Shadewood You’re sayin’ those words

@Amaya, anyone else who Phex hasn't met too!! Remember to just tag if you don't have anything going for ya, I'm always open!

Phex started to make her first proper border patrol. She moved around the treeline, marking the trees. She often put her head down to see who else did so; mainly Cry and Morgan it seemed, but there were hints of the other members too. The youth wanted her presence here known too. 

On her inspection, she also caught traces of those she hadn't met yet. She needed to meet everyone. It was only her duty as Ambassador, no?
So here the girl was, swiftly passing through the trees on her hunt. She supposed she'd have to find gifts for those she hadn't met, too. Spark some joy into everyone.
They deserved it, after all. This was a Family, and Family cared for each other. Through blood and through heart.

Amaya was still in a little shock by the fact that she now found herself in a pack. After being on her own for her entire life the gray girl was starting to believe that she always would be, just like her mother had been.

Now that she was in the pack she faced a very serious problem. Amaya didn’t know the first thing about what one did when they were in a pack. So she set out to figure it out, she needed to learn to help out since she was part of the family that was her new pack.

She didn’t have to go far, well to the borders, before coming across another. She observed for a few minutes before actually approaching. Amaya took note of what the young female was doing and assumed she was marking the border. This she had been told about.
Finally she plucked up the courage to introduce herself, Cry had said she should meet everyone after all. “Hi,” she said a little timidly when she’d gotten closer. “I’m Amaya...I’m new.”

The piebald's ears perks, swiveling towards the newcomer in the woods. She grinned, her tail high and waving in greeting, "Hey there! I'm Phex, you must be one of the recruits." 
The youth stepped over to the larger woman, looking up with her sea-green eyes radiating with kindness.

After getting the others name, Phex inclined her head, "Come on patrol with me, I wouldn't do much good against someone who wanted to come in," she laughed softly, grinning before turning to walk back along her path, her tail still waving with her happiness. 
She certainly needed to exert herself after Gwen's depressing atmosphere.

She’d managed to get the other females attention, Amaya was glad for that. She didn’t want to shout at the girl after all. She wasn’t expecting such a cheerful wolf but Amaya would take it. “It’s nice to meet you Phex. I guess I am one of the recruits, I just joined.” The gray girl hadn’t thought of herself as a recruit but she did like the sound of it. It was a whole lot better than explain she’d been stumbled upon in the forest.

Amaya nodded at the invite, “Sounds fun and maybe if it wouldn’t be too much trouble you could tell me about things here?” The gray girl wasn't really familiar yet so maybe having some tell her would help. Amaya quickly joined in the patrol  happy to be making a friend.

The girl grinned, picking her way over roots to the further outskirts with the woman in tow. Company on her patrols was always welcome.

The girl took this time to think, the pack was pretty relaxed, at least until formation where everyone will have to pull their weight; as if everyone wasn't doing that anyway. She let the woman fall into step beside her before starting,  "The pack is meant to harbor those who don't have home or Family. We all trust each other, we all look after each other. We don't speak of things outside because it's a Keep, those outside are not Family but we can invite them; this is a sanctuary." 
The girl looked up at the woman, wondering what had happened to her to lead her here. Phex's own story isn't sad or traumatic, at least not for her, but she's here to be that glue, the love and the heart. She hoped she always could be, she realised what happened to some when they were around her lively spirit.

"We all contribute in our own way, being it a trade we are teaching or learning. I myself am learning to be an Ambassador and Naturalist. I study the stars and the lands, this forest will help me lots in the spring and summer."  She grinned, pausing in case the other wanted to speak before continuing, "there is a hierarchy, with Gwen and Cry leading us. Some Ranks are trade orientated, I believe it is to encourage some to work and find out who they are, especially if they are one of the lost souls Cry wishes to harbor."  

The girl didn't know why Cry wanted this, but she wasn't about to pry into his past and open wounds that had already sealed shut. Even if it left an ugly scar, it was better than bleeding everywhere.
She let the other ask questions, continuing to mark the border where it seemed a bit sparse or faded, hoping the other would realise what to do too.

The gray girl stayed at her packmates side as they moved along the border. Amaya watched her footing so she didn't stumble over any of the roots they walked over.

