King Elk Forest -- and the whispers spread like wildfire

 

paging @Kota

she still had not eaten since her return to tindome, and as time went on the girl who was already as insignificant as a cough was wasting away.

but she was too skittish to eat in group settings.  even at the hunt she had felt too surrounded by new blood to face eating the kill they had brought down.

so once again at night, she slipped away from the security of her den.  this heartbreak would not kill her. the appearance of zada had solidified that in her.

quickly, she made her way to the cache, hopefully avoiding anyone who might get in the way.

Sorry it took so long, I had to go somewhere.

Kota was exploring the forest he now was able to call home. A word that the male had not been able to use in a long time. It felt nice to finally be able to roam without the fear of encountering another lone wolf like himself at the time. The grey pelted male looks up at the night sky, looking at the many stars. He loved that about winter.

that's fine!  i'm still available to spree for a short time but i'm sick so i took meds and don't know how long i'll be up.

she makes it there in peace, quickly picking at some pieces here and there.  she knows not to eat too much lest it all come back up but it is tempting as she has not eaten in so long.

but as she is about to make her retreat she freezes and trembles in her step, eyes darting to and fro as she scents something.

something new.

she was, in a way, glad for mato and tindome.  that it had grown so much.  but constantly it seemed as if there were new faces and it set off an anxiety in her she did not know how to contain.

maybe he wouldn't notice.  maybe he wouldn't notice.  maybe he wouldn't notice.

but as he drew nearer to her, (still seemingly oblivious), she figured it was less likely of a possibility.  so she steeled herself, trying to quell the trembling in her bones as she let out a chuff.

fine.  i am here, and i am alive.

Kota noticed the female when she made a noise. He looked in the direction and waved his paw slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was here." Kota knew not why he apologized but something inside told him it was the right thing to do. The young male waited to see if she would reply to his anouncement or if she would just brush it of and ignore it.

he seems unperturbed by her half-starved form, so she ghosts closer.  if she was going to live here, she had to get used to it.  she had to get used to them, the new faces that will constantly be weaving in and out.

even if they end up leaving like trajan and uka.

oh, she begins with a shrug, that's fine.  it's not a big deal.  her nose traces up to the sky. it's late.  what're you doing out?

Kota was going to sound like a dork answering that question but he did't care as usual. "I like looking at the stars in the wintertime, their more brighter in my opinion. Like that one for instance..." Kota points to four stars in the south direction. "...you can see the sqare of Pegasus clearly in the colder months." She looked like she was in a down state so the young wolf decided to make conversation to get the she-wolf's mind off of whatever was troubling her.

the boy is just trying to be nice, but his infatuation with the stars reminds her of the druid she once loved.  he could not have known that her first converation with her ex-mate had taken the same direction.

but instead of letting it consume her, she just says, oh, very nice.  are you pursuing a trade in astronomy?

she turns back to the sky and watches her breath as it fogs in front of her.  he was right.  it was clearer.  you're right, though.  i'm brienne, resident counselor.

"Yes actually, but mostly the general trade of naturalist. I've always seen the beauty in nature and it just seems like an easy route seeing that I know more about nature than anything else." He thought about how in tune his own mother was with nature and it made him happy to think that he at leats got one good thing from his parents.

she wants to tell him to seek mato out, to talk to him about the stars because she felt they would jive well, but the thought of uttering his name hurts.

it is a good trade, and not one we have many of. if you wish to develop it further, i recommend seeking the alpha.  her whiskers twitch uncomfortably as she shifts her weight around in the snow.  nature is beautiful.  i wanted to pursue medicine as a secondary trade, but now i'm not so sure.

she wasn't sure of anything anymore.  especially her counselor trade, because who the hell was she to be giving anyone advice?

perhaps we could swap knowledge.  do you know the story of .. orion? it was the first story she'd learned of the stars and one of the few she knew, as it was the first conversation she'd ever had with her ex-mate.

Kota listens to the she-wolf's advice and nods. "Thank you for the information and of course I know the story of Orion, or at least the one my mother had told me a few times." He explains before he begins to start the story. "First, Orion also known as the 'Hunter' is one of the many constellations that you can see in the winter sky. He had many time boasted about how he could rid the earth of all it's wild animals, that of course angered the earth goddess Gaia and it made her send a scorpion to conquer Orion. Every arrow that Orion shot at the beast didn't even injure it. In order to avoid the beast Orion jumped into the sea and was ultimately shot and killed by the goddess Artemis after she was lied to by Apollo. After Artemis found out that she had killed her friend, shebegged the gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused. So, instead, she put Orion’s picture in the sky so that she could always see him." He smiled as he concluded his retelling of the story she had asked about.

it wasn't the romantic story that mato had weaved for her of orion, but she liked the descriptive nature that kota had.  you tell stories very well.  you might consider it as a trade.

she takes in a shaky breath, orion is the only story i know, besides arcturus.  which constellation bears your favorite story?

Kota took her advise into consideration. Maybe he would take that as a secondary trade he might want to pursue. The young male thought of the females question. "My favorite story is about the constellation of pegasus, The winged horse."

had she remembered her time on the keening shores, she might know what a horse was.  there, ponies dotted the landscape though few and far between.

but she figured that it would look better if she pretended she knew what she was talking about.  and what is the story of pegasus, the winged horse?

The young wolf was surprised that she still wanted to hear his stories and he began telling her it without hesitation. "Well from what my mother told me, Pegasus was a horse who came into being after the hero Perseus severed the head of Medusa and drops of her blood fell into the sea and mixed with the sea foam; creating the winged horse Pegasus.  Pegasus became friends with the warrior, Bellerophon. One day, Bellerophon tried to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus. This angered Zeus so much that he sent a gadfly to bite Pegasus. When the horse was stung, Bellerophon fell to the Earth. Pegasus made it to the home of the gods, where he still remains." He enjoyed retelling the stories that he grew up with and it made him happy.

feel free to respond or archive as is, and let me know if you want another thread!

the names and stories blurred together for her, and though she had difficulty with the long names and intricate plotlines, she feigned interest.

once he finished with his last story, she digested what she could. thank you.

i think i'm going to head off, unless you need me around for somethin'.

and so long as he didn't stop her, she would quickly make her way to her den.

It was late and Kota didn't want to keep her any longer. "No, thank you for keeping me company and listening to my rambling." The young male realized that he never officially introduced himself. He had gotten too involved into his stories. But before he could the she-wolf disappeared just as she had came.