Phantom Hollow New direction

Ex-Moonlit Hills wolves preferred.

Mitanni felt lost as she sat outside of her den--what would soon become her old den--with her ears tucked and expression downcast. With the pack disbanding, separating and going their own way, there was nothing left for her here. She could technically stay, but what was the point when she wouldn't have anyone to watch her back?

She needed to begin moving around again. It was the only way she'd survived so long on her own before joining. Her brow furrowed. Probably would have been fine on my own all this time, she thought with some bitterness, rising to her feet and turning with a semi-agitated flick of her tail.

Despite her desire to storm off and away from the Phantom Hollow and all the memories it harbored, Mitanni found herself unable to do anything but walk and consider the life she'd lived here. Her ties with the pack might have tenuous all the way around, if she was being honest, but she did still feel like she was leaving something behind.

The little wolf sighed, irritated with her thoughts, but continued to walk, strolling through what was once the pack's meeting area, complete with log perch, with the intent of following the river out of the territory. There wasn't anything here for her anymore, but one last stroll through the main points wouldn't hurt.

Judas wanted to spend as long as he could here. This place, it was where he was safe. Out there in the world, every wolf that recognised him from another time was out to kill him. He had left many alive, and not on purpose. They would want him dead after what he did to them. And this place was the only place he felt like a wolf. Now it all fell apart.

He sought out the one who made this possible. The one who chnaged him. And he found her still in the territory. "Mitanni. Why are you still here?" he queried from a couple paces away, despite him still being here as well. But he might as well ask her before he said why he was still there himself.

She didn't get too far before her final stroll was interrupted, though the voice that spoke out to her didn't give her any added agitation. The little wolf slowed and stopped, turned, and set her amber gaze upon Judas from a crestfallen, dismal expression before falling away and staring off into the woods around her as she pondered his question.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest," Mitanni muttered, shifting a little where she stood. "Won't be staying though." And why should she? The pack was gone, and they were the only thing to keep her here in this one place. It was safer, she reminded herself, to keep moving.

Her shifting gaze panned back to Judas before looking away again, and because she wanted to know she turned the question back around on him. "Aren't you going to leave too?"

Judas' own gaze went off to the canopy of the trees, gazing off above to where leaves once were, and where they soon would be again. He sighed before having a go at a friendly smile. "It seems everyone has the same idea" he said, his smile going as he finished. "Everyone but me." He didn't want to leave, though.

"I can't see another opportunity as golden as this. I'd rather be alone here and dead to the outside world..It's dangerous out there for me...I don't belong" his head went low, as did his gaze and ears. "This was the only place that made me feel like I belonged somewhere."

She caught the smile Judas made from the corner of her eye, but even that little glance told her it wasn't entirely sincere. It fell away too quickly, though she couldn't by any means blame him. What happened to them was disappointing on every level, and Mitanni anticipated hearing that everyone else had already left. Surely they'd seen the situation much the same way that she did.

Except for Judas. He didn't sound very optimistic about what he would find once he left, as if the Moonlit Hills were about as good as it was going to get. His admission drew her gaze to him and fixed on him with a surprised look. He couldn't really believe all that, could he?

"It could be that way again," Mitanni told him, unable to see this as being the best way that things could be. They'd been abandoned after all. There had to be better places where that didn't happen. "You just have to find the right place." Her voice trailed off with her last statement, and the little wolf wasn't completely convicned of her own words. She'd been better off on her own. Maybe that was where she was destined to be.

But two other pack names did jump out at her, despite her reservations. She needed some time, however, before she would be ready to consider looking into either one. Distractedly, she shook her head, trying to hush those thoughts within her mind.

A sense of hope came. It was small, very small. But possibly enough to move Judas in the other direction. Maybe there was a place for him. But where? There was a chance he would go back ot his old ways. "What if I go back to my old self? You know what I am capable of doing." He couldn't do this. Not alone. Not without someone to keep him in check, and everyone he knew who could do that was gone. All except one.

