Big Salmon Lake Meet new friends!

@Brandy

As the famine was over and the pack seemed to be doing well, Steady took the opportunity to stretch his legs a bit and head south. He had no real intent except to explore a bit and then head home. He steered around Neverwinter Forest, though made a mental note that he would really need to introduce himself to his neighbors. They had been there long enough that he didn't see them as a threat anymore, and maybe now they could create an alliance.

The hot springs weren't a popular place to him in the summer, so he skirted around there, too, and headed for Big Salmon Lake. He stopped at the water's edge, looking around for any signs of life. Seeing he was alone, he dropped his head and began to lap up his fill of the water.

Brandy was put out from the recent events that happened, namely Seb refusing to allow her to join the pack hunt, and was finding it hard to contain her own issues. Talking to Pearl had helped, but it seemed the knot in her belly wasn't going anywhere. The copper female felt pent up and energetic, but no amount of movement and duties preformed helped. 
For the first time since the bear hunt, Brandy crossed the borders and headed North. She wanted to be alone, to not run the risk of running into a packmate and having to pretend she was okay. The cobweb-wrapped wound on her flank was starting to close and, hopefully, had expelled the infection. 
She went further than she ever had from home, but it brought back memories of her and Ambrosia traveling together. Those days, fogged with puppy happiness, were the best of her life. They were carefree and full of adventure!
The copper yearling approached the lake and, as she plopped herself down and dipped her muzzle down for a drink, realized she was not alone as she'd hoped. One of the males from the bear hunt was there. She chuffed a greeting to him but didn't move or speak.

He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping the area once more, settling on a moving figure. He recognized her instantly, her red pelt standing out like fire. He remembered the bear hunt vividly, and how the other pack had been gracious enough to let them hunt and eat alongside them. In the middle of the famine, such generosity was as hard to find as the food was.

He stood, trotting towards her, his tail wagging behind him in the neutral zone. He smiled, hoping not frighten her. Hello, there, he greeted. I remember you, from the bear hunt, he said. I'm Steady. Leaving a little distance between them to try and prevent her from feeling he was intruding upon her personal space, he sat back on his haunches. How's your leg? He remembered she had gotten swiped early on, but kept fighting regardless of the pain she must have been in.

Steady approached her, but the copper girl stayed relaxed. His movements suggested he was not aggressive, and his words proved her right. They hadn't shared words during the hunt, but she did remember Pearl and her willingness to work together. It probably helped that Brandy wasn't an aggressive wolf, nor a dominant one. 
           "Brandy Valentine."
After giving her own name and a halfassed, sad smile, she looked down at her leg with a wrinkle of her nose. 
                       "It was infected, but its healing okay now. You didn't get hurt, right?"

She introduced herself, and he smiled. Nice to meet you, officially, he replied. While Pearl and he had spoken long enough to make a deal that day, no introductions had really been given; just the instructions to work together. Afterward, the Silvertip wolves had eaten their fill and left quickly, not wanting to impose anymore than they already had. Steady was glad he had already paid his debt to Pearl, though there were musings in his head about visiting her again and bring up the possibility of an alliance between the packs.

He looked to her leg as she spoke about it being infected, but healing. I'm glad you're getting better, he replied, before shaking his head side to side. No, I wasn't. I think your pack took the brunt of the hits, he said, thinking back on it. He, Ezekiel and Phocion had mostly stuck to the side and rear of the bear while the others took on the other side and front. That bear had been angry the wolves had intruded upon his own meal. 

Bringing his thoughts back to her, he was a little surprised to see her out here alone when she was still healing. It left her open to an attack, with no one to help defend her. So, what brings you this way? he asked, figuring she must have a reason. Then again, maybe she just lived on the wild side.

Steady seemed much more welcoming than the copper girl, and now she was feeling a little bad. Once, she'd have approached him with intent to play, but recently she'd been repressing herself. She hated to worry her shyer, more careful mate, but him being worried suddenly seemed a better idea than the knot in her belly that never vanished, and the nightmares that plagued her at night. 
Too bad she didn't know what the problem was, or that it even was the issue. Sure, she'd been a little distant from Aduin of late, but she still loved him with all her heart. Even if she was a little mad he practically ignored her at the hunt.... 
           "I'm glad, though I'm pretty sure I'm the only one not yet healed. Sebastian's ordered me off hunting, and pretty much anything else above walking. Even THAT I have to be careful about. Just add more to my stresses, right?"
Finding her tone growing slightly bitter near the end, Brandy blinked in surprise at her paws. What was that about? She wasn't a spiteful girl, and not a hateful one at all. Her temper got the better of her sometimes, yeah, but this wasn't anger.
                          "I'm out here to... Well, I don't know. I had to get some time away from the pack, maybe? I've been feeling weird lately I guess."
It was odd, admitting feeling this way to a stranger. A rival alpha, no less, but the Valentine couldn't help it. He would have an unbiased opinion, right? Maybe he could help even where Pearl couldn't?

