King Elk Forest tiny cities

There was nothing here. As Sansa descended from the hilly outskirts of the hinterlands, she was both shocked and disappointed to find nothing but barrenness. She'd never seen a place so forsaken-looking. She was hungry, but having just recently found her way into the arid Teekon Wilds, she wasn't starving. Yet.

The she-wolf padded her way slowly through what appeared to be the remains of a once-thriving woodland. Everything was stripped of its foilage. The leafless trees looked like skeletons with their gnarled, bony branches thrust towards the heavens. Sansa's gaze scoured the area for any sign of life but found nothing. She doubted she'd be able to find even a miniscule meal here.

The sun beat down on the wasteland and without much foiliage to serve as cover, Sansa was forced to seek shade at the base of a thick tree trunk at the riverside. She flopped onto the ground and stared absentmindedly into the water. Perhaps she'd have to take up fishing.

It was an unusually hot day for spring, one that sent Althaia searching for shade. After sating her thirst at the riverbank, Althaia dove into the cool waters, soaking herself and halfheartedly snapping at a few fish. Her previous attempts to hunt to scaled creatures had ended poorly, and she was in no hurry to try again. 

She wade back to the riverbank, shook herself dry and searched for a place to rest. As she loped by the river, a copper coloured shape drew her eye. Slowing, she approached amiably, pale green eyes sparkling. She dipped her head in greeting a few meters away, allowing the other to speak first.

hello!

The snow queen padded slowly through the barren forest. She thought about her plans for Shadewood and mentioning them to Spring, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. At least, not right now. She hoped to loose her mind here, think about something other than her daily duties. Sure, she needed the work, but she also needed breaks from that work. 

She prowled around, slithering by the trunks and around leafless thickets.  Her blue eyes suddenly caught something not to far away. It was indeed a wolf. The wolf's fur was unlike anything she'd seen before! It was of a rich ginger hue with white markings that looked like snow etched across a red landscape. She lowered her head and began to creep closer. She wanted to meet this stranger, but also know what they are doing so close to her home. Sure, this was part of the neutral lands, but Laika could never be too cautious. 

She continued to move forward, pausing when the wolf paused. The stranger was now staring rather absent mindedly into the water before her. Soon, another wolf approached. Laika was well hidden a couple yards away -- even though the dead bushes didn't offer much cover. Her stomach clenched. Two wolves near her home! She told hersslf not to worry. Now only a couple yards away, Laika chuffed a greeting to them. Her stance was dominant, yet non threatening.

She'd been lost in her daydreams until the presence of another drew her back to reality. Swinging her head 'round, she peered towards the grey-furred stranger and noted her friendly demeanor. "Hey," she chuffed in greeting, a small smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. There was no breeze to blow the other female's scent towards her, but she didn't seem to have any of the stronger odors characteristic of pack wolves.

Another woman made herself known to the duo and Sansa was quick to observe her dominant stance. She knew they weren't on claimed land, so she was a little surprised. She couldn't imagine why a pack would settle there, or anywhere even remotely close to it -- there was no foliage or fauna and definitely not enough prey to sustain a group of wolves for very long. "Have you had cruddy luck finding something to eat, too?" she asked, referring to the desolation they were surrounded by. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two.

Althaia, relieved by the beautiful orange female's friendlyness, smiled in return. "Hello" she chuffed in return, a little awe in her voice. She had never before seen a female with such a vibrant pelt. Before she could introduce herself the the fiery wolf, another female appeared. Immediatley becoming a little tense, she watched the female for a moment. This one adopted a dominant stance, one that made Althaia a tad uncomfortable. She seemed nonthreatening, however, so Althaia dipped her head in greeting and glanced at the fiery wolf once more.

Althaia shook her head ever so slightly. "I haven't found anything worthwhile to eat in days- I tried fishing, but I don't know how." Surviving on a meager diet of scrawny rodents was tough, especially in the spring. It was supposed to be a respite from winter's hardships, but now the lack of prey was getting worst, and dragging on. How long could the packs and wolves of these wilds survive?

