Lake Rodney Stepping into Another World

When Winter began closing for the opening of Spring. Kinra had passed her test thus was now able to call herself a full fledged Knight. Although she was very young back when she had first known Nishu, she decided to follow the same action he did. He had left the training grounds and started his very own mission instead of waiting to be hired. She was inspired to do the same after nearly two years of training. She had never forgotten him even though it's been a long time, She'll never forget what inspired her to go out there and make the world right.

Kinra felt very adventurous now that she was out in the wild, She enjoyed it. She didn't have to deal with teachers always watching her anymore. She was free to do as she please and free to do what she wants. Her first night when very well, just like in training. Catching something wasn't hard either so what made this and training different? She had no answer but it didn't bother her.

As she walked around looking at nearly every herb she comes across in order to identify them, She suddenly came face to a lake. She continued to analyze nearly every little detail. This was a nice place to study herbs, she could understand why some packs are close by. So far she avoided any sort of contact with other packs. She was a little unsure on how to deal with wolves who never trained to be Knights. What were they like she wondered.

She stepped into the lake only to jump back out. "Eeek!" The cold water caught her by surprise. She shook her paw for a moment before recovering her composure. For some reason she never expected the water to be so cold. So she decided she'll just walk around it instead of swimming through the lake. She walked with her head held up high as if she was important. All Knights must always stand tall and proud, anything else just wouldn't work right.

Sebastian trotted a bit away from Broken Antler Fen, to Lake Rodney to be specific. The male wanted to pick up his daily swim again. He had done this before when he had an injured shoulder. Swimming didn't put as much pressure on his then injured shoulder and it would make his muscled stronger. At the time the male was at the Caldera pack so Lake Rodney had been close. Now, the male wanted to settle his pack at Broken Antler Fen, which was on the other side of the lake. The male was still sporting his thick winter coat, which was slowly starting to shed by heavy amounts of fur that was being released. Still he knew these waters and he knew that when he would swim at a good pace he would stay warm.

The male paddled forward. He had always enjoyed water, which was probably why he felt so at home in the wetlands of Broken Antler Fen. Due to it being in those wetlands soon they would be surrounded by spring flowers and herbs. As a medic Sebastian couldn't wait to gather a new stash. Still, the male found that he didn't knew enough yet, he only knew some of the basics. Now he was starting to settle down he could focus on his skills again. His thoughts were taken from him when he heard someone cry out. He had been so in though that he now saw a wolf at the bank of the lake before him. Sebastian paddled on, before his paws reached footing. The male trotted out of the water, dripping wet, towards the female. "Are you okay?," he asked, sounding a bit worried, as he stopped before her.

She didn't pay much attention at the lake after she discovered it was too cold. She started an elegant walk along the bank since she felt the need to recover her Knightliness after that cold surprise. She only noticed a wolf as approaching her from the lake the moment he started getting out form it. Kinra wasn't too surprised. She almost wanted to ask if he was some sort of sea prince she heard stories about. But what were the real chances of meeting a legend? She simply decided not to reach any conclusion just yet.

Her heart skipped a beat when he asked if she was ok. It was nice of him to be concerned but wait, didn't that mean he heard her? How long was he in that cold water? She cleared her throat in order to be sure to speak properly. "I'm fine, thank you for your concern." She stood tall with her head high but her tail was just wagging casually. In fact she was excited to meet someone here that is likely not a Knight and had trouble hiding that feeling all the way.

Seeing him all wet was making her cold. He was soaking wet! Wasn't he cold? She tilted her head before asking her question. "Do you not feel cold?" She said as she shows concern for him instead. She wondered if she should tell him to start running or something so he could stay warm. When she was cold that was exactly what she does. She just goes out there and start burning. Exercising was something she really didn't mind, She actually enjoyed it a bit.

Sebastian watched over the female who said she was alright. He was not sure why she had been startled. Once his worry ebbed away Sebastian realized that this was actually a female and his mind struggled to process that. Then he realized that he had talked to many more females lately so he could totally do this. Sebastian was about to reply to her when he realized that he had been a bit cold but only because he hadn't shaken out his fur. He stepped a bit back to be followed by a good shake. He smiled a bit once he stopped. The female probably had not been safe for most of the spattered. "I'm sorry," he let out rather charmingly. If only the male realized he could be charming. "Now I am not cold anymore," he assured her. "I have been born in the North so ever since I was young I was used to cold water," he explained to her.

