Lost Creek Hollow and AYE wud waulk fayve hundrad MYALES

my new favorite fluffy cutie @Ayishik (: also, ilya is currently about to be mauled by a cougar in another post! curious what he will think when she returns ;) 

Ilya walked in front of the male, sniffing curiously around them. They were making their way towards the waterfall, one that often hosted salmon when the weather wasn't so freezing cold. She glanced back at him, her tail wagging a bit. 

"This is one of the larger water bodies in the  territory," she informed him, glancing to the stream that flowed from it and the pond that pooled at the bottom. "My den isn't too far from it, I'd recommend setting up near some water, handy for the hotter seasons," she continued, her tail swaying thoughtfully from side to side. Her information wasn't necessarily true (about the largest water body), but Ilya liked to think so regardless.

Thanks so much for starting~ And omai... the drama of it all. >:3

Still feeding off the elation of being accepted into a pack, Ishi was very tempted to put a great spring in his step and basically prance alongside Ilya like an over-enthused pup. He restrained himself, though, knowing he had to make a good impression — Ilya might be up for a bit of silliness, but that big Alpha could still be watching.

Oh thank you, good idea, the boy said brightly as the young female gave some stellar advice. This is such a pretty place, he added, gazing around with his big eyes bigger still. What's it called? Have you all been here long? If you don't mind my asking, he amended quickly with a bashful smile.

His questions were rapid and many, but she smiled and wagged her tail at him. She didn't mind, she too had the same amount of questions when she arrived; his enthusiasm put her in a far better mood. "Antares Falls," she informed him, sniffing at the ground with curiosity. She came here once before to fish with Andalusia, someone she hadn't seen in a while. She glanced to Ishi as another question fired off.

"I came to the pack in September," she informed him, her tail wagging again as she thought of the happy experience. "The pack was bigger then, we've got an open door policy so wolves often come and go as they please," she informed him. She was perfectly fine staying with the pack for as long as they'd have her, but some people were far happier wandering around. 

Ishi smiled back, content upon finding that Ilya was taking to him well. He liked her too, there was no doubt about it. She was friendly but cool, her dark coat was frankly badass, and she was giving him a guided tour and answering all his questions. Full marks.

Antares Falls, he repeated pensively, tasting the name on his tongue. That's almost as pretty a name as Lost Creek Hollow itself. He was quite charmed by the lovely scenery around him, but his attention diverted to Ilya as she spoke of the pack's open-door policy. Oh that's interesting, he mused. Do you think you'll leave someday?

The boy was ecstatic still, and Ilya smiled at his comment. "You should see it in the summer," she mused. She hadn't even seen the pack in true 'full bloom', but it was gorgeous in the beginning of fall, the leaves were still green but the air was somewhat crisp. It was nice. His next question was a bit more offsetting, and the girl shrugged.

"I hope I won't have to," was all she responded. She didn't share the details of her previous days, but she knew of her own worries and mental state. She was afraid of almost everyone right now, and if she was too afraid of her own shadow here she would be out.

Ishi decided to drop the topic of Ilya's past and future. It wasn't a dramatic decision, but a quiet and casual one made partly out of respect for the female, and partly because today was a day for lighter things. This wasn't a decision he made very consciously, though. Deep down, Ishi was an emotionally intelligent boy and that often shone through, but on the outside he was all laughs and adventure.

I guess I have a lot to learn about this region and its people, he concluded, but I plan to learn it all! He gave a mischievous smile. Ishi knew full well he couldn't learn literally all of it, of course, but this silly promise was an accurate expression of his spirit.

"Good!" she mused, glad he dropped the topic. "What are you ambitions though?" she asked him curiously, her tail thumping the ground. "Do you have any skills you want to master... specifically?" she added, seeing he planned on knowing it all. 

"I'm a naturalist and and gamekeeper," she told him, her tail wagging a bit. "I study plants, and hunt small game and fish," she added, smiling curiously. Ilya looked towards the waterfall curiously, the pool of water beneath it half frozen. She sniffed curiously at the air before glancing back towards Ishi to hear of his talents and dreams.

The boy looked at his new friend interestedly as they continued to walk. A student of plants and hunter of small game — that suited her beautifully he reckoned. That sounds really nice, he replied honestly. It didn't sound hugely exciting, but Ishi respected that everyone had their own skills and delights.

I'd like to be a Scout, exploring far and wide, memorising every landmark, and finding out what people call them. That was without question. Between you and me, I have grander ambitions than that, he added with a twinkle in his eye, but they're secret.

