Phoenix Maplewood O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord,,

There was a large forest directly next to the Pack the Déorwine temporary wished to preside at. Their resources were definitely not small, which fortified her reasoning of taking shelter, despite her unwilling family. It would take time for adjusment, but she was already moving forward, to think of the future. 

Priority was to survive, then to stay with their pride.

She felt the best course of action was to gain knowledge, though it was simply a facade for true desire. Célnes had a striving for exploration, the desire of finding something she hadn't, was enough. Their forest was very segregated from the outside, keeping to themselves, and rarely did anyone leave. She always tried to do so, but the elders frowned, and forced her back. The elken sylph momentarily frowned remembering her uncle Grayson's lectures. Though the day he disappeared, she was finally able to stay out just a bit longer.

With now a newfound free reign of her own movement, she often disappeared from her siblings gaze. Cenric was similar, but often left without a word, and usually gave her a moment notice. The two eldest amongst the triad were often in and out, while the younger one's were troublemakers.

She supposed at the moment, Célnes  was a troublemaker, subsituting their younger brother, Kendrick. She wandered into the forest, which highly smelled of sap, and the luxurious berries that followed through as well. The forest was almost like the High Elk had blessed it, yet, she saw no Apostles, only smaller prey.

Standing by a tree, she wondered if the sap was edible, same with the bushes that carried the berries. She wanted to try it, but also knew of risks. Maybe ask a native..?

Taikon was not recovering well.
Though the male had not known Aphrodite for terribly long, he had never become accustomed in any way to death. Her loss felt as though the rug had been pulled from under him. It was surely a cruel joke by her Greek gods that they robbed him of her as soon as he had felt anything more than friendship toward her. None of it seemed fair. Moving on was the only reasonable next course, for Donovan's band of freaks surely would become problematic for his new pack. What business had Taikon in all this?
The greatest tie he now felt to the Whitebarks was Juniper. Her, coupled with the group loss of Aphrodite and several others before her left a dark cloud over them. Under this cloud, Taikon felt the need to stand with his new family. Regardless of his prior politics, he would not abandon them now.
As he often did, he'd felt the need to maintain movement, and so had taken off to the nearby forest if only to not languish in the afternoon. Trotting through the woods helped to clear his head, and for a time there were only few and sporadic thoughts of Aphrodite instead of a constant barrage. It was not long, however, before he came across one of the new recruits.
She was standing beside a maple tree. Under it, her colour was quite charming to behold. Taikon narrowed his eyes. He had heard that three siblings had sought shelter at the Stream, fleeing their homeland. He had never trusted new people. With the current events, a worry over these three bubbled within him. He moved quickly toward her, deciding that today was the day to decide if she, and by extension her siblings, could be trusted.
You're new in Whitebark, right? he asked, already knowing the answer. I'm Taikon. It was a simple greeting. He bowed his head, as he nearly always did with respect. The white wolf then looked over her, sizing her up rather rudely in contrast.

An eloquent smile to the golden man, "Yes, I am Célnes Déorwine." There were many that were not up to the family's liking, and surely she could see the elders frowning from above at this display. However it all was the means to survival for her family, and herself. Even though her siblings faked their way through, despite the obviously disgust she could see- but she couldn't say she wasn't similar.

She is still, a Déorwine afterall.

But she liked to count herself a more friendlier one.

"Is this the Pack's hunting grounds?" The elken woman asked, inquiring for more details upon this land.

There was a strange smoothness to her speech. It was luxurious. She sounded regal and well-bred. His mother would have liked her. Even the name of the she-wolf was one that rolled off the tongue like a fine wine. Célnes Déorwine, he repeated back to her, testing the syllables as though sampling a fancy treat. Lovely, he confirmed, a genuine smile coming to his lips. He loosened a bit when she asked her question.
I suppose it is, yes, he said, looking above him at the canopy of leaves. He inhaled slowly, checking the smell of the air for signs of other wildlife. Though I haven't joined a pack hunt yet, I know these woods are a favourite for deer, he told her. Taikon frequented the Maplewood, though he of course would never try to catch one of the hoofed creatures on his own.
I haven't been with them long, he explained briefly. Taikon had no desire to go into an origin story of any kind, but figured if he shared pieces of himself with the dark she-wolf, she might yet share something he could trust.

"Thank you," Célnes gracefully accepted the compliment with a smile. She wasn't bashful, as the elken woman held pride to her name, especially the lineage of the Déorwine. She knew her own name meant 'breeze,' but their last name represented 'friend of the deer,' where the group truly praises the High Elk.

"I see," she said, "I am too new as well. I'm hoping to understand more about Whitebark." She believed adaption was key, since their homeland was now destroyed. Even if they tried to return, it was inhabitable. She was rather quick to move on the fact, seeing the more logical side to the issue. Her siblings, were similar in that sense- none were in too much anguish.

"Deer?" That was a good sign, as the High Elk would need to move from the blaze. She hoped they would find him soon, as his presence always meant a bountiful land.

