Stone Circle hi-diddly-ho, neighborino!

just lookin to FINALLY meet @Valette and the Easthollow gang

after meeting tegan by the creek, and sending him on his merry way--adi thought it was cute, if a bit reckless, that he'd traversed the mountains just to see easy--he moved along, trotting buoyantly through the fox glade before arriving at easthollow's borders. finally, he'd get to meet some of the wolves he'd heard so much about. he knew that grayday had once been a part of this pack, and good feelings ran deep between this family and his.

standing a few paces away from the scent markers, aditya gave a non-urgent call, voice ringing low and resonant in the air. lowering his head, he noticed the circle of stones a short distance from him, and peered at it curiously. he'd never seen such a thing before--it must have some sort of significance, to be arranged so carefully.

but by who?

calmly, he waited to be received, bushy tail swinging gently behind him.

Valette was surprised to hear a call for her from a wolf she didn't know. At least, the voice wasn't familiar to her. Perhaps it would be another wolf joining! Valette trotted towards the border and was met with a wolf indeed hadn't seen before. Yet, that didn't mean that she was instantly unfriendly on the contrary. She often felt too kind on the borders.

As the dark female approached she noticed some scents of Grayday and other Morningsiders. Valette then wagged her tail. So this was a friend, not a lone wolf joining. The female greeted him with a chuff as she stopped before him. "Hello! What brings you here?," she asked curiously.

a woman appeared soon enough, carrying herself like an alpha. this must be the famous 'valette' everyone had mentioned here and there, and aditya dipped his head to her in respectful greeting. she was kind enough, not hostile in the least--though he knew that had at least something to do with his morningside affiliation.

"greetings. i wanted to introduce myself, now that morningside has moved over the mountains," he explained, face set in a faint smile. "my name is aditya. i'm dawn's mate. i joined the pack at the beginning of last fall."

he blinked gently at the she-wolf, eyes drifting to the scene behind her. he hadn't seen any other wolves; their rendezvous site was presumably far from here. "how are you all faring?" he asked, thinking of the tragedy that had befallen burr, and having some idea of the other recent losses easthollow had weathered, as well.

Valette perked up her ears. Interesting, so Morningside did move by now. Good to know. Then she realized that Easy was here so they must have moved as she would come to hunt bison after they moved. Valette nodded. "Nice to meet you, Aditya," she spoke. "Oh! Dawn's mate! Grayday's daughter. How nice," she hummed.

"We are very well," she spoke with a hum, beaming a bit. She had the feeling that she was pregnant again, but that she wasn't telling the stranger yet. She hadn't even told her own mate her suspicions. "Hopefully, Easy can return with a bison skin of her own. Would be nice," she stated. "How is everyone fairing with the move?"

he nodded, smiling. he knew his connections to grayday would put him in good standing with easthollow's leader. it wasn't something he consciously did--the name-dropping, that is--but it helped, especially in the case of introductions. and especially in an introduction with easthollow, with whom morningside had enjoyed seasons of alliance.

"that's good," he responded amiably, thinking that valette did indeed look well. if they carried the weight of several losses, it didn't show on her face. he raised an eyebrow at her bison comment, but said nothing in response. so easy was hunting bison now? well, if anyone had the heart to take on one of the woolly beasts, it would be grayday's feisty daughter.

aditya gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "well enough. everyone is still getting used to the extra space," he explained. "it's a much vaster territory than the plateau. and we've claimed the maplewood, as well."

Valette smiled at the other. She could imagine that adjusting to a new territory would be difficult. She remembered how much she needed to adjust to the fields, or well, scratch that. She had more trouble adjusting to the mountain she lived on with Silvertip. Once they moved here she felt at home once more. She was more of a plains wolf rather than a mountainous wolf. She liked to run for miles and not wanting to watch her step too much.

"When we moved here from a mountain some wolves needed to adjust as well," she spoke with a nod. "But hopefully, you will all settle in well. Living on plains is vastly different. We still have part of the woods to take shelter if needed." She wondered how their pack would deal with that.

he gave a small laugh, nodding. "that's sort of the idea of the maplewood," he explained, a smile playing across his muzzle. "there was a bad storm, when dawn, easy, and i first found the plains. we took shelter there. . .and never really left. i prefer it, to be honest. but myself, i'm from the sea. born there."

aditya closed his mouth, realizing belatedly he had began to ramble, a behavior not befitting of the ambassador he was. he cast a glance at the stones instead, once more intrigued by their archaic beauty. so orderly, so out of place in these wilds.

