Swiftcurrent Creek the knot

@Magpie, if you want. Thought of your wedding planning as I wrote this, heh heh

Nearly four weeks! It was hard for the little red wolf to imagine that it had been nearly four weeks since she had left her previous home at Relic Lore to enter the Teekon Wilds. Though she was still uncertain whether her stay here would last beyond the summer--it was as if she had been created with wanderlust deep in her heart, though unbeknownst to her, this was more for her writer's sake than herself--the past couple of week's events had been rather exciting. Too exciting. As such, the little wolf had decided she needed a change of pace, and instead of excitement and adventure, she wanted something calm and predictable. The average wolf life. Finding a den seemed like a perfection solution. There was nothing more pleasantly mundane than settling down. But as she attempted to find said den, she realized just how selective she could be. Too wet. Too dry. Too hot. Too cold. Too much mold. Too little mold? Though the little red wolf had never considered herself to be particularly feminine, she felt everything that was stereotyped to her sex. With a huff and a puff, the little red wolf collapsed where she stood and released a small whine before burying her face into the ground. It was the afternoon. Six hours since she had begun her search. Despair quickly set in.

<3! Mundanity is certainly welcome right now, haha. I'm finally starting to feel more excited about the wedding than stressed about it, though — two weeks!

She was becoming braver, though she still did not trust them. Magpie allowed herself to venture from the hole she claimed for herself more and more often, and without waiting for a summons. It stilled the restlessness of her heart, the desire to explore every inch of the world... she had felt safe to do so, amongst the Corvidae. But here, with these wolves that were not her true family, she believed threat lurked within each of them. That her presence was tolerated, at best, and that in any moment she could be killed or run off.

Magpie moved along slowly, every muscle tense and alert, prepared to dash away from potential threats. Her posture was low and careful, bright green eyes shifting this way and that. She noticed the little red wolf early because of this, but either the stranger hadn't noticed her or, if she had, didn't seem to care about her presence. Magpie frozen the instant the other had come into her field of view; she thought about skirting around and avoiding the red female altogether, but when she collapsed to the ground with a despairing whine, the youth knew she had no choice.

She approached slowly, and when she was close enough to communicate (but still far enough that she could escape if needed), Magpie gave a concerned, questioning whine. Whoever this was, they were pack; and regardless of trust, the youth knew her assistance was necessary. The strength of a pack was only as strong as their numbers, and if something were wrong, she knew she needed to deal with the situation as best she could.

Heh heh. Yeah, I actually got married last year (well, our first anniversary is this August!)--and never want to be "married" again. Weddings are stressful! I'm glad you're feeling more excitement, though. Hope it carries into your honeymoon

As she lay there on the floor in a daze, her mind drifted to yet other aspects of settling down. Not only did she have the task of finding a den, but there was also the matter of decorating it. After all, if she was going to be there for any duration of time, she wanted it to feel like a home. The problem was, she was on a budget with no mate to support her expenses. Slowly her dream for a home became smaller and smaller until she was nearly convincing herself that staying on a small couch of grass would be enough for her and something she could live with. As for living alone, she was less willing to compromise. Deep, deep within her soul, there had always been a desire for some mate or at least children--and it was at this time she heard the whine. "I'm busy," she seemed to cry before finally turning to look at the other pack wolf, who turned out to be a rather young, if not adorable green-eyed pup. Her daughter. Gasping, the little red wolf quickly sprang to her feet and shook her head from side to side. "I'm too young to be a mother!" she said with a moan. All she had wanted was a den. Not the entire package deal.

Congratulations! Anything exciting planned?? :)

We're actually not doing a honeymoon — in general we're just kind of blowing through our savings since we had to move the wedding up by a year, just bought a house, etc. I think we'll probably do what we wanted for our honeymoon on our first anniversary instead (traveling to Europe, specifically Ireland and probably Germany). I do have the whole week off after the wedding and will have nothing truly responsible to do, so there's that at least!

Magpie didn't quite expect the response she received, although she did take a step back out of sudden concern for her own well-being. She had heard of sickness of the mind, and indeed had vague impressions of a relative being lost to it (her grandfather, who had died when she was still developing the part of the brain that stores long-term memory). She couldn't remember if it was catching, but the idea of her mind being lost terrified her. If this stranger was ill and could pass it on, the youth didn't want to risk catching it.

