Noctisardor Bypass always on my mind

The excitement of moving to a new place had died down, and Sequoia found herself in a bit of a boring rut. She'd been granted permission to go bone a stranger when the time came, but that time had not come yet. It wasn't like she could flip a switch and make herself go into heat (which was probably a good thing). So instead, she meandered around the bypass, trying to get the lay of the land memorized. It was a bit repetitive to wake up and do the same thing every day, but somehow she managed. She was eager to explore elsewhere, though she knew she should stick around here until they'd beefed up security a bit.

A new smell had joined them, but Sequoia had not sought them out. It was female, so Sequoia didn't find it particularly enticing. At least Mahler's baby momma (or whoever she was) had taken off. Perhaps she'd realized there was nothing for her here. In any case, at least Sequoia had that to be thankful for.

She kicked a piece of ice, watching it skitter across the hardened layer of snow.

The longer she stayed, the more Laurel found herself wondering why Mahler had decided to take over this place from Arbiter. She welcomed the thought of driving them out -- the thought that Terance and his bitch were licking their wounds elsewhere was extremely enticing to Laurel, who'd always been particularly vengeful herself -- but something didn't quite fit. Mahler seemed like a sensible but not overly violent sort. Either he had a really good mask on his face - much like the one Laurel sported - or there was more to his story. It made Laurel feel something she hadn't in a long time; the urge to find out more about it. A spark of curiosity that had been absent for so long as she avoided others in the territories of Easthollow, merely surviving for no purpose.

No purpose than to get here, perhaps. Maybe there truly was a second chance hidden somewhere in all of this. Only time would tell whether it would be the new start she desperately needed, or just another act in the ongoing nightmare of her life.

Laurel hadn't seen Xan recently, but she imagined he must be around. She was out looking for him when she heard the sound of moving ice. When she turned towards it, Laurel noticed a woman not far off. It wasn't anyone she recognised, thankfully (Laurel was ready to bury all the ghosts of her past). Deciding she would make the best of the new chance offered to her, Laurel easily slipped on her mask and she approached the other; body neutral, a bubbly smile on her face that said she was looking forward to meet another of her new pack mates.

Well this was a nice change of pace. Instead of grumpy, serious Praimfaya, Sequoia was greeted by a chipper woman who appeared to be in the mood for socializing. Now that was something the piebald could get behind, and her body language immediately mirrored the approaching wolf.

Well thank fuck, Sequoia said. I was starting to think everybody around here was boring, too serious, and/or sad. She paused, grinning at the woman, then introduced herself. Name's Sequoia.

Her bubbly approach was met with a friendly face. When she came closer Laurel noticed the intricate details in the woman's fur; it reminded her of her poor boy. For a moment Laurel's face fell as she realised this and her heart sank. She thought of his dead body before her, how she had found him. How I had found you. If it wasn't for Nunataq, he would've...

Oh, her poor boy Lucas.

Soon she regained her composure and put the smile back on her face, though there was a glimmer of lingering pain shining in her eyes still. The woman introduced herself as Sequoia, and Laurel smiled at her as brightly as she could manage. Nice to meet you, I'm Laurel. I joined up recently. Have you lived here long? she asked, putting her best foot forward for this meet-and-greet. Guess I shouldn't expect much fun from the others who live here, then? Her tone was joking, though it was a way to test the waters and figure out who else lived here — and what they were like.

There was a flicker of something, but it was gone before Sequoia could think too much about it, and soon enough the conversation flowed to the next topic at hand. Laurel was her name, she was new, and she had a sense of humor. Checking all the right boxes in Sequoia's list, she was pretty certain they were going to get along juuuuuust fine. She was far different from Praimfaya, who seemed to have a stick up her bum about everything.

A few months, Sequoia said. It was crazy to think they'd moved in such a short amount of time, and Mahler had been holding up on some mountain when she'd met him. She wondered if he always planned to move every couple of months, but she figured she'd just go with the flow if that was the case.

Yeah, the others are kind of a bore. Mahler's alright, though. He's got old dad vibes. Sequoia snickered at that. He probably wasn't that old, but he certainly acted like he was ancient.