"what's the story of the stones?" he asked valette, adding, "if you don't mind my asking. i've never seen such a thing before. they must have some significance." they clearly were a focal point on the landscape; no wonder the wolves had been drawn to them.

Valette nodded at the other. "I can understand that. So some will stay in the plains and some will vacant the maplewoods?," she asked to clarify. "You know, I lived in the maplewoods as a youngster. My mother Scarlett, she is buried there. If you take that territory, then I know I would still be able to visit it," she spoke then. She hadn't been to her mother's grave in a long time. Perhaps it was time to visit it once more.

Valette looked over her shoulders to the stones in the distance. "They were there when I found this territory," she admitted. "They are wonderful, aren't they?" Valette sat down, more sideways so she could look at them while talking. "Now it is where we meet. For us, as a pack, it has significant meaning as all our dead loved ones are buried there. It is also the place we meet with the idea the dead ones can be with us while we gather and make pack decisions," she explained and offered a soft smile. "The stones stand for the ones we loved, a secret inner circle of the wolves that lived before, to honor them," she added.

aditya smiled gently at her admission, giving her a nod. "of course. we'd be happy to have you." then she turned to the subject of the stones, sitting down beside him and giving him their lore. his eyes shifted back and forth from the alpha to the circle as she spoke, ears canted forward in fascination.

it wasn't his belief, to be sure. souls did not rest; they flitted from body to body, life to life, living forever in some way or form until a higher purpose--he didn't know what, yet--was achieved. but the notion of seeking counsel from ones who were gone appealed to him. it was a way to honor their legacy, to give the dead an ear, if not a voice, in the decisions their family made.

"that is beautiful," he murmured, momentarily lost for words as he gazed at the circle of stones. "beautiful. and they were here when you first came?" he asked rhetorically, intrigued. it seemed impossible to believe that they could have been arranged so perfectly by accident. he wondered who had done it.

Sorry for the wait! iPad posting is a challenge ?

Valette smiled at the kind offer. The idea that she could visit her mother again. She would definitely discuss it wil Stark maybe she could take someone with her to travel to the maple wood and say some words to her mother. Maybe she would dig up her skull and give her a final resting place here amongst the stones.

Valette dipped her head in thanks when the other complimented their lore and their beliefs. Valette started to believe it more and more that their loved ones were in the circle watching over them. "Yes. I found them while scouting for new pack lands," she explained. "We don't know how they got there or who placed them here. Do you have any idea of who could have made this?"

he shook his head gently. "no," he responded, turning his head to look at her once more. "but surely, it was done by something--someone--far greater than ourselves." wolves could not do such a thing. even when banding together. . .it was too perfect. too carefully arranged.

the sky to the east was beginning to grow dark, and behind them bloomed the fiery radiance of a setting sun. reluctantly, aditya bowed his head to valette, bringing his muzzle in a slow arc to point to the northwest.

"i must be going," adi said, smiling. "it was nice to meet you, finally, valette. thank you for having me today--and stop by the maplewood anytime." a gesture of goodwill, from one kind wolf to another. he hoped he would have the opportunity to see the dark-furred alpha again soon.

after the requisite farewells had been made, aditya trotted away, with one final glance at the stones before he disappeared into the shadows of the fox glade. magnificent.

Valette had to agree with the other wolf. Perhaps it was not something that wolves made. Maybe it was the force of nature. "Perhaps it is the same one who made the mountains? I don't know. But we do cherish it. So that is the most important ," she spoke and then smiled. The rocks had become more meaningful as they stayed in this territory.

Valette dipped her head to the other. "It was a pleasure to have you. Feel free to visit us as well. Morningside and soon the Maplewood pack, are our friends," she spoke. It was not a secret. Plus, it made Valette feel safe to have so many allies in the neighbourhood. If someone was out to hurt them then she had a lot of friends who would help her.

"Until next time, Aditya," she spoke. "Safe travels!"