Stone Circle Rise With The Sun

Set to tomorrow morning! @Chaska but anyone else is still welcome

No matter how tired the little flower was in the days following, she always rose at the first hint of light, with the morning calls of the birds. How, she didn't know - the girl was a fairly heavy sleeper - but she had discovered a new, beautiful thing this way. The sunrise - though she didn't know the real word for it - was the best thing she'd ever seen! All sorts of colors she'd never before seen, streaking the sky and filling the little girl with such elation that it brought a rare coo from her each time she saw it. No two were ever the same, either - each day brought new variations of the colors. It was something she'd been barred from seeing in the thick, foggy woods she'd been born in. 

Luckily for her frail-hearted mother, Witchhazel never went further than a foot or two from the entrance - and at the slighest of noises, she would stop and go back to sitting between the roots until she was sure she was again alone. Today found her sprawled close enough that her cardinal tail dipped into the den itself, pawing gently at the drops of dew before her as she watched the sun slowly awaken. She was cold in the morning air, but she did not share in Keoni's fear of it - not that she liked it, but the chill didn't yet send her back to her mothers belly.

Chaska went for a stroll, exploring the new area they had come upon. East Hollow. A new name to be behind. He recalled seeing one new member having been with them at the claim. But upon his stroll, he found another he did not recall. A pup, and it wasn't Adeline. 

He stopped short. "Hey there" he said from a distance as he stepped into their view, or at least tried. He had no idea what their attention was like, so they could completely miss him or go running at his sudden appearance.

As far as Witch knew, the only wolves here were her broken little family and the dark man that'd visited her mother the other night. When the pale grey form of another showed itself, her little face contorted in confusion. Her first instinct was to think of her mother - but her mother was in the den behind her, and the form of this wolf was far from the slimness of her mother - and worsely scarred. Her bright blue eyes narrowed, steeling against the stranger as she pulled herself into a tense sit.

Chaska chuckled lightly at the narrowed look he earned. He lowered himself to the ground, putting his chin on both paws outstretched in front of him. He said nothing, and only watched the pup to see if it did anything. He had no idea it's mother was in the den behind it.

Blinking a few times in succession, she was surprised to see this stranger do the same that Steady had done upon meeting Keoni - Witch recognized this as a sign of him being friendly, safe, and while she did not trust him right away, she was okay with standing and taking a step forward. Her nose worked furiously, inhaling his scent and committing it to memory of people she knew - whether or not it was one to avoid or not, she didn't yet know.

The pup seemed to relax, as they stood up. That was a good sign that Chaska was appearing friendly. He wondered if Adeline had met this pup yet. Chaska smiled lightly. "What's your name? Can you talk? My name is Chaska." He listened, tipping his head to the left a bit.

Her eyes snapped open, something was missing. Two of her children were tucked close, but Hazel was gone. She panicked a moment in a state between sleep and wakefulness, until she spied her daughter at the mouth of the den, a stranger's scent near. Her hackles rose a moment before she carefully lowered them, distangling herself from the clump of children and moving behind Hazel, peering at the other.

She caught the last of his words, and looking upon him with a careful gaze, said "Her name is Hazel. Witchhazel. She can not speak, yet, but it is a pleasure to meet you, Chaska." though her eyes were still wary, wary of this stranger so near to her densite, and her stance radiated caution as opposed to her tone.

Chaska's words fall uselessly on Witch, but she is lured by the kindness in his voice and the innocence of his eyes - she takes only another step forward before twisting her head around at the sound of mother. The grey woman does not seem as happy as she had before with Steady, and this sets Hazel back into a sit - but she does not back up, either. Cooing gently at her mother as if to tell her she was okay, she again turns her blue eyes on Chaska. She sniffs again, but glances back to Althaia with a curious, questioning glance. Was this man okay to be around? Could she approach, check him out?

Chaska's ears perked up, eyes alert and straight on the mother. He immediately stood up, bowing his head gently. "A pleasure to meet you as well. She is yours?" he asked, glancing over at the pup. They both were new, or so he assumed. "What may be your name?"

He is respectful, kind, and she relents. She smiles, a soft small grin tuging at the corner of her maw. "She is. Among others." she said with mirth, gesturing behind her. Hazel, oddly enough, seemed to like this Chaska, and she nodded at her, nudging her gently and telling her it was alright. "Althaia. I'v been here for but a short while." she admitted.

Chaska rises, and though she sher pelt fluffs out momentarily, her mothers acceptance was enough to let her stand again and step forward. She came no closer, sure to keep more distance from him than her mother, but sniffed towards him. Maybe it was the grey pelt that reminded her so much of Althaia, but she didn't mind this man too much. This didn't mean she wanted him close - not yet at least - but she would not be mean to him.

Chaska listened attentively. So Hazel was one omong others. And since he could not see the others, he assumed they were inside. Or elsewhere. Though he had to wonder. "Where is the father?" He could smell no other wolf nearby, except for these two.

He knelt down again to Hazel's level. "Does she like stories? I enjoy telling them, and the young are the best listeners."

"Gone"
Her tone was dead, monotonous. But her demeaned did not change and she did not dwell on it. No more crying, she had dried up all her tears. At his mention of a story, she nodded with a small smile, sitting back and allowing him to continue. She might not understand, but the new words would be good for her.

Witch stretches out to sniff towards him, but she still refuses to get any closer. When he bows again, the creamy pup looks over her shoulder to her mother, again - if she still seems to be okay with this, maybe the flower woud dare to come a little closer. To see her sit back and smile, well, it was enough to bring a smile to Witchhazel's own tiny, pudgy face. Cooing softly to her guardian, the russet sided girl turns and takes a much more confident couple of steps closer: close enough that when she stretches out, their noses touch and a grin lights up her face.

Chaska assumed she meant dead, and by her tone that she had gotten over that. "I am sorry to hear that." He said no more, worrying he would open up old wounds, and put all attention on the little pup that came closer. He let it touch his nose, a little tickle, and a light smile came up on his face.

"Quite brave, isn't she?" He wondered for a second if his scars had been something that scared the pup before from approaching. He had many, and was not proud of a single one.