Stone Circle ain't never been a gambler 'cause I'm always bound to lose

I have a joining thread in-progress! Regardless, the scent of pups has Kin feeling rather wary, so he is hanging out on the borders.

Kin had spent precious little time at Easthollow before heading out on his ranging trip. He felt irrevocably changed standing there in the same place, when his heart was tugging him in two different directions. Still, he tried his best to make himself at home, finding places where Valette had marked the borders and rubbing his face and throat over the grass there to take on at least a little of the pack's scent.

Then, as it was another hot, humid day, he found himself a cool rock under a shady tree and stretched out, hanging a paw over the edge and pillowing his chin on a foreleg. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, still recovering from several days of hard travel and sparse meals.

This looked lonely!

With the care of Oryx and her own knowledge of healing made her wounds start to seal up and scar over. She had battled the worst of the infections, though they felt like little harm since the mental strain of losing so much all at once felt more painful. The girl was still not on good terms with her mother, whom she tried to avoid, which also meant avoiding her the latest additions to the pack. It would remind her too much of what she lost anyway.

Arlette had just crossed the border, visiting the place she buried Kaito. She was glad that she didn't bury him at the stones. This was far more private. As she walked into the territory her eye was caught by a reddish male, sleeping on a rock. She thought she heard her mother howl to announce a new member. At least he looked relaxed. Perhaps he was a weary traveler and she shouldn't disturb him. She also realized that she was not the prettiest wolf to wake up to, so she decided to turn away.

Thanks for joining!

Kin had not made it to four by being completely unaware of his surroundings. True, he had often been able to sleep shifts with Nine to keep the strain off of himself, but he'd also had to rely plenty on his own gut and intuition. So it was no surprise that he roused at the approach of another, even if she was still a ways off.

Seeing that he had company, the male stood and stretched on his rock, weary joints crackling as he limbered up once more. Then he was hopping down and trotting toward the stranger with his head dropped and ears splayed, tail swinging jauntily against his hocks.

Good morning, ma'am, he said, slowing as he drew near to give the formidable-looking warrior plenty of personal space. His body language grew more deferential, but no less friendly. He had seen plenty of wolves with plenty of scars, and although this woman's were rather more numerous, severe, and fresh, it was still not entirely out of the ordinary, to him.

I'm Kincaid, he introduced. Ain't had much chance to meet other folk here — you mind some company today?

Arlette was startled when the male woke up and jumped off the rock. She jumped back and lowered her head submissively when he came closer. He stopped far enough though, that she relaxed a bit and looked at him with curious red eyes. She had never really seen a wolf with such red coloring. She blinked, not feeling like a m'am at all. She turned a bit to hide the scarring on the right side of her face. Who was she kidding, he had long seen it and given her plenty of space. She cleared her throat. "Arlette," she returned quietly.

Normally Arlette would be beaming with excitement to find someone new in the pack or would gladly give them a tour. Now she really couldn't channel that enthusiasm as happiness had been least on her mind recently. "Sure," she returned to him. "Only I wasn't doing anything in particular.." Except for avoiding her mother. "Is there something you are interested in that I can show you?" She wouldn't mind the company now she thought of it. The male seemed friendly enough and not at all upset that she woke him.

Kincaid was glad the girl had some time for him, even if he rather felt that she must have something better to do, by her tone. Still, she seemed friendly enough, and he wasn't about to back down when she'd already agreed. Best just get it over with, and then if she really didn't want to be around him, she'd be free of him.

In the meantime, he endeavored to be pleasant and easy company.

"How 'bout your favorite place?" he asked her. "Or the best hunting. I ain't too fussed."

He came near enough to fall into step, but left space enough that he'd be able to fend off a lunge, should she take one. The woman seemed perfectly polite thus far, but her scars had come from somewhere, hadn't they?

"I been told t'make myself at home, but I ain't been keen on headin' too far into the territory — what with kids still runnin' around and all," he explained, sharing his secret phobia for the first time. "Never been around 'em much. Wolves is always more touchy when there's kids around, too."

Arlette used to have many favorite spots in the territory but most of them had been the ones she avoided since it would be too painful. She would remember spending time with Kaito there and it hurt to think that he was no longer with her. She had found a new spot one she had shown Alsek as well. So she nodded to the red male. "For hunting and local fauna you should speak with my mother or my brother," she returned. She then realized that he probably didn't know who they were. "Valette and West Tyree," she clarified to him.

She started to walk in the direction of Bearclaw Valley and the peaks that surrounded the secluded valley of their neighbors. She figured that Kincaid would probably like it since it was on their border as well instead of inside the territory. Arlette made sure to walk next to him with her good side showing. "Yeah, I can imagine. Probably best to avoid the pups until you met their parents. Though I assume you have met my mother," she commented quietly. It was not for her to decide if the male was allowed close but she could imagine that she wouldn't be comfortable to have a stranger around her pups... if she had them.

"I am sure they will like your respectful reaction," she spoke then. Especially in Easthollow they had been needing to fiercely protect their young, from their neighbors even. Arlette shuddered. She was just glad she wasn't there. She had done enough protecting and fighting. The landscape under them becoming more hilly as they got closer to the peaks. "We are going to a look out by the border," she clarified to him.

