Blacktail Deer Plateau The siren's calling

@Bones

It had been a little shock for Osprey to find out that Junior had left the pack to join a group of foreign wolves, because she had hoped to catch up with all the time she had missed out with the little girl. Now it wasn't possible anymore and it made her feel a little sad for the connection and life-long friendship that could have formed, but hadn't. Her only hope was that the pack would decide to settle somewhere in the valley and that Junior would find her way to the Plateau to visit now and then.

Then Pied's girl Saēna had disappeared too. Osprey hadn't had a chance to meet her, therefore the longing for her was not as strong as it was in case of Junior. However, she knew well, how upsetting it would be for Peregrine and the rest of the girl's family. Especially, when it hadn't been an easy year either. Therefore, in order to cheer her brother up a little, she was wandering on the outskirts of the Plateau, where she had found some good mousing spots.

Where they lacked luck in bringing down a bigger prey, the small one was still abundant and very soon Osprey was lurking and pouncing at the small creatures, catching them more often than not, leaving every second one for her dear sibling and his family.

After their botched visit to the plateau, Bones and Ira retreated to a distant spot on the riverbank to rest before making the trek home. The young marauder caught them some fresh fish and they sprawled on the water's edge to enjoy their repast and quietly rehash the visit. As the sun dropped low in the sky, they mutually agreed to camp out there for the night — Bones was particularly exhausted — and set off toward home first thing in the morning.

The two teenagers accidentally slept late and Bones was first to stir the following day. Ira looked so comfortable, she couldn't bring herself to wake him. The silver yearling stepped into the river, splashed some cold water onto her face, then turned and sat. She was prepared to wait for her companion to wake naturally. Yet as she settled with her back to the waterway, her green eyes drifted to the plateau and she saw a figure moving about its outskirts — a familiar figure.

Moving away from Ira so she hopefully wouldn't disturb him, Bones called out to her aunt. "Ahoy! Yerpso!"

The voice sounded familiar, but the figure that accompanied it didn't ring a bell. Osprey froze and stared at the approaching she-wolf, taking in every single detail yet not being able for the life to remember, how did this stranger know her or under which circumstances they had become acquainted. Therefore she took a careful step forward and decided to face the girl politely, but not overly friendly. After all - she was busy with providing for the pack and there wasn't much time for small talk.

"Do I know you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly and swaying her tail few times, still not feeling entirely sure about the whole ordeal.

Yerpso's cool reception, followed by her lack of recognition, made Bones flinch inwardly. Yer just bein' sensitive because of what happened yesterday, she told herself. It's nothin' personal. And ye probably look totally different, to boot. She relaxed and thought back on the day when she'd met Yerpso near the lake. She'd seemed reluctant to divulge any information about her brother, Bones's dad. Ultimately, she'd been the reason Bones had located Atticus. She owed Yerpso many thanks for that.

"It's me, Bones. We met by the lake several months ago. Yer me aunt," the yearling said lightly, silver tail wagging. "Atticus is me dad. Remember?"

The young she-wolf looked a bit surprised about Osprey's cool reception, but went on talking nevertheless. Bones. Aunt. Atticus' kid? Geez, this really had taken place several months ago, because the girl's looks and the way she talked didn't connect with any certain memories. Not wanting to disappoint the kid any more than she already had, Osprey sat down and appeared to be deep in thoughts. She tried really hard to uncover Bones' file, but there were so many layers of other events that had taken place between then and now, that she gave up trying eventually.

"Not really," she looked apologetic. "But if you say so, I will believe you. It's nice to see you, Bones!" Osprey smiled at the girl and then added. "My head sometimes is like magpie's nest - odds and ends cover all the important stuff."

Bones felt a pang when Yerpso still didn't remember her, even after the yearling's attempt to jog her memory. Bones knew her sensitive reaction had a lot to do with yesterday's events. She still felt dejected, even after a good night's sleep. The meeting hadn't gone according to plan at all.

