The Heartwood i'm having a breakdown, drinking at a playground; tequila for one

@Electra, other tags for ref

He's feeling well enough to venture further today, so he tells @Phillip and @Rosalie he's going to scout ahead a bit, to continue searching for a place to settle and make sure they don't run into Neverwinter Forest. This place doesn't seem very promising, but it is close to Neverwinter Forest — and another pack, one that hadn't been there before. This knowledge is useful, at least, so he lurks around searching for more hints of life.

Electra's body was racked with aches and pains, and despite her best efforts to put this and the battle that resulted in these injuries behind her, it was proving to be a difficult task.  Her foot where her foe's teeth had pierced through the flesh was especially bad, often bleeding.  She was having an issue with trying to keep it clean between the damp ground and drizzle, and wore a permanent scowl on her face as a result.

She forged away from the expanse of endless brown grasses and towards a mournful, haunting forest.  She suspected there had been something here once, maybe something of more interest than what it held now.  Further inspection provided a contradictory sharp-but-soft silhouette of blue-grey; familiar in a way she could not place even though they had never met.

Stepping forward to reveal herself, she calls out, Hey.

Another wolf cloaked in gold, this time a woman with dark accents and icy eyes. There's something familiar to her features, a sharpness he's only seen in one other face aside his own. The greeting throws him off even more. Hi. Do I know you? He can't help asking, even knowing he doesn't. Or uh, do you know anyone named Alessia? Maybe that's a better question — because all he sees right now is the face of his birth mother, colors inverted.

The other was quick to the point; she asks if she knows Electra, to which she immediately responds without thinking, No.  There's something sharp and familiar about the other girl's face, but she can't place it.  She stiffens as if she's threatened by the rise of this feeling.  The name of her birth mother is quickly tossed out and it visibly catches her for a second, her steely gaze rendered helpless as memories from her childhood threaten to overload her senses.  Yeah, she confirms, lost for breath Um, . . .  

Uncharacteristically thrown off, her brow furrows as she focuses on staying upright, keeping her knees from buckling.  That's my mom, she reveals, straightening back up and steeling herself as if none of this had happened.  Why?

He notices belatedly that she's wounded, but by then the conversation is already moving forward. Her answer leaves him speechless for a moment, eyes widening slightly in an uncharacteristic show of shock.
You — She is younger than him, isn't she? He can see it now that he looks more closely. He can see Alessia in her more clearly now, too. She's my mom, too. But I haven't seen her in a long time. Is she with you? What about — Soter and Morena? And d- Kavik? Wishful thinking, perhaps, but he can't help it. He has to ask.

For some reason, what the other girl says makes sense.  She's my mom, too.  It shouldn't be surprising, but it was all the same.  At the question, she raises her lip in a sneer, clearly not directed at the other girl — her sister, she corrects herself, not that the title means much at the moment.  No.  She lets her answer hang in the air with all its finality before she says, I think I may have heard some of those names, but I don't recognize any of them.  

A pause.  What's your name?

The question brings a reaction Zephyr all too familiar with; odd boy that he is, this warms him to his apparent sister. Half sister? It doesn't matter, really. Even if their only shared connection is a mutually hated mother, he's already decided it's one he wants to capitalize on. I didn't like her much, either, He offers with a wry half-smile at her expression. I'm Zephyr. You? Oh, and — There's something you should know about me, since you're... my sister. I may look and smell like a woman, but I'm not. I guess that's confusing for some people, but I don't care if anyone understands it. Just don't call me 'she' or 'her' or anything like that.

Electra, she offers, thinking that their names sound similar in a way, but she's unable to place why — she either didn't listen or wasn't told about the way her mother chose names, and she didn't know Greek either.  She did know that this other wolf wasn't lying though, because what she did know was she had a half-sister brother by that name.

She offers no opinion on the latter comment. Sure, no problem. To Electra, what someone was mattered less than who they were. She only had one question, Wait, what should I call you then?  He? That's the only thing she knew of that could be left; she had no issue with it (and none was apparent in her flat tone), but was looking to clarify.

What're you doing ... here?

Electra's name seems to suit her somehow, but he doesn't linger on that thought. There's far too much other information calling for his attention right now. Yeah, he, He confirms, grasping onto the easiest thing to keep the flow of conversation going between his racing thoughts. I'm... checking out the nearby packs. Looking for a place to settle, away from them. I'm traveling with a group — with my friend Phillip, and my mother — my other mother, Rosalie. It feels good to keep talking, to keep his thoughts away from the family members whose names Electra has never even heard. Without thinking, he continues, You could come with us, if you want. It'd be safer than being alone.

She offers him a nod to his confirmation, and with the pronoun discussion behind them, the conversation shifts to the future.  For a girl like her, commitment was difficult; she wasn't sure she'd always be around, but.. Sure, she says with a tone of casual indifference, but I can't make any promises.  About staying, I mean.  She knew she was a difficult personality, and was uncertain that she'd get along with her brother's friends.  Is there anywhere you're looking to settle that's of particular interest right now?

It's a fair enough response, from his perspective. I get it. Phillip and Maman are nice, but I won't let anyone else who joins us treat you badly, so don't let that drive you away. Just... let me know what you need, or if you're going to leave, He's okay with her departing; people do that often enough in his life already. He can't imagine being okay with her simply disappearing, though. I haven't found anywhere suitable yet, but I have a few ideas. A forest or a river by a forest, not too close to another pack. If we find another small group, maybe we'll join up with them — but I'm not going to be anyone's subordinate. I'll be leading the group, one way or another — I don't trust anyone else to keep things secure and fair.

sry for wait

What he asks is fair enough, she thinks.  While she isn't sure she can commit to staying around, she's no deserter.  Of course, she replies with a nod of her head.  It's nice to know that he's looking out for her, too.  They just met, but if this was another chance at having family — blood, for all that it's worth, for all that she'd already ruined — maybe he was setting an example that she could follow.  Unable to share her appreciation, she says instead I'll ... look out for you too.

I can help you look.  I'm not great at scouting territories, I'm ... more of a homebody.  And I know you didn't ask, but you can't trust me to keep things secure and fair, either.  So uh.. don't look at me.  She follows this up with a half-smile and an exceptionally short laugh, but one longer than she'd given anyone else thus far.


. . .


The conversation drifted, and ultimately Electra ended up agreeing to follow Zephyr.  He led the way, and they began to warm up to each other as the day turned to night.  They found a place to bed down, and eventually parted ways to have their own separate adventures, but would surely meet up again now that they were family and all that.