Bearclaw Valley tuck your tail and run

Unlike his siblings, Ovaltine had never settled down after their father had passed away. As far as he was aware, most of his siblings all had families of their own now. Either that or they were helping their brothers and sisters. But that life had never been for Ovaltine. He had not minded helping his younger siblings learn and grow, but after his own father had passed, he had simply gone his own way. It did not seem as though any of that was about to change.

Oval continued to bounce from one place to the next, always a nomad. Granted, there were times when he would get frisky with a girl or two, but he was sure to be gone before things got too serious. A week, at the very most, was as long as he'd planted his feet anywhere. Commitment just wasn't his forte. Maybe (years down the road) that would change, but Ovaltine didn't expect or pine for it.

And so he continued south, this time stopping well outside yet another(!) pack's boundaries, pondering on how long it would take for somebody to show up and either greet him or chase him off.

Ah, how did I miss this one? xD

Scarlett let out a soft puff as she walked. The small female was starting to become more belly than wolf. At least that is how she felt while walking. Surely one couldn't even call it walking. It was more like waddling around. Raziel was probably busy with his new infirmary and her mate was on some mission. He had been vague about it. But Scarlett trusted him. She knew he wouldn't do anything weird. That did mean that only Adlartok would watch over the border, or well their entrance. Bearclaw Valley had only one entrance. The wide boulder path, littered with ferns and big sized rocks. Other than that the valley surrounded by steep walls was closed off for intruders.

The red eyed female decided that she might needed to re do the scent marking of their pack. Plus if she would reach the end on the boulder path she would have an amazing overview of her lands. The white queen smiled at that. Her tail even rose a bit at the thought. What the female didn't think of, was that the climb would take a much heavier toll on her. Once she arrived there she panted heavily and sat down because she needed a break. After she caught her breath she rubbed herself against the tree, and since she needed to pee anyways, she would just go here. That was a clear mark.

The female snapped her head up when she heard something. Normally their valley was often left alone in all the quietness. She liked that, they were a close family with the wolves that did live here. Strangers were rare, only so often would a wolf join, probably because they entrance might only be found on accident. Scarlett raised her tail but it was clear that she was in no position to fight. Not that she would fight or was quick to attack. Though with her mind on the unborn pups in her belly she grew a bit more defensive. "May I ask what you are doing here by our borders?," she called out.

He was greeted in due time, and Ovaltine averted his eyes. "No need for alarm," he replied. "Just getting the lay of the land. My name's Ovaltine Driftwood. Does your land have a name?" If somebody had ever followed him around, they would have realized that he was practically reading from a script these days. He always made sure to defuse any worries first, then he would introduce himself, and then he would ask for the name of the place. It was simple, really, and rarely caused any alarm bells to go ringing off. He didn't press for information, knowing that he could always get it somewhere else if he needed to.

A quick glance to the lady who had greeted him granted him with additional information. She carried herself well, but a keen eye could identify that she was carrying a litter. Not that it made much difference to Ovaltine. Except for the very likely chance that she wouldn't take as kindly to flirtatious advances. Then again, he'd been surprised in the past.

Scarlett's blood red eyes focussed on the other wolf and she squinted them briefly. She wasn't sure what to expect. She was a pregnant female, close to giving birth there wasn't much she could do to protect herself. The male introduced himself and told her that there was no need for alarm. Well, because he mentioned that last past she wasn't sure that he could be trusted. She stayed behind their border just in case. "It does. It is called Bearclaw Valley. Usually wolves don't find our entrance but you did, so congrats," she spoke, still sounding kind.

She was basically admitting that they didn't get a lot of loners close to their borders. "I'm Scarlett and I lead this pack with my mate Kove," she then added. "Are you looking for a home?," she then wondered. They could always use new members. Especially now she was close to having babies. All the extra help was welcome.

He was not sure if her congratulations were sincere or not, but he chose to assume that it was a jape. Which put her in a certain category in his mind. First impressions were everything, especially when that was usually the only time Ovaltine spoke to somebody. He'd never been one for lasting relationships of any kind.

The expectant mother went on to introduce herself, her mate, and explain that she was, in fact, its leader. Ah, and there it was. The question about whether or not he was here for a home. "I’m afraid not," Ovaltine replied, "The road is my home." For two years now, he had roamed, gliding from one pack to the next ever-so-briefly. It never amounted to anything, and the longest he'd ever stayed on one place was perhaps ten days.

But that was a story for another day.

Scarlett kept her red eyes on Ovaltine even though her young decided that they needed more space and started to move and kick. Once one started she was in for quite the fight between at least two of them. In one way she liked it, since she got confirmed she was carrying life, but on the other hand it was tough to endure the kicks. Especially when they would kick her bladder, so embarrassing! Scarlett tried to focus on the male before her. "Oh. Okay. Well everyone its own style of life, right?," she returned.

