You're brighter now than anything

ooc: @Scarlett - set, whenever it fits your time and plotline.

Osprey was sitting by the river-bank, focusing at some point in the distance, while her eyes wore a vacant look. This was one of the moments, when her physical body was here, while her soul was wandering thousands and thousands miles away through realms that no one but herself could see and discover.

There was the light red tint of blood on her maw and lower part of the neck and not too far away from, where she was seated, lied a corpse of a sick and malnourished looking fox adolescent - it's eyes were closed, it's mouth part open and there was a dark red liquid oozing from the fatal bite on it's throat.

She had found it by accident, limping slowly through the flatlands. and known in an instant that this fellow was going to die. A brief chase had ensued, she had got him with a little effort and, when her jaws closed around it's neck to crack it, the adolescent had given out a faint yip. Then all of it had been over. She carried it's limp body to the river and put it down to have a drink and decide, what to do with him next.

And at that moment she had realized, she had played the God's task, but didn't feel entirely fine with it. This made her wonder, whether the great allmighty or, whoever was up there, deciding fates for the creatures on Earth, ever felt remorse for what they did.

A pale female moved through the Kintla Flatlands after she talked to Kove yesterday evening. She had left Adlartok alone all night and felt bad for doing so. She would return with a big meal, that would make them a bit happier. After being kicked out Scarlett was glad that Adlartok went with her. Since she needed to take care of him she was forced to get out there and provide for them both. It was a good distraction for now. It wouldn't make her mope around.

As she navigated her way back home she stumbled upon a familiar female she met before. Oh how the times had changed since then. She wondered about the lumps of fat and talked to the timid female. Scarlett had to dig for her name but then remembered. "Osprey," she spoke gently and gave a bit of a wave in greeting. Maybe talking to an acquaintance would make her feel better. She wanted to ask how the female was but that would mean she would get the same question in return. Was she ready to answer it? Her face looked pretty sad to begin with. The female across from her would probably see that soon enough.

Surely, she and Kove had set up a plan of what they would be doing. Maybe Osprey would want to join her new pack with Kove? "How good to see you again," her voice was soft when she spoke, but there was some genuine happiness in it.

In the end Osprey decided that such musings were useless and dangerous - prey, no matter what kind, didn't need to be pitied. It was the way of life - if you weren't lucky enough, you got eaten by someone else. She glanced down at the dead fox, eyed it thoughtfully for a moment and then, as if she was finishing a long conversation they had had, said: "Stay alive next time." She was not religious, but she believed in the idea that souls could travel. Any soul could.

She got up and drew closer to the water, to have a drink and wash down the rancid taste in her mouth, when a voice from past reached her and made her lift her head and see, who it was. Much to her surprise it was Scarlett. Could it be a coincidence that she had been reminded of this wolf just few days prior? She would never find out that. Osprey greeted the approaching girl with a friendly wag of her tail and curious expression. "Scarlett - what has brought you this far away from home?" if she was not mistaken, then her pack lived a long distance away from this part of the valley.

The red eyed female crossed the stream Osprey was sitting by. Her body wading through the water and ending up on the same bank as the grey female. Scarlett dipped her head in greeting and then sat down next to Osprey. "I don't have a home anymore, Osprey," she spoke in a soft matter and looked beaten down. A soft sigh left her lips and then turned to the water. It happened recently and the pain that came from it was still fresh. Her body was showing the signs of her distress. Her coat wasn't as shiny, which might also have something to do with her shedding. Nevertheless the female looked worn.

Slowly a hint of a smile turned on her lips, she couldn't really believe that it was her that she would be starting her own pack, her own family. "But it won't be for long, I hope. I am planning on starting my own," she then returned. "Although it feels weird to be without a place I call home. How have you been?," the albino wondered.

Scarlett's statement that she had no home anymore surprised and confused Osprey at the same time. She recalled, how very happy the girl had been back, when she had met her. Full of life, spunk and joy. Maybe it had seemed over the top to the grey she-wolf, because she hadn't felt that great then, but still... "What happened?" she asked without thinking it through first. The curiosity won over her being polite and patient.

Though the fact of losing a home was sad, it was nice to see that the girl wasn't entirely hopeless. Osprey had never asked, how old her acquaintance was, but she seemed to be just at the right age to start a new chapter in her life. Probably, where she would have more saying in what she was going to do and how. Would Osprey dare to make that kind of step? Not in the near future - her life here was as comfortable as it could get.

"Well... I have been back at the plateau - that's my home - for almost two months now and it feels great to be among friends," she said, side-glancing to the girl to see, if her words hadn't upset her in any way. "But I venture outside often too - I need my freedom to cope with the routine."

Oh wow! I totally overlooked this thread! I'm so sorry! Forgive me!!

Scarlett grew a bit sad at her question. "Well, I don't know if you know Tuwawi? She was the founder of DFG. She went missing but then returned. She was close to being manic, if she wasn't totally crazy. For once I opened my mouth and spoke out against her. I was higher in rank after all, but, once I did. She decided that she was the new alpha and no one took my side. Rather humiliating. And thus I was kicked out because she would never allow such a weakling like me in her pack..." It felt good to talk about it. Scarlett was just stating some facts. She hadn't been talking bad about others. It was the truth of what happened. Currently Scarlett was feeling more pleased that she wouldn't have to deal with their drama.