The leader of the Creek pack had spent some time within the borders, recharging her reserves of energy as best she could with the lack of food. Her children kept her going, though seeing them thinning wrenched her heart into a thousand pieces and battered her resolve to remain here. Saena was not the kind of woman to give up on anything, though, and already signs of life were starting to return to Silver Creek. There were little bushels of moss beginning to creep up from the riverbed and tiny green sprouts unfurled from the bark of the trees. Tips of grass peeked up out of the more fertile loam higher up the slope. For all the suffering, the pack had found themselves a lush territory indeed, if the beginning regrowth was anything to judge by, and Saena knew that in time they would flourish.

In time, but not now. She put the thought in the back of her mind and plodded beyond the pack borders, all lean sinew with the famine having chewed through her childbearing fat, on and on until she heard a voice in the trees and crossed the fresh scent trail of her fourth subordinate. Laika wasn't someone Saena had ever spent much quality time with, a fact she mourned somewhat and hoped to correct as she readjusted her course to follow the woman, but as she arrived on the silver-white wolf's trail, she spotted two other wolves and her fur prickled uneasily. One, a blazing red-and-white female of trim proportions garnered Saena's attention foremostly for her bright, harlequin-esque coat. The other, a second female with a coat of solid grey, was a little further off and faded into the background on account of Sansa's fiery aspect, but Saena paid her no less mind. Althaia was still present and still potentially a threat to the Creek.

She turned her head to reach for Laika's shoulder in an amiable nudge, then straightened and postured herself authoritatively among the other three wolves. Unlike Laika, Saena's display carried the slightest hint of a threat, just enough to hopefully deter an attack, but the Creek was growing quieter by the day with Laika and Casmir often out scouting. While a major part of the leading wolf yearned to chase off these loners and remove the threat from her doorstep, another part of her, more sensible, wondered at the potential they might have if she was less hasty with them and gave them cause to join their strength to hers.

"You are in our hunting land," she claimed quietly, gently, as though her hackles weren't slightly lifted, her ears atop her head, and her whole body ready in the event the lone wolves responded unkindly to her presence. Many a wolf liked to claim that because a pack did not piss on a stone, they did not own it, but Saena didn't subscribe to that belief and took no issue with acting the part. Power was nine-tenths demonstration, after all, and Saena could be convincing enough for any loner without back-up to think twice about arguing with Silver Creek's temporary hold on King Elk Forest.

Laika stiffened as the females spoke of hunting. King Elk Forest was Silver Creek's hunting lands, and they shouldn't excactly be hunting here. Suddenly, a touch to her shoulder made her turn. She smiled when Saena approached beside her. She nudged her shoulder back in greeting before turning to the two loners again. Saena spoke, and Laika decided not to. Even though one of the females had addressed her, she was here to back up Saena. 

Laika studied Saena's position carefully. She wanted to learn as much as possible from her role model. In fact, Shreya and Laika had just been talking about Saena yesterday! Her alpha seemed to be warning the two females, but also waiting to chase them off -- maybe to see if they'd like to join? The Creek is low on members these days.

Her blue eyes narrowed as she studied both girls. The one of bright fire seemed to be fine around Laika -- much to her frustration -- but she guessed once she noticed Saena, she would begin to become more cautious.  The other, bearing a base coat of gray, became a bit uneasy as Laika approached. She glanced back at Saena, wondering what she'll do next, then returned her icy gaze to the two unfamiliar women.

Now it's a party. \o/

The ashen woman's words regarding fishing elicited a soft chuckle from Sansa. She'd never attempted fishing and was somewhat reluctant to try it, but prey seemed so hard to come by in these new lands. "Me either," she replied before casting a hesitant glance towards the pack wolf. She was wondering why she seemed to keen on displaying her dominance when yet another stranger drew near, her stance one that commanded respect from the others. They shared the same scent, though the cream-furred female was clearly more keen on asserting herself than the other. Sansa studied her as she arrived on the scene, noting the unusual albeit striking copper markings that drew attention to her face.

Her words promoted Sansa's ears to twist back against her head. "My apologies," she offered. "I arrived in these parts just days ago and have had little success finding decent prey anywhere. I didn't intend to traipse upon claimed land." She continued to lie on the riverbank with her fiery audits flattened in an attempt to show she was no threat to the pack wolves. After a beat of silence, she spoke again. "I'm Sansa." Her gaze flickered to the other female who seemed to be a loner as well.

