Ocena Now that she knew what the truth of their new home was, Ocena was beginning to wander outwards, something that she had never been particularly inclined to do before. Before, Gargoyle and her family had been enough to keep her in place, to keep her from wandering far. But fear of the volcano had Ocena wandering, her paws carrying her along as she wandered. There was surely a new litter growing in her body - even the memories of that night made her skin burn in a pleasant way, and if the whole place blew, well, Ocena was sure they'd be gone before then, but sometimes it made her skin prickle to be beneath the volcano. The hot springs of which Gargoyle had spoken during their pack meeting seemed like a good enough place to relax. The sulfuric water's scent stung at her nose, but Ocena approached them anyways, placing one dainty paw in the smallest of the pools. It was rather hot, but nothing she couldn't handle. And the warmth made tension melt from her muscles and Ocena sighed as she padded a few steps inwards, letting the water come up to about midway up her legs. She was reluctant to risk any sort of damage to her possible litter by letting this water touch them. It was probably toxic, if it was heated by the volcano. Nothing good could come of something heated by the volcano. Nothing good could come something associated with the volcano. All of a sudden, the hot springs didn't seem so nice anymore. Ocena retreated swiftly, leaving the pool and glaring at it with mismatched eyes. She reached out to lash out it at with one paw, but other than that, stood silently for a long moment, irritation flickering across her features. Well, what was she going to do now? TAG: Shelby WORDS: three oh six NOTES: crappy starter sorry

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Euphrosyne had taken to wandering aimlessly lately. So far it had kept her entertained for the most part and she had met some very interesting wolves. It showed her just how varied and interesting Alacritis was. The pale, ivory hued fea was also amazed at how different the different areas of Alacritis were. She had been everywhere from a rain forest filled with snakes to an island with emerald green sand. Now she found herself in what seemed to be a hot spring. The pools of steaming water around her smelled of something toxic, making her wary of touching it. She took the risk in one of the smaller pools, dipping a paw in to test the waters, her ears perking up in surprise at how warm the water was. She slowly slipped in till the water came up just past the bands of dark copper fur around the middle of all four of her legs. The hot water felt relaxing on her tired feet and legs. She was tempted to lay down in the water, but she still wasn't sure of its safety so she stuck to standing with only her legs in the water. After a while she turned and climbed back out of the water, her muscles relaxed by the heat. She shook off the excess water from her legs and looked around to see what else she could do. She spotted a wolf off in the distance and watched as they scrambled back out of the water and swatted at it like the water had done something wrong. She raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering if they knew something about the pools that she didn't. The fea trotted over to the small, black and white fea, giving her a friendly smile and dipping her head politely. "Hey there," Syne greeted the stranger, her voice gentle and soft with a slight twang of an accent. "I was just over there, soaking in one of the pools, and I noticed you over here and thought I'd come introduce myself. I'm Euphrosyne, but you can call me Syne or Euph, whatever you prefer." She dipped her head again to the fea before sitting back on her haunches, glancing over at the pool of water beside them. "Do you know why this water is so hot? Or why it smells strange?" Speech,