Apparently she was fairly new, too. This surprised Laurel, since she seemed to be fairly at the top of the food chain around here. Was his pack fairly new, then..? Laurel pondered this over while Sequoia went on to mention that the others were boring. Laurel could not help but wonder what made her stick around here, if the other wolves were truly such a drag.

Mahler being different made Laurel's ears perk up curiously. She remembered the conversation they'd had — the one at the bypass, about old feuds and wishes for futures — and had felt that he was.. different.. too. She couldn't quite place it, but she felt more or less at ease with him nearby, which was a thing she hadn't felt about any man in a long time.

It was still a lot easier opening up to Sequoia than to him, though — even if it was a bit more fake than the moments she'd shared with Mahler, the smile she held a bit more forced — considering there wasn't the constant looming danger up ahead that men held. Laurel said after some time, Ah, well, that's good to know. There was something awkward about the way she said it. She thought to herself that at least old dad vibes meant he was probably not a dangerous predator; but of course, both mind and body were put to ease only a little bit.

So how'd you end up here, if everyone's kind of a bore? Laurel asked good-naturedly, the awkwardness gone from her words as she put forward her smile once more.

Sequoia paused when Laurel spoke the first time, trying to decipher whatever it was she was thinking, but she dropped it quickly as the conversation moved on. She wanted to know how Sequoia had gotten here, and the piebald girl gave a dramatic sigh. Girl, I tell you. It is a story. Not that she wouldn't tell it, of course.

I was on-again-off-again with this guy. Basically grew up with him, y'see? He always kinda treated me like garbage, but I loooooved him, so I couldn't really see it. Anyway, he dumped me, deserted me, and I just couldn't stand being around all the familiar things anymore. Wound up running into Mahler early winter, and just sorta started hanging around.

What about you? Any deadbeat exes to speak of?

This girl seemed really chatty. She reminded Laurel a lot of.. well, of herself, before... I happened. ... When she was younger. She had been just as chatty, just as bubbly, even though a lot of it had been a mask to shield herself from getting too close to anyone. It was just a mask that was more painful and heavy to keep in front of her face as the years went on.

She wondered if it was the same for Sequoia, and could not help but feel for her, even though she was totally 100% projecting herself onto Sequoia.

Another thing that reminded her of herself when she was young was the bad exes thing. Oh, she collected a few. Now, now, don't be daft, my dearest — we never broke up. An involuntary shiver ran down Laurel's spine before she straightened her smile again and chuckled in response to the question. Oh, yeah, too many to list. Though the latest one, I guess, is the one I came here with. Xan, he... She thought back to their first time. Young, naive, she thought she could change him. We were together many years ago, when I was about your age. I seduced him, thought I could make him love me, but he thought we were friends. You know how it is with men, they never change and then play dumb when they gotta make a choice. He thought that he could stay with his mate and raise her pups as well as be my friend and watch me raise mine. Laurel frowned as she thought of it, and she felt a little angry thinking back to it. After his mate left him, he suddenly wanted me, but I left him in the dust. I didn't see him for a long time after, 'til he showed up in my previous home, Easthollow, all of a sudden. After many months I finally believed he might stick around this time, y'know? He said he loved me, that he made a mistake way back then.

Laurel sighed as she continued the tale down its latest dark turn. We came here in hopes of starting a family together. A fresh start and all that. But I guess men can't be changed, 'cause I haven't seen him ever since we moved to the Bypass. He seems to have gone... Along with my hopes and dreams for having a family again. Being a mother again — oh, how desperately she needed that second chance after how badly she had screwed up with Charles, Riley and Louie. Well, that was her story, told animatedly and in detail. She didn't look particularly struck right now, which might be odd considering she'd said how much it had hit her; how much having a family meant to her.

Sequoia leaned in as Laurel began to recount her story. There was plenty of gossip to be had, and she just knew the two of them were going to get along, thick as thieves. Sadly, it reminded her a bit of Kiwi, but she brushed that thought aside. Kiwi was off doing her own thing, and apparently she didn't need Sequoia anymore. That was her damage, not Seq's.

The girl shook her head at all the right moments, disappointed in the lack of judgement men seemed to carry with them everywhere. Ugh, stringing you along like that! Seq said when Laurel mentioned him being with his mate and keeping her as a friend at the same time.

You're better off without him, Seq assured Laurel. He can go suck a goat, wherever he is.