Althaia's hackles rose for a moment, she couldn't help it. Fighting against the instinct to challenge this female, she smoothed her fur, flicking her ears briefley in the direction of the newcomer. While the female didn't sound especially threatening, her confident, powerful demeaner gave Althaia pause. Her simple statement was not so much a threat as a warning, but something about this female just seemed to rub her fur the wrong way. Telling herself she was being stupid, she spoke in a soft voice. "It was my belief that these lands were unclaimed."

Perhaps, this pack should do a better job of marking it's borders. But if they wanted to stake a claim by the creek, fine. "My apolagize as well, however, had the borders been better marked, perhaps you would not have founded two lone wolves within them" Althaia's eyes widened for a moment. Had she just said that? To two pack wolves, in the midst of a famine, while she was weakened and thin from lack of prey? Her tail sunk a little lower as she tried to compensate for the words that had flown straight from her thoughts to her maw. She dared not say more, not wanting to screw up this encounter further.

Saena's pale eyes lingered on Laika a moment as she drew strength and security from her pack mate. Being a leader of a pack meant she needed to have her own brand of confidence, but Saena was most bold with her comrades at her side or back, for good reason. She'd seen too many conflicts to feel wholly comfortable confronting anyone on her own. Laika was among her most trusted, even though they were not well acquainted personally, and she felt wholly secure with her around.

The red-furred woman responded kindly, earning a forgiving nod from the lead wolf. King Elk Forest belonged to Silver Creek as an extension of its hunting grounds only because she willed it and spent a lot of time in it removing loners from the vicinity, but Saena's word was law in her mind, and the red-haired lone wolf was humble enough to not question it. She introduced herself as Sansa, and Saena rolled the name around in her head. To her ear it was completely different from hers and yet held a similar exotic ring to it that she inexplicably found familiar. For a moment she studied the woman as she attempted to separate her face from the familiarity she felt, for she had never once met this wolf, but the ring of the name, somewhat like her own, was convincing. She almost glanced at Laika to gauge her Gamma's reaction, but paused.

Her attention was quite quickly stolen away by Althaia. Saena's brief scrutiny of Sansa had hidden the shifting of Althaia's hackles from her view, probably for the better of them all, but the lead female turned no less chilly when the drab loner spoke. There were a great many things that offended Saena but none quite so badly as questioning and challenging her claim. As expected, thought Saena, who had been on this horse about a dozen times before. Were she a year younger, the woman would've flown into an enraged tirade about how she was a queen and demand respect, but Saena was a grown wolf now, mature in all physical ways, and she needed to at least act the part of adult. With an unwavering, pointed stare at the grey-haired vagabond, the alpha female scraped her paws and the adjoining scent glands against the dry loam, depositing her mark and openly challenging the lone wolf's claim in so doing.

After all, with the strength of a pack at her back and Laika currently alongside her, Saena could say and do whatever she pleased. She claimed the forest in name only whilst the famine deprived them of food, having not the energy nor reserves nor desire to truly mark it as her territory, yet if the alpha said it belonged to her and she guarded it, then it belonged to her. She would dare any loner to challenge the word of a whole pack.

She tilted her head back toward Sansa then, collecting herself, though there was a coolness to her expression that hadn't been there before. It wasn't aimed at Sansa but Saena was simply unable to wipe her expression blank, and her eyes had ever been windows into her soul. She quirked a lip, however, into a smile that she hoped was enticing. "If you would join your strength to ours and give your services to my pack at the creek, we will hunt with you and help provide. Three wolves are better than one, and you would further have shelter and safety. I'm Saena, and this is Laika," she introduced with a smile toward the Gamma. It was unlike her to attempt to recruit so openly without first learning of the wolf she sought to recruit, but it likely had something to do with that odd deja vu-esque familiarity, not to mention Sansa's response to her. To Althaia, a wolf who was not so humble and could never serve a leader such as Saena who expected loyalty and obedience, albeit not so harshly or openly as to outright demand it from those she trusted, she merely leveled a dismissive gaze.

You have no idea how many times I typed "Saena" instead of "Sansa" and vice versa lmao.

:D

Laika smiled as the red wolf introduced herself as Sansa. It sounded just like Saena, yet different at the same time. She muttered the name under her breath a couple times, letting it roll over her tongue. Hopefully she wouldn't get the two mixed up and begin to call Saena Sansa and vice versa. Then, she abruptly turned to the other gray wolf who didn't bother to introduce herself, rather challenging Saena. She stole a quick glance to Saena, noting her calm stance yet cool expression. That loner had definitely gone the wrong way. After providing a quick show of ownership, Saena turned and invited Sansa into the pack.

