Emberwood caught up in the rapture of love

@Lainie, @Marten, @Maiira, @Sativa — i'll wait until after the holiday so everyone who wants to join is able to. also open to anyone interested. :)

a small pond sat nestled between the trunks of two blanched aspens. the water moved with every gust of wind, albeit in small, inconsequential waves. evening was approaching; the sun had long since begun its descent to make room for the rising moon.

bhediya sat in silence as she glared at her reflection. there was hatred in her gaze, a kind of resentment that had roots deeper than she could know. the council was no place for inadequacy but since her joining, it was all that she'd had to offer. the scout wondered aloud, why me? and waited longingly for a response.

It had been a bit since they'd settled down with Ibis's group. She had seen less of her dad which secretly pleased her but lately she'd been feeling useless. Everything she could remember had always been fear and struggle except for the times with her family before the shaking started. Now her family was gone except for Papa and she didn't know what to do. 


The darkness had brought on a chill and slowly her body grew stiffer until she walked and limped and jerked like a wolf many years older. As she grew closer to the pond she heard a question voiced outloud and for a moment wondered if she had accidentally done so before spotting the she wolf. She curiously approached, her legs twitching a few times as she paused "What's wrong?"

the abrupt change of position allowed bhediya's paw to slide into the water, the resulting ripples erasing her reflection. a girl stood counter. nothing, she replied. the nervous twitch of her tail slowly eased into a friendly wag. first impressions, she thought the herself, wondering if it was too late for salvaging.

we haven't met before, the scout said as she inched closer, i'm bhediya. you? there weren't too many unfamiliar faces within their borders. based on the girl's apparent age, she figured (and hoped) that this was lainie, the child of kavik. their meeting was long overdue.

"Nothing" 

Laine's tail stopped at her hinds and she dropped her gaze staring at the water for a few moments. She had heard the she wolf but she knew better than to push when things weren't wanted to be talked about. Her dad always tried to make her think everything was okay too when she could see he was sad. The she wolf spoke again and she looked back to her ears perked as she sat down her tail tapping against the ground. "Bhediya...that's a really nice name. I'm Lainie" she introduced herself with a smile "My papa is Kavik. Ibis brought us here recently" she wasnt sure what else to say and fell silent again.

it was refreshing to be the same size as someone instead of being laughably dwarfed. i figured, she replied with a wink. lainie was the only adolescent that she knew of, but bhediya doubted that that would last for long. it's nice to meet you. your dad wanted me to try and find you a while ago, actually. 

luckily for bhediya, instincts and duties matched in this situation. the scout, with a curious crane to her neck, said, how're you settling in? are you comfortable? if not, there wasn't much that could be done.

Lainie caught the wink and wagged as she moved to sit beside the black furred woman ears perked up high as she regarded the woman with a hesitant curiosity from the side of her gaze. "How do you know my father?" she asked Bhediya and turned back to watch the water move with the breeze. "Better than when we got here but...bored. I'm so bored and Papa doesn't want me exploring anymore" she didn't mean for it to come out whiny but when it did, she let her lips curve downward not even bothering to hide the discontent.

oh, i met him when you all first got here. it hadn't been too long since their arrival, bhediya thought. things were moving quickly but she didn't mind. the more, the merrier, right? 

she giggled at lainie's complaint. a protective father is a good father, she said. even without knowing him well, she could tell how much kavik loved his children.

bhediya waited a moment for lainie to chime in. i can take you exploring some time. i'm sure your dad won't mind. the problem was probably lainie being out alone. while bhe wasn't much of a brute, she was an adult. that'd be enough, right?

let me know if you're ever interested, okay? she smiled, then moving to head toward the border.