Northstar Vale I don't know many, but I know enough

Amalia headed towards Mereo. She wished to check on Bear again. What was it that he preferred to be called. So lost in her thoughts, trying to remember she missed her trail head and found herself near another pack. She froze unsure where to go from here. Nose twitched and she looked around for anyone to help her out. @Phox

Amalia shifted and moved far, far away from the borders and then settled to her haunches to look around. It was very pretty here, and she wasn't quite certain of everything around. Honestly, if no one came to her while she settled there. She could turn around and back track. Find her way to Mereo a different way.

Content and cheerful, she hummed underneath her breath.

Phox wasn't much use as a guardian with a big chunk of himself missing, but he couldn't help but be curious when he saw somebody lingering at Epoch's borders. Technically, he didn't have the seniority to make any decisions about such things, but hey, it wouldn't hurt to talk to the locals, even if they weren't Epochians. (Yes, he was going with that for their collective name, no matter how absurd it sounded.) It was better than "Morons," which was his head-canon for what folks in Mereo were called.

She(?!) seemed rather content where she was, and Phox bounced along until he was close enough for conversation. Howdy there. This is Epoch, and I'm Phox Redhawk. Can I help ya with anything? he asked, his tail relaxed, resting gently against his one rear leg.

Amalia turned green eyes to a sound behind her. She was met with a dark face with an interesting shade of eyes. He had an intelligent and fierce face, and she offered him a trademark smile. That lit up her green eyes and she wagged a tail.

Hello. Oh goodness. I'm sorry. I was on my way to Mereo and got a little lost and I was just enjoying the day. I'm Amalia.

She moved so she could focus more solely on him. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Phox Redhawk.

She looked around. It's really pretty here.

bahaha her aunt Blue Willow would roll in her grave if she knew her niece was fraternizing with a redhawk.

Phox didn't know anything about math or statistics, but he wondered what the odds were that he'd meet somebody on their way to Mereo the same day he arrived here. Perhaps she could pass along a message to Fennec, Germanicus, Killdeer, and Tierra. Let them know he finally made his way to Epoch—well, most of him made it.

Oh, yeah. It really is, isn't it? I actually used to live in Mereo. If you're headed that way, would you mind passing on a message for me? Let them know I finally made it to Epoch, and I plan on staying here.

Phox paused for a beat, leaving room in case she needed any more information or needed any repeats. Do you live there, in Mereo? Perhaps she had only joined up after he had left.

Amalia didn't find Mereo hard to bear, but it was not a place she could lay down a life. To rigid in it's rules and customs. The red stone. She liked her forests and her willow trees, and rives that flowed so sweet and cold in spring.

Her tail wagged harder. It is. Did you see the willows on your way in? And there's some birch trees that way, and i bet berries grow so pretty. You have pretty eyes by the way. They remind me of new bark on new trees.

She tilted her head and then clued in to pay attention. Closing her mouth. Her dad always told her she talked too much. I don't live there no. I just know a youngling there. Icarus. I can pass it on for you. Do you like your new home?

Phox bobbed his head at her mention of the willows, though he couldn't say about the berries. Meat was always his food of choice, though he had a feeling he was going to need to get creative now that food didn't just show up in front of him like it had in the strange place. The next comment completely threw him off-guard, and the Redhawk stared blankly at her for several seconds as she explained something about... something.

Oh, uh, yeah! I mean, my sister Towhee lives here, so what's not to like about it? Seems a bit more chill than Mereo, which I need what with... he gestured to his empty hip. No more sparring for me. I'm retired now, just here to look at stars and make up silly stories about them.

If you're not at Mereo, where do you live? he asked. Perhaps she was from Akashingo, one of the other sister packs. At least he thought it was still a sister pack of sorts. He had never been good at keeping up with the political side of things. That was all Germanicus.

Amalia's favorite trees were willows. They wrapped you in their branches and sort of just harbored all teh good things and kept the bad at bay. She just couldn't get enough of them.

Amalia breezed by the compliment she ahd given as she did with all compliments. She offered one, because she liked to make others happy. Make them feel good. It filled her with contentment and happiness herself.

