Kintla Flatlands we can't compete with the squirrels

This is set between Morningside, the river, and Porcupine Ridge. Tags for visibility. All welcome!

The wolves are on the move again but this time their intention has changed. They've decided to move on with their scout mission and set up camp somewhere else to continue their search for the wolves they are looking for. Mallaidh spends most of her time with @Eske and occasionally she looms in @Étoillee's presence where she feels safest if only because of his size. The last time she'd felt remotely safe had been in the confines of the strath with her parents on either side of her. The warrior woman and large brute gives her something similar and she hovers closest to them inside of the other two in the party. 

She has spent the least amount of time with @Cecil and @Shalon but she doesn't mind, already overwhelmed with the whole new world she's in. Mallaidh follows them without being pressured and she's given at least a meal a day, causing a little more meat and fat to form on her skeletal body. Her stamina builds more with each day and she knows the scouting mission will come to an end and hopefully, by the time they make it to wherever these wolves called home, she won't be nearly as scrawny and useless. Mallaidh sucks in a breath, observing her situation before she takes a step back and wanders away from their camp site for the time being. 

The new rocky terrain is unfamiliar beneath Mallaidh's feet so when she reaches the base of the ridge, she feels much more stable. A few trees border the base of the mountain range but the ground ahead of her is relatively flat with a plateau to her right and a little foliage in the distance. Her tail sweeps lazily behind her as she then carefully begins her trek of exploration.

His leg, he thought, was getting far less sensetive to changes in temperature. It no longer began to ache at the slightest chill, and he was able to go several days without succumbing to the desire for a nice, hot soak. This came as no small amount of relief to the aging male, who'd begun to wonder how he'd get his family through the winter with a bum leg and an injured daughter to boot, but it was looking like he might only need to worry about one of those things.

He was out of the territory, today, checking around for scents that shouldn't be there or otherwise needed his attention. Where a coyote had marked a tentative question, the male left his scent heavy and clear: We live here, now. They'd have to find someplace else. And, when he came across a somewhat familiar scent, Grayday moved to investigate, wondering what was keeping the little family so close to his land - circling it, almost.

"I didn't catch your name, the last time we met," he called to the girl, moving to stand a couple dozen yards from the other wolf.

She sees him long before he reaches and speaks to her. The flat plain has an advantage of spotting others at a distance, something foliage and rocky terrain does not offer, but she does not feel the immediate threat to run. A single call will likely draw at least one of the four wolves she’s tagging along with and at their distance, she’s certain she can get away—at least up until he’s within range of talking to each other. Her ears fold back slowly and she glances back the way she came, wondering if her giant of a new friend has her back again this time or not. When she does not see him within a few seconds, she swivels her gaze back and shifts awkwardly on her feet.

Pale green eyes look past him for a moment in the direction he came though she does not realize how close she’d gotten to his claim. They’d met last in the forest several days ago and he’d only pointed in a general direction. They must not have traveled as far as she’d expected but the others aren’t on a rushed mission to get back home. They have a job that is, so far, incomplete. The question he asks is met with silence, as it has with most wolves. It does not spark an interest in speaking, even if the other asks a direct question. She vaguely wonders what mama and papa would say by her blatant ignoring another wolf but she nervously licks her chops and gives him a few swishes of her tail. She’s friendly, at least.

Wanlida is close by. She lets the girl have her freedom, not wanting to be imposing and cage her in. A growing girl needs to be allowed to wander, to test her boundaries but that does not mean that Eske can not be worried for her and keep an eye upon her. It’s a …motherly instinct ( Eske would have choked on the word should she have spoken it aloud ). Now there was not something that she’d ever anticipated for herself. Being maternal. Not that, mind, the warrior princess intends to become anything of the sort to her Second; but she does want to ensure she is looked after and well fed and cared for. She made a promise, after all, and she is a woman of her word. So when she notes a male approach the young goufa and address her Second, speaking that he hadn’t gotten her name the first time Eske makes her presence known without preamble, the hairs along her nape bristling as her lips curls back and she bears her teeth assuming that this is the man that Étoille informed her of.

Perhaps he is a decent guy but the fact that this is the second time that he’s stumbled across her second does not sit well at all with the Wanlida ( who mistrusts almost everyone that is stranger to her ). “That is none of your business, splita.” As it stood, Eske herself did not yet know the girl’s name and that was ok. It wasn’t anything that the Drakru woman would push upon the girl. She would come out of her shell at her own pace …or perhaps she never would. It was up to her and she didn’t need creepy strangers pressing issue. Eske strides up to the girl’s side and offers her an affectionate nudge against her muzzle. Her body language is clear: the girl was with her and she would die to protect her like a mother bear with her cub. “What do you want?” Eske demands tail lashing against her haunches.

His tail wagged idly as another strange came into view, but that ended soon enough, when her body language made her disposition clear. At once, Grayday's posture - previously relaxed - tightened up, and his tail lifted a few inches in absent-minded protest. Already, he didn't appreciate the other's attitude. It wasn't as if she was the only one with kids around, and he didn't see why the woman had to get testy just because he was speaking to someone a stone's throw from his territory.

