The Tangle But I've got a plan and some wax and some string

To wander inland was to wander toward the Rise, which was where Theo and Requiem lived. The thicket that existed between the two packs couldn't be that hard to navigate- she'd gone through it once before with Chacal, Etienne and Ashlar, and had then come back, so she figured that of all places outside the pack, this was probably the safest one. Sandwiched between two friends, she saw no reason for it to be out of bounds. 

Etienne might not think so. Etienne liked her to be close, tucked under his wing- but she'd developed a taste for boldness, and found that she wasn't so frightened of wandering about in the pack on her own. Now, she found herself just beyond the marked borders of Sapphique, into the thicket where a group of little, black-capped chickadees flitted from branch to branch. 

"Chyeeeeee doo doo!" She mimicked their call. The little birds were adorable- and seemed intrigued by her. They didn't come within her reach, of course, but they circled her, and would stop on a branch for a moment and tilt their heads when she imitated their whistle-like call. "Chyeeee doo doo!" She said again, when they seemed to have fallen silent. 

One of them, almost bravely, switched to a different call. 

chick a dee dee dee dee!

Now, Suzu tilted her head to the side. The bird had a different sound! Soon, the other birds also made the same sound, and seemed to flit about a bit less. "Chick en deee dee dee," She mimicked, and to her delight, the little birds continued to talk- either amongst themselves or to her. She supposed, then, that the 'chyeeee doo doo' call was more of a 'hey, come look at this!' or a 'look, this thing might be dangerous!' and that the 'chick en dee dee' call was actually more a conversation.

Rykor was hanging around in the woods, enjoying the sounds of bird calls, when he heard the voice of a young girl wolf chiming in to mimic them. It made him laugh. She repeated their calls several times, even as they changed.

He let out a soft bark in her direction to make his presence known. Then he showed himself from the undergrowth

The bark took both Suzu and the chickadees by surprise. Their calls changed back to the previous call, which she felt convinced was an alarm call. She looked to the stranger, who had a smiling face. The wolf had such lovely features- sparkling eyes, sharp ears and a beautifully symmetrical face. Likely the dog genes that Suzu didn't recognize as such, but still thought that it made the wolf very beautiful. She became a bit shy, but allowed her lowered tail to wriggle in a friendly manner at her hocks. 

"Hi." She greeted with a keen smile, hoping the stranger was as friendly as they seemed.

"Hi." Rykor replied, a smile growing on his face as one did on the young girls. "The bird calls are really pretty, and cool." He said, commenting on how he'd heard her replies to the calls. 

The girl looked quite young, but she may just be small for his age, Rykor couldn't really tell. Then again he was no oldie or anything, at not even 2 years old. "I'm Rykor." He said, realizing he hadn't introduced himself.

So the wolf was friendly! All Suzu needed to be convinced was the fact that they both thought the bird calls were cute. Now, they were basically best friends. "Aren't dey?" She agreed. "Chick en dee dee dee dee!" She called out, hoping that the little birds were calmed enough now that they'd all seen the stranger that they might resume their happier greeting. They were silent for a minute. Having not been given a response, she shrugged and turned back to Rykor, whose name caused her to smile. 

"Rykor! I like that name! My name's Berceuse, but I go by Suzu." She said, and moved forward so that they might share breath for a moment and learn each other's scents. The other wolf did not have the musk that male wolves had, so she assumed that Rykor was female. "You have such pretty eyes!" She complimented, before she flicked an ear back- one of the birds had called out again, now with their more familiar song. "Oh! There it is! You see how they change their call? I think they use the Chyeeeeee choo-choo! as kind of an alarm, but once they get to know you, they use the chick en dee dee dee that means you're cool. I think they like you!" She said with a giggle.

"Yeah, there calls are cool and there colors are stunning. When I have to hunt them it makes me sad, so I usually try not to." Rykor said. he smiled and chucked a bit, semi joining in the young girls call to the birds.

