Emberwood The trees seemed to be burning

@Pearl

Haven was completely in awe. She'd simply been out exploring like usual, when she'd stumbled across a new area. And it was gorgeous. Emberwood, it had sounded simple enough. She'd expected some nice orange maples like everywhere else, but the Emberwood was stunning. The aspen trees that furnished the glade were completely miraculous, oranges, reds, yellows, even a pinkish looking color on a few trees. The vegetation at the forest floor was hard to see, most of it either dead or covered in browning leaves, but what was visible was also of a neony color. Haven had never really found autumn to be her favorite season, but the Emberwood was simply amazing.

She trotted along, the forest was stocked with prey and she'd caught a small fawn not far back. The poor creature must've been separated from it's herd, but it made for an easy kill even when the grey and white female was alone. She had cleaned her face of it's blood not far back in a small trickling stream and now was looking for a good place to nap. Growing up meant getting tired more often, for she had lots of responsibilities. She decided on a small mossy patch under a yellow aspen, and once she felt ready, she laid down resting her head on her white tipped paws. She glanced around for a moment then closed her golden eyes to rest.

Thanks for starting! :)

Autumn was Pearl's favorite season, only closely followed by summer. The leaves were gorgeous, and the game plentiful and growing fat. She had been told to check out Emberwood on her little vacation, so she made it a priority to visit after her meeting with Sebastian. She had heard only good things about it, but when it came into her view, she was purely amazed. Trotting among the dying underbrush and fallen leaves, she could only look up towards the trees in wonder. Aspens were decidedly her favorite since leaving her beloved plains. There were so many bright colors, even touches of pink in some. Pearl couldn't keep a smile off her face, she was so in awe. Maka, this was beautiful. She felt like dancing among the fluttering leaves, becoming one with nature and being free. Just thinking about seeing this all from above made the fur along her spine shiver, and she made a note to try that. 

A rabbit scurried across her path, capturing her attention and hunger for the time being. She caught it in her powerful jaws and broke its neck, then sat down and dug in. With a full belly and a good mood, she went in search of a stream to wash off the blood. Catching the scent of another female, she immediately diverted her path to chat. Coming to a small stream, she quickly washed off the blood and followed the scent again. Spotting a gray and white female, she gave a chuff to let her know she was there.

No problem, I'm more than happy to C:

Haven opened her eyes lazily, and glanced out of the corner of them to see her visitor. She came to see a white female trotting towards her, she didn't seem to want to cause harm. Haven came to her paws and stretched out her legs with a yawn. She was sort of irritable when tired, but she didn't want to be rude. She made a weary smile and slowly walked forwards to meet the female. She smelled of other wolves which suggested that she was from a pack. It was a scent that the grey wolf had never smelled before, and she became curious of its origin.

Hi, I'm Haven. Who are you? Haven asked, wagging her tail slightly. She gave a submissive nod, showing that she meant no harm. The other female seemed older than her, and Haven had been taught to always be respectful.

"Oh, no, you don't have to get up," Pearl said with a warm smile. No need to disrupt another's comfort. When she came closer, Pearl caught the scent of a pack, and the smell that was on Sebastian. The name only confirmed her suspicions. Funny that she would meet Haven so soon. "Really? Sorry, I'm Pearl. I met Sebastian a few days ago, actually, he mentioned you."  she said. 

Haven looked a bit younger than herself. She wondered how the two met. Already they seemed like a great pair. She gave a friendly sweep of her tail to show that she meant no harm. The afternoon was too gorgeous to ruin with violence. The leaves were still falling, twirling around them in a lazy descent to the already coated ground. The sun was lighting up the whole forest, making all the colors more vibrant than before. Pearl had to smile at the beauty of Emberwood.

Haven smiled back at the white wolf, she seemed friendly enough and Haven was always up for some company. She could smell a pack on the female, definitely so. Haven herself had been thinking all week of Sebastian's offer to leave Jade Fern Grove and be a loner with him. She still hadn't made up her mind, but the more she thought about it the more she wanted to go with him. The grey and white wolf perked up her ears at the mention of Sebastian. She found it interesting that Pearl had met Sebastian a few days ago. She smiled bashfully when Pearl said that he had mentioned her.

