. We weren’t a very serious bunch back home, but we would fight to protect each other if we needed to. I guess that’s all that matters.”

She smiled when Ali finally gave her own name. “Nice to meet you, too, Ali! Say, maybe we could travel together for a time? I’ve been alone for a while now…” It was hard to admit, but this journey away from Alaska had made her very lonely.

[size=10.5px%]heheh don't worry ali's a bit of a chatterbox herself[/size]

ali's head shook vigourously from side to side at even the thought of living somewhere where it got cold a lot. "it was pretty mild all year round where i came from i mean siding the usual coldness of winter- not too different to the more normal inland parts of teekon i s'pose" she'd follow the paler wolf's gaze up towards the ugly scar cutting through the already bleak landscape- really not doing it any favours. teal eyes found their way back to the girl as she spoke a bit more about her home after agreeing that this area in particular was not the nicest. "i was never a huge fan of forests, i dunno i always feel kind of like trapped? i much prefer open areas but not like this, give me some flat grassy plains and i'll be happy. especially if the sea is nearby" this gave her a dull pang, she really missed having the large body of water nearby. the lack of everything about it from the salty smell to the calming sound of the waves crashing againt the cliffs went hard on her. but what if she went back and bumped into mallaidh? why did she have to be so damn bad at keeping herself together?

she mentally shakes off the thoughts as bellflower asks her what the sea is like. a wistfull smile crosses her features as she murmurs "i can't even tell you how fucking amazing it is. i actually only came across it for the first time when in teekon but there's nothing like it. everything is just so open and...free, you've got to go to the coast sometime." her teal eyes sparkle at the mere thought of standing on the cliff's edge again, craving the exhilaration accompanied by standing on the edge with the waves crashing far below.

no point in fantasizing about it too much when she was stuck here instead though, however to look on the bright side at least she had this part of the territory discovered and knew for again that she wouldn't be returning unless it was needed. she blinks curiously when her company expresses that she was considering making her own pack lest she found one she wanted to join. ali wasn't going to lie, the wolf didn't scream 'leader' to her but then again ali had been used to very authoritive figures- maybe bellflower's rather open personality would actually make her a good fit to lead others? it wasn't like ali was exactly an expert in the area so she couldn't judge. "hey if you want to start a pack you should totally go for it, life's short y'know you should take chances. if it fails you'll be no worse off than where you started" she accompanies the words with an easy smile, the more she thought about it the more she could see the other happy leading her easy going pack. probably could do with more less serious ones around.

"i don't personally think i'm the pack type, got too much of a need to move all the time. it's a tough thing to juggle though as i do like being in the company of others so being a lone wolf can suck in that department but i appreciate the lack of ties and responsibilities." she lifts her shoulders in a shrug, maybe some wouldn't see it as an ideal trait but it was who she was so that was that. her ears prick eagerly when bellflower suggest they travel together for a while. "i'd be so down for that, travelling is a lot more fun with someone else" because of course it's the 'more fun' element she'd jump to, not the fact that it would be more safe or more efficient. her paws feel lighter now as they carry her along the trail, eager to keep going.