Phoenix Maplewood I never knew such reforming zeal

@Saena

She contented herself with walking the borders of what she soon hoped to be Phoenix Maplewood as a pack. Citali had never previously had much interest in taking on such menial task, but there was a part of her that saw it as a means to a better end. The sooner this place was solidified, the sooner she'd feel more content in crafting her garden. The sooner she had a garden, the sooner she'd feel as though she still had some kind of purpose in this life.

First things first. Borders. She patrolled them to the best of her ability. This wasn't her usual task, but she imagined things would move along if she put a little of her own efforts towards it. It couldn't be too terribly difficult after all. Unless something arose, this task was no more different from her occasional strolls to seek out various herbs. The only difference was in the form of occasional brushing against trees and, much to her lady-like indignity, seeking private spaces here and there so she might contribute with more lasting scents.

Today was no different. She picked up the endeavor once more and circled the woods. The morning sun was not yet hot enough to be a burden. If anything, it left the temperatures comfortable and the half-light of this hour painted the earth in different shades. It felt quieter. Simpler. It was as if the day had not yet been tainted by the worries of the world. In these moments, she lost herself to a state of zen and kept on her morning stroll.

Mid-patrol, Saena stretched out her forelimbs and yawned widely. Her jaws clapped together at the end and she shook out her coat, feeling decidedly relaxed. Phoenix Maplewood was in a good position to continue on indefinitely as a strong pack. They were still establishing themselves, but their claim was undisputed and their position uncompromising. With no threats but the wild itself, Saena was feeling more comfortable than ever.

She set off at a brisk trot, following the trail she and her mate had begun to wear into the earth at the edge of their claim. Their scents were still relatively fresh, but there was another's as well. Saena smiled faintly and picked up the pace. She was glad the two Amazons seemed to be settling well, or well enough to man the borders at least, though she was eager to catch up with whichever one it was.

The dark chocolate of the other female's coat gave her away when Saena drew near enough to see her and, short tail waving, the alpha called out, "hey, Citali! How's it shakin'?"

She was lost in a state of zen. The weather was pleasant. The sun was falling pleasantly upon her back. She moved without too much purpose other than her task at hand and lost herself to thought. Mindless things, really. Just small pleasantries to keep her mind from becoming too idle for too long. She identified a plant here and there, admired the soul, then kept along at her stroll.

Citali was not expecting visitors. While there was a part of her that knew to be alert should she happen upon anyone seeking trouble with a pack in its early stages of formation, she did not imagine anyone to be up and active at this hour. Needless to say, Saena's presence spooked her out of her depth of thought, causing her to jump as the young female approached.

"Oh! It's you," she said, lifting a paw to her chest to catch her breath as she tried to rid herself off the initial quivers. She gave her head a shake, as she cleared her head and turned her attention to the present. "Hmm..." She floundered a little before regaining her composure. "Um. I'm not sure how it is shaking. Was there an earthquake I didn't feel?"

When Citali jumped, Saena did the same, taking a few cautious steps back in case her fellow wolf didn't take kindly to her presence. The healer didn't respond aggressively, though, so the yearling let out a bated breath, only to say, "uh, what?" two seconds later. Where had Citali gotten the idea that there was an earthquake? Wasn't it impossible for only one wolf in the same area to feel an earthquake? Racking her brain, the young female tried to come up with an explanation... and when the lightbulb went off, she chuckled.

Oh yes, there was one in my bed this morning, you should ask Reek about it, she almost said, but held her tongue with a firm reminder to herself that she didn't really know Citali well enough to know how a joke like that would be taken. She opted for the safer approach: elaboration. "That's just an expression," she said, still chuckling, "for like... what's up? How's it going?" As she said this, Saena reclined to her haunches. She slung her head sideways to chew on her left shoulder for a second, where a bug bite aggravated her, and then returned her full attention to the healer.

Saena seemed confused by her question. At that point, Citali was equally confused. Was she missing out on some vital piece of information that might better help her understand what Saena was talking about? Likely. Citali had something of an old soul. Sarcasm and hip quips often times escaped her, which appeared to be what was happening here. An expression. That would do it.

"Oh," she murmured as Saena explained. Listening, there were two follow up questions of which Citali found a little strange. "The branches of trees and the sky are up," she replied, thinking this was the right answer. "And if by 'it' you mean me, I am going in circles. I was patrolling the borders, so to speak." She tipped her head, glancing towards the Alphess. "Was that right?"

