Blacktail Deer Plateau Good things take time

It was the evening of her acceptance, and Aviana was searching for a spot to sleep for the night. She hoped she had made a good impression on the Alpha and his daughter, but she knew she had a ways to go before she felt... free. She had panicked when he stepped towards her, and it took all her willpower to stay and not flee. But, she had done it. 

She wondered if she would ever truly get over her past. Sure, she had faced it, but that was back home. Here, in the real world, in real situations, she was meeting new wolves and wasn't just surrounded by her family. She knew it wouldn't be easy to get over her fears, but she did know it would be worth it. 

She came to a stop at a fallen log. It had fallen onto another tree, which left a gap at their intersection. For Aviana, who had been on the move for the past several months, it was as good as it was going to get. Tomorrow, she might try to find a more permanent, and warm, spot, but she knew digging into the earth in the winter wasn't going to be easy. 

Before she got settled in, she wanted to make sure the structure was secure. It would suck to have the tree fall on her under the weight of the snow. So, she jumped up on the tree, giving a little hop to test the strength of the tree. It felt pretty secure. Tail wagging, she went down to her belly, deciding to enjoy the security of the pack before turning in. It felt nice to be able to be out in the open, and not worried about being attacked by any other wolves.

Grayday was tired. He'd pushed himself today to finish his patrols and stalk a few deer as well as spend time with his family. And through all that, he'd discovered that running still sent sharp, shooting pains through his empty eye socket and straight into his brain.

Not fun.

But he was getting better, and so, as he made his way toward the rendezvous that evening, his tail was still wheeling cheerfully behind him, and did not pause when he ran into a scent he'd first encountered that morning.

"Aviana?" said Grayday, lingering nearby. Although Aviana was within his previous line of sight, she was currently on his blind side, and he could not quite figure it out through sense of smell alone.

His pawsteps alerted her to his presence, and Aviana's head lowered instinctively as her ears folded on her head. She expected him to come right over, especially as she wasn't hiding. Instead, he stopped. He didn't look at her, but he did call for her. Did he not see her? Her scent was apparently strong to tell him she was here. If he simply turned his head, he would see her. Wouldn't he?

She considered the situation for a moment. If he was her prey, she would instantly assume that he couldn't see her. Not just not see her, but not see at all. He didn't look around as one might would when looking for something. She got the impression that if she simply stayed silent, she would stay invisible. 

But, it would not be polite. As nervous as he might make her, he was her Alpha, and she could not not respond. I'm here, she finally responded. She almost hopped down off her perch, but she willed herself to stay in place. Surely, he wasn't going to try and sniff her again. 

His head turned automatically to the sound of her voice, his ears cupping forward as if to capture the sound. He still did not see her for a moment, but soon caught sight of her silhouette upon the long. Not an overly strange place for a wolf to be, but he wondered what she was doing up there.

"There you are," he said, his tail giving a tiny shiver of a wag. He'd almost forgotten about her strange display from earlier, but looking at her now, he could not help but remember. "Settling in? Did you get something to eat?" he asked.

Many packs did not offer food right away, but Grayday believed in feeding the new recruits so that they'd have more energy to contribute right off the bat.

Her turned towards her, and she took the liberty to look at his face. She noticed then that an eye was missing. It explained why he didn't look towards her. She had been on his blind side. She took a mental note, knowing it would not be a wise idea to approach the Alpha on his weaker side.

He was friendly as he questioned her, for which she was glad. I am, thank you. I haven't eaten yet, but I thought I would hunt in the morning, she confessed. She had not been willing to take from the caches before she had a chance to give anything to the pack. They were already offering her protection just by accepting her.

This didn't surprise him. It was an honorable wolf that did not eat until invited, or else, until they had made their own kill. He was not sure if Dawn would have offered her food, but knowing his daughter, Grayday decided he would do so now.

"Well, feel free to visit our caches if you're hungry. The best hunting is done when you've got something in your stomach," he advised. You're no use to us hungry, he wanted to say, but something about Aviana's mien had him speaking more softly than usual. It was a bit uncomfortable.

"Did Dawn show you where any of them are?" he asked.

She gave him a soft smile at his offer. It was kind of him to offer when she felt she hadn't contributed anything at all. She couldn't disagree that hunting was better when a wolf wasn't starving. There wasn't such a life-or-death situation if they had fed recently. Still, she was hesitant to take from his caches.

She did show me around. She was kind to take the time to do so. She wondered then if he thought it rude she wasn't at the rendezvous site with the others. Was he heading there? If he didn't ask, she certainly didn't want to bring it up.

Grayday smiled. "All my kids are dolls," he bragged, tail wagging. There was nothing he liked to talk about quite so much as his children, and Aviana had just opened up the proverbial can of worms.

