Linger

She was starting to be ready to move on. It had been a pleasant little holiday, but it didn't seem like she was finding what she wanted. The hunting wasn't the best out in the open either, but she'd managed. She'd miss chasing birds, though. But really, she wasn't the sort to just settle for mediocre. She was far too flighty for that.

Honestly, Cadenza wasn't sure what she wanted, other than it wasn't here. There had to be somewhere more lively, more fun. But where? Hmm. As she walked around the lakeside, she peered at the horizon, trying to see if any distant hills or faint shadows farther away. Was something out there more promising? An adventure? Probably. But where? For now, just her casual stroll nowhere far.
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Reed didn’t really have a plan when she decided to leave home. Most wolves did—or at least it seemed like they did—and she didn’t have a mate attached to her hip or the prospect of puppies. There was no real desire to really strike anything for her own as her parents did. It was a small group of a few wolves for safety and to keep them fed. They produced children every year and sent them out into the world. Reed was no different. She wasn’t later than any of the others but she didn’t really… want to go. She was happy to tend to her parents and the children they produced but they were getting bigger and more independent. She could have stayed a year longer if she wanted, took care of the next one, but they were right.

 It was a stagnant life.

 Instead, maybe, she’d find her purpose out in the real world.

 Reed hadn’t intended to leave that day she had the discussion with her parents but she’d gotten turned around one too many times and couldn’t find her way back. Which was odd in and of itself, she was a pretty good tracker, but somehow she’d spiraled out into the wilderness and lost scents through the trees. Even as she tried for a few days to get back, it seemed relatively hopeless and well, she already said she was going to go out on her own so… why not now, I guess.

 In the distance, there was another wolf. At least, wolf in form. She’d seen a few strange looking creatures in the past as dogs and then there were coyotes and foxes, but from here it was almost no mistaking what she saw. A swish of her tail propelled her forward and she woofed low once she approached, wondering what exactly was up ahead for her.
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Just how far were those mountains anyway? How many days travel? Would they dwarf Nova Mountain? There were many things to think about, things that she currently didn't know the answers to but she would probably be able to sort them out herself... 

A bark caught her attention -- blinking out of her reverie, she looked over, ears pricked up and her head whipped around to see who it was. Another woman much like herself in more ways than one. They weren't quite similar enough to be relatives, despite her family's many-colored pelts, but perhaps a bit of parallel evolution at work. Then again, Cadenza was the odd one out, wasn't she?

But despite her initial surprise, she greeted her with a friendly wag of her tail, “Oh! Hello. Sorry, I was just dreaming a bit.” A slight laugh, because that's just how she was, “I'm Cadenza, who might you be?” Seemed to be someone at least somewhat amiable, but until she spoke, there was no clue if they were as cheery as she.
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It was always a risk approaching a wolf but given the odd circumstances from the last few days, Reed wasn’t sure what kind of risk she was really facing. Her family was friendly, even with outsiders; they were always willing to give a helping hand to a friend in need because it always swung back in their favor later down the line. And when it didn’t? Well, karma was also on their side.

 Reed offered a soft smile, a flash of her front teeth, and waved her tail with a little more speed. There was no hierarchy in the wild and she didn’t need to show off or step back. Reed was no threat here.

 “I’ve felt like I’ve been dreaming for days,” she commented with an idle shrug of her shoulder, glancing back the way she’d come as if it might suddenly shift and change when she wasn’t looking at it. “Though I haven’t really traveled from home, everything is quite new to me.” Lo and behold, it was new to everyone. “I’m Reed! It’s nice to meet you. You from around here?”
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So far, so good. All those she'd run into had been good sorts of wolves -- she could have a nice conversation and not feel like they were totally a drag. At some point she knew her luck would change but for now Cadenza was quite happy to walk this path through life. She bobbed her head to Reed, “Good to meet you too -- hopefully those are good dreams when you look back on them!” It'd be awful if they were nightmares. And to be stuck with them for ages? Yeah, that'd be no good.

But on the matter of being from around here, she shook her head, “Don't think so -- unless I get closer and suddenly recognize those mountains out there! I certainly never lived in a place like this.” A flick of her head to indicate the lake, the surrounding plains, the whole lot. Mostly that there was too much of it. But after that she then pointed back towards the mountains in the distance, “I've been thinking of heading out to see for myself at some point though. It would be nice if it turned out to be familiar in the end.” She doubted it, but it didn't seem like it bothered her. Cadenza was a woman who rolled with the punches. She didn't really need a place in the world provided by others, she'd find her own. Maybe eventually she'd find a place she liked and suddenly she'd have a "proper" place, but right now? Nah.
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Reed wasn’t sure if they were good dreams. They weren’t… bad, per se, but the last few days have simply been weird. Meeting another wolf for the first time in a few days left her feeling that maybe everything was going to be fine. It wasn’t a dream if she was actively interacting with someone else but she couldn’t help but see the world a little skewed. Maybe it was because she’d gotten lost before she was ready to leave her family but new adventures always started somewhere and why not there?

 Cadenza mentioned the mountains in the distance and Reed turned her gaze in the distance. The silhouette loomed in the distance and she blinked, staring a few seconds longer while her new companion explained her plan. It wasn’t rooted in anything other than finding something familiar, the exact opposite of Reed’s goal. However, the mountains weren’t familiar to her and so she wasn’t entirely put off by the idea, but she’d only met the woman and wasn’t about to ask her if she wanted a companion to keep her company.

