Northstar Vale white clover

The shifts were terribly subtle, but she, ever observant, certainly noticed. The days shortened ever so slightly. Summer remained in full swing, humidity, heat, and all, but soon, she knew it would begin to wane. While she was loathe to jump into wintertime preparations this soon, there was the particular matter of extensive plant stocks she hoped to maintain. As a naturalist, it was only vaguely underneath her duties, but she'd uphold them all the same.

On her way down the mountainside, she loosed a soft howl. Addressed to @Inari, she hoped his ears were nearby enough to catch her message in which she aimed to say she was heading towards the Northstar Vale, possibly for some plant-gathering and that he was welcome to join her. She remembered his mention of the topic in his skillset, so ideally he could come too to double the productivity. Plus, she'd do well to spend time with him. While she'd once been aggressively close to the pale-coated Rikudou so many moons ago, it felt like she had to get to know him all over again -- what with the passing of time and his peculiar amnesia. There were bonds to rebuild, no doubt.

With the mountain at her back and the afternoon sun beginning to peak, she set out across the familiar landscapes. The forests marking the Vale loomed on the horizon, drawing near.

Once closer, she slowed up and took her time to marvel at the downed trees before she officially made her way into the Vale. The damage was impressive, but so far, did not look terribly disastrous. Nature would rebound, as it always did.

:P

Dante took Lasher's words to heart after their last conversation, and this time when he departed the Plateau's borders, it was with intentions of scouting a possible home. He knew that the search would likely take him far north, but he wished to take a look around before worrying too much about the decision. After all, it could very well happen that no presentable place could even be found within reasonable distance.

This certainly was not that place. It was far too close regardless, but the storm too had vented some of its fury here. He had thought their part of the wilds untouched, but this apparently was not the case, and he shuddered to think what might have been had this ventured only slightly southwest. They were lucky. He hoped none had been unfortunate enough to be caught within.

Another was there, and he spotted her early on, but did not approach. His encounter with Charon was fresh in his mind and he in no way wished for a repeat. He failed to recognize her, so rounded the edge instead of drawing near.

i can edit if the thread with Charon turns into anything! also say hi to wizard world for me this weekend!!

She ventured forward, picking her way down the quietest path she could see. Inari had yet to join her, so she reasoned he might have been preoccupied elsewhere. All the same, she'd hopefully bring something of worth back.. even if it only ended up being the knowledge of what was here versus what was not. There were always more places to go.

Nevertheless, this stretch of land had suffered, and this was one of her more notable, up-close interactions with the serious aftermath. It made the events on the mountainside look tame. Now, she wondered more of the flatlands that had apparently burned, and whatever it was far to the north that had smoked for days.

But as for here and now, she realized she was no longer alone and moments after, familiarity began to come with it the closer she came. This seemed appropriate enough, for they always were fated to cross paths now and then, as was becoming tradition between them. She never needed to seek him out, evidently, although more than once she had wondered of how it fared for him in his home. Secondhand, she knew of the fire in the Plateau weeks ago, some lost wolves, and then there was the chance of the storm bringing them strife as well.

She strode comfortably into his proximity, and waved her tail in a slow rhythm. "Looking for something?" she asked conversationally, noting his path had perhaps suggested the possibility and her not knowing quite were else to truly begin.

ahh will do!!! :D we are going tonight also, too excited!!

Staying vague because of that ^^

She approached and he initially felt a bit peeved at this, not seeking company.  He recognized her shortly, however, and irritation vanished.  She was a neutral party, one who he had only had cordial dealings with, so suddenly her presence was welcome.  He winced internally as he turned his head, sharp pain still running down his ear at every movement.  He hadn't yet sought care for the injuries Charon had inflicted.  A penance for allowing his temper to get the better of him.  The left side of his face had been cleaned, but was still tight with the closed injuries.  He was feeling that fight today, fighting stiffness that had settled over him.  

"Definitely not another spar, not today at least," he joked lightly in response, approaching her. "I'm actually just scouting.  Heading up north a ways."

They had a tendency to bump into one another.  If she were less agreeable to talk to perhaps he would mind, but as it was he did not.  He didn't mention that he sought a new home possibly, for he would never consider settling so close to her own claim regardless.  "What about you?  Out looking for something specific, or enjoying the view?"  He eyed the destruction around them, suddenly wondering if the words were badly put.  He wasn't sure how her own home had fared.

She doubted that she would stay here long, and probably keep pressing further north a ways until eventually rounding back to the Spire. But, now closer to him, she realized more about his current status -- injuries included, and quite possibly fresh.

