The Heartwood and I can't feel no remorse, and you don't feel nothing back

for @Rannoch! <3

She was still, ears flickering atop her head as she waited, watching the hare shortly up ahead. She was too far to make any sort of successful rush at it, but the wind had changed far too early, and it had gotten a hint of her scent. She was still, watching carefully the rabbit's twitching nose, but the ink blot against the snow what too visible. 

She shifted a fraction, and the rabbit was off like a shot, veering wildly through the trees. After a moment, the shadow rose, staring after it one moment longer before turning on her heel and heading perpendicular to the direction the rabbit had gone, still casting around for the few scents she sought in this wood. The underside of her throat was still bloodied and raw, and the rest of her sore; but it was not the physical wounds that placed such a weight on her. Rather, it was the heaviness in her chest she could not rid herself off, no matter how often she attempted to disregard all that had occurred, all he'd said. She'd rather have not cared at all for him, what he said, what he thought, but she wasn't quite there yet, it seemed.

Like Cassiopeia, the scent of rabbit had lead Rannoch to a less-trodden trail. Following the smell, he nosed his way through the snow-covered underbrush. It had been some time since Rannoch had sought small game, and he wasn't entirely confident that this hunt would lead to success. His stomach gurgled suddenly at the thought of fresh meat, and Rannoch paused to look it his gut before continuing along; an empty stomach would not suit him well on this hunt but, he had no other options. 

Suddenly, laced amongst the fire-kissed spice of the woods came a scent that unsettled Rannoch— wolf blood. His hunger was instantly disregarded, and Rannoch swung his head in the direction which it had wafted from. He tiptoed closer to where Cassiopeia had stalked away from 

In time, Rannoch spotted her figure in the distance. He paused and cupped his ears forward as he called out to her, "Hey, are you okay?" 

Her head snapped up at the sound of another, the voice renting the silence of the wood. Emeralds narrowed considerably, but it was in response to the sharp pain the movement had caused rather than aggression. She was of half a mind to simply continue on, disregarding the male, but it was the sincerity in the question that had her pause, watching the grayscale man a moment. He was large, burly, and even at this distance, the light of his turquoise gaze was visible against the storminess of the rest of him. 

She took a wary step toward him, displaying now her trust of him, however slight. If she believed him to have sought to harm her, she'd hardly have remained much longer. "I'm alright," It was true, surely, for she most certainly was not at her best, and yet hardly was she dying. Her father's wound was not the slashing tear of one attempting to take her life, but rather deep puncture marks that oozed still, the odd laceration where he'd grabbed her away from him. "who are you?" 

Cassiopeia revealed herself. For a moment, Rannoch observed the elusive woman in the distance. When she took a step closer, Rannoch mimicked the motion of trust; he wanted to help her, not scare her off. "Are you sure?" he asked in reply to the testimony of her condition; the scent of her blood kept Rannoch on edge. "I can smell fresh blood on you," he elaborated. 

When asked his name, Rannoch quickly answered. "I'm Rannoch," he said, his voice kind. "Who are you?" he asked then, and curiously, he added, "Do you live around here?" 

to his question she remained silent, shifting slightly, entirely unsure whether or not she wished to confide anything in this stranger. his sincere kindness felt odd to the girl; even after her month on her own, she had not shaken the taint of the Woods. 

he gave his name easily enough, and while mentally she attached the face to the title, he continued his questions.  "cassiopeia," came her first answer, easily enough. her second might have been just as simple, where it not for the goal she had in mind. "no. I'm looking for someone - my mother." she'd seen her last on that snow blasted peak, when she knew she could not stay in the wilds, not then. but she would not abandon her, fear her judgment, a second time, not when she had been proved so wrong the first. "olive."

Cassiopeia shied away from addressing Rannoch's concerns. Although this motion worried him, there was nothing Rannoch could do at that moment; he wouldn't act without consent from the star-kissed yearling. "Cassiopeia," Rannoch repeated, "It's nice to meet you." 

Rannoch soon learned Cassiopeia's motive for being in The Heartwood, and as he learned the finer details of her intentions, he couldn't help but gawk at what had been revealed. "I know a wolf named Olive. I'm traveling with her, actually," he took a moment to examine her and found a likeness to Olive in color of Cassiopeia's eyes. "Her fur is different but, you both have the same color eyes." 

she moved again to broach the distance between them when she caught the flicker of recognition, ears perked atop her skull. his words had her tail shift from its poised position to waft softly at her hocks a moment, pausing when the distance between them had been closed to one more benefitting of an acquaintance than a stranger. 

he confirmed that this was truly the olive that she sought, and again she spoke, as if his statement required an explanation. "I take after my-" here, a pause, tiny, nearly indiscernible, "father." the latter was said somewhat stiffly, and she could not stop herself from peering over the boy's shoulder as if the daintiness personified that was her mother would appear. yet there was only the dark spaces between the trees, and shifting her gaze back to him, she asked, "is she near?" the small curve of her muzzle was the only thing that signaled her hopeful happiness, gaze set solidly on his with a new intensity.

