Whitewater Gorge viii. "i am sorry someone loved you badly"

@Padma (not certain who all would be travelling with her at this point but tagging @Lokie, @Connor, @Condatis, @Aurëwen, @Rosencrantz, and @Falquan for reference and vague pp )

Dusk would draw her from the encampment of their growing group, to wandering the steppes with the idle paws of one who has much on her mind. Vague plans had begun to form - ambitions, dreams, and desires mingling into a dangerous hope. 

A hope that she could accomplish it - despite her youth, despite her foreigner status. With the aide of the other souls at her back they could really make it: find and build a home, make something new. It was exhilarating just as it was terrifying when one considered the responsibility of such an awesome thing. 

Rhælla's meandering would be stopped only by the roar of rapids, by the crevice that opened in the earth - water rushing by below at deathly speeds. The exile turned from the danger, letting the echo of the river's rage fade in her ears as she padded downstream to calmer waters. 

At a peaceful stretch of the Gorge, where the rapids had stilled to a trickle, the nox nymph dared the treacherous ledges - scaling down nimbly to take up a perch on the gravel banks of the shallows, lilac gaze locked upon the slow rythm of the currents in contemplation.

           

This wasn’t the first lilac eyed beauty to come across her path. The woman’s pelt an elegant shade of black, a color Padma was growing more and more envious of. Her own reddish brown pelt revolting in her own eyes, and the glistening amber of her gaze the only feature she truly found redeemable. Alas she returned to her silent observation of the child. Although from this distance there was no way for Padma to truly know how old this stranger was.

Taking a few delicate and practiced steps out from the shadows she had clung to. “Thought’s can be dangerous when kept to ourselves.” Padma honestly didn’t care what the other woman was thinking of, but from Tytus she had learned that not all strangers were enemies. At least Tytus hadn’t been.

The large man had got acquainted with this new lifestyle that Teekon provided, though his first few encounters with this new place gave him a doubtful impression. To him, first impressions were important, but if one makes up for it later down the line, he will always accept their new turn and understand them better. Loki was the first wolf to give him a paw of kindness on the first try, and Connor greatly appreciated it, thus Connor would repay that kindness with gratitude, loyalty and most of all, friendship. The pair seemed to be inseparable and he loved the smaller male's company as he gave good insight and seemed to be always positive, but he was quite a handful to which the man didn't mind.

But on their travels, they met another kind wolf named Rhælla, who had shown that she was not only humble, but quite capable of handling herself and Connor respected that fully. Now that he Loki and Rhælla had met, they seemed to get along with each other quite well and Connor quite liked the company of his companions. However, after the pair seemed to have met up with her again after they departed from here to continue with their own travels. But the two friends seemed to have stumbled into her again, and Connor gave a hardtail wag since he wanted to make sure that he was welcoming to her. The titan made sure to walk up to her and give a respectful dip of his head before he craned his head back up to meet her gaze. There seemed to be a gathering of some sorts both Connor and Loki seemed to find that the young girl had found herself other companions along her own journey.

The giant male looked down upon her with approving eyes, "well, I didn't know that you have attracted others to you with your charisma," he complimented like a parent congratulated their child on an achievement. He then turned to Loki, "there seems to be plenty of new faces around, try not to rocket at them like a puppy stumbling out of the den for the first time," he teased his friend in good fun.

Lokie was quite enjoying his time with Connor, even if he didn't exactly stop to take his advice. For him, they were two peas in a pod that went together like snow on top of a mountain. He was even more excited to see Rhaella again. There were some plans in motion, it seemed, for her to begin a pack. She seemed alright in Lokie's eyes, and so he held no reservations about joining the pack. 

It also meant that he could meet a bunch more friends! Connor and Lokie happened upon her once again, and low and behold, a new wolf! Lokie's tail wagged in a friendly greeting towards the new wolf, and he gave Connor a grin that said he made no promises about not going after her like a rocket. But, in an effort to heed his warning, Lokie went to Rhaella instead of the stranger, his whole back half wiggling back and forth in an excited greeting to her. He attempted to nudge her shoulder as a hello before his eyes went to the stranger, body still wagging. He wanted desperately to meet her, as he did all strangers.