She confessed that Sebastian had ordered her off hunting. He wasn't sure who that was, but in a short time, Sebastian would be visiting his borders. He gave her a sympathetic look. I know that's hard, but if you don't, and you re-injure yourself, it may not heal as well as what it could now. He hated to agree with a decision that was obviously making her upset, but it was logic. He supposed she may have just been frustrated over pent up energy, too.

His ears perked in interested when she explained she was out here to get some time away from her pack. What kind of weird? Do you know why? He hoped she would confide in him. It probably wasn't great for her, or her pack, if she was feeling like she needed to get away.

Brandy knew it was for her own good that she kept easy on her leg, but it hurt no less than not being able to serve her pack and expel energy. It wasn't really that she was upset about, but it was something to blame. Her real, more important issues were the ones she couldn't figure out. Steady seemed willing to help her though, and Brandy decided that it was easier to let him than fight it. Turning her lemon eyes out to the water, she let her voice mumble, reluctantly, her problems. Who knows, maybe he could help. 
          "I don't, and it's hard to explain well. There's this knot in my belly all the time, and I have these really bad nightmares... But when I wake up, I don't remember them. I've been sleeping away from the pack because of them, cause I don't wanna wake anyone."

Steady understood nightmares, though of his own unconscious' making. He had them after Fitz passed, and then throughout the famine. They seemed to have left him now, but their memories still faded in and out of his thoughts. He knew the stress of everything had caused his own, but Brandy admitted to not being able to remember her own. Has anything bad happened to you lately? Or to someone you care about? he asked, wondering if hers might be similar to his.

It was hard to give comment about sleeping away from her pack. Steady had always had his own den and had never worried about waking others. He had Niita now, but they had not discussed their sleeping arrangements, as she had left shortly after their official mateship to go on her scouting mission. He made a mental note to talk to her about it soon.

Steady pressed on, and the copper girl was still willing to give him answers. He didn't seem like someone that would turn it against her or her pack, no, he was a kind soul. 
           "No, my life has been on an upward rise since my mother and I joined Broken Antler Fen. The worst was the famine, and I won't lie, even that wasn't too bad past the hunger. We were lucky to have all made it alive."
She'd been through a lot in year of life, and it seemed like nothing to just shrug off a lack of anything green and growing. It's not that she hadn't known the seriousness of it, only that they'd not had to deal with anything like the Silvertip wolves. Hungry as hell, yeah, but the fen had lost none and so were never faced with the posibility of cannibalism.

Brandy explained that not only had things not been that bad, but they had been rather good, even through the famine. Steady looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to find the right question to ask. He came up with one. Is there anything you do throughout the day that brings you anxiety- even if you can't figure out why? Maybe it was something more subtle that was making her uncomfortable, and not something overtly obvious.

Steady brought the front of his body down to a laying position, his front legs stretched out before him, facing Brandy. He got comfortable, knowing he didn't want to leave until he did something to help her. It was obvious whatever it was, was upsetting her, and he didn't like to see friends like that.

Steady settled himself next to her, and though she'd come here to be alone the yearling found herself pretty relieved that she could talk to someone who was completely unbiased. His question brought a long silence between them in which the copper girl stared off at the lake. Her lemon eyes were blank, clear, thinking: eventually, she did give an answer. 
              "I think it's more the things I don't do, actually. I'm pretty highstrung, and I used to do a lot. Climb, run, hunt, anything that got my mind and my paws moving. But when I met my mate, the polar opposite of me, I started being more careful, doing less of those things because I usually got all banged up doing them."
It wasn't the only thing that made her anxious, though. Her mother was another source of anxiety, through no fault of her own. 
                              "My mom leaves a lot too. She's a Scout, she has to, I get it, but she's just always gone so LONG. Sometimes I worry she wont come back. We spend a day together when she gets back, we have a great relationship, but then she leaves again...."
Something that didn't worry her came to mind too. It might not have been a bad thing, but it did get her wound up to think about. 
                                                       "I've also been trying my best to become Beta of the Fen. Been working real hard, doing anything I can from the pack. I know everyone in it, I help everywhere I can.... That ones not so much something that makes me anxious, but I guess it could play a part."

Something seemed to trigger her opening up to him, and his listened, his ears perked towards her and his head cocked a little to the side. He tried to imagine himself in her shoes, feeling the way she was describing herself. It wasn’t a great feeling, and Steady immediately began to think of ways to try and help her rid herself of the anxiety.

What if you asked your Mom if you could go on some of those scouting trips with her? Maybe not every single one, but some. That would get you out and moving, and maybe quell some of the pent up energy you seem to have, he suggested. He wasn’t sure of the nature of her mother’s trips, so he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that suggestion would work. Plus, if you’re out with your Mom, your mate might feel better, knowing you have each other’s back, and you’re less likely to get hurt.

She expressed she was also working hard to become Beta. Have you told Sebastian and Pearl that’s your intent? Sometimes the leaders can get wrapped up in things, and promoting into leadership ranks doesn’t always come to the front of their worries. Soon, it would be one his own top priorities. What’s your rank now? he asked, assuming she was Gamma.