Ocena There was another out here. The scent had been hard to pick up around the thick scents of sulphur and any sounds had been obscured by the burbling hot springs. So perhaps it was understandable that Ocena had been oblivious to the presence of the other wolf until she began to approach Ocena. The marbled female lifted her head, ears pricking in the other's direction. Her muscles tightened, wariness obvious on Ocena's features as she watched the other approach. With a probable litter on the way, she was more guarded than she might have been in typical circumstances. But when the other began to speak in a perfectly friendly tone, Ocena relaxed immediately, plumy tail waving in the air behind her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Syne!" Selected one of the nicknames that the pretty female had offered without second though, "My name is Ocena, and I am a member of Tortuga, for now. Are you a loner?" Her chatterbox nature was back in full swing, it seemed. Memories of Asheni's murder by a stranger had faded to the point that Ocena was comfortable around other wolves again, and she didn't spend all of her time worrying about what might happen to her children when they wandered off by themselves. Instead, she only spent most of her time worrying about Orica, Galileo, and Avalon. Settling down daintily as Syne did the same thing, Ocena wrapped her tail daintily around her paws. "These hot springs are heated by the nearby volcano, Mount Volkan. That's why they're so hot, and also why they smell so foul." There was a definite hint of distaste to Ocena's voice as she spoke of the volcano, "Tortuga makes its home at the base of that volcano. For now, anyways. Soon we'll be leaving, and we'll be rogues again." Her pups would be born on the move. It was a pity, but what could be done about that? Flicking her ears slightly, Ocena turned her mismatched gaze upon the other figure, "But what brings you to a place like this? There's not much going on around here. No wolves or anything." Well, other than her, but that was beside the point. Ocena couldn't pick up scents of any other wolves in the area, and she had a sharper than average sense of smell, one that had been developed to help compensate for her blind eye. But most scents were entirely obscured by the foul scents twisting through the air that originated from that pool. So perhaps there had been wolves in the area recently. TAG: Euphrosyne WORDS: four two eight NOTES: ---

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Syne nodded to the two-toned fea at the first of her string of questions, replying, "Yes, I'm a loner. I've never really been a part of a pack unless you want to count my little family as a pack." She briefly thought back to the days when she lived with her parents and sister, her twin really, but quickly pushed the thoughts away. Thinking of her sister still drug her mood down and she didn't want to feel like that today, not around the friendly woman she had just met. Ocena seemed incredibly friendly and Euph was more than happy to spend her time with the talkative wolf. Euph listened to the explanation of the hot spring with interest, nodding with understanding when she finished. Tortuga, huh? She had heard of the pack, but being a loner she didn't know much about it. It was fairly interesting to her, hearing about the going ons in pack life. Her ears flicked forward to listen to her final question and she smiled and rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "I never really know why I go anywhere. I just kinda wander around and see what I find and this is where I landed last. Not the most pleasant of places to be, I suppose, but not all bad since I met a new friend!" She smiled happily, her fluffy tail waving behind her. She loved meeting new wolves and making new connections. She was social by nature so getting to talk to anyone was a treat for her. "Do you like living with a pack? How long have you been with them?" she asked curiously, her head tilting to the side a bit. Speech,

Ocena A little family, huh? Who did that remind her of? A friendly smile crossed Ocena's features, and the female wagged her tail slightly, "The pack that I was born in was my parents and my siblings. There was my sister and I, and I had an elder sister as well, born to a previous litter. It's a bit of a jump to go from that to a fully fledged pack, but if it's something you want, it's certainly worth it." That was probably more information than Syne had desired, but Ocena had no qualms about chattering away. The friendly female twitched her ears, her tail wagging easily in the air behind her. Ears twitching, Ocena blinked, tilting her head slightly as she listened to the other speak. "I remember those days," She observed with a grin, "A happy life, for sure. But I always found it too lonely for me. That's why I ended up in Glaciem." Ever since she had joined Glaciem, all of her wanderings had been with Gargoyle. And they were about to embark on a new chapter of their lives. Together. Of course, that was more sappy than anything Syne probably wanted to hear. "But now our whole pack is going to be on the move, so I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds?" Grinning playfully, Ocena seemed to be amused by her words. It was nice to get to talk to strangers, Ocena had to admit. She adored her packmates, but it was always thrilling to meet strangers who were kind, like Syne seemed to be. "I love my pack, but I suppose it might not be for everyone. There are rules to be followed, and the pack always comes first, but in exchange, you get friends and a family and I have certainly enjoyed it." Here she had to pause and actually begin figuring, "It's been at least two years. Almost three, I should think." Ocena blinked, "A good chunk of my life, to say the least. It took me time to get used to pack life, but now I couldn't imagine living any differently." Here she paused again, examining the interestingly colored female before her. "What about you? How long have you been on your own? Do you like it?" Curiosity colored Ocena's voice as she examined the figure before her. TAG: Euphrosyne WORDS: idek NOTES: ---