Thickly-furred ears pressed forward, the male responded to her sharp tone in kind.

"If you don't want anyone to talk to her, you should keep a better eye on her," he snapped, tail lashing in irritation. He took a half-step forward, not quite sure if he was trying to threaten, or simply make his point clear. "And I should ask you what you want, hangin' around my land like you're about to settle in."

Eske comes upon them with a force that startles Mallaidh. Her ears fall back against her head and as the woman tries to nudge her cheek, she moves just out of the way to avoid it. Slowly, she puts a few steps between herself and her newly titled guardian but she glances off to the other wolf that starts to get a little frustrated with the situation. She hadn’t meant to cause tension with her newest companions, or the locals of the area, but it seems to already be set in stone. Nervously, the girl glances between the two adults as they speak sternly to one another as she wishes to disappear from thin air to avoid any of the conflict.

Eske’s ears flutter back slightly as the girl avoids her touch but then again, realizes that affection might be some sort of sore subject for her and that they don’t actually know one another all that well. She would apologize for it later but not here. Not in front of this stranger whose own sharp words greet her. There is a flick of the Wanlida’s tail against her hocks, trying to deduce where he gets off being sharp just because she’s doing what any guardian would do: protect those beneath her care; and she knows nothing of him. How is she to know he’s not some sort of cradle robber? Some sort of kidnapper? Truly, it’s not as personal as this man appears to take it. Eske would be this way with any stranger around the girl. “Not that I owe you any explanation but I was giving her space to roam as freely as she pleases. I am not her jail keeper and she does not need to have me or one of mine with her at all times, but for the record I was close-by.” Eske knows that she, herself, would have hated being constantly shadowed ( and sometimes she does dislike having escorts that accompany her places especially when she can take care of herself ). Gyda had never been an overbearing mother and Eske in this ( as she has no real experience with caring for a child ) seeks to emulate her mother.

“As far as talking to strangers goes, the conversation appears to be one-sided. If she doesn’t wish to speak to you, it’s not your place to force her to.” Considering she has yet to even speak to Eske herself ( if it’s something she’s even capable of doing ). Eske doesn’t trust him. She’s made that clear. Yet, she doesn’t want him causing trouble for Heda or Drageda because he thinks they intend to claim. Eske wants nothing to do with these lands. His next question prickles at her and her hackles bristle slightly — it’s not really any of his business ( and oh! how her tongue burns to speak the words ) because they aren’t bothering his pack, but clearly he’s been monitoring them closely without their knowledge. Or at least, this is how she percieves his question to mean. Wanlida shifts her weight and fixes him in an stare to seek to prove her honesty. “We’re on a scouting trip. Once we find what we’re looking for we will leave.” She does not give him any more details than that. She has told him their purpose in this area in the hopes that it would appease him into leaving them alone while they search for Arlo and Wildfire.

"Well, since you were close by, you'll know that I've spoken all but a sentence to her. I haven't forced her to do anything, and I had no plans to," said Grayday, his tone exasperated but placating. "Tell me you wouldn't approach anyone you saw hanging around your borders, either," he added, although it was clear he did not require a reponse to the challenge.

His brow furrowed as he remembered the male - Twall or something - asking about a red woman that Grayday hadn't seen. With the end of his own search putting thoughts of Khoe out of his mind, he'd also forgotten about the mission that this scouting party claimed to be on. A tiny sigh escaped him - he wished that someone could've found a happy ending to their search, if not his own pack - but his expression did not change.

Grayday sat, deciding that there was not much else to do. They weren't the only ones with pups around, after all, and the leader didn't feel like turning around and going home while these wolves were still hanging around. It felt too much like retreat. So, instead, he simply sat, intent on watching them until they left the general area, at least. Maybe they'd get sick of him and move off altogether.

She had been wandering that morning, tacking onto various scents and tracking them for a time. She soon came across her father's, as easily recognizable as her own voice, and followed it for a time, interest growing as it led from the territory. She drew within sight of him fairly soon; he hadn't gone far. In fact, her gaze was drawn by the two women with him, curious if they wished to join, perhaps. But as she drew up beside her father with a hunter's silence, she heard the last of her father's words, and was quick to note the tension hanging between them.

She was silent, but her hackles prickled warily as her burning gaze turned to the two women, not knowing exactly what was happening here, but willing to back up her father no matter what. She did not add her voice to the conversation, that would be petulant and stupid of her, to but in when she knew not what had happened. But she could take the form of silent comrade at her father's side, as to balance the numbers and hopefully discourage the tension from coming to a head. The prospect of a fight, however, sent a tingle down her spine, and she could not pretend to completely dislike that outcome.

