Wapun Meadow Bright and early for their daily races

for @Kove !

Star was near Wapun Meadow- although she hadn't gone in yet. Instead she stayed near the edge of the flowered scene, relaxing. Star sat down, then laid down. Her dark eyes moved towards the sky to look at the passing clouds. They look like Star herself, fluffy little white things. Except while they moved slow, she usually moved fast. After watching them for a while, she got up, and entered the flowery meadow. Although a lot of the flowers were wilted or just not blooming due to the temperatures outside. She sighed and laid down in the soft and colorful bed of petals, her eyes half closed.

The pale man was on his way home from the Glacier, having spent a great bit of time with the woman he treasured. He'd decided to try and find a shorter route, which took him passed the wetlands he'd met a greyscale woman, and through the meadow. He wanted to stop and take a short rest after he'd reached it, to find some water to hydrate himself and maybe even hunt a small animal if he could find any. However, his plans were put on hold when the sight of another white wolf came into view. Somehow, she looked familiar to him, but her scent had yet to reach him to tell him who she was. So, after a quick thought, he decided to confront the fluffy wolf and find out who they were.

His long legs worked quickly to close the distance between them, but because he was still unsure of who they were, he stopped a decent length away. “Taking a nap out in the open like that isn't wise,” he commented, copper gaze trailing over her. They stepped on the faint, red marks that clung to her fur still. He remembered who held those marks, and to confirm his suspicions he took a whiff of the air to acquire her scent. Just as he'd thought, it was the young trespasser—Star. She seemed to be doing well outwardly when you didn't take the faint things that held onto her. He was a bit glad for her because of that, too. Whether it be because he was just coming back from a meeting with Scarlett, or simply because they were on neutral grounds, he felt no negative emotions towards her.

“You appear to be doing well, Star,” Kove said, voice low but not threatening. “Though you could probably do a bit more to get rid of those prints on your body.” They had not met on good terms last time, but he had not hurt her then and he had no plans to now, either. She'd done nothing this time around, and didn't deserve anything. So, he treated the situation as if they were old acquaintances, meeting for the first time again after years of not seeing one another.

"Well, I've done it before, and it hasn't killed me yet." She said. By now her eyes were closed entirely, though she was still awake. The voice sounded familiar, though she couldn't place it. Star opened her eyes, and gasped when she was met with a handsome but terrifying face. She calmed herself. "Kove... I never thought I'd see you again. Yeah, I haven't been doing too much about the marks. Though a lot of my scars healed up." She said. She stood up from the flowery bed, and her dark eyes met his orange ones.

When the gasp escaped her, his body wen rigid for a second before falling back into a relaxed posture. He listened to her soft voice as she stood, finding it to be bit different from before. Then again, she'd been weak and injured down in those tunnels, so it was no surprise that her voice had pretty much returned to what he believed to be normal by now. “Didn't think I'd see you again either,” he said. “But I suppose our paths were bound to cross again eventually. Good thing it's under better circumstances this time.” He closed a bit more of the distance between them, acting as if his pack hadn't held her captive. Once we was closer, he sat himself down, still wanting to rest his muscles before the long trek home.

“You should get rid of them. Your wounds may have healed up, but the best way to move on from that event is to clean yourself of it all entirely.” Talking her into giving him answers had been nothing personal to him, just something that he needed to do to serve his pack. Kove was sure the small female held it against him, though, as who wouldn't? Surely it was terrifying and painful down in the web, so she was bound to resent anyone who had seen her down there and then not helped. “Aside from whatever trauma you might have, is everything else alright?”

Honestly Star didn't hate Kove nearly as much as the others. Although he'd lied to her, he had been gentle in his interrogation. He had not forced her to give information through torture or herbs. And although lying to her had not been nice, especially in her weakened state, he was nicer than the others. "Well, my pack doesn't like me anymore.. But I guess that would count as part of that, huh? Besides that not really. What about you?" She asked him. She was realizing he didn't seem to be all that bad in daylight when she wasn't being interrogated.