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Euphosyne couldn't get enough of Ocena's stories. As someone who had lived as a loner for most of her life, hearing about pack life was incredibly interesting. She was a little surprised at how closely their early lives matched up. They had both come from small families and they had both had a sister, though Syne hadn't had an older sibling. It amazed the brown-marked fea how two wolves could grow up in similar situations and lead such different lives. Admittedly, she was a little bit envious of the small, black and white wolf. To have a pack always there for you must be like having a huge family. She often missed her parents and she missed her sister everyday. Syne listened intently to all of Ocena's words, more than happy to let the wolf be a chatterbox as long as she wanted. Syne only nodded and smiled in key places, like when Ocena mentioned getting the best of both worlds with their pack moving. When she questioned whether or not Syne liked being a loner and how long she had been so, she thought back, answering, "I guess I've been on my own for almost two years now. My sister passed away right before we turned one and I stayed with my parents a little under a year after that, so I guess that's about right. As for if I like being on my own... I like some parts of it. I like meeting so many new wolves and seeing so many different places, but it does get lonely. And I don't always feel safe on my own, especially at night. I mean, I know how to fight and all, I just don't like it. It has its ups and downs I guess." Syne breathed in a deep breath to sigh, but when she did she happened to catch Ocena's scent. The fumes coming off the heated water had covered it up before, so she hadn't noticed it. She could smell her pack on her as well as Ocena's own scent, but there was something else there, something that poked at a memory at the back of her mind. It suddenly dawned on her and her emerald green eyes widened with shock. It couldn't be! "Um... Ocena... You wouldn't happen to know a huge wolf that's all different shades of gray, do you? He has golden colored eyes?" She couldn't believe that such a sweet wolf would know a jerk like that wolf she had met back in the Serpent Plains, much less know him well enough to have his scent so strongly on her. Speech,

Ocena Two years? That was a long, lonely time. Ocena shuddered at the thought, "Are you interested in joining a pack at all? I couldn't imagine being alone for that long." Ocena was more extroverted than many, to be fair, but wolves weren't made to live alone. They were pack animals. They need families, and wolves to hunt and play with. Wolves weren't designed to live alone. She just couldn't imagine it. "I understand how you feel. Meeting new wolves was my favorite part of wandering. And I remember how it felt to wonder if you were safe." Ocena felt a shudder wrack her frame, "I understand how you feel, I think." Ocena observed as she examined Syne thoughtfully. Maybe she would be interested in Tortuga - or, well, the wolves that would be leaving Tortuga. A rogue band of wolves combined the best of being alone and being with a family. She started slightly when Syne spoke again, ears flicking easily as she listened to the female spoke. "Oh, you mean Gargoyle? He's my mate. How do you know him?" There was no jealousy in Ocena's voice, just a genuine curiosity as she examined the other female. How had this strange wolfess met Gargoyle? Did they know each other? Had she met one of her mate's friends? That would be interesting. She was sure that she would love any of Gargoyle's friends, but was this female even one of his friends? Maybe she had just met him once or twice. There were many possibilities, so Ocena reserved judgement, waiting silently to hear what the other would say. She was curious about how this wolfess knew her mate, however. TAG: WORDS: NOTES:

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At Ocena's questioning of if she had considered joining a pack. Her head tipped to the side as she considered it. "I don't really think I've ever considered it. I dunno why, it just hasn't crossed my mind. It is a good idea though. I'll certainly think about it." It was defintely something to consider. It would keep her from having to be lonely and she wouldn't have to worry about being alone when night fell any more. There was certainly a lot of things to think about though before she made a decision. Syne's ears fell back against her head and her face warmed as she blushed with embarrassment when the small black and white fea informed her that the brute, apparently named Gargoyle, was her mate. She groaned and covered her eyes with her paw for a moment. Of course he was! She felt awful for thinking all those bad things about him now after she had learned that his kind woman was his mate, although she couldn't stop herself from thinking that she was certainly his better half. She looked at her apologetically, a small, shy smile on her muzzle. "I feel like I should apologize for thinking that your mate was a pompous jerk. See, I ran into him in the Serpent Plains a while back and he was cooling off in the river and a snake was going to bite him so I jumped in the water, thinking I was going to save him. Well, long story short, I tossed the snake off into the forest only to find out that it couldn't hurt him away for whatever reason. I got really angry with him and stormed off before I could even ask how he was resistant poison." The brown-marked fea chuckled and shrugged, feeling incredibly silly about the whole situation. Speech,

