Shadewood And We Meet Again

@Mella <3

So Laika was back, wandering the place she so dearly loved. Why? She did not know, but one thing was for certain -- it called to her in a very special way. The petite Delta was not completely ridiculing Silver Creek. It was a mighty fine place that Saena had chosen for her lot of wolves, and Laika respected her choice. She just liked this place better, that's all. As long as she was free to meander around Shadewood, she was perfectly happy. A smile was brought to her delicate features as she remembered how Spring struggled to come up with the name, but in the end, she came up with a very invigorating and clever name to call the vast forest.

The silver female sorta wished that someone was with her. She ran a list of her best friends through her head. Spring immediately came into her mind, but with her new promotion to beta, she was overcome with more duties for Saena. Casmir came second, and another smile -- this one wider -- spread across her face. A strange warmth flared in her breast, but she pushed it away. Casmir surely had other things to do. Then came Shreya, but that old wolf was far too busy with her own sort of duties, plus Laika knew she didn't love travelling. She tended to stick by Silver Creek. A fleeting thought of that brown furred loner she'd met earlier in the year crossed her mind. Mira... no, Melley... Mella! That was it! She thought. But that she-wolf was probably off in her travels. She'd probably never see her again... she was nice though!

Laika pushed through a wild thicket of leafess bushes before coming to the pool her and Spring had hunted in the first time they came across the Shadewood. She padded up to the bank to peer down into the depths, noticing the flickers of silver as the many fish that dwelled in the shadows flipped and twirled. She let out a relaxed sigh and plopped down onto her rump with a rumbling chuff of releif. From behind, her snowy fur seemed like a perfect cloud against the crystal blue water.

The brown female had returned to the Tuktu Hinterlands, as she found the area less populated with wolves then other spots she'd explored. There had been many spots she thought about stopping at, but each was surrounded with the scent of other wolves from either a pack or other loners. Most memorable had been the streams that seemed to overflow with fish. With the mountains just to the West impossible to climb, she'd gotten the experience from the range past the barrier.

When numerous bare trees came into view along the horizon, she knew the lands of fewer wolves was ahead. She'd taken care to avoid the foul smelling, densly packed land to the South, not wanting to get caught between the trees. She would've taken a path leading to Alpine Lake, but her lack of knowledge of the area prevented her from knowing of it's existance. When she made her escape from the Hinterlands, she merely followed the river to the ocean.

With a short run, the river soon came into view along with the white form of another wolf. Her thoughts first went to the wolf from before she left, but knew others could have a solid white coat as well. So, instead of happily walking towards the white wolf, she turned ever so slightly to reach another section of the river that would still offer the same shade.

The female of pure snow turned her head to glance at her surroundings. She tilted her head ever so slightly as something caught her eye. Could it be? Was it possible? The chances were so slim, but for some reason, maybe it was that friendly brown furred loner she'd talked with before. A gentle smile danced upon her lips as her eyes that seemed to hold the ocean trailed the figure. As it grew closer, Laika was able to confirm that yes, it was a wolf. The patterns of fur did seem familiar and Laika was so, so sure it was Mella. She was so sure that she turned her frame and headed in her direction. 

The she-wolf parted her maw and let a rumbling bark escape her vocal cords. It was loud enough to travel to Mella's -- or whoever is was -- ears, but not much further. She wanted to attraction their attention. Her tail swayed as she walked forward. Now she was closer, she was absolutely certain this was Mella, but maybe she had an identical twin?

Mella stopped when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw the wolf moving closer, so she stopped. Keeping her yellow eyes on the wolf with her face a mask. Her ears turned towards the bark, she recognized it and let herself smile. Taking a few steps towards who could now only be Laika, just to get closer. "Hey! Good to see you again!" Her darkening tail swayed as she closed the gap between them.

Laika raised her eyebrows, surprised it actually was Mella. She wasn't usually right when it came to identifying wives, no matter how sure she was, but this time the obviously was. She smiled as the girl spoke of how glad she was to see her. Honestly, Laika was glad to see her too! It was nice to have a somewhat friend outside of the pack that she didn't see every day. It made their meeting all the better.

"Likewise!" She chirped. "I see you've been hanging around these parts? It's nice here." She was now at the very edge of the Shadewood, sitting at the bank of the closest river as Mella closed the gap between them. Her tail thumped upon the ground and her head tilted in joy. Her blue eyes traced Mella's features. They were exactly the same. It was definitely Mella. She chuckled to herself after she checked the other girl. Why would she suspect it wasn't Mella? Of course it was Mella!