"I've got three more for you to meet in the territory right now, and another out in the road. You'll see the kids around - they're almost five months old, now, and they kind of have the run of the place," he explained. He was not worried about new joiners being around the kids as much anymore. As long as it wasn't tresspassers, his kids could talk to whoever they wanted. 

"Do you have any kids?" he asked her, wondering about her past. She didn't seem like the motherly type, but then again, neither had Valette until Keoni and Nikai came along.

She chuckled as he he spoke about his kids. He sounded like a very proud father. When he mentioned meeting the others, her expression turned confused. I'd love to meet them, but Dawn suggested I not for a while, she confessed. At least until everyone gets to know me better. She hadn't taken it personally, and agreed with the logic.

She shook her head side to side. No, I don't, she replied. Haven't had the opportunity. She was four years old, in her prime, but had never had a mate. To be honest, she loved pups, loved being around them, teaching them, watching them grow. She did want some of her own one day, but without a mate, that was impossible.

Grayday gave a grave nod - he was not surprised that Dawn was protective of her three younger siblings. "We've had a recent bout of bad luck with trespassers. One of the kids got roughed up by one, and I lost my eye," he explained. "Lavender is a bit shaken up by it, and Easy's been a little wart of strangers. But if you're with someone they know, I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you."

He wasn't sure what to say about Aviana's lack of children. Some wolves just didn't want them, but the woman's words suggested that this was not the case, here. "There's still time," he settled on, deciding that the comment was innocuous enough. "My mate is about our age, and she never had the opportunity, either. But this spring, she will."

While many packs were always careful with their young, it came to light that Morningside had real reasons to be. I'm so sorry to hear that, she said softly. With winter upon them, lone wolves were more likely to risk their necks to get food, even ones that were buried within claimed territories. I'm sure you gave as good as you got, she commented regarding his eye. To her, he was a large wolf, and she couldn't fathom that he had let the stranger get away unscathed, especially after attacking his daughter.

She was feeling a little more comfortable, seeing as how Grayday kept a distance. That's great news, she said, smiling. It must have been nice to have someone to plan things like pups with. Aviana had spent too much of her time running at just the sight of a male, instead of getting to know one. She wasn't sure if there was one that would take on her baggage, though she couldn't fault them for not wanting to. Speaking of males, Dawn said you have a flirty male here. Thought, she couldn't remember the name that Grayday's daughter had give her. She wondered if he was rather pushy, or if it was light flirting. She was already trying to prepare herself for meeting him.

Grayday's expression hardened somewhat, but when he said, "Engel," it was with more amusement than irritation. There wasn't anyone else Dawn could have been talking about. Sylvas kept to himself, Kieran seemed disinterested in romance, and Aditya was a perfect gentleman. "He's harmless, but let us know if he bothers you. He's a pest sometimes."

Grayday felt protective over this woman. Perhaps it was something about the way she'd rolled onto her back when they met. Once a wolf submitted to you entirely, you were sort of responsible for them, weren't you?

"Morningside isn't really the pack to look for romance, at the moment," he went on. "Aditya and I are married, Kieran and Sylvas are recluses, and Engel... well, I suppose he'd do, in a pinch," Day said with a laugh and a shrug. "But there's mostly women, here."

Grayday had yet to discover lesbianism.

His hardened expression worried her for a moment, as she thought it meant the male Dawn was speaking of was more than just a "flirt." But, his voice gave way to some amusement, and she was happy to hear that Grayday felt the male harmless. Though, Aviana would have to decide that for herself. Thank you, she said. She wasn't sure about going to someone else if a wolf was bothering her. It felt like tattling on a sibling or something. She didn't feel Grayday was responsible for her wellbeing more than any other pack member. But, then again, maybe he made that offer to everyone.

She was happy to hear females outnumbered the males, and that the ones here seemed to be either taken, or not interested. She chuckled to Grayday's joke. Well, as I'm not looking, those circumstances should work out just fine. She remember back just a few days ago when Seb warned her not to fall in love with anyone, otherwise she might not want to leave. She opened her maw to discuss her brother, but then closed it again. Grayday had been gracious in his acceptance of her into his pack, and she didn't want him to think she was ungrateful. 

Grayday thought that was fair. Romance had not brought him any happiness until very recently, and while Cat was great, he considered her to be an exceptional exception rather than the rule.

"Well, we're a friendly bunch either way," said Grayday. "Some might only be here for the winter and some might become family, but Morningside doesn't tolerate anyone who can't live happily and peacefully with us."

He hadn't had to kick anyone out yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't if the time ever came.

A guilty look crossed her features as Grayday mentioned that some of the wolves might only be here for the winter. He seemed wise to those who join packs in the winter just to stay alive, but he didn't sound angry about it. It gave her an opening to be honest with him.

