Forever Young
Thoughts traveled backwards to her siblings and foster parents back home many miles away. Though there were bad times there were also good times too. She enjoyed the play times and laughs she had with her siblings. While they were few and far between each moment was greatly appreciated. Most of her so called training consisted of constant beatings to control her behavior. It was meant to make her an emotionless machine for whatever they needed. While the pack was good natured with those that were fully trained and dominated, during battles and great sieges they were to be feared. They saw something in Geneva so they were that much more strict in her training. Never would they guessed that she would run and if they found her they would most certainly kill her. It was her prerogative to never go back even if her life depended on it.
During her run she had seen some scary places and some more pleasant ones. The more pleasant ones were always too close to her old home and she couldn't stay long. Worry and fear began to set in the further away from home she went. At first, she was tempted to go back and take a very strict punishment and be sore for the next month. However, as she thought of her punishment it only gave her more reason not to go back in the first place. Eventually, she wound up simply wandering to wherever her feet took her and didn't stop until she collapsed. That was how she found herself in the fallen log.
As the sun continued to rise and the air began to warm up, Geneva slowly started to wake. Geneva could tell she had over did it with the walking when her stiff muscles screamed at her more while she stretched. Her body ached and throbbed as she lied there in the soft dirt next to a small patch of ferns. The river was in the distance quite a ways away and just the very sound of it made her thirsty. As she licked her dry lips, she let out another yawn. Even with her tired feet Geneva knew she had to find something close by to drink regardless of her paws being bruised or not. As she stood up, she winced as she took a few steps forward as each paw throbbed its screaming fury. At least it wasn't raining. Though if it were by now she would be holding her mouth open to collect water.
As she left her protected log home, Geneva tried to forget the pain in her feet and body. It had been a while since she saw another wolf and she wondered if she would ever see one again. She had smelled them coming through here, but it was so faint it was hard to tell how recent it was. As she walked her mind traveled backwards in time again. Her memories triggered anxiety of all sorts and occasional tear sheds and whimpers from time to time. She had never known a life outside of such strict regimes where puppies could be themselves and play all day to practice life skills they would need for later. Instead she only knew of routine, schedules, fighting until you couldn't anymore and simply giving your all to the very last. For once in her life, she just wanted to have fun and take things at her own pace. Now that she was here Geneva felt that her outlook wouldn't be so bad.
Deciding that it was all in the past as her puppy brain was tired, Geneva began to look at her surroundings again with interest and taking in the new growth from what seemed to be damage from a wildfire. While there were tall charred and twisted forms of what used to be trees, new saplings and ferns were growing wildly and the landscape was a sea of green. Geneva smiled at this as it was a pleasant sight compared to her old desert like home. Plus it wasn't as hot here. Perhaps maybe there was more life than just plants too.
WC: 851
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It had been a few days since she had eaten last and while she found small bugs and critters to eat, and occasionally a bone with some meat left, it wasn't enough to keep her satiated. Geneva had begun to worry because she was way too small and lacked all of the experience to be able to hunt for her own. She had only gotten a few lucky breaks just to get her to this point. After that, there wasn't any food or water to find. As she continued to hike the new growing forest Geneva began to smell water. As much as she was hungry, she knew she was dehydrated quite badly and needed to drink. So without further hesitation, she sprinted like a little fluffy bullet to wherever this water was. She was close by for sure. She didn't even stop to think about her aching paws.
As she ran, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and instead ran right into the back end of Jackson with a tumble and an 'Oof!' but it didn't stop her. She clambered back to her little feet and splashed into the water and began drinking ravenously. She was soaked after her tumble and gallop into the water, but Geneva didn't care. Once her thirst was quenched she simply laid down in the water and looked back to the wolf with an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Mister." Geneva said softly as she took a few more sips of the water under her chin. She eyed him cautiously and examined the orange and sandy colored pelt the wolf adorned and remarked in her mind how much he looked like her. While he had two white circles over his eyes, he was not so different than her. Little did she know that she would have more detail in her pelt when she became an adult, but that was something to think about later.
Then the thought came to her mind... he's a wolf! She jumped up excitedly and bounded around. "I'm not alone anymore!" Geneva shouted and laughed as she spun around in circles. "Wait... you're not here to take me back are you?" she asked as she slowly backed away. Her little orange ears were flat against her skull as her posture resembled one of fear and submission. She was fixing to run. "I'm not going back there!" she shouted again. The same fears of being found from before were once again flooding her mind. This had been way too far for the wolves to come out for a thing like her, but she didn't know if she was even worth the hunt. Something in her gut told her he was safe, but she needed to be sure. In her current condition she would not be able to run far or long and since she hadn't eaten for a few days, it had begun to show in her body. She was ultimately done for if he was after her.
