Sawtooth Spire Adaptation

Her task, to find elk, had been put on hold until she had once again reacclimatized herself to her home. Only days had passed since she had joined Mahler and Vylla, and now she'd been thrown into an entirely new place with new faces and personalities. She wasn't sure what to do with all this, but she made herself as small as possible, trying not to be in the way or cause any trouble. Brook worried that she'd be swept under the rug, so to speak, but she also knew that she probably deserved it if that's what happened. She was, more or less, a nothing. She meant nothing to these wolves, and she had convinced herself the most she could do was try and help here and there. She also suspected that she would ruin any help she tried, so maybe it was even better to just... do nothing.

She ate what little she could find in their new home: mostly carrion she came across. What she didn't eat of her findings, she stored in the new caches around Sagtannet's new home. The name still felt fresh and bitter on her tongue, but so had Diaspora, which would remain only a flicker in her memory.

The young girl settled herself on a cold stone, feeling the chill against her still scrawny figure. Maybe she should have made herself useful in some way, but the exhaustion had caught up to her. All she wanted now was rest, and even her strongest desires to help couldn't sway her otherwise.

Home, at least, that is what Gracious would soon warm up to calling this place. It wasn't home yet. Although she was a more spiritual being who belived home was not a place but a person or a group, she couldn't deny the feelings of uncertainty in her heart with this merge. So many faces and scents and coat colors and eyes --- it was almost too much for the older woman to want to take in. Yet, it was her duty as an animal to learn to adapt in the best way she could, for that to happen, she would have to accept the fact that the Court was no more.

Andraste was an angel in the ground, never to be seen or heard from again. Gracious wondered how it could've happened, what demon stole away the pale girl from the home of lost souls. She kept those thoughts pushed into the back of her brain, not wanting to let herself be toyed with by fate and destiny, who ruled every creature's path on this earth. Instead of being anti-social, Gracious decided it would be best to meet the nea faces of the new family, the ones beyond the recognizable pelts of the Court.

She set out and followed scents that were fresh in hopes of finding something at the end of her search. And to her luck, she found success. A tawny female, much smaller in frame when compared to the mountainous woman Gracious was. The monochromatic wolf stepped lightly as to not scare the wolf in front of her whom she came upon. A gentle rumble from her throat, a chuff to let the other know she wasn't alone on her stone throne.

Half-dozing, Brook's eyes snapped fully open when she heard somebody approaching. Her hackles raised for a moment, ready to flee the scene if necessary, but she remembered where she was. This was not Tortuga. These wolves weren't the same. She had learned as much from the short time she had been here, although it hadn't caused her to renovate her entire personality. Old habits of fleeing and fighting were still there, lingering near the surface and ready to break out whenever she was caught off-guard.

Aware that she might have startled the other by being startled herself, Brook dipped her head, ears slicked back in apology. S-sorry, I— but Brook realized she didn't really know what to say after that. I'm Brook. Her eyes stayed locked on the ground, wary of looking up, should she be punished for it. With her shoulders pointed and her head and neck downcast, she looked quite the sight. The tail that tucked beneath her only added to her attempt to make herself as small as possible.

Gracious had scooted by significantly once the reaction happened -- it was out of the ordinary, maybe she just spooked the poor girl and didn't realize it. Hackles raised like flags but soon died down as ears flattened against her skull and an apology was made. Gracious felt her heart sink for such a sad display of anxious protection of oneself.

"Oh, please don't apologize, you had every right to act that way because I scared you." She said, her voice silvery and warm. She didn't know what had to have happened to this girl to make her behave in such a way, but it certainly wasn't something wolves were born with. It was something they were taught, behavior they learned was acceptable. Something told Gracious this girl had more to her story than just being easily startled.

"I apologize if I disturbed you, my name is Gracious. You must be apart of the Diaspora group, yes?" Her face, nor her scent, were familiar to the greyscale woman.

"Rights? What are those?" Brook thought dryly. With Tortuga, she'd had few. She had managed to fit in well enough, but she'd always been at the bottom of the food chain there. If she'd been older, more capable, she probably would have bounced as soon as she could. Instead, she'd basically been forced to stay there and grow up, lest she die out in the wilderness on her own. The young girl half-stammered something under her breath, but not loud enough for the other wolf to hear.

She introduced herself as Gracious, which Brook thought was a pretty name. When asked where she'd come from, Brook nodded obediently. Yes ma'am, Mahler said I could stay with them. And then they had moved here, for reasons Brook still didn't entirely understand. Maybe she never would.

ahh, ma'am was something gracious often found herself being referred to as. it made her feel elderly at times and she had to bite her tongue to stifle a laugh. formality was often too much for her at times. gracious felt her tail sway as the younger agouti spoke, the name mahler swung into her ears. he was the other leader, besides melkor and the other that worked with diaspora. she wondered what his personality was like.

"that was kind of him," she said gently, "what made you join them at first?" she was curious about the origins of this one, she wore invisible scars that gracious couldn't simply forget about.

Kind wasn't exactly the word she'd used to describe it, but Brook was content enough to be allowed to stay with Mahler, Vylla, and the others. She did not have anywhere else to go, and it was likely that she would have perished without the support of a pack. Because they had allowed her to stay, she had not. When asked why she had joined them, Brook shrugged her shoulders gently.

I came across it, she said quietly. What about you? The other two packs she'd been a member of hadn't been her choice at all. She'd been born into Swiftcurrent Creek, which felt like a distant memory, and Tortuga's wolves had captured her when she'd strayed too far from home. Brook hadn't exactly sought out Diaspora, it had just been convenient.

her answer was vague but gracious didn't push for a greater answer. she would recognize when it wasn't her time to step in and ask questions that she had no business of knowing. gracious hoped at least that brook would come to like this new sagtannet. the greyscale woman had enjoyed her time alone but couldn't deny the joys of living with others. tindome was a bittersweet time, short yet full of people she remembered dearly.

as for the question pointed towards gracious, the woman looked towards the girl with soft eyes. "i belonged to courtfall before the merger," she found herself coming closer to brook, though she continued to stay at a comfortable distance for both, "was a founding member of it. i was surprised when we had plans for the merge, but it came at the right time when we lost our undomiel."

she still haunted her memories.

The woman spoke, and Brook listened, feeling a bit more at ease now that they were conversing and she felt less threatened. When Gracious moved forward, Brook flinched, but she stayed put. If she was to be looked at, she wasn't one to tell somebody both older and with a higher rank that they shouldn't be looking.

The last word she spoke wasn't one that Brook recognized, but she didn't mind. No questions had been asked, so the girl let silence fall between them once more.

no words to come after her statement, gracious wondered what little animal hid behind brook's shell. but she wasn't blind and took note to the flinch brook made as the larger woman strode forward. in response, gracious took a step back, paw lifted carefully as if she herself was afraid to move forward again. why was this girl so worried, so fearful? what did gracious bring to the table to make herself come off as scary.

"are you afraid of me?" she asked, voice almost twinged with a sense of hurt. gracious wouldn't harm anyone unless it was in terms to protect. her tail curled against the back of her leg, ears falling back.

Enjoy the very, very late reply, hahaha.

I— Brook broke off, her eyes cast downward. She now felt ashamed and stupid. This whole thing had been a mistake. She wished she was back with Tortuga, back where she belonged. Maybe... maybe if she went back there, they would change their mind. Maybe things would be okay. She couldn't live here. Not like this.

I have to go, she said, then slipped away.