Her ears folded softly on her head. I must confess, Grayday, she said, her voice soft, and a bit weary. I have a brother in Redhawk Caldera who was supposed to be starting his own pack. There is a war happening between them and another pack down south, and his loyalty is keeping him there. She paused before continuing. There isn't a timeframe any more of when he might start his pack, but... If you'll accept me, for however long I might be here, I assure you that I will contribute and I will not take more than I give. Of that, she was sure. She hoped he wouldn't be angry with her, and she waited with baited breath for his response.

Grayday's head tilted as she claimed she had something to confess. Something in his stomach twisted, only to release when she'd made her admission.

"I wondered if we'd see any refugees from that," said Day, his ears flicking back for a moment in worry. Had Aviana brought any bad blood along with her? "Morningside is staying out of that - but we'll certainly shelter you while your brother is occupied," he soothed, wanting to put an end to any worries she had over that. "But is there anything you can tell me about what's going on? We've only just heard about it from a girl down in the valley. Do you think the war might reach us here?" he asked gently.

Grayday didn't seem surprised at her mention of the war. She let out a breath when he said she could stay. Thank you, Grayday. I'm very grateful for your generosity, she said honestly. Knowing she may not stay here permanently, he could have told her to leave. Instead, he was gracious enough to let her stay.

He asked for more information about the war, and Aviana was happy to oblige, though unfortunately, she didn't know much details. Honestly, not even my brother knew why the war was happening, she said. But, at the time, I didn't think to ask about more details. I do plan to visit him, to let him know where I'm at. I could ask, if you like. She didn't think there'd be a problem giving Grayday the information he sought. He wasn't out to fight, after all. He seemed to only want to be prepared in case it reached this far. 

Grayday ignored her thanks, feeling that he'd already expressed his lack of concern over her short stay. When she offered information, however, he was quick to accept.

"Please - I'd appreciate that," he said sincerely. "If it could affect Morningside, I'd really like to know."

He didn't know much about Redhawk Caldera, except that it was one of the packs the kids had visited, and that they'd been friendly enough. "Do you think an escort would be necessary? It sounds like the area has become dangerous since the last time I was down that way."

She smiled, glad she could help him out. She nodded to his idea of an escort. I think traveling in pairs would be a good idea. It would give us a better chance of getting in and out without incident, she replied. It's a ways, but if we don't stop much, we can make it back quickly. She was used to traveling and knew she could make the journey with little to no problems, so long as they didn't run into the enemy. For Aviana, anyone against Redhawk was an enemy. 

Do you have anyone in mind for my escort? she asked. As she had only met he and Dawn, anyone else would be a new face to her. But, Aviana could accept that.

Dawn would probably be glad to get out of the territory again, but he was at loath to send her out with only Aviana. Perhaps Aditya could go, or she and Aditya both. Then again, Catori had talked of travel. He didn't want to send her into the belly of the beast, but he trusted her to make it back to him unharmed.

"I'll need to consult a few wolves. Perhaps my mate, or perhaps my daughter and hers," he said, not really settling on an answer just yet. "When did you want to return to him? The last scouting party only got back last week, so I'd want to give them a bit longer to relax."

He wondered if Aditya was even around right then - Grayday hadn't seen hide or hair of him since their talk by the pond. "I'll also be making a short trip in the opposite direction, soon, and I'd rather not have too many wolves away from the territory until I get back."

She nodded her understanding. He couldn't very well volunteer a wolf for a scouting mission without consulting them. I can go whenever you're ready for me to. I've just come from him a few days ago, so waiting a little longer won't be a problem. She hoped it would even give Seb time to gather some information.

It was understandable that Grayday didn't want too many wolves out and about at once. Of course. I can wait for your return to go, she said easily. She wasn't sure how quickly wars progressed, but she supposed she would find out when she got down there. 

Grayday gave a little nod. "I'd appreciate that."

He wondered what the Caldera wolves were like, and if they had anyone else who wouldn't be fighting in the war. Would they be safe that far south, if things turned sour?

The male gave a little shake and turned his attention back to Aviana. "Well - it's off to bed for me. I'll talk to you when I've arranged an escort. Goodnight, Aviana."

With a flick of his tail, he was off once more. There were some thing he wanted to talk to Cat about before he left on his trip.

It seemed their conversation had come to an end, and Aviana dipped her head in farewell. Goodnight, Grayday, she responded. She watched as he walked away, allowing herself to wonder how much the loss of his eye had affect on leading the pack. So far, it didn't seem to at all, except he wouldn't have seen her if she hadn't spoken up. Did the trespassers know in advance of his disability and take advantage of it? 

Instead of pondering any longer, Aviana graciously lept from the log and began to dig out a small hole underneath it. She pushed away the snow, got down to dirt, and then curled up inside it. She placed her tail over her nose to keep it warm, and then laid awake for a little while, listening to the sounds around her. Eventually, she fell asleep.