Meadowlark Prairie Here I am…. A tumbleweed.

Cassidy, or also know as Cass, as he wanted folks to call him, had just arrived in this new land. He looked around the prairie he found, nothing but golden grasses as far as the eye could see. He loved it! He had a sudden burst of energy which sent him running and frolicking through the blades of gold. He’d occasionally jump above the grass to see where he was. — After his frolic, he found a shorter length of grass and rolled around in it. “This is amazing!” He exclaimed. “I wonder who or what else I’ll discover in these new lands?”

Dwin did not usually frequent the grasslands right next to caldera's doorstep. It was a beautiful place and during the autumn many herds passed through, but something about the open vast space gave her chills. Nothing worse could happen to her here than in any other landscape - still, she did not like it very much. 

However, in the recent days this had proven to be the prime place to hunting rodents and until she came upon something way bigger than a rodent, sentient and vocal too, she had spent the better part of her morning eating. The young fellow did not look like a lost puppy, who had to be taken back home, therefore Dwin approached the stranger, curious at, who he was. For the time being he appeared to be harmless, but she kept her distance. 

"Your wish has been granted," she replied to his earlier rhethoric inquiry. "May I know, who has been calling?" she asked, sitting down and looking at the young wolf kindly. 

He was in his own little word until he heard a voice. He rolled over and perked up, ears froward and listening. He stood up in the grass, thankfully it was a shorter length than the rest of the field. The voice belonged to a young white wolf, seemed close to his age. His tail began to wag and he approached. “Hi!” He beamed, “I’m Cassidy!” His body language was playful, showing he was no threat. “Who are you?” He cocked his head to the side.

Something about the young wolf's demeanor was so cheerful and endearing that Dwin could not help but beam back at him. There are people, who have an aura of a bright sunny summer day, and she had met hers. "Nice to greet you in these corners, Mr.Cassidy," she replied and dipped her muzzle politely in acknowledgement. "I am Dwin of the Blackthorn clan," she introduced herself. "Where do you hail from? Which place do you call home?" she asked. 

This young she-wolf reflected his happy demeanor like a mirror. She introduced herself, and asked him where he was from, and where he called home. “Nice to meet you Dwin!” “By the way, you can call me Cass! It’s what my friends call me.” He grinned, even thought he didn’t have any in this new region. He then answered her question: “I left my home outside these lands to find new adventures and a life all my own.”

It seemed that these two would get along fine, and Cassidy hoped that perhaps this new face could become his friend. 

”Where do you call home Dwin?” 

Cass's explanation on, why he was out here, reminded Dwin so much of her own enthusiasm months ago, that for a moment there she envied him. No, not that he was going on adventures, while she was stuck at home. Rather that reality had not dimmed that inner light of his. She assumed that he must not have been out on his own for too long - because by the end of her third month she had been hungry, cold and lonely and no longer firmly believed that all the great things were waiting ahead of her. 

"I live in caldera all over there," she beckoned in the general direction of her home. "There is a small pack called Brecheliant that's my home and family," she told him. "So - what kind of old adventures have you under your belt as of now?" she chose and awfully complex way to ask, what have you been up to. 

This wolf very clearly shared his enthusiasm, and his adventurous spirit. He had left his home to live his own life, and here he was. He’s met new faces, seen new places, all working up to that one big adventure that is called “life”.

She asked him a complex question, or at least it was worded that way. But he got the point of it. She wanted to know what other adventures he had experienced. “Well Dwin, to be honest, I haven’t really had that many adventures. This is my real adventure, leaving home, getting to meet new faces, see new places.” He spoke honestly, then added: “By the way, do you want to be my friend?” This he asked with a playful bow, his tail wagging.

Cassidy repeated his earlier statement and Dwin chuckled about his sudden offer of friendship. She was about to argue that they had just met and exchanged some sensible sentences, but then decided to give in. In the end - why not? While being a kid, making friends had been so easy, only adulthood complicated the matters unneccessarily. 

Therefore she agreed to humor the young man: "Alright. Let's be friends." Dwin lifted one of her forepaws as if to offer it for a pawshake, but then put it down again. "Where are you from?" she asked. 

She had accepted his offer of friendship. He beamed, his eyes aglow with youthful happiness. 

Another question arose, where he was from: “My home is south of these lands, a placed called Wyoming.” He explained, “I suppose it’s similar to here, there’s a lot of desert and open land, and we have tall mountains.”

Talking of home began to make him miss it, just a slight twinge. But he reminded himself that this was his life, it would be one great big adventure.

"Why-ou-ming," Dwin repeated the odd and unfamiliar name. Briefly she wondered, what did it mean, but it did not occur to ask this to Cassidy. Not all people took such interests in words and their origins. "Well, you have arrived to a place called - Teekon Wilds - and currently you are standing in the flatlands," she explained. 

"If you head up North, there will be more mountains, more forests, more wolves and eventually all this end by the Ocean - it is a huge water thingie. Like a lake, but much, much bigger," she told. "Ever been to the ocean before?" 

