Phoenix Maplewood Grace, beauty, and other girly synonyms.

@Grace

Lunar was on the search for herbs, burying herself in her work in an effort to block out the pack drama. Regardless of what Reek had done it didn't effect her. He was her Alpha or had been, no more no less. She had made him a promise for his children, he loved them of that no one could deny. 

She had yet to meet the new recruit and honestly felt sorry for the poor sap who had gotten sucked in during this mess. She shook her head as if to shake off her worries for the pack and its future, and pushed it from her mind. 

With a determined look on her face she continued on, lost in thought as she searched absent mindedly for herbs.

Lean, but obviously young and nearly developed muscles rippled under the short and soft russet fur of Grace. The yearling was limping heavily along at her own relaxed pace, not bothering to hide her bad leg with seemingly nobody around. Though she listened carefully to her surroundings, Grace was taking time to enjoy her alone time; who knows when she would get it next. She realized soon after arriving that she'd had a somewhat bad timing, seeing as the male alpha was just exiled by his pregnant mate for cheating on her. Uh oh. It was none of her business, so she tried to stay out of it as best she could.

She nearly walked right past the young red and black she wolf. She was more russet only looking red and black up close like this. When she realized how close she was to another wolf she yelped in surprise. She calmed soon, realizing this was the newest member.

"Oh, hello." She was never one to enforce her dominance on lower wolves, especially since she had been low rank most of her life. It was odd being dominant but she could be if you were an ass to her just because she was friendly. 

She noticed that the she wolf had a bad leg, worse than her own limp. She glanced down at the large faded greyish scar on her foreleg. It made her limp slightly but she was still surprisingly agile. She didn't judge this other she wolf for her own troubles and felt more at home with another like herself in the pack.

Grace jumped slightly when she noticed the other female, but stayed quiet until the new female yelped. Feeling bad, having thought the female had noticed her, the black faded yearling back up a few steps in nervousness. However, once the new female had gotten over her surprise, Grace noted her lack of dominance or aggression and relaxed slightly. Even if she was convinced that everything under the sky was out to harm her, she knew she had to give this pack a good attempt at fitting in. So, taking a tone that she hoped was friendly, Grace responded softly. "Hello. I-I'm sorry for startling you." She didnt know what else to say, anxiety gripping her again. "M-My name is Grace. I'm new to the Phoenix pack." She made no move to hide her leg, even if she was uncomfortable with Lunar's looks. However, knowing that the she-wolf had a slight limp made her a little better with it: surely a wolf with leg problems of her own wouoldn't be harsh on her?

Grace reminded Lunar of herself when she had just been admitted to the pack. Skittish, anxious. She had come out of her shell quite a bit since then but she remembered the anxiety of the earlier days, of not finding a home, that everyone might hurt her.

She would have to be patient with this one. She smiled kindly,"My name is Lunar Eclipse. Most just call me Luna though." She shrugged a bit. Thruthfully she didn't like using her full name as it reminded her of what she had left behind in her natal pack.

"It's nice to meet you. Do you like the Maplewood?" She made a concious effort to keep the conversation going in a hope to keep the female talking, make her feel at home.

Shifting from paw to paw every couple of moments, Grace reluctantly tried to open up as best she could.
                   "I love it here so far, its comfortable and homey. I'd ask you the same thing, but you must like it if you've stayed here."
The russet and black female looked over Luna's small, lean frame, but not in a bad way. Grace was, in truth, studying her: but she didnt realize that some might consider such things rude or awkward. The poor girl didnt know how to socialize or act like a proper wolf could, and she knew it when she saw the way others looked at her from things she did. However, since she didnt know what she was doing wrong, she had no way of fixing her behavior. She couldn't get close enough to anyone who could teach her without the social skills.

Ignoring the slight awkward tension, made worse when the female just stared at her, she responded politely. "Yeah, I do like it here. It's great." She sat in an inviting motion, prepared to get to know this she wolf.

"So do you have a trade?" It was a question she asked most, it was good for breaking the ice. If the female had similar interests perhaps they could be colleagues.

