Bearclaw Valley I know who I was when I woke up this morning

she is not trespassing, just curious and close to the borders
would it be alright to forward date like 5 days? nw if not!
edit to include tags, sorry! @Merrick @Aventus

She had continued to wander, unknowingly moving farther from her family. The mountains had been particularly rough; at one point, she had slipped on a rocky slope and earned a nasty gash that ran the entirety of her forearm. It wasn't deep, but it was red and throbbed and the pain made sleep difficult at night—or more difficult anyway.

The scent of others had drawn her to where she hovered near the borders. She was tired of wandering alone, and packs had always meant safety before. She hope that maybe she could stay here for a while and maybe learn some things or make some friends. Maybe she could finally learn how to find her way back home when she was lost.

She wasn't sure what to do now, though. Should she call for someone or just wait for them to realize she was there? She settled for the latter, deciding it seemed the least awkward, and waited quietly for a member to find her.

wolfsblood in the air.
merrick followed it with the grimjawed singular focus of a changeling vampire.
the scent shifted into the unflawed mien of a child, an unknown sprawled helplessly upon his border.
merrick made no attempt to veil himself as his single eye burned toward her. "have you come to be eaten?" he asked mockingly, a slithering laugh climbing in his throat.

She was met by a scarred stranger, his singular eye feeling as though it was staring into the depths of her soul and seeing all things she never planned to let anyone see; it chilled her blood. Then came his question, one that confused her childlike brain. The laugh that followed made her heart feel like it was beating in her throat—she swallowed against the feeling, careful never to fully meet his violent gaze.

But something from deep inside swelled in her chest—a feeling she had pulled from in times of trouble while she roamed alone. She stood up a little taller, eyes still focused on the dark paws of the stranger. No, she told him, her voice quiet but steady. I've come to learn.

the more that he looked at her, the less merrick was inclined to let her depart.
and it did not seem as if she wished to leave.
on the contrary — the bearking's grin spun into the reach of his muzzle, the way he melted forward and flanked the young wolf.
"you will find many teachers here."
merrick meant to honor her agreement, but if the child showed any hesitance, the bedlamite would expend no hesitation to drag her beyond their bear-blessed boundaryline.

A soon as her words were out, he was suddenly sidled up next to her, pulling her gaze briefly up in surprise. But he was smiling and telling her they had many teachers, so any fear she might have felt melted away then, leaving a growing curiosity in its wake. 

I would love to learn from them, she told him, waiting for him to move so she could move with him. I have been alone for a long time, she explained. So, I don't know much. Unless you counted knowing how to hide and barely scraping by in the food department as useful knowledge. She wanted to know more than that, though; she just wasn't quite sure what all there was to learn. It seemed she could find that out here. I'm Arielle, she quickly told him, realizing she had never introduced herself.

merrick had only made his mind to keep her before another thought crept to him: how best she might be bent to serve the bear. 
how best she might be used to mollify — ah, he had it. 
"and i am merrick. my mate does not speak, but you will know her when you see her, i promise," he laughed softly, coolly. "my son is the second leader here. they are cut from the same cloth." a swift, thrilling moment, to think of their power, but he put his mind to the shy boy ashlar.
"we once had a healer, and then we had a boy who wanted to do the same. unfortunately, the den still sits empty." he set his eye upon arielle. "would you like to see it? it's very pretty."

She listened carefully as he introduced himself and his family. She wanted to ask how she would know his mate, but then he was chuckling, a smooth, quiet sound that had her gaze lifting again but only briefly. She suddenly felt it was dumb question to ask and as he spoke of his son, she promised: I will be sure to introduce myself to them. 

So they were without a healer, or that's what she gathered by the information he gave her. A den sat empty and he said it was pretty, asking if she would like to see it. She liked pretty things. Her tail waved where it hung submissively between her hawks. Yes, sir, she said with soft excitement. I would love to see it.

And as they presumably walked, she asked: Would you like me to learn healing? Would that best serve the pack? She suddenly wanted nothing more than to prove her worth to Merrick and his wolves.

last post for me! gonna start us a new one <3

ah, she wished to please. "yes, arielle," merrick said softly, turning her name over and about in his mind. "ursus needs a healer. in this place, sooner or later we come to blows." she would learn.
in the meantime: "i am going to introduce you to someone," merrick decided aloud. "come. i will show you the den." he set off in a coyote stalk, answering what she would ask, and imposing upon her all knowledge of the bears.