Whitebark Stream adamo

the arrival of the three déorwine siblings into the ranks unsettled germanicus. like artyom, he was pleased for the trio of new jaws to help fill caches for the growing young. like artyom, the guard was satisfied by the addition of warriors and a healer to their locale.

but artyom was consumed in his emotion, and unlike germanicus, did not seem rightfully suspicious. 

there was also the matter of their names. he had prayed quietly to his war-god upon that subject, in hopes that he was only hypervigilant over the shadow of an earlier past. in silence germancius waded into the stream, intending to fish whilst he turned his thoughts to lighter things and pale ico.

The pack was of grayscale wolves, and while Célnes hadn't met all, and only a few, that was the streak she had noticed. Her siblings were all brown-variety, a blessing from the High Elk himself, but the wolves by the stream, seemed to not be. She was not one to dwelve too deeply within the religion of Déorwine family holds, but she had grown up with such skeptism. There was a wariness- but at the same time, they were kind.

Too kind.

They let the trio in without another thought to be. Not to mention the disappearences the three, who wander away from the territory for scouting purposes... And obviously, for Kendrick, whome she now had found days ago. Though with her siblings be a bit absent, she couldn't share the news to them yet, and spent the few days within, simply waiting for them to return.

There, the elken woman came across the man she met a weeks days ago. With a smile to the corners of her lips, she walked toward him, "Hello Germanicus."

the vestal had been troubled upon their last meet, and germanicus felt within him only a welling of annoyance for whatever had occurred to cause the sensation. ico deserved peace. the soldier planted his paws within the cool stream, muzzle poised to descend toward whatever fish arrived.

the trout jerked away at the sound of a voice, and germanicus narrowed his eyes only slightly toward the surface of the stream, turning to see the mahogany woman approaching. "célnes," he greeted. the name hung on his tongue, heavy, unfamiliar. 

heathen. 

"you and your siblings have settled well?" he inquired, straightening to join the newcomer with a past he knew only to be touched by ash.

"Yes," she said, nodding, "It has been.. A challenge, as we are used to our home more northern, more forested." Indeed so, the fact majority of these wolves were not of their own kind gave a sense of wariness to the Déorwine's. The elders would be frowning for these interactions with the unholy, but at the moment, she had forsake the culture for the livliness of survival.

"Does Whitebark hunt these rivers?" She questioned, eyeing the fish that swam through.

"fish are the closest source of meat," germanicus remarked softly, turning his attention back to his hunt. yet his heart was not truly in it, and after a moment he looked back at célnes. "i lived in a wild forest also." a sight more organized place than the teekon had proved to be, but untameable and sprawling at its edges.

"i think the winter will be easier here," the guard went on, a last lip before he bent over the surface again, stilling himself as the trout began to gather just outside the reach of his shadow. a moment of silence and he might snag one from the stream as if he were an osprey, but germanicus remained intrigued by the woman, despite his misgivings.

"You are a good fisher," she complimented. While Kingslend had a pride of hunting, they took more time to focus on deerstalking and regular hunting then of fishing. It seemed like a rare occurance for any to truly be good, but occasionally the chances would come. After all, the river was always full of fish, and always could provide a meal with a drink.

But the rain.. Seemed troublesome for this river.

"You haven't been here through the winter?" She inquired, lifting a brow to the question. Had this pack been to new, or was he a new wolf as well?

he did not answer this time, poised at the edge of his strength. germanicus lunged, water sluicing over him in a torrent, and from its curve he re-emerged with a valiantly flopping fish gasping in his hard jaws. dropping it to the ground, the soldier nudged it from the possibility of escaping back into the stream.

he glanced then toward célnes, straightening. "i have been here three months." she was friendly, conversational; he could not shake the feeling of mistrust, nor forget how her brother had acted in silence during their join. "winter, where you came from," and now he was pointed, daffodil stare resting upon the woman he had met in the brackenwood, "what was it like?"

She debated how much to share about her old land, a while normally wouldn't like to share too much with outsiders.. The land was destroyed. There was nothing to go back to, despite how once the land was so bountiful, "We survived," despite how large the family had been, without rivals, there was nothing to stop them so. No other wolf packs were for miles, and they had no allies or enemies, and claimed quite a large amount of the land. Truly, Kings.

"It was peaceful." She missed it so.

She didn't see the distrust the male held, and continued on a with a friendly smile.

"Where were you previously from?" Célnes inquired.

no information given. célnes remained a closed tome, resistant to germanicus' attempts to read the pages. no matter. "a great forest," he answered with the same vague nature she had offered. he was not hungry; the guardian offered the strange woman from the burned land his catch, but if she did not take it, he would bury it there upon the shore.

"patrol?" he grunted, a rustgrey ear flicking as he motioned toward the edge of the trees. "i found the scent of lynx not far from whitebark," germanicus explained, setting off toward the path there. "we should see that it has gone its own way."

"A forest will always be a home." They came to a similar homeland she presumed, but knew he was not near her own parts. Such a secluded part, and he with such a gray pelt, would be unwelcomed. She didn't let such ugly thoughts come forth and continued on with a friendly smile, a slight glance toward him before they continued walking in peace.

"Sure," she said, "was it fresh?"

we can fade this or go on, ur choice! <3

germanicus was not sure he agreed. but it was not for lack of truth in célnes' words, only a differing experience. she was one who had been able to choose the home of her heart, he felt. it was not a choice the centurion had been given, not in the realm of his father. "it was," he answered after a time, "and i found a clear track in the mud."

with young wolves still to protect, germanicus did not wish to miss the threat of a slinking cat, and hurried to find the lightened trail once more.

fading is fine!

She only smiled and nodded, now falling to silence. The two proceeded to look for the tracking, and if there was something, the two can swiftly chase them out. She was pleased that the wolves of these packs at least had the sense to properly keep their borders in check. She had a somewhat thoughtline they may be barbarians, as Célnes  had little interaction outside of Kingslend.. Though her opinion was changing.