Sun Mote Copse The soft and fading light has crossed the west horizon and has bidden us goodnight

For pledged woofs and strangers <3

The butterfly had a hard time getting sleep, the excitement of starting her own pack a bit overwhelming. She had found a strong team in her band, different minds, different skill sets, yet all working for the same goal. The Velingar would stand, Chusi would make sure of it, but she couldn't do it without her friends. Which got her thinking; why not accept any wandering spirit among them? If they could provide, they could stay. Which got her thinking yet again; what if they couldn't provide? The wounded should also be welcome... but that probably sounded silly. Perhaps she should request they pledge themselves to them then.

Chusi marked their borders, their scent stronger in the Tuktu now. It was eerily lifeless here. What if they had to move to a more available spot to attract any members? She liked it here, but they couldn't stay if no one would join their cause.

He had been keeping himself so preoccupied with trying to find a herd, that scouting for recruits and patrolling the borders simply hadn’t come to mind. It was only when he caught the faint trail of Chusi did he pause and turn, eventually deciding to seek her out and check up on how everything was going.

He let out a chuff when he spotted her in the distance, not wanting to startle her after suddenly appearing. “Hey” he called out, tail swinging like a metronome behind him. “How ya been?” he finally asked once he was only a few feet away, eyes bright and curious as he awaited her answer. 

And then she started thinking about Ingram. How cool it would have been if the trio would have stuck together. not that Arrille was any less of a friend than Ingram... It was just, she missed him so much. Which made her angry. She didn't want to miss him at all! He chose to stay with his lunatic sister and not come with her, so why should she? He was a good-for-nothing little boy but damn did she love him. She believed.

Her ears swiveled to the side upon her friend's arrival, forcing a smile for a seconds until the act of smiling made her really smile. Hiya - I'm good. She chipped. Just'a bit... sleep deprived, hehe. She waved her tail then, inviting Koji to come closer.

He returned her smile with one of his own, eyes brightening briefly at her invitation. “Don’t push yaself too hard” he advised with a lighthearted grin, trying his best not to come off as the over worried mom of the group. He could tell she’d been hard at work, her scent beginning to become more prominent along the borders with each passing day. He’d have to make a mental note to patrol the borders more and help take some of the weight off the poor girl’s shoulders. 

Speaking of borders, “it’s awfully quiet here” he let out, eyes shifting to gaze out into the land beyond their future claim. He thought they’d see at least someone by now, but the days had passed without so much as a peep and he’d been left to wondered if their was a specific reason why. He hoped it was nothing too worrisome and that they just happened to be in the quiet corner of town.

She chuckled, shaking her head. She wouldn't. It keeps mah mind off of things. She commented. The work, the stinging of her muscles after a long day. She always thought that happiness was the key to cure feeling down, but it seemed hard work kept the mind healthy just as well. Or, at least, it created the illusion that it worked.

Mhm... She agreed softly. She was worried about that too. Sure, their band was great, but having some more members wouldn't hurt... The thought of leaving here was getting less and less ridiculous. I'm sorry... Maybs I shouldn't have dragged y'all 'ere.

He could relate to her need for a distraction. Hunting was tiresome and took a lot out of him, but it kept him occupied and out of situations that wouldn’t end so well for him. And at the end of the day it was beneficial on everyone’s behalf so there was that too.

At her agreement with him, he turned to let his vision focus in and trace along the edges of her face, eyes observant as she spoke. Ah, so she felt guilty. “I can’t speak for the others but ya didn’t drag me here...I chose to follow ya, so don’t worry ‘bout it too much” he spoke sincerely, heartfelt smile written plainly on his face. He sucked at being sincere because like, ew emotions, but he at least wanted her to know he didn’t blame her for the lack of action around here. 

Though she wouldn't admit it, she was far gone from the happy-go-lucky gal she had been as a child. She had no worries back then, no real responsibilities except being Arturo's one and only daughter. She was a troubled individual now with dreams and aspirations too far gone for her to grasp and treasure. With that, she was terribly impatient. How in the name of the Sea did she think she could do this?

She stared at the ground, moving her ocher eyes up to meet his lilac ones. Why was he smiling? Surely he was worried too, even though they had the herd all for themselves. Food alone wasn't enough. Her alone wasn't enough. I did - I dragged 'vryone 'ere. And there ain't nothin' 'ere! I thought that - I thought that, maybe, mah family would still be 'round, but I can't find them fo' shit! She rambled, distressed being an understatement.

While he usually wasn’t the voice of reason in other’s lives, Koji did like to believe he gave solid advice every now and then. “It’s not ya fault there’s nothin here” he mumbled lowly while swatting at a rock that rest beside him. He wasn’t very good when it came to heartfelt discussions and when she brought up her family, he felt himself immediately want to slip away before the conversation went any deeper. But he forced himself to remain where he was and after swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, he took a single long, deep breath and held it.

Family discussions weren’t his thing. He had perfectly good relatives of his own but, when it came to talking about others, it just made him feel awkward. Kind of like he was peeking through window curtains and saw something he shouldn’t have. And for the first time in like, forever, the talkative playboy was at a loss for words. 

She whined softly. If a wolf could cry, she'd be doing it right now, strange wolf-like barks coming from the back of her throat. She was sobbing. Sure he could say it wasn't her fault, but she knew it to be hers. Since she had decided not to turn home that one faithful day, everything had turned to shit! Mouse gone, packs gone, Ingram gone - her family gone!

She scooted over to her friend, pressing her head without warning against his shoulder if she would not be met with teeth.