Heron Lake Plateau young, violent, half-mad

The risen voices dwindled behind her as she peeled away from the group, spooked more by the abrupt snapping of Towhee's loud voice and body  language than the rest of the chaos that she'd left behind. For someone so intent on being small, she wasn't actually as diminutive once she got moving; her strides were long and her body nimble and light, enabling her to fly across the plateau until she was out of earshot of the other wolves. When she finally stopped Camilla found herself surrounded by marshy earth and tall grass unblemished by snow, and collapsed in to it, her heart thundering inside of her.

Sequoia had been... well, she actually couldn't remember what she'd been on about. But the sounds of scampering followed by a "flomp" caught her attention, and soon she was curiously headed toward the source of the noises. If anything was going on with the rest of the pack, she was blissfully unaware. The sound led her to a wolf, seemingly distressed, laying in the grass.

Um, are you ok? she asked, taking a cautious step toward the other Redhawk wolf. She wasn't familiar with this particular one, but since she was pack, she was family.

She was gasping for air, panting hard, and waiting for her pulse to decrease but it didn't seem likely right now. She couldn't relax and was left to hunker awkwardly in the grass, hoping that she could get a handle on herself and reach a state of composure that made her feel less crazy.

Then, there was suddenly someone with her. Camilla's ears were filled with the sound of her own heartbeat so she missed the stranger's approach until she was practically right there, and when she noticed the patchwork girl she was startled. Her eyes went wide and, pushing her forelimbs against the earth, Camilla got to her feet and tumbled backwards.

No, she wasn't okay. And being set upon by a stranger didn't help the moment at all.

The other wolf started, and Sequoia stumbled back at the same time, wide-eyed and probably looking a lot like Camilla did much of the time for a split second. Sorry! she apologized, I didn't mean to scare you! Sequoia was half-frightened herself now, feeding off the emotions of the other wolf. She smelled the air, trying to figure out what color this wolf was. Sequoia's brain settled on a mellow purple, which she honestly thought was pretty ironic, given the girl's erratic nature.

Can I try again? My name is Sequoia, she offered up, hoping this might settle the other female's nerves a bit.

If she remembered to breathe a little more regularly then she would be fine, or so she told herself; and as the panic wore away she was left with the pounding of her heart in her ears, which gradually lessened, until she could make out the other girl's fretful attempts to fix the introduction.

She heard her name — Sequoia, which was pretty and evoked an image of the old forests where Camilla had been born — and the pale woman nodded hastily to confirm that she'd heard them. She found her voice in the next moment, murmuring softly: I'm Camilla, I'm... sorry, everyone was... was yelling.

Camilla was a pretty name! If Sequoia knew that she thought the same about her own name, she would have blushed. Yelling? she inquired, not sure who Camilla was talking about. Sequoia tried to remember if she'd ever heard anybody yell at anybody. She wouldn't have been surprised to hear that Dacio and Opalia were yelling about her departure in some way or another. The other members of Drageda were probably yelling, too. There was a thought to think about!

What were they yelling about? she asked. Even though she wasn't super close to any of the Redhawks, sans Wildfire and Kiwi, she figured she should probably know what was going on if she wanted to be an ambassador for them.

It occurred to her that she'd put quite a lot of distance between the shouting match and herself, which was a comforting thought, but left the rest of the pack out of the loop. It didn't seem like that was an issue to those involved; if they'd wanted something brought to the entire pack's attention then they'd call a meeting rather than have it out privately, right? Camilla didn't know how packs worked really; she was used to being in a subservient position and never asking questions, and would leave it at that.

Still, her new friend showed some interest. Her question caused Camilla's flat ears to raise enough to show she was paying attention, but otherwise she remained locked up tight in her agitated body language. The girl swallowed a lump and said, I.. don't know, I was there because I saw Phox... and that brought an image of Towhee's glare to her mind and she felt briefly tongue-tied.

His sister, Towhee... Told me to leave. Maybe she should. Nobody liked her here except for Phox (then again, nobody knew her that well, including Phox), and it wasn't like he had any say in the matter when push came to shove — it was clearly up to the more aggressive Towhee at this point, who she had failed repeatedly to impress. The sadness was heavy in her voice as she explained, Towhee... doesn't like me.

Phox. That was a name she knew. Phox Redhawk was Wildfire's younger brother. Seq knew him, but not well. They had chatted briefly about their names and interests, but he had seemed preoccupied by other things, so Seq had excused herself to find Kiwi shortly after they'd met. He didn't seem all that interested in hanging out with kids, so Seq had avoided him for the most part since then. Or maybe she just hadn't sought him out. Either way, they weren't best buds or anything, just acquaintences.