It was interesting to Kincaid that Valette was a leader, a scout, and a hunter — he was sure she had much knowledge to impart, if he only asked. But as she was the matriach here, he thought he might try and ask this West Tyree about hunting instead — that way, he could reserve any conversational time with Valette for things he found more personally interesting: scouting, adventures, the lay of the land.

"I prefer not t'meet 'em 'til they ain't pups anymore," he professed, which was how he felt even toward any of his own possible progeny. (He did not know then that he'd soon be meeting Alsek himself, and that the boy would easily change his mind.) "I did meet Valette at the borders. She sure was kind," he said, hoping he didn't sound as though he was sucking up. He'd spoken of Valette with similar admiration to Eleuthera and Lumiya already, but they, of course, were not in a position for such talk to get back to her.

Things still felt a little stiff with Arlette. He thought he'd see where they were going, try a bit harder to make a connection, and then allow her to be rid of him if she still seemed melancholy. Although solitude was not the best balm for a hurting heart, he knew that sometimes it was the only thing it could take.

"How far will we be able to see?" he asked her, excited to be shown another look-out post. It colored his tone a little, so that it was clear her was pleased even if his countenance didn't change. "I ran into a few packs further north. Do you know anything about them?"

Sorry for the wait!!

Arlette could understand that. Males were usually not that into young pups except for their own. At least, that was what she had seen so far. She nodded to the other. "I can understand. Though they are already mini adults when they are a few months old or at least better to converse with,' she spoke. The ground was starting to slope under them. She was not really taking him to her favorite place, but this was a pretty good one. Her shoulder hurt as she put too much force on it, so a limp appeared as she started to climb the slope. Luckily it wasn't too steep.

She eyed at him when he spoke about her mother. Of course, she would be kind to him. She made a non-committal nod to the male when he mentioned her mother. She looked at the continuous slope as he asked the question. "Pretty far," she assured him, at least far enough that he could get a sense of their territory. 'Not really. I never really went past the pack borders until a few months ago,' she commented. "I only know about the pack next to us and Kaistleoki, on the other side of the mountains." Then they almost reached the top of the slope. One could walk further but Arlette decided that this was high enough.

Below them stretched out the land, with the forest and the plains. Between the higher forest and the down sloped plains was the stone circle. To the left of the forest was Wapun meadow, and to the right in the distance was Lost Creek Hollow. "We have part of the forest and the plains. Those woods to the right in the distance was were our previous neighbors were, they moved. I believe North so maybe I do know a pack North if they settled there." Arlette watched the bison herd out on the plains, peacefully grazing, before turning to look at Kincaid.

Kincaid's ears stood upright and then flicked back in thought at this revelation. They are? he asked, as if he very much doubted it. Having never had the opportunity to watch them grow, Kincaid was entirely unsure what each stage of development might look like. He omly had himself and his siblings as a guide, and as far as he knew, he had been tiny until he'd suddenly realized that he wasn't anymore, sometime shortly after meeting Nine Lives.

[IIHuh,[/i] he thought, but had little else to say on the topic of children.

The lay of the land was infinitely more interesting to him; as soon as Arlette stopped, he directed his attention to the world sprawling below them, enthralled, as always, by the simple pleasure of looking down on the world from above. He thought this must be how God looked down on his creation, and then he pushed that thought away.

What are those packs like? he asked Arlette, his tone suggesting curiosity, but no burning need to know, should she decide silence was more favorable. Kaisteloki — and the one beside us. The wolves from the hollow were a curiosity as well, but he didn't want to swamp the woman with questions when she already seemed so pensive.

I don't mean to bother you, he added, deciding to give her one more chance to bow out of his company with grace. If you're busy, I can surely entertain myself; I'm mighty grateful t'ya for taking me this far.

Arlette looked at him and realized that he might not have been exposed to children, ever. For her it was the most normal thing ever. Since her mother would always have pups, except for this year, and she wondered why. Though perhaps it was good, since she had to take over Nanook's pups and all that. "Once you are part of the family I am sure you will find out," she stated.

Arlette looked over the lands with him. She actually didn't mind the silence that hung between them. She sat down and let out a soft long sigh. The male asked about the packs, follow by that he didn't want to be a bother. Her ears fell back. She didn't mean to sigh so loud to make him feel unwelcome. "It is no bother. I am not busy," she commented. She could actually use the distraction.

"Kaistleoki is lead by Greyback's daughter, Ira. Uh, she is from a time before Greyback joined Easthollow and became my mother's mate," she explained quickly. "They focus on trades and have mentors for the trade you want to pursue. Their nature is much like ours." Arlette then looked up the mountain, too steep to climb. Behind it would be the valley of Bearclaw. "Ursus is not a good neighbor. They attacked my bother Clay and another time my brother West, and had one of their pack members trespass in our lands. Oryx also was attacked again by that female that trespassed," she stated with a shake of a head.

"It is confusing because we have been here for a long time, and they come and settle right next to us and start to bother us. Why? I don't know. We never did anything to offend them." Unless her mother did something stupid she forgot to mention to them. Though she doubted that was really the case. Her mother might have treated her wrongly but she was not an unfair leader. Still Arlette felt bitter.