Really? What, umm what did he say? About me I mean? She was extremely curious now, to hear that her crush had spoken about her. Nice things I hope! She thought shuffling her white tipped paws as she waited anxiously for an answer.

This thread takes place before Haven left to become a lone wolf by the way. At this point in her timeline she's still with the grove wolves C:

Pearl giggled inwardly at Haven's anxiousness. "He was thinking about joining your pack to be with you, and he seemed to really like you. I sense you feel the same about him?" she said with a smile. They seemed like a good pair, and Pearl was sure they'd end up together. Geez, if they had pups, they would be an explosion of dark color. And so adorable. "May I ask how you two met? Such a good pair doesn't happen often." She said, knowing that she was judging them a bit too quickly. She couldn't help it. 

I figured :) Pearl is channeling my inner fangirl.

Haven blushed greatly, excited to hear that about Sebastian. She wished he could join her pack, but she wasn't sure if he'd fit in. No her best deal was still to go with him, but could she? Oh yeah, i really do like him a lot. He offered to let me go with him, be a lone wolf together, but I don't know. I'm still mulling it over. Pearl asked a new question and Haven felt more than happy to answer. To relish in such happy memories was fun to her, remembering how cute and awkward Seb was at first. She smiled bashfully, Of course! We met at The Wall out in the mountainous areas. I saw him standing over on a ridge, and at first I didn't know if I should go and talk or not, but I did. He was so cute and awkward, he had no idea how to talk to females. Well its not like I was any better. But we became friends and he invited me to go to the coast with him.

So I agreed and we went to Cerulean Cape together, it was the most beautiful place I've ever been, the coast I mean. The sunrise was my favorite, so much color. We hunted seal together, and played around. Eventually it had to end though, he walked me home but promised to stick around and wait for me. And he did. She finished with a smile, the thought of Sebastian filled her with happiness. And also the thought of the coast. If she left with him, they could go there again, and maybe to those hot springs he had talked about. The possibilities of the future were endless.

"You should go!" Pearl blurted out before she knew it. "I mean, you should be with him, and possibly even create your own pack. That'd be amazing, like some of the old stories," she corrected. Although Sebastian wasn't the best at wooing the ladies, his awkwardness did seem to attract the right kind of female of him. Perhaps there was hope for Pearl yet. The story of how they met certainly sounded like a few of the old pack love stories. Inwardly, she was still giggling with the prospect of their romantic time together. 

Haven also spoke of going to the coast, which she still hadn't seen, but was eagerly awaiting a time when she could do so. Hopefully soon, providing her pack moved in the near future. It sounded wonderful. Pearl felt an overwhelming sense of happiness for them and had to suppress a squeal. Instead, she smiled broader and said, "That sounds so cute! It's like you two were meant to be together. The coast does sound amazing, though I've never been. My pack is moving up there sometime soon, so I'll have plenty of opportunity then. By the way, what's seel?" It sounded weird, but it was something to hunt, food was food.

Haven was startled by Pearls sudden outburst. The white female seemed pretty invested in Haven and Seb's life together, as if she were watching it on tv. She spoke of old stories, love stories perhaps? Haven smiled bashfully, for she liked this wolf, she was nice and funny. And a friend of Sebastian was a friend of her. You think so? I'm definitely thinking about it. I'm glad you think it'll be a good idea. Maybe if we made a pack by the sea, you could come? She asked, though she could tell she was getting a bit ahead of herself. Heck, she didn't even know what pack Pearl was from.

Haven liked that Pearl seemed so giddy, it meant she was playful. Something about her reminded Haven of her sister Maja, how they'd laugh together perhaps? She pushed away the thoughts of her lost sister, now was not the time to spoil such a nice mood. The grey and white wolf perked up at Pearl's question about seal. Haven laughed a little, the white female sounded a lot like her when she had first asked Sebastian what the heck a seal was! A seal is this animal at the coast. They sit on the sandy beaches and make these barking sounds, and they're really fat and slippery. They have fins like fish, but I don't think they're fish. Whatever they are they taste great and with help they aren't hard to catch. She smiled, remembering how Seb and her had taken down the seal together.

Pearl's remark about her pack made Haven remember the question to ask. What pack are you from by the way? The Epsilon wolf sat down in front of Pearl, eyebrows furrowed a little. They always did so when she was curious.