Their sister is my mentor, Seq said. Maybe she could help put in a good word for you? Wilfire is her name. She's super nice. Sequoia would certainly do the same. All the pack is supposed to like each other and help each other out, she added. What was a pack if they weren't unified?

This was the first time in a long while that she'd found someone nice, someone willing to help her out. Phox had been the first and Camilla locked on to that for dear life, using him like a raft while she dealt with her trauma (albeit poorly), and now she seemed to have made a friend out of this girl. She needed someone in her corner — and found an appreciative smile spreading across her face when Sequoia offered to help.

That was sweet of her. Probably ineffective, judging from how much she knew of Towhee and her dislike of her, but welcome all the same. Um, thanks, Camilla replied, then countered, But, um.. I don't know if that will h-help.

Sequoia mentioned what a pack was supposed to be like, and she listened, but couldn't help the expression of confusion that flit across her face. It sounded idealized, and utterly wrong from Camilla's point of view. A nice fantasy - and one she would not take from a child - but certainly not what every pack was like. She would not tell her of the haunting things Camilla had been put through; nobody needed that darkening their dreams.

Camilla's expression to her statement about what a pack should be like was utter confusion. Can't hurt to try! she said. Of course, it certainly could hurt if Towhee thought Camilla couldn't make a case for herself, but Sequoia didn't know that. She thought everybody would be just fine if they would just be nice to one another. Fighting was for wolves outside the pack, not for those within. It appeared as thought they had two very different outlooks on life.

Sequoia paused for a couple of beats, then shot off one of those generic "getting to know you" questions she loved so very much (no sarcasm). What do you like to do for fun? I like scouting, and I'm gonna be an ambassador one day. Something told her that Camilla probably didn't like being out in the open on her own like that, judging by the past few minutes and her inability to handle stressful situations.

This girl was the complete opposite to jittery, nervous, easily-spooked and grim-hearted Camilla; she seemed to almost bubble over with good cheer and positivity, which was a lot to take in when you weren't used to it. Camilla didn't have as high a hope as Sequoia about things — but her mind switched trajectory when the girl began to babble about her skills and aspirations - and fun.

I — don't know what that is, she would've said had she not been suddenly stricken with awkwardness. Fun? Was that important? Her ears flipped and flopped in a show of indecision before she managed, I like... the moon, and the stars, at almost a whisper, feeling like the subject was taboo.

For a second, Sequoia wasn't sure she was going to get an answer out of her, but after some hesitation, Camilla spilled out that she liked the moon and stars. Ohhh! she cheered, beating her tail against the ground. Phox does that, too! He was rambling on about that one time, but it's not really my thing, so I didn't pay much attention. Considering that Camilla's muted purple smell was mixed strongly with Phox's deep, dark blue smell, she assumed they knew one another, at the very least.

Maybe Camilla knew that Phox liked the stars and the moon, and that's why they hung out together often. Sequoia and Kiwi didn't have that much in common when it came to specialized skills, but they had bonded in other ways. My momma likes to heal people with plants, and my daddy likes to fight and tell stories. There were plenty of things Sequoia had grown up around, and she gave Camilla a bit of a distant, sad smile thinking of her parents.

She felt her face flush at the mention of her husband, knowing about Phox's fixation and the connection it afforded her. Sequoia's admitted lack of interest was surprising to her, if only because the moon had always been a fixture in her own life, and she couldn't imagine living without the constant thought of it. The way her imagination used to flood when she'd stare up at Mother Moon — 

When Sequoia segued in to talk of parents, the woman's thoughts hit a wall. She knew she should have parents too, that they might have aspirations and skills, but... When she thought about it, no names came to mind. She was reminded of her grandmother. My sisters... she mostly sighed, thinking of the days before the men and before -- well, before her life went to shit. My sisters taught me the stars, and they.. They talk about the sea, but I've never seen it. Used to um, live on a mountain? But it was so far away now - physically, ephemerally.

Sisters, that made sense! Kiwi was basically her sister, even though they didn't have the same mom and dad. Opalia was her sister... but they'd never been close. Now they were physically separated, too. Probably better that way, Sequoia mused. The last time she'd tried to take an interest in what her sister had been doing, she'd practically been shouted off a mountain. Sequoia certainly didn't want to repeat that. It was unlikely that either of her siblings were too upset about her leaving. It wasn't like they'd ever really gotten along.

