Bearclaw Valley Noticed

Outside of Bearclaw Valley, for @Nunataq (other siblings welcome!)

Arlette really wished to play with Nuna again. She knew her friend was in a different pack and it wasn't always easy to play with her. Even though, their territories were close she wasn't as daring to just leave the pack's land. She told her mother she wanted to play with the Bearclaw Pups again. But her mother seemed worried about other things. She was often at the border, checking something, while before her mother would often be around the stones or her papa's den. That was another thing altogether. She hadn't seen her father much lately. He was sick and no one knew with what. She often peeked into the den but he only seemed to be sleeping. It was quite boring for a pup. 

So, with all these complicated matters Arlette decided to take things in her own hand. She asked her big brother @Ezra to escort her to Bearclaw Valley. The young female trotted next to him as they left Easthollow. It didn't look much different here than their lands. The grass was the same. Only now the mountains were closer. It was a short walk before they were at the entrance. Her brother encouraged her to howl for her friend. Arlette hoped she would be heard, otherwise, Ezra might be able to help her. Or not, since he already was laying down a bit further away. She appreciated her big brother letting her try everything herself. Now she just had to wait patiently, which was tough. 

Had Nunataq been able to convey her thoughts in a verbal form, she would have expressed her discontent with the fact that these days the world seemed to be revolving only around Lucas and nothing else seemed to matter to the members of the Bearclaw valley. She could not though, and she was also unable to pinpoint, why was she so unhappy to be around anyone of her family lately. But the fact was that she did. And, where she could not find solace within her home, she sought it elsewhere.

Incidentally she had just the same reasons to seek out her Easthollow friend, therefore she was not far away, when Arlette called. Nunataq, who had been busy digging a den under roots of a tree, left the task immediately and dashed towards the exact location of, where the two neighbours stood. The white pup had grown a bit since their last meeting, but otherwise had not changed - seemed happy and joyous. And like a plant that has been left in the shadow for too long, Nunataq yearned for someone to be her personal sun.

She greeted her friend with wagging tail and sincere smile. She needed some fun in her life that had grown too serious too soon.

Arlette eagerly greeted Nuna when she approached her. The white female jumped forward with a happy squeak. The girl usually took on a bit more of a submissive role, mostly because all the other wolves she met were older. She showered her friends with licks under her chin in greeting. "Hi!," she greeted excitedly and then danced a bit backward to give the other some more space. She learned that not all wolves wanted her right in their personal space bouncing around. "I missed you!" she admitted. Arlette always missed wolves when they were too long gone from her life. 

Arlette quirked up her lips in a big smile. "Wanna do something fun?," she asked curiously. She was eager to play but perhaps the other had something in mind for them to do. Arlette deemed the other older and wiser. She usually let older wolves make the decisions for her. Perhaps, it was how she was raised since her mother usually decided what they would do, or well, Arlette would just try and copy their behavior.

Recently Nunataq had grown to dislike any close physical encounters that involved wolves, who did not belong to her immediate family. When dealing with adults she endured all the neccessary meet-and-greet rituals with clenched teeth and poorly contained dislike. When it came to other puppies, she would either let them take some liberties or tell them off. And in case of Arlette - her red-eyed white friend, who she liked - she met her antics with a patience one gives to their not-entirely-sane-but-harmless-and-adorable friend. The Easthollow girl was a prime material for Nunataq to demonstrate, how confident, stoic and very grown-up she was.

For the next five minutes.

Then she stripped her business suit off, tossed away her formal high-heel shoes and got in the shorts and ragtag, baggy T-Shirt that boasted with an image of three DC-Super-heroines (Batgirl, Wonderwoman and Supergirl) and words "Girl Power". A metaphor, of course, to characterize her change in demeanor. Her tail was wagging, she was bubbling with excitement and she had no idea, what to do now. Therefore she plopped down on her bum and with her head whipping from one side to the other, she scanned the area to see, if there was anything interesting around. Suddenly she heard a loud, crashing noise, sprang to her feet and standing tall and alert listened intently.

I have that T-shirt at home. Bought it at a second-hand shop and fell in love with it from the first moment I saw it. :D

Arlette noticed that she wasn't greeted back the same way however, she wasn't corrected for her greeting. Still, it was a good lesson for the child in social behavior. Her friend probably didn't want to be greeted that way, at least that was how she assumed things. Arlette noticed that her friend behaved more like an adult then she did, at least the first five minutes. She tried to copy it, as pups usually would. She was curious about the other, and why she never seemed to verbally communicate like she and her family were.

Luckily Nuna seemed to defrost soon enough. Arlette's tail started wagging quicker when the other shed her 'business' attire. The red-eyed girl jumped from side to side though froze when she heard the crash. She instantly scooted over to her friend, her ears popped up to the sound. Arlette wasn't quick to be scared by all means, though she did like to stand close to her friend to gain some more confidence. She was outside of the territory after all. Something she wasn't used to. "What was that?," she whispered. "Wanna go see?"

