Duck Lake ; i guess i'm not like you

welcome to the typo hellhole. all invited!! @Goosie

 

The small femme was a blur as she ducked in and out of the reeds, paws puncturing the frigid waters with expert precision. The russet could feel her hear pounding in her ears, hyper aware of the breath leaving her chest and the sounds of something struggling to her right. It was just a little farther ahead, and when she exploded from the reeds and other aquatic plantlife she clocked it. Instantly. Her quarry - a duck with a mangled wing - was attempting to take flight from the outter rim of the crystalline lake. It wouldn't make it far if she had anything to do with it. The lithe huntress lauched herself into the lake with a powerful push of her hind legs, twisting her form so she was aimed right at the duck like some insane canine missile. It was a rather impressive display, perhaps a little bit too dramatic. But she lived for the drama of it all. She was theatrical.

Oath hit the water with a loud splash and snapped wildly at the duck whilst trying not to inhale the whole lake. She could swim, but the cold water had shocked her system and she felt a little lightheaded. Pushing on, the femme continued to propel herself after the bird as it continued its feeble escape attempt. After a moment of struggling on both of their ends, the russets teeth brushed feathers and she gave one last lurch before fastening her powerful jaws securely around the birds wing. From there, it was the struggle back to shore; the constant adjustment of her jaws as she scrabbled to grab flesh and not just the birds primary wing feathers, the churning of water while she waited for her prey to stop struggling and 'flap it out', so to say. It was frustrating in that moment but would be much more satisfying later.

The minute Oath's small paws hit solid, or somewhat solid, ground she dispatched the bird. Right then and there. The huntress' usual grin was now obscenely self-gratifying - entirely feral. She slunk out of the water and eased up the bank, towards the aspen trees, where she would settle down to groom her own soaked fur and eventually get to plucking her fresh fowl. As she moved the bird between her paws, a little fidgety, and spitting feathers every few moments, she thought about their current predicament. She'd made a horrible impression on Easthollow, and while she didn't rightly care, she wasn't so sure that Goose felt the same. While Oath had been surprised and somewhat pleased that their plea for sanctuary had been considered and granted, she couldn't help but feel entirely distant from the pack. Genuinely unwanted. Not a new feeling, truth be told, but an aggravating one because Goose deserved their attention. Their affection. And they appeared to be taking out their dislike for her magnificent self on Goose's just as equally magnificent self. Which was shit. Utter shit and Oath really just wanted to rip some hamstrings in frustration. Family my ass.

Oath snorted loudly and let her eyes scan the horizion - squinting in the morning light - as she looked for her pale companion. Her ears pricked as she waited for any sign of the other female - or signs of any other charming characters lurking about.

ooc; hope you don't mind me, you two! i've wanted to rp with goose and oath since i saw em :D

the morning light trickled through the overhead foliage, causing a nice glow on the still dim earth. Benedict would yawn as he exited his new den, trying to make himself get into a nice routine with patrols. the camp was still and quiet; not many people up and around truthfully. no matter. he'd turn and walk, exiting Swiftcurrent after a consideration. he had done border patrols well into the night so nobody would miss him if he took some personal time.

by the time he headed east, the lake would be lit with a bit of a brighter glow. he'd pause by the waters, dipping his head down to drink before a flurry of movement caught his eyes. another wolf flew at the surface, after a duck that had been unfortunate enough to get in their way. or just eyeballin' them wrong. either way, he was in awe of the good catch. Benedict was a bit away from the woman. spared splashing water and a real focus. he'd let out a friendly enough chuff as she went back to shore, though he remained where he was. she seemed to be scanning the area for something. maybe she had a friend.

in that case, he wouldn't bother her much. he only wanted to show appreciation for her good hunting skills if she wanted to chat. as a hunter himself, he was always looking to improve. perhaps she'd share tips. he hadn't gone after a duck yet.

welcome to the madness of these two! c: sorry this is kind of shitty it's 2am sobs
edit: this post wasn't meant to be so long omg please don't feel the need to match it LOL