Her little body bristled despite herself, and she took on a more defensive stance. Why doesn't she do the respectable thing, and run into the woods to die where she won't infect the rest of us? It was a thought that was more instinct coursing in Magpie's behavior now, but she did not run. She was the front line of defense between this sickness and the rest of the pack; if she died, it wouldn't matter, because at least the pack would live on.

Oh, Magpie is a teenager. Please forgive my ignorance of wolves!
But nope! Your plans sound wonderful to me. We did something low-key for our honeymoon and are glad we did. Needed time to adjust to one another.
As for our plans: going to see my family and then an overnight trip to Vancouver hehe

In the midst of her delirium, the little red wolf had mistaken the adolescent for a pup. Though Magpie was still pretty--Leaf enjoyed her markings--she was not "adorable." Such would be an insult for a female of her age, she supposed. Regaining her composure, Leaf wiped away dreams and visions of a new home with mate and child in tow. Such dreams were far too premature and best saved for lonelier nights. Rising to her feet, she calmly sat herself down. Her tail swayed gently behind her, occasionally curling around her two front paws. She looked at the younger female and was amused by her defensiveness. It had been a long time since the little red wolf had been intimidating to anyone. "I really am too young to be a mother," she insisted. "I'm sorry for making such a bad first impression. How about we try again?" She bowed her head and lifted it with an unsmiling, though pleasant face. "My name is Leaf, and I've only been here for a month at best. Not sure how long I'll stay, though. I have a feeling that my time here will end by the summer." Isn't that good news for you, she almost wanted to end but saved it. There was little sense in insulting herself. That would make her truly mad.

"I really am too young to be a mother," said the other, but it did not wipe the look of suspicion from Magpie's young face. Even as the older female settled herself into a more comfortable position, the teenager remained tense and unmoving. She had yet to be convinced that this particular pack mate wasn't really sick, and the little black female was uncertain of what the other was talking about (or, more importantly, why).

But Leaf, as she introduced herself, and began talking. It was more unprompted conversation, and Magpie wasn't sure she was being trusted with such information — weren't outsiders strict about loyalty and remaining within the pack? After the brief introduction was finished, the teenager continued her stiff posture while she worked out what to do. Magpie still wasn't comfortable speaking to these strange wolves, though she truly did yearn for conversation... and while she knew she ought to just turn and walk away, she eventually relaxed and sat down. With a tilt of her head, she tried to communicate, "Why? Why will you leave?"

"You'd never believe me," she said with a half-smile. Perhaps it was in her best interest to at least pretend that she was sane--she had gotten the juvenile to take a seat, at last!--but the little red wolf preferred to be unashamed of who she was. "I feel a presence. I can't see it, and yet somehow--," she spoke carefully, not necessarily out of caution but out of a desire to be fully understood, "it controls me. When I follow where it tells me to go, it is as if this very presence has written everything that I see, hear and touch. It also encourages me to interact with other wolves and knows how I will like this and that wolf." This presence was the same one who had drawn her to the Teekon Wilds in the first place, and it was this presence that kept her invested in her life here. However, there were tugs on her heart to other lands, not yet written or even imagined. Stories that all depended on the presence staying with her and not leaving for other characters. The little red wolf's face dimpled with a frown.

Magpie was quiet — well, she always was, but this time she was focused attentively upon the other as she spoke. Her youth meant she was inherently open-minded and imaginative, but the words that spilled forth from the red female seemed to resonate with the teenager. Having grown up as a traveller, Magpie knew all to well of the pull that Leaf spoke of. Despite herself, the juvenile's tail began to twitch happily upon the ground behind her. When Leaf had finished, the little black wolf — caught up in her internal excitement, no doubt — questioned softly, nearly under her breath, "Corvidae?"

Could it be true that this stranger was of the same breed? After all, others of Magpie's kin had broken off from her mother's caravan to form their own. For all the youth knew, Leaf could have been a cousin. After a moment of consideration, the teenager spoke again. Her voice was as quiet as before — a light cough might have covered the sound — but her tone carried a conviction and certainty that could not be doubted: "Ancestors."

As their conversation continued, the other speaking at length and Magpie speaking in fragments, it became clear to the youth that they were not cut from the same cloth. When she could take no more of the interaction, her mistrust and nerves growing too great, the oddly colored child politely dismissed herself and the two went their separate ways.