Citali's answer was as literal as they came. Saena's expression was almost blank as she regarded the chocolate healer, waiting for the punchline that never came. Only the barest hint of bemusement made itself known before the other wolf explained that she was patrolling. Ah. That was the answer the alpha was looking for, and she couldn't suppress a giggle when Citali asked if that was right.

"Close enough," she said with a grin. "What's up is an expression too. They all mean "how are you"." Maybe next time she would just be literal, too, and then there wouldn't be any confusion whatsoever. "Seen anything interesting on patrol?" she wondered, having seen nothing of the sort herself. Phoenix Maplewood was pretty secluded, and if anyone or anything had any designs on it, they hadn't made themselves known yet. There were predators around, to be sure, but active wolves were enough to keep them behaving... for now.

Saena giggled. Citali frowned. Had she said something wrong? With a huff, she promptly seated herself and turned her gaze elsewhere. It was not her fault she did not understand all of these new expressions. She'd spent far too long wandering the wilderness; something that was also not her fault. Therefore, how was she to know that all of these things that were not so simple as "how are you" actually meant "how are you"?

She shook her head. She'd not spent much time with this alpha and as she was a number of years younger than Citali's old soul, she could not fault the wolf for doing or saying things as she felt natural.  With a sigh, she cast away her frustrations. "I can not keep up. You all have such informal, cryptic ways of speaking."

Citali could, however, report back on what she'd found on her patrol. That, she understood well enough. "Nothing too interesting," she informed. "All common woodland creatures. Lots of bird chirping. A notable herb here and there, but nothing overly exciting. It seems the wilds are currently respectful of these woods." Which meant all was quiet. All was safe. All was sound. For now. Until something happened.

Her silver gaze turned towards Saena as Citali lifted to her feet and resumed her stroll. "What will you do with this reprieve?" A question. A curiosity.

"Sorry," Saena said, smiling sheepishly as Citali huffed and then explained her dilemma. It wasn't very sensitive of the alpha to go around talking like everyone was from her generation. A good many wolves spoke in slang, but that didn't mean they all did. She knew now to make a conscious effort with Citali to speak as plainly as she knew how, though she did think that, "you get used to it over time."

It seemed that there was nothing much to report. Saena had seen much of the same with her own patrols. She was glad for it. While many thought that a life of peace and quiet was boring, she'd grown up with enough drama and bullshit to last her a lifetime. She would be happy living out her days with nary a disturbance. Still, when asked what she would do, the alpha replied, "prepare for it to end, I guess. Nothing good lasts forever, after all."

But... "I'll try to enjoy it while it continues, though," she finished with a grin, "and hope that I'm preparing for the worst for no reason. What about you? What would you do with all this peace and quiet? Or what do you do?"

"Mmm," was the only sound she offered towards both Saena's apology and her suggestion that eventually they all got used to the terminology. Perhaps, one day, she too would better understand these things, but as of current she was on the outside looking in. Nevertheless, they were all something of a pack family which meant they'd all have to learn how to get along. She noted the few sayings Saena'd spoken earlier. "How's it shakin'?" "What's up?" She'd remember them next time. If there was a next time.

For someone so young, Citali was not expecting such pessimism to flee the alphena's mouth. Citali's ears turned first, her gaze quickly following as she glanced towards the female with question in her eyes. "So realistic..." she purred. It was not a terrible trait to have. Realism. Knowing that good things couldn't last forever was something of a life lesson that was a bitter herb to swallow. Still, that way of thinking often left a wolf guarded...

Or maybe not. Saena wrapped it all up in a dash of sunshine and sealed it with a grin. Perhaps there was enough hope in her to go around. Citali could not be sure and didn't have much time to think on it before the question was tossed back in her direction, leaving her with no option, but to catch it and reply. "I should like to make as much progress on an herb garden as possible before the winter sets in." Alas, that was not something she'd begin until this packland was made official. She'd not start anything so permanent if there was any possibility they might move. She did not wish to toil twice.

As for the question of what she did currently? "Where do you need me, my dear? Certainly you and yours have a few duties or tasks that need proper attention." She was a healer first, but given the meager number of wolves in their stead, she supposed it was only right to lend a paw elsewhere. "I'm mostly wandering if only because I'm unsure as to what else there is to do." Strolling was easy. As there was little to threaten these frail borders, it was quite literally nothing more than a walk in the park.