Her compliment on her name, and then the given of her own made him smile again. "Suzu is a cool name as well. I like it." He said. When she leaned in to get his scent he flinched for a moment, knowing the pup was young and probably wouldn't understand why a male name was associated with the scent of a female wolf. So he decided to simply state his identity to her. "I know I smell like a female but I'm a male." he said quickly after she'd smelled him.

Then the compliment on his eyes. "Thank you. They are somewhat unlike other wolves eyes, my fur too, since I am half dog." He explained. "Your eyes are pretty too. They look almost purply." Rykor commented.

He laughed at how she had noticed the birds change in their call. He had never payed much attention to the differences in them, but she seemed to be right. The original call had returned now that the birds had settled down. "How old are you Suzu?" He asked. "Do you have a pack?" Rykor added, as he had caught the scent of other wolves on her fur.

"You can catch one of dose?!?" She admired the wolf in a new light. The little birds were so small and so swift- they flitted from branch to branch quickly, and while they were quite friendly and came within reach, Suzu had zero confidence that she could actually catch one if she tried. She'd just be jumping up and down, wearing herself out...She'd perhaps become a bit too accustomed to the art of scavenging along the beach, picking through tide pools for food, and hadn't been working on her actual coordination. 

When she was informed of his gender, she tilted her head to the side. She'd never met anyone who wasn't the gender that they smelled like. "Oh?" She asked, ears perked. He went on, further intriguing her by informing her that he was half dog. Suzu wasn't sure what a dog was, but she was impressed nonetheless. He complimented her eyes, so she smiled and tilted her head slightly, tail waving. "Well, you are very 'andsome, Rykor!" She declared. She might have had more questions, but his personality charmed her out of needing answers. 

She smiled faintly as the bird continued their more casual conversation in the background. "I am...Five months old, an' I belong to Sapphique. It be de pack along the beach, at Dragoncrest Cliffs just west of 'ere. Just East of 'ere is Redtail Rise, where dere be anot'er pack, an' dey be our friends." She said, and she sniffed. "You do not smell of dem, though. Where do you live?" She asked.

"Yeah, i've caught small birds, and some big ones. The big ones don't taste as good though and often attack me first, so thats not always my choice, but yeah, birds make good prey when you can get one." He said. "Maybe i could show you sometime. Not with these songbirds though. They're too pretty." Rykor offered.

The girl seemed a bit confused by his gender but she didn't question him, and he appreciated the masculine compliment she gave him after running things through her head. "Thank you Suzu. You're quite stunning yourself. Your silvery pelt in contrast to your purpley eyes is amazing in my opinion." He said, returning the compliment genuinely.

"5 months old, not a bad age. Your first winter though, eh?" Rykor said. He remembered his. Well, not his first really, since he was born in the midst of winter and didn't remember that one, but he remembered the one from the end of last year into the beginning of this. Around 9ish months to past his first birthday. Then the pack name. "I'm new to these areas, never heard of the packs really. But its cool you have one, and a pack you're friends with." Rykor said. "I live on my own, wandering around from here to there." Rykor added, replying to her question about where he lived.

"Do you have any siblings, Suzu?" He asked. "I do, a brother, but I didn't live with him long and my family along with him weren't very nice to me." Rykor told her.

long post for me!

The thought of being attacked by a big bird made Suzu's eyes widen. He would have had no idea that she'd lost a sibling, temporarily, to an eagle that had carried him off and away from the wolves of Sapphique. Birds were, in her opinion, less to be hunted and more to be admired and respected. "So, dese be songbirds, den?" She asked. "What dey be called?" She asked. They were quite cute- little, round, fluffy birds with a black cap on their head. The shuffled their little wings often, fluffing their feathers up in order to keep themselves warm. Native to the area, the chickadees would stay for both winter and summer, but it was her first time encountering them at all as they did not tend to live along the coast. 

"It is my first winter!" She said, nodding. She smiled still, glad that her compliment had made him feel good about himself, and it was nice, too, to have someone tell her that she was pretty. He spoke of his travels, and of living life on his own, which concerned her a little bit. He was so friendly- it surprised her that he might opt to travel rather than settling down with a pack. She didn't want to question his choice, though; he seemed to be doing well enough on his own, and as long as he knew that there was a friendly pack in the area, he could visit or join if he wanted to. 

