Stone Circle Luckily you are not a cougar

@Ira can be dated to when Ira turns

Valette had been marking the borders more often now she knew that Ira was away. She disliked it but knowing that one of their guardians was away she decided to be a good leader and pick up those duties herself. Greyback had been injured after the cougar attack and Valette had demanded of him to take the rest he needed as she felt that it was her fault he got injured in the first place.

She was on edge walking the borders, not wanting to run into the cat again. She was not a fighter but thinking of her kids and being in danger from the cougar made her want to fight that terrible cat. She had not scented any sign of it, so there was no reason to panic. At least her children seemed okay. She hoped Greyback would be okay as well.

It can be today :eyes:

The mountain wolf traveled fast, eager to return home, although she'd only stay at a light trot. Overall she felt rather disappointed with her results. At least she learned more about Lost Creek Hollow, but the fact that she could not even find Morningside troubled her. Surely Valette would have told her their new location if they moved? And if they didn't then...what happened to them? Perhaps they were small enough to just disband? But why not tell your allies?

Her head was swarmed with questions, some of which would likely never be answered, the others would be held for Valette upon her arrival. Lucky for Ira, she would not have to wait long as she neared the borders. Valette's fresh scent hit her nose as she crossed into Easthollow's territory,  her home. Ira glanced around finding which way the trail grew stale and turned for the other direction soon catching up to the weaving brown figure ahead.

She was surprised to see the Matriarch out patrolling as she recalled her distaste for the task. Ira announced her presence with a small bark as she caught up, I can finish here if you wish to rest, Ma'am. There was no reason to say "Heyyy I'm back!" Seeing how that was pretty obvious now. She still wished to report her findings, but perhaps that could take place later. If Valette has been patrolling the whole time she was gone, she would likely be relieved to not have to tend to that task anymore.

Oh perfect!

Valette looked up when she heard someone approach. She was alert since it could be a stranger. The female was met with a familiar face. "Ira!," she spoke with a smile. She had not expected the female to return already. 'Good to see you again." Valette was pleased to see the female. She had traveled quickly.

Valette shook her head. "Why not do it together, then you can tell me about your trip." She was curious how things were with their allies, especially Morningside. They were in a transition period and it was vital that they would make it through, otherwise they might not be a pack in the end.

The grey-scale wolf nodded as she moved closer, About that... She sighed pushing up against a tree. I could not locate the whereabouts of the pack known as Morningside. Ira waited to steal a glance at her Matriarch. She was not sure how Valette would take the news. Their scents had gone stale and there was no trace of them in the nearby areas. Perhaps they had scattered or joined another pack, either way, she had no idea what had happened with no one to consult. 

I did meet with some wolves from Lost Creek though. Unfortunately, they have met some hardships recently too. It was unfortunate that the Hollow had suffered from a bear attack, but at least they were still around and surviving. They are ok and recovering. A bear injured two of their members and caused one fatality.

Valette frowned when Ira spoke of not riding Morningside. It was not so difficult to travel to them. Valette was worried. So maybe they didn't make it? Why wouldn't they send a message? "But, you mean that their territory was abandoned or you just couldn't find the maple woods?" Valette deemed Ira very capable and felt that the female would know how to travel to Morningside with instructions.

Valette frowned deeper. Her brother was in that pack. "A bear? Oh no! Who was the fatality?," she asked. "Is my brother and his family okay?," she asked. Valette frowned. She disliked the idea of anyone of their friends being hurt.

I thought I already responded to this w h o o p s

The female shook her head moving next to Valette I arrived at their territory, but no one answered my call. Upon further investigation, I noticed all the border marks seemed to be rather stale. I did not move into the territory further in case it was considered trespassing, but it appears Morningside has moved or dispersed. It was a disappointing result, Ira wished she had more information on the missing pack. Unfortunately, Valette would have to be left in the dark alongside herself, unless she wanted to investigate even further.

As the conversation moved to Lost Creek, she was not surprised by her Matriarch's reaction. Bear attacks are always unfortunate, although she did not realize Valette had family living in Lost Creek. Ira could only hope that whichever wolf was Valette's brother was unharmed, but the truth was they had been careful about what details were given on the attack. I'm sorry, I did not realize you had family there. They gave me little detail, likely because the contents are sensitive, but the fatality was a female. I assume your brother is fine. She recalled her conversation with Rueger along the border. He seemed hesitant to talk about the whole situation, but there was some good news for the Hollow at least.

The two injured are also on their way to recovery. Rueger also mentioned that they recently merged with Bearclaw Valley? I've never heard of them, but perhaps this is news to you. He seemed certain that they were on the path to recovery and the pack was doing well.

Valette frowned when Ira started to explain about Morningside. So, it seemed she had found the Phoenix Maplewood but not the pack that lived there. Valette frowned at the fact that they hadn't come to them. Strange. "Maybe they moved then. I hoped that they are okay," she spoke with a long sigh. She was worried about them. "I thought they were our allies. Why didn't they come to us?," she spoke her thoughts out loud.

