the end of the festival was fast approaching. the fireflies were all dying, killed off by the cold that threatened the area. most wolves had gone home, or hovered around the infamous prize booth. Heloise weighed her decision until she was pulled back to the water's edge. she had failed twice while fishing with Rhyme, and desired to participate until she could not any longer. the attendant told her she could re-try, and she would. having done the firefly catching, the treasure hunt and race she placed in, the woman had only two tries of fishing left. she approached the water and immediately shot a long limb into the cold depths. by now, she was sure the wolves had reduced the fish population to the point of extinction. though she could still see some fish swimming in the depths. she only wished she was lucky enough to grab something before trying again. ooc; re-try attempt 1

To be honest, Lucretia was tired of all the hustle and bustle of the festival. Her paws ached and Deathbelle's swaying belly was a constant distraction. She still couldn't believe that she had weaseled her way into the race! Good thing that she hadn't placed, otherwise Lucretia would never have heard the end of it. Although she was looking for some quiet time to herself, a stark white female already occupied this fishing zone.

"Hello," she called. The female smelled strongly of pack, another scent she was unfamiliar with. Wolves had come from all over for this festival, that was for sure. "I am Lucretia Klein of Ashen. Did you travel a long ways to get here?" There was no use in not being polite if they were going to share the space. Lucretia peered into the depths and tried to snatch a fish out of the water.

Attempt #6

Her heat made the festival a shade too overwhelming. That run-in with the strange, svelte Ashen male still had her heart racing. There were two females fishing alone, and that scene seemed to suit her much better. Rags ambled over to their spot and settled in, waiting to be addressed by either one. Fishing was the priority here. Focusing on the quiet waves heading towards shore, Rags tried to find a fish flitting within the depths. No such luck yet.

Was it possible the swarm of wolves headed to the island had fished the shallows dry? She hoped not - there was still a quota to be met. Concentrating harder, she snapped her jaws in the water.

Attempt #8

raising her head from the water, fish or no fish in her jaws, she would spy another wolf coming toward her. their intention was to fish as well, for the woman immediately dove for a flickering shadow. but she did have the good grace to at least introduce herself. "Heloise cel Mare" she'd reply politely, yanking her tired neck back to the water. she'd pause over the surface "of Winterfell. I traveled from the far north, yes." though she was not quite tired from the exercise. diving for another fish, she had a split second to notice another female approaching. unlike Lucretia however, this female did not introduce herself. no matter; the time was more pressing than introductions after all. ooc; re-try attempt 2

"Winterfell..." Lucretia mused. The name was new to her. It had been only a short while since Ashen had formed, and with Belle's pregnancy the most pressing matter, she had little news of other packs. "Tell me, who is your leader?" Idle chatting was pleasant enough, and perhaps she would have some new information to bring back to Deathbelle. After the puppies arrived, there was much to be done to secure Ashen's place in Boreas.

Focusing again on the water, Luce attached to grab another fish with her jaws. It seemed to be the most pertinent way of going about this, although she much preferred typical game. There was no denying the benefits of fish oil for the coat, but she didn't care at all for the taste.

Attempt #7

Rags focused again on the water, flicking an ear to overhear the nearby chatter. Winterfell? That was another new pack name. Winterfell, Ashen... the black and grey female had mentioned belonging to Ashen, and Rags' curiosity was peaked. She hadn't quite caught the name that had been offered, but she bore a passing enough resemblance to Rosemary. Was this a member of his family? "Pardon me," she said politely, stepping closer to the other females. "But are you from Ashen? I was fishing earlier with Rosemary. Are you acquainted?"

Just as the words left her mouth, Rags spotted a fish darting between her paws. Eagerly, she leaned down to snap it up in her jaws.

Attempt #9

the woman would ask after the name of Winterfell's alpha, and she saw no reason to withhold such information. there was power in names, true, yet the names of leaders were widely known. it was common knowledge. "Acere Praetor is our king" Heloise informed Lucretia Klein "and I know your empress, Deathbelle, in passing." along with her niece, Banshee. was this a sister of Deathbelle's, or a cousin? as the other woman spoke up, the alabaster squire fell silent as the two conversed. a name was given - Rosemary - though Heloise did not know of them. perhaps another Klein. ooc; all attempts used

Damnit. This spot was full of wolves, but she was running out of time. She went to it with a grumble, nodding at the wolves gathered there. One of them, she had met prior. The other two, she had not yet. She didn't have time to waste on pleasantries this time, however, so she ignored them for a most part - focusing instead on the water. She was so very tempted to swim to one of the chain islands leading to Ibis; this one was getting dry of fish, but she was also running out of time. The festival was nearing a close, and she had more fish to catch. With a sigh, she dipped her paw in the water and tried her trained-true method of stabbing the hell out of a fish.

8

Aiden paused at the gathered wolves. Ah, well, this might not be a bad spot to fish, if there were many here, right? He'd been avoiding large fishing spots for the most of the night, but he couldn't resist it anymore. Not at the end of the night. Empty fishing spots now meant very few fish, or devoid of fish, and that was inconvenient. So here he went, and as he walked into the water, he had the pleasant surprise of recognizing one of the wolves present. "Lucretia," he greeted warmly, tail wagging in the greeting. His attention switched to the other three, and he smiled and dipped his head to both. "I am Aiden, of Abaven," he introduced himself. He paused just then as the one lady's heat just slapped him in the face, and his nostrils flared instinctively. Oh. Well then. Swallowing hard, he looked away from both and instead concentrated on the water, waiting for a shape and lunging for it.

7

Luce nodded to herself at Heloise's response. The name didn't ring any bells, but perhaps it would mean something to Deathbelle or Archon. Turning to Rags, Luce dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Yes, I am from Ashen. I am the pack's Shamyn - their healer, steward of the ill and ailing. Rosemary Klein is my brother." It was a gracious overstatement of her duties, but it felt right to put on a show in front of strangers. A brightly colored female appeared, promptly ignoring them, followed by Aiden. It was pleasant to see a familiar face among the strangers that had appeared. "Aiden," she said warmly. Other healers were quickly and easily adopted as her friends.

Rags noted Aiden's subtle reaction to her heat and looked away in embarrassment. It wasn't her fault! Perhaps she shouldn't have taken Torin up on his offer. Coming to the festival in this state was a bad idea. But Lucretia acknowledged her relationship to Rosemary, and that was confirmation enough. The strange, small female was brusque in her manner that Rose simply... wasn't. She found it hard to believe they were related, but she supposed stranger things had occurred. A brightly colored female waded into the water nearby, followed by another healer - this one from Abaven. She was still unfamiliar with most of the packs, so none of the information meant much to her. "Well... it was nice meeting you," she said simply, limping out of the shallows and disappearing into the treeline.

now that the festival was winding down, Heloise felt it prudent to return to the north. she would collect her winnings and leave, but not without settling into a small smile for the healers. it had been a quick little chat, but she was informed. good. "it was a pleasure to meet you, Lucretia and Aiden" her eyes looked to the retreating form of the piebald woman before frowning. no name had been given but it was clear her season had been upon her. perhaps she was off for some privacy, away from prying eyes and wanton gazes. "if you will excuse me, I must take my leave." she pulled herself out of the water's depths to walk further inland. ooc; EXIT