"Can you tell me a story from life on the road?,' she then asked. Scarlett wouldn't mind a distraction to be honest. Plus she liked to listen to stories, maybe she could learn something new from it. The white queen sat down since her back was hurting her. Sometimes, you could just see her belly move a bit, as creepy as it was. A soft pant came from her lips, trusting the other that he wouldn't attack.

She spoke a broken sentence, and apparently did not realize it. Ovaltine smiled faintly, though he did not correct her. Perhaps the pregnancy was making her weary. She asked for a story, and Ovaltine let out a soft "hmmm" in reply. "What kind of story are you seeking?" he asked, "Adventure? Romance? Perhaps a tale of treachery?" He had picked up a few along the way, and while they were nothing to write home about, they were decent enough to be told. Most he'd heard secondhand, through wolves who had heard them from somebody else. His version was likely far from the truth, but he supposed the basics might have stayed the same.

As he awaited her answer, he attempted to mentally queue up a few stories so he'd be ready to start once she gave her answer.

Scarlett briefly thought about what kind of story she would like. Romance? Nah she had that herself. She didn't like treachery at all, it reminded her too much of Duskfire Glacier. She disliked how she was treated there in the end. So it would be adventure. Scarlett liked to think of herself as an adventuring type. Though before she was pregnant she did travel more than she did now. She liked her comfortable valley. "Adventure, please," she spoke with a hint of a smile.

She made herself more comfortable in her sitting position so she could listen and not be distracted by her protesting unborn babies. Her red eyes were cast on the stranger, to show that she was eager to hear his story.

Adventure it would be, then, and Ovaltine began to tell the story of the wolf and the cougar. "This is the story of the wolf and the cougar," he began. "Once upon a time, a wolf set of on a long journey to finally meet and marry his betrothed. He did not know what she looked like, nor did he know her name. He only knew that she lived atop a mountain with her family. It was there that he would meet her, court her, and eventually ask for her to follow him back home." Despite its beginnings, the story was not a romance. "Her pack was a month and a half of travel, but on the third day, he was greeted by a cougar who promised to take him where he needed to go. Being foolish and gullible, the wolf agreed to follow the cougar."

Ovaltine paused there, taking in another deep breath. "In the beginning, the cougar had planned to take the wolf back to his family and eat him, as wolves were a delicacy where he was from. Unfortunately, he found that he enjoyed the wolf’s company, so he led him on a much longer, more roundabout journey, taking him to all the best spots he knew of."

"When a month and a half passed them by, the wolf became suspicious of his friend, asking the cougar why they hadn’t gotten there yet. The cougar promised him they would be there any day, but he continued to lead the wolf around in circles, taking him nowhere closer to the wolf’s betrothed. A few days later, they were met by another cougar, who scolded the wolf's friend for not bringing such a rare delicacy back home to eat. The wolf was shocked, but when the new cougar attacked him, the original one fought him off. He was injured, but he managed to get his wolf friend home before dying on the outskirts of the betrothed wolf's pack. The wolf was sad, but he did eventually court and marry his intended. In the end, he named his first child 'Cougar,' after his traveling companion."

So perhaps the story wasn't strictly adventure, as it included elements of romance, friendship, and trickery, but there was some adventuring in there, right? Hopefully, the story would do for the lady of the valley.

Scarlett visibly shuddered when Ovaltine was starting to talk about cougars. Scarlett herself had been rather scared of them after she ran in the the albino cougar that attacked her. If it hadn't been for her mate Kove then she might have had some scars in her pelt. Nevertheless she listened to the story, which was was liking so far even though there were cougars in it. The mean cougar she pictured as the one that attacked her. She liked the moral of the story that in the end the cougar had become friends with a wolf.

Scarlett quirked up her lips into a smile after attentive listening. "That was an excellent story, thank you," she hummed. Liking that it had a bit of both, but most of all it sounded like a super cool adventure. It reminded of her adventures. "You are a good storyteller," she complimented him. Her red eyes still focused on him in a non-dominant matter. Scarlett wasn't very dominant in general really. She saw her packmates as friends and mostly cared for them like a mother.

Oval out! Thanks for the thread. :)

"You're welcome," Ovaltine replied, tipping his head gently in her direction. "And I believe that's my cue to move on." He'd given her the story, she'd given him the name of her home, and so the man was satisfied. Slowly, Ovaltine turned away from Bearclaw Valley, away from Scarlett, and on to new adventures. "Take care, Scarlett of Bearclaw Valley," he called over his shoulder before picking up his pace and moving on. There was more to be seen in this new place, and plenty more to learn and discover.

Thank you <3

Scarlett was relieved that the stranger went away with not too much commotion. She hummed softly as she bid him goodbye too. "Safe travels!," she wished. The soon-to-be mother then got up to her fours and watched the other leave. She turned away from him and moved back into her territory. Her body was tired and she would need a take a long rest. Her afternoon nap was becoming more and more a routine for her.