Lost Creek Hollow Keep The Streets Empty For Me

Either @Mordecai or @Harlyn are welcome... Or both! :D

It was definitely time to get into a pack.

Arabella Stone was not a girl who did exceptionally well as a loner. She'd kept herself alive this long, but solitude and hunger were a constant, and it got more difficult with every passing day. She'd been through so many cold nights...

Depression had come soon after her departure from the Glacier, and she often cried over the memory of Maera. She was so beautiful, so tiny -and she had abandoned her. But Bella was not her mother, and she did not know how to be one. She could not keep on faking it forever, she did not have the strength. Life seemed to want Arabella to suffer forever, but she refused to succumb to darkness.

She kept alive.

But she wouldn't be forever, not if she stayed alone. She needed the back up of a pack, and she'd been following the tracks of a forming group for days. She hoped this would be her salvation, a permanent home like Duskfire Glacier could not be, and hopefully she could build a life with them.

Arabella had kept at line, wary not to come too close. She did not know whether these wolves would appreciate it. But she was around, waiting for the moment to be noticed.

Her black nose, flat on the floor, took her to the edge of the forest that seemed to be the chosen place to establish the pack's settlement; and there, with a sky that suggested this would be yet another cold and wet night, the girl laid down and curled herself up under a tree.

*sails in from the bowels of hell*

Truthfully, she was noticed long before any sort of approach was made. Mordecai had spotted her meandering about loosely beyond their forming claim, but his decision to approach only came when she seemingly disappeared against the thinning spread of forestry and tall grass. He found he didn't quite know what to make the attention they were receiving; whether or not he was flustered by the fact that there were those who rallied to them, or simply because they were beginning to turn an success was negotiable. And it really may have been a little of Column A and a little of Column B.

Regardless, he left the cover of the territory to venture out. His footfalls were quiet against the damp earth and in spite of the pressing coolness of that came with nightfall it was still humid. But it neither damp nor humid enough to dampen his senses entirely; Mordecai plucked the thinnest of imaginary tendrils of her scent from where she had lingered, and followed them.

When he did find her, she had nestled herself away at the base of a tree. There was something particular forlorn about her, though she was very clearly travel-worn. Not in a good way either — he could not help but think that some that they had been graced by were worse for wear in spite of the height of the season. Yet they could not afford to be terribly choosy in what they drew in, nor did he desire to earn the ire of those in passing. They had neighbors nearby and perhaps selfishly, he desired to gather them all if only to secure their own needs through utilization of a common core.

He drew close, but not so close as to invade. No telling what might've been her mood, let alone anything else. Curiously, he drew in the air as though to test it, though the resounding exhale was certainly enough to draw her attention. Provided it wasn't already; he wouldn't have been too hard to miss in the fading light.

*Dances around*

Arabella knew that she would not go unnoticed by the group, and in fact she didn't want to. She was awaiting the moment to be noticed by the wolves she was following because she did not know how to approach them. It would be easier to handle the situation if she was not being intrusive.

But when the resounding exhale of the Alpha-to-be woke her up she was not prepared. She jumped awake having given in to exhaustion into what was supposed to be a "five-minute-nap" and instantly lowered her ears and tail to show him submission. She did not say anything giving Mordecai a change to give her a closer inspection, and although she wasn't shaking or crying she was pretty nervous and it showed. But that was the best way Arabella knew to make a good first impression.

figured i'd go short and sweet simply to get this moving with my crap internet and limited free time lulz

He startled her, though it was far from his intention to do so. Still, it gave Mordecai the opportunity to glean how she was, and it was not an opportunity squandered. Another straggler, though this one was perhaps not quite as bold as the ones they had encountered before. His ears slacked back against his head for a moment — apologetically, perhaps — before resuming their original positioning.

"Are you all right?" he asked, wondering after the anxiousness that had plastered itself across her frame. Perhaps she too had come through a run of bad luck but at that point, they probably all had one day or another.

That's alright ;)

Arabella was indeed going through a rough time in her life. She had been kicked out of her home over a year ago and she'd made the wrong call of abandoning the place that could have been her home. She certainly did not look like the beauty she used to be and her strength was starting to run short. But she had the spirit to keep on going. She wouldn't give up.

Bella allowed herself to take a better look at the male. She had observed them before and she knew that Mordecai was a large wolf, but she didn't know he was so handsome. Tawny pelt and bright golden eyes. So kind were his eyes.

"I'm fine..." she lied, retaking her composure a little and wagging her tail while she kept it low. "I hope I'm not being intrussive - I... I've been following you for a while..." it seemed like the male was not going to eat her, or so Bella thought, which gave her a bit of tranquility. That was something she did not have to worry about anymore. Now the deal was getting into the pack.

*bumrushes through posts because internet is a cockjuggling thundercunt daring to go out again*

"Have you?" His interest piqued considerably, though he already had the inkling of why she had been following after them. "Why's that?" Of course then there was the question of just how long a while was. Mordecai thought they had made good time across the uncharted countryside, but then again perhaps any small group of wolves would garner the attention of those who watched. It certainly would have intrigued him, anyway.

Still, even if it were to encourage her not to beat around the bush any, he offered her a reassuring smile. It was just as hard for him to really mask that he had the notion of why she was lurking around their territory anyway. But the urge to prompt her to be forthcoming in one go was a long dampened skill rattling around somewhere in memory alone.

in the time it took me to write this mess my internet died like four times omfg. i am going to punch this router through my neighbor's wall before the day is over.

