Bitterroot Valley but now she won't be going back with the rest

@Elowyn

Angel licked her lips, breathing hard as she stood over the fresh kill she'd just made. It was only a turkey, but she felt much better for having hunted something for herself. For the first time in — well. She couldn't be sure.

She was worried, and it showed on her pretty face as she gazed off into the middle distance. Her mother shouldn't be due for some weeks yet to come, but what if the puppies came earlier? Or what if something had happened while she was away?

These fears plagued her, but she was still too weak to make the journey back.

Angel began to sing to herself, her voice soft melancholy, but still carrying:

"I am my mother's savage daughter,
The one who runs barefoot,
Cursing sharp stones..."

And it seemed that it was her mother who would pay the heaviest price.

Elowyn found herself hunting, trying to find something to eat. It wasn't long before she found something, but a voice, carrying in the autumn wind distracted her, and her prey got away. But, the young wolf didn't have time to be bothered by it. Instead, she went searching for the voice.

Soon, she found the source of the singing. A she-wolf that seemed close to her age. Elowyn waited, listening to the song, and not wanting to disturb the singer.

"You have a very pretty voice," said Elowyn when there was a break in the song. "The song is beautiful."

Contemplative as she was, Angel didn't notice the stranger until she spoke. The sound of her voice had Angel whipping around, startled but not displeased by the intrusion. She felt no wariness; the girl was her age, and smaller and lankier than Angel herself. Besides — no one had ever harmed her, and she did not truly believe that anyone ever would.

"Oh! Thank you," she replied, flushing under her fur at the compliment. She'd grown up listening to working songs from the women, and the bawdy ballads of young men. It came quite naturally to her, but she'd never considered her voice anything of note. "I don't know the rest of it," she admitted, "But what I do know seems fitting."

She made a show of limping in a little circle. Her paw didn't pain her as much anymore, but the cold certainly made it feel stiff and achy.

"You're in Great Sky, did you know?" she asked the woman, a little worried she might be trespassing. "A man named Sega intends to claim this valley."

He'd been perfectly kind of peaceable thus far, but it was just good manners to ask invite into another wolf's land. But she was still pleased to see another woman around, and her bubbly nature quickly overtook her once more.

"My name's Angel Oak. What's yours?"

"It's very nice," Elowyn confirmed, her head tilting downward just a bit as she stepped closer. Her gaze watched as the other wolf limped, but she decided not to say anything.

"Yes, I did," she said. "I met Sega." Her thoughts flashed to when she met Sega, and Miska.

""I am Elowyn Lazore," she said, introducing herself. "It's good to meet you, Angel Oak." 

If it had been stated aloud, Elowyn would agree that it was nice to see another woman around. Her first interactions were a bit less than stellar, but it was nice to know that there were all types in the area.

Her expression warmed further when Elowyn, as she introduced herself, revealed that she'd already met Sega. Which meant she must be staying here, if she was still so far into the territory. Angel's tail wheeled, even though she knew it would soon be time to go her own way. She'd promised to be home in time for her siblings' birth, after all!

"Will you be staying, then?" she asked, feeling conflicted as she contemplated her own plans. It was such a lonely place out here — but beautiful in its big, wide emptiness. The wide open spaces reminded her of Round Valley, only without the untidy clamoring of all her "cousins".

Elowyn was quiet for a long moment at the question. She had gone out searching for her family, but something in her heart made her feel as though she wouldn't find them.

"I think so," she said after what felt like (to her) forever. "As long as I'm allowed to, anyway." Her tail flicked as she thought about her own conflicted feelings. She'd found a pack, not too far from home, but she'd wanted to make her way to see if any of her family was left. That was the only reason she'd left.

"I'm planning on staying for a while, for sure," she said, partially to answer Angel, but also to answer herself. "Have you been here long?"

Though Elowyn doubled down on her plans, Angel remained skeptical of them. That was fine — it seemed they were in harmony, there.

She blew out a heavy breath when a question was asked of her. A laugh, almost, except her emotions were too mixed to allow for that kind of levity. Still, she was frank with the other woman as she began to speak:

"Oh, for over a month, now," she explained, looking over at the distant woodlands to confirm this — the change in the leaves had been quite dramatic during her convalescence. Now they were mostly bare. "I met Sega right after I injured my paw, and I was sick with fever for weeks after that. Still recovering."

