Iktome Plains i have broken my vow to deborah

for @Haven <3

exploration drove lasher aside from his intended home -- a stretch of grassy plain expanded where the shore's sands thinned into cold-worn grass, and here the man trudged, breath rising in a plume that was torn into shards by an icy wind rising from the ocean. his murkwater eyes searched the land, but no sign of life did he see, and this intrigued him.

at length, a vole scampered between his paws, and the wolf gave playful chase, exhibiting a sort of candor not usually displayed in his careful frame. he chased the small rodent some ways, though his intention was neither harm nor murder.

Thanks for starting Lash <3

Haven had been out on a little morning walk to get some time to think, and maybe get something to eat for her and Sebastian. She'd like to surprise him when he woke up, she liked being thoughtful. Everything with Sebastian had happened so fast, and she was glad it had but it was still so much to take in. She had a boyfriend, an amazing boyfriend who would do anything for her, and who loved her. They both loved exploring and playing and being fun, but also could easily talk about feelings and problems with each other. Their relationship seemed so open and free, and Haven could be who she wanted to be.

And now after learning that her brother was alive, it was even better. Unfortunately he didn't know what had become of the others. Maja could still be out there, and that troubled Haven. Maja was her best friend, her sister, she had always been there for her. Was Maja even still alive? Haven shook away the thought as she walked along the plains, through the wavering tall grass. She hadn't thought about Maja in a while, her new life had washed away most of the pain. But meeting her brother again had reminded her of it, and Haven only wished she could forget again.

Suddenly Haven saw a figure, another wolf, doing something in the grass a bit downhill from her. Haven decided that it would be the friendly thing to do, to introduce herself, so she chuffed to let him know of her presence. She waited for a moment, not sure whether it would be safe. She then decided that if she got into any trouble, Sebastian would be there to help her. The grey and white female trotted forwards to see a brown male, playing with a small rodent. She smiled in a friendly manner and said, Hi. I'm Haven. You smell familiar, do you know a wolf named Pearl?

no prob! <3

he flipped the vole -- it landed unharmed in the grass -- but the scent of another brought his senses surging to the fore, and he let the small rodent escape, his attentions focused immediately elsewhere. it was a female cloaked in cinnamon and ash, and she loped toward him with a confidence he admired, but inherently shied from. lifting his plume, the donnelaith dweller stepped to meet her, ears cupping carefully to hear her words.

"pearl." he smiled briefly. "i do know her. i am her beta." he did not ask how this stranger knew her -- he was certain that the details would be provided -- but was quiet, waiting for her to speak again.

The male seemed confident in himself as well, which made her more sure that he was from a pack. Probably Pearl's, they had said they were moving closer to the coast. It didn't come as a surprise to her when she learned that he was a Beta. He seemed strong and proud enough for the job. She smiled back, and bowed her head to him, showing respect. It's very nice to meet you. Pearl is a friend of mine, we met back at my old pack. I've seen her a few times since while traveling with my boyfriend Sebastian. Sorry if I seemed a little rude when I walked up.

The grey female gave a bashful smile, a little embarrassed. She had always been taught to be respectful, since becoming a lone wolf she seemed to have lost a little of these manners.

he relaxed when she apologized, giving a small shake of his muzzle. "it is all right. i am lasher. pearl is a great asset to the plateau." he knew not of whom she spoke, this sebastian, but saw in their dealings an opportunity. no pack-scent rested upon her withers, and a wolf tied to a grouping would not wander the lands with a loner. therefore, the beta inferred that the pair had no home.

"my pack is resettling itself in the forest of great trees. donnelaith," he murmured, giving for the first time the name of the new land. "are you and sebastian seeking shelter before the winter snows arrive?"

The forest of great trees, it sounds cool. Maybe she and Sebastian could enjoy a trip there before they settled in. The male asked Haven if her and her boyfriend would be seeking refuge for winter. Perhaps he was trying to recruit them. She sighed and replied, We will eventually, but not yet. We still have much to explore, and we were actually hoping to start our own pack by the coast soon. She smiled bashfully, kneading her paws against the leaf covered ground.