Ocena Ears twitching slightly, Ocena smiled at the other. "I would suggest that you join Tortuga, but we're not going to be Tortuga for much longer, so that may not be the right place for you." Or maybe it would be the kind of place that Syne found herself interested in. If it was, Ocena was sure that she would be happy. This female was a lovely creature, a perfectly polite female and thus far, Ocena did like her. A startled laugh escaped her when Syne spoke again, apologizing for thinking that Gargoyle was a pompous jerk. Oh, she would have to tell him about this later. "Don't apologize for your thoughts," Ocena blinked serenely, fighting back another snort of laughter. "I appreciate the fact that you tried to save him, Syne. That was very kind of you, trying to save a total stranger." Ocena nodded with a wag of her tail, "It does mean a lot to me." After all, without Gargoyle, her life would not be a pleasant place. No, Gargoyle was the light of her life. Sure, she adored her pups (and the pups that were on the way too), but Gargoyle? He was something else altogether. Ears twitching slightly, Ocena smiled at the female, "I'm not sure the snake appreciated being thrown into the woods though." Tail wagging in the air behind her, Ocena examined the other. TAG: Syne<3 WORDS: not many << NOTES: sorry this is so late!

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Euphrosyne sighed with relief when she saw that Ocena wasn't upset with her. In fact, the little black and white fea seemed to be quite amused by what had happened with her encounter with Gargoyle. Looking back on it now, it was pretty funny and Syne had no problems with having a little chuckle with Ocena about it. The brown-marked woman smiled happily and her tail wagged behind her as well when her new friend thanked her for helping her mate. Syne was glad to see that her attempt at a rescue was still appreciated, even if it wasn't by the brute himself. She laughed again at Ocena's last comment, her tail sent wagging again. "You're probably right. Maybe I should be apologizing to the snake instead of you and Gargoyle." She gave a content sigh and smiled at the fea again before rising to her paws. "I've really enjoyed talking to you, Ocena. I hope I get to see you again. I should get going though, places to see and wolfs to meet, you know." She dipped her head to the fea and turned to walk away, taking several steps before glancing back over her shoulder to say, "Tell your mate I said to stay away from snakes!" with a laugh, facing forward again as she trotted off to see what else she could find in this huge land of Alacritis. Speech,

Amusement evident on her features, Ocena wagged her tail easily at Euphrosyne's (eesh, what a mouthful!) comment, glad to see that she wasn't unduly angry with Ocena's mate. "The snake would probably appreciate the apology," Ocena noted with a hint of amusement in her voice, "If you can find it again, tell it to leave wolves alone, though. I'm sure they don't make a very good dinner." Eating wolves, yeck. A shiver wracked Ocena's frame at the very thought, and she turned her attention elsewhere swiftly, ears pricking in Syne's direction. As the female spoke her goodbyes, Ocena nodded slightly, inclining her head in the direction of the other. "It's certainly been nice. Perhaps we'll run into each other again," Ocena hoped so. This Syne was a lovely female, "In any case, it was a pleasure to meet you." This female had tried to save her mate's life. She was surely a kind female, one who would be welcome within Tortuga - or whatever they called themselves once they left Tortuga behind. As Syne left, however, Ocena rose to her paws as well and turned back in the direction of Tortuga once more. She set off with her tail wagging easily in the air behind her. [exit Ocena] Speech