If that doesn't help then smashing it with a hammer should do the trick...

The male's smile was encouraging, she felt no danger for her in him, and she thought for a second that maybe this would be a nice guy to call her Alpha. She was naive and light hearted, and things like this made her see the beauty in the world, in the people tha inhabited it.

The girl was nervous to say the least, and any question made would be a challenge to give an answer, but she knew what the male's intentions were.

"I was hoping to find a place among you... I saw you crossing the valley and could not resist the temptation to take a closer look. I've been a loner for a while now and need to settle down." she said with a bit more confidence now although she left out the depressing side of her story. She did not want to be seen as the helpless weakling anymore. She had to become an adult already.

She filled in some of the blanks that he had been having, but did not find any ire to lurk behind them. She seemed a meek sort, respectful and shy beneath whatever sort of front she may have been displaying. Perhaps that made him a little uneasy, seeing her hold composure, but it was something he would grow used to again in time.

"Well, you're in luck because we're looking for helpful paws," he said, letting out a breath. "What are you good at? There's a lot still needing to be done." Of course what those were, he didn't have them readily at the top of his mind. If anything, Mordecai had been steadfast in keeping up their borders. He had ventured out a time or two to try and catch a glimpse of what herds may have been around, but they were secondary to his main objective.

For now, they'd suffice on the small game in the wood.

Ever got that shit thing they call 'writer's block'?
Well, it sucks...

"I'm good with plants..." she barked, that being the first thing that came to mind, "I wouldn't call myself a healer, but I good with other things related to nature as well..." she added. The title Naturalist was not one she knew, but she did find the skies fascinating and the earth very intriguing. She would need practice at it for it to be actually useful as a trade, but she would get there eventually.

"Is that something you're looking for?" She asked shyly.

story of my life. sometimes i will sit here with the intent to post but end up staring at the post going "i don't wanna my brain is broken"... and so i don't. v__v;

but hey, i like shorter posts too, so dis werks <3

It went the same for him — he couldn't have been able to explain what exactly a naturalist did either. Or even if such a thing was truly an applicable trade. Yet he couldn't help but think from what she said that she was simply some sort of healer in training, and as it were he thought Harlyn would make use of her.

"Actually, that could be useful," he said with a nod. "It would do you well to seek out Harlyn, my co-leader. I'm sure she could teach you plenty, since she's a healer among many things." And with that sort of statement, it was probably a safe bet that she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not she'd be making the cut.

<3

Mordecai's words were exciting in more than one way.

First, the idea of learning from a healer was exciting. She would probably avoid the part in which she would have to deal with blood or broken things, but the part in which she got to know about herbs and plants was definitely going to be amazing.

But the most thrilling part of it was that, for the sound of it, she had been accepted into the pack. "Does that mean I can stay?" she asked, a smile forming on her lips and her big eyes glittering with happiness. There would be no more worrying about hunger or cold, she would now have a place to rest and feel safe, and she would be useful for something besides herself.

He made a soft noise of affirmation at her question, his head bobbing in agreement. "As long as you can prove yourself useful and willing to contribute, I don't see why not." And on the off chance she wasn't, well, natural law would see her driven out steadily. But he did not think that would be an outcome to be seen, certain that she was more than willing to contribute and earn her keep. Time alone had its way with them all in that regard.

"Oh, thank you!" the girl squeaked with joy, "I will not let you down," she barked with a wide smile as her tail went crazy behind her.

During the time she spent alone, Arabella realized that she would never find a permanent home if she did not commit to becomeing someone of use to it. She had also realized that she was not completely useless as she thought for so long. She had talents, more than she could count, and if she persevered she was certain she could become a key piece of a good pack. She would commit.

"I would be thrilled to meet miss Harlyn..." she commented airily, suggesting that she was ready to come into the forest. It looked magical even from the outside, and she was eager to explore it's depths. "Oh, and my name is Arabella by the way. Arabella Primrose."

She was thrilled and Mordecai could not help but capture a little of her enthusiasm in return. His tail swung behind him for a moment, though it slowly returned to its idleness. With that sort of happiness, he supposed it wouldn't be very hard at all for her to take to aiding them; whatever had ailed her in the past would hopefully, swiftly, but laid to rest.

"I suppose we should have exchanged names sooner," Mordecai said with a chuckle. Then again, he had hardly known the names of those who had resided in the Plateau. A certain complacency lingered, even now, and he would move to change it. "I'm Mordecai." With a gesture for her to come along, he turned back towards the forest and the mysteries within.

fade with your next post? sorry if this is lackluster, i'm fighting a cold ughhhh

That's fine!
Please get better soon <3
last post!

"It is a pleasure," the sylph said with a smile. She could not contain the happiness that had flooded her the moment Mordecai had voiced that she had a place among his ranks. She had a home. A fairytale place that she would learn to love from the root, although from the start it had felt magically appealing.

As the Alpha gestured for her to follow, Arabella set foot behind him, airily wagging her tail as she delved into the forest's depths, sniffing around to get accustomed to the aromas of her new paradise. There she made a promise to herself. She would work to earn it. To prove Mordecai that she was worthy of the trust he'd given her. She would become a strong woman in this place.