Her lips twitched at her aunt's excuse. "It's nice to see ye too, Aunt Yerpso. It's good to see a member of me family." Even if ye don't remember me! "I was just visiting the plateau yesterday." Bones didn't want to drag an unsuspecting Yerpso into that hurtful drama. "Sorry I missed ye. How're things?"

Maybe it was the way Bones' expression changed for a second that made Osprey feel guilty and ashamed for her inability to remember, that suddenly the memory of this particular kid crashed in her mind like a hammer against anvil. The reason she didn't recognize the girl was that at the time she had met her, Bones had been a wee kid. And now - look at her - grown up so much and changed that her own aunt had barely recognized her.

"Wait... you were that crazy little mermaid that was swimming in a lake in mid-winter, right?" she guessed with her lips twitched in a well natured smile. "I mean, your face... it did seem a bit familiar, but you have change a lot, dear girl," she added excitedly, her tail wagging back and forth now like a propeller.

When Yerpso suddenly seemed to recollect their previous encounter, a broad grin split Bones's gaunt face. "Aye! Ye remember me after all!" Her tail fanned the air and she felt her heart grow a little lighter. She might not have had the reunion she'd wished with either Atticus or Fox, yet at least things were going well so far with her aunt.

"Aye," she agreed with a brief laugh, "I grew." There were other, less happy changes, like her overly slim build and the scars that littered her shoulders and back. Bones didn't really want to touch on these things, though.

After exchanging a few smiles, wags of their tails and even a nudge, Bones queried, "Did ye call me a mermaid? What do ye know about mermaids, Aunt Yerpso?" she wondered, eyes glimmering conspiratorially.

Osprey could be a keen observer of people at times, therefore her mind quickly registered that not only had Bones grown up, but there had been more subtle changes too. She couldn't put her paw on, what exactly it was, yet her niece seemed different in more than one way. However, it didn't look like the girl was willing to elaborate on the subject, since she changed it quickly from her to the "mermaids". Osprey was happy to comply, since she was not prepared to have a serious talk. This was a reunion, after all. It should be happy, no matter, what had happened in the past.

"Mermaids - fishy creatures, that live in the water. Beautiful as hell, yet have nasty characters. But you do seem to know about them too, don't you?" Osprey questioned Bones and raised her eyebrows.

I'm sorry to rush the ending but I'm dropping Bones, so I wanted to wrap up her current threads. This should have 10 posts so you can use it toward any EXP/trades/etc. :)

Bones smiled a toothy smile when Osprey described mermaids perfectly. "Aye, I know all the legends about mermaids, mermen and the like," she said. "And yer right! Some folks think they're beautiful and wonderful — and they are — but they're also tricky and nasty, like ye said."

She opened her mouth to launch into a story about a particular mermaid when Ira's voice cut through the air. There was an edge of alarm to it. Without hesitation, Bones called back, "I'm okay! I'll be back in a minute!" Even as he voice carried, she shot her Aunt Osprey a regretful, apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Yerpso, it looks like we've got to get going back to our home. I'll either be back to see me dad or the two of ye are welcome to come find me at the creek!" She turned and began to lope away, sending a final shout of, "Goodbye!" over one bony silver shoulder.

Their meeting was cut short, when a howl full of worry and alarm summoned Bones. Osprey lifted her ears and turned her head in the direction of the sound, feeling both curious and a little worried too. However, it seemed that her niece knew the one, who was calling her, and the older wolf relaxed, returning her full interest back to the conversation.

However, it was not meant to last long - the young she-wolf was quick to bid her goodbyes and was gone before Osprey had managed to express her gladness to meet the girl and that she would be looking forward to meet again. Oh well... she reassured herself that Bones would show up sooner or later and that they would get to have a chat. She did seem familiar with the creatures of the great waters and Osprey was keen on getting more details about them out of her.

She resumed her hunt and disappeared in the plateau's territories.