Grace followed the arctic females lead, sitting down on her right haunch to let her left hind leg sprawl comfortably. 
            "I think I'm a pretty good hunter, even considering a bit of a bum leg. I met a lone elder who taught me how to hunt despite it, told me to go and join a pack. She pointed me in this direction, but she didn't have a distinctive scent on her like she was of a pack."
She glanced down at the limb, severely scarred and slightly morphed up of where it should be on a "normal" wolf.
                 "But my main trade would be healer. I prefer to mend rather than hurt, even if I am good at hunting." 
It felt... Well, good, to open up for once. She figured, being in a pack, she would learn to be able to do such a thing with at least someone; perhaps if this wolf was like her, or at least could respect her, maybe they would make a bond."

Lunar was a good listener, sensing that it wasn't often that the timid female opened up to others. She nodded where appropriate with a curious expression on her face. When she heard of the girl's trades, or the ones she was aspiring for, she nearly wriggled with happiness.

"Those are both the trades I'm trying to earn," she confided with a happy grin. The two were more alike than she would have thought. "My friends Esaro and Spring are both healers as well, or well learning to be. Reek, our old Alpha, was but he's not around anymore." She felt a small tinge of sadness at the thought of Reek. They hadn't been close but she had looked up to him.

The russet yearling smiled softly, genuinely, and her tail tip wiggled slightly. Other than that, her body language stayed relaxed, but neutral. When she spoke of Spring, the faded black female tipped her head and blinked slowly. "I met Spring earlier, but I don't know Esaro. And Reek left the morning after my arrival, I'd never even had a conversation with him." She liked that she was very alike to this female, but still wasn't too sure. Finally, she asked an inevitable question to keep the meeting going and interesting. "What was your past like, if you dont mind my asking?" She wasn't yet willing to share her's, still wary of the she-wolf.

The small arctic wolf blinked in surprise. No one had asked her that, Spring knew a little about it but no one had ever asked her about her childhood or the horrors it contained. It was a long story but she decided to keep it as short as possible and let the girl ask questions later.

"I was born far to the north of here in a barbaric pack that does not take differences or weaknesses very well. The strong follow the strong." It was a saying often used around her pack. "Runts of litters were to be killed no questions asked. I was one such runt but I was spared with the help of my mother. I was lowered to omega and basically became the pack's punching bag. After my mother died and my older brother left I ran away. My father had planned to marry me off to a cruel man so I never looked back."

Grace's golden eyes seemed to warm a bit towards Luna, and she smiled sadly.
        "I wasn't living in a pack, but all my older brothers beat on me and my mom. Our dad taught them that females were around for breeding sons, no less. When my mother stepped in to save me one day, they injured her so bad she died. I tried running away, and they did this to my leg. They left me for dead, but an old loner saved me."
When appropriate, the russet and black she-wolf nudged her leg and grumbled bitterly, though not at Luna.

She smiled sorrowfully at the small female. "I'm sorry you went through that. You and I are more alike than one would think, it appears. Its is a bit comforting to have someone else with a similar experience around," she confided honestly. She hoped the two could become good friends, maybe she could help Grace see that life isn't so bad away from your tormentors.

The scar on her leg was large and hairless but surprisingly no one had said anything about it nor her limp. She doubted anyone would bother Grace about her lame leg.

Grace's smile widened slightly and the russet female felt herself trust Luna a little more. This female knew what she'd gone through, they had a mutual past; at least sort of. This is something they could bond over, something to make a friendship out of, maybe even a reason to trust each other. Even if Grace wasnt socialized properly, instincts kicked in eventually; she felt like she could trust Luna. 
         "It is nice knowing I'm not alone."

fade out?

With no words left to say Lunar only nodded. She sat comfortably in the silence for a moment before realizing that she had been looking for herbs. "Oh, I must go. I was searching for herbs."

She stood to leave, stretching somewhat felinely. "You're welcome to join me," she offered as she strode off slowly, mind focused once more on her task.