Amalia looked over his hip and nodded. You seem to be doing well. There's a wolf in our pack with only three legs as well and she does fine. I'm sorry that you lost your limb though. I hope it wasn't too much of an adjustment period for you. She lay her ears down against her skull a little sad for him.

Brechiliant.

He wondered when he would stop flinching at every glance. True, he hadn't with Towhee, but he also knew Towhee wouldn't ever second-guess his worthiness just because he went and got his leg gone. He wasn't sure he'd ever feel that way about anybody else. Hell, even he second-guessed his worthiness on a daily basis now. How could he expect to contribute like this? He stuffed that question right back where it came from.

The thought of somebody else missing a limb hadn't even occurred to him. He'd never seen it before. Whoa, really? And in Brechiliant? Does Eljay still live there? And Maia? Gosh, I haven't seen those two in ages. Maybe he was due for a visit, and he could ask the other tripod for advice on how she dealt with the transition, assuming she hadn't been born that way.

Amalia hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable. She saw the momentary flinch as she looked at his leg. A frown tugged at the corners of her snout. She however, didn't measure worthiness with how a wolf looked. No it was more how they acted, if they were kind.

Yes, he name is Bridget. I don't know here well yet. Just have seen her in passing. I'm fairly new. Yes!

Her face lit up at the mention of Maia and Eljay more so the former than the latter. Maia is the leader presently. And my dear friend.

She stretched and shifted. Bouncing a bit on her paws. She had been sitting so long. And she was now working off some of the nervous energy that always pressed against her.

Maia had always been easygoing, so Phox wasn't surprised to hear that Amalia was friends with her. She'd been nothing but pleasant from what Phox remembered, and Eljay was lucky to have her. He really did need to go visit them.

I really should pay them a visit once I'm a bit more steady on my feet. With a message going to Mereo, Phox wouldn't need to worry about visiting them immediately. Besides, the thought of going to that red canyon filled him with some sort of dread for reasons he couldn't explain.

Are they still at the caldera? Big mountain with a lake up top?

Amalia frankly adored Maia. She didn't know Eljay all that well, but what she did know of him was positive. And if Maia adored him as much as she seemed too, then he must be a good egg.

Well if you want to go before I head back I'll keep ya company. Otherwise I can tell them hello from you. I'm sure they would be glad to see you. She swept her tail behind her. Thought of Mereo, she would give the message to the wolves there and then move on to her home. Mereo seemed so cold. She could understand why wolves were leaving it behind.

They are, yes.

we can fade here if you'd like unless you wanna play out the hunt!

She practically invited him along for company (which may or may not have been his plan). It would be nice to have a full-bodied wolf with him for the journey, and he didn't want to bother Towhee and Maxim too much right after returning. It would be a nice little journey. It kind of reminded him of another journey, but he couldn't say exactly when or where it had taken place. One that was quick and sweet and full of familiar faces.

That would be nice, he said. Swing by here on your way back to Brecheliant, and give me a holler. I'll let you know if I'm fit for travel, or at least come say hello. Phox found himself quite optimistic about the thought of future plans: something that hadn't happened in a very long time. He'd had purpose with Mereo, but he hadn't ever had a plan. Just this one little thing could keep him going.

Believe it or not, I was born there, on that mountain. He felt his eyes fog over a little bit, thinking of Finley and Elwood and Raven. They had raised him since his own parents had passed away before he could know them.

Would you like to watch me attempt to hunt something before you go? I haven't actually tried since food stopped appearing in front of me, and I want to know just how much this lack of leg is going to hinder me.

I'll fade with my post. Thank you for the thread, lovely. <3 And we can play out a thread going to Brechliant if you like :)

Amalia liked the thought of having someone along with her to Brechliant. Too often she was solitary and alone. It was nice to have company. Especially to her home.

Sounds like a plan. She gave a firm nod. They would need to move slower of course, that was a given. However, she found that was not as daunting as it would have been a mere moon ago.

Amalia blinked. Really! That's lovely. I'm glad you were born in such a beautiful place.

She giggled at his next words. I will be glad to watch. Remember though I expect a grand show then. Pull out all the stops. You understand. Yea She teased him gently.

She would then follow along behind him as he attempted to hunt, and she hoped be successful. She felt perhaps he needed that small ego buff.