She hadn't anticipated Judas' worry regarding the dark side of himself that seemed to be a separate entity that shared his psyche. Mitanni supposed she'd assumed it had grown quiet, having seen nothing about the tan-hued coywolf that seemed off or unsettling to suggest it was still there. Maybe she'd only been fooling herself with thoughts that he was safe now, that she didn't have anything to fear from him.

Without being consciously aware, she shifted on her paws again, and her expression grew nervous. "You think it'll come back? Take over?" she corrected, assuming now that it had never left. What kind of pack would welcome that into their midst? The thought was worrisome--it sounded like pack socialization was part of the cure to Judas' condition, but she wasn't sure the chances of him even getting there again.

She wanted very much to distance herself from his problems, to say his contentment and happiness weren't her responsibility, but of all the pack members she'd associated with Judas was possibly the one she knew the best, the good and the bad. "You don't want to be alone?" It was as much a question as it was a statement, an assumption Mitanni was making based off of what Judas had told her.

I thought I replied

He couldn't let him come out in full. He had been close to it with his last face-to-face with Issun, and look where that got him. And now the only two he thought could keep him in check through strength were gone. Only Mitanni remained, who had changed him. But would he stay that way?

He nodded to her question, staring back at her. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Not again." All the memories of what he had done had stuck by him, and normally he didn't look back. But he did now. All the faces full of fear, all the faces of those that escaped, filled with vengeance. 

"I can't..I don't want to be. But I won't force you to come with me if you don't want to." He looked away from her, secretly hoping she would come with him. He wasn't sure why he hoped that though.

She'd guessed, and Judas' nod confirmed what she'd been thinking. On his own, he was dangerous, upredictable and likely to resort to old ways if left unchecked. He needed someone there to watch him, keep him in line, make sure his mind stayed clear. Mitanni knew that, as much as she'd tried denying it to herself, but now she wasn't able to claim ignorance anymore.

Another plea for help. The little wolf kept her gaze averted as the tan-hued coywolf did the same, biting the inside of her lip as she thought. She'd done well enough on her own before, traveling as she wished without needing to answer to anyone. Nevermind that the region had still be vibrant and green at that time; would it really change that much for her as a lone wolf?

No matter how much she wished to argue with herself, it seemed that her mind was already made up. Mitanni still didn't meet Judas' eyes, but she addressed him as she spoke. "Did you have a plan in mind?" she asked, unsure how far ahead he'd been thinking since Moonlit Hills had fallen apart in their abandonment, "I've got a few ideas..."

The coywolf shook his head. He had some ideas, but none of them were safe for her. They meant going to find 'allies' that most likely wanted him dead or were already dead. Judas turned his eyes back to her as she spoke of some ideas. His eyes lit up in hope, tail wagging along despite the evil voice telling him that it was a trap or some other nonsense. "Go on."

Mitanni hadn't foreseen telling anyone of her plans--she hadn't guessed that anyone would want to know--and now that she'd broached the topic she found herself a little reluctant to go on. They were plans for her, not ideas that were meant for everyone. He needs this though, her conscience argued, I couldn't live knowing he'd gone back to how he was...

Strengthening her resolve on that thought alone, the mottled black and brown female released a quick, heavy breath and began to explain. "There's...two other packs I know about," Mitanni stated, "if they're still around. One's called Moonspear, the other is Rosings." She paused a beat, just to see if mentioning either would ring any bells for her friend. "I learned about Moonspear from a wolf who lived there, and I met the alpha of the other while Rosings was still forming."

Even as she spoke of them, her thoughts went dark, dreary, pessimistic. Would they be any different? Would they hold up, or would they crumble too like Moonlit had? "I'm not sure if joining another pack is the best idea though..." Mitanni muttered somberly, staring down. Why join another pack when there was the chance of being abandoned again?

Gonna ssume when he tried getting her a gift before, it was a failure since that thread never finished

Judas listened carefully as she named the ideas she had. Two packs. Moonspear, or Rosings. Neither rang a bell to him, but it was worth a shot. And as much as his coyote side hated it, he needed to get far from Lumar. Seeing her started to stir things inside him again. 