Célnes wanted to understand more, she said. Taikon resisted the urge to say, don't we all? He had learned the hard way recently that his off-colour attempts at humour were generally seen as nothing but crude insults. He wondered if she and her siblings had come to Whitebark Stream merely to gather intelligence for some enemy. Or, if not something that disingenuous, then perhaps they were only here to mooch from the pack before moving on to greener pastures. He realized that the likelihood they had come as spies was radically stupid; it would not make sense for three wolves to arrive for this purpose.
Yes, I've seen a herd of them before, the ones with the black tips on the tails, he described, recalling an evening just over a week ago when he had seen it. He had startled them intentionally, having no desire to attempt a hunt. His appetite in general had waned since he had discovered Aphrodite's lifeless body. He was beginning to lose weight, though had not realized it.
Were there many where you came from? He looked at her, tilting his head slightly.

A warm smile, for the sign that at least this land inhabited by the deers. While maybe not blessed by the High Elk, it would be he had passed, "Yes," she responded with a nod, "we are from a land that values deer." While she never felt close to the religion, growing up still had it have a place within her heart, especially toward the deer. She saw them as sacred, majestic and grand, something that should be cherished.

A land that values deer? Taikon figured that all wolves valued the presence of deer. They were animals that seemed designed to sustain large predators. They grew quickly and many when times were good and weather permitted. They were challenging but reasonable prey animals to go after in pack formations. A large catch could sustain a pack of wolves for a week or more; what better creature could there be?
I see, he lied, well I am looking forward to our next large hunt when we can take the beasts on as a team. He said it more generally, and was genuine about the statement. He had not participated in a pack hunt in many years; the thought of it made him nervous, for he would have to show Artyom what he was made of. The white leader had taken in Taikon on a whim because of Aphrodite's good word, and now that she was gone, he felt even more pressure to rise to the good will. Are you and your siblings fair hunters?

Célnes kept on a pleasantful smile despite a slight feeling of disgust rise forth. She wasn't one for the religious antics, but she still valued the elk. She didn't like the term 'beast,' or them as just another hunt. She refrained herself from tackling any that contained antlers, as it was against her morals, and as well as blasphemy to the God her homeland prays to. They were valued.

She wasn't too pleased with the golden man, but carried on with proper ethique.

"Yes. We value the hunt." Déorwine was quite skilled when it came to hunting, especially deerstalking. It was a sign sent from the High Elk when they arrived; otherwise, only on the Winter Jubilee may they hunted those who are horned. The sylph liked to believe they honed skills of hunting due to this.

"How about you?"

Taikon didn't notice Célnes' discomfort, being thick-skulled when it came to social relations. It was also not the first time he had offended someone because of his rather callous and distanced approach he took to matters of life and death. He was an overcalculating atheist. There were no strong feelings he had one way or another toward deer, save for perhaps the taste of venison.
He was pleased to learn that they would be able to assist in hunting. Most wolves he had met claimed to be fair at it, which made sense, but she seemed quite confident. Next, the dark woman asked him the same question, and he had to think for a few seconds, pawing at the earth below him. I'd like to think I'm a fair hunter, but it's been a long time since I've hunted cooperatively, he admitted. He was probably a better scavenger than he was a hunter, though small game was something he'd improved drastically at during his years spent along. I lived quite a while on my own, see. But these things get better with practice I s'pose.

"I see," it seemed quite a few of the wolves in Whitebark were one's who only recently joined. She came to a small conclusion that they were relatively new, but at the same time it could be that she was wrong, and only Taikon was. Nontheless, it was a rather small and dainty one, she believed a right chose was temporary made onto joining them.

"Then do you know any other prime hunting spots?"

Taikon nodded. The Otatso Wetlands and Emberwood are filled with smaller game, if that's something that interests you, he said. I've plucked a fair few beaver and muskrats in those places, much more than a mouthful. He smiled lightly, though the morbid conversation had little in the way of grace. He swallowed roughly, shivering slightly as a breeze of wind tickled his fur. I'm sure you'll find it to your liking.
He was wrong, of course, though Whitebark would serve its purpose for the elegant woman and her family.

wrap and re-thread to another location? or just fade?

The land was quite bountiful when it came to prey. High elked blessed she would like to believe, but did not find signs of him so, "I see, thank you." He was quite helpful. She knew they would not stay for long in northern part of these wilds, but at least provided ample spots for appropriate living. Prey to be, food was always a need.

"Would you like to hunt in one of them, perhaps?" Since he also mentioned such areas, she felt a thirst of hunger.

Let's rethread! Might as well have some fun while they're still Whitebarks :) I'll try to get one up in the next few hours

Though Taikon was not sure what to make of this graceful dark creature, she seemed at least to be one of class and dignity. The way the held herself was all he needed to surmise this; he hoped that her siblings were also of the well-bred variety. The prince still held a bias toward those who spoke and acted closer to the way he did despite his distaste for his own family.

To the question, he nodded sharply. Yes, let's — it's perfect weather for it, he answered her, and led the way past her, turning west and south toward the Wetlands. He set off at a steady lope, a pace designed to cover the long distances he oft traveled. It had been some time since he had cooperatively hunted with anyone. He knew that he needed this practice, and he was hungry.