A quest of exploration

I was kinda bored. Everyone welcome!

Dawn swished her tail. It was a boring day. There was nobody around to watch her. "Im so bored." The adults would be doing things like finding food and guarding the whole area. Dawn padded to a nearby tree beside the small pond. There was really nothing much to do. "I know! I'll go on an adventure and explore!" Dawn got back to her feet and slowly circled the pond. There was nothing inside the water, and no animals around. Dawn swished her tail beside the pond for fun and accidentally flicked a bit of water on herself. By a little, it meant she had a streak of water on her clean fur. "Awww."

Lately, Kaskara had kept to herself, only coming out of her den to speak with Bazi or Scimitar, to eat, and take care of necessary business. She wasn't sure what was going on, but something about the weather change made her want to curl up in her den and sleep. This was one morning that she was out searching for food, and having had enough of squirrel and rabbit to last her a lifetime, she decided to try the lake, since fish was one of her favorite meals.

However, the sight of another wolf, even the small pup Bazi had allowed into their ranks, made her pause. Kaskara watched the girl for a moment as she circled the small pond nearby, then sprayed herself when she hit the water with her tail. Deciding to brave the encounter anyway, Kas stepped toward the pond, and with a smile said, "Good morning."

"Good morning!" Dawn smiled at the she wolf. She seemed like a nice wolf, by the fact she wasn't trying to eat her and saying good morning. Maybe she was bored and wanted to play. "Do you want to play? We can go and look at all the plants and water!" Maybe she could show her everything and they can be friends. Dawn had been alone her whole life, no friends or family most of her time. She swished her tail excitedly at the thought of a new friend, flicking small droplets of water onto the grass and a little on the she wolf. "Oops. Sorry."

Kaskara was quickly reminded of Junior when she was younger, full of energy and light. Kas laughed when the girl's excited tail splashed her with the pond's water, and shook her head when she tried to apologize. "It's okay, I'm not made of sap. I won't melt."

"I'm not much of a player, but I love to explore. How about we look at some plants?" Kas watched the young girl for a moment longer before she asked, "What's your name? I'm Kaskara."

I'm so sorry! I was quite busy lately and only had time to do the pack meeting. I'm so sorry Kaskara!

"My name is Dawn. I used to play with my brother Dusk, but he died one day." Dawn's tail drooped a little. "Then mommy disappeared too, leaving me all alone." She sighed then stood up, remembering what Kaskara said. Her tail straightened itself again. "Let's go then! Do you have any blueberries? I like them." She would usually sniff around the blueberry bushes near her den when it was showing signs of blueberry harvest. It was one of the best berries. Just thinking about it made her miss her old den. It was a bit dusty and dark, but it was safe and cozy. This was her new home now, with a much bigger space to explore and have fun with her new family. In this pack, all of them are family right? She had seen some wolves but couldn't really recognise any of them except Bazi and now Kaskara. Dawn shook her tail slightly in excitement.

Kaskara, like her brother, wasn't used to talking about emotions or dealing with grief. It was easier now that she was older and had some experience with the world, but it still wasn't easy for her. It wasn't easy for any Frostfur or Gladius wolf from Dal Riata. "I'm sorry to hear that, Dawn," she said. She knew what it was like to lose wolves close to her, but she had never dealt with it well. "I'm happy you're here, though." Kas didn't know the girl, but being with strangers was better than being alone.

Dawn then asked about blueberries, and Kaskara had to laugh. "I don't know if there are any blueberries nearby. Let's go find some!" She encouraged the girl, nudging her gently. Then she moved away from the lake, wondering if there were actually any blueberries here, but she knew they'd find them if there were!

Dawn circled the bushes around the pond. There was nothing but leaves, branches and little flower buds. Blueberries were nowhere to be found. "There aren't any blueberries here. There aren't any berries here at all. Where would you plant a good berry bush?" Dawn thought deeply. A berry bush, or any plant would need good sunlight, away from the shade here in the pond. She peeked at a gap between the bushes surrounding the pond. There wasn't much in this direction except grass and some trees which spread as far as she could see. Dawn bounced over to the opposite side, peeking at another gap. There was the sound of the river rushing which Dawn had heard a few times but never got to see. "Maybe there are blueberries near the river, let's go check it out!" Plants definitely needed water, and the river was the best place for that.

Kaskara smiled as she followed Dawn-mist around the small clearing, using her own skills as a tracker to smell for any traces of the small fruit they were looking for. They had no such luck, however, and Dawn suggested they go to the river. Kas nodded and followed the girl through the trees, wondering where on earth they would find blueberries. She thought back to any time she had seen them recently, and grinned. There were some near the river, but somewhat hidden.

"They won't be close to the water, so let's look along these bushes," Kas suggested, walking up to the bushes and brambles that separated the creek from the rest of the territory. Kas led the girl toward the blueberries, though in a very roundabout manner, and hoped the girl's nose was good enough to detect the sweet scent.

Dawn paused mid step and twitched her nose. Was that the smell of…? She might had mistaken. She took a step forward and sniffed the air again. There was no mistaking it. "I smell them! They are definitely nearby." Dawn's tail wavered excitedly behind her. She circled the bush nearest to her, shifting a part of the leaves with her paw. There was nothing. The smell seemed to get stronger, as if deliberately letting her smell it and hiding from her. Kaskara seemed to be very suspicious, leading her to this very specific bush. Dawn leaped behind Kaskara and sniffed that bush. There was nothing except the smell of blueberries drifting in the air. She growled at the bush a little and continued searching the next bush. Dawn poked the middle section of the bush with her paw, the scent of berries getting stronger than ever. She gently swept aside a few branches and to her reward, there were a few bluberries clinging onto little branches in the center of the bush. "I found them! There's only a few, but it's here!" Dawn exclaimed, her head in the bush and tail wagging in the air.

Kaskara eventually took a few steps back to watch Dawn-mist work. She liked the way the girl growled at the plants when she couldn't find the blueberries, but liked it much better when she finally found them and was elated with herself. "Great job, Dawn-mist!" Kaskara praised her with a smile, bumping the girl's head with her chin in a gesture of affection. Kas wasn't sure why she did it, but something about the lonely juvenile tugged at her heart.

"How many are there?" she asked quietly, peeking over the girl's shoulder to look into the center of the bush. There they were: small, blue, and round. Kas hadn't tasted blueberries in some time, and wondered how many Dawn would want to eat. "Go ahead and eat what you want," she suggested with a smile, stepping back and taking a seat near the creek. She didn't want to take this pleasure away from the girl, especially since she had worked so hard to find those plump little berries.

Dawn smiled and looked over proudly at the selection of blueberries. There were only about 8 of them, all freshly ripe. She picked out four of them, leaving the rest for Kaskara. "You can have four, the same as me!" Respecting adults were very important, so it seemed fair to have the equal amount. Her tail flickered side to side in contempt. The ripe berries were juicy with a wave of sweetness followed by a note of tartness. It tasted just how she remembered it. Dawn remembered sharing them with her mother, back when she was little and tasted them for the first time. These blueberries brought back sweet memories, with a small sour reminder that her mother was no longer here. Kaskara was a nice friend she had met today, she decided as she sat down next to Kaskara.

Kaskara smiled and bent to pick the four berries left in the bush. Then she and Dawn-mist sat down to enjoy their sweet snack. After all, it was only fitting that they enjoy the fruits of their labor. Kas was glad to get to know the little girl, even if she hadn't felt quite up to it earlier. It was good to get to know her fellow pack members, young or old.

They bid each other farewell after half an hour of chatting. Kas left the young lady by the creek and went to find a more substantial lunch.