Dawnlark Plains I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize

Aviana stood motionless in the middle of plains, her eyes scanning and finding a lot of... space. Her right eyebrow arched as she looked right, and then her left as she looked left. Yup. A whole lot of nothin'. She had gotten quite accustomed to the forest, and these plains were going to take some getting used to. 

A vole scurried across her path, leaving a trail in the snow, but Aviana still did not move. How was she supposed to sleep out here, in the middle of nowhere? She liked the feeling of invisibility in the woods, as there was always something to hide behind. What was she supposed to hide behind here? A pebble? She huffed, wondering where the others were sleeping. Probably dens, she supposed. She could dig one herself, but that involved... digging. She pushed her rump to the ground, ignoring the coldness under her bottom. She wasn't great at hiding her feelings, and her expression said it all about how she felt about their new home: utter disappointment.

He'd been restless, constantly pacing the plains in search of things with which to occupy his mind. His last conversation with Pema had left him unsettled. Day was busy with Catori and the babes. And a few of the Morningsiders had retreated to the Maplewood, where they stayed most often.

It was a vast and lonely existence on these plains, and Shale often found himself deep in thought, amber eyes scanning the horizon.

Today, he stumbled upon a woman he'd seen only a few times from a distance, but had never properly met. She, too, was looking a little glum, sitting all by herself. With a soft chuff, Shale padded toward her, giving her a gentle inclination of his head in greeting as he spoke.

"Hello," he greeted, an amiable smile curling over his lips. She was a pretty thing, with bright blue eyes contrasting well against her agouti pelt. "I don't think we've met properly. I'm Shale, Grayday's brother."

A chuff drew her out of her depressing thoughts, and her ears perked as her head swiveled to find the source. Her gaze found a grey-shaded male. Despite her low mood, she did not forget her manners, and her tail wagged in a friendly greeting as her blue eyes met his dark amber ones. She wished she could remember his name, she at least knew she'd seen him in passing. 

She was relieved when he introduced himself, and returned his smile. She was surprised to find he was Grayday's brother, as he seemed much younger. Maybe from a different litter? My name is Aviana, she responded in kind. It's nice to meet you. Her gaze swept the area quickly before going back to him. How do you like the new digs? she asked him, curious how the others were feeling about it.

"Aviana," he repeated. "It's a pleasure." Shale grinned at her question--he liked the wording of it; struck him as odd but whimsical--and cast a glance around, giving a shrug and a nod in thoughtful appreciation. "It's taken some getting used to, but it's nice," he commented, looking back at her. "I'm a deer hunter, so I appreciate the open ground."

He flicked an ear, though, remembering how she'd looked when he had approached her. Forlorn, and perhaps a bit lost. Pema had remarked that the plains weren't exactly to her liking, either, and Aditya and a few others had kept to the woods. Did this woman share their concerns?

"I suppose the extra space does make it kind of lonely," Shale added, mouth twisting in something almost resembling a frown. "I don't see my packmates as often as I did on the plateau. Everyone has sort of. . .stretched out here, I guess."

It's a pleasure, he said, and as she got a little lost in his grin, she realized it was beginning to be. For a moment, she focused on the handsome male instead of the vast plains around her. She blinked a few times as he turned his head back towards her, remembering she needed to participate in the conversation. She sighed, Yeah, it does take some getting used to.

She looked around as she took in his words, her head nodding suddenly, as if he had given her the reason for her dislike of the plains. We are pretty spread out, she agreed, her gaze turning back to him. I'm not used to being out in the open. I like to have places to hide, she admitted. I didn't used to like being around a bunch of wolves, but now I'm finding it a little lonely to have the pack so spread out. Her voice was soft and a little hesitant throughout her confession, hoping it didn't make her sound ungrateful to be here.

He forgave her lapse of attention, chalking it up to her being lost in thought. Shale listened carefully as she spoke, filing it away for later use. There would be a time when he'd have to approach Grayday about the things wolves had been saying. Though he wasn't leadership, he felt as if he knew his brother well enough to whisper in his ear.

It was likely that Grayday had heard it all, anyway. He felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered that this was Day's preferred territory, with no obstacles in the way of his failing vision. Still, though. . .the pack must be heard.

"I can understand wanting a place to hide," Shale murmured, empathizing with the woman. He had kept to the trees after Lucy had died; the open plains, though full of prey to fill his empty stomach, were too akin to his open, bleeding heart. He'd felt vulnerable out there, exposed to whatever terrible thing the gods had in store for him next. He'd have preferred death--the cold nights on the prairie were worse.

"Have you visited our rendezvous site since we arrived?" he asked, a smile returning to his face once more. "We've been working to dig out some dens in the hillside--we could dig you one of your own, if you liked. Some shelter from the open ground."