The man's brows furrowed together when he heard her response. “I'm sure they still like you,” he told her. “You are apart of their pack, you are all each other's responsibilities. I do not think they would have take you back if they didn't like you.” If they didn't like her anymore over a mistake, then what type of pack mates where they? Not very good ones, in his mind. Blackfeather didn't always appear to be the greatest if you were looking in from the outside, but they looked out for their own. They were a giant family, pretty much. “If they do, though, then you should find a new home that won't kick you to the curb over a simple error.”

For Kove it had been something simple. Star had trespassed, and was then taken hostage because of that. She was kept in the same conditions as any would be, though Crescendo may have been a bit extreme, but she had been eventually been released. While he wasn't foolish enough to believe that everything could go right back to normal for her, he did believe that her pack should be helping her readjust, rather than making her believe they hated her. “Same old, same old, on my end. Things at Blackfeather are a bit noisy, I guess you could say,” he told her, giving a shrug of his shoulders as he did so. “I haven't been there in a few days, though, so things might have calmed down. Been sticking close to that glacier over there.” He threw his head back in the direction he'd come from, towards where the Glacier lied, after he finished his sentence.

She only replied to his response with a quiet grunt. Loyalty was not important to her that much anymore, she wasn't sure what was. If she was still fixed on loyalty she would not think about leaving her pack through such a cowardly death. Sure, Dovev and Kaskara had been nice, but the rest hadn't. And Kaskara didn't even know she'd trespassed! That left only Dovev. With only one who trusted her, what reason was left to stick around? When he mentioned the glacier, she nodded. "Near the beginning of my time at the Creek, at Bazi's first meeting as an Alpha, two wolves called Njal and Tuwawi left with their children to the glacier. Swiftcurrent and Duskfire are fairly nice with eachother because the family at the glacier were like really great Creek members or something? I don't know all the details. Anyway, are you exploring? I thought about being an Outrider a long time ago, but I've put that on hold." Star said. Then she realized how much she'd said, which was unusual for her. "Sorry.." She muttered quietly to Kove.

I'm loving how these two are just having a pleasant conversation with one another. Guess they're allowed to have good talks since he didn't hurt her. Unlike *coughcoughcrescendocoughcough* xD

Despite his suggestion to leave her pack if the others weren't acting too kind towards her, Kove was actually a serious wolf when it came to things like loyalty. He knew it could be broken just as easily as it was formed so someone could save themselves, but he also knew that it could stand strong through anything thrown at it depending on who held the loyalty, and what it was being held for. The Alaskan much preferred the latter, but knew the first could often play to his favor.

Kove was curious to learn more about the Glacier, and made no move to stop the smaller girl from going on about it. He enjoyed it, actually, finding that the information may prove to be helpful later on. If he ever needed it, that is. When she apologized, probably for rambling, the pale lupine just let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. “You don't need to apologize for speaking, Star. I was actually interested to hear about the Glacier, so I thank you for sharing that bit of information with me,” he told her, a smile on his face even after his low laughter faded away. “I guess you could say I'm exploring a bit now, but my original reason for coming all the way up here had been to visit a dear friend of mine. After I saw her, though, I guess I couldn't help but look around a bit up here before heading back home.” Last time he'd spoken nearly nothing but lies to the girl, but no here he was telling the truth of his intentions to her. It wasn't like it was anything sinister, or anything that was related to Blackfeather, so no harm was done. Just an acquaintance sharing a pleasant conversation with a fellow acquaintance—if they would ever even call themselves that. “If you want to be an Outrider and explore, you should. Don't put it on hold, just live your life freely. Try not to trespass on any territories, though.” The last part was a joke to him, as was shown through the playful glint in his eye.

I know, I was just thinking about that, lol. She reacted extremely different towards Cres than Kove when she bumped into him again. Btw I love your new avatar!

She let a small smile slip onto her face as he said that he was actually interested in her knowledge of the pack. She was just glad she hadn't entirely bored him by going on and on about it. Star listened as he explained he'd been visiting a friend, and that he couldn't help but look around up here. She understood the curiositythat drove one to keep looking around a place. "Well, I'm living my life freely, I'm just not sure an Outrider is what I want as my third trade. My others are gamekeeper and warrior." She informed Kove. Outrider did seem interesting, but there were still several others to consider. Like warden or chronicler. At his joke about trespassing, a grin split her face though her eyes seemed to darken. "I've learned my lesson about trespassing on territory." She chuckled, her eyes flickering towards her spiral wound before her gaze moved back to Kove.