Sebastian quirked up his lips a bit, his tail wagging too, mirroring her. He was always pleased to meet new wolves that he could talk to. He might be immensely big and build like a tank, but the male rather did not want to fight. His pale eyes settled on her for a moment. "I am Sebastian," he introduced himself to her, leaving room for her to introduce herself too if she wanted that. "Are you traveling?," he asked, always finding it a nicer way to ask if someone belonged to a pack or not. Some were traveling for a pack, and some were traveling because they were a loner. Sebastian was a loner too, but he had hints of other wolves in his fur if he hadn't been swimming. Now he just smelled of the area.

It seemed like he just realized he was wet. At that moment she figured maybe he was used to cold water or something which was later confirmed. It was similar to what knights do to be more resistance in certain situations but she was one that didn't choose that sort of training. There was still a lingering idea that maybe he could be the prince of the sea but she continued to doubt it for now.

He stepped back to shake his coat, however water ended up flying towards her. She saw water droplets coming towards, by reflex she slightly turned her head to the side and closed the eye that was most exposed while the other watched him. The little moment reminded her of some fun times at a spring. She ended up giggling lightly as water landed onto her. "A little water is harmless." She said after he apologized.

Since Sebastien introduced himself and gave a little information she felt like doing the same in return. "I'm Lady Kinra, I recently became a full fledged Knight and decided to set out on my own instead of waiting to be hired. That should explain how I got here." She said in a friendly manner. "It's nice to meet you Sir Sebastien." She didn't realize that he may not be used to the Sir. Back at training everyone needed to treat others with respect and that's just what came here automatically.

Sebastian quirked up his lips a bit. "It is not very polite do so such a thing," he admitted, but now he knew that she wasn't too bothered by it, the male smiled a bit. Sebastian looked surprised when she introduced herself. He was not familiar with the term knight but it did sound very impressive. The young male blinked briefly. "A lady," he repeated. Almost sounding like she was of regal status. He was also a bit baffled that she called him sir. "Oh I am no sir," he assured her. "I'm just Sebastian," he spoke with a modest smile on his lips. Sebastian looked over her. Kinra. It was a beautiful name. Sebastian didn't want to come over as some kind of wuss so he lifted his head a bit and puffed out his chest.

"Well, Lady Kinra. I am starting a pack not too far from here," he spoke. "If you want you can have your home in a place I call Broken Antler Fen. I would be honored to have someone like you." He thought about how much he could learn from her, not only leadership-wise but maybe also in defense fighting. If he wanted his guardian speciality he would need to learn such a thing. Frankly she was also rather interesting to him, her upbringing sounded a bit like his and he liked to hear more about it, ask more about it too. The male felt like he could only ask such things if they were more acquainted.

A Knight had to be used to being formal and informal depending on the situation. She knows how important looks were which gives her the reasons to be proper and clean. Meanwhile she also enjoys being relaxed and carefree. In this case here she was a little bit of both. However it would have been a big deal if a lot more water did get onto her. Although it seems Kinra made a little mistake in calling him Sir. She kind forgotten she was out there where there was likely wolves who never trained as Knights. Since he said that the idea that he was a legendary sea prince faded away. Even if Sebastien may have the necessary elements for being a Knight that still didn't make him one.

She felt a bit embarrassed for her mistake, the only sign to could show it was that she looked away for a slight second. "I'm sorry, I'm still used to being with other Knights. Sebastien it is then." Said with a gentler tone than before.

He offered a place for her in his pack. Her decision was made very quickly. She felt honored that he would want her to join him but, "Again I'm sorry, I've been trained to be able to survive where ever I am. I don't need a home." She said gently. "A Knight should always go where they are needed so, I'll gladly help you if there is any problem." That was her purpose here, She didn't need a place to settle. Instead she was basically looking for trouble.

She continued to stand tall in front of him, her tail didn't wag as much as it did before. Her attention remained on him though. To her experience she didn't really know what normal wolves do. Obviously not everyone could be a Knight so what do they do instead? How exactly did they live out there? She considered following him just to see but her duty as a Knight always comes first.