Only now did her gaze drop, demure.

"He cared for me while I was delirious and weak," she admitted in a rush, peeking up at the other woman's face. "Embarrassing, right? Especially when he's so..."

She huffed out another sharp breath.

"I mean that he's real handsome, don't you think?" she asked, pressing insistently for an answer; confirmation to her suspicions. She was no longer peeking, but staring intently at Elowyn's face. Was this a normal feeling?

A wave of pity washed over Elowyn as Angel told her about her hurt paw and the fever accompanying it. "Oh, that's awful!" she said, taking a step toward Angel curiously.

Elowyn's head tilted when Angel talked about Sega, curious as to what Angel was going to say. But, then Angel asked if Elowyn thought that Sega was handsome.

Her thoughts drifted to when she had met the leader of Great Sky. He was kind to her, helped her.

"I suppose he is," she said. "He seems to be very kind as well. He helped me when we met." Elowyn decided not to get into that story just yet. "But, you shouldn't be embarrassed by being weak. You were injured."

It was clear she was disappointed by the lackluster reply, even as she tried to hide it. Maybe it was weird to find Sega so handsome. He was older than her, after all. Older than her and Elowyn both. She tried to brush it off, but eagerly agreed, "He's a very kind man."

Talk of her injury had her grimacing again, however. It was embarrassing to be injured, nevermind to be nursed back to health by a completed (handsome) stranger afterward.

"That's sweet of you to say," Angel replied, diplomatic despite her misgivings. And, unfortunately for Elowyn, Angel was both perceptive enough to have caught on that there was a story, and eager enough to change the subject to ignore certain other perceptions: like how it seemed Elowyn liked this topic just about as much as Angel had liked the last one.

"What did he help you with?" she asked other girl, planting her ass in the grass to settling in for a story.

Elowyn didn't think too much of Angel's disappointment. The young wolf couldn't quite place what the disappointment was over. "He is. I'm glad he's allowed me to stay," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. 

As Elowyn tried to avoid her story, Angel avoided her own. Which was understandable. She seemed less than eager to talk about being injured. It made sense that she'd be embarrassed to talk about it.

"It was nothing. Another wolf, Miska, caught my howl and was pushing me to sing, but Sega shut him down and said I didn't have to sing unless I wanted to."

This was a familiar tale to Angel, who — though she had never come to physical harm from it — and met many rowdy men who'd wanted to hear a song from a pretty girl. Some of them she'd been flattered enough to indulge, but others, she'd felt discomforted by the request. Still others had earned her ire and seen her stubborn side emerge.

"I'm glad he was there to intervene," she replied, annoyed on her new friend's behalf. She knew how insistent men could be. "Miska, you said? I don't think I've met him."

She was fishing for more information.

"Yeah, for sure I was very lucky," Elowyn said. "I don't mind singing when I don't think anyone would hear it, and I definitely didn't want to sing for someone."

A shiver went through her body, mostly visible in her tail as it flicked around. She knew exactly what could have come from that sort of insistence.

"He wasn't a part of Great Sky," said Elowyn. "But Sega said that he was welcome in the land, but he insisted I not be pressured into singing. He was rather large and it was a bit scary, but ultimately he backed down."

Angel was indignant about the interaction that was explained, but she couldn't believe that Sega would allow someone truly dangerous into their land. Still — she would have to be on the lookout for this man, who seemed perhaps to need someone else to put him in his place.

"Men," she said with a huff, naively believing that she would not be frightened by such a man, or by such an interaction. Her heart warmed to poor Elowyn.

"Well, we can stick together now," she said, perhaps a bit gleefully. "I've been hoping and hoping to see another woman around, and now you've come! I'll have to show you around. Do you have a sleeping place yet?"

Her thoughts flew even faster than he words, which were already quite fast to be getting on with.

Elowyn huffed back in agreement when Angel said "men". 

"He was harmless, but it was frustrating," she said. "And I'm also very glad to meet another woman. I wasn't sure what kind of place this land was. I'm glad to have someone to stick with."

Angel asked if Elowyn had a sleeping place and she shook her head. "I haven't found a good spot to settle quite yet. And, I'm very excited for you to show me around." Her tail flicked. "So, you haven't met any women here yet?" she asked.