Pearl nodded happily at Haven. Of course they should be together, pack or not. And a pack by the sea, that sounded exciting. "I don't know if I could leave my pack, they're all so nice. But I'd definitely visit all the time," she said, nodding vigorously to prove it, eyes wide with giddiness. It all sounded so wonderful. She did realize how weird it was for herself to be invested in a couple's love life, but something inside her loved to bring others together. 

Haven laughed and explained what on earth seal was, while Pearl slowly cocked her head to the side, trying to imagine the creature. She didn't think she was imagining it right at all. "How big is it? All I can think of is a really big, fat, fish sitting up on sand." she said, confused. It was probably one of those things where you couldn't picture it until you saw it. Pearl sat along with Haven, watching the younger's eyes show curiosity. "I'm from Blacktail Deer Plateau. It's right by the wall, actually." she said.

Haven could understand why Pearl wouldn't want to leave her own pack. Haven didn't want to leave hers, but if they were disbanding, well there wasn't much she could do. She nodded with a smile as Pearl continued. I'd like that! You'll be welcome any time.

Pearl seemed to still be confused about what a seal was. Made sense, Haven remembered trying to figure out what one was herself when Seb had first told her about them. Yeah it's the kind of thing you have to see to get the picture. Its kind of like that I guess. She chuckled, though it didn't really grasp the entirety of the seal itself. She shuffled her paws a little, thinking about the taste of seal. She was very happy at the moment, and enjoyed a supporting company.

I've never heard of that pack. Oh but I probably did smell the scent when we were around that area. Maybe I can visit you sometime. She shrugged with a sigh, looking at the older female. We, she had said. She hadn't noticed that she had said we, as if her departure with Seb was confirmed. Though she knew inside that it was. She just couldn't quite grasp the concept yet. She would soon though, soon enough she'd realize how much she really did need him.

Maybe fade in the next few posts? C:

Sure!

"Thanks!" Pearl said, ever holding her smile. Haven now seemed convinced that it would be a good idea. If Pearl's pack ever disbanded, or there was some serious trouble she couldn't do anything about, the first place she'd feel safest was around this couple. Perhaps she was being a little too trusting, but she couldn't help but feel a connection. 

Haven agreed that it was something you had to see to get the concept of. For a land wolf, there wasn't really a good comparison to use. Pearl nodded and resolved to ask Casmir when he got back from his scouting trip with Behati coming up. 

She enjoyed spending time with such an enthusiastic wolf, so when she mentioned a visit, Pearl nodded again. "I would love to have you, although I don't know how my Alpha would react. Have you ever planned on taking a trip to the hot springs? That's a really nice place to go, and I'd be close by" she suggested.

Haven chuckled a little, sort of surprised. Yeah actually! Sebastian mentioned some hot springs when he was telling me about cool places we could explore. Maybe we could meet up there sometime! She smiled, having no idea what a hot spring was, she decided that would be one of the first places they could go. She was ever curious of new places, and the idea of exploring with someone she cared about made her even more enthused than normal.

She looked up at the sky, the sun was flickering through the orange and red leaves on the trees. It was getting a bit late, and she should probably get back to the Grove soon. She hadn't realized how much time she'd spent talking to Pearl, but she really liked the white fae and was happy to have found a new friend. She turned back to her and sighed, Well I've had a great talk, thanks for introducing yourself and all. But I should really be getting back soon. See you at the hotsprings sometimes. She dipped her head, and gave a friendly smile before bounding away, white tipped tail bobbing through the bracken.

You can make another post if you want, or go ahead and archive it. Thanks for threading it was fun! We should start another sometime at the hot spring, all three of them maybe? Idk you can pm me if you want to C:

Pearl was also surprised at how late it had gotten. Amazing how time flies when you strike up an interesting  conversation. The sun now shone through the barricade of fluorescent leaves, making the Emberwood truly live up to its name in beauty. After Haven said her farewells, Pearl returned with, "Yes, thank you as well. See you!" and watched the gray and white wolfess bound back to the pack and awaiting lover. Pearl hoped she'd meet Haven again soon, and was happy to have found another friend in the Wilds. 

She decided to stay in the Emberwood a bit longer, just until the sun set and the magnificent natural light show ceased. Then stay the night, and in the daylight cross the mountains back to her home on the Plateau.