At first he had stayed behind stubbornly stating that the pack life was not for him. He had left with his siblings to get away from that amongst other things after all. He wanted no responsibility for anyone other than himself and to the devotion he gave his gods. But then as her scent began to fade he realised that she was by far the most interesting woman he had met in his short year of life and that was enough for him to wander after her in the guise of loneliness. He made quick work of it, always staying close enough that he didn't lose her trail but far behind enough that she wouldn't smell him. He still wasn't quite sure exactly why he traipsed after her. He wasn't raised to be a romantic in fact he had always been taught that women brought more trouble than they're affection and beauty was worth so he didn't believe it to be that. Perhaps he really was just lonely after all. 


Finally he decided to talk to her and came toward the gorge, hearing voices and smelling many scents. He held back and remained hidden watching from the shadows not quite wanting to meet so many new faces at once. He spotted two males and a she wolf besides Rhælla and wondered what was happening.

Cameo unless spotted or noticed. Tag me if he is please!

Her efforts for privacy are foiled, shortly after the auburn femme slipped into sight the boisterous voices of Connor and Lokie could be heard echoing through the winding ravine. Rhælla's lips - which had parted to respond in kind with wit - settled into a firm line as she turned to face the men wearily. 

She repressed the urge to curl her lip at Connor's patronizing comment, unable to go unoffended by the implications of her youth - resolutely settling her gaze on the woman as she tried to dispel the storm of anxious energy brewing beneath her skin. 

"Aye, they do," she murmured softly, gaze shining with a secret knowledge as she offered an impish grin. "I'm Rhælla, that's Connor and Lokie," the dark girl introduced, star-dusted crown tipping towards the males. 

And @Condatis, somewhere, the exile thought silently with a delighted smirk as the wind shifted traitorously - bringing the Crowborn's scent to her and drawing her gaze searchingly towards his hiding place.

           

She took a step back at the voice echoing off the rocks and the arrival of the two males. Although she was resolute in her stance and portraying a calm exterior, Padma’s heart thudded quickly in her chest. Clenching her jaw, she was once again partially shroud in darkness.

She cursed her luck. This wasn’t what she had thought she was getting herself into. Having given herself enough distance to feel fractionally more at ease, she hesitantly dipped her head. “Padma.” She offered tersely.

She looked between the two late arrivals, both of whom seemed overly cheerful compared to her solemn self. With extra bodies involved, Padma wasn’t exactly sure where to go next, and so waited to see what they might say or do. Briefly her gaze shifted behind her, keeping her options open should the need arise.

Connor blinked, he felt a bit of tension coming from Rhælla, he figured his comment was harmless enough and he felt a little uncomfortable. Questions were pecking at his head like a bunch of crows, what did I say? Am I overwhelming? Am I too nice? Am I annoying? Connor shouldn't let this stuff get to him, the man realizes that he cannot please everyone, besides, what Lokie told him when they first met put him at ease so the titan forced himself to look as though he wasn't bothered. The man instead decided to take a step backward a little bit to make sure that Rhælla was comfortable around him, and he made sure that the other wolves that were there were comfortable with him too. The young she-wolf had introduced another wolf that was there by the name of Padma, to which Padma introduced herself briefly and Connor caught onto that.

"Pleasure to be meeting you​," he said with a dip of his head, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable either. He made sure he looked as relaxed as he could since he could sense a bit of resentment from her towards him. Connor began wondering to himself, I am not THAT large, am I? Hey don't blame me, blame my father, he thought to himself, he didn't realize that he was being a bit overdramatic with himself. But Connor didn't dwell on her feelings, he instead turned to the wolf that mattered to him, Lokie, who was, of course, being his usual energetic self. Lokie was obviously happy to meet strangers since the last look he gave him after his warning showed him no promises. The cinnamon male gave a playful eye roll at Lokie, his friend could not be controlled no matter how hard he tried so he just gave up.