She was sad to hear that his family hadn't treated him well, and frowned. "Well if dey be not nice to you, I am glad you do not live wit dem. You should be 'appy, an' you can always fin' friends an' new family dat will have you. Your birth family can just...Miss out until dey learn to be nice." She said with a firm nod. Family was supposed to be supportive, encouraging, not mean. "I do 'ave brot'ers- I 'ave t'ree of dem!" She said. "My family is very big, I 'ave lots of aunties an' uncles an' cousins. Some of dem live as travellers too!" She said.

"these are called Chickadees. Some just call them Blackcap birds though, for their little hat on their head." Rykor told her. He noticed her eyes widen at him telling her about big birds attacking, but, he didn't know why. He just thought the idea of birds being attackers scared her. He didn't know she nearly lost a sibling to one. 

Rykor smiled at her exitement over her first winter. "First winters are fun. I don't remember my first one, since I was born in winter, but I remember the first one that I wasn't born in, which was around this time last year. It was nice. Especially when you are younger and have others helping you through it." Rykor said. "While I was still young, I was a bit older than you, about 7ish months old when it started, rather than 5." He added. "I was also on my own then, and having troubles with my mind around my gender." He added vaguely, not wanting to go into detail.

"Yeah, don't worry about my family. I haven't seen them since before I was younger than you. I think I was 2 or 3 months old when my mom started to hurt me so I left around 4 months old." Rykor said with a shudder. Remembering those times didn't make him feel good. He smiled as she went on about her family. "Well Suzu, I'm glad you have a large, loving family. We all deserve one. Well, all the good wolves in this world deserve one." His face got a little sad at that. He wanted a family. He wanted a pack.

Chickadees. It made sense- they sounded like they were saying their own name, which delighted Suzu. She also liked it when names made sense. 'Chickadee' was very close to what she likely would've named the birds herself, which made her feel clever. 

She couldn't imagine what life would be like if in two months, she left to live on her own. She supposed that Mercy was about that age, and that since her mother had given her permission to go, that she would likely survive- but being so lonely? Suzu was rarely apart from her family for long, whether she chose to be with them or if they simply found her. But if he'd been on his own to face his first winter...Well, he certainly had to be strong-willed. 

And in spite of everything he had been through, as well, he had to be exceptionally strong. His mother had hurt him? Suzu had no experience with what that would be like. The possibility of it...Hadn't ever even occurred to her. Their upbringings were so vastly different- and yet, here they were. Two friendly wolves, who liked the company of chickadees. For her, the path to this place, and this mindset, had been simple, guided by friends. But for Rykor- it had all had to come from within. Even getting acceptance for his gender had been a battle, and Suzu thought that that was wrong. 

She didn't know how to reply to the things he'd said, as she really had no way to imagining how hard it had been. But when he mentioned all the good wolves deserving a family...Well that left her with an idea. "Well, why dont you come 'ome wid me?" She asked. "If you be lookin' for a place to live, dat is. I t'ink you be deservin' of a place like Sapphique," She said. "Please?"

Rykor wagged his tail. Suzu was so kind. Surely her family and pack would be too? It was all he wanted to live in a pack. And Suzu's pack, of all packs, seemed perfect. "Yes, of course! I'd love to come live in your pack! That is, if its ok with your alpha, or leader, or whoever it is that is in charge." Rykor said happily.

How about we fade this here? I'll start us a new one at the Sapphique borders :)

As soon as Rykor accepted her offer, Suzu made a soft, happy noise and bounced on the spot. The chickadees weren't terribly upset with the sudden flurry of motion, having deemed both the canines to be uninterested in tormenting or hunting them. They continued to dee-dee-dee to one another just as they had before, leading Suzu to get the impression that they were likely one of the friendliest kinds of birds. The acclimatized well to the company of wolves. 

"Dere be no problem wid dat- my Maman is de boss!" She said confidently. "Come wid me! I show you de way!" She said, bounding off back through the tangle, and toward the borders, hopefully with her new friend in tow.