She slowly shook her head when Ira continued. Ira couldn't know that she had a brother and that he was in lost creek hollow now. "My brother was the leader of Bearclaw Valley. But since they merged my brother and his family joined lost creek hollow." She was not sure about the reason why. "They were our neighbors but now only Lost Creek is our ally then," she stated. "I'm sorry to hear they had a fatality. I understand that it is sensitive information. No worries if you don't know that," Valette offered.

I'm afraid I do not know enough about Morningside to provide hypothetical scenarios. We can only hope that whatever happened was not unfortunate. She pressed lightly against Valette's side as a gesture of comfort. Do not blame yourself or question why they felt the need to do things without Easthollow. Ira quickly fell silent as the chocolate wolf talked about her brother and how he used to lead the pack that recently merged with Lost Creek. I see-- I'm assuming he is well then. To me, it sounded like the wolves of Lost Creek and Bearclaw were helping each other grow strong once more.

The mountain wolf was not particularly bothered that she did not get names for those who were injured. After all, she knew no one in these packs so the names meant about the same as what she does know. That being said she was glad to hear Valette was not disappointed with her lack of intel. How have things been here?

Valette nodded when Ira spoke. It was a good answer instead of speculating what happened to them. "It is alright. But good to know. I might ask some other packs if they have seen them." Valette still wondered though. But their bond had faded after Grayday died. Sunny had perhaps not been a capable leader, or the pack just didn't have enough fate in their leadership.

"Well, that is good," she spoke. She was glad that the Bearclaw wolves were helping Lost Creek. They would make a strong pack, she believed. It was essential that they would keep them as friends of their pack would become even bigger. Valette was then asked how things were here. She could only think of the time she spend with Ira's father. 'Your father got injured after the cougar attack. So, I looked after his injured shoulder," she spoke. "The pack has been doing well. The new guy King, he is very helpful with hunting," Val nodded.

Ira waited eagerly to hear what kind of events might have happened. Most likely nothing exciting, but maybe they gained a new member or two? Her thoughts were quickly cut short however as Valette mentioned a cougar that injured her father. Excuse me? What cougar? The mentioning of a new wolf, King, flew over her head. As much as she was happy to have another hunter around with winter, an attack was much more important.

Not only was it important, it meant Easthollow was vulnerable. The one thing she feared most before leaving was leaving the pack with little to no skilled fighters. Now, of course, some damn cat had to stroll around while she was gone. Is he the only one injured? To be honest the giant rock probably deserved it. He likely tried befriending the cougar and got a clawful since he doesn't fight. He was likely fine, but there was still something in the pit of her stomach churning.

Valette instantly nodded. "Yes! There was a cougar. Greyback and I encountered it," she explained. She also remembered how she had frozen in fear and how Greyback had saved her. It had been very heroic of him. "Yes, because he protected me from the cougar," Valette admitted and looked briefly at her paws in shame. She was not a good fighter, then again, that was probably general knowledge that she wasn't.

"Or well, I did get a scrape on my eyebrow, look!" She then moved her face closer where there was a faint line. "My first scar!" She didn't want to sound proud, but so far she had gone through life without heavily injuring herself. "So when you are doing your border patrols, keep an eye out for the cougar. I don't want it to return."

A harsh huff slipped through the female's nose, a plume of vapor streaming out as Valette explained. Valette was injured, and her father even more so. Who could have guessed that danger was right around the corner when Ira took off for her travels, nevertheless her stomach churned. She might not verbally admit it, but the mountain wolf could not help but feel it was her fault. At the very least partially.

Valette forced her head into view showing off the grazed mark above her brow and effectively snapping Ira's thoughts back to her words. As she mentioned her first scar, Ira's eyes drifted to the mark on her leg. It might have been an unfortunate event but scars could be a thing to be proud of. If Valette was proud of her survived encounter with the cougar she would not take that away from her. Very nice... I'll make sure to keep a close watch on the border. The cougar will not surface again. And if it did she would be sure to take care of it before it could hurt anyone else.

Valette dipped her head when the female spoke about keeping an eye on the border. "Thank you, Ira,' she spoke. "I appreciate you looking out," she smiled. The female knew that Ira was a good guardian. She was certain that she would be one of the first to know if the cougar was here. "That is all," she then dipped her head at the female. There hadn't been anything else that had been very important, other than that she was starting to crush on Greyback but she wasn't telling Ira that yet.

Ira couldn't help but dip her head in return, heat burning the fur on her cheeks. No thanks are needed, it's simply my duty to the pack. With her head down, the female soon realized that out of all the wolves in Easthollow, Greyback's scent seemed to mingle the most with Valette's. Her ears perked slightly at the realization, although if the cougar attack was recent then that would explain why her father's scent was fairly fresh. That had to be it right? She shouldn't let her paranoia get the best of her, she trusted Valette after all. It would likely be pack knowledge if she chooses to involve herself with the mountain of a male.