Dawnlark Plains I get it cracking like a bad back

Two brief stays with small packs and several casual flings with nameless dudes later, Fiadh found herself on familiar ground. She remembered passing through on her way out of the Teekons when she left her family behind and set out to find her own way in the world. Now she was a little older and a little wiser, or so she believed. It'd only been a few months, but being alone and letting loose had a funny way of maturing wolves like Fiadh, who now resembled her mother not just in appearance but in behaviour too.

Because you see, although Fiadh was in familiar territory, she didn't have any intentions of returning home. Oh she would certainly visit at her earliest convenience and catch up, but like Finley before her, Fiadh simply felt suffocated in Redhawks. She hadn't realized it until she left, but being completely surrounded by family made it hard for her to shine—especially when several members of her family were far more outspoken and vain than she was. Her brief time with the other Blackthorns had felt the same. Out on her own, no one was comparing her to anyone else. It was liberating and she wasn't about to fall back under her massive family's shadow once again; she was a free woman now, much as she missed and loved them so. Really, the only difference between a younger Finley and Fiadh was that she had the benefit of her father's level head. She wasn't nearly as reckless.

The ground she trod was different now than it had been when she left (I think). A thick layer of airy snow hid most of the destruction, but where the snow was churned by passing creatures, charcoal peeked through and the whole place still stank of soot and terror. Flinging back her ears and biting back the natural fear that tried to crowd into her breast, Fiadh swung south and began marching through the plains as fast as she could without seeming too urgent.

She didn't like the plains much. They probably had been fairly empty before, but with the fire, it was a wasteland topped with fresh snow. There were still traces here and there of the destruction, and Lily avoided any signs like the plague, forging ahead much like Fiadh did. She didn't really know her purpose for coming out here--just that she was bored and needed to stretch her legs.

Pretty soon, a distraction offered itself quite readily.

Hallo! Lily called out, trotting toward the silver shape with a spring in her step. It was a girl around her age--or maybe younger? God, how old was she, these days?--with a beautiful pair of golden eyes. And a pair of ears, too--shoved back. It's quite creepy here, innit? she remarked, shooting the other a lopsided grin. So much of nothing.

Reminds me of home, she almost said, but didn't. Anyway, home was vibrant and life-filled, not this empty place.

The last thing Fiadh expected to find on the barren plain was another wandering soul. Lily came quite literally out of nowhere. You'd think a lone wolf would be paying enough attention to her surroundings that she'd see someone coming toward her from a ways off, but she hadn't even noticed the other wolf moving toward her until she was greeted. The way Lily moved, with a sprightly bounce, reminded Fiadh so keenly of her sister Clover that for a moment her heart ached. What was she doing? How could she not go home?

This black-furred beauty was not her sister, though, and the moment passed quietly in the space between Lily's greeting and her remark about the plains. She let her ears drift upward and turn forward, then sighed lightly and replied, yeah, it's like everything just died one day. I don't think it used to be like this. Any idea what happened?

At least Lily didn't sound like Clover on top of walking like her and resembling her in shape and size a little bit. It was much easier to imagine being a dispersal wolf separate from her family when she wasn't reminded of them. Maybe visiting home wasn't such a good idea; it was still too fresh. She would inevitably rejoin them only to become smothered again by the weight of so many relatives, all of them basically the same as her. She fought back these thoughts and did everything she could to keep them from being obvious on the surface, but couldn't keep the troubled light from her eyes as she looked over Lily once more and smiled.

Lily was glad the girl was friendly. Out here, it tended to be a toss-up whether wolves were receptive to a smile or not. She nodded at the query, eyes drifting over the gentle slope of the plains. A fire, she explained, looking pensive. It drove the pack that lived here from their home. They ended up moving to the Maplewood, and then coming to live with my pack.

The blackbird swished her tail, putting an end to that depressing anecdote. I'm Lily, she introduced herself. What're you up to, out here?

A fire. Well that explained a lot. Damn, Fiadh whistled, sweeping a wide and appraising look across the empty plains. There had been someone living here? That was tough. Moving from Redhawk Caldera to the Plateau for shits and giggles had seemed rough when she was younger, but it had nothing on being chased from your home by a raging inferno. Well, not that she knew what that felt like, but she could hazard a guess. She crossed her heart and hoped she never would know.

Are they okay? she wondered, unable to help some of Raven's influence from slipping through. She hadn't trained under the Redhawk medic for long, but it had been enough for her to put compassion before the adventurous child she'd once been. It was almost natural now to worry even about complete strangers.

Ahhhhh, not much, she answered with a shrug. I thought I'd go home and visit my family, but they're like... yikes... there's like a hundred of 'em and they all kinda look identical and... yikes, she repeated, shrugging once more as she lost the words to give voice to her noncommittal hesitation to go home. Anyway, I'm Fiadh. What brought you out here, Lily?

She nodded, though a little uncertainly. Most of them, yeah, she responded. Some died in the fire, or got lost. But the ones that are with us have recovered. Physically, at last. She knew it was inevitable that the mental scars the blaze had left were much deeper, and probably permanent.

Lily laughed at the girl's description of her family, feeling a little bit nostalgic. That sounds like my family, besides the identical part, she giggled. Erm, I'm just out for a little walk. As beautiful as the willow forest is, I need to explore, every so often. Though perhaps this was the wrong place to choose. . . She cast a wry look over the barren land, mouth quirking in a half-smile.

So, do you live nearby, or on your way to somewhere else? she continued. I know the packs in the valley pretty well and you don't smell like any of them. Not that I've smelled you. Okay, maybe a little bit. I'm a wolf; get off my case!