He chuckled at her attempt at pronouncing Wyoming, “Your very close.” As Dwin went on about where he was, this new place, he was amazed by everything here, or at least what Dwin mentioned. It seemed so small in these flatlands, but in reality, it was much, much bigger.

“Tee-cons.” He repeated, “It seems like such an exciting place. Thank you for telling me about it. Now I won’t feel as lost.” “And no, I have never been to the ocean, but I’ve been to lakes and rivers.”

As much as he would’ve liked to, he couldn’t stay in one place for too long, but he also had no home. At least, not yet. “I wish I could hang out for longer, but I should probably find somewhere to sleep before it gets dark.” He told her, his smile now starting fade to a more nuanced expression.

Dwin was ready to offer Cass a place in Brecheliant to stay, but she stopped short. After all friends you knew for five minutes or so weren't the kind you invited to your home in the 10th minute of yo being acquainted with each other. But there were plenty of places he could hang safely around outside Brecheliant. And she could throw in a bison's foot for him to gnaw on too. In case night got long and lonely.

"I can guide you to a good resting space," she suggested. "And bring some food too, if you are hungry."

Despite only knowing each other for a short time, Dwin had kindly offered Cassidy a place to rest, and food. What a kind wolf, he thought, and accepted her offer. “That would be amazing.” He smiled, eager to follow behind Dwin.

His new life’s age entire had gotten off on a great start. He hoped that the rest of it would go this well, but nothing always lasts forever. 

Such a shrimpie post. :D It’s what my mind could conjure up.

Convincing Cass had been so easy that for a moment there Dwin regained some confidence in her skills of making people submit to her will. The whole ordeal with Frolic had shaken that considerably. As it happens with a creative mind, multiple scenarios played out. In the first, Cass was a con-man - she had never met such, but the rumour was there of people with a charming facade, saying all the right things in order to con you in the end. In the second, this was more entertaining, he had no idea, who she was. What if... she was part of a cult - let's say, dragon-worshipers, and was leading him straight to his demise?

"Do you trust all people that easily or is it just me?" she asked him with a sly smile. "I may be taking you to become a dragon's lunch... or... I could kidnap you?" 

This thread is very entertaining. :D

She had been in thought for a few moments. Perhaps she was thinking about him. She didn’t seem too skeptical, but then again, his constant state of happiness sort of blurred out his cautious and skeptical side. He shook away any negative thoughts, as she asked yet another question, this time with sly smile. 

She asked him whether he trusted everyone easily, or just her. He himself thought for a moment, did he? His parents often told him to always be careful with strangers….. He didn’t quite know how to answer. “I’ve always been friendly, and I like making new friends.” Then she told him, jokingly, that she could be planning to feed him to a dragon, or kidnap him. “You don’t seem like someone that would do that,” he chuckled, “You seem nice.”

He then had one last thought in trigger in the back of his mind: What if indeed she was one of those that used their charm and kindness to fool someone so gullible as he.

"That's exactly, what my great-great-ancestor Charlston Blackthorn thought, following a nice, friendly and beautiful lady straight into the lake. He began to have doubts about her honesty only, when he was neck deep and that lady suddenly grabbed him by the... tail and tried to drown him," she told. Lately coming up with odd stories about Blackthorn family members that no one could trace or prove that they had never existed had become a hobby of sorts. 

"That lady turned out to be a kelpie or a siren - one of the two, but he managed to break free and swim out. Believe me - for a long time after that his preference in women rested with those, who the god had graced with neither looks, nor a good character. He said it was because they were honest and had nothing to hide," she finished and watched Cassidy's expression to see, if he had taken her story seriously or not. 

"I will be very unoriginal - but you have to be careful around here. There are many good people out there, but bad seeds happen. One attacked my sister few months ago," she told, though she had no idea of, how it had come to that. 

His eyes widened at her tales, about her uncle, and some creature called a kelpie or a siren. He had no remote idea what those were. His ears began to fall flat, his tail drooping. Was this a tall tale she was simply spinning, or was it true? He shivered a little. But who or what were the blackthorns?  

“That’s not good….” He gulped, “At least he made it out alive. To be honest, I dunno what a kelpie or a siren even is. They do sound scary though. But, what are blackthorns? Plants?”

He became a little more unsure about this situation. On one hand, he thought How could someone nearly as young as he be dangerous. On the other, that story was seemed intriguing. Could it in fact be true, and she was going to lure him somewhere. He also began to feel hungry.

“Where we’re going, are there other wolves there?” He inquired. Surely being in a group was the safest possible place with a stranger.

"Those are beasts that try to lure you into bodies of water and eat you. It is kind of reverse hunting, if you think about it," Dwin explained, but for the time being she could not remember, which was which. One - a beautiful girl with a fantastic voice, the other was told to be a reed-covered horse. Since Cassidy did not seem to know anything either, she let it rest there. The important thing - he had now been properly warned. 

