Emberwood i’m going to steal the declaration of independence

The longer it takes to return to Drageda, the less likely they’ll take her back. But somewhere deep down, she knows she won’t return anytime soon. She’s run away too much—this time, too far—and they won’t understand. She can explain until she’s blue in the face and it won’t matter. 

Nothing in these lands feel any familiarity outside the last few days of her residing. A pack rests nearby and she takes up residence on the northern side of the aspen forest until she knows what to do. The gentle words her mother gave her in a dream have faded in some way but the feeling is there and she needs to find it. 

Her ear twitches at the sound, turning behind her to see nothing. She blinks a few times before refocusing her gaze when she realizes nothing is there and the gentle sound is carried in her mind instead of on the wind. With no particular destination, Mallaidh moves day in and day out, searching for nothing in particular but finding no more ground than where she starts.

Constantine wasn’t keen on traveling far outside of their pack lands, but he was intent to trace the migration of the herds. That, and it certainly didn’t hurt to familiarize himself with the surrounding lands, especially to see if they had any close neighbours. The pack had been in such a rush to settle, they had done little scouting – and now that Durnehviir had delivered their puppies, he could feel the unease of the unknown stirring him on.
 
With a kiss to his mate’s forehead and an explanation that he would not be gone long, the swarthy wolf slipped past their well-marked borders, his movement swift with the intent to keep his promise to his mate and return home to her and their four pups before the moon would descend to another day.
 
For now, the sun shone brightly, instilling a certain level of peace upon the wood he trailed back to. They had come this way, but his exploration of the forest had been very little, given his desire to remain close to Durnehviir’s side. Now, as his nose traced the potential trail of deer, it was the vision of black and silver that caused him to glance sharply up, noting that another wolf moved not far in the distance. He stilled, his tail curling idly in the warm air behind him, debating on whether to query the stranger or not.

Despite her days of several stay, she doesn’t know her way around the forest nor does she know why she sticks around. Jagwyr has been nice to her and he lives nearby (she thinks, anyway) and her head hurts more often than not these days. Getting herself into trouble when someone is wrong is the last thing on her mind and if she can cling to something familiar, she will. 

One ear cups forward, listening to a song in the distance, but the other ear swivels back and strains to listen. She’d gotten used to Drageda and the surrounding territories that anything amiss might have been noted but here she isn’t afforded the same luxury and what may just be a random sound in the distance could be something else entirely. After a moment of hesitation, she begins to turn to go, only to catch a sliver of someone else in the distance that forces her to freeze.

As if they noticed each other in the same moment, both wolves froze. The dark Mayfair considered what to do in this moment – he easily could have turned and continued on his way, leaving behind potential interaction and it wouldn’t have bothered him. He wasn’t exactly a social butterfly – but he recognized the fact the other stilled too, as if their own hesitation was brought on as to whether or not he was a potential threat.
 
His tail gave another quick sway through the air, and moving forward now, Constantine made to weave the forest, bringing the she-wolf fully in his view now. Tipping his muzzle down in attempt to appear more neutral, he uttered a low chuff. “Hello.”

She’s quiet for a long time, even though she sees the wave of his tail and watches him weave through tall trees. Her ears swivel back momentarily, watching as he comes into view. Leathery nostril sticks out a little and breathes in his scent, remembering the kind brute that helped her a few days prior. Something about the way the other holds himself, however, leaves her standing awkwardly and nearly missing the fact he’s spoken at all. His orange gaze draws her in, forcing herself to look somewhere else, dissipating the breath that catches in her throat.
 
After a moment, she draws her eyes back and offers a similar sway of her tail, brushing off whatever weirdness that has overcome her. “Hey,” she says, anxiously licking her lips.

Ugh, sorry.. you get one of my more shitty replies..I blame evil toddler for waking me up at 4:30 AM ><

He took her stance and reaction as nervousness – the lick of her lips and the way her eyes drifted anywhere but him. Constantine remained rooted for now, studying her with intense eyes as he tried to determine when, exactly, he had become more hesitant to approach those he was unfamiliar with or that were not in his pack.
 
Exhaling softly, he relaxed slightly as she returned his greeting, though he wondered if she too was against his company, but merely too polite to say so.
 
“I’m Constantine from Swiftcurrent Creek. You are..?”  He had sought the neutral lands from his pack for knowledge – he would press her comfort level a bit more and see what happened.

He introduces himself and she clears her throat. He smells a little of the last wolf she met. “Mallaidh, from um… nowhere,” she introduces, finding it easier to shed Furi than she anticipated. Nothing will get back to Drageda in her name, at least—as long as they don’t come looking for her—and she tries to hide some of her awkwardness with a shake of her tail. She can act friendly enough but it’s her mistake for loitering too close to claimed land.
 
“I didn’t mean to get too close, I’m just… a little lost,” she confesses, a nervous smile dressing her muzzle. 

It's awkward for a few moments and, with the tension settling in, she decides she doesn't need any help and backs away, leaving the woods behind.