Being so new still Amaya felt she still had a lot to learn about pack life in general but about the pack she was now a part of. She hoped talking to Phex might help her understand and that could help her to fit in more. The part talking about harboring those without a home or family certainly described her.  A sanctuary sounded nice too. “This sounds like a good place for me,” which was what she'd thought when she'd spoken to Cry, “Can we invite anyone or just certain wolves?”

That was an important question because she didn't want to go inviting the wrong wolf especially being so new and all.  As for the part of not talking to outsiders about the pack, Amaya didn't see that as a problem. If that was what it took to protect her home then that was what she should do.

The next part about the trades was something completely new to Amaya.  She'd never heard about trades so she definitely wanted to ask about that.  “Are there other trades and how do you decide?” she asked a curious note to her tone. This might be something that she might need to start thinking about. Amaya nodded at what Phex said next. “That makes sense I mean you have to know whose in the pack if your going to keep it safe and well taken care of.” Cry had seemed to care so it made sense he would want to do what was best for the pack.

Some things were starting to come together for Amaya but she felt like she still had so many questions and she just didn’t know what they all were.

She was a part of this pack now even if she hadn't been in it very long so she needed to do her part too. So from the example that Phex had set Amaya helped with marking the border too in the places that seemed to need refreshing.

The girl thought for a moment. She'd invited Laroche here, but he wasn't going to hurt her. Not even in the slightest.
The thought of him then, showing her the stars. How close he was...it brought a smile to her face.
"I suppose we have to be careful in not letting anyone who may try and hurt the Family in coming too close. They will have to be approved by Cry, he had a good judge on character. If you ever bring someone to the borders just call for him and he will come."  Ok, the youth didn't do that but she knew what she should've done, besides it was practically the border so. She didn't see much wrongdoing.

The girl tilted her gaze to the woman, question in her eyes hinted with surprise that she hadn't heard of the trades. "Well," she started, pooling her knowledge of the trades and ordering them in a way to relay easily, "I believe there are seven trades: Caregiver, Chronicler, Counselor, Hunter, Mercenary, Naturalist and Scout. To gain them you have to learn about them, study the aspects of what you wish to know then if you find a particular part interesting then you can work towards a specialty then mastery in that aspect of the trade. I myself am working on my Naturalist and Scout trades, specializing in Astronomy and Ecology for Naturalist and Ambassador for Scout."  The girl took a breath, pausing in her steps to look outside the borders and collect her thoughts again.

"You should always follow your heart when it comes to your trades," she began again, leading the woman further along the border, "A pack may depend on you for information in that trade and, in a pack that is structured with trades, will gain you higher ranks."  The girl fell quiet for a few more steps, musing to herself about her own trades.
"This is a Family, the true meaning here is to look after, protect and love one another. Blood doesn't make Family, your heart chooses." 
The girl listened for any more questions, ears showing her attentiveness to the woman.

This being her first time ever in a pack Amays wanted to do things right. She not only didn’t want to disappoint Cry but she wanted this to work out for her. For so long Amaya had been on her own, it was a hard and lonely existence. This pack sounded like the thing she really needed, a place to call home. For that reason she wanted to make sure she knew all the things she could and couldn’t do so that she wouldn’t make any mistakes. “So call for Cry if there’s a wolf that he can approve them, got it,” she said making a mental note to herself.

What interested Amaya were the trades. Having not been in a pack before she didn’t know what that would even mean for her. It had always been a simple life of hunting and finding shelter. She listened as Phex explained about them and what she needed to do. Amaya was a little impressed by the list the other girl gave of what she was trying to accomplish. “Did you always know that was what you wanted to do?” While she waited to hear what Phex’s answer would be she looked ahead of them and thought about the trade that might suit her.

The other girl said something that was rather helpful to Amaya. To follow her heart when choosing a trade. This really gave the gray girl something to think about. “I guess it helps to choose a trade that your passionate about so that it will be easier to learn more about it.” That made sense to Amaya as well. She could imagine how dreadful it might be to have to do something she didn’t particularly enjoy.

The gray girl nodded by what Phex said about the pack. It was still early in her time with the pack but, “I’m really hoping I’ll be able to fit in here. I haven’t had a family for awhile and it would be really great to have one again.” She missed her family a lot, there wasn’t anything she could do about them. She had accepted things and was moving on so maybe this was all part of that process.