Laika smiled invitingly to Sansa as Saena introduced them. It would be nice to have another running alonside them, not only to aid in hunting but to share knowledge. Laika knew she hadn't been the friendliest when she first came upon them but she hoped she could fix that with Sansa. Her blue eyes glanced over to the other loner for a split second before returning to the girl of fire. Sansa seemed to have plenty of potential as well. She bared lean limbs that would definitely aid in swift hunting and her copper eyes gleamed with a spark that reminded Laika of herself for a moment. A small smirk lit up Laika's delicate features and a sparkle twinkled in her eye.

For some reason, Sansa had expected a response that was entirely different than the one Althaia gave. Her eyes widened slightly, flickering towards the two pack wolves before returning to Althaia’s form. She couldn’t help but stare at the grey-haired loner. Did she have a death wish? Sansa was young and oftentimes brazen as well, but pack life was ingrained in her. She knew that a couple of nameless loners were no match for this Alpha and the rest of her members who were likely a short distance away.
 
Pursing her lips, she glanced towards Saena to gauge her reaction. Part of her anticipated the cream-furred woman to lash out, yet she remained cool and composed, though her features were stony. Then, as if to spit in Althaia’s face, she scraped her paws against the desolate earth where she stood. One of Sansa’s ears flicked back as she swallowed the laughter she felt bubbling up within her throat. There was no telling how Althaia would react to Saena then, but Sansa was far too embarrassed for the ashen female to study her in order to find out.
 
All the while Laika remained silent. Sansa glanced at the snowy wolf occasionally but since she offered no words, she remained relatively unimportant in her mind. She was readying herself when the moment when she’d be told to scram when suddenly and quite unexpectedly, Saena presented her with an invitation to join her pack. “You would take me in knowing as little about me as you do?” she questioned, though the glint in her eyes and small smile tugging at her lips hinted at the interest she felt towards the offer.
 
She knew her days as a loner were limited. Sansa was not a solitary creature by any means and having been born and raised in a tight-knit group, she was well accustomed to pack life. Still, she was surprised Saena would recruit her on a whim as she did. She knew nothing of Sansa’s skills, talents, aspirations, anything. Of course, she was another body that would lend bulk to the ranks of the pack.
 
Althaia seemed exempt from the proposal as Saena all but cast her off with a contemptuous shift of her cerulean gaze.

Thanks for the thread guys! Sorry Althaia's being weird :)

Well, it was certainly better then being a red smudge on the rocks, but now everyone, including the kind loner, seemed to be irritated with her. Althaia was probably reading her wrong, but she was too annoyed to really care at this point. Snotty pack wolves. Were she older, she may have responded to the female cooly and walked away. However, the boldness of her previous words made her do a little more than that. 
With a haughty expression aimed at the packwolves, Althaia too draggedher paws on the rock, ensureing that her scent too marked the river bank. For a moment, a flicker of anger passed over her face as she finished. She turned and smiled at Sansa sweetly. "Good luck, Sansa."  she said sincerely. She may not like the pack wolves, but Sansa had seemed polite. She dipped her head in goodbye to the fiery female, completely ignoring the other two, before turning on her heal and staking away, diving into the river and pulling away from the bank with strong strides.

Knowing as little as you do about me, said Sansa, but Saena figured she could tell a good bit about the red-and-white woman on body language and first impressions alone. "You are not prideful," pointed out the lead female, "and that tells me a lot." There were many a prideful creature in the world. Saena was one of them. Yet that pride was often misplaced and transformed into arrogance, something that Sansa seemed to lack completely. Oh, there was time for second impressions and perhaps the true nature of the woman was not as it initially seemed, but Saena was more than willing to find out.

Not so for Althaia, however, and were the grey loner not such a strange wolf, she would've found her neck between Saena's jaws. As it were, when the leading female's head whipped around to spot the woman dragging her paws across the ground in challenge, her lips skimmed back and her carefully controlled temper flared. She took five quick, choppy steps to close the distance, but before she could lunge and strike the loner, Althaia had slipped into the river. I hope you drown, thought Saena, but it was befuddlement that was writ most plainly on her face as she watched the wolf bob downstream like some kind of mermaid.

