Hushed Willows "His Own Den" and "The Rest of the Pack"

If anyone wants to meet Tuft, I would love to have people respond to this post! 

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After Tuft finished talking to Boone, he decided to investigate the surrounding area in search of a place to make a den, and to find other members of the pack. Still disoriented from lack of sleep and the lack of food, Tuft still didn't know exactly where he was. Despite this, he starts to head Southeast toward the mountains, following the river so that he can have a water source near him. 

Strolling past willow trees that have icicles dangling on the ends of the branches, past the idyllic rushing stream, Tuft thought to himself, "This place is magnificent! I wonder how Boone found this place?".

Tuft pauses a moment as a new scent is noticed. His nose twitches as he realizes that this is a scent of a wolf. Not seeing or hearing anyone, Tuft asks the open air, "Hello? Is someone there? My name is Tuft and I am a friend of Boone. I just joined this pack and I am trying to find a good place for my den.".

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Just a heads up, some people use wolf in light mode (myself included) and the white text is invisible against the light mode background <3

Reverie fully intended to be up and about until she no longer could. A couple days' rest to recover from her brush with death, and she was off again; determined to spend time with her pack before she was inevitably confined to the den she shared with Boone. It was far too soon to know; even so, she knew. The blood had only sealed it for her.

Boone had told her about the others he'd brought to Hearthwood, those he'd found and helped; always trying to take care of everyone, as she'd told Tauris once. And Reverie loved that about him, but it — it was beginning to bother her. What about her? What about their family, their future? Why did he so badly need to save the world even at the cost of his own?

And here was proof of it, the man Tuft who had come to them starving. Reverie didn't fault him for his circumstances, but it lingered at the back of her thoughts all the same as she found him and greeted him with a friendly wave of her tail. Boone mentioned you, She said with a soft smile. I'm Reverie, Hearthwood's Coach - the other leader here. I could help you find a den - there's plenty of good spots in the pine forest, but it's a little um, frozen. Well, I guess it's frozen all over the place. Reverie cast a glance around at the frosted willows.

Whoops! Sorry! Hopefully I did it right this time lol

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Tuft looked over and saw @Reverie. Her golden fur flowing in the wind looked beautiful against the pure white of the snow. "She looks absolutely stunning!" Tuft thought to himself. He could also smell the importance in her role in the pack as Coach. 

Tuft smiled back, a gentle swing in his tail showing his excitement in meeting another wolf. "Hello Reverie, pleased to meet you! I'm not gonna lie, it is so good to see another wolf! I haven't seen anyone for the past couple months." Tuft said.

"Any help finding a den would be amazing! Believe me, any shelter is better than what I've tried to find in the past. Is there a good place that is close to you and Boone's den? I want to make sure that both of you are well protected." 

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Tuft was kind and eager to please; Reverie immediately felt guilty for her misgivings regarding how he'd come to their pack. Oh, um... well, there are lots of caves downhill from where our den is, She said, glancing in the direction of the cliffside home she shared with Boone.

She beckoned for Tuft to follow, leading him further toward the mountainous section of their territory. Our den is along a cliff, Reverie explained softly as they moved past Fisherman's Keep. There's a waterfall not too far from it - you might not want to choose a den too close to that. But there's plenty of space between.

Where did you come from, Tuft? She asked next, casting a glance his way.

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Following Reverie towards the mountains. Tuft recalls where he originated from. "I came from Glacia Tempest, a small area North of the Snowforest Taiga. My pack used to love the trees in the spring time. They would make these immaculate red and gold flowers that smelled truly incredible. Once the flowers bloomed, our whole pack would make a might and loud howl that could be heard from miles. It was truly a sight to see. " Tuft looked upset for a moment after he realized that he might never see or smell those flowers and will never howl with his pack ever again.

A quick shiver and shake of Tuft's body indicated that he was touchy with the subject of his old home. "I think that this could be a decent place. What do you think about this spot?" Tuft pointed over with his paw to a giant boulder. The boulder had a shelf jutting out at the middle of the rock , where underneath, lay a little alcove protected from the wind and snow. 

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Glacia Tempest. It sounded like a wonderful place; nothing like The Gilded Sea. Reverie listened closely, ears pulling forward a little as Tuft spoke of his pack's springtime tradition. Maybe we could do something like that here, She suggested softly, but didn't press the matter when he changed the subject. It sounded like a lovely way to mark the beginning of spring; she would have to speak with Boone about it later.

When he pointed out an alcove beneath a boulder, Reverie stepped forward to inspect it. There was an old scent she couldn't quite identify lingering within, but whatever had inhabited the spot before was long gone. Perhaps chased away by the resident wolves.

I think it would suit you, She said as she stepped away. It was small, but perfect for a bachelor wolf; Reverie couldn't help but assume that she and Boone would be the only parents in Hearthwood this year. Her eyes found Tuft again. I have an extra pelt in my den that I could bring you. Oh, and maybe in the spring we could decorate the boulder with some flowering vines...

Reverie was immediately distracted with the thought of flowers.

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Tuft could also smell the old scent coming from the boulder. Tuft tilted his head to the left and then to the right as a thought came to his head. “Do we know if the wolf that Reina killed belonged to another pack? Could they have been the previous owners of this place?” Tuft asked Reverie. Tuft suddenly grew very worried at the idea that there could be other wolves out there that would want their territory back.

To help distract him from that idea, Tuft went over to mark his new den. “This is my first den that I’ve had since the death of my old pack. I will make sure that no-one will take this place away from us.” Looking back over to Reverie, he noticed that the wound that she got a couple days ago began bleeding again, the red liquid seeping into the snow. “Reverie, you’re still hurt. Let me help you stop the bleeding.” Tuft scraped some of the moss and lichen growing on the rock. “Put this on the wound. This should help absorb some of the blood coming out.”

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Just a couple quick notes - powerplaying another character's injuries without permission is usually frowned upon on Wolf! I'll roll with it this time but I wanted to give you a heads up <3 and also, Reverie actually isn't wounded, her bleeding is a symptom of pregnancy complications

Oh, no, he was a lone wolf as far as I know... Reverie trailed off, not realizing at first that she had begun to bleed again. A little gasp slipped from her when Tuft pointed it out. She stepped back, abruptly filled with panic.

No - no, that won't help, She shook her head as Tuft scraped moss from the rock. Um... The truth was that nothing would help. Reverie sat down as if to stifle her bleeding against the ground. It - it'll stop. It'll stop soon. She couldn't let Boone see this; he couldn't know. Not after the first time. Her eyes stung with the beginnings of tears.

It would happen again. It would keep happening, and Boone would resent her for it. Maybe one day he would leave her for it. And there was nothing she could do.