The two strangers had found common ground. As Cassiopeia moved, Rannoch inched closer with evident curiosity in his expression. The more that he looked at her, the more he could see her resemblance to Olive. 

Cassiopeia's shift in gaze caused Rannoch to look over his shoulder; he discovered quickly that there was nothing note while to see. He watched the shadows for a moment before he returned his attention to the woman before him and was promptly met with a question. 

"Yes," Rannoch replied with a smile, "She's traveling with my friends and me. We're looking for a home." Rannoch had no reason to distrust Cassiopeia, so he felt comfortable enough to disclose what he had been doing. "I'm more than happy to bring you to her." 

his shift in gaze had her at once feel foolish; what good was there in hoping that her mother would appear as soon as she was mentioned. her gaze settled firmly back on him, ears perking a moment as he revealed more of himself and her mother.

she was interested in the remark, and yet said nothing immediately, speaking only after he made his offer. "yes,"  came her voice, quick and hopeful. for a moment it lingered between them, but the thought that the air felt empty with only the single syllable had her move to speak once more. "please." 

Rannoch nodded; he would not deny Cassiopeia the opportunity to be reunited with her mother. "Let's go, then" he prompted with a smile and beckoned the dark woman to follow after him with a jerk of his skull. Rannoch waited for her to pull up beside him, and once she was in place, Rannoch set off towards the area where he had branched off from the rest of the group.

"Did you ever live in Moonspear?" Rannoch asked suddenly and glanced at Cassiopeia; he was finding himself increasingly curious about Olive's daughter. He could not recall ever seeing her, and he was left to wonder if she was born outside of the mountain-bound pack.

she followed him, at first lagging some distance behind, and then finally falling into step beside him, though she was still on guard. for a time they moved in silence, and she found she appreciated the easy company, though her gaze did not stray from the path before them, hoping to land on the others he spoke of soon, at once wary and hopeful. 

she did not falter in her step, yet nor did she reply immediately. "a long time ago - a few months ago, I - I left." She hadn't meant to, and surely if she had not encountered Vaati still she would reside on the mountain. deflecting, suddenly, she asked in turn, "did you?" 

Rannoch nodded at the information he received; it comforted him somewhat to know that they something else in common. Rannoch couldn't help but speculate what had lead to her departure, and couldn't help but wonder if Hydra and her sisters had been involved. Despite his piqued interest, Rannoch kept his thoughts to himself. 

"I must have arrived at Moonspear shortly after you left," he remarked, "Me and a few other members just left, though. We're heading east." 

she absorbed the information he offered silently, considering. she'd never heard of a pack splitting in the manner he explained and wondered just how clean their exit from the mountain had been. she wondered, contemplatively, if he was their leader. he seemed to have the qualities she vaguely thought a leader ought to, even though he seemed distinctly the opposite of Vaati. 

 "anywhere specific?" she wondered aloud, offering him a glance. east,  as a general direction, led dangerously near the Wood, a fact that sprang to mind quickly.

"No," replied Rannoch with a shake of his head. Although they were heading towards Northstar Vale, that wasn't their intended destination. "We're heading to my former claim, Northstar Vale, and then scouting around there," he informed her. 


"Looking for another mountain, probably," he added nonchalantly.

she absorbed the rest of the information in silence, though paused in her step when she noted ahead the many scents of the group. here she paused, not quite ready to head towards the others, and surely the mother that waited there. she turned once towards Rannoch, ears angled towards them. "can I travel with you, to the mountains?" it wasn't quite a promise to be apart of his group, but she wasn't sure he'd want her there, either. still, there was something about the male that promised stability and the kind of peace she'd yet to experience in her short life - the kind of promise that had her falter before moving to broach the distance between her mother and herself.

Rannoch had walked a few steps ahead before he realized that Cassiopeia had stopped. He turned to face her with an expression of curiousness. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long to learn what had caused her to halt— she had a question to ask. 

Cassiopeia asked for permission to join the group, and Rannoch saw no reason to deny her. "As long as you help provide for the group, I'll allow it," he answered with a soft smile.

for the first time, a ghost of a smile traced her muzzle when he spoke, and she dipped her head. "I will,"  she assured him, emerald green gaze hesitating once. with a final glance at him, gratitude evident in her gaze, she broke away from him to move towards where the others gathered, optics already searching for that familiar, dainty figure.