She was just some collateral damage of something that was far bigger than her on existence. There would probably be a war between the two packs. She would hate to be in a war. Scarlett smiled kindly. "Oh that is good! I'm glad you returned home. Don't be offended but you look a lot better," She complimented. Scarlett would never insult someone. "I can imagine. I liked traveling and exploring too when I was in a pack."

ooc: hey, don't worry about that at all. I don't mind waiting and you probably have a lot to do yourself.

The situation Scarlett described was very familiar to Osprey. It had happened to her brothers and many others of Flightless falcons during the reign of Tyrannus. She had never been forced to leave, yet she had to watch it happen over and over again. Until it had been enough and she had left herself, looking for new beginnings.

"Oh, come on, Scarlett," she leaned to give her an encouraging nudge. "You are not a weakling - weak are those, who fear to speak and act, when they know that, what's happening is very wrong," she told her, firmly believing this and knowing that in part she had been this weak person too. Yet her decision to stay had been based on the fact that her mother had needed help. "You are brave that you did that." Being true to oneself was the most important thing - there was not much else she could tell the girl, since she didn't know her that well.

"I think that I look better too, therefore - thank you!" Osprey accepted her compliment. "But you do look like someone, who needs a good meal and a rest. And... I am feeling generous today," she gave her a good-natured grin, got to her feet and beckoned Scarlett to follow her. [/i]

I am on a break actually! So no! xD That is why I feel so bad!

The kindhearted girl looked at Osprey. "Well, I always say to myself that being nice to someone you dislike it harder than to hate them. But she told me straight into my fact that I was stupid and weak. Quite a thing to swallow," she admitted with a soft sigh. Luckily thinking of Kove and Adlartok helped. They made her happy. They would make a new family. Frankly didn't feel that brave. But it was nice of Osprey to say that. It made her smile softly.

Scarlett got back on all her fours after sitting down. She ruffled her coat and was curious to see what Osprey would have for her. The white one followed the grey albino. "Thank you, that means a lot. I could use some rest," she admitted. Her small feet trotted after Osprey. She was glad to hear that the female felt at home again. She seemed so timid the last time they met. It could be because she was a mere stranger back then. Who knows?

The red eyed female wondered if her friend might want to join, but then again. She also was thinking of talking to Kesuk and Koda. Scarlett didn't want to thief away all BDP wolves. She wouldn't like to make another enemy.

Osprey and Scarlett weren't that far from the plateau, therefore they reached it quite quickly. However, the gray she-wolf didn't lead her right over the borders, but took a path that went right along them. She had a special cache created just for her use only. Sharing your food was a nice thing, but now and then you had to keep the special treats for yourself only. And - just look - how it paid off. She could help out a friend without feeling guilty or responsible for raiding the food that was saved for pack mates only.

She stopped by a tree that had been brought down by a storm and left uprooted. There was a pit of fresh and easy-to-dig earth underneath. Osprey hopped in and after a bit of effort, recovered remnants of a deer she and the rest of the pack had shared days earlier. She pulled out a half-eaten mud covered foot out and put it before Scarlett: "Not the freshest one, but still good. Dig in!"

ooc: the uprooted tree, where Osprey's cache is located - http://rt.com/s/tmp/jessica-photo-enormous-uprooted.jpg

Amazing! Just like I pictured it!

Scarlett followed her friend. She was glad them moved around the border. It wouldn't feel right to enter a pack's home, even with a friend that lived there. The pale albino wondered where Osprey was taking her. She trusted her friend so she blindly followed the small she-wolf. As they reached a big unrooted tree Scarlett sat down. If Osprey wouldn't have started digging Scarlett wouldn't even know there had been a cache here. A good hiding spot. She as a gamekeeper approved of the spot.

Her stomach growled when she revealed the muddy carcass. Scarlett was never a picky eater. To prove to her mother she could survive she had lived on scraps and muddy meat for a long time. "Thank you, Osprey! You are so kind." Scarlett moved forward and sniffed over it, before sinking down in a good part. Scarlett gratefully started eating, glad she got offered a meal. Her red eyed kept kindly glancing at Osprey. "You wolves at BDP are amazing. Once my pack is formed I should arrange a meal in return," Scarlett decided.

While watching Scarlett eat, Osprey sank down to her haunches. Due to her recent bouts of digestive upsets she wasn't too eager to have a meal (what point was there anyway, if you regurgitated it all up later) herself, therefore she was happy that this piece of food wasn't going to rot away untouched and probably forgotten. When you came to think it of it - how many carefully made and arranged caches were forgotten later? She had heard that this was, how squirrels helped to plant the forest trees - they made several stashes hidden above or under the ground - and most of the time forgot, where they were located. If only meat grew in trees that would stem from bones.

"Have you met many of us?" Osprey asked curiously, when Scarlett spoke about her packmates in plural. "Believe me, there would be many, who would frown at me for feeding a stranger. But that's my choice and they don't have to know about it either," she shrugged. While loyal to the leaders, she was independent too and made her own decisions. "So, where do you plan to settle?"