WC: 605
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Geneva didn't want to give him the full details of what happened as it wasn't necessary, but she figured a run down would be good enough. "My old pack lost a battle for prime hunting territory and as a result, we had to disband. I got separated from my family and I am too far to search for them. Some of the rival pack tried to capture younger wolves like me to serve various purposes, but I ran as far as I could. I'm too far for them to find me now. Or return home safely.." Geneva said with a sigh as she squished the mud between her toes. The sensation was a mix between soft and squishy compared to the stiff and hard surfaces she had been running on earlier. It was soothing to her sore paws as she sat in the water which softened her aching joints.
"I don't want to go back either.." Geneva said hesitantly. "Knowing what my mother would possibly say, she would say that I should focus on surviving and finding a new pack. So far, I've scavenged on food and hunted smaller rodents, but I don't know how to hunt like the adults do. I've been traveling for so far and so long that this is the first time I've officially stopped running. I suppose my paws need a break." Geneva said as she lifted them out of the mud to reveal swollen and bruised paw pads. She dipped it back down for it to cool down again in the mud. Geneva tried to calculate just how far she might have traveled in her mind. She could count the number of days and nights it took for her to get here, but she was never instructed on miles and distances. So for time wise, she could guess it took her almost seven days and six nights from her old pack land to this forest. The amount of land between the two pack lands was too vast for anyone to come and find her.
"I thought you might have been one of them come to find me and drag me back. Their structure was quite restrictive. But you don't seem like one of them. You're too nice." Geneva said as she furrowed her eyebrows together in tense concentration. "But no offene... I would rather take a very nice stranger than my old pack land any day! Are you part of a pack?" she asked. She tried to take in his scent and while it was unique to his own, there was something else that lingered there subtly which was similar to what her mother and friends smelled like in the pack lands.
WC: 547
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What was stopping her from answering so quickly was her mind, a fickle thing it was. With her past experience Geneva's defenses were still up so trusting quickly was an obstacle. She weighed out her options in her mind; either decline and starve to death or accept his offer, heal up, and see his pack. Who knew - there might be other nice wolves in the pack like him. Geneva sure hoped so as she took another moment to think. Even though she was young, she obtained her mothers smarts so survival was her sole top priority at the moment.
Silently, Geneva was still wary as to what she was getting into by accepting his offer. It was possible he could be a very cool minded liar and tricking her. Jackson could also be a more passive wolf that turned a blind eye. On a more positive light, Geneva strangely did not feel threatened by Jackson. He had this rather relaxed air about him and he sounded genuinely concerned for her well being. Not only that, she was too far from her old pack to be found nor was she even worth the effort at six months old. Eventually, her old pack may move on to better grounds for take over or someone from the inside would end the reign. Regardless, she felt in her heart she had nothing to fear for the time being especially with this place so green.
After a few moments of thought, she felt like she needed more information. "Maybe." Geneva said softly. "What is your pack like? Are there a lot of.. rules? What happens if you break one?"
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The more Geneva talked to Jackson, the more relaxed she was getting. That or it was the exhaustion setting in from not moving as much as she was before. While she had slept for a few hours, her body was still tired from all the running. It didn't matter anymore that she was still sitting in the water and her paws melting in the mud. In fact, she hardly paid attention to them now. The physical pressure of the mud against her paws was much less than the hard ground so her paws began to relax also. Geneva had been through a lot and it had worn her out both mentally and physically. At this moment she was on her reserves and didn't feel like she could go another day without collapsing. With her spirit also partially broken it wouldn't take much for her just to give up. Jackson began describing his pack and how many members were in it including the punishment for breaking a rule. Banishment was the same punishment her old pack had implemented. Geneva's old alpha didn't believe in violently punishing someone for their actions. Instead he did a more passive approach that others cautioned him about, however nothing ever came to pass about it until the rival pack arrived. It was the one thing that Geneva felt that her alpha could have done differently, but then again nothing would have altered the destiny of the pack. It was to be expected since they lived on that land for many years anyhow so a change needed to occur anyway. Geneva smiled lightly at the sound of Jackson's alpha being laid back. It reminded her of the temperament her old alpha had. Jackson carried a hint of pride and loyalty when speaking about him. He had the same hint when describing the pack which helped her to feel more at ease. Maybe this was a new start for her and it was okay to trust again. After all, she was a young pup and not everyone in the world could have been as bad as she has experienced, right? Closing her eyes for a moment tightly shut Geneva contemplated decisions in her head. "Okay.. I will go with you." she finally said after a few moments. It wasn't as if it was a hard decision to make given her predicament. She knew deep down she couldn't go another day alone. