Stone Circle It's a Hole.
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#1
All Welcome 
for @Merrit or @Arlette !

if there was guidance that marten needed, he did not ask for it. there was a lot that was going on in life right now... laurel and that man and vespera were just a few. he only wished that indra hadn't been involved -- she'd been through so much. it was hard, sure, but marten didn't feel shaken. he felt worried for the well-being of his family, but he felt inside that he was okay. someone might be surprised to hear that, but when marten thought about it... he didn't feel so surprised. 

indra was strong. she raised him strong. marten couldn't recall ever being babied, and even though sometimes he didn't get the full truth, it was always given to him when he asked. he was treated with maturity and so he grew with such. he was a strong boy among strong women, and so that he could handle high-pressure situations... ah, well, it wasn't surprising. he'd psychoanalyzed this quite a few times since the vespera incident. he was confident in his own diagnosis.

still, he sat by the mother stone. valette had given him the names of a few of the stones, but not all. he recognized the one the most, he felt the closest to it. it reminded him of his own mother, who gave him strength himself. he gave a gentle sigh, staring up at the top.
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#2
Arlette had been feeling lost ever since Nuna vanished from her life. She had been sneaking out to see her far more often than she realized and the girl felt rather lost. She missed hanging out with wolves her age. Hence why she was looking for Marten to see if he had something fun for them to do. The last time they spoke he had been very friendly and pretty cool.

The girl didn't take long to find him. She watched as he looked to the top of the mother stone. It seemed to have become the most popular one, seeing how the grass was damaged the most there. Arlette sounded out a chuff. "Hi Marten!," she greeted vocally as well. Her tail wagged kindly. Arlette looked happy to see him. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me," she asked him.
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#3
his staring was interrupted by a call for his name. his pale ears pricked, rotating back before his nose followed, head turned to see his pale cousin. silently, marten wondered why he looked so much like his father -- why they all did. it seemed to be a running theme that every new apaata member he met... seemed to resemble himself. at least, the last few. he caught himself from wondering why he couldn't look more like indra -- often, he forgot that indra was not his real mother. bitterly, he reminded himself why he didn't. 

hey, arlette! chirped marten anyway, who tended not to have a mean bone in his body. the yearlings tail waved as he moved to stand up, shaking out his pelt before taking some steps to close the distance between them. sure! did you have anything in mind? he asked her with a warm smile, gaze upon her features as he quieted.
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#4
Sorry for the wait!!

Arlette's tails wagged as well as she greeted him. The female then shook her head. "Not really," she admitted. "I just realized that I hang out with adults all the time and they are always so serious," she admitted to him and then let out a long sigh. "I mean, I understand that they are serious and it is a good thing but sometimes I want to do something else than helping the pack," she quietly admitted.

She perked up quickly and grinned. "So I thought maybe there is something you haven't seen yet or you like to do something fun. We could maybe travel to Bearclaw if you like! But if you rather want to stay home I am sure we can find something to do as well."
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#5
the yearling listened as arlette spouted out word after word -- she seemed nice, he'd decided that a long time ago, but marten wondered if he talked as much as she did. so far, it didn't seem like it, as he fell silent under her rambling. his main response was a warm smile and a few nods of his head. he held back the belief that he was actually just as serious as half the other adults here... it was a fair assumption, though. the youth was supposed to be spritely and chirpy. 

to her comment about bearclaw, a wisp of a frown graced marten's features. i don't really want to visit the valley, he admitted rather quickly, once she gave him time to speak, but i'll explore anywhere else! except, well, maybe not the hollow, either, laurel and indra didn't seem to fond of that place... or the man who led it, but marten couldn't blame them. he'd turned them away.  his tail waved as he tried to match the bright energy she was emitting, smile returning to his face.
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Arlette wondered why he didn't want to explore the valley but then who was she to judge. The female nodded understandingly. "That is totally fine," she assured him with a nod. She didn't need to be at the valley, it would only remind her of Nunataq and how she left her. Arlette hadn't really liked that. 'Alright, we can explore the bison fields if they are somewhere else.'

