Sleepy Fox Hollow Take you to my hometown where I grew up

AW but maybe @Takiyok?

Damnit! Wylla growled when an errant root snagged her paw and sent her stumbling. The hare whose tail she'd nearly grabbed hold of seized its chance and raced off into the trees. The grizzled Tessarius had no hope of catching up now, and already the sun was beginning to sink in the sky. Her chances of finding another one and tracking it down before night fell were slim to none.

She swung around and lunged for the root, now visible from its hiding place in the snow. She snapped her jaws shut on it and hauled her body back, tugging it powerfully but failing to rip it from the earth in the dramatic fashion she hoped for.

She had just returned to the hollow from another unsuccessful search for her missing children. She stalked across the border, their loss weighing heavier than usual, as it always did when she first returned from looking for them. When she left, she was always comforted by the hope that this time it might be different. But the hope slowly dissipated the longer she walked without finding any sign of them and by the time she returned, the hope had morphed into a painful ball of despair in the middle of her chest. She still searched, though, any time she could slip away. She refused to give up hope that they were out there somewhere. 

She was in a sullen trance, moving towards the center of the territory to sulk in private for a while before pulling herself together. But the sight of Wylla trying to pull a root from the ground made her pause. She looked at the woman in the distance. She hadn't said much to her or anyone lately, too consumed with her search and trying to ensure that the hollow was safe now that they had made a more permanent home here. She trotted over to the woman, her gaze shrewd as she watched her. What are you doing? she asked flatly. She seemed kind of like she was playing and if she had that much free time, then Taki had plenty of tasks she could assign her.

Shit, she hadn't meant for anyone to see her outburst. Wylla released the root and whirled around at the deadpan sound of Takiyok's voice, ears falling dramatically to the sides. Since her first encounter with Maegi, whom Wylla had assumed to be Takiyok at first, the salt-and-pepper wolf had made an effort to at least know her packmates by sight. This was definitely Takiyok, and Mahler's advice drifted lazily through her head.

Was she judging her?

Swallowing down the urge to say something sarcastic, if not outright rude, Wylla straightened, shook the snow from her fur, and answered, was chasing a rabbit. It got away because of this piece of shit root. She aimed a kick at it. Was gonna yank it out or something so it doesn't happen again. Why? Good enough excuse, she thought, even if pulling up a tree root was not in the realm of possibility for any wolf.

Well, at least she wasn't playing like Taki originally thought, although she still seemed a little strange. That mattered little to the Kapitän; all she really cared about was whether or not each member of the pack was pulling their weight. The quaking had subsided, but food was still scarce and they were right in the middle of winter. She also worried about spring when she would have pups again, and she wanted to make sure there wasn't any unnecessary strain on the pack. 

She studied the other woman curiously for a few moments, looking between her and the root. That sounds annoying, she commiserated. It's been a struggle to find much to eat lately. She paused a second before continuing. You're Wylla, correct? She asked. How do you know Mahler? Whatever ulterior motive she had for asking the question was well hidden, the northerner only portraying an interest in getting to know her new packmate. She did want to know more about her, but she also wanted to know the nature of her relationship with the General. It seemed Mahler knew quite a lot of women around here, and it was a constant source of irritation for Taki. She supposed she couldn't blame other women for being drawn to him, but that didn't diminish her jealousy any.

Being the true paragon of small talk and simple pleasantries that she was, Wylla was terribly tempted to snark in response to Takiyok's sympathy. ("Oh, really, it's a struggle? Hadn't noticed"), but Mahler's advice was in the forefront of her mind. If she meant to get anywhere in this pack, assuming she didn't find Tiercel in short order, she needed this woman's approval. She naturally railed against this, believing her merit to be worth more than anyone's opinion, but as good as she was at throwing matches on her own life, Wylla was going to be good. For once.

Yeah, well, she groused, I'll catch it next time. She was a little surprised when the Kapitän called her by name, but then, why shouldn't she? After all, Mahler had shared Takiyok's name with her. She was even more surprised when she asked how Wylla knew Mahler, which made her narrow her eyes just a little. Suspicious, as always. Her go-to response for this kind of unforeseen question was what's it to you, but she was supposed to be playing nice.

