Arrow Lake zero gravity

At the peaceful lakeside on a balmy afternoon, with nowhere else to be, the scout faced her newest crossroad.

Tindómë had dissolved, with Delight and Queenie heading north with the stranger from the sanctuary, it seemed—if scents steered her true. Jomyo knew next to nothing about the finer details involved there, yet the pair, along with their upcoming litter, were the closest things to a tie she maintained in these stretches of the wilds; there had been no word from her siblings or the homelands in many moons either, so that fallback seemed distant and very much not one she was planning to resort to yet. Her options were simultaneously plentiful, but none all too motivating yet.

With spring heating up into summertime right about now too, she had plenty of ground to cover and good weather to do it with. Surrounded by the mountain range with valleys to explore on either side, the urge to keep roving solo as she always had remained stronger by the day though. Thanks to this, she did not yet track down her former pack mates—although she planned to, at some time. A piece of her missed them already, not that it was of any real consequence to her at this point. She supposed she only needed to get used to it.

For the here and now, she greedily slaked her thirst with her paws dipping past the shoreline. Keenly, she raised her head to listen to the scene as she contemplated her next move, and enjoyed the cool water around her feet.

Not unlike the she-wolf he approached now, Phoenix had found himself in a mental quandary with at least two options stalling him from progressing. He had become dissatisfied with his spur-of-the-moment decision to join a band of wolves during their relocation. He had been impressed by their swarthy leader, and then pledged too-eagerly because of the shame he remembered feeling when Ishara had asked where he belonged. He thought he could belong here— just wedge himself in and make himself fit— but the adjustments were souring, and more and more he found himself disassociating with the wolves of Swiftcurrent Creek. They were too different from what he was used to.

He frequented this placid lake; he appreciated the quiet here. But when he arrived to his preferred haunt, he noticed quickly that it was occupied. Momentarily forgetting the things breeding malcontent into his consciousness, Phoenix gave a soft whuff and made his approach as gentle and unassuming as a wolf his size could. Because he was feeling lonely in his pack, his typical confidence had waned and instead of a bubbling introduction, he merely gave a shy wag of his head and a low dip of his red-banded skull.

Idly switching her ears at the soothing sound of the waters around her, she did not feel in any hurry to leave here just yet. No matter what route she chose, she wanted to undertake it well-rested and prepared. Between here and the Vale if she bothered to backtrack that way again, she could rest then.. probably head north, she reasoned. But the mountains south of here definitely always yielded her something. Was there a need to follow after the others, just because Tindómë had once held them together? She was not so sure, especially with the uncertainty of Delight and Queenie's whole everything, pups included--maybe it was best she just stay out and away from that right now, not when she didn't really need to have.. major investment in that. It was awfully weighty, and she really liked the option to drift still.

Nevertheless, the approach of another agouti wolf dropped all of this out of sight, and well out of mind as she flicked her attentions up and on anew upon him. She gave a partial pivot and adopted a steadier stance, but did not yet leave the water as she watched him come closer. This gave her time enough to read him and no alarms came of it yet, beyond his size matched against hers (but she was used to this).

She whuffed back at him, tail wagging in turn but more lifted than his had been to say she didn't worry and wasn't planning to be. Without an allegiance at her back any longer, especially no-one nearby, she was very ready to be unassuming enough too--but stand strong enough for her own self because she had to. "Hi," Jomyo guessed the lakeside had brought him somehow as well. "The water's pretty nice, y'know?" she offered, although it was clear she had not partaken in all that much of it--not besides her ankles. At most, it was a little chilly, not that she minded so far.