"But if the bison are too much, maybe we can go to duck lake," she spoke to him as a suggestion. "It is a bit further away from our territory though." She wasn't sure what Marten wanted.
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#7
the valley reminded marten of nunataq, too. and of his father, and of his mother and sibling... sibling who he couldn't even properly remember. marten, almost, feared that one day he'd encounter that sibling... only to not recognize them. marten had all he needed with indra, he didn't see a reason to dwell on what made him sad... not when he could focus on the good. maybe, one day, it would do his some good to confront his father and his past. but today was not that day.

bison sounds good! chirped marten with a wave of his brown-dipped tail, though he added, i don't mind an adventure if you prefer the lake, though. he'd need to let indra know, but he didn't mind! despite his previous no, he was just here to be a yes man.
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Arlette nodded excitedly. She hadn't been on the bison meadow for awhile and it would be fun to explore it again. Arlette shook her head. The lake reminded her of Nunataq. "I was there with Nunataq recently before she vanished. It still kind of hurt that she left without a word," she admitted softly. She didn't realize or link Marten with Nuna even though they were both related to her. It just didn't really come to mind as they looked so different.

Arlette trotted to the meadow, hopefully they would pick a nice spot where the bison were not busy on eating grass because they were protective of their young and might attack. Arlette didn't really feel much for having a bison charge at her. "She was kind of my only friend, my age," she admitted then, blushing.
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#9
marten nodded at the comment, understanding that the pain was probably deeper than his. nuna was my sister, said the yearling as he glanced upon arelette, giving her a gentle smile to show that he understood her feelings. marten was never close with his sister  -- she didn't talk and she didn't stick around... didn't bother to follow their mama when she left. marten knew she was family, but he saw more of their real mother in her than of indra. still, he would not rain on arlette's parade. i know how that feels, he added, thinking of all the wolves that had left their little family... and ones that were supposedly so close. 

i'll be your friend, he added with a smile, his tail waving, i used to have a friend back in the hollow, his name was rupert. when we left i had to leave him behind. marten hoped that rupert had forgiven him.
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Arlette's eyes widened. "Really?," she asked but it was rhetorical. She grew more serious and nodded. It sucked when others left. "It is not nice when wolves leave," she sighed. "I never knew my father, he vanished when I was young, left my mom alone with us," Arlette admitted. "My older siblings often leave for traveling, hell, even my own litter mates. It sucks when they leave."

Arlette then broke out in a smile. "I'd like that," she returned. She slowly shook her head. "I'm sure it is terrible to leave a friend behind," she sighed. "I am usually the one that is left behind," she admitted. "But I am glad to have a friend that is eager to stay here in Easthollow."
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#11
though rhetorical, marten nodded. he liked to hear that she'd never met her father -- though it was selfish, and marten scolded himself for being glad someone else had lived an ill life. i didn't really know mine, either, he admitted with a smile, hoping the similarities between them would make her feel better, he was sort of distant, and when i was little i left with my mom to find my cousins. though, they hardly did. those they did find... well. similar fates.

the conversation moved on, gently, arlette was still sort of feeling sorry for herself. marten hoped he could make her feel better about it. you'll always have your mom, though, he said with a warm smile, moving to give his new friend a small nudge. truthfully, he couldn't pledge his own allegiance to east hollow... not really. he pledged himself to indra. wherever she went, he'd follow. it just happened that this was where they were for the time being. and easthollow is a great place, he added anyway.
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Arlette looked at Marten curiously. "Maybe it is normal that dads just leave," she shrugged and wondered what he thought about it. "Then I don't really know why Greyback seems to stick around mom. They do seem very happy. Adulting sounds confusing," she sighed. She might be labeled as an adult but she didn't feel like one. Not really.