Sebastian shook his head lightly when she apologized. "Please don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. It just does not feel right for me to be called by some title I did not earn," he explained. Sebastian was quite modest about such things. He wondered if being an alpha would change that. He would need to take the leadership role and he might not be able to stay friendly. He would all have to find that out. Maybe it would make him more mature like this female before him.

He shook his head once again. "It is alright. You are just rather interesting to me and how you have been brought up. I thought that it could be something I could learn from. I never met someone like you," he spoke in all honesty. He lived without a home for awhile too, but he was starting to miss it. Maybe because he could survive on his own that would make him a knight, perhaps? He was not going to press on it further. "I understand. You should stay true to your cause like a true knight," he spoke to her with a firm nod, followed by a rather sweet smile. Sebastian would not lie to have her in his pack. He would have no claim to keep her there seeing they had no fights (luckily) with other packs.

The male before her was clearly modest. Personally she was alright with adding Sir to his name. She felt that Sebastien did deserve a title somewhere. He was a grown so didn't that mean he's done something over his puppyhood. It may not be training to be a Knight but surely there was something else. That thought only fueled her curiosity even more. She really wanted to know more about him. Her duty did come first but currently she hasn't spotted any sort of problem yet. So, maybe, It was possible to tag along, just for a little while.

She was flattered to hear him take interest in her. She managed to pull out a little plan that could work both ways and decided maybe it was worth a shot. "Well, so far I haven't found any problems so I suppose it would be alright if I stayed around for a little while." She said as if she was trying to convince herself that it was fine to stay. Every Knight would know that there are always problems around but that didn't mean she needed to flip every stone to find it.

She could join a pack but the only way to do that was to swear her loyalty to a leader and have a set objective. Once that grand objective was completed she would have to either renew with a new goal or move on to the next area where there were problems.

"I mean, if there is something you wish to learn I could grant it. I am currently not in service to anyone." It could be obvious she had some interested in him somewhere. He did seem kind and well raised but he wasn't a Knight. He made it a little difficult for her to imagine that there were wolves with bad intentions out there. But that was no where enough to bring her guard down. She was still standing proudly and was so ever watchful over Sebastien. She trust in his kindness allowing her to feel calm and relaxed and just very curious.

Sebastian had been kind of bummed out by the fact that she could not join him. Yet he wouldn't show that to her. She had her duties and he would feel even more guilty if she would stay with him not keeping to her knightly vows or sow thing like that. However she did change her opinion. He was not sure if it had been the disappointment that had seeped through or because he had told het she was interesting.

"Well, I actually started this pack because I wanted a peaceful life. A family. So for you as a knight ... Well.. I hope that I don't need your help. Because that would mean there would be fighting or a war," he explained thoughtfully to the female he had taken interest in. "However if you can stay or want to be in my pack to teach me more defensive fighting I would let you be in my pack. I wouldn't want you to stay and not stay true to your words you see." Sebastian have her a sweet smile.

Sebastien was going start a peaceful pack? a family? Did he have a mate somewhere? Kinra wasn't able to pick up scents from other wolves from him. Perhaps she misunderstood the concept, maybe he was trying to band together a group of wolves he could trust instead. That did confirm that Sebastien was trying to be a leader. Any pack or just any group always needed a leader. The next question to cross her mind was if Sebastien was truly capable of such responsibly. She was taught what a leader is and is even likely able to be one if necessary but that is not what a Knight is meant for.

She looked at him with a cute little smile as he speaks about what Knights are for. She wanted to lightly hit him on the head but resisted the urge in doing so. "What makes you say Knights are only warriors hmm? We may be all trained to fight properly but each Knight specializes based on their talents. Also a Knight doesn't just go fight for someone, We are always suppose to do what is right." She said with a voice not so friendly as before. She was being a little serious about the subject. She wanted to be sure he didn't misunderstand the purpose of a Knight.

She stepped closer to him as if she needed a closer look. She wanted to make sure he understands or else she was just going to have to explain to him again and again. It may be true that Knights in battle do get the most attention but that didn't mean Knights couldn't do anything else.