The boy spoke of a scout trade, and Ilya was bitterly reminded of her encounter with Luke. She picked up her pace a little to distance herself somewhat from the boy, but if he caught up to her again she wouldn't run from him. It was now just an unconscious instinct, and she couldn't help it. She glanced to him curiously at his comment. "A secret?" she mused curiously, "We all have secrets," she then said, perhaps a little unaware, "Keep them as long as you want." Her tail wagged as the light-heartedness of the conversation made its way back to her thoughts. "I'd love to hear them one day, regardless," she told him, smiling at him playfully.

Ishi gave another roguish smile — his secret was very serious in many ways, but it was also the most awesome adventure ever and he had every intention of bringing his ambitions to life. Well really it was one big ambition. A great fate waiting to befall him. It would be amazing.

But in the meantime, he'd decided he'd best keep quiet about it, no matter how nice Ilya was.

Hey wait up, speedster! he laughed as she (perhaps subconsciously) nipped ahead again. Ishi gave a springy little bound and padded lightly at her side once more. They were both of a similar size, but Ilya seemed to be quite nifty of paw. Which was interesting, because she didn't seem to be a hasty sort.

omg i will never get over how adorable he is.

 

His comment made her realize that she had moved a bit faster, and she let out an embarrassed chuckle. She covered it up with a bit of humor, but felt bad she had become fearful of the male, even if she wasn't aware of it. "Keep up!" she teased playfully, her tail wagging as they went. She wasn't really sure where to show him next so she glanced to him curiously. 

"What would you like to see?" she asked with a flick of her ears.

:3 Ilya is adorbs also.

Ishi smiled happily at the dark girl's bright personality, and strode gracefully alongside her. For a second, it had almost been a race! But they weren't a couple of pups (despite being not too far off), so he decided not to initiate that when they didn't know each other super-well yet. Besides, he still had a tiny touch of seriousness left over from his meeting with the Alpha.

I'd like to see everything, he answered swiftly. But first I was wondering if, erm... please could you show me the best place to hunt a little something to eat? He was fresh out of being a lone wolf so was rather hungry, and who better to help him improve his hunting skills than a hunter?

<3

Ilya nodded to him, pausing and sniffing at the air. "Anywhere, really. The Hollow is a great place for food, I spent a lot of time hunting within our borders. Mostly small game though, if you don't mind?" she offered, her tail wagging. She glanced to the right of them and motioned with her head to follow her. If he were to take a sniff of the area himself, he'd find that there were a pair of rabbits not too far off. If they were lucky, perhaps they'd catch both. 

Oh small game is fine, I don't eat much, he replied chirpily. Didn't mean he wasn't hungry though — now that he had been reminded of food, he was feeling a slight pang. He was on it, though. Or rather, Ilya was. Hunting together was a sure sign of being back in a wolf pack, and it made him feel warm inside.

Rabbits! Ishi smelled them too. And he was about to say as much when he realised he probably should stay quiet at the moment. So he followed Ilya, his step soft and his ears alert. It was only natural that she fell into the position of lead hunter, so Ishi awaited her command.

"Me either!" Ilya repsonded brightly, glad to hear that the small wolf wouldn't require so much sustenance. Will Harlyn's pups she assumed that the alpha pair was trying to eat more- especially the Alphess to keep her milk strong. 

Then the pair fell silent and low, Ishi assuming that she was the leader. But she actually stopped and nodded him forward. She was by no means of the highest ranks, but she felt her opinion was appreciated and respected by her alphas and, ugh, Luke. She wanted to see what this male was capable, and if he had any leadership qualities as well. She smiled, showing she meant nothing rude by it, and waited to follow his command of the hunt. 

Ishi didn't normally enjoy hunting any more than the next person, but he really liked his new friend, and saw this activity as something more than just a quest for sustenance. It was teamwork, and that made it fun in its own way — especially if your team is as cool as Ilya.

He was slightly surprised that she hinted at a level of equality in their actions, but he accepted quietly and moved closer to the ground, slinking forward until he caught sight of one of the rabbits. It was small, clearly jarred out of hibernation for one reason or another, but — ah, there was the other! Together they'd make a great meal for the petite duo.

There was a tangle of heather and rocks up ahead, so if Ilya and Ishi tackled the rabbits from different directions and trapped them in the rocks then they'd be in with a chance of getting them both. He tried to communicate this to the female silently, biting his bottom lip with a smile as he nodded to her left and then to his right as if to say, "you go that way and I'll go this way.