Whatever, weirdo. The alpha turned and placed herself above the spot Althaia had marked, and took a moment to replace the lone wolf's scent with her own. Satisfied with her display and the reclamation of her authority, Saena tilted her head back toward Sansa and told her, "ours is a quiet pack, but a fierce one." It would be quiet only so long as it was not poked. For all her learned composure, Saena was, as ever, a wasp waiting to sting. "Once fire drove us from our homes, and once the teeth of savages, but nothing has ever broken us. We will never bow again." Perhaps the promise of security and an unwavering, stalwart determination to defend their home would entice Sansa, or perhaps it would turn her away.

This whole time, Laika had offered no words, remaining silent but firm at her alpha's side. Now, she shot a warm smile towards the fiery red girl and finally opened her maw to speak. "Silver Creek is a pack filled with great members. They're more like family to me now, and they will be to you too once you get to know them." She told Sansa after Saena had finished speaking. She really hoped the girl went through with it. It would be nice to have her within their ranks. She seemed loyal and hard working and she was certain she would be able to make it to the top if she tried. Her eyes turned to watch that other loner bob away through the water, a look of confusion upon her face. Why was she so moody? She must have awoken on the wrong side of the den today. She sighed in disappointment before turning back to Sansa, her smile returning.

She thought about Shreya, and thought that the old wolf would like Sansa too. Saena was already fond of her, so there was no need for convincing there. The only thing left to to was wait and see if Sansa excepted the offer. Laika shifted her weight so she could rest her paws, sitting down upon her rump. Her tail thumped against the ground as she awaited the she-wolf's answer with eagerness.

The tension in the air seemed to sizzle as Althaia scraped her paws against the loam, mocking Saena’s claim over the land. Sansa’s body went rigid as she glanced toward the Alpha, half-expecting her to lunge with teeth bared for the disrespectful loner. Saena moved toward her but Althaia slipped away into the river’s current swiftly enough. Sansa watched her head bob above the water before she disappeared from view. “What a strange wolf,” she remarked, one ear cocked sideways with puzzlement.  Althaia had seemed friendly enough at first but for some reason the pack wolves’ presence had unnerved her.
 
But she was gone, and Sansa could focus her attention on the rest of her company. Saena’s words were indeed tempting for the young woman. She came from a strong lineage that prided itself on strength and resilience. Although she had departed her homeland on her own accord, Sansa missed the refuge and tight-knit relations of pack life. She was reluctant to join any pack that wasn’t serious about the wellbeing of its members and the lands it governed.
 
Saena’s words impressed Sansa, though. The female spoke of hardship but emphasized her pack’s kindred spirit and ability to overcome obstacles. Laika added that their wolves were like family to each other. “You sure know how to make an offer sound tempting,” she said, eyes gleaming toward the Alpha female and her subordinate. “How can I contribute to the pack specifically, though? Is there any sort of trade or expertise you’re in need of that I could try to learn?” And one final afterthought, “does our pack have a name?”

The silence that drifted between the three wolves was fleeting, for Laika chose to speak at last. Saena's turned her head to regard the gamma with an even smile. Laika could have made a fine beta as well. Saena had chosen Spring for confidence and loyalty to the pack, but momentarily she lamented that there were not more beta positions. While there was no rule governing the positions and saying she couldn't have both Laika and Spring in them, Saena held to the older ways where opposite genders held them, and she already had in mind a candidate for the second spot.

She licked her lips lightly as Sansa seemingly agreed to their offer, and her features brightened considerably. While there was almost no game to hunt in these woods, there were wolves to be found, and Saena had learned today the value of not chasing every one of them away. "If the warrior's way is your preference, there is always a need of those to defend," Saena began, briefly regretting the letting go of Esaro if only because he had been training for the job himself, "but I wouldn't force duties on you that you don't prefer. Surely whatever your pleasure is will work just as well." They had two dedicated hunters in herself and Laika, but there was never too many of those.