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The dove had been laying by the edge of the crystal clear lake, idly watching the schools of tiny fish dash and weave in-between the plant-life at the tips of her paws, her pale body remaining partially hidden amongst the dense, flourishing reeds that kissed the waterline. The morning had brought over a certain calmness that the pair hadn't experienced in a while, and Goose cherished it, closing her lids briefly and lifting her nose to the air to take in a deep breath of the crisp, morning breeze. It smelled so wonderfully of Spring, and the wraith sighed in response, thoughts briefly wandering back to the journey that had already endured upon entering the Teekon Wilds. Although their entry into Easthollow had been a successful one — albeit extremely shaky — the pieces had just not fit into place. They'd kept their distance, with Goose noting how frequently Oath seemed to be on edge, and eventually the cons had outweighed the pros. The wraith, at first, had not been entirely sold on the preposition of leaving what appeared to be a sanctuary, but she would always trust Oath's judgement. Much more than she'd ever trust her gut feeling. And seeing now, how much more relaxed the russet fae seemed to be as she gleefully hunted her prey, allowed the pale to see that their exit had been more than worth it. They'd made it this far already - a little longer couldn't hurt.

Goose didn't need to see what was going on to know whereabouts Oath was in her hunting 'routine' — she could point out each grunt and thrash in her sleep; the dance was so familiar now. When the commotion settled down and the russet seemed to be retreating back to dry land, only then did the dove pull herself to her feet. Goose already had a smile on her face before she could even set eyes on her friend: a plump, limp duck, right at home in-between that cheeky, devious grin. Walking upwards towards her at a lazy pace, she watched as Oath got to work on her prize, unable to disrupt the hearty chuckle that bumbled up from her stomach at the sore spectacle of her. As wonderful as Oath was to look at on the regular, she was a sight to see when she was sopping wet. All long limbs atop an even nimbler form, she looked even more feline in nature than she usually did. "I'd think you were a mountain lion if you had been any further away," the dove teased as she stood by her plopped form, briefly leaning down to run her tongue up alongside her soaking wet cheek before moving to preen at the smaller girl's ear tufts. She couldn't help it; cleaning Oath was one of her peculiar past times.

As she moved to settle by the russet's side, the cool breeze that had been so welcoming before brought forward the scent of something, or rather someone, very unfamiliar. The muscles in the pale's legs tensed almost instinctively as she drew her attention quickly from Oath's coat to the horizon in-front her, eyes squinted in retaliation against the harshness of the reflected morning light. Brown orbs danced frantically around the edges of the lake to find the source, the dove audibly gasping when they fell upon what appeared to be another being. She couldn't tell what story the stranger's stance was telling with the way the brightness distorted her view, and despite her desperate attempt to focus her eyes, it was to no avail. They shouldn't have sat facing the sun. Goose lowered her head to utter softly, her voice cracking with bubbling anxiety, "Oath?"

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wheezes, welcome to the mayhem

Oath chuffed at her best friend when the pale made her approach, lithe body haloed by the morning sun. The other femme was moving at her typical pace, that familiar languid lilt to her strides. The corner of her mouth twitched. The taller moved so comfortably, with such ease, and Oath's heart swelled with pride and some emotion she wouldn't bother naming. It was truly unfortunate that nobody else saw this side of her - to peer behind the veil at what Goose could have been had she been given the proper start in life, had the world not twisted upon them and soured the pair beyond repair. Oath had always been wild waves crashing against Goose's stable shoreline. But what would they have been if things hadn't gone so horribly wrong for them? If they'd both been born first and not last? The thought made her scars twinge uncomfortably and she fought down the urge to run a hind paw across her shoulders, instead distracting herself with the larger females attentions. The pair never got to relax anymore, so this was a rare moment indeed.

"A mountain lion?" She asked, delicate brow arched in amusement. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'rat'. Drowned, obviously." Oath tried not to lean into the others touch and instead began twitching her ears each time Goose's tongue made to swipe at them. Difficult to the last. Figuring Goose might box her ears instead of grooming them, the russet grinned and ducked her head towards the bird, that had been momentarily forgotten, and finished plucking at the breast. As she spat out a few more feathers she realized that her companion had gone very, very still beside her. But it was when her name was spoken that her nape prickled with concern - concern that transformed into a familiar primal, protective instinct. It roared within her, pounding in her chest, as it always did when they came face to face with any percieved threat.