He took lead without question, but he seemed a bit caught off guard. She liked that, he respected that he was of a lower rank. Of course lower ranks often led things if given the opportunity, it was used as a learning tactic as well as one that demonstrated skills; which he appeared to do. She nodded to him with a smile, taking her side and stalking low to the ground opposite of him. She waited for his go and then she would strike.

sorry my posts are so short! Here is my roll for Ilya's rabbit (: 1 catch 2 fail

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I don't mind short posts at all! And yay, I've never done a roll before. 1 catch, 2 fail:

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As naturally elegant as he was, Ishi wasn't necessarily a great hunter — his skillset was what one would expect from a wolf of his age. Still, he tried his best, and made his move as soon the rabbit he had his eye on headed for the rocks...

Ishi made his move and Ilya followed suit. She leapt quickly, grabbing it swiftly by it's neck. It let out a screech as usual, and feel limp in her jaws as they crushed it to death. She dropped it and sniffed curiously, not smelling anything out of the ordinary. She was beyond pleased she hadn't gotten scratched up this time, and even more excited she hadn't had to chase it around. She looked up from her kill to look at Ishi, curious if he'd made his own kill.

Just realised I assumed Ilya told him the name of Lost Creek Hollow when she hadn't! Is it okay for me to assume that she told him it as they walked away from the borders? :)

Although hunting with relative grace, Ishi went a tiny bit savage as he went in for the kill, realising just how hungry he was. The moment he ended its life with a sharp closing of his young jaws on its throat, he tasted its blood and began to chow down. Didn't realise how hungry I was, he said with an apologetic smile as he looked up and remembered Ilya was still there. Though maybe I should leave some for the Alpha... what was his name, sorry?

eep! I hadn't realized that no one had told him. Yeah it's perfectly fine. (:

By the time she looked up, Ishi had already devoted half the rabbit. She stared a bit in shock, at first, but then smiled at him. She understood being hungry, her first few weeks with the pack were spent with her ribs sticking out pretty far. She shrugged as he apologized, and nodded for him to continue to eat. She spoke while he did so. 

"Mordecai is our Alpha. His mate is Harlyn," she told him her tail holding still as she thought about more info. "Our packs Beta is Luke," she added reluctantly, trying to hide his bitterness towards him. She was enough distance away from Ishi and made no movement from him, however if she'd been closer she would've definitely moved away. "Mordecai and Harlyn have had a litter, but I have not had the pleasure of meeting them," She glanced curiously into the woods, trying to think if he needed to know more. "Ancalagon is our delta, followed by Root. Then you," she nosed to him. She was unaware of Jazz, the newest female in the pack, and therefore said nothing of her.

Thanks! <3

This was very nice — chowing down on a delicious meal (well, the rabbit was a bit bony given the season, but he was so hungry it felt gourmet) — while learning about the pack with his new friend. Mordecai was a big strong name for a big strong wolf, and Ishi committed all the other names to memory too: Harlyn, Luke, Ancalagon, Root, some random cute Alpha Pups. He was too busy eating to notice the tinge of resentment in Ilya's voice when she mentioned Luke.

Once he'd finished his mouthful (for he was no beast!), Ishi commented happily, I can't wait to meet them all. And explore everywhere. Is Lost Creek Hollow part of a bigger region, like the valley, or even bigger than that?

"We are part of the Rising Sun Valley," she explained to him, "Lost Hollow Creek is just a small portion of the territory, but the Valley hosts a whole lot of them," She shrugged a bit as she thought further on the subject. "For now, we are the only pack here. When I joined their was one that lived in Jade Fern Grove, I believe. They have long since left." She felt it was necessary for him to know such, although whether or not it was really important was up to him.

Feeling a bit of comfort leave her, she felt strange suddenly. Her feelings and memories flooded her randomly, and she was unable to decide how she felt with certainty for very long. She was back to a bit frightened, and with a cough to clear her throat, she dipped her head in goodbye. "I'm going off to my den to eat this, I'll see you soon, Ishi," she told him, although she wasn't sure if she'd seek him out or not. He seemed friendly and harmless enough- but so did Luke.

With that, Ilya took her rabbit and trotted quickly off through the forest, headed back towards her den to eat it.

last post for me!! look forward to another one after Ilya is found and healed up <3

Thanks v much for the thread, please tag me if ever you fancy another!

The boy was enjoying this immensely, tucking into a meal in his new pack with his new friend and a plethora of new information. He'd already started roughly mapping out the area in his mind.

But before he could ask any further questions about the beautiful Rising Sun Valley, Ilya started on what seemed to be a rather hasty retreat. Maybe she just... preferred to eat in private? That was fair enough, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He'd planned to ask her on a friend-date.

Oh — sure, of course. Thanks for the hunt! He watched her go a little sadly, but he was soon distracted once more by the food and the warm excitement of new adventures.