While she made no comment on Citali's muttered remarks, Saena felt a zing of pride ripple through her chest when the other called her realistic. She liked to think she was. She was also a ruthless pessimist, always believing the worst would happen because it had several times before. She was proud of these traits but others, particularly in the south, believed she was crazy for it. She didn't know about that.

Citali had short-term goals in mind, or at least that's what Saena took away from it. A garden could last forever if it regrew each year, but Citali didn't seem to have goals for the winter. She must've been like Luke that way. That, or she wasn't forthcoming with that sort of information. "Maybe Reek could help you," she suggested, "he's a healer, too." She doubted her husband would reap the benefits of Citali's garden, though she knew he was far from altruistic. He seemed to like keeping his own stores. But maybe he could contribute, help her get started.

It seemed Citali was aimless other than that. Saena couldn't fault her; there wasn't much to do. "I guess we need caches dug," she mused, "maybe deeper into the territory? The borders need firmer establishing but I can handle that, I think. And I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea for all of us to do a sweep of the forest, chase out any nasty pests we might come across." Cougars wouldn't be an issue here, but there was always a bear problem wherever wolves lived, and other creatures would be here to harass them. Badgers from the plains. Wolverines. Coyotes, always. "Maybe we could start that now?" she wondered, eyeing Citali for any hint that this would be enjoyable for the Amazon.

It hadn't occurred to her to ask for help. She was so particular about things that she often found it to be easier if she just took the task upon herself. The garden she spoke of was something she assumed would become her pride and joy as soon as it was completed. Having another wolf's paws involved unsettled her, but she supposed she'd have to bend her desires a little and resign to imperfection. "Mmm. And maybe the brown one..." her thoughts drifted out loud. "Those boys need something to do."

As for the act of doing something in the here and now, Citali deferred to the young alphess. Saena spoke. The options sounded... tedious. Like actual work-work as opposed to the casual wanderings that came with roaming the borders. Dirt beneath her nails sounded all kinds of awful, which was also why she was putting off that garden. The borders were something Saena wished to handle. More power to her. As for that last suggestion?

"Well it has been a while since I've sampled badger, so if we're sweeping the forest, we might as well stockpile whatever we can find to add to those soon-to-be caches." This suggestion? It had the Citali stamp of approval. She could harass a creature here and there. Oh yes she could. "I was serious about the badger, my dear. Such fine dining is hard to come across."

The brown one? Saena wracked her brain, trying to come up with who that might be, but aside from Citali, there was only one brown wolf in the pack: Arion. Though he'd apologized for his unruly behaviour at Redtail Rise, the alpha female didn't have much faith in his altruism. Like Reek, Arion seemed to do things that benefited him directly. He wasn't often charitable. "You'd be hard-pressed to get him to help," she informed Citali, "but I will pass along the word if I see him. Maybe even make it a command if he's being an ass about it." Or maybe Citali could command more of the gamma's respect, but that was a jealous thought indeed.

Saena was taken aback when Citali began speaking of the badger as if it was a dish rather than a pest. She pondered it, remembered how she'd met a wolf hunting a badger once before, and decided that Citali must have a point. "I've never tried it," she admitted, trying very hard not to sound doubtful about its taste and texture, "but I'm not adverse to trying it. Let's go find us a badger!" With this decided, the yearling spun about and began heading inward, where there were many clearings that a badger might prefer.

She seemed to think Citali would have some difficulty in getting Arion to help out. The healer lifted a brow upon her head as she glanced back towards the alpha. "He's been fairly amicable thus far..." she mused, thinking back. She'd had little trouble with him if only because she'd coaxed him to do her bidding several times before. She did not think this occasion would be any different. "No need to demand it of him. He's reluctant, but despite his protests, he appears to do what needs to be done." He was exceptionally good with directions... or perhaps that was simply because she was terrible at them and a majority of their interactions had been when she was lost.

"Never tried badger?" she repeated. This baffled her. Badger was something of a delicacy and an Amazon tradition. Those striped creatures were some kind of fierce and it was almost a right of passage to catch one and have the pleasure of eating it. "That simply won't do. Alas, we shall find one and you can sample it."

Saena was quick to the chase. She turned and pressed inward, searching the heart of the territories. Citali sniffed the air and did her best to switch her nose thinking from plants to badger. It was significantly more difficult than one would think... but, on the plus side, luring a badger from it's den would relinquish to her custody a hobby hole where she could store herbs in the future. This would work out well if they could manage it.

