Stone Circle ; all have been led astray

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The arrival of the even bigger brute added insult to injury, and when he uttered the word intruders, she knew deep down her cover was broken. There was no hiding anymore — so she lifted nervous eyes, high, to look at the grey beast's gaze, then over towards the other male's too. He looked quite young, younger than his voice had let on. And was there an aura of... tension between the two, she might've sensed? The exchange between the raven and the bear seemed almost stiff in nature, but the empath quickly disregarded the thought. Now was not the time.

The use of familial titles by the self-proclaimed patriarch instilled a sense of security within Goose, more so than any 'alpha' title had in the past. That was a good sign, right? But the pale could only imagine what Oath was thinking of it all, which would most likely result in her mentally rolling her eyes, labelling the whole thing pretentious. Oath was funny about things like that, whilst Goose usually embraced them. Maybe it was due to her own subconscious craving for security, for comfort.

As Oath stated her name and began her spiel, Goose's heart sank to the bottom of her hollowed stomach when she realised what route she was going. The self-sacrificing one. I can't keep her safe. Her words once again brought to front the harsh reality that they were facing which was that Goose was just too useless to survive on her own. She was barely a year old — still considered a pup by most accounts — and this was after travelling for so many months. They were kids when they had run away from home. She wasn't so much brought up, but dragged up by Oath who refused to leave her behind, despite only being a couple of months older. The two shouldn't have survived, and it was really all down to her friend's adept hunting skills for small game, and sheer, dumb luck. So with all things considered, and with everything they had been through, there was no way in hell she was leaving Oath behind. This quiet and triumphant resolve boosted her confidence by the smallest amount, but it was enough that when Oath finally told her to come forward, by some miracle, she was able to do it.

It hurt seeing her friend's eyes trained on her body with such an anguished look. And so she set a shaky paw out, creeping out of her hiding spot, bottom lip trembling as she cowered towards Oath's haunches with her ears flattened and tail tucked between her legs. The female was the image of pathetic submission and she knew it. Heat pooled in her face as the feeling of embarrassment flooded itself through her thin frame. Only once she was slightly behind her friend, flush against the right side of her hind, did Goose sit. Despite being a head or so taller than the smaller female, her crouching brought her down to the other's level, and she momentarily tucked her nose under Oath's chin in an act of self-soothing.

And then she sat up. Shakily cleared her throat. This was now or never. "I-I'm... my name is Goose," she stated in her best big girl voice, her tone starkly quiet and airy compared to Oath's bold drawl. With a small nod, she forced herself to look up from below her bowed head to briefly meet the patriarch and the raven's eyes. Prayed they wouldn't hear the wobble in her small voice as she continued. "We," she enunciated, looking over at her friend, "are... are hoping to s-seek refuge." She felt her legs beginning to shake. "O-Oath can hunt. She has been keeping us alive. M-me alive. And I —" eyes dropped to the ground and she fidgeted, feeling overwhelmingly self-conscious, "I can't hunt. B-but, I can mix some plants and herbs, tend to small wounds. I helped Oath when she hurt herself, e-even cared for her when she got a fever. I can learn more, I-I'm a fast learner." She kept her eyes trained on Oath the entire time she spoke, using her for the courage she so desperately needed for the next question she was about to request. Her gaze turned soft, pleading, begging Oath to trust her words. She wondered what her friend thought of this uncharacteristically forward move of hers, and the pale was worried she would interrupt out of her sheer instinct to protect.

She met eyes with the patriarch, rabbit heart beating a hundred miles a minute. Voice timid, meek, yet persevering. Brave. "We... no. I... I ask you, to p-please, um, to please consider both of us. P-please."

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will i ever learn to write short posts??? tune in nEXT week-