However, the smaller female remained seated and willed the tension from her body. Getting worked up would only make things worse and she didn't want to give Goose any further reason for alarm. Her molten eyes shot up and fixated on the shape looming before them. She had to squint into the sunlight to make out that the form was male, but didn't seem to be outwardly hostile. His body language appeared relaxed and if he'd wanted to hurt them, he would have done it by now. Unless he was some weird sadist that got off on weirdass behavior like that. Because, you know, that shit happens. Oath cursed her own unobservance as she stared him down, mind churning. How on earth had she missed him earlier? She'd gotten too comfortable and let her guard down, that's how, and because of her lapse they were now faced with a possibly hostile encounter. Well shit.

Oath stretched her front legs out, placing a paw on the ducks mangled body, studying the stranger through half-lidded eyes. "Hey," Came the casual drawl.

a new form, a pale figure and wisp of a girl, would join the first. though Benedict remained calm and where he was, it was clear she was spooked by his presence. he hadn't meant to startle anyone. he was relaxed, the fur along his shoulders smooth save for the thickness of his ruff that billowed in the soft wind. the pale one would turn to her companion, uttering something he didn't catch before the brunette turned to him. she would offer a neutral reply to his chuff, causing the man to dip his head politely in return. 

" 'lo there, ye both" he'd reply after a few seconds had passed. he was too new to the wilds to notice their pack scent - though by now it was faded - nor the name of Easthollow. he was a Swiftcurrent wolf, totally new, despite being neighbors with the other pack. he could have easily gone to Easthollow if he had traveled further down. the point was, he didn't know who these two women were. it didn't stop him from being friendly though. his tail would lift to signal his mannerisms, wagging slightly. "m' name 's Benedict o' Switftcurrent 'reek."

he didn't ask their names due to the fact the pale girl was startled and he didn't want to overwhelm her with questions. if he did, her companion may very well chase him away. for now, it was good to be simple. choosing simple words and with positivity backing it.

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Oath's casual responses in these kind of situations never ceased to amaze the pale, and for a brief moment Goose felt silly for getting so internally worked up about a situation that hadn't even unfolded yet. When the russet greeted the stranger, unfazed, voice drawling with it's everyday tone, the dove relaxed a little and once again turned mahogany eyes back to look at the other further down the water's edge. When he spoke in return, Goose couldn't stop her sudden curiosity from revealing itself in her now shifted stance: she took an inquisitive step forward, head raised and ears pricked forward, mouth slightly agape in surprise.

What a peculiar accent. Eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, the dove visually drank in his form, relieved to see that it held a friendly disposition, despite his words already surrendering such information. She could never be too sure, words could often be deceiving in the mouths of strangers. Swiftcurrent Creek. They'd heard the name in passing, knew it was the neighbouring pack to Easthollow, but had yet to run into any of its members. If this male was their common representation, she came to the conclusion that they mustn't be all that bad.

Snapping back from her wandering reverie, Goose became aware that it was probably her turn to speak. Her cheeks flushed pink underneath her porcelain coat, suddenly flustered at her lack of social awareness. 'U-Uh, hi, she squeaked, the words coming out too suddenly, too unplanned, and she cleared her throat to try and counteract the rising embarrassment within her. "I'm Goose, and this, this is, um...-" the sentence tumbled out before she could stop herself, a nervous habit, in attempt to occupy the silence that most likely only she found awkward. She frequently landed herself in trouble when she blurted like this, and had failed to consider that Oath might not be willing to yet relinquish such personal information. Gasping gently, she snapped her head back to meet Oath's eyes, embarrassed, watching to see if the russet would offer her name too.

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Oath found many things amusing, it was kind of her thing. But at that moment she was highly amused by two very different things; one was the ridiculous accent the male boasted and the other was Goose's mild horror at her own openness. The russet was stuck between feeling the need reassure Goose that everything was okay and her impish want to get this male to say something else. Something more. It was delightful. Maybe he had head trauma? The female ran over his words again in her head but they still didn't make a whole ton of sense to her.. Luckily, it seemed Goose understood. So, she rolled with the punches, feigning utter nonchalance despite not really having the slightest. Oh yeah, introductions.

