Silver Creek Welcome to Teekon Wilds

@Dhalia sisterrr <3

Jasper was running ahead towards the river. His excitement was too much to contain now they seemed to get closer to their destination and further away from their parents. It felt a bit bold to leave their parents, Jasper never expected to truly leave them but they had such wonderful stories about their time in this location Teekon Wilds. He had been hearing all these stories about how his parents met and how they were in a pack called on a Caldera with Peregrine, Fox, Finley and Elwood. Especially the latter was of high interest for him to meet since he was named after the guy.

"Dhalia! Don't be a tortoise!," he called out over his shoulder to his sister as he stopped at the bank of the river. He had no need for wet feet but he wondered if they could truly could go around it. His tail was wagging and a big grin was on his maw. The tall golden boy took some good sniffs of the air. He couldn't really scent any other pack  or other wolves. Would they have made it to Teekon Wilds or was it still miles away?

Got carried away hahaha I am very excited!!! <3

They have left their parents some days before, around the mark of their first birthday. Her mother had recognized the time, and had seemed to anticipate their imending departure before Dhalia or Jasper had even sought to voice their plans aloud. Mother had always had this weird sense of knowing things like that, but whenever Dhalia joked that her mother's intuition must've been some power she'd recieved when she'd been given a second shot at life, mama always just shouldered her and threw her a humored smile, with the claim that Dhalia, in too many ways, reminded her of herself, cut near perfect from the Ostrega's cloth -- and, as any good Ostrega, boasted a nature bent with wanderlust.

Jasper seemed cut enough from the Ostrega cloth himself, though he sure carried his wanderlust like a banner trailing behind him, at the speed he tore through life. Dhalia prefered a slower journey, with enough time to see the sights, take in the sights, and memorize the sights, in case she would not have the priviledge of seeing them again. Her parents had taught them both the brevity of life, and from their tales they were no stranger to how suddenly one's breath could be sustained or snuffed out entirely.

So she supposed she understood why Jasper tried to hurry them along, because who could say when a tree or a boulder might decide it is time to fall down on either one of them? But she rolled her eyes, and let a smile steal her face, something she'd inherited from her mother. She fancied she might play the part of a pestering sister, and stop to smell the flowers longer than she'd even intended, but she supposed that would only stall their progress -- and quite honestly, the excitement that mounted within Jasper mounted within Dhalia as well, and making herself any slower wasn't even a feat she couldn't manage.

Instead she left her sight-seeing behind, and turned in Jasper's direction, and plunged through the trees until she saw him -- and until she carried on well past him, and into the river he waited before. He seemed hesitant to step into the water, and this only fuelled her. Air flew beneath her paws, and then water splashed against her thick winter fur, and flew up to meet the sky, as she jumped forward and sloshed ahead a few more steps, before turning to face him with a playful glance. "You're not scared of a little water, are you, rabbit?" he would get the allusion she played on him there -- their mother has often told them that little fable of the tortoise and the hare — and when the hare slept, the tortoise sprang ahead. With her words she flicked the surface of the stream with her paw, aiming her splash toward her brother.

Jasper watched as his sister finally came past and ran straight into the water. It wasn't like the male was afraid of water, far from. He just disliked to have his pelt all wet with this weather. They were born in the winter and when he was a young pup he fell through the thawing ice of a pond once. It had not been a fun experience and he needed lots of cuddles to stay warm that night. He was just more wary when temperatures dropped and water would be cold instead of refreshing.

His sister clearly didn't share that with him and splashed water in his direction. Jasper jumped back but didn't get out of the way fast enough to still have his coat splashed wet. The male huffed softly before deciding that he didn't want his sister to win and jumped forward with a big leap. He landed close to her and with his body mass and 2 feet of water made a good splash in return to his sister. Jasper shuddered as the cold water soaked his fur. Though a soft chuckle did sound from his throat.

He dashed forward, making leaping jumps through the water eager to cross the river onto the next lands. When he ended up on the other bank he gave himself a good shake. "Do you think we are close to the Caldera mom and dad lived together?," he asked. He hadn't really spotted the weird mountain yet. Sometimes he wished Mom and Dad were with them so they could just tell him where they were or give more information about something.

Dhalia flinched when Jasper took his plunge, and she thrust a paw to shield the water he sprayed at her face. "Hey!" she shouted, but laughter embraced her words, and mischief held through her cursory glare. The Rochester gave her head a solid shake to whisk the water from the fur around her cheeks, and she leapt forward in quick pursuit, sloshing through the stream until her nails met the river rocks on the other side.

Water streamed from her fur as she hoisted herself out of the water. Soft peat pressed beneath her paws, and if not for the sun, the wind would have chilled her through. Dhalia shook herself dry, a thoughtful, "Hmm," strumming through her lips when her brother spoke. A final flick of her tail shot the last drop of water away, and she drew up alongside him. "Well, they said the mountain was flanked by forests, a field, and a lake. We just left a field, and we're coming into a forest. But honestly," she shrugged, and turned her cursory glance from the woods onto her brother, "beats me whether these are the ones that border the Caldera. I say we keep heading East, look for a normal mountain if we can't find the weird one first, and see what we can scope out from there."

Jasper made sure to step out of his sister's reach when she shook herself. The male studied his surroundings while she spoke. It was not really that great of a combo to find this Caldera. And his father warned them that they might have gone to other lands. They might never find this Caldera, luckily his sister's words gave him hope. He turned and smiled warmly at her. "That sounds like an excellent idea," he agreed. If they would not know the way they should get some height and overview of the terrain.