She narrowed her eyes at this information even as he spoke on. While not appearing serious, she couldn't imagine fancying a spar any with injuries that new. They certainly looked troublesome although she couldn't tell yet if they bothered him much -- maybe his tolerance for pain was good.. Anyway, she was far from a whole medic, but perhaps a bit more educated in injuries than the average and couldn't help but be curious.

Ame listened on, appreciating his simple answers that did lead her to wonder what had done it to him, and how it had come to be as it had been. "It looks fresh.." she remarked with a flick of her snout towards the sterling male, then mulled over a simple enough answer of her own. How to explain that oftentimes she just felt like roaming in search of what, exactly, she couldn't say. "First I came here to check on the plantlife for stocks, I suppose." She couldn't recall if it had ever come up between them that naturalism was her primary duty for the pack. Aside from leading it, of course. Although, she felt like they were a pack of ghosts sometimes. "Got a little derailed taking it all in," she gestured towards the scenery, trees displaced and all.

"Are you scouting for anything particular? Hopefully not.. more of whatever did that to you," she chuffed.

i need to edit his avatar tonight :P

He nodded when she remarked on their freshness.  His face only bothered him when he shifted in expression, but the ear was a constant pain that he knew only time would eliminate.  He was careful to keep them clean since this might be one of the worst places for infection to set in, but he sought no pain medication as of yet.

"It is a little distracting, isn't it?"  His eyes moved from her to a nearby fallen tree that illustrated the point perfectly.  It was insane that such destruction could be in such a focused place.  The gods must have been offended by something in this meadow.  It was as if Jupiter's fist had simply come down and torn everything aside.

He answered her question before posing his own, deciding it really couldn't hurt to allow her a glimpse of what his intentions were.  "I actually intend to scout territories, far from others.  My Beta made mention of perhaps relocating and, while we haven't decided anythjng yet, I wanted to see what was out there."  He shifted slightly, turning back to face her full.  "I'm not big on running from problems but sometimes the change is necessary."  He'd done it before.

"Did your mountain see any of the destruction?" He'd seen other places and hoped hers had gotten by untouched.

Despite the apparent newness of his injuries, and the fact that they looked a bit alarming just because they were on his face as they were, he didn't seem overly perturbed. She wouldn't press the matter and tried to put her curiosity about it to rest. He survived whatever it had been and would get along just fine with injuries that would probably scar at the very worst. It could always be even worse anyway.

She listened, though, when he detailed that he was scouting -- a suggestion brought on by the beta. She decided to nod understandingly, but took note of this. "I see. Maybe not a bad idea," she said, vague. Maybe a change of scenery would do them good. He alluded to problems, and she at least knew of the fire there weeks back, so maybe greener pastures were not a bad idea. The Plateau itself had been claimed for as long as she could remember here, after all. Maybe it was nearing its end.

But, these were private Plateau matters and she appreciated his wholesome answer. When questioned back, she shook her head softly. "Not much, honestly. Some flooding, some mudslides, branches torn up.. I do believe we were lucky, and missed the heart of it all," she said. "After seeing the smoke from the flatlands, and the north as well.. I know it could have been worse."

Her agreement with Lasher surprised him momentarily - how could she know? - until he remembered the fire. It was likely she would have caught sight of the smoke or caught it's scent on the breeze. Their lands were close enough for such a thing.

"Perhaps," he mused, still not convinced but knowing he would continue to doubt unless he found a place that could rival the one they sought to possibly leave. The home would need to make the decision for him, and if it was incapable of doing so, likely they would remain.

"Good to hear. Ours was much the same." He wondered at it. "Seems like most of the brunt went north and south, from what I can tell. The center untouched, but for this place here." He placed a paw on a felled branch, the tree it belonged to lying on it's side nearby.

He debated a moment, turning the branch idly and wondering if he should proceed to ask the question that had just, rather randomly, popped into his head. It was one that might seem strange to her yet had been roiling around in his thoughts of late alongside that of the move. A conundrum he did not particularly want to admit to, but that he was curious about all the same.

"Do you mind if I ask you a somewhat strange question?" He opted for this, figuring he knew the answer but feeling the need to introduce it regardless.

Perhaps, true. She felt the same way.. at times. Never with the push of a beta suggesting it, though, or with any real depth to it. Nothing better had come up so there she stayed, even if there was always the distant wonder if there were anything even more suiting to her. Greener on the other side, and so forth.

She nodded slowly. His observations matched up to her own, and they were on the same page. She watched his paw on the branch, then traced her sights up the nearest trunk. It was an unexpected pocket of damage tucked into the mountains here and they were lucky to have it here.. instead of their homes.