The smaller female rose to her feet, bumping Goose's hip aka her hocks with her own and flicking an ear. She wasn't actually bothered by her companions lack of restraint. It was good for the pale, and there was very little this male could do with their names. Other than scream at them or go tell his alpha that they were very bad girls. Names were easily changed even if physical appearance wasn't. You know, should the situation ever arise. Just chop Goose off at the knees. Oath tried not to chuckle but shot Goose an look dancing with unspoken laughter. "Oath." She finally purred. He'd given his own name and it was customary to do the same back, right? "What, exactly, brings you out here? You're part of a pack, yes?" Her words were edged but not entirely hostile. More curious than anything. Was their pack like Easthollow? Filled with 'family' and ruled by mommy and daddy?

sorry she's an asshole smh

to his surprise the pale girl would move closer. she was perhaps the last person he expected to do such a thing. he had hoped the huntress would be the adventurous one. maybe she still was, but maybe something pulled the second girl toward him. Benedict felt himself recline on the earth, showing no outward aggression if she dared to come even closer. "s' nice te meet ye, Goose n' Oath" he had chosen to remain silent until both names were given. if Oath had a problem with his accent, he wasn't aware of it. she hadn't spoken against it. and it wasn't like he could change it easily. it was how he was born and raised.

so he remained blissfully unaware. if she did say something, he would have shrugged it off anyway. it wasn't the first time someone was bothered by it. "ye, Swiftcurrent 'reek" he'd repeat pleasantly, twisting his head to point his nose in the direction he had come. it was a short walk to the lake. he'd chuckle. "just havin' a drink n' some time t' myself" pack life was suitable, yes, but he often would wander off to have some personal thoughts. he didn't ever want people to see he was suffering in some way. he kept his depression and his thoughts to himself. "sorry - do ye 'ive here? I can go." there was no pack scent but if they had chosen to settle by the lake, he wasn't going to intrude.

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Oath brushing touch as she rose to her paws quickly snapped Goose out of her curiosity-induced haze, which frequently bordered on the edge of dissociation when something caught her interest that she just couldn't ignore. Coming back to her senses, the dove restored herself to her usual posture of a dipped head and pulled back auds, also taking two steps backwards to compensate for the one she had taken forward, and so she was aligned with the russet's lowered shoulder. Mahogany eyes never left the smaller's face as the pale remained intent on gauging her reaction, which alit with surprise when a humorous wave swept over her features. Oath, of course, was find this whole jig entertaining.

When the russet posed the question to the autumn-touched wolf, Goose finally tore her eyes from Oath and back towards him, letting herself get a good look at his features whilst he spoke. Soft eyes, she noticed. The dove felt herself relaxing, and chose to lower herself onto her hindquarters, plush tail wrapped snuggly around her fidgeting front paws. A sign of comfort, but expression still weary. He stated his business, and Goose noted how... casual his words were. He was just revelling in the joys of a crisp Spring day, simply in the same manner that they were.

"Nice to meet you..." Her voice was soft, airy, bordering on an undertone as she trailed off on the last word, her tone coming across almost unsure in manner. It was a stark comparison compared to Oath's bold drawl, that could easily demand and capture the attention of anyone nearby, and the dove often envied her ability to project.

When he posed the question of their living situation, Goose turned her attention to Oath, letting her carry on the conversation.

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It seemed that everyone else was relaxed enough to sit down, so Oath stretched her stiff limbs, first the back and then the front, and eased down into a laying position. After eyeing Goose for a solid minute, and then Benedict for somewhat longer, she pulled her fresh kill back into her paws. There she worried at the limbs, casually dismembering the fowl before passing the carcass to Goose with a flick of her claws - sans head, legs and wings, of course. Mmm. Crunchy. Before stuffing her face she had the decency to at least respond to his question, as it seemed Goose had retreated into herself again. Oath tried not to be disappointed and shot the other female what she figured was an award winning smile.