"Blackthorns is the family name. But a plant too, come to think of it. Never really occurred that there was a connection," she explained. "A long long time ago my grandma Finley came here and that's, how the branch of Blackthorns began. She had a lot of kids, her kids had a lot of kids, my uncles had kids - both that they know of and those that they do not. Basically - I will not exaggerate that almost every pack here has some connection to Blackthorns. That's one of the reasons I never intend to marry. The probability of accidental incest is very high," she said, drowning her companion in words and stories, because once the inspiration hit, she just could not stop. 

"The thing is - that even Finley had a lot of sisters and brothers - so I can never be sure about Blackthorn heritage outside the wilds too," she said. "You may be my upteenth cousin or something and I might not even know that," she grinned. "But you do not have any Blackthorns that you know off in your family tree? I guess you don't, since you do not have the signature marking that all my relatives have without exception," she referred to the Blackthorn stripe - a dark line running from the base of one's skull right up to the tip of the tail.

“Oh. Okay.” Was all he said in terms of what these creatures were that Dwin had warned of. The did happen to sound almost unrealistic, but then again, he was young and didn’t know much of the outside world.

Then she went on about what the meaning of Blackthorns was, and all about her family. Apparently in this land, the Teekons, her family and relatives are very far spread. He simply motioned his head when appropriate in response to her tellings. This young lady had much to say, and was definitely willing to say it all. She made a great converser. 

“Wow. That’s a lot of family.” He finally spoke up, “As for heritage, I don’t think I have any of your “Blackthorn” heritage. It would depend on where your grandma came from.” He motioned as if he were shrugging his shoulders. Unless her family originated in Wyoming then  there was no chance of any relation. 

His stomach then rumbled, “Guess it’s lunchtime then.” He grinned. 
If she still wanted to take him to a place to rest and feed, then he would follow. But he would probably be a little more cautious.

"You know - I have not the slightest idea. She has always kind of been there. As well as other Blackthorns," Dwin mused, because truly it had never occurred to her to find out, where exactly had Finley lived before arriving to Teekon Wilds. All Blackthorns had had to have founding father and mother and grounds they were coming from. 

"We are almost there," she remarked, while in reality there was some good 15 - 20 minute walk ahead of them. "Have you ever tried to tell yourself tasty stories?" she asked.

He followed along, his steps light and brisk. She had said they were close, and for all he knew, they could’ve been. These lands were very new to him, so part of him thought on the good side: that at least he had someone who knew where they were going.


She brought him another question, one he didn’t quite understand the wording of: “What do you mean?” He cocked his head to the side. Perhaps she meant making up stories?

"Well, when I was out in the wilds for the first time on my own entirely, I did not have easy time finding food," Dwin began to tell. "So, it was often that I went to sleep feeling hungry. And in order to help with that, I used to think of food and all the folk tales I had heard about it," she told. "For example, a magic deer-skin. When you say - Food is served! - all kinds of tasty stuff appears on it," she said. 

"Would be very handy to have such deer-skin, don't you think?" she mused, looking over at Cassidy. "What would you want to appear on it, if you had it? What is your favourite food?"

This interested him greatly. And her explanation made sense, he realized this with an “Ohhhh.” “I see what you mean. That would be amazing, one would never go hungry.” Yet another question, and another. Man, how many did this little lady have? “Hmm, well, back home in Wyoming, we had these giant animals, mama called them Bison. One single bison could feed multiple wolves. And if you were strong enough, some wolves could take one down all by themselves. Anyway, you could always hear their herd coming, the ground rumbled like thunder.”
 
“As for a favorite, I dunno. I like food in general, and I’m not too picky. As long as it isn’t a plant.” He chuckled.

"Bison? What do they look like?" Dwin asked. The name of the prey sounded familiar, but she did not know for sure, if she had seen it before, let alone hunted it. Caldera and the surrounding areas offered plenty of small game, therefore the pack did not need to go for the big animals often. They were tasty and not very smart, in Dwin's humble opinion, but they were strong and very eager to stay alive. 

"Bad experience with plants?" she inquired, at the same time trying to remember the last time she had eaten plant material other than stalks of grass. Apples came to mind, but they did not grow in caldera and Broken Antler fen was too far and wet of place, worth a daily hike. "Apples are good. When they are frozen," she shared. "They are round, juicy, sweetish-sour thingies that grow in trees," she added an explanation just in case Cassidy did not have them in Wyoming.

She wondered what they look like. The big beasts of the plains from where Cassidy called home. “Oh, they’re majestic. They’re dark brown, with a fluffy body, and horns. Their eyes are dark, and they stand very tall. When they speak in their language, it sounds like a big grunt or chuff.” He was thrilled to speak of his home. “They live in herds and thunder around a big grassy plain. Much like this one actually.”

“I remember my father would take me to see them. Not on a hunt, just for looksies. He told me to always respect them.”

“Maybe you have them here. If so, they’re definitely something that everyone should see at least one.”

By the time they had been chatting, the trip hadn’t seemed so long.