drenched in my pain again

@Rain This is actually somewhere between Mount Apikuni and North Star Vale, so its not right at the Vale.

Star had decided to do a little exploring. The wound on her muzzle from her new alpha was sore whenever she touched it, a constant reminder that she had growled at her alpha and humiliated herself. But she couldn't say she trusted Scimitar as much as she trusted Bazi. It was kinda automatic, with all due respect to them. She just.. didn't know barely anything about Scimitar. At least she knew a smidge about Bazi. She laid in a small grassy area between the Vale and the Mountain. Star sighed deeply and closed her eyes in relaxation. She was only half awake and might drift into sleep any moment now.

Stomach gurgling, Rain chomps down on the grassy greens near Mount Apikuni, hoping to stop the pains that started when she had woken up this morning. She wonders if the rabbit she had eaten the night before was sick. That would be just my luck.

Her ventures around The Sunspire territory were at best, a failure. The only one true victory that she had was with the loner that had traveled across the boarders a few days past. Even now the victory heals into a scar on her muzzle, the scab lingering in her vision. She has been considering speaking with her Alpha about traveling among the other packs, learning the territories of the Tekkon Wilds. At least then she may feel like she accomplished another victory to her single one, not to mention she is starting to feel restless. Already she has traveled a ways from The Sunspire.

Looking back at the mountains of her territory, she lets out a soft whine. It is strange, she was hoping to feel part of a pack again, but perhaps the lingering loyalties she keeps is holding her back from being with one. Shaking her head, Rain pushes down the sadness that climbs into her heart and gets to her paws. Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something. She trots through the soft grass, feeling determined.

If her new pack cannot accept her then she will make them. Stepping up into a run, she lunges forward and ends up tripping over something. Rolling forward face first, Rain throws out her legs to try and stop herself. Catching glimpses of green and blue she comes to a stop on her chest, a fluffy tail tickling her nose.

Star was jolted out of her light drowsy sleep by something hitting her. The breath was knocked out of her. Her eyes flashed open and she whirled up, quick and instinctive. The thing was a wolf whose nose had lied at her tail a moment before. It must of tripped over her. Regaining her breath, she sighed in releif. Star stuck her paw out and akwardly nudged the lump with it. "Please watch where you're going. I was almost asleep." She sighed with a roll of her eyes.

A paw pokes at Rain with a voice asking to watch where she is going. Untangling herself, Rain shakes grass from her coat, ears back. "I'm sorry!" She replies. "I didn't mean to run you over." The wolf that she has tripped over is a pretty, fluffy white female. She reminds Rain of a cloud that fell from the sky to float on the ground. "What are you doing lying in the grass taking a nap? And where did you come from?"

She wonders if this is another loner or a pack wolf. Rain would bet a pack wolf from the stench of other wolves clinging to her fur.

"That's ok. Where are you from?" She asked, although she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew. This wolf also smelled of other canines, and was near the mountain range right there.
When Star had joined Swiftcurrent, the Sunspire was a prime enemy to them. Star knew of the treaty at the moment, and plus they were on neutral ground. In fact Star was closer to the Sunspire than this wolf was to Swiftcurrent.

She nods towards the mountains behind them. "The Sunspire," Rain answers. "You never did answer my question as to where you are from." She couldn't take a guess, this area is still new to her. She hates that it is taking her time to learn it, but it's something that will take time. The Tekkon Wilds is a large place compared to her homeland. There were only two packs in the mountains of Colorado where she had been.

Darn it! I meant to include that. Well, now I'll just have to make the mistake natural.

"I know. I just thought you owed me a question as well. I'm from Swiftcurrent Creek," she said, and she pointed her muzzle towards the stretch of the the valley behind her. The creek was just visible as a thin blueish line in the valley. Star's suspicion was right, and she did her best to keep her hackles down. "What's your name? I'm Star." She offered.

That's okay! Nice cover, by the way. :D

"Rain," she answers with a tilt of her head. "What are you doing so close to the Spire?" She could take a guess that Star was just out relaxing and enjoying this nice Autumn day, seeing how she was trying to take a nap before Rain ran over her. "And I really am sorry for tripping over you. If there's anything I can do..." She lets her voice trail off, leaving the sentence open. She really does feel bad and foolish. She had been too lost in her emotions to pay attention. Never let emotion distract you, a voice from her past reminds her.