I don't blame her! Cres is kind of a psycho. :o Aha, thank you! I love yours, as well! [size=x-small]Though I feel really bad for poor Star. D:[/size]

The male quirked an invisible eyebrow at her, before his face returned back to it's relaxed state. “Gamekeeper and Warrior, huh?” he repeated, examining the girl as he did so. In the end, his head ended up tilting curiously. “I can see you as a Gamekeeper, but not so much a Warrior. Were you serious about that part?” In his mind, Kove still saw the small, frightened and injured wolf from down in the tunnels, despite seeing how well she currently was. Even with her in a well-cared for state, she was still small, and just looked way too fluffy for him to take her seriously as someone who could fight a battle. Deciding it was probably none of his business either way, he mentally shrugged and chose to move on.

“Anyways, it's good to hear you've learned your lesson. I really do not wish to ever see you in the same conditions as before ever again.” The ghost's words held sincerity, and he did his best to make sure that was heard through them. His pack might have taken her last time, but what would have been her fate had another taken her? He wasn't sure if it would have been worse of more severe, and didn't really want to waste time thinking about that anyways. Instead, he raised his eyes up to meet her face, an incoming question showing itself before it was spoken. “Would you mind if I came closer? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

thanks! Laur made it for me without me asking, it was a total surprise! She said she was practicing drawing on Star cause of Star's weird markings. :)

Star's eyes narrowed to slits for a moment before quickly returning to normal, though no anger entered their gaze.

“Look,” she began, “If you keep on worrying about what everybody else thinks, you’re never going to be able to focus on what you want.”

It seemed Star would never forget the little pep talk Fox had given her in the beginning of her time at the Creek. Often she referred back to what Fox had said about being an adult and standing up for herself despite her rabbit-like appearance. At this Star almost expected to hear the Voice rise again with a mocking comment calling her idiot. But the Voice had been replaced by a new voice in Star's head she simply called Suicide, and stored away along with the other many voices that spoke to her or mocked her or tempted her. "Warrior." She repeated simply, glancing down quickly at scarred legs before her gaze returned to Kove. "You can come closer. Just don't touch me." She said quietly, trembling a little but stopping herself and standing still and strong.

Woah, must of been a very nice surprise! :o They really are interesting. Feel kind of bad she had to suffer for them, though.

The pale being made his way closer to the girl, careful not to ouch her as he did so. He settled himself by sitting, then gave her a glance. "If you say so," he murmured, amusement clear on his face. He liked the feel of the air, especially since he'd never expected it due to what had happened to her, and the fact that he hadn't helped her. "I'm sure you'll make a fine Warrior after a bit more training." He wondered, for a brief moment, just what type of training she might be undergoing. Surely anything major wouldn't be good for her just yet, as she'd experienced something traumatic not all too long ago. Kove was, to put it in the simplest way possible, concerned for her—though some may see that as odd, given the circumstances. He never had anything against the girl, however, she'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all. The male believed that, had they met before then, they would have been able to be friends. The chance was probably ruined now.

Something came to mind, then, and his head tilted slightly. "You didn't need to tell me not to touch you, you know," he stated rather bluntly, though his voice did not hold a roughness to it. "I never touched you in the tunnels, so why would I now? I've never wished to harm you." Whether she believed him or not was up for discussion. Had the roles been switched, he probably wouldn't have believed her, but they were pretty different beings, and he was being completely honest.

it was very nice! I haven't decided whether I want her to keep them or not. Btw, I can't reply for a week, will be on spring break!