So she softened it a little by first saying, We're old friends. That wasn't quite right, but it was the simplest way to put it without getting into all the specifics. And when she asked, What's it to you? she was careful to keep her tone lifted, curious, rather than the deadpan or outright judgmental way she might've delivered it otherwise.

Old friends. It was a convenient answer, but she had no evidence to the contrary and so was forced to take Wylla's answer at face value—something she had never been very good at. The question that came next, although asked with calm curiosity, rubbed the Kapitän the wrong way. Her jaw tightened and her body stiffened. But when her answer came, it was calm and stern. I am Diaspora's Kapitän, it is my business to know what motivates new members to join us. In other words, she was second in charge and felt she had the right to be in everyone's business, especially this close to breeding season. You came here to find him then? she asked. Her expression remained calm, her gaze shrewd as she watched Wylla's expression for any hint that her answer would be different from her feelings.

Fair, granted Wylla. She was none too pleased with being grilled about her reasons for being here, but she supposed "grill" was putting it a little strongly, and the Kapitän wasn't wrong that it was sort of her business. For all she knew, Takiyok was just trying to get to know her. All her life, Wylla had been a prickly beast, and prone to dramatics where other women were concerned. It was certainly possible that she was ascribing intent to Takiyok's questions where none existed simply because she was a total bitch who didn't play too nicely with others.

More often than not, there was no rhyme or reason for her behaviour.

No, she answered flatly, fixing Takiyok's nose with a questioning knit of her brows as she reminded herself over and over not to make any overtly dickish remarks. Why would you assume that? It was a strange thing to think in Wylla's opinion, but it made her wonder: was it common for wolves to come here specifically for Mahler? Weird. I just ran into him on my way south and thought it's better to run with a friend than a stranger. Is that abnormal or something? The rest was too personal or too embarrassing (or both) for her to admit to a perfect stranger, which is exactly what Takiyok was to her.

She shrugged a little at the other woman's first question. It seemed like a logical assumption, she offered just as flatly. You knew each other before, and now you're here... Of course, she was not unbiased by any means when it came to Mahler, and her 'logical assumption' was very much influenced by her own feelings for the General. But this woman was not her friend or family, at least not yet, and so she didn't owe her such personal details. To Wylla's next question, she answered: No, not abnormal. That makes just as much sense. I was just curious.

The topic had made things a little awkward for Taki, and so she was eager to change it. What skills are you looking to further now that you're here? The Kapitän asked, finding talk of pack business much more comfortable. Perhaps I can help, if you wish. She was always glad to help a packmate to better serve the needs of Diaspora.

Hm. Wylla had nothing further to say on the subject of Mahler, and if she sensed anything amiss with Takiyok's responses, it didn't show in the slightest. The questions were simply unexpected, and the assumption behind such questions always made Wylla a little testy. If not for Takiyok's status in the pack, and the fact Mahler respected her so much, Wylla would've reminded her to keep her nose squarely in her own business. But even she wasn't stupid enough to ignore a power dynamic.

God, she missed being the one in charge.

It seemed that questioning her about Mahler was getting old for Takiyok, who changed the subject. Wylla rolled one grizzled shoulder in a shrug. Can't say I've thought about it much. I do a little bit of everything, 'cept healing. Don't know shit about that and don't want to. She might've been tough as nails on a lot of levels, but something about wounds had always made Wylla's stomach a little delicate.

Any suggestions? There was no guarantee Wylla would do what Takiyok told her to—taking suggestions was never a guarantee where Wylla was concerned—but it would give her an idea of where the pack was lacking.

The fact that she hadn't thought much about how she would provide for the pack seriously irritated the Kapitän. Not only that, but she just couldn't imagine being a new member of a pack and taking such a lax attitude about things; she really couldn't understand ever being lax abut anything, though. Right well, we must all pull our weight, she said first, with a raise of an eyebrow. 