Oh! Wonderful shirt! I have something like that but with all the DC heroes and it says: Justice! ;D

The noise did not repeat, therefore it was even more suspicious. And it had happened on Bearclaw valley side and feeling that she was somehow responsible for everything that was going on at her home, she beckoned Arlette to follow. Though Nuna's step was bold and she acted bravely, deep inside she was glad to be together with her albino friend. It was always better to face danger in a pack.

They soon found the culprit - an almost prefectly round, large and deep hole in the ground with grass and an uprooted tree lying at the bottom of it. Nuna stood on the edge and peered down curiously, then cast a glance at Arlette. What is it? and Wow! writtend accross her expression.

Arlette was quick to follow her friend. She was curious and wanted to know about the sound as well. She was not quick to be fearful but that was because she hadn't be taught to be fearful. There had not been many things her mother warned her about. Only that past the borders it could be dangerous and that the bison could be mean when they wanted to. But this didn't sound like a bison, hence why Arlette was eager to explore. She stayed close to her friend, like a pale shadow. 

Her red eyes became big when she saw the fallen tree. "WOW!" she also peeked down but was careful not to fall in. The hole seemed pretty deep. What if she couldn't get out of it. The girl looked in amazement at the tree, so that was how they stayed put? Would this be the same as with the rocks of Easthollow? That made so much sense if the rocks also had all these strings to keep them in the ground!!! "I didn't know trees have strings!"

Whatever Arlette had said, Nuna agreed wholeheartedly - she had had no idea either. Not only about the tree, but about such holes appearing out of nowhere. She deduced the latter, because she spotted the poor blackened remnants of the toadstool she had so diligently watered for the past few weeks at the bottom of the pit. Wow.

The next idea that came to her mind was - this was a landmark, right? Extraordinary, right? Important, right? So, how could you mark it so that everyone knew this was Nunataq's hole? With brow furrowed she walked along the edge of the pit, trying to solve this very pressing problem, until a simple solution came to her mind. What if she simply tried?

And try she did - found the most unstable place (that she did not see from above), balanced on three feet with the fourth in the air and tried to mark and... lost her balance, the earthe gave away and she ended up tumbling down the slope and found herself lying next to the aforementioned mushroom. SHe looked up to see, how far up Arlette was and, if she cared, a few tail-wags informed her friend that: I'm okay, no need to worry.

Arlette was glad that Nuna agreed with her. She could tell by how the other was looking at her that she didn't know this about trees as well. Arlette whined when the older female got closer to the hole. She wouldn't really dare but then again, the older one was usually braver. Arlette watched as Nuna seemed to want to claim this part. Arlette did agree that this was pretty cool and if this was Nuna's place then as her friend she was probably allowed to play here as well. Her contentment didn't stick for long though, as Nuna fell into the hole. 

"NUNA!" she called out in shock and then rushed to the edge and peeked over it. She whined when seeing the other at the bottom, wagging her tail a bit. "Oh no! Nuna! How will you get out?'," she questioned. She didn't want to fall in herself but because that might mean that she would never see her mama again, and Merrit, and Keen! The pale girl hesitantly leaned over the edge. "Can you climb up?" It would be far less stressful if Nuna could just climb up. 

Maybe, because the question was so obvious, for the first time Nuna's train of thought was the same as the verbal one of her albino friend's. She got to her feet, wincing a little, when a hind-foot that she had fallen on with all of her mass reminded of itself, shook her coat and began to explore the edges of the sinkhole. Here and there she tested the surface, by putting her forepaws on it and looking up, where her friend's face was peering down at her. After many tests, she decided for one particular, did some preparation and then, with several hefty leaps aimed to run the almost vertical wall upwards. It worked for a little, until her hind-paws sank ankle deep in mud and slowed her jump altogether.

She fell back to the floor of the hole and looked up at her friend expectantly. Maybe she had some ideas.

Arlette was very observant and noticed that Nuna's leg seemed to take less pressure on it. Hopefully, it wasn't something bad. She watched as her friend explored the edges to then take a leap of fate, quite literally. However, it didn't work as they planned. There was mud where her paws sank into. They were back where they started. Arlette was determined to save her friend. She scanned over the hole and what they could use. "STRINGS! Strings of the tree!," she called out, by which she meant the roots of course. 

Arlette got to her paws and moved to the fallen tree. "Can you grab the strings? Maybe you can climb up that way," she offered. She stood beside the tree so she could see if Nuna could find her way. She would probably need to jump to the roots as well, at least they were lower than the edge she needed to jump.

Nuna's ears drew back to her skull, when Arlette began to shout for no apparent reason, but ignoring this and paying more attention to, what she was aiming at, she understood, what was implied. There was the fallen tree, it's trunk and branches standing almost vertically in the pit, while the roots were spread out just by the edge of it. The mute girl went to have a good look at it and seemed to think some stuff over. She went arouned and sneaked through the branches, looking for something that could be used to get on the trunk and then climb upwards. But no such luck, which was very disappointing.