Arlette then offered Marten a smile. "That is true. Who needs a father when you have your mom right by you," she agreed with him. She trotted through the tall grass, soon it would disappear when the autumn would come. They would make way for shorter grass and eventually, snow. "I really like Easthollow, but I don't really have experience with being in another pack so I might be biased."
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#13
marten had... never known much else to argue with her when she made a mention that dads were just there to leave. he thought back on all he'd ever known and... it seemed all the pups he had ever met had left. even indra's dad had left. his ears flicked. if i'm ever a dad one day, he said, glancing towards her, i won't leave. a rather confusing thought rushed through marten's head at that moment... though he didn't voice it. instead, he laughed at her adulting comment, not able to bring himself to remind her that they were adults. it does, he agreed with an amiable smile, though a part of him thought it was actually quite easy. it just wasn't fair

then he shrugged. i think easthollow has been my favorite so far, he told her, though marten didn't really remember bearclaw enough to rule it out. he'd really liked the hollow, too, with the streams and rupert, of course. but easthollow held something sacred, the stones, and marten had come to appreciate them more than he thought he would. you think you'll ever go off and explore? he asked with a flex of his ears.
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Arlette smiled at him. "I think that would make you very unique,' she complimented. "The girl that will be your mate will be a lucky one." Arlette walked with him over the plains, careful to see if they weren't getting too close to any bison. The female quirked up her lips into a smile as he continued. "Aww, you are only saying that!!!," she returned, just teasing him a bit. She hadn't known any other pack instead of Easthollow. She didn't know what was normal and what was not since she only lived here.

'Perhaps one day. I did travel through the valley but I never went too far away from Easthollow. I don't know, all my other siblings left to travel. There are many... And well I just feel obligated to stay with mom so she doesn't end up being alone, you know?" Clary and Ezra she had never met, only heard about. She didn't know where her sister Keen was, Merrit was often by the borders or away from it. Only her young siblings were all still here.
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#15
to her response, marten merely hummed, a smile pressed to his pale features. definitely, he said, tail wagging nonetheless, and i'm not!! he did mean it. indra just seemed happier here... though, to be honest, indra had never really seemed happy anywhere. marten always found that she was content, but he only noted her happiness around himself and laurel. maybe any other kid that happened to be around for the time being. 

i feel the same way, marten replied with a soft sigh, i know my mama will always have laurel... but i just worry that something bad will happen one day. i've gotta be there for her. his nose twitched as they crossed the terrain, ears flicking alongside it. maybe you could just take scouting trips -- travel for a week and come back to tell your mama what you found.
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The girl grinned when the other male assured her that he was not lying. She was glad that he was honest about liking it here, it would mean he wouldn't leave as quickly like the others. Arlette realized that her and Marten were more alike than she thought. She grinned when he spoke about not wanting to leave his mother as well. She nodded. "Yeah, that is an excellent idea," she nodded to him. "Perhaps that day I can learn how to navigate back home," she spoke. She had been wanting to visit Ira.

"You could do you the same, or we could go together if you like," she spoke. She really liked Marten. She hummed and watched the bison herd in the distance. "Did you ever join a bison hunt here?," she asked curiously. "My mother hunts them like she has no fear but I find them so scary," she admitted.
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#17
marten nodded in agreement. i think so too -- maybe just one territory at a time, he agreed with a few waves of his tail. but, to her proposition, marten couldn't help but shrug. maybe, he said with a weaker smile than before, i don't have too much desire to travel though, i guess. i just wanna be around to heal and to help others when they're going through hard times. my feet don't really want to be anywhere. which was true. the only place he ever wanted to be was with indra. 

ah! bison. marten shook his head. no, he admitted, shooting her another grin. he wasn't afraid of the bison -- marten actually didn't truly fear anything excepting losing his mama -- but he'd never really had the opportunity to hunt big game. being a nomad didn't really offer that kind of lifestyle to them. i bet your mom would help you learn to be brave around them, he told her with a wave of his tail, we could probably learn together!
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Arlette agreed that such a thing would be the best for her to do. Like she had done before, or travel to packs she knew. "Ohhh you are into healing? So cool!," Arlette returned excitedly. "I am also very into helping others but I am going more to therapist or mediator type of stuff. I am always interested in why wolves are the way they are," she smiled. She should focus on that again to prove to her mother she was here to help the pack.

"She tried but I kind of wanted to keep my distance," she admitted a bit flustered. "But maybe if we are learning together I might try and be braver," she stated and tried to puff out her chest a bit. "If you want to learn then I would be open to try again as well!!," she spoke, she could use Marten for his confidence and if he could do it then she could try as well.