Swiftcurrent Creek v-neck sweater

Maybe one of you newbies can hop in?

Hecarim seemed to have disappeared from the creek, leaving Fox feeling disappointed in him. It meant that still nobody had taken her message to Perry, but at this point it didn't really matter. The time had come and gone, and Fox figured that if it had not happened by now, it was fate. Or something equally ridiculous. Truth be told, Fox did not believe in fate. She believed in the random way of the world, since that was how it had always been to her. One moment she was a fresh yearling, the next she had claimed leadership over the creek. It was a whirlwind of a time, but she did not dislike the chaos, exactly.

Jinx had been oddly absent, especially considering her appointed role. It caused Fox to wonder what the girl was up to, though considering how avoidant she had been, it was impossible to ask the Kesuk. Her scent was still thick around the creek, so the yearling had no cause to believe her Beta had left her... and yet her behavior did seem strange in some way. Perhaps they were simply missing one another. Whatever the reason, Fox made no move to try and find out what was going on.

As the light rain fell around her, Fox thought of Tuwawi and Njal and the young they would bring into the world this season. She was strangely excited by the thought, though she could not explain why. She certainly did envy that she was not old enough to pass on her legacy, but Fox also knew that her time would come.

Shuffling toward the creek at a leisurely trot, Fox fully expected to run into one of her comrades along the way.

Newbie ahoy. :)

Bazi had filled her first few days as a member of Swiftcurrent Creek with relentless activity. Salt baths, a trip to the Ridge, meet-and-greets - the frenzy kept her mind from wandering too far back in time, where embers still crackled and wounds still seeped. The more wolves she met, the dimmer the memory became, and she was glad for the mind's capacity to forget.

It was overcast today, and raining. The lack of light made it easier to see fish, and Bazi had spent the morning pretending to be a big, ferocious bear, bringing no less than four fish onto land in under 30 minutes - not a record, but a catch to be proud of nevertheless. The yearling was busily tucking into the bright, unctuous flesh of a particularly fat rainbow trout when the small, rust-brown alpha appeared in her line of sight - Fox, she had learned, and the leader's physical similarity to the species had made her smile upon first learning the name.

Instantly, the bright-white Mu shuffled back a few paces and lowered her head, pushing the open carcass towards the Creek alpha.

Woo! Thanks for joining. :)

The sight of the once-sickly white wolf was a welcome one, especially when the Mu pushed forward a fresh meal of fish. Fox felt she could go days upon days without hunting considering all the gifts of food she received on such a regular basis. It was making her quite plump, but the yearling didn't mind packing on the pounds. Besides, she reasoned that it was helping the last little bit of healing she needed to do. It would take a few more weeks for the hair to regrow where the cougar had slashed her shoulder and ribs, but the flesh had mended well with Lecter, Tuwawi, and Haunter's help.

Gobbling up the fish in a few loud and squishy chomps, Fox licked her lips and regarded Bazi. "Thank you," she said, bending her head down slightly to show her gratitude. "I take it you met Lecter?" Now that Fox thought about it, it must have seemed like some cruel joke to send a brand new creek resident to see their "doctor." The old man was horrid, and yet he had managed to fix Fox in record time. Usually a non-believer in medicine, Fox had to admit that his workings had done wonders for her.

Fox tucked in and Bazi waited patiently for her to finish, leaving the rest of the catch for later. In truth, she wasn't particularly hungry - at least not for fish - and the vast majority of the day's catch would go to a riverside cache. Horizon Ridge had the advantage of being close to an easily accessible source of salt, but the Creek's ready-meals would not be edible for long. Bazi made a mental note to search for crevices in the base of the Sunspire Mountains (dangerous) or a recent fire (unlikely); ash or halite would preserve the fish and change its taste for the better.

"Lecter," she repeated quietly. It sounded ominous and sneaky and mean. The pack's medic hadn't technically said a bad word to her, but sometimes it was difficult not to judge a bloody book by its bloody cover. "He told me to bathe in salt water and eat fish to cleanse myself - so I went to Horizon Ridge, and their Warden took me to the coast. They suffered a very bad landslide recently, but he assured me they were still at full strength." Björn hadn't said much on the subject, and Bazi could only report what she had been told. "Although I'd be surprised if no-one was injured; it looked pretty disastrous from what I could see. I marked a safe trail through the mountains on my way there, in case anyone else needs a visit to the coast," she added, "If you know which markers to look for."