Woah wait, people actually died? Shit, that was heavy. Fiadh wondered how the survivors go on with their days knowing some of their comrades had died so they could live. It went without saying that the Blackthorn would be highly susceptible to survivor's guilt and depression if she had to experience that. Her only frame of reference for pack life was one where most of her packmates were also her siblings and aunts and uncles, though, so of course it seemed incredibly traumatizing to her.

Though Lily's description of a nice walk hardly fit the bill for their location, Fiadh nodded in understanding. Even the most barren of landscapes was sometimes a nice change from the norm. She hadn't exactly liked Heron Lake Plateau, for example, but it was a nice change from the Caldera. And even this scorched wasteland was a nice change from the plateau, or the rolling foothills she'd been in before coming back here. Apparently there were a lot of packs in this area, or so Lily implied, and she chuckled softly.

About as far from here as you can imagine, she said, and she meant it. From here, the places Fiadh had been the last couple months were probably closer than where the Redhawks resided. That was crazy to think about. My family lives at Heron Lake Plateau. Heard of it? It's, like... waaaaaay south. She gestured vaguely. What are the packs around here like? Redhawks is sort of completely by itself. How do you all share the land? She couldn't help thinking of Blackfeather Woods and how they had managed to encroach upon Redhawk Caldera even when they were miles and miles away.

She nodded solemnly in response, focusing on Fiadh rather than the plains. How many bones rested here, claimed by the fire? She had never gotten a number from the Morningsiders. She didn't want to know. 

Instead, she latched gratefully onto the change of subject, listening keenly as the girl spoke of her home. I haven't heard of it, no, she responded when prompted. Redhawks sounded vaguely familiar, but maybe she was just imagining things, and Miryam didn't really want to go through Lily's threadlog to remember if she'd been told of them or not. She cracked a smile as she thought of their many neighbors. 

They've all been quite pleasant, Lily said amiably, wagging her tail. Not a bad one in the bunch. Few of them a little grumpy, she mused, thinking of Treason, among others, but overall, they're nice. Friendly. We've got enough land between us that we don't find ourselves tripping over each other out here.

Especially Elysium. Now that Morningside was with them, the nearest pack was a ways away. They were in an ideal spot to stay out of trouble.

Huh, remarked Fiadh, who thought it rather strange that someone in this region hadn't heard of Redhawks. Maybe she was just ascribing more fame and popularity to her home pack than was deserved. She supposed they had gone a far distance from any neighbours. Maybe distance was all it took for such a long-standing dynasty to fade into obscurity.

I think there's always some grumpy wolves in every pack, Fiadh laughed, thinking of Quixote. She didn't like him very much, found him to be a total stick in the mud, but it was a fond thought nonetheless. I'm glad to hear you can get along with them, she commented. Was in a pack for a hot second there that tried to fight anyone that was in the same cove as them. Place was massive too, way more space than they needed. Why do you think some are like that? Some wolves were just so uppity about their territories. Fiadh had once upon a time been an upstart who would have snarled at anyone in the vicinity of her home, but she'd grown up a lot since then, and knew there was no point fighting for land that you didn't need.

Her brows came together in discontent as Fiadh spoke of the wolves she'd once lived with, and at her question, she shook her head, shrugging. I've no idea. I certainly would never want to be part of a pack like that, Lily mused, casting a look to the other as if to suggest she wasn't judging her choices, only stating an opinion. That sounds dreadful.

My family had a lot of space, too, but they were good about it, she continued. Not quite as open as Elysium is, but still very kind to travelers and visitors. It's the only way I know how to live, really.

Speaking of travelers. . . Do you need a place to stay for a night or two? she asked, canting her head at the girl. Your journey sounds awfully long; if you're tired, we'd be happy to host you. She did wish Fiadh could stay longer--she wished that for everyone who came through--but it was the least she could do after the lovely conversation with a like soul.

It was, she agreed. Too much testosterone. A few of the guys had been good, though, to an adventurous young Fiadh who, like her mother before her, had a thin streak of promiscuity. It made her feel older and better than she really was, and it made her feel better than her siblings who had stayed at home too. In some ways it was her mark of individuality, even if she could probably find better ways to express herself than having so-so sex with random dudes she hardly knew.

Once upon a time, the Redhawks had been equally possessive of their territory and everything surrounding it. That time was gone as far as Fiadh knew, though; it had been when Fox and Peregrine were leaders, and for that reason, she was a little glad she'd never lived under them. From the sounds of it they were super cool, but she couldn't have upheld that lifestyle. She was too lackadaisical to care about whether someone set up nearby or not, as long as they didn't trespass. In that, Lily seemed to feel similarly.

Redhawks is sorta in between. Not too big on visitors but not ridiculous about everything around it. Little did she know they actually were exactly like that under Quixote's leadership. Lily's subsequent offer was so unexpected and generous that Fiadh blinked slowly and for a moment couldn't find her words. When she did speak again, it was to say in a slightly wondrous way, that would actually be really nice, wow, thank you so much!

fade this out? :)

Lily gave a chuckle at the sentiment. She never had preferred one or the other gender, but then, she liked spending time with men that weren't so. . .testosterone-filled, she supposed. She could see how that might be a drawback, living within a pack.

She was glad that Fiadh took her up on her offer, and wagged her tail in delight, jerking her chin in the direction that she'd came. We're just over there; I'll show you! Blinking affectionately, she turned and started to walk, slowly so that the other could catch her up.

She wanted to know more about the Redhawks, and would badger the girl about them the entire way to the willows. Hopefully, Fiadh wasn't sick of her by the time they got to Elysium.