The brown female stopped at the bank and dipped her head to drink. Once her thirst was taken care of, she turned to Laika and shrugged. "Actually, I went on a little trip and was just returning. I questioned why I left some of the places when I did, but maybe that's because something was pushimg me back." She smiled, wanting to tell her friend the details but knew she would seem crazy if she did. Who turned their back on not one, but two water ways almost over filling with fish? It could've just seemed that way from the hunger, but she still liked to believe it wasn't her stomach talking.

Hey! You get my 200th post! Hooray! <3

Laika nodded understandably. She had the very same feelings toward the Shadewood. Her blue eyes found their way over to the magestic forest before meeting the gaze of the brown girl before her. "I know how you feel," She said aloud, deciding that no harm would be done by telling Mella about her own feelings towards the woods. "I always feel drawn to this forest, like it calls to me somehow." She nodded in Shadewood's direction with a hint of a smile on her lips. 

Suddenly, an idea popped into her brain. Her eyes widened for just a moment at the thought of it. It was very risky indeed, but the outcome could be very rewarding for her. She had always been ambitious, but could she pull this off? Her heart pounded with determination as she stored that thought away for later. Maybe she would talk to Spring about it later.. surely her best friend would have some handy advice for her?

She forced herself to rejoin reality and snapped back to the conversation she was presently having with Mella. She smiled sheepishly and reopened her maw to speak again. Her tail thumped gently upon the ground as she thought if something to say. Aha! How else would she get to know her better anyway? "Okay, random question but I want to know more about you. Where do you come from? What's your history?"

Mella shrugged, the question didn't bother her, but she didn't know how Laika would react. Instead of saying everything, the brown female decided to stick to the basics. "I was born just South of where we first met. My parents' pack didn't last long from what I can tell, since they disbanded from lack of prey. Strange enought, that was before the insects whent through." She sat and scratched an ear. "So, nothing's really happened to me."

Laika nodded thoughtfully. She could relate to that. Her pack didn't dispand, and for all she knew they could still be out there somewhere. However, they sent her away with foul memories of them and she hated them all. She hated them no matter what... except for Zaavier and her one brother. The brother that took care of her before she was cast out for no reason but her family playing favorites. Raynar. The name brought up so many memories and her face was twisted with sorrow for just a second. "I had a pack that casted me out.." was all she said. 

Her blue eyes glanced at the water as she thought about him. She wondered where he was now what he was doing. Her heart beat hard in her chest and she shoved those memories aside. With a simple shake of her head, she turned back around and glanced at Mella again with a rather absent expression.

Though breif, the brown female had caught the saddness on her white friend's face. Her ears swivled back and a frown turned the corners of her mouth down. When Laika turned towards to river then back again, it made her consern grow. "If you don't mind me asking, what were they like? Or if you don't want to talk about it, is there a way I can help?" Her head angled to the side, curiosity finding its way to her voice. Mella had no intention of forcing her to speak, but chose to offer her support as well.

Ears swiveled to the side as Mella asked her what was wrong. Heat rushed to her cheeks in embarassment. Why did her face have to be so easy to read? Breathing a short sigh, she decided to give in and explain to her what they were like. "Not. Nice." She muttered, her voice clearly laced with hatred. "All of them. My brother and parents were mean... horrible." She spat, hackles raising and ears pinning flat to her cranium at the though of them. "The only ones that truely cared for me was my other brother Raynar and my cousin Zaavier." Her voice caught in her throat, hardly able to say those names again. Raynar and Zaavier. They were so dear to her, why did life have to take them away? 

"Zaavier thinks I'm dead now... And Raynar? I don't know where he is or what he knows." She gave another long sigh, clearly worked up about it. Her ears were flat against her head and her hackles were raised. Her anger was not meant for Mella, but it was nearly impossible to hide her feelings when her eyes met the brown girl's. There were bright with ferocious fire and she glanced down at her paws. She drew in a long shakey breath and forced herself to calm down. She managed not to tell her the details, which spared Laika from living through it again. "But the past is the past and I'm moving forwards. Thats most important."

The brown female took a step back when the hate registered in her mind. She knew it wasn't directed at her, but anger wasn't something she could handle easily. Taking the step forward again, she sighed as well. There were pieces missing in her story, but again, she wasn't going to force her to say anything. "I never really knew my siblings, and I can't be sure if anyone else from the pack is still alive." She nodded when her friend continued about putting everything in the past aside, agreeing.

Laika continued to force herself to calm down, noticing Mella's uncertainty. She took long, shuttering breaths and finally, her hackles lowered and her ears returned to their normal position. Her eyes still flared with a faint hint of hatred, but it was no longer overwelming. She glanced at Mella as the brown woman described her own situation. To Laika, it was a whole lot better than having parents that you know hate your ass and are still out there for sure. But, she didn't say this out loud. Some things were just better kept in the dark.