Ohh! I used to live by the sea, Sequoia interjected. This one wolf I met said some wolves live by the sea sing and then drown anybody who comes close. Not exactly a pleasant thought, but it was something Sequoia had thought was pretty whacky. I think she called them sirens.

There was no way for Sequoia to know she was talking about Camilla's people when she made her comment, but all the same the silver girl went from a calm puddle to a sharp-eyed, ear-slumped look of stricken shock as soon as she heard about this drowning business. It was probably just a story. Something that Sequoia had heard and never seen in truth. But Camilla had been raised on the stories of old, and could recount hazy lessons regarding the sanctity of female life (opposing the menfolk are not worthy subtext) and did not like hearing about sirens as tricky little monsters. It might've been true; she didn't want to believe it though.

She tried to relax before she spoke next, not wanting to fight with this new friend she had just made no matter how ill-informed. I was taught that life was sacred, and that we are daughters of mitéra Moon and mitéra Sea, our two mothers. It... It probably sounds odd. She flushed, unable to say more - or unwilling, afraid that if she shared any of her sisters' secrets it would come back to haunt her. Camilla didn't want to think about them, they were a lifetime away now.

Sequoia did feel the sudden change in Camilla's attitude, and a look of mild embarrassment flashed over the piebald girl's face. I didn't mean to imply that you were a siren, she corrected, It was just something I heard about once. Kiwi has two moms, too! she pointed out, redirecting the subject. Maybe you two are related somehow. Because that's how all that worked, right? Maybe Thur had come from the same place as Camilla, but somehow they'd led slightly different lives until they were hardly recognizable as the same thing.

Camilla felt strange for sharing (in her mind she thought it was an over share) but was pleasantly surprised by the comparison; she didn't know what a thuringwethil was - but entertained the thought that it was a foreign word for mother moon and sea. Once the conversation began to wind down she also realized that her fright had ebbed away, the girl had successfully distracted her enough to make Camilla forget about the shouting voices and that hateful snap of Towhee; she watched Sequoia for a few quiet moments, unable to put in to words how she felt - except to eventually sigh, You're not like the others, you're so much nicer.

At the compliment (which was the only way Sequoia was going to take what Camilla said), Sequoia smiled from ear to pointy ear. Funny that her siblings had never been able to pick up on how nice she was! You're nice, too! she ricocheted back, and she meant it. Even though Camilla seemed a little bit sad and on edge, she was decidedly nice. Sequoia couldn't imagine why anybody would want to yell at her or wouldn't like her, as Camilla suspected that Towhee did.

Can you tell me more about your sisters? And the moon and sea and all that stuff? she asked. Sequoia had become overly curious about the traditions that various packs had, and it sounded like Camilla's in particular was very unique. She settled down onto her elbows, gazing at Camilla with ready-to-listen eyes.

Camilla felt herself flush when the compliment was turned back upon her; it was the first time in years that she'd heard a kind thing said about her, even if it had only been offered as a courtesy, and she was temporarily overwhelmed. Then, when the girl began to ask questions about where Camilla came from, that warmth cooled off like a sudden drop in temperature — not because she didn't want to talk about the sisterhood or her old life, but because... Well, she'd been demonized by the men for speaking of it before, and wasn't sure what would happen if she began to explain. Sequoia certainly wouldn't hurt her. She was too nice for that, too young and innocent. But a part of the troubled woman would always feel apprehensive about such topics. Too much pain went in to her conditioning - they'd beaten her mother tongue almost completely out of her, and it felt so wrong to consider voicing more information about Labyrinth. Even thinking of it made her shudder.

Um, n-no, I.. I don't... She slurred quietly, feeling the pressure build with Sequoia's attention focused squarely upon her. Those big, bright eyes. That pretty little face. A level of devotion and interest that was more overwhelming than the compliment and the shouting voices from earlier, combined. She shook her head and drew back, gathering some space between them as if that would help - but she got to her feet hastily in the process as if something had offended her. I.. I can't. Um, I'm.. I'm sorry!

It was right on cue with her spastic removal from the scene, as she tried to distance herself from flashes of violence in her memory; as Camilla mentally blocked off thoughts of home and the subsequent tumult of her conditioning, she inadvertently put physical distance between herself and her new friend - likely alienating any further interaction.

Sequoia stood up as Camilla hurriedly excused herself. She opened her mouth to call out, but she couldn't think of the words to say. Sequoia frowned, wondering what she had said wrong or what she could have done better. She wanted so bad to help Camilla, but now she felt like she had just screwed it all up. Maybe, after some time, it would be easier to talk to her. Sequoia certainly didn't plan on giving up on her.