Although Lecter was decidedly strange and creepy, Fox had to admit that he was useful. It seemed he had helped Bazi as well, for the white girl looked good as new. No longer wobbling around like a drunk baby, the new resident of Swiftcurrent had certainly been busy since Fox had last seen her. Fox, of course, had been busy just trying to get her body to work properly again. It would get there, but it would take time. Thankfully, no bones had been broken in the process, since it was only a flesh wound. Strangely enough, Fox had actually met the warden that Bazi was speaking of, though she did not know it. It sounded as if the creek was not the only pack susceptible to disasters, as the ridge had suffered its own, larger-scale catastrophe recently.

“That’s all good information to know,” replied Fox honestly. Bazi could not have been much larger than Fox, and the Alpha wondered how well she would do in a fight. This thought was not abnormal, for strength and fighting ability tended to be at the top of Fox's list when scrutinizing anybody. Then again, Bazi's strengths were obviously elsewhere. She seemed eager to please Fox not through physical prowess, but through her adventuring and information-gathering abilities.

Still, if Bazi was planning on keeping up with her adventuring, she would need to know how to defend herself. “Tell me, Bazi, do you know how to keep yourself safe out there?” Fox gestured vaguely toward the borders.

"Tell me, Bazi, do you know how to keep yourself safe out there?"

Bazi's nose followed the alpha's gesture into the distant wilderness, hit the horizon, and bounced back. She regarded Fox for a moment. Their Creek's leader was small in stature and relatively thin at 60-something pounds (Bazi pushed 80 when the hunting was good), but that didn't seem to stop her from getting into scraps - despite her youth, she bore three obvious scars and likely numerous others hidden beneath her bright, red-brown coat. "I prefer not to fight," Bazi answered truthfully. "Not if it's easier to run, or talk, or wait for back-up. But everyone changes when they're cornered.. I just won't look for it." The bright-white Mu curled her tail around and placed both front paws on it to keep warm. "Are you worried about something? I will work on it more actively if you think there's a threat, of course." It felt a little strange to submit to someone so close to her own age, but Fox must have proven herself capable to be leading a pack of 10+ individuals. Shar-Kali had been 5 at the time of Bazi's birth, and a well-established alpha, but she too had been young and inexperienced once.

It was an intelligent answer, one that Fox would not have responded with. The tawny Alpha was a warrior through-and-through, choosing to take action long before there was even a threat at hand. Her personality had been made apparent by her attack on the cougar, as she would not allow such a creature to even step foot in her land. Bazi had surely heard of the incident by now, though perhaps the others were too somber to speak of it.

“Nothing in particular, though I should warn you we are not on particularly good terms with the wolves of the vale.” Aside from them and the usual threats, it was not as if the creek was under some kind of impending doom. “Have you met others besides Lecter?” asked Fox. It would be odd if Bazi had not, though considering how busy she had kept herself since arriving, it was not a complete impossibility.

Bazi's ears twitched. "Why's that?" If Fox was referring to the pack nestled in the lush bowl between the mountains, the Vale was the Creek's closest neighbours. She shared as much out loud, "Don't they live on our doorstep?" Perhaps that was the problem - winter offered slim pickings, and packs had to go further a field to satisfy the communal hunger. Back North, that had led to frequent and sometimes anti-social run-ins, but the culture had evolved into one of compromises and keeping one's temper in check as a result. Very rarely did a confrontation devolve into a scuffle.

"A few - Ferdie. And Bones; we disposed of what remained of that cougar. She told me... she told me that someone miscarried? Someone named Jinx?" Bazi still had not made the connection between the face and the name. According to rumour, the cat had attacked first - and the idea that other predators might also fail to be intimidated by a show of force rather than actual violence scared the diplomatic yearling considerably. A cougar was a joy next to an enraged grizzly.

I always get so confused when there are two conversations going on, haha.