Though surprised to hear that Arion was anywhere close to compliant, Saena chose not to comment on it. Perhaps it was only toward her and her husband that he was a bullheaded piece of shit lately, and the Amazons had the benefit of seeing his better side. If ever she learned that was the case, then Arion would be in for an earful, but there was no way to prove that suspicion. She would just have to wait and see how he responded to his leaders.

She shook her head to emphasize the point that badger was not normally on the menu. "They were infrequent where I was born and where we lived before," she explained, though to speak truth she would also need to admit that she'd had no desire. Such ornery beasts couldn't possibly taste good, or at least that's what she suspected. Even as she walked she tried to imagine how it might greet the tongue and all she could think of was acid.

There were so many scents in the woods that it was at times overwhelming, but Saena was a practiced enough gamekeeper that, given some time, she could usually sift through them. No doubt Nochtli was better at it, but Saena felt she was skilled enough, and after about ten minutes of searching she found the faint scent she was searching for.

"Stale," she commented, hovering over the mulched earth and breathing deeply. A difficult trail to follow... but it did seem to go north. With her tail horizontal behind her, the yearling began to follow it to the best of her abilities, hopefully with Citali confirming the trail by accompanying her.

Noses to the ground and then to the air, they sniffed and scented and searched for anything that smelled vaguely like badger. Citali gave her best attempt at it, but at the end of the day she simply wasn't a gamekeeper for the very reason that she kept gravitating towards earthy scents. Plants. Trees. Flowers. Not the most useful when one was hunting an animal.

It was fortunate that Saena picked up on something. Eager to discover what it was, Citali placed her nose to the ground in the same area and lifted her head with a nod. Once she'd sorted through a few things, there was, in fact, badger lingering underneath a few more prominent scents. Perfect. Now to follow the trail and hope it lead towards something more fruitful.

Saena led the way. Citali followed behind. Here and there the healer would put her nose to the ground, but she was mostly content to let Saena explore and lead. This wasn't her forte. It never would be. Citali had lost all desire to try if only because her efforts would likely confuse their already fading lead. "Does it continue?" she asked after a while, uncertain as to whether they'd reached a dead end or if a fresher scent crossed their path.

"Hmmm," mused Saena, unsure of the answer herself. The trail had been almost cold to begin with. Now as they wound their way further into the forest, the smell of badger was even harder to locate. The alpha swore it was still there, very faint beneath the stink of rotting leaves, fungi and wet loam, but it was difficult to track. If there was a badger in the woods, it hadn't come this way in some time, but there was no indication that the trail was any more fruitful in the other direction.

"I think we lost it," the gamekeeper conceded. The disappointment was hard to hide. She prided herself in being a fairly good tracker and a good hunter, so losing a scent trail was always disheartening. She wasn't about to give up though. No sir. "Tell you what," she said, lifting her head to survey Citali's reaction, "I'll keep looking and if I find a better trail, I'll call for you. Sound good?" That way, Citali could go back to wandering or could find something else to do and Saena wouldn't have to bear failing at her own trade in the eyes of another.

Last post from me!

They continued to follow the fading scent. What little she could detect faded quickly and was soon gone entirely. Saena continue to follow it for a while longer. Perhaps her nose was more fine tuned than hers was (which would take much) and was following something a little more substantial. Whatever the case, Citali followed along.

They needed to call it. After a while, Saena finally decided their efforts would be fruitless this time around. Citali agreed. Very much so. There would be opportunity for such things later, but now simply wasn't the time. "Sounds fair. Another time then," she agreed. The opportunity would eventually present itself, but for now the badger had escaped.

"I'll keep my eyes open. Howl if I happen upon it." That sort of thing. Since they were in agreement, Citali excused herself to slip back towards the borders. She'd be far more useful there than anywhere else as of present.

The alpha bobbed her head and similarly excused herself. Losing the scent trail troubled her more than she let on. Although she'd lost many scent trails in her life, recently she'd had more success than when she was younger. It was easy to get hung up on it. Saena forgot sometimes that she wasn't invincible and that things weren't always going to work out perfectly, a fact she ought to have been much more aware of by now.

She frowned as she pressed on deeper into the wood, and though she combed the ground for nearly an hour after parting ways with Citali, she was unable to pick up the badger's scent again. Where it was, it was not in this part of the forest. She eventually gave up with a dejected sigh and, having heard nothing from the burlier female either, decided to look for Reek instead.