If Aviana knew Shale was thinking of taking this information to his brother, she would have locked up then and there. While she didn't say her words were private, she wouldn't like the idea of having them spread around behind her back. 

She felt a little better when he expressed his understanding of her feelings. Her ears perked when he mentioned a rendezvous site. No, she said. Where exactly is it? She felt a little guilty that she didn't even know. Relief shone on her features when he brought up digging a den in the hillside. That's a good idea! She was used to moving here and there and not staying in one den every night, but she had been with the pack long enough that picking a permanent den felt like the right thing to do. 

She still wasn't sure what was happening with Sebastian, though she did know she needed to make the trip to Redhawk to let him know of their movement. Until, or if, he decided to make his own pack, she may as well treat this as her new home. Want to help me pick a spot? she asked him.

He lifted his chin, pointing to a spot just south of where they stood, obscured by a small rise. "Just over there," Shale said. He smiled at her question, and gave her a gentle nod. "Of course." The man gave a wag of his tail and strode forward, beckoning for her to follow. He waited until she was alongside him--or near as she wanted to come--before increasing his pace to a slow trot.

Shale was glad to see Aviana coming out of her shell. She'd come to Morningside quiet and timid, and he'd barely seen anything of her in the moons she'd been a member of the pack. Hell, he scarcely knew a thing about her, and he cast a sideways glance at her, interest piqued.

"Where were you living, before Morningside?" he asked, ears canting forward curiously. He'd heard some mention that she had relatives in the Caldera pack, but beyond that, he was utterly clueless. He wondered if the tensions between that band of wolves and the others in the valley had caused her to flee.

Her gaze tracked where he pointed to and she regarded the area for a moment before looking back at Shale. That looks like a good spot, she said. Really, she had never dug her own den before and had no idea what constituted a good spot, but at least she had no expectations about it. It left her open to the possibility of it being perfect. And, if it wasn't, no big deal, right?

He lead the way, and she followed, instinct leaving her several feet away from him. But, as they traveled, she drew nearer to him, little by little, but until she was about a foot away. It was interesting to her, to glide beside a male and not feel fear. She was anxious, yes, but it felt good instead of bad. Her heart gave a skip when she saw him glance over at her. 

He asked about where she lived before here. Few others had. The leaders already knew, but Aviana couldn't remember anyone else asking. My brother, Sebastian, had a pack called Broken Antler Fen, she explained. I lived there for a while before heading back to our home pack for a bit. By the time I got back, the pack had disbanded and Sebastian was living in the Caldera. She still hated that she had to leave him there. I went there, but they were in the middle of a war and Seb didn't want me involved. Sooo... that's how I ended up here, she said with a nervous chuckle. She supposed that was a long answer for such a simple question.

She gave her account as they walked along, and he listened intently, eyes moving back and forth from her face to the path ahead, as needed. Naturally, he hadn't heard of Broken Antler Fen, nor Sebastian, so this was all new information to him. What he had heard of, though, was that war, and he was curious to hear her thoughts on the matter.

They stopped in front of the spot she'd pointed out, and Shale gave her a nod, smiling. "It's your den," he murmured. "I'll help you dig, but you should make the first scoop. Brings good luck, I hear." It was Lucy who'd given him that particular bit of advice; she'd been superstitious, that girl. His chest felt tight, suddenly, and he switched his thoughts to the caldera once more.

"The war is over, I've heard," Shale remarked, as he waited for her to start the work. "Are you planning on returning to your brother?"

She glanced at him as he told of a superstition. Well, no reason to risk it. She took a step forward, and made the first few strokes into where her den would be. She shifted to the side a bit so that he could join in, if he wanted to. 

She froze mid-stroke when Shale said the war was over. Her gaze jumped to him, eyes wide. What did you say? she asked, as if she couldn't believe it. She stared at Shale, dumbfounded. If the war was over, that meant Sebastian was looking for her, too injured to look for her, or... he was dead. She had to find out.

Her head jerked around, as if she could find Grayday next to them to ask her permission to go. When he wasn't, she looked back to Shale. I'm sorry, I have to go. Thank you for your help, she said quickly, before turning and running off. She had to go find Sebastian.

The way her mood shifted was almost comical, from easy conversation to wide-eyed. . .alarm? Excitement? "Uh, I--" he made to answer her question, but she'd already cut him off with her parting phrase, flitting away, her den naught but a few scooped-out hollows in the cold earth.

Shale watched her leave, confusion plain as day on his face. Then, with a shrug, he turned and began to dig, losing his mind in concentration on the task at hand. It wasn't really altruism on his part--he relished the distraction--but the woman should at least have a bed to sleep in, for when the nights were cold.

He worked for several minutes before stepping back, having made a respectable dent in the slope. Shale nodded once, glanced toward where she'd ran off, and walked away, leaving it for another time.