At his reassurance about being a warrior she calmed down a bit more, relaxing. She would be a warrior for sure. At his staement that he wasn't going to touch her, she figured it was logical. It was that she associated him with Blackfeather, which was immediatley associated with torture. "Yeah.. I know. You were the nicest one, you know that? After you was maybe that blue-eyed lady, then the yellow-eyed yearling, then the really white guy, and the meanest was this black guy with silver eyes. He's the reason I'm afraid you'll touch me. He's the one behind these." Her voice turned to a low growl at the end as her eyes became black chips of hateful ice, and her eyes turned upon her shoulder. A crimson spiral with a line through it. She vaguely wondered what it meant.

Would be interesting if she kept them. c: Alright, thanks for letting me know!

If the man had even attempted to deny being the kindest to her, he knew it would be a lie. There wasn't a single doubt in his mind as to whether or not he'd been the nicest, because he was sure he had. No physically abuse was used to get answers out of her, and he hadn't used and herbs, either. All he'd done was speak with her—lie to her. He had considered harming her when it seemed she would not comply and give him answers, but it'd never come to that. She'd given in before things had escalated that far. "It's good to were able to experience some kindness while in those tunnels," he commented, making sure to leave out his reasoning for being kind. He had done so because he'd been sure that, after experiencing so much pain and abuse already, she would connect with and trust the first person to show her kindness. It had worked, and he was glad of that.

When she started to give descriptions of the others who had visited her when she was a captive, he was quick to put names to the images. It was hard not to, as they were his pack members and it wasn't hard for him to pick them out from one another. "I know who you speak of," Kove commented, but did not elaborate any further. "The last one, the male with the silver eyes, is called Crescendo." Even now, he spoke his name as if it was bile coming up from his throat. Disgusting. He was still not a fan of the dark man, and probably never would be. "I beat him in a fight, left him with some small wounds of his own. Nothing like what he did to you, as our leader was supervising it and probably wouldn't have allowed me to, but maybe it's at least something to give you a taste of balance being restored." It wasn't enough, that was obvious, but at least it was something. "Someday he'll gets what coming to him, you know. You can't fear the touch of us forever, little warrior." The ghost grinned at the last bit of his words, but not so much so to make it come off as if it were a joke.

[size=medium]Star was glad to hear Kove beat the terrible 'Crescendo'. "I hope one day somebody really gives him what's coming to him." She growled, her claws digging in anger in the ground. She looked up at Kove again. "I suppose not. I guess some of you might be nice. Those were just bad situations to meet someone, I guess." She murmured, with a thoughtful little smile. It had truly scarred her- there was no way to forget the experience- but among friends many of the Blackfeather wolves were probably nice. She had just been a hostage, an enemy to them, at the time. [/size]

Last post from me. Thank you for the thread! c:

The ghost saw something in the girl, like a small flame flickering about. If nurtured, he believed it would grow into a fully fledged wild fire, and, when that happened, he felt bad for anyone who stood to get in her way. The anger she harbored would turn her into an excellent Warrior, just as long as she maintained it and didn't allow it to swallow her whole. If that ever happened, the results would be horrible, and he found himself wishing for her to never reach such a point. “I am positive that, someday, someone will,” he told her, unable to keep a smile from his face at that. They might not share the same reasoning for disliking the man, but that didn't really matter. The only thing that was truly worth recognizing was the fact that neither liked the shadow. Sadly, he knew he could not be the one to witness the last breath leaving his body, but he hoped that, if anyone, it would be Star who claimed his life.

They were dark thoughts, the clouds swirling and expanded in Kove's mind, and he reminded himself that he needed to stop. Hatred would not be allowed to consume his body nor his mind, and that was a fact. Even if he hadn't forced the words and images in his mind away, he knew that the light that was Scarlett would have been able to the second he saw her—or, rather, thought of her, seeing as she wasn't currently there. With a light, almost dismissive, shake of his cranium, the Inuit lupine rose to his feet. “Consider this our real first meeting, then,” he told her. “I have to go now, but I look forward to out next meeting, if there ever is one.” With one last glance at her, he started to walk away, continuing on in the direction he'd been heading in before spotting her. The pallid lupine knew he couldn't hang around forever, as even at such a distance, the dark forest still seemed to call out his name. Mere whispers, floating on the wind, but demanding calls all the same.