"We are Silver Creek." Laika had said as much, but perhaps Sansa hailed from a world where they didn't name themselves after their territory. It was a weird practice, Saena assumed, although in truth she thought of it more as the pack at Silver Creek rather than the pack called Silver Creek. "All you need to know for now is we keep the old ways," she said, glancing at Laika to ensure she didn't miss anything. "Eat at a kill and guard it for later rather than hiding it in the ground, follow the leaders, your pack is your strength, that sort of thing." She would likely explain more in depth soon enough, but for now she beckoned. "Hunt with us, if you like, and we'll take you home."

Laika smiled briefly as Sansa seemed to be excepting the offer. Her tail wagged once, then remained still as she listened to what Saena had to say. Her leader spoke quickly about the duties the fiery girl could do to help the pack, and some of the rules. Laika listened keenly to those. She already knew them, but she was still transitioning from the ways of the Maplewood, and a refresher on the knew ways was always helpful. 

White ears pricked as Saena mentioned going on a quick hunting trip before taking Sansa home. Her stomach growled and the Gamma licked her lips. Hunting sounded good right now, especially because she had not eaten in days. Paws tingled with anticipation and she got to her paws, ready to go once Sansa gave her agreement. "I can show you around once we get home too. Maybe we can even meet some of the wolves along the the way," She offered. She was always in the mood of strolling through the grounds with another, especially with a new member. She'd never done this before, and she thought it would be fun.

Fade with your next posts? Thanks for adopting Sansa. c:

Truthfully, Sansa wasn’t sure what sort of task she’d be best suited for, but she wanted to be of use to the pack. “I’d like to explore my options, but I’ll definitely keep warrior in mind,” she replied, offering the creamy woman a smile. She wasn’t a small, frail creature by any means and could defend herself if need be. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t apply that skill to protecting her new home.
 
Silver Creek. It would take some getting used to since where Sansa hailed from packs didn’t necessarily have names. Her ears swiveled forward to catch Saena’s explanation of the general rules she expected her wolves to obey. Nothing she said came as a surprise to the fiery-hued female. In fact, it all sounded like common sense and she acknowledged the words with a swift bob of her head.
 
Saena proposed a hunt and Sansa gathered herself to her paws readily. “Of course,” she rejoined, salmon tongue sweeping over her lips at the thought of tasting prey. Laika even offered to show her around once they returned home later and Sansa acknowledged her kindness with a smile. “That would be great, thank you,” she said, tail swaying.
 
The day had certainly taken an unexpected turn, but Sansa was grateful for the random events that had provided her with a new home. Her eager gaze rested on the forms of her two pack mates as she waited to follow their lead.

Last post to fade for me, feel free to post again!

Saena could only nod agreement with Sansa's willingness to remember that warriors were needed; it was the woman's own interests the lead female would see her pursue, though. She'd once demanded skills for entry into her pack, but in the end, it hadn't protected them from the destructive actions of their followers nor their leaders. Reek's cheating had split the pack significantly in spite of the strong leader he'd previously proven to be. Esaro she'd seen a lot of promise and potential in, but he was the very reason they'd had to flee their home. If she'd learned anything, she'd learned that skills meant nothing next to a wolf's character.

Luckily, Sansa's character seemed good and honourable from first impressions. There was always time for that to change, but Saena had no reason to believe it would. "Welcome to the pack," she said with a genuine smile, and then she beckoned with a flick of her head. "Let's fan out and see if one of us can't catch a scent. Meet back here when the sky begins to darken if we can't?" And with that she strode away, in the direction that Althaia had gone, in search of some lingering signs of an animal passing through. She stayed within howling distance of Laika and Sansa, but unless they called, she would range until the sky began to grow dim.

Laika nodded towards Sansa then turned back to Saena, ears pricked. She told them to split up and howl if they found anything. Laika agreed with the plan, but was hesitant if they would find any good land prey. She tilted her head before glancing and the fish filled stream. She would come back later. Right now, she had to focus on finding land prey. Saena left, and Laika gave Sansa a friendly nudge before heading in the opposite direction Saena had gone hoping there would be prey there. She found herself wondered where Sansa would go, but decided to leave that thought be.

She scaled King Elk forest, nose to the ground to sniff out any outstanding scents. So far, she hadn't found anything, but she hoped she found something soon. She chuffed in frustration as she found the scent of an old rabbit track. If only it was fresh, She thought. She continued one though, and told herself she would walk until the sky above her grew dark and the moon began to take the midnight shift.

Last post, feel free to archive.