Sequoia truly did seem like an ally in her cause. It was nice to have another woman nearby who knew what scum men were. Usually they would protect men or lick their heels. At least Sequoia was her own woman, much like Laurel herself. Or... What she'd been, anyway, before... Me, dearest? Now, whenever she met a man, Laurel instinctively found herself doing what she thought he want her to do. It made her feel so dirty, but the fear took control in those moments. Already, Laurel feared what her heat this year might be like. With Xan, she felt she had someone she could trust... But without him, she was afraid. Of the men... And of her own fear's desires to appease them.

She grinned when Sequoia said that Xan could go suck a goat. Yeah, that's right! she said with a confident smile, a pale mirage of her past self. So what about the men in Rivenwood? They alright, besides Mahler? They'd discussed him, but not the other men yet. Laurel sounded casual, but really she needed her inner demons appeased. She needed to make that she was safe here.

Men, hmm. Sequoia thought of the ones she had met, which honestly didn't add up to much. The one she'd disliked had already disappeared (thank goodness), so at least she didn't have to deal with him anymore. There was a younger one, too, but she didn't know much about him. She assumed he was Mahler's son.

Kiggy-pack seems weird, but not awful. There's a younger one, maybe Mahler's son? I don't know anything about him, honestly. The pickings here are pretty slim, which is I guess part of why Mahler seems to prefer Praimfaya and I going out into the world to make kids, rather than dealing with a father here. Sequoia wondered if Laurel had been given the same deal. Then again, hadn't she come here with her piece-of-shit mate who'd quickly abandoned her? What a shit bird. Maybe it wasn't too late, though, if Laurel wanted kids this year.

Kiggypack seemed like a pretty weird name to Laurel, but she nodded as Sequoia mentioned he was 'weird, but not awful'. She wondered what that meant, but soon would. A younger one, possibly Mahler's son.

Sequoia then went on to say that the pickings were pretty slim, which was ironic considering the depth of Laurel's questions. She didn't want to know if there were any eligible men; she just wanted — needed — to know if she was safe. From Sequoia's point of view it made sense, though Laurel had never been one to very easily look at things from another's point of view. Ah, thanks, she said in return to the list of the men. Only three, then, really. She ought to see if she could run into them at some point so that she could figure out what they were like in person. I've never heard of a construction like that before. I mean, where you have children even though you're without a mate. Now now, dearest, don't lie... Well... Not voluntarily, anyway. It was intriguing, but also terrifying in a way. How would you know the man that you picked could be trusted? What if he... Showed up later to claim what's rightfully his?

A touch softer, perhaps: You should be careful when you go. Words that would perhaps make no difference to the mind of this young woman, but Laurel could not help but utter them, softly warning. Because what if she didn't and... Something like I happened?

Sequoia shrugged at the mention of the unconventional setup. It worked for her, because she was getting what she wanted: children. As for whether or not it would work in practice... well, only time would tell. Being a novice therapist, she didn't see any issue with it for the children themselves. They would have her, and they would have the rest of the pack, including Mahler and Laurel. Sequoia had a feeling things were going to be just fine.

Of course, she said at Laurel's concern. She had heard of Wildfire's and Raven's harrowing tales. Seq considered herself a decent judge of character. She wasn't about to get herself into a situation she couldn't get out of.

Sequoia did not seem too worried to Laurel, but then, she was younger, and had possibly not had the experiences Laurel had. She did not think that she could ever warn someone for what was out there. Laurel would not have listened to any words of caution herself if she had been warned. She might have laughed in their faces if they'd told her to be careful. Even when she had her first heat Laurel had tempted strangers and falsely promised them she'd get with them all the time. What a fool she had been at the time. It was a miracle that someone like Iliksis had not come along sooner.

There was nothing more she could do than to warn Sequoia, though. Good, Laurel said. A natural silence fell and Laurel said, Well, I should be off. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sequoia. Laurel smiled warmly at her new friend, glad to have at least one friendly face in the pack.

Have a good one! Seq chirped when Laurel turned to leave. It was nice to have a friendly face here, especially one who wasn’t a man. Not that she hated men, but… well, maybe she hated them a little bit. Sequoia went back to do whatever it was beforehand, daydreaming about the puppies and what she would name them.