He tried to see if there was a mountain around here. He decided that they should continue on into the forest. "You are the adventurer of the two," he agreed then and started his walk into the woodland. The tall male curiously looked around, sniffing the air for scent marks. Nothing stood out for the male. "I keep thinking Mom and Dad will just show up. It feels weird traveling without them," he admitted to Dhalia while walking.

Their whole life they had been traveling, from pack to pack. As soon as they were a few months they were traveling to another pack, with new rules and other customs. Their first travel had not been far, just a neighboring pack that also wanted the medical knowledge. In return they would offer their family shelter. They didn't stay long until Jasper would follow his mom and dad once more, to the next pack, only his sister to play with. He had become very fond of her.

Dhalia let herself be bolstered by her brother's simple praise, and shimmied taller with a knowing smile. "My ideas are always excellent," she said, and bumped his shoulder with a playful nudge. "But don't worry, I might be the adventurous one, but you've always been more sensible, or so ma and pa always rattled on about."

She picked up an easy pace beside him, turning her head in the opposite direction Jasper moved his, soaking in the sights, the smells, the newness of this place. A quiet hum radiated from her throat, a soft repetition of one of mother's old hymns. Something she'd said she'd picked up on her own travels, when she was their age. Her brothers words echoed the very thoughts that entered her mind that moment. She still found it funny, how often that happened between them.

"I know," she agreed, a bit more subdued than before. "Kinda like dad'll pop out from behind one of the trees and crack some stupid joke, or something. Man, never thought I'd say it, but I actually think I miss those awful things," she let a short silence take them, but piped up with a quick laugh, "do you remember that one he told us when I thought he was hurt, so I asked him if he was alright?" she glanced at Jasper with a cheshire grin, ready with the punch line if he didn't offer it first, and already thoroughly groaning inside.

Jasper had to roll his eyes at his sister, it was a fond eye roll though. He kind of expected that answer from her little sister. He had always been the more sensible one. He was not sure if it had always been part of his character or just his upbringing. His dad had always taught him to be polite and always watch out for his family. He automatically would want to protect his younger sister from harm. Then again, he always liked a practical approach to things from when he was little. "Yeah, it is the reason why they would demand me going with you on adventures," she smirked. "Because they were certain you were out to get in trouble," he stated.

Makes me laugh because their first threads without each other, Dhalia gets to fight a wolverine and Jasper has a pleasant and casual conversation :'D

He had to smile at his sister that they had been thinking about the same thing. His smile broadened when he thought about his dad. Silly old man, so emotional too at times. He figured it was the age. "Gods, yes. I'm fine I only seem to have lost part of my tail.," he mimicked his dad's voice. And to think his dad had fooled him for such a long time into finding his tail. It had been the biggest game and one that had taught him how to track prey. "How many hours they kept us busy with that, it is embarrassing really," he chuckled. Eventually, they did realize that his dad's tail would never be found.

Jasper had felt so stupid and a bit played by his dad. Still, he had been quick to forgive his father and now he could laugh about the silly things he did as a pup. "I think dad is probably crying that he misses us so much," Jasper joked. It had been a really valuable lesson though, to see his father show so much emotion. He realized that there was no shame in showing those emotions. Still, Jasper liked the idea of himself being a strong male that could take on any danger.

She smirked, but said nothing further. He was right, of course, and Dhalia wasn't ashamed. If she were anything else, she'd be a different wolf. Level-headed, sure, and perhaps some the wiser, but that was the kind of guy her brother was, not her. And she loved him for that, as much as he sometimes drove her up the wall. She knew she drove him crazy, too, with the antics she often found herself in. But that's what made them them. They both needed each other, and for all the changes they would face, leaving or losing her brother behind would never be one of them.

Dhalia laughed with him, "Especially when I decided to leave you in the dark after ma "accidentally" slipped the truth to me," because, aside from the impending embarassment, the game had been relatively harmless and fun, until Dhalia had taken her searchings a little too far and had shot herself right into an abandoned badger sett, in hopes she might find the tail in there. She had held the information to herself, and for a little while had tried to use her "ignorance" to goad her brother into places they weren't supposed to be, until her parents found out about that, and swiftly put an end to it all.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's cried out a river already, and they named it after him. In fact, I'm naming the next river I find after him," and she skipped ahead of her brother with the widest grin. The light between the branches had begun to grow. "It'll be the highest honour."

Jasper let out a laugh sigh and then a shake of his head. Yeah he did remember. He had been the one to know it last. It was embarrassing. Especially, after he was sprayed by a skunk when trying to find their Dad's tail. On top of being extremely smelly, he also had to learn from his parents that their father had not lost his tail AND that Dhalia had known for awhile. He was definitely sour for a few days. Luckily, now he could laugh about it. He couldn't stay mad for too long at his sister. "Don't remind me,' he stated with a shake of his head, however, he was smiling.

Jasper laughed when she said that. 'Oh, that would be a good idea. Bet he would be a bit offended when we tell him," Jasper chuckled. He could already see it. Still, he was grateful for his father, both his parents. They had taught him a lot in his short life. He felt like he could take on the world thanks to all their lessons. He could even forgive them for all the moving around, since that was their job. 'Do you think you will ever settle somewhere?," he asked curiously.