The two adults banter back and forth briefly with one another and Furi isn’t sure where she’s supposed to look. If this had been in her home, she’d be far more on guard and able to show the confidence she once had worn. Instead, having been worn down by spending time on her own, she shrinks back in light of all this. She’d only wanted a little time to herself and Grayday’s presence had been comforting somehow. When she glances to Eske, the sight of another catches her attention and she looks to her. After a quiet, tense moment, Furi takes a step back to shed the awkward feeling settling in her chest. It feels rude to fart off and hide but it’s all she wants to do. She looks back at her guardian once more and whines, tail sweeping low between her legs and keeping her head down so she doesn’t appear to be a threat anymore.

“I know you’ve spoken to her before. My companion has told me of you. You are paying awful close attention to my scouting party, speaking of it being so close to your pack lands when we are on neutral territory and not bothering you at all. Perhaps you should be more worried about the pack attempting to claim Ravensblood Forest right on your doorstep instead.” Eske spits, almost slipping into Trigedasleng. She catches herself last minute, knowing that he and the girl that appears at his side will not understand her native tongue. She is increasingly annoyed. He can take the girl that has joined his side and leave her and her’s alone. There was only four of them all smelling of Drageda ( if even faintly ), five counting Furi and they’ve been moving. As far as Eske was concerned he had much bigger concerns than her and her scouting party. His meddling only slowed them down.

"If the goufa wishes to speak to you, then she will. She knows where you live, she knows how to find you. If she seeks you out, I will not stop her,” Eske speaks this to both of them, taking a step closer to the girl who looks back to her and whines with her tail low. “How would you feel if one of my men kept sniffing around your daughters?” Perhaps Eske is a bit biased towards her own gender because she’s only ever been attracted to other women. Or perhaps she’s just annoyed that he keeps sticking his nose in their business …but oddly only seems to gravitate towards the girl without really consulting her or the others unless they step in ( or so this is how Eske assumes anyway ). She can’t help the sweep of her tail against her hocks; perhaps if she trusted him it would be different. Eske's never trusted strangers ( in fact she's known for her hostility towards them ) and that isn't about to change. “It is fine to be cautious but you’re interfering with our search and for our missing wolves it could be life or death. I will not ask you again. Please leave us be to continue our search. The quicker we find them the sooner we’ll leave.” He might be older than her and he might be larger than her but she is wanlida and he does not frighten her any more than the young woman to have came to his aid.

The male's frustration continued to build the more the woman berated him. She seemed determined to make everything about her kid when, he'd hardly said two sentences to the girl. He understood that the woman didn't want her to be looked at or spoken to, and so, the male had refrained. Still, that didn't seem to be enough for her, and she soon brought his own daughters into the conversation.

"When my kids are old enough to be wanderin' on their own, they're old enough to talk to whoever they please," said Grayday, feeling - quite abruptly - very tired with the conversation. It was stupid to be arguing with her like this. He didn't want anything from her, and frankly, he wasn't too suspicious about their little mission. He just didn't like her attitude. "And if it was that tall guy, I'd say go right ahead. He seemed like a stand-up fella." He shot Dawn a look and said under his breath, "handsome, too."

"Look - I'm not interested in your daughter. I'm certainly not getting in the way of your searching, either. So why don't you lose the attitude, let me worry about the forest wolves, and we can all go on with our lives."

Grayday wondered why they didn't just leave the kid at home if they didn't want her out in the open.

Still she was silent, though her tail began a slow ascent over her back and she tensed at the woman's threats and words. Arrogance is the adjective that comes to find rather quickly, and Dawn's gaze falls briefly on the other girl, the one who seems to simply be caught up in this. Still, she can garner no sympathy, and her ear flicks in annoyance as the woman speaks of daughters. She could certainly take care of herself, unlike this girl, apparently, and her maw twitches as if to deliver a retort when her father speaks instead. She huffs under her breath when he finishes, good-naturedly, though her attention quickly returns to the wolves at hand. She is cool and still, feeling that, if they are truly a search party, they'll hardly have time to initiate a fight and will be on their way.

i hope it's ok that i went ahead and concluded this. it seemed like a good place to wrap it up. :-)

As Grayday mentions himself in a third-person manner calling himself a stand-up fellow Eske’s eyes threaten to roll out of her head and she makes no attempt to hide her disdain or disgust. He looked like he was old enough to be Eske’s father and Furi’s grandfather. “Not all women are interested in men.” Like Eske herself, for instance, and while she would never presume to assume Furi’s sexual orientation …if the girl even knew it herself yet it felt good to be able to slip in there that not all women desired the opposite sex ( and vice versa ) especially as Eske gets the impression that the stranger is fond of himself. “Good,” The Drakru speaks sharply. “Then leave us be.” She couldn’t wait to put distance between these wolves and her party. She wanted to be back in Drageda. It is the only time the Wanlida is going to issue the warning to him to leave them alone ( though mainly she means Furi ). She’s had as much of him as she can stomach for a lifetime, admittedly ( and yes, Eske’s a bitch like that ). “Come,” She calls softly to her young Second. “Our friends are probably growing worried.” She ushers the girl away and with one last look over her shoulder at the pair she heads back to where the others await. The sooner they wrap up this mission, the better.