Bazi asked why the vale wolves were not on good terms with the creek, and Fox gave her the truth. "Shortly after I took leadership over the creek, they sent out four or five of their own, including the leaders, to show up on our doorstep. To me, that is a clear and obvious threat, although they promised they only wanted to speak to us. I see no reason for us to be friendly with them, though there is no reason to outright attack them." Fox just wished for them to leave Swiftcurrent Creek alone and be done with it. She saw no value in forming bonds with her neighbors, for the next winter would only bring about tension in such a "friendship."

The white yearling then went on to confess that she had met Ferdie and Bones. Those two were likely the least stricken with the somber shadow that had cast itself over the creek, although with all the new blood coming in, perhaps that shadow would be drowned out by the sun. But it was the fact that Bones had told Bazi that Jinx had miscarried that jarred Fox. She was not sure why the juvenile would do such a thing, as such information felt... confidential. Personal, even. Fox would have to have a chat with young Bones.

"That's not something that should be the topic of gossip," Fox said in a sharp tone. "Would you want near-strangers knowing that you had lost your children?" Of course, Fox had fully intended on making sure Jinx's children did not live beyond their first day. It was a blessing in disguise when they had not made it to full term. Even so, she would not have liked such things to be spread around by loose lips.

Me too - especially when there are actions mixed in that make it difficult to react. /Karm casts UNITE on conversations - it's super effective!

Bazi felt heat rise into her cheeks, and dropped her gaze to the ground. "No," she admitted quietly - once again, the difference between home and this loosely defined pack of acquaintances had eluded her, and this time there had been repercussions. It was a struggle to imagine a pack where personal business was everyone's business - only Shar-Kali had gotten away with keeping secrets, but only because the punishment for crossing her was universally feared.

She allowed the silence to extend as a way of demonstrating that no more would be said on the matter, and changed the subject back the Vale. "Do you want me to stay away from them altogether..? The Vale wolves, I mean." She didn't like the idea of not being able to nurture friendships for reasons that had nothing to do with her personally, but it wasn't in her to actively defy an order - and besides, she had yet to meet anyone from that area, so the Creek's official stance did not directly affect her yet. Perhaps the policy would be relaxed when Fox had settled into her position, and the ranks had been strengthened - something they had spring, summer, and autumn yet to go before neighbors might start to represent a threat.

As Swiftcurrent grew and became closer, there would inevitably form strong bonds between the wolves. But that was not the case yet, and Bazi was learning this. The intimate details of the lives of the wolves who lived here would eventually become freely talked about among the residents, but that was currently not the case. Fox was fiercely protective of her followers, and she disliked that they were being talked about behind one another's backs. It would be up to Jinx if she wanted newcomers to know of her recent loss.

“You may do whatever you wish with them,” replied Fox. “Just because I lead you does not mean I am the ultimate law. Of course, if your actions cause us to be the target of attack, I do imagine Swiftcurrent would grow to dislike you.” It was not the yearling's plan to control the actions of those she guided. They were not her slaves, and she would not treat them as such.

Wrapping up! :D Thanks for threading.

"You may do whatever you wish with them."

Bazi looked perplexed. She was still a bit too young and inexperienced to appreciate the nuances of inter-pack relations. Shar-Kali had always given her young scouts very strict guidelines to go by - on neutral territory, be civil. If so much as one paw crosses an inappropriate boundary without invitation, expect repercussions. Surrounding packs had similar systems of rule, and tensions were worked out in the moment - even Bazi had returned home bearing shame and superficial wounds once or twice, but that was that. There were guidelines, and they were very clear.

"OK," she said, wanting to give Fox the impression that she had understood. ".. I think I'll get to know the other packs, then. I caught a few scents whilst I was scouting. I'll go do that now," As smooth an exit as any. "Please excuse me."

It didn't seem appropriate to lick the alpha's chin, so she didn't, but backed respectfully away before scuttling off into the rain.

The guidelines that Bazi knew were generic ones. Guidelines that were born out of instinct, not through teaching. But perhaps Bazi did not know that. And neither did Fox, for that matter. She had always known them, so she had never thought much about the instinctual rules that had come with her species.

When Bazi excused herself, Fox gave her an approving nod. It would be good to know whatever information the yearling could bring back to them. Not because Fox was particularly keen to be friendly with the others, but because she thought that the knowledge could somehow be used to the creek's advantage. Once Bazi had left, Fox went back to doing whatever it was she had been doing previously.