Introductions were made, and Lokie could hold out no longer, since Padma seemed friendly enough. Like a large pup, he wiggled over to her, his body lowering closer and closer to the ground as the distance between them decreased. By the time he was in front of her, he was on his belly, and then turning over onto his back. His tail never ceased wagging, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth in a comical display. 

He was inviting her to play. It always seemed the best way to make friends, and since Lokie was toddler-like in his personality, it usually worked in his favor. Would it this time?

He watched the interactions between the three wolves and Rhælla silently, noticing the familiarity between the two males and her. He gave a small, quiet laugh and shook his head figuring he was right to stay away. She'd have men following her everywhere because of her beauty and kindness and shed have them drooling with her sharp wit and funny humor. He didn't want to be another one. The thought had him starting to prepare to leave before he looked at Rhælla again and spotted her smirk, catching her direct gaze from his hiding spot. She knew he was there now, she had recognised his scent. He felt torn, he didn't want to be rude but he couldn't act as welcoming toward the males. He was born to be lead and make himself known, he didn't need anyone messing that up for him. He stayed put for a while longer sitting down and watching them broodingly until he couldn't take it anymore. 


When sitting still became too much he rose and pushed through the bushes, Azure gaze focused on Rhælla to whom he gave a sly smile to. She had been the only one to realise he was there and he was embarrassed but boy could he put on a show of confidence. He turned to look at the strange wolves, giving each a nod and looking to the female to whom he offered a polite smile as his eyes drifted to the male who was acting quite wound up. He stared for a moment and then chose to just ignore him for a moment as he came up between Connor and the dark furred ex queen. "Hello again Rhælla" he greeted her and then turned toward the others "Condatis" he introduced himself letting it be known that he had heard the introductions.

Though the sight of the snow-pelted northman was enough to charge her heart with an erratic tempo, the exile could see that the presence of her comrades was making the young woman uncomfortable.

"Sorry, those two are like large pups," she joked lightly, turning a reassuring smile in Padma's direction as she jerked her head towards Lokie and Connor with a slight eye roll borne of humor. "They don't mean any harm," she promised gently, shooting the males a look that said, cool it or go back to camp.

"Condatis is a good friend of mine," she added, following the Crowborn's introduction. As her lavender gaze and kind smile turned in his direction, the grin widened into a sweetened beam to light upon him - the noxborn unable to smother the affection she held for him.

"No one here will harm you, either of you," Rhælla promised, earnest gaze shifting between Padma and Condatis. "Come, join us, we will share a meal with you back at our spot," she offered generously, gesturing with a tilt of her dark crown for the pair to follow the fledling group members as she padded into the screen of grass.

sorry to hold this up!

           

Before the reassuring words could leave Rhaella’s lips, Lokie had approached her. He was obviously not a threat, yet Padma couldn’t help the slight panic the gripped her heart. In no mood to play, she took a few steps back, and offered a growl, warning him not to come any closer.

Her amber gaze flicked to each of them, wary of their intentions. She nodded her head slowly as the ebony woman spoke her truth. She weighed her options, striving to be an opportunist it was hard to refuse free food, yet she didn’t know these strangers, and the yearling was still unsettled despite the kind offer. Waiting to see what the others would do, the young girl held her tongue. Observing before coming to her own decision.

Connor looked jokingly offended when Rhaella called him and Lokie two large pups, but he gave a soft chuff in amusement at her comment. But when she shot him that glance, he realized that she was being serious, Conoor was going to object but if he felt if he did, Padma would feel unsafe. Plus he remembered that Rhaella was the leader so he had to respect her gestures and words, but he felt as though he was doing nothing wrong, yet again he was rather large and muscular in build to he would look intimidating to others. The large man gave a smile to Rhaella and a small nod, meaning that he understood and took no further offense, perhaps he was a little too excited to be forming a family and exploring new territory soon and that is what Connor really wanted to do, explore.