"Nah. We don't live here," She gestured to the surrounding area with her nose. "Though I assumed that'd be obvious; we're not from here, and the last pack we tangled with.. well." She grinned devilishly. "Things just weren't working out. Differences in opinions and such." It went unspoken that it was Oath herself that was likely the issue, but it wouldn't be difficult to glean. "Truly tragic."

"What is your pack like?" The russet asked, gnawing on one of the ducks legs thoughtfully. "We haven't had much luck." Oath added, rolling her shoulders whilst crossing her front legs, the limb she'd been working on firmly held between her claws. She briefly considered offering him a portion but decided against it. He looked well fed enough and she and Goose were still thinned out from their wild travels and the harsh winter. Goose was also still growing.. and Oath. Well. She'd remain stunted, fifty pounds forever lest she gained some serious weight and turned into a groundhog. The russet blasted out a snort.

"s' nice t' meet ye too" he'd say to Goose with a smile.

perhaps it was obvious but he never wanted to assume anything. he lacked the identification skills so far to make an assessment anyway. he was new himself, didn't know what the natives truly were like, so he wouldn't want to be rude. the two girls hadn't made his insides call for alarm either. there was no point in being disrespectful to them. "I see" Benedict said clearly enough, choosing to ignore the 'obvious' words Oath spoke of. " 'hameful" he muttered, knowing there was probably more to the story than both let on. "m' sorry t' hear it didn't work out."

Goose and Oath both seemed able-bodied and social enough for any pack. though his opinions could only stretch to Swiftcurrent and Rusalka so far. the russet girl would ask after his pack, and Benedict's face pulled into a thoughtful frown. "just joined m'self" he'd tell her honestly. if she was looking to be recruited, he lacked the means to do so. "Kavik n' Alessia are t' alphas. Swiftcurrent's peaceful. low n' number" another truth "but we manage." ambitious folk could see how it was ripe for picking ranks with. he wasn't a rank climber himself. he had no interest in leading anything unless he felt he could do some good.

"where'd ye go before?" Benedict asked them.

Oath inclined her head slightly, molten eyes slitting as 'shameful' spilled out of his mouth. Her hackles raised as she bit back the retort roiling under her skin, demanding to know exactly what was so 'shameful' about it all. But, as usual, a quick look from Goose was all it took to soothe her frayed, damaged edges. Oath was entirely mallaeble and compliant in the others paws. Whipped some might say. Sometimes, Oath let herself hate for it; Goose was her achilles heel, and her heart. Sometimes the smaller wasn't sure there'd ever be room for anyone else in there, with it being so goddamn full and all. The russet felt herself sink down, head on her paws, as she stared up at the golden male through a curtain of thick lashes. Maybe he'd noticed, maybe he hadn't. It bothered her none. Oath felt no shame when it came to her reactions; the negative ones were an everyday occurance and the huntress was pretty damned sure some of these wolves were put on this planet simply to piss her off. She wasn't yet sure if this male was one of those or not. Could be.

The femme rolled her shoulders again, claws clicking together in a habitual, thoughtful manner. "Easthollow," She rumbled, searching his face for a reaction. "Parented by Greyback and Valette." Poor Benedict wouldn't get the joke so she tried not to laugh and failed miserably. It came out as a quiet wheeze before she wiped her paw over her eyes, unable to keep the amusement from her face. The whole concept of this - of everything she and Goose had been through so far - was insane. Their whole life had been a wild fucking ride and it was a sheer miracle neither of them had died. And now they were here. Sitting at a fucking gorgeous lake, bellies mostly full, chatting up some random foreign dude like they'd never experienced a hard day in their entire lives. Had the russet been unable to meet it with humor, she would have surely broken - though, now, the femme might be on the verge of a different kind of snap.