Her sights settled back onto him and she couldn't help but glance over his injuries again, despite seeing nothing new. For a beat, she wasn't sure how to proceed in light of his question -- not to say she was opposed to it, though. What could he deem so strange it deserved a preface like this? "Go ahead.." she said with an exhale, eyes narrowing curiously at him.

As expected she agreed, but still he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. This was one of those edged questions wherin by asking you practically admitted your own doubts and feelings. But he could not discuss it with his pack and another leader, another alpha, would have the perspective he wished. Perhaps once he would have gone to Mordecai but that bridge had burned. He bit the bullet - she was friendly and impersonal, which helped to set him at ease.

"Are you happy, where you are?" He asked it straight, meeting her gaze briefly before it dropped once more with mutual respect. "And I don't mean content. I mean truly happy, as in there is nothing else you feel you would rather do than lead your pack." It was a personal question and he wasn't sure how she would receive it or how honest an answer he would get in return. Truthfully he didn't even know what he wanted to hear.

In light of his question, she was silent a beat. There was no easy answer, especially since he cut to an unexpected point. First she felt vaguely suspicious -- the kneejerk response to questions like these, but a second to think had her aligning better thoughts, and she drew a deep breath. "Mm, well, when you put it like that, I can admit there could always be more.. but I would not venture to call it being unhappy. However, I never know if there is a more somewhere or sometime.. for I truly have a great many things and they have come easily." She found herself shifting her weight.

She never had to work excessively hard to maintain the mountain. It was relatively self-sufficient and no one had ever risen to challenge her. She'd fallen into the role when there was a vacancy about a year ago and that had been the end of it. Amekaze had done what she'd wanted since, which was admittedly (selfishly) one of her favorite aspects of leading. No one could tell her otherwise, for she generally did as she pleased. Of course, it was not as careless as living as a loner for she truly cared deeply for her tiny circle of comrades time had brought her.

But there were pieces missing. She made for a fitting enough alpha, she supposed, but always, she wanted a greater balance to her lead. She with her penchant to roam at random and reclusive habits, sometimes this did reflect. Her wolves were not tightly-knit because she did not exhaust the efforts in forcing them (a group of introverted personalities, no less) together all the time -- and she had no interest in it oftentimes, to be frank. She was often alone herself, especially recently. Jace was quiet and distant, Rain often out in the wilds, and several of her other close relationships had gone away. Sometimes she wished it could be more.. to strengthen their bonds and the pack as a whole. She had been feeling the burn of it most in the aftermath of some departures.. and perhaps why his question had struck her as it had.

The Sunspire had never necessarily meant to be her endgame.. or she had certainly never thought of it as such. First she'd considered going back to the homeland, then Ferdie's absence threw her into a role like this, and now here she remained because she liked the Teekon; it suited her. Distant ideals involved a mountain, always, but was it that mountain? "Has this been on your mind lately?" she questioned back.

He wondered at first if she would answer.  It was a pointless question to ask, as the answer didn't matter.  Happy or not, all they could do was all they could to ensure their families a happy and peaceful life.  But he still felt lighter for the asking, regardless of whether she gave a response or no.

The answer, when it did come, was far from definitive.  Yet he didn't mind.  Instead he considered what she said, for it almost begged to question whether happiness that he asked about was even possible.  Somehow he felt what she spoke of was different though.  There was a distinction between knowing there was something more and longing for a situation different than the one you were in.  But he wasn't sure he wanted to get into that because he wasn't sure 'longing' was even the correct term for what he was experiencing.  It was more a sense of discomfort, a niggling urge that he wasn't where he should be.

"As do I, and perhaps even too easily as well."  He'd been literally handed the reigns without a second thought and even when challenged and defeated, still was accepted as rightful leader.  He'd all but abandoned them after the fire with no repercussion, right as his desire to search for those missing might have been.  He knew the truth: he had also been running.  Yet no one even questioned him.

"It has.". He admitted readily, hardly seeing a point to denying it.  "I would never abandon responsibility, of course.  But I suppose there is little harm in wondering."  So long as he did not let it color his dealings with his subordinates - a feat that was getting harder to pull off.

His real wonder he kept to himself; that perhaps another leader, one able to put heart and soul into the task, might be better for them.  For he could feel the distance the pack held.  He might not feel like a pack of ghosts yet, but it was quickly going that way, and he had little motivation to make that fact change. The isolation suited his desire for space.  "You may be right.  It might be wrong to call it unhappiness.  After all, if you have nothing to compare with, there's no way to tell if the new would make you happier in the end.". Maybe instead it would be more dissatisfaction.