"I'm sorry," She murmured after taking yet another long breath. She had finally calmed all the way down and had returned to her regular self. "Forgive me for that outburst. My past causes me great pain." She then added, just for good measure. She felt bad for exploding in front of her friend, who in no way was responsible for her past. In fact, there was no one to blame really for the course of events. Laika wished there was someone, so she could rip their throat out and make sure no one finds their body. She scolded herself for thinking such and thing and cleared her mind of the disturbing thoughts, focusing on Mella.

She said nothing as she watched the white female calm herself. Mella shook her head. After hearing the story she could partially understand why Laika acted the way she did. "You don't need to apologize, not everyone can remain calm when talking about their past, no matter what happened." She offered a smile in attempt to lift her friend's spirits.

Laika appreciated the the girl's understanding and she smiled warmly. She realized Mella was being a friend. A good friend at that and Laika would do anything to repay her for that. She wondered if Mella needed a home for the time being and she let her eyes trail over her body, noting how skinny she was. "Hey, do you need a place to stay? At least until the famine dies down." She offered. She knew that it was hard for loners to gather enough food to sustain themselves and Silver Creek was always in need of helping paws. "I would have to run it by Saena first, and she would have to meet you, but it might work. If you want too." Some wolves just didn't want to join any packs until they felt it was a right fit, and Laika understood that too.

Somehow, the last few days have been the hardest, probably because of the length of the famine. She'd originally planned on staying a loner until it finished but it was becoming painfully clear that wasn't an option. "That would be a good idea, since I'm starting to see survival will become increasingly hard." She sighed before nodding. "I was planning on joining a pack when the large prey returned, it would mean I'd be more useful."

Laika nodded with a smile on her features. She knew that Mella would be a hard working and loyal asset, no matter her skills. She spoke of being more useful when the herds came back and Laika nudged her shoulder thoughtfully. "Well, I can teach you some battle skills and how to fish if you'd like. Those are always useful, and it will help our pack. We need warriors." She told the brown furred female. Laika remembered Saena offering that position up to Sansa, their newest recruit, but a pack could never have too many of those. Tail wagged as she planned for the future.. And perhaps very far into the future. That idea popped into her head again, and the determined face returned. Maybe she would ask Mella to come along with her when the time came. She'd be good for that. Shaking the idea from her brain, she turned back to Mella to gouge her reaction.

The brown female sighed, she did not like the thought of fighting. In fact, whenever it seemed fighting would be the answer she'd run. It didn't matter what it was over, or who she was against, she would turn and run away. "I don't like fighting, there are too many risks. If warriors are all you need, then I don't think I'd fit in." She looked down and lowered her ears. "And fishing isn't a problem for me." Over the course of the famine, her hate of fish had almost competly disappeared. The scaley creatures had prevented her from starving to death so far.

Laika was confused. Never in her life had she ever met a wolf who dispised battle. She'd met wolves who perfered talking and working to fighting, but would go to force if they had too. Maybe Mella was like that and Laika didn;t know, but the pale wolf was still surprised. Mella continued to tell Laika that she would be useless to the pack, but Laika shook her head. "Every wolf can contribute somehow Mella." She told her friend. "They help in their own unique way." She looked at her, her blue eyes deep and stern. She knew that Mella could help out the pack in her own way... if she tried.

She kept her yellow eyes on the white female, listening to and holding onto the words 'contibute' and 'unique,' neither of which she'd consitered. In a pack she knew contributing was the only way they would stay together, but she'd never though any one wolf could be unique in a group. "I'll give it a try, but don't expect much at first." The brown female wasn't confident in what she could do for others, being raised to fend mostly for yourself tended to do that. Desipte this Mella was willing to try doing anything to help.

Laika nodded with a smile. Her tail wagged as she thought of her friend at her side while serving for Saena. That would be fun. She glanced around them one last time before focusing all her attention on Mella. "Well, I'll have to Saena, but I'll get back to you soon!" She said with her blue eyes dancing with excitement. She once again thought of that idea she'd had much earlier. Her heart beat faster with excitement. She wouold make it happen, but she would wait. She needed to wait until the famine left and things grew back to normal. A fleeting thought of asking Casmir to come with her flickered across her mind and her heart skipped a beat even thinking about him. What was wrong with her?!

Fade with your post? Also, Saena just got amnesia so joining the pack might be difficult depending on how Saena feels. If their plain doesn't work out, no worries! Also, you're gonna want to refrence this if you haven't already because SC has a unique joining process.

We can fade, and sorry for the short post. Interesting process, I'll get started with it then.

Mella nodded her understanding. "I'll try sticking to the river this time." She planned on staying around with the possibility of joining a pack, which before she didn't know claimed a nearby territory. Besides food, the river would be easy to travel along without losing direction.