"Whatever the way is, I will follow. I still owe you a dinner for helping me" he said, holding a tight smirk. He still hadn't given her a gift. And he still planned and giving one. "And I'm not leaving you till I repay that debt." In fact, his debt he had to Malice, or what he believed to be, had not been fulfilled either. But there was not going back to that.

The little wolf expected, almost hoped, for some sort of feedback regarding the suggestions she'd made, but Judas only promised to accompany her. That was positive, she guessed, and even managed a little smile as he mentioned his debt to her, shaking her head. If he managed to make good on that debt considering the current circumstances, she'd be impressed.

Mitanni laughed despite her sour outlook, feeling a little brightness return to her even if it wasn't outwardly obvious. Maybe traveling together wouldn't be so bad. Maybe being in this horrible mess with someone else would make it just a little bit more bearable. Is that too much to hope for?

"Moonspear's closest," she remarked, "we could try there first." She wanted to feel good for having a plan, for knowing what they would do, but she wasn't quite there yet. Fears still clouded her mind. "Do...you don't think it'll happen again, do you?" Mitanni asked, her worry coming through in earnest for the first time.

Judas shared a laugh with her. Practically he had asked her out for dinner, but he didn't think on that. To him it was only a promise to keep. A promise. Just the like the promise half of him dropped, and half tried to keep.

But the cheerfulness subsided, and a sigh replaced it. "I don't know. I'm a walking disaster just waiting to happen." He gave a small smile to accompany his next words. "I'll try to keep it in, if that helps." He turned his head one direction, then the other. "So Moonspear. Which way is that...You remember, right?"

Mitanni laughed, genuinely if not also exasperatedly, and shook her head again in disbelief. That just summed him up perfectly, didn't it? "And I'm the crazy one traveling with a walking disaster," she remarked, "I'm not sure which of us is worse."

Afraid that statement might get an answer, she hastily wracked her brain for an answer as to which direction Moonspear resided in, but at the moment her mind failed her. "Uhhhh..." Her brow furrowed as she reflected back on her meeting with the little red-hued wolf, trying to remember specifics.

"West?" Was that right? "I think it's west of here," she stated, not feeling too confident. It was a start, at least, and she hoped it would be enough.

Judas made no remark to her statement, for she was quick with directions and he had no intention of interrupting. Or answering. He gave her an unsure look, mockingly of course but he didn't let it show as mocking. "You think? Gee, that gives me hope." He had a little smirk before quickly running in the direction he thought was west ahead of her. Which was in fact east.

Judas' teasing helped to further lighten the mood, and Mitanni chuckled again. This wasn't so bad. If they kept up this good humor, she could see nothing wrong with having a traveling companion from here on out. Hell, maybe if they were both really lucky, they wouldn't have to travel at all anymore once they reached the Moonspear pack.

Before she could mutter any sort of retort, however, the coywolf was gone, leaping away and darting off in the very opposite direction of west. Mitanni spun around to follow him, too stunned for the first couple seconds to get her words to work, until finally they formed. "Wait, stop! That's not the right way!" she yelled out, even bounding a few strides after him in preparation to follow in case he didn't stop.

Judas stopped and looked over his shoulder. Then looked in front of him. Then back again with a sheepish smile. "Whoops." He ducked his head, his cheeks feeling warm as he headed the way they were supposed to. He didn't like this feeling, but he knew what it was from seeing other experience it. Embarassment.

"Lead on, then" he said, stopping beside her and waiting for her to take the lead. "Put those magnificent tracking skills to work." He quickly paused at what he said. "Magnificent? An exaggeration, obviously. So why did I just say that?" He shrugged it off and followed along.

Mitanni had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing as Judas turned back to her sheepishly, obviously embarrassed by his mistake. She didn't want to cause him any further embarrassment by reacting to it, though she did smile with a wag of her tail as he joined her again, this time instructing her to lead the way.

Of course, his overstated remark about her tracking skills was still very much fair game, and she did laugh at that, quick and good-humored. "Hopefully between the two of us we can get there," she jested, grinning, and began to trot in a westerly direction, intent upon finding a path that would lead them to the Moonspear pack.