Nuna showed this by retreating and sitting down, frowning at the fallen tree, as if an angry, pointed stare could help lift her out of the pit in one take. It did not, but, what happened was that the earth under the last roots that were keeping the tree attached to the ground above, gave away and with an ominous swooshing sound the tree hit the bottom of the pit, swerved and the heavy trunk began to fall in Nunataq's direction. Perplexed by the sudden change of events, the girl just sat there and watched.

Arlette thought it was a good idea but apparently, it was not. The girl watched the frown on the other's face. The red-eyed girl looked upset when her plan didn't seem to be a solution. The girl watched when the tree started to fall down the pit and then go in the direction towards Nuna. "Look out!!" Arlette whined but as she leaned forward to shout it, the girl leaned forward too much and slipped. The white ball of fluff slipped down the slope. The girl bumped into Nunataq on her way down, towards the cloud of leaves still attached to the top of the tree. 

Lol I hope I got this right. I feel like the tree was stuck in the end, fell down with the top (leaves) in the middle of the pit, to then have the trunk swerve towards Nuna. With Arlette's post, my idea was to have them shoved into the 'top' of the tree into all the leaves and branches. Just let me know if you want anything changed.

Something like that. :P Post 200 goes to you!

Suddenly several things happened at once - one moment Nuna was watching the big tree swerve in her direction, the next something white, furry and definitely heavy canonballed in her and shoved her to the side. And then she found herself in the middle of great mass of leaves, branches and mud, with her limbs and bondy tangled with those of her albino friend's. At least the tail was free, so she wagged it few times, to indicate that despite the very awkward and inconvenient situation, she was feeling fine. And somewhere she found side of Arlette's face and licked in a reassuring manner. She was okay too, right?

Whoo! Haha

Arlette was surrounded by leaves and branches. She was all tangled up with Nuna. Her first relief that the female seemed to be safe. She nosed over Nuna and then grinned, also wagging her tail. She untangled herself as much as possible, realizing that she was more than fine. "I'm okay," she spoke and then started to giggle. "What an adventure!" She never experienced anything like this! She was amazed. She couldn't wait to tell Merrit and Keen how cool she was, saving her friend. 'Maybe now we can climb out of this."

Arlette's cheerful response and overall demeanor was enough for Nuna and, since happiness was an infective state, she was soon smiling and wagging her tail as well. They disentangled from each other and the girl measured the tree trunk up and down with a look. It did seem to be in a good position and just in the right angle to be used as a ladder to get out of this hole. She had spent here the last quarter of an hour and had had enough of it already.

Nuna retreated some steps, found the spot on the tree that she wanted to reach, took few strides and jumped up. Her paws made contact with the trunk and she clawed her way upwards. This took more effort than she had initially anticipated - the climb was steep and her body was giving in to the laws of gravity all to willingly. But determination paid off, when she reached the edge of the pit, and with one final pull made all the way up and collapsed in a tired heap of limbs and body on the solid, horizontal ground.

She had not forgotten her friend though, after a brief respite, the masked girl was back to the edge and looking to see, if Arlette was making any progress as well.

Arlette was glad that Nuna was alright. It seemed the tree was a perfect tool to climb out the hole for. The pale female wondered if the spirit in the father stone looked out for her like her mother told her about. She decided to quickly shove that thought away once she noticed Nuna was on the move. She quickly tried to follow in the other's footsteps. However, there was a problem with that. She was smaller and as she tried to jump on the trunk she didn't reach high enough to climb up. She groaned as she slipped down and landed on her paws. Her red eyes followed Nuna that was easily climbing up. 

Arlette whined and tried to jump up on the tree again. She was already small for her age and this large tree wasn't helping her. The pale girl then looked around and climbed back into the leaves she just crawled out on. She stepped on one of the thicker branches and climbed up that way until her head was poking out and her feet reached the thick trunk. She then moved around the branched. She proudly trotted past the spot she wanted to jump on, as she passed it, she changed her speed. She climbed up and reached the edge like Nuna. She let out a relieved sigh. "Not sure if I want to do that again," she admitted to Nuna. 

Arlette plopped down on her butt, she could still wag her tail. She noticed a large shape in the distance. Her brother. Well, the hadn't been very helpful. Then again, the girl was proud that she did this all by herself. "I think my brother wants me to return home," she groaned. "Will we go exploring again soon?," she asked the female. She liked going exploring with Nuna, she felt older and cooler.

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Arlette made it out alright and Nunataq greeted her very cheerfully and cordially. For a moment there it had appeared as if the pup was going to remain at the bottom of the pit, because her climb upwards was so, so much more difficult than it had been for the older girl. But her friend did not give up, fought her way through the difficulties and eventually landed right next to Nuna. Happy and relieved. Though there was no way of telling this to the albino cub, her friend felt proud of her and lucky to have her as well.

Any further adventuring was interrupted by the arrival of Arlette's older brother and Nuna sorrowfully watched, how her playmate left with him, wishing very, very much that she could either keep the other girl here permanently or go with her. The only consolation was the fact that she was going to meet her another time.