He wanted to tell Rhaella his intentions so that they could have a better understanding of each other, but this wasn't the time or place, but what caught his attention was Padma's reaction to Lokie. The girl seemed nervous and was jumpy, she gave a small warning growl to Lokie, and Connor being protective of his friends and family wouldn't initially approve of this action. But he knew that he would cause trouble if he did jump in so he decided to ignore it, though he hoped that Lokie wouldn't take it hard as Connor looked around his surroundings to distract himself and looked like he didn't see what she did. And he had to admit, Lokie needed to learn that not all wolves would be welcoming to his impulsiveness and even Connor had to let this slide but he didn't dwell on it too long.

Connor gave Padma one more assuring smile, she was young so Connor had to be the adult to make her feel welcome and he turned away to sniff around this area and see if he could find anything interesting. The titan male started thinking about the age gap between some of the wolves that he would be forming a group with, Rhaella was younger than him but she had proved that she was more than capable, and Lokie was his age but acted like he was a newborn which didn't bother Connor. To his knowledge, Connor seemed to be the eldest and he had to remember to be respectful and try his best to make sure others were comfortable around him.

While Connor might have taken offense to the pup comment, Lokie didn't. He knew he was very much pup-like, and he liked that about himself. But, it seemed sometimes, even when he tried not to, he came on too strong. Padma gave him a warning growl, and Lokie was quick to retreat, tail between his back legs as he made haste back to Connor's side. He wasn't upset, but he knew what growls meant, and he also knew she could strike at him if he wasn't respectful of the growl. 

Another male appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but Lokie did not move to greet him as he had done Padma, as he was worried he'd get another growl. He did, however, thump his tail on the ground in a friendly greeting.

He didn't pry his gaze away from Rhælla until she mentioned that the two men, named Connor and Lokie, were like children. Normally he would say that having a childish spirit wasn't such a bad thing but here, in front of Rhælla he wouldn't leap to their defense. He studied them for a moment and decided that he wouldn't be mean either and stayed silent, his gaze drifting lazily to the woman who he assumed was being recruited into this little group. She didn't look too enthused and he was about to offer his support when Rhælla introduced him and he blinked, a bit surprised that she made them to be so close. Were they close? Did he miss something? She was definitely beautiful and he wanted to ensure her safety and...well...admittedly he wanted to make sure no other guys tried any funny business but only for noble reasons. He quickly looked to her and was stupified by the way she smiled at him. He stared wide eyed for a few long moments and then cleared his throat nodding quickly "I'm not worried about safety, I am a trained soldier and while..admittedly I've never had experience in battle I  am sure me and Connor can handle things. I will offer my services as a guard to you and whoever needs it" he didn't mean to sound so gallant and cocky but it came out that way and he offered a smile, deciding it better to be cocky than to be a sweet simpleton.

She could see that her words had had a myriad of effects.

Connor seemed tense, perhaps on account of the stern look she had shot the over-zealous pair. She was fond of them herself but it was obvious they were making Padma uncomfortable - she didn't consider whether it might hurt their feelings, she was concerned with putting the group at whole at ease. Lokie, however, seemed to accept the autumnal girl's growl as the warning it was - retreating hastily as he'd clearly overstepped. 

Padma herself seemed nervous and unsure - halfway between following and staying. Rhælla sent her an encouraging smile but said no more - unwilling to push the reserved woman. The nightwisp had been open and welcoming, but she would not force the girl to come along if she desired to remain alone. 

Condatis seemed surprised by her friendly demeanor as her gaze flickered to him - causing the exile the glance away and chew the inside of her cheek worriedly. Perhaps she'd been a bit too unbridled with her joy at seeing him. 

She offered a more reserved smile, "Thank you - I'm sure we could use more warriors. We've yet to actually train or spar what with the traveling." She detected the confident tone in his timbres but her opinion of his skills would be reserved for now - she'd never seen the Crowborn in action, though if he fought at all like his brother, Rhæ believed he'd be an adroit warrior. 

"Well, I'm going to get back before everyone else eats all the food," she grinned widely - it was obviously an open invitation as her gaze slid over the assembled group. There was a particular knowing glint when it landed on Connor and Lokie, thinking of the plump turkeys they'd downed earlier. 

The fae turned, trotting back to the encampment. They would follow or they wouldn't, it was their decision now.