Run Wild

@Crux maybe

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Kei wasted no time settling somewhere. Each day she'd awake, catch something quick to eat, then be on her way. There was no destination in mind, she just simply had nowhere else to be and no one to turn to, but with her past, she almost preferred it. Almost. The rolling green hills had been left behind along with the stretches of woods and mountains finding a coastline somewhere along the lines. Maybe it was the edge of the world, the real edge of the world. Ever since the kid hunting gophers she hadn't seen anyone else so it would make sense if this was it.

Her paws took her north, boarding the shores and mountains till the ground ran red...red? Gold eyes drifted up to the trees that now surrounded her, each branch a brilliant hue. Hadn't spring just started? How were the trees already full and dropping leaves? It broke all teachings of the Order...yet something about it drew her closer. This certainly wasn't the end of the world...so what was it?

+2 Discovery Points

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 The sun shone through gaps in tree crowns, drifting across red-soaked leaves that crunched heartily under the black and white wolf's paws. He was just beginning to map out and patrol the edges of this forest he'd deemed as his. Marking the borders with the hopes that no one else would come and attempt to claim it or hurt his new friends. He rubbed against a black tree, its rough bark scratching that itch he'd had a hard time getting. He paused to watch shadows shimmering through the mist in the distance, their long legs carrying them through. It took him a moment longer to recognize the slope of their necks and the rise of their antlers as deer. With the mist, it was harder for them to see him, allowing him to watch them for longer.

 Something beyond the forest caught their attentions, apparently, and they took off deeper into the woods. With a thoughtful huff, he turned towards the edge of the woods, where light shone brighter and the fog cleared into approaching springtime. He noticed the short black shape, silhouetted by the shine behind her. He turned to walk towards the form, recognizing it as a small wolf. She was staring up at the leaves in bewilderment and he couldn't help but laugh. “It is quite strange, isn't it?” He'd met one rag-tag group of wolves who had been so amazed by the leaves that they had rushed up to inspect them right away. “It's as if this is the forest that time forgot.” Forever autumn, at least from what he'd seen. Perhaps not forever, perhaps the seasons just moved slower here. Did time itself move slower here?

+2 Discovery Points

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In her amazement she had almost been foolish enough to shut out the sounds around her. It was only slight at first, the crunching of leaves or a twig snapping, but it wasn't until a voice spoke before her that Kei realized the giant of a man that now approached. The voice of her Okaasan crept to her ears....disappointed as always.

Always keep your guard up

Unconsciously the shadow grit her teeth, annoyed at herself for not noticing the other sooner. And how had she not? The man was a giant. As luck would have it though, he seemed unphased by her existence. There was no trace of aggression, only wonder as he too looked to the leaves.

“Time is ever-flowing it does not just forget.” Or so she thought. Something seemed off...even the trees were dark and blackened almost as if a fire had consumed the trunks and nestled at the upmost branches. A trick of the Gods? or had the balance been tipped so much that the land was in disarray.

+1 Discovery Points

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 She looked startled at first, maybe. A bit calculative - Crux was glad that he had decided to be gentle in his approach. Hopefully she would not decide he was a threat but instead a potential friend. She denied the thought of time forgotten, but seemed unsure of herself. “Perhaps it's slowed here.” He gave a great shrug, peering down at the girl, “I wouldn't be surprised, strange things have been happening.”

 She looked young, but not too young to take care of herself. A yearling and some, he assumed. There was a confidence in her attitude that he'd picked up even now, by the way she spoke so simply. “Its name is Bleakwood,” on account of the bleak feeling you got when sitting all alone in it in the middle of a rainstorm, he added silently to himself. Perhaps it was just the odd feeling of despondency that came with the autumn, speaking of a hard winter ahead. Yet, here it seemed winter would never come. “And mine is Crux.”

+2 Discovery Points

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Despite her unenthused response, he continued on in the blink of an eye. Apparently, this place had a name after all, Bleakwood, though she couldn't really wrap her head around it. Nothing here appeared bleak, the forest was very much alive even in its decaying colorful state. Perhaps it was empty though, void of the lives of the living instead of vegetation.

The second part came with his name as if it really mattered. She likely wouldn't be around long enough to remember it. Then again...now that she focused she could smell a few other scents on him. A pack wolf? Her eyes dipped away from the starry man's, cast to the haze that led inward. If these were pack grounds why hadn't he chased her off?

“Kei.”

+2 Discovery Points

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 She didn't seem impressed by the name, which was fine. He'd honestly picked the name because it was the first word that had come to his mind. He was more than willing to pretend that he hadn't been the one to name it such, that some old wolf crawling through had said its name before suddenly dying or falling off a cliff. Were there cliffs in Bleakwood? No, the mountains were just outside of the forest's bounds, but there were some little craggy areas that he'd noticed before.

 No. Now was not the time to be thinking about whether or not this red forest had cliffs. The girl was still thinking but was now looking at the forest behind him and he fought the urge to look back to see if any of his friends were coming out of the mist to join in the conversation. A slight twist of his ear determined that they were not, and that the deer from earlier were by now long gone.