Scarlett did eat with some grace she wasn't wolfing it down like some food crazed animal. She was in front of her friend and would behave more politely. Sometimes she did had those crazy days that she would wolf down an entire carcass in seconds. Scarlett looked up when Osprey asked an interesting question. She had to think. "Koda and Kesuk are good friends. Um. Oh! Blue Willow. Heavily pregnant. I think that is it. Oh no! Finn. He wasn't that nice. He thieved away a carcass from me," Scarlett spoke in return.

"Oh at Duskfire too. But I liked to help out my friends." She remembered when she helped the 'enemy' and how mad Manauia was at her. Well he happened to be just a child. Why not help him?! Some wolves went crazy in their want to protect their borders. The light colored female continued eating, nibbling the meat of the bone. "How is Blue Willow. Are here babies okay?" Scarlett licked over his lips to remove the blood stains she made. "We might settle by the mountains, other side. We still have to scout if it is suitable. But it looks promising."

"Well, this leaves very few that you have not met already. Come to think of it - you live... lived so far away and yet managed to meet us all, while I don't even know, where the closest neighbor of ours lives," Osprey's statement sounded a bit odd though, because with all her frequent wandering around and exploring, she should have found something by now. Then again - she left the plateau in order to escape people, not seek them out. Unless it meant a visit to the Caldera to see her brother.

"Blue willow is fine, as far as I know. She gave birth to three little dumplings, who have grown up so far to look like actual wolves," she chuckled and fondly recalled her meeting with Eilidh. "Is there a lot of free land... there, on the other side of the mountains?" she asked, curious about it.

Scarlett chuckled softly. Well it all happened as a coincidence she wasn't searching for any BDP wolves. "Well, I met you at the sea. On my way home from the beach I walked past BDP and met Willow. Koda helped me hunting, while Finn stole a later meal. Kesuk was actually at our borders when I met her!," Scarlett explained. The female had been exploring all over treekon because of her naturalist trade. "It is probably because I needed to explore and learn for my trade!"

Scarlett softly awww'ed when she heard about Blue and her almost full-grown babies. The chocolate female told her that she might give a lesson to her babies one day. Scarlett would like that. She hadn't seen Willow to talk about the details. "I am happy for her she could three cuties," the female smiled. Now she longed for her own babies. Scarlett nodded. "Quite. Yes. It is less packed than on this side." Scarlett laughed at her pun. "Get it? 'Pack'ed. Sorry. It was a bad joke."

Osprey didn't mind the joke and she cracked a grin, yet all the while carefully, but not in an overly obvious manner studying the girl's face. If Scarlett had shown any signs of distress, she would change her expression at once. This didn't seem the case, therefore Osprey went through everything, what the girl had told her already, and to fill the silence, she leaned down to pick up a piece of leftovers from the meal.

Even though the meat was old, it didn't taste so bad - she chewed it few times and swallowed it, licking her chops. "I am happy for Blue willow as well - she is a good mother, has a natural knack for it," she meant every word. This litter was her first, but her friend had filled in the role with such an ease, as it was the most natural thing to do. Of course, this made her wonder, would it be the same for her, if she ever had kids.

Scarlett had been sad and discouraged for awhile about what happened. But Kove had helped her greatly. Plus caring for Adlartok gave her a purpose. The albino was pleased to hear that Willow was going great and that she was a great mother. "I noticed when she was heavily pregnant. It felt like she was ready for it and you know.. relaxed," the light female returned. Some females weren't ready for pups or weren't sure but Scarlett had noticed from the moment she met Blue that it was something the female was born for it.

Scarlett licked his maw as she watched the sun moved further through the sky. "Thank you for this great meal, it revived me for my travels. I must cut this short since I have an injured youngster in an unprotected den. I'd like to get back to him now," Scarlett admitted.

Osprey hadn't realized that Scarlett wasn't alone and that she had someone to look after, therefore she regarded the girl with a look, where slight disappointment for their short meeting mixed with apology from keeping her from going. She would have gladly offered the wolf a stayover near the borders, while having Osprey watching over her. So that no one decided to attack or chase the girl away.

Now she quickly got to her feet and shook her coat. "May the luck be with you - especially now," she said, closing the distance between them a little tenatively and giving a friendly bump on the girl's cheek. "And stop by, if you ever happen to be in this area again," she took some steps back, waiting for the girl to finish their conversation and after bidding farewells, turning and leaving for the plateau.

ooc: maybe you can wrap this up in your next post.

I will and archive it <3

Scarlett bobbed her head in thank you. She praised herself lucky with a friend like Osprey. Her light body stood still when the grey female got closer. "Thank you Osprey. You are an amazing friend. Don't hesitate to come to me if you need food or shelter in return. Also you are always welcome once the pack is set up." Scarlett was so forward to lick over Osprey's nose. She really was grateful for the girl's kindness.

"All the luck in the world to you, Osprey." With those words Scarlett moved away from the grey female. She would need to catch a male for Adlartok before she returned home. She promised after all.