But she did ask for suggestions, which diminished Taki's irritation some. Maybe she just didn't know any better. A scout or a mercenary would be most valuable in my opinion if healing isn't something you wish to do. And of course, hunters are always useful, though that would be a little problematic right now. She paused to think, and then continued. I guess you should choose what most interests you. No sense in trying to perfect a trade that you hate doing, especially if you want to be the best at it.

We must all pull our weight, said Takiyok, and now it was Wylla's turn to feel a crackle of irritation in her marrow. This showed readily in her sparking yellow eyes, which flashed to the Kapitän in spite of the toothsome smile Wylla offered. I'm sure you don't mean to imply that helping out everywhere is anything but, she replied, too sweetly.

But if Takiyok really thought she could sit here and fashion cloaked barbs at Wylla's work ethic without protest, she wasn't paying enough attention. Hadn't Wylla scouted the entire Sunspire range at Mahler's command in search of new forming packs? Hadn't she helped tend to his medicinal stores? She'd met several of her packmates... maybe not in the best of moods, but nevertheless, she knew them. Hadn't she sent Jigsaw to Diaspora, recruiting for their cause?

If Takiyok was blind to Wylla's efforts, it was her opinion that that was the Kapitän's oversight, not hers. I have been scouting, she supplied, walked a lot in my life and never had a problem with it, so I may very well just keep doing that. It wouldn't stop her from pitching in where work was needed, but it would allow her an excuse to get away from the tension in Diaspora whenever she needed to. Assign me somewhere to go next and I'll be on my way, she requested, with the air of someone who wanted nothing more than to part ways with her present unnecessarily judgmental company.

She may be a hypocrite, being quick to judge and scathing about it as well, but Wylla was no layabout and she resented even the faintest hint of a suggestion that she was.

She only offered Wylla a blank expression in response to her first question, clearly unruffled by the obvious snark in the other woman's words. Apparently Taki's comment had struck a nerve, which she thought was a good thing. Wylla didn't like to be called lazy, and the Kapitän took that as evidence that their new member would not be one to take advantage of all their hard work. She had not interest in letting lazy wolfs stay in the ranks and drain their resources. Just a reminder, she finally answered with no shift in her expression.

She liked to scout, which was something Taki could relate to. She often missed the days when she had less responsibilities and could leave for days at a time on scouting missions. It was her main job when she was home and still under her father's rule. But that was out of the question now; she was a mother and a leader and didn't like being gone from Diaspora for more than a day at a time. At Wylla's request for a job, Taki's lips twisted some in thought as she considered what task to assign her. Alright, she started. The last time I was in the canyon to the north, the wind from the north brought with it the scent of what I believe is a pack. I want more information about them—who are they and who leads them, she explained. Travel there and speak with them and then report back to me what you find. Taki studied her face briefly and then added: Go on your own or take a partner if you wish. She had always preferred solo travel, but the mountains were dangerous in the winter, and she may want the added security of a scouting partner.

A possible pack to the north. Wylla couldn't recall any suspicious scents from her trek around the Sunspires, but that didn't mean something couldn't have sprung up in the interim. She would investigate it when she could, though knowing Wylla, it would be at her leisure. Very well, she agreed, canting her muzzle to the north. I'll find out what I can.

Visiting other packs wasn't really her forte. She didn't excel at making friends and wasn't the likeliest ambassador for any pack she was part of, hard worker though she could be. But if the name of the game was merely to gather information, she was as good as any for that. Takiyok gave her leave to find a partner if she preferred the company, but there was no worry there. Wylla was a lone soul who preferred solitude, much like the Kapitan herself.

I'll leave as soon as I can, she said, indicating there were preparations she intended to make first. Specifically, she wanted a full belly and a good night's sleep before embarking. Gonna see if I can find that hare again, she said, glancing at Takiyok for any sign of disapproval or protest before she stood and trotted off into the trees.

Taki knew how important it was to prepare yourself for a journey, and so when Wylla suggested that she was going to find something to eat first, Taki only nodded. She said nothing else, just watched the woman trot off into the trees. She seemed capable, and Taki thought she had promise. Time would tell, though. How many times had she thought that about an new packmate and then been disappointed? Too many times. For now, she would remain neutral and await news of the pack to the north.