Sebastian looked at her with a startled expression when she spoke to him that he was wrong about being a knight. The male had not been familiar with the term and had just assumed really. She stepped closer and Sebatian wanted to step away so badly. But he stood there as she smiled. He dipped his chin a bit. "I am not familiar with the term knight. I just assumed... Which is not good.. I know," he blushed lightly looking at her with an apologetic look on his face.

Sebatian licked his lips and then inhaled softly. Her scent coming more strongly into his nose seeing that she was closer. "What is your specialty? If I may ask?" Now he male was curious on what she saw that was her job or for her to explain better way being a knight was. Maybe it was just behaving in a certain way. Who knows! Sebatian was eager to learn.

I realize I've been misspelling Sebastian lol I got a bro named Sebastien! I better pay attention!

Kinra nodded in approval. She was glad that he saw his own mistake other wise she would have made him see it. It was never good to jump to conclusions. What if she had believed he was the legendary sea prince just because he stepped out of a lake? It was always better to dig little and doing that in her opinion saved her many times from making wrong assumptions. She decided it was the best time to advise him. "You should always do a little search if you are unsure, or you might get into to trouble one day." She said as moved her paw to poke his nose right before stepping back a bit to give some space.

She found it normal for him to ask about her specialty after that little talk. She hesitated for a slight moment. She wondered if it really was okay to just tell someone what her focus was. Strategically it wasn't wise but she did want to show off what granted her the title of a Knight. She decided to trust him a little, it's not like he was going to use this against her, He did say he wanted a peaceful pack. "Master survivalist." She answered and then explained. "I'm trained to be able to find prey either to watch or catch them as well as being able to find herbs, helpful or dangerous."

She did spot some feverfew growing not far from here but it wasn't ready to be picked or used. But if she ever needed some later she could always go look where she last saw them. She ended up getting a little distracted and nearly forgot to return the question. "What about you? Would swimming have something to do with your job?" She was curious about him and did want to know why he was in the lake in the first place.

In other words Hunter-tracker and Naturalist-botanist and toxicologist. I decided to call the whole thing Survivalist but those are the trades and specialty I'm aiming to get with her

Not to worry! I though you were writing it the old fashioned way seeing it would fit her character lol! :D

Sebastian thought about her advise but he was a bit confused by it. Seeing that this girl was the only one he ever met that talked about being a knight. How could he have done more research? Who would he ask about such things other than her. Now he knew that he could ask her things so his research about wolves being knight would begin. Sebastian just to let it go. He would let her 'win' this seeing that he made de mistake of assuming. It was not his intention to do so. The conversation continued seeing that she replied to his question what she specialized it. To Sebastian it sounded extremely interesting. Master survivalist. It was indeed what she had spoken about, the fact that she did not need a pack to survive. Such a pity, Sebastian would have liked her around.

"Oooo. Herbs? If you stay in the area could you teach or show me some herbs that can use for being a medic?," he asked her. It was not just a lame excuse to see her again, but it was more so him being more than willing to learn more about herbs and what flowers/plants to use for the medical branch. Maybe she could point out a few to him. She answered him a question now. Sebastian smiled a bit. "Well, I am a caregiver now, but I want to specialize into being a medic. I also am a mercenary, mostly focused on being a guardian, but I might change that to becoming a hunter. Not sure yet. The reason I love swimming is because I learned to fish when I was younger and, I especially love this lake seeing that it helped me recover from an injury," he spoke to her. "I was injured pretty badly in a fight, my shoulder was a mess, and by swimming I could strengthen that shoulder after the wounds were healed. I always loved water."

She listened and wondered if she could really teach him. Personally she didn't mind at all but teaching something would take time. She couldn't really say she had free time even though she wasn't in service. Her priority should be finding a needy leader who requires a Knight with her skill set. Once she finds one someone and she is nearby with some free time she would be able to teach him without any problem at all. Her sense of duty was stronger than her curiosity.

"I wouldn't mind teaching you, but I should first find a leader that would need me around. If the goal that was set takes time then that will mean I have free time to teach you if I'm around." She didn't consider current situation to be free time. Most Knights would say that she was wasting time.