The girl shook her head at the question.
For a long time, she thought she wanted to be a caregiver. Helping with injuries, looking after pups and her family when they grew old. She also wanted to tell stories, spinning them to tell children. Entertain the pack. The girl was sunshine incarnate after all.

It all changed when she was told of the world, what was beyond the borders of their generous territory. A world full of colour and beauty. They didn't tell her about the pain it also brought. The woman that had come to the borders and offered the nieve girl something bigger, something that couldn't be provided at her home: adventure.
Everything was ok until Mor was separated from her by the shifting ice sheets.

Phex didn't let a flicker of emotion show as she launched into her decisions, relaying them to the woman, "I wanted to be a caregiver. I loved looking after pups and helping the older wolves and the herbs interested me. I also wanted to tell stories, go on adventures and tell them to my pack. It would've made them happy."
The girl's voice didn't even hitch.

"Yet I was given the opportunity to explore the world, find out what was beyond and further. I wanted to learn about everything and I realised soon after that I wanted to be a Scout and Naturalist. Somethings take time, finding your passions may take more than one try and you can always decide to following something else more as you learn more about it."
The youth grinned, taking a small jump over a small, fallen trunk. Of course, the woman could probably easily step over it but Phex was small and energetic.

Amaya was curious about how one chose the trade they wanted to work toward. Phex had said to follow her heart but the gray girl hadn’t quite understood what meant exactly. She wondered if it was something a wolf always knew or if it might be something they figure out or maybe even stumbled upon.
 
There were of course skills involved with living on her own such as hunting, knowing which plants would heal a wound so it didn’t get infected, and navigation so she’d know where she was and where she’d been. The question was what of those was she passionate about. From the way Phex spoke there was a whole lot more about trades than she knew.
 
Wanting to be able to understand and maybe learn something about how she might be able to find her own trade she listened closely to the story that her packmate told about how she decided on her trade. She smiled at the idea of taking care of the pups and helping others but was that what she wanted to do? It was becoming clear to Amaya that this was something she needed to take her time with.
 
When Phex had finished speaking Amaya took her turn, “I think it would be best if I waited a little while to make a decision. This is the first pack I’ve been in so I’m still not familiar with all the parts of it. Take some time and really consider what’s best for me. You’ve helped a lot though,” she said as she took a small leap over the fallen tree behind the other girl. “I don’t think I would have even known how to begin. This is all so new to me," she explained with a small laugh.

Fade here?

Phex nodded, "Of course it is not a thing you think of immediately but remember you can always change later on. Diversity in the trades makes you very useful in a pack." The girl grinned before putting her head down, sniffing at an interesting scent in the blanket of snow then moving off again.

Spring would come around soon, that would mean her naturalist trade will start to thrive. She should go out and see more than just the woods, learn more about identifying the plants in her home. She could tell Laroche all about them.
The thought of him brought a grin to her, a warmth flooding in her chest as her heart ached to see him. 
She'd have to seek him out later that day; give him his gift.

"A pack is great, I'm sure you'll love it here and if you ever have a problem just call for me, I'll be happy to help." Her tail waved a fraction faster.
Today would be a good day.

I'm good to fade here.

Amaya smiled, Phex was very encouraging when the gray girl expressed that she wasn’t sure. The other girl spoke of something that Amaya hadn’t even considered, learning all of the trades, a couple at least so that she could be able to help the pack in many areas. “I will remember that and maybe I will learn a couple of different trades. I want to help the pack as much as I can.” She had been a little worried about it all before but thanks to this conversation with Phex she felt a whole lot better about it all.

She felt like there was still a lot for her to learn but she had the basis by just having been a loner for most of her life.  She’d been able to perfect her hunting so maybe that was something she could do. Scouting as well was something to be considered since she knew her way around and how to navigate. There were so many possibilities that Amaya was having trouble trying to imagine them all but she wasn’t discouraged by that.

She was even considering trying something new. Maybe she would be good at that too. Time would tell but Amaya was willing to learn and that she felt was the most important thing.
 
“I think I will love it here,” she agreed, “But I will remember that in case I do have a problem. I’m really glad we had the chance to meet.” Amaya was feeling much more confident about her place in the pack.