At this confirmation, Angel gladly began to lead Elowyn to where she liked to sleep.

"Not here, and not for a long while," she replied, her tail swishing in thought. "It's strange, but I suppose that's the luck of the draw. Aside from that male — Miska? — everyone's been pleasant enough in these parts."

Not that she'd met very many. But that was part of the problem, she thought.

"It's lonesome out here," she told the other woman. "But the more wolves who come, the less lonesome it gets, and the more wolves will want to stay."

This made good sense to her, at least.

Angel brought Elowyn around to her sleeping place, which was another rocky outcropping with a nice little hollow inside. Her fox fur was spread over a meagre area to sleep on, and she'd been gathering conifer boughs and dried grasses to help insulate the makeshift den. It was small and a bit spartan, but she was slowly making a home of it.

"You're welcome to stay here with me," she said with another wave of her tail. "It'll be warmer with the two of us, and there's plenty enough room — you're quite small, after all!"

She hoped that wasn't rude to say.

Elowyn nodded. “I’m glad that everyone else seems to be lovely. I’ve only met the three of you so far, and Sega and you seem great.” She chuckled a bit. 

When they got to Angels hollow, Elowyn was surprised by the offer to let her stay. Lovely people in these parts indeed. “Thank you, that would be great. I don’t want to intrude on your space, though. So. Are you sure?”

It was a very kind gesture, but Elowyn worried herself about being rude and accepting too quickly.

Angel waved this worry away.

"To be honest," she began, chagrined, "I'm still getting used to not sharing with my mom and my sister. It'll be nice to have someone else around."

She was distressed as she thought of Raindrop. The woman was probably quite worried about her. She wanted to start heading back at once, but she knew that she needed to heal a little more, first. Besides — there was intrigue here as well.

"I need to go back and see her soon," she told Elowyn, "But not until I'm a little more healed. So someone will have to keep this place warm in the meantime, anyway."

She took one last look at the little hollow. It was slowly becoming home, and she could see it becoming more homey now that she had a friend to hold close.

She looked back at Elowyn.

"It's just me and my mom and my sister, at home," she gabbed (ha.). "Or, well — it used to be. But now I have a step dad and an adopted brother — and probably a whole litter of half-siblings by the time I make it back."

She looked askance, now, wondering who Elowyn had left behind, or been lost to.

"I'd love to share this space with you," Elowyn said. "You are very kind and I'm glad that we've met." A smile came to her lips, but she shifted her smile to a look of, well, concern wouldn't quite be the right word, but it came close.

"That's a big change," she said. "It's never fun to have those kinds of changes. I'm sorry."

Elowyn had no idea what the other wolf was wondering about her, but she answered anyway. 

"I lost my family in a flood," she said. "I found a pack a little while after, but I've ventured out on my own since then, obviously."

Angel shrugged, about to say that it was no big deal, and all part of growing up. But when Elowyn shared something that was definitely not part of growing up, Angel fell silent instead. Her own stories of loss came to mind, and she thought to share them with the girl in solidarity — but perhaps now was not the time.

"I am sorry, Elowyn. I hope that this will become a home and a family to you."

She had decided then, she realized. She would come back. She would make this her home. She felt inexplicably drawn to Elowyn, and perhaps more understandably to Sega. The land was beautiful to her as well, the wide open spaces a balm to her wandering spirit.

"We should find something nice to decorate this place," she said, perhaps too quickly. "This fox fur is my traveling pelt — but we can hunt something pretty for you as well. I will make you a fine pelt of it. For you to wear, or to sleep on."

Elowyn shook her head a bit. "It's okay, and I hope so, too." She enjoyed having found a new spot. And Angel, this new friend she's made has been amazing to say the least.

Even now, as she offered to make a pelt for her. She choked up a bit at the offer.

"Oh, thank you, Angel," she said. "That's such a sweet offer."

She looked around what would become her home and felt something shift in her chest. This was nice and she couldn't quite believe how lucky she'd gotten.

Angel grinned at her. "Of course!" she proclaimed. "You and I must stick together, Elowyn. We will be the very best of friends — I can tell."

She trotted off, then, beckoning Elowyn along with her. There was far more of the territory to show her, after all!

Let's fade here and have a new one soon!