The thought of her own pack with Seb was exciting, their own den, and maybe even pups! She didn't want to seem vain however, so she decided to talk more about the Plateau wolves. Even if she couldn't be part of their pack, perhaps she could help in another way. So how is the move going? I've known that moving around a lot can be quite stressful. She added, hoping to be of some help to the BDP beta. She knew of how stressful moving could be. She had moved all the way from her old home to Teekon, the fire had separated her from her family. She had at last been reunited with her brother, but she still thought of the others all the time.

he wondered if his inquiry had annoyed the ashen girl, and thus mad a mental note not to speak of recruitment again. however, she did not seem irritated, save for the one initial sigh. "i encourage you to choose a site soon," he murmured, "for the winter snows will be here swiftly."

knowing that there were now a pair who sought the coastline for their home as well, lasher was loathe to give information. "we are well. it should not take more than a handful of days for the rest of my wolves to arrive here," he said lightly. her intentions may have been innocent, but she had revealed herself as a rival for the land, and so taltos was untrusting.

"it is a beautiful sight, is it not?" the druid murmured, smiling at her before he turned to gaze upon the sea.

Haven listened to the brown male's advice. They probably should find a place sooner or later. Or else they'd be out of time, and winter would be very hard. The male was smart, Haven hoped she was as thoughtful as he. Yeah, we're going to start looking. Perhaps our two packs could be allies, and come to each others aid when we need it.

Then Lasher said a handful of days for his wolves to arrive here. Here. Oh shit are we trespassing? She thought suddenly worried. Oh my god I'm sorry, is this your new territory? I'm so sorry if it is, you probably don't want us hanging around your brand new home. She chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed. She should've known, the land had everything a pack would need to survive, and it was indeed beautiful. No wonder the beta was here, probably scouting his new lands.

Yeah it's very nice. However there aren't a lot of trees. I always find that trees bring a larger variety of prey, and more sheltered if there is an attack. You should probably center your pack around a more wooded area. But umm, do whatever. Sorry I know I might sound a little rude. The grey and white far blushed, feeling a little awkward now. Things always went that way when she started offering advice. She still had much to learn.

she spoke of alliance, and he dipped his head in acknowledgment, though he neither confirmed or denied the sentiment. time would tell the man of this woman's trustworthiness, if they managed to settle upon the shore. her trepidation and mistumbling turned itself into unbidden advice, and taltos was surprised that she thought him so foolish.

but he showed naught of this upon his features, merely smiled expansively upon the ashen woman. "this is but a part of our claimed lands." indeed, he saw no reason why they should not extend their wants into this flatland -- it provided little else aside from the burrows of small animals, but perhaps their meat would be needed if small game could not be found.

"i am told that the cliffs around the coast become impassable once it begins to snow," he revealed gently, glancing to the woman.

Only a part of their claimed land? Wow they must be a quite expansive pack. Haven thought, returning the smile to the older male. He seemed nice, every wolf from the plateau she had met so far seemed very nice. An alliance might be a good idea in the future, but she couldn't know until Sebastian and her's pack was final. They'd already gained Aduin, but they needed another pack member to get it started. They'd surely find someone, she hoped.

She carefully took in the brown male's advice. The cliffs were hard to pass once the snow fell. It made sense, If her and Seb wanted to take a look at the cliffs they better do it soon. Thanks, that's a good point. Me and my boyfriend were actually heading up north to the cliffs, so we better to it fast. She added, almost praising the male's helpfulness. She wanted to say something else helpful, Oh yeah! She had recalled something that had recently happened to Sebastian and her brother up in the coastal forests. A huge tree had fallen. If anyone had been by the tree, they could've easily been crushed. She ought to warn the male of this danger.

Oh! The forests! With the huge trees I mean. We went past there recently, a huge tree had fallen. If that's where you plan to settle be careful around the trees, I wouldn't want to hear about someone being flattened by one of those giants. The ashen woman added, hoping that Lasher would agree with her statement.

he nodded. the cliffs were almost a day's walk from where the plateau intended to settle, and that suited his purposes well. he was amused by her constant mention of this boyfriend -- she was endearing in her own right.

at the mention of fallen trees, lasher listened intently. "thank you for the warning. i will explore their bases for rot before we truly settle," he murmured, wondering if it would be prudent to move their intended core farther into the underbrush.

"the area of the sound is claimed," he said gently unto the woman, thinking of the lone high priestess. "its ruler is fierce and will not take lightly if you settle too close, but the cliffs are expansive and will house you well."

they spoke for some time longer before graciously parting ways, and lasher was pleased to have met the she-wolf.