 Instead, Reed nodded as she fell quiet. She licked her lips and hummed quietly in thought. “I don’t really know where I’m going,” she finally admitted and smiled. “I left my home to branch out and find something new, like we always do.” Reed mused quietly, wondering where her older siblings were and how they were faring. It wasn’t often they returned for an update but she hoped the best for all of them. The world wasn’t always a kind place but Reed clung the hope she had nieces and nephews aplenty. “But I figure I’ll find out where I’m going sometime, right?”
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She treated the question a little philosophically, “I suppose I'm always one to think you'll end up where you should be, yes. It's just rather jarring to think you've maybe walked halfway there in your sleep, you know?” ending with a bit of a laugh. She was typically fairly unflappable and this was another of those cases. A shrug of a shoulder, “But if my family is out there, I'd at least like to let them know to not be worried.” She hadn't been one to go on long jaunts before, at least. She was usually home quick to see her family. That felt like so long ago now though. What would her parents be thinking with her having been there one day, gone the next, and not back by the end of the week?

“I've got no idea what's out there, really. But the adventure is a nice break -- and so far I've run into some good people, so I can't say I mind that either.” A smile to her. Reed seemed like a nice person as well, so not off the mark there either. Cadenza peered at her curiously, “Is there anything in particular you're hoping to find once you've, well, found a place you'd want to stay?” Her own answer to the question would probably be about as vague as her first statement in this paragraph, though. Was that a good or a bad thing? It did make her wonder, was there something she was missing out on?
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Cadenza seemed to sum it up perfectly. Was it coincidence she woke up and couldn’t remember how she got there? Maybe. But Reed had questions, still. She had worries. Even as eloquent as Cadenze described their situation, it didn’t remedy the fact she already missed her family. How long had she been gone? She didn’t look any thinner than usual, there were no wounds, no hint that anything was different from her very last memory. Reed licked her lips and offered a soft hum in thought.

 “I wouldn’t want my family to be worried either,” she agreed and frowned, looking down at her paws. Even if her family had encouraged her away, there was no proper goodbye.

 Everyone got a goodbye, at least.

 “But the adventure is good, though, right?” she questioned with a half-hearted laugh. It was no big deal. She’d figure it out. “But yeah, I got no clue really. Everyone says find the love of your life and have babies of your own but what if it’s not what you want?” she laughed again, this time stronger, but it was easy to brush off. “Sometimes I don’t think any of us really know what we want, heh.”
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Not being able to see her family was about the only thing she might regret, even if it wasn't something she really could change at this point. It wasn't her fault in the first place. And where was here? How did they all get here? Not a clue, figure it out later.

She gave it a thought, “I mean just going to find someone to have kids with sounds pretty limited to me -- that means you stop exploring and seeing the world and all that at that point. The world seems like it's an awfully big place to think that'd be just the end of it. But I suppose I'm not one who was really thinking that was my future anyway, so perhaps that's why I think so.” Another shrug. “Not knowing what I'm looking for hasn't bothered me. If you've spent as much time at home as I did, well -- I'm sure there's a lot out there neither of us know, yeah.” It was sort of wistful -- but hey, she was out here, she could go find out what was out there, what all she might have missed.
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“I mean, I guess that’s just what my siblings did. Or what we thought they did. Sometimes they left when they found a made but sometimes they didn’t, so I guess…” she trailed off, having not really thought about it. Mate and kids just didn’t seem like the be all end all and perhaps that had been the only thing holding her back. She wasn’t ready for that but maybe she was ready for other things.

 Did she really need a stranger to tell her that?

 Reed shrugged a shoulder but tried not to let leaving behind her family affect her as much as it had been. She had the opportunity to go forward. Going back seemed like more work than Reed felt up for; where was one to start?

  “You’re right,” she said with renewed confidence in her voice. “Maybe I’ll see what’s up those mountains to. Or maybe… that way.” Reed gestured to the left with her nose at nothing in particular but she looked off in the distance anyway as if contemplating her options proper.
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IDK if you wanna wrap it soon or what? My brain is having a hard time catching up on posts this weekend, agh.

---

It was a familiar story for most wolves. “My older siblings pretty much did that too. They hadn't gone too far but I hadn't seen them in a while.” Before showing up here, that was. She wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since she'd seen them.. Uhh. Mostly because the player didn't know either. Let's just say all that past stuff was pretty much a blur. Either way, best to not talk about the negative things, though they did happen. It wasn't like her childhood was entirely free of strife.

She looked the direction Reed had pointed, “I wish I could offer some direction of what might be out there. For both of us. But seems like it's a strange land of unknown faces.” And Cadenza wasn't about to try to be psychic. Sometimes it was best to not guess, because as positive as she often was, sometimes things didn't agree that's how the world should be. “I don't know what I want to find for my future -- once I'm done with exploring that is. I'm sure there'll be good and bad. Whichever way you pick, I hope you can find something that feels right.” She said it with a warm smile.
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Reed nodded her head along to her new companion’s words. She would find her purpose, whether or not she was meant to go home, one way or the other. Or maybe she wouldn’t. She was torn between stressing about it and leaving it be and Reed wasn’t very good at rolling with the punches. She liked knowing where her next meal was coming from and where she was going to lay her head at night. Her family provided that security and now, all on her own even at her age was scary.

 “Thank you,” she said with a smile, a swish of her tail. “I hope the same for you.”

 Reed entertained the conversation a little longer, a little bonding, but ultimately the two women had to part ways and Reed set out with a new determination in her step.
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