"I've been exploring of late." She nodded kindly at the wolf. "It's truly fine." She said, with a kind look in her eyes. But why had the wolf ran right over her? "But if I may ask... Why'd you run me over?" She asked. There was really no reason for this wolf of the Sunspire to go charging into a sleeping lump. Star had been enjoying her nice little nap until this pale grey lady came along, charging into her tiny white cloud-like form.

"I was caught up in my thoughts and want paying attention." She answers, lowering her head feeling abashed. She attempts to change the subject then asking, "Why are you out traveling around?" There could be a number of reasons explaining why Star is out exploring. Reconnaissance, curiosity, and restlessness are the most obvious ones to Rain.

"Well, I've been mapping out the Wilds for myself. I started to wonder what was around me. I'm also trying to earn a trade." She said in response to Rain. She noticed for the first time the scar over Rain's eye, but thought nothing of it. She thought back to the scar of her muzzle from Scimitar.
"How is your pack and alpha doing?" She asked, not in a nosy way but instead in a friendly tone, as if she was being nice but didn't truly care too much.

"A trade?" Rain questions while watching Star take a glance at the scar over her eye. A trade was something she has not heard mentioned since being here. Was it a skill of some sort?

"And my Alpha is doing well. She tends to wander around the territory a lot though." Amakaze, to Rain, is rather restless as of late. "I think she is either searching for someone or waiting for someone, though I'm not sure who," she lies easily. From the whispers within the pack of the missing Alpha, she knows that that is who Amekaze is in search of. It seems the current Alpha is trying to keep the information hidden from the outside world and she has no idea why. Perhaps if word got out then her pack would seem weak? Though that doesn't make all that much sense to Rain. She would have to ask if she wanted to know exactly what was going on.

"And what of your pack? How are they?" Rain feeds into the friendly and seemingly unimportant conversation, enjoying speaking with such a pretty wolf.

Star's face twisted in confusion. "She, hm? I thought your alpha was Ferdie Von Pelt and the other was Ja... James. Jack. Something like that." The other leader's name had never stuck into her head. But Ferdie's had. He was the alpha then, or at least he had been. Until this she. Star noted that if Rain replied to explain it may be important and to listen close. Rain asked her back. "My pack is doing well. The ranks are filled quite pleasingly." She said with a small smile. It was a much shorter explanation, but to Star, it summed up most of the happenings that she could let Rain know about.

A mistake had slipped past her lips and this wolf is clever enough to have caught it. "No, you're right it is a he," she tries to recover. "My head is still stuck in the past. The alpha from my homeland was a she." Well, now Star will have her doubts, but unless she went to the pack and demanded to speak with the Alpha, then she can not know if Rain is telling the truth or covering it up. Her ear flicks as it always does out of habit.

"It is good to hear that your pack is doing well," she says, transitioning off her Alpha in question and back to Star. "I hope that you have good luck in hunting with winter nearly here."

Star honestly thought this wasn't true, but she would never know for sure. Star had been able to move on from her past quickly, but perhaps other wolves had more difficulty with it. "Thank you." She said with a polite nod. "I wish you good luck as well. We have a few white wolves in our pack who may be easier adapted to hunting in snow because of their fur." The three were Star and Bazi and Dovev. But Bazi wasn't here anymore. But she'll be back, Star promised herself. She didn't think she could stand the lone leadership of Scimitar forever.

"I can usually blend with winters shade as well. Though more so when in the moutains." Feeling as if their meeting is coming to an end Rain says, "It was nice meeting with you, Star." Nodding her nose towards the mountains she continues, "I should be heading back, I've a few things that need to be done. Though I may come out this way again."

Star nodded. Rain's mix of grey and white fur would be perfect on a winter mountain slope; it was like snow and stone. "You as well, Rain." She listened as Rain mentioned that she might come here again. "Then I hope to perhaps see you. Till next time." With that Star turned tail and began at a steady trot towards home. She had been woken up from a nap, but to find a new friend. Star honestly saw nothing wrong with the Sunspire wolf.