Without saying much, she hoped to convey that she understood. It was awfully difficult to put into words anyway despite it having been on her mind now and again. They felt similarly, it seemed, and all she could do was nod sincerely. "True," she agreed. A great many things could happen -- good and bad alike. When they had it so good so easily, it felt selfish to yearn for more. "I have enjoyed the different ways I have lived in their own way, though. I feel that something new may be the same, but nothing has quite pushed me out of this routine yet," she said. There had never been quite enough of a catalyst to get her moving because she didn't have a clear picture of the right path to take. She was a capable wolf so even if she only wanted to roam solo again, she was confident in her ability to survive it despite knowing the cons to doing so. 

A vague restlessness wasn't enough however. She just felt confusing because of that, and it certainly wasn't worth basing life changes on alone, not without a good direction to go in. It was all risk she would either take, or not. Time would tell, but she definitely felt the craving of a change. Maybe a year was about her time limit for the same thing. She would continue to consider this for days to come.

After realizing she had been silent for a beat, she straightened. "It has been on my mind a bit lately too. I have not understood why," she sighed.

Phooey I took too long a break and now I gotta flex my muscles a bit oof

He felt much the same, and found her words echoed his own thoughts rather precisely. Almost eerily so. It gave him some comfort to think that perhaps his doubts were common among leaders, for the chances of the one who he sought to confide in feeling likewise were slim otherwise. "Here's hoping we find the stimulus we need. Or some sort of conclusion." He shared a smile, one that he hoped displayed his gratefulness in her standing here and listening to him prattle on about nonsense like this. This conversation almost reminded him of similar ones with Osprey, in depth and subject matter both. An unwelcome thought still.

"Maybe with fall comes contemplation. It's a season of change, after all." He looked up at the trees, which as yet had not quite begun the process of turning. A few showed signs, but for the most part they retained their greens. He wasn't sure if he looked forward to the progress or not. A part of him loved autumn with it's colors and brisk vitality. But he always mourned the passing of the warmth of summer, and the herald of winter coming. Hopefully this one would be as moderate as the last.

"I hope you find your answers. Though I get the feeling you are the sort to make your own luck." He didn't have that great of a read on her, but she was strong and sure, that much he knew from their few meetings. How she saw him he had no clue, but it would be interesting to know. Yet such things so often remained a mystery.

Perhaps none of this should have come as a surprise, but she still felt disarmed having it all in the open as it now was. Knowing he felt similar did help. Greatly, she could always say. Jace had been the only one to hear even a fraction of these considerations, and often she was alone with them otherwise recently. It did give her plenty of time to think on it, though. What she wondered was if that was a good thing, or a bad.

"Perhaps," she agreed, finding she liked the change in season as a possible explanation. "I could see that being a decent enough reason," she chuffed softly. Better than nothing, right? It only felt natural to cycle along with the seasons, and something about the notion certainly appealed to her naturalist side. She was closing in on the start of her third year in the Teekon region, after all, so it seemed plausible enough. Maybe it was simply due time for a change and she would no longer be able to ignore it before winter's chill settled. "And likewise. I will do what I have to," she smirked, and paired it with a slow sway of her tail. She hoped he would do the same, whatever it may be, and knew he didn't need her to tell him that. As far as she could tell, he was successful so far. For a long time coming, she had found a strange fondness towards the silver wolf. Their meetings usually had her leaving with more than she had expected to find. Knowing what she did now only seemed to solidify this. He was in the same metaphorical boat as her, and kindred spirit if she could go so far as to say so. Somehow knowing this was easy.

Finding this to be a suitable conclusion to their conversation, she dipped her muzzle in quick farewell. "I will not keep you any longer, and I have more ground I want to cover," she said. She would not blame him if he wished to get home, especially knowing the Plateau had a healer in their midst. His wounds looked troublesome, even if he didn't seem all too bothered by them. "But it has been good talking with you," she added, vague and more quickly than she had spoken before. She swept by him not long after, and was on her way.

He smiled in a slightly cocked manner, rueful but genuine. He too would do what he needed to, and it was beginning to dawn on him exactly what it was that was holding the Plateau back from what it could be. What it had been before. This was an idea for another time, however, and he was content as she to let the conversation rest where it had finished. Each likely had much to think about.

For the first time, it crossed his mind that he did not know the dark woman's name. But he refrained from asking. Somehow, the mystery appealed to him, as if knowing her name would mean he could no longer be so open, for it would mean he would have to exchange his own as well. Here they were still strangers, unlabeled and unknowable. It might have been a naive and childish way of thinking but he enjoyed it all the same.

"Likewise, with you." He returned honestly, looking to the northern side of the mountains. He could make it a ways farther if he hurried, but he knew he would not linger long this trip. They were too few in number to lose anyone for more than a couple of days. After watching Amekaze disappear, contemplatively, he did the same, setting off in a direction away from her own that would tend northward soon after.