Her first guess about Sebastian was actually right. She did want to say she thought that he may be a fisher but she decided to just smile to herself. She found his story to be interesting but it also made her want to ask many different question. She ended up just agreeing that swimming is a good way to strengthen the body. "Yes, swimming is good but I only enjoy it during the summer. I mainly swim for exercise, otherwise it's just for fun." She would enjoy it all the time if the water just didn't get cold.

"So you want to be a caretaker and a hunter? I could teach the basics in caretaking, as for hunting you can ask me about anything. Well only if I have real free time. Duty comes first!" Then she started looking around, wondering which direction she may have to go next. Afterwards she looks back at Sebastian. "Know any leaders who may need me?" She asked. She did think of asking him if he had a goal to complete but for some reason she felt that everything was fine on his side.

Sebastian listened to her for a moment. And slowly he was getting an idea when she asked if there were any leaders that needed her help. The large male quirked up his lips a bit. "Well, I am a leader that needs help. I am setting up my own pack after all. I have the basics of care taking and guarding a piece of land. But my members do not have any skills yet. You could be there to help them out and guide them," he offered to her. First he was too modest thinking how he didn't need a warrior yet, but now she specified that being a knight was not only fighting.

Sebastian looked at her with a hopeful expression. He hoped she would at least consider. "What I know of the caldera pack is that they don't need a knight they have the whole upper ranks filled with very capable wolves. Then there is the pack of my.... father west from here. You don't want to go there. They are horrible. They are crazy, manipulative and don't mind to kill," he explained to her. "I don't know many other packs other than that," he added. His tone genuine. Sebastian was not the type to lie about those packs not needing a knight.... Although he did just state that his father's pack was manipulative. "You can see for yourself but I would not lie to you."

The more he explained about his situation and of the packs out there, the more she felt a pull to help him out. She knew hopefully well she doesn't have the power to eliminates threats on her own. If those wolves he talked about have strayed too far from the righteous path then having to take them out might be the only solution. She thought about rounding up the Knights but they were too far from here. She left on her own therefore she might take responsibly on her own. If what Sebastian says is true then the right course of action would be for her to help him.

Kinra wasn't please to hear that there were possible enemies in these lands. Her friendly expressions were converted to a more serious one. She carefully looked around the lake, catching nothing of interest. "I guess it's true that the further you travel from the training fields the more likely you'll find dangerous packs."

She returned to looking at the large male. "Well, I didn't think I would find a job so soon. But before I make a vow to serve you, I insist that I first scout the surrounding territories. I would need to know what is out there before I can effectively fulfill my duty." She paused for a moment before she intimidatingly approached him. "Lie or not I'll have to find you later." Then she pulled back and started playing the cheerful wolf with a smile. "You have nothing to worry about if everything you say is true! I best be on my may, Time will likely not be in our favor."

She gave him a small bow and then waited for a few moments before deciding to take her leave in a prideful dominate manner.

Got to make an excuse because I started a thread with a Lady Elisabeth, otherwise she would have joined without hesitation :P

Haha alright. Too bad though, I really enjoyed this thread! I'm sure they will meet again!

Sebastian wanted to protest that Redhawk Caldera wasn't a dangerous pack, but if someone came too close they were vicious too, basically like most packs. Sebastian decided to just let it go. He just hoped that she would not go nose around Dark Brotherhood and drop his name. Then he might be assassinated himself. Sebastian swallowed thickly at that idea. His tails tarted wagging when she spoke about not finding a job so soon but then came the rejection. Sebastian's tail instantly stopped. He nodded slowly. "Of course," he spoke quietly. "Well you are always welcome. Broken Antler Fen I call it. It is close to this lake," he explained to her if she ever wanted to return and help him.

Then she stepped forward. Sebastian frowned his brow, unsure what she was going to do. She then tried to threaten him. Sebastian had lived in his father's pack and those wolves were rather scarier. The boy bared his teeth a bit. "I am many things but I am not a liar," he spoke on a serious tone. He returned a nod in goodbye. Sebastian had rather enjoyed this conversation. It saddened him that it had ended. But he decided that he should probably return to Broken Antler Fen. He did look after her as she left. Such an interesting female. Maybe he would see her again one day.

- end-