After a few moments of fighting with her own reaction, she pulled her pawpads over her nose and looked up at him once more - squinting into the light. "What exactly does 'peaceful' mean around these parts?" It was a very plainly spoken question, as if random philosophical questions were part of normal 'hi we just met' conversations. "Does it mean they're quiet and keep their heads down to avoid confrontation? Or is it because they're lacking spine and shivering in their pelts everytime they hear a howl? Maybe they're confident, comfortable in their abilities and simply being charitable? Biding their time, waiting for the oppurtune moment to strike, even? There are so many ways 'peaceful' can be taken."

Oaths expression remained the same; bored and amused. "What does the term mean to you?"

G O S H D A N G
I am SO sorry this took so long - I work overnights and this past weekend murdered me. Rip Raven. Rip this post. Rip all around.

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Goose listened intently, genuinely interested in what this new acquaintance had to say, forgetting about her meal almost entirely. It had been so long since they'd had a civil conversation with another wolf that was talking just for the sake of it, and not with any planned ulterior motives or attempting to explain themselves out of a bad situation. This sense of inner peace was one that the dove didn't realise she had been missing, despite the fact that she was usually such a nervous wreck of an introvert when it came upon the subject of being socially involved. Maybe this surprise encounter — that seemed to be going quite well — allowed her to let her guard down just a little bit. There was a possibility that such an action would turn out to be a mistake that she would pay for in the future, but she was mentally strained from being on high alert all the time. She just couldn't help herself when the male offered his sympathies towards their plight; she was a sucker for kindness, or more likely, approval. She muttered a soft thank you under her breath whilst he continued to muse about his pack and it's leaders.

Oath didn't seem to agree, and this caught the dove off guard whilst she had been busy in the midst of her own thoughts. Goose noticed right away when lithe muscles at her side became tensed and hair raised from its place ever-so-slightly. She turned her head, an instinctive reflex in response to one certain riled-up russet, eyes locked on hers as she gave her 'the look'. It was never one that aired any signs of being condescending or scolding, but simply just a non-verbal reassurance. I'm here for you. We're okay. You're okay.

The dove was still unsure on what Oath was thinking which rarely happened, and she rolled back over their conversation and what the brute had said that had upset the russet, all the while feeling irrationally guilty at not understanding what could have internally set her off. Was it the accent? The female could argue that black was white when it came to her insisting she understood what someone was saying, even when Goose knew she absolutely could not. Most of the time it was hilarious to watch, but at other times it caused some serious misunderstanding, and the wraith was afraid this was one of them. Despite the quiet conflict the smaller's brain seemed to be going through, the pale studied her cautiously as she settled lower into the ground and continued to talk, her tone eerily balanced and nonchalant. As Oath snarked about Easthollow and consequently snickered to herself, Goose would chime in afterwards with a further explanation as to try and not alienate Benedict from the conversation, where as the smaller female was obviously not too concerned. They would often balance out their conversations this way, which many strangers might find peculiar. "They called themselves the Patriarch and the Matriarch, they didn't go by usual titles that you and I might be used to. It just didn't seem to be a good match, that's all." The dove explained, head cocked pensively.

But Oath's next words where to be ones that Goose definitely didn't think she could flesh out or spin into a more positive light, and she found her ears flattening slightly as the russet's tone progressed to one that was near confrontational and accusatory. It was not often she disagreed with Oath's course of action, but this line of questioning against the baron — that the dove had already mentally concluded to be pleasant — caused nerves to twist and turn in the pit of her stomach whilst frightened mahogany eyes assessed what could potentially become an escalated situation. "Oath... she murmured to the russet, admittedly unsure of what simply saying her name could possibly do to defuse the ticking time bomb at her side, but regardless it felt necessary to address her. Perhaps it would be enough to signal the smaller to pull back her roll just a little, or it would go the opposite way if she figured Goose was trying to question her motives or censor her, even though that would never be her intention. Goose found Oath could be a little unpredictable when in this frame of mind, but it was nothing compared to how unpredictable this stranger may turn out to be if he switched to find the russet a threat.

Even if the dove felt horrible for doing it and it truly caused her pain, she would always sacrifice Oath's trust and respect in her if it meant guaranteeing her safety and physical well-being. Every time.

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WOW OKAY sorry this is so long and angsty goose is such an over thinker sry benedict for having to put up with them sobs
they'll be much shorter from now on!