 When she said her name, it took him a moment to realize that she was not simply stating "Okay." During that moment, he masked it with a slight nod, as if thinking about it and tucking the name away in his mental archives. “Have you traveled far?” Fire eyes glinted with curiosity. He had done a small amount of traveling within the mountains nearby, but he hadn't wanted to leave his new friends alone too long. Not without their "Prince." “Or do you live nearby?”

+1 Discovery Points

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For a moment, silence stretched between the two almost like the ever-stretching autumn in these woods, though perhaps the wait was longer in her own head than reality. The silence didn't bother her, it was his stare. He wouldn't say it, but she was almost certain he was now judging her and his next few questions only proved that. Was the nice face just a ploy to determine rather or not he should attack or did he want whatever information she had?

Not that it truly mattered anymore...

“Far enough it seems.” Her one goal had been to get away from the Order and with no knowledge of how to get back, it seemed she had achieved that. “I live nowhere.” And then her eyes snapped back, her own gaze now analytical. “Let me guess, this is the part where you say you have a pack and ask me to join? I'll save you the breath. Why?” Maybe she was wrong, but she had heard offers before only all too close to home to actually consider.

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 Why did she seem so uncomfortable, so distrustful? He supposed he could understand - he wouldn't have trusted anyone so quickly in the land Before he woke here. The Valley had been a deadly place, rife with wolves who would see you dead more readily than have a conversation. He'd never liked that about it. Why be in a pack with wolves that wanted you dead? A pack was a family, it was meant to keep each other safe, not risk their death if they insulted the wrong wolf.

 She finally spoke. Far enough? What did that mean? He tilted his head at that, but gave a little laugh when she asked about recruiting her into a pack, “Well. Not exactly, not yet anyways.” He sat. “Right now, we're just a band of loners resting up in Bleakwood.” Eventually someone will ask about the origin of the name, you idiot, he thought to himself. “But, if you're looking for a place to spend a few nights or longer, we have space. If you want reasons... there's safety in numbers. We're still forming, so you'll have a real voice here. A chance to make what you say matter, when in other, existing packs, they might throw you out for daring to suggest something's not right or could change.” In the Valley, he'd had no such voice. Even his mother, climbing the ranks, had never had a true spit of power.

 He indicated into the forest with a grin. “Plus, there's hardly any pollen.” No sneezing wolves here.

+1 Discovery Points

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He...laughed? The shadow gave a slight raise of her brow as the man seemed to settle himself before explaining further. So it wasn't a pack, just a group...which...admittedly didn't seem too bad. There was no structure, no belittlement... She was slow, but eventually, she too would move to sit as she pondered over the offer. He had a point, she knew her attitude got her into trouble and she only lasted as long as she did last time because of her family's status.

At the end she...actually gave a short chuckle, but quickly silenced herself. “Okay, that's all great and all but you don't even know me.” If you did you wouldn't want me. “Why do you trust strangers so much? How do you know your little group doesn't have some secret agenda like a plot to kill you?”

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 Finally, a positive reaction. A hint of a smile, a chuckle. He tilted his head thoughtfully, “Because,” keen eyes rested on her. Serious, but not aggressive and also specifically not angry. “I'm a good judge of character. You never know someone truly without observation.” He was kind, but he wasn't stupid. He hadn't lived very long, but he had lived a lot. His mothers, too, had given him instruction and information. Growing up in that hell hole... he had learned early how to use his body to protect himself and others.

 How did he know his new friends weren't planning mutiny? Well, for starters, they'd have nothing to gain by staying close. He had no power yet for them to try to claim. Hadn't even specified to the rest that he was intending on forming a pack. Some he trusted inherently, like Mordecai - the man seemed far too genuine to be plotting anything nefarious. The others... they were young. “I've lived around wolves who wanted to kill or uproot their leaders. I know how they think, how they act - even when they're skilled at hiding it. Those I've gathered so far have more to gain by following me than by killing me.” And so do you was implied, but there was no arrogance in his voice, only simple truth. His kindness would make him a leader like he'd never met. A compassionate one, who valued his pack and wanted them to all survive and be their best, not just those few who were his ideal. One who would do his best to protect them, not flee when things got a little dicey.

 A leader who wouldn't turn on his followers the moment the tides shifted.

 He was no Red Rose, like his mother wanted to be. Roses withered, burnt. He was a black hole, swallowing everything that he touched... and keeping it close to his heart. Protecting from outside forces. Crafting into something new. “So, what do you say?” He smiled. It wasn't the goofy smile of Mordecai, or the calculated smile of his mother. It was genuine. “Would you like to get to know us?”

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From all the smiles and butterfly talk Kei honestly wasn't expecting a ready and thought-out response to her question. It seemed there was at least one thing the two could agree on, and he supposedly knew how to read these signs well. The look he gave showed his seriousness in the matter and from her own experience... she knew he wasn't lying. 

Kei would always have her own suspicions, but even if she was right whoever was planning a mutiny would be in it for the long haul. Surely there were faster ways to power. “Fine, show me this group. I want to see the forest anyway.” It's not like she was bound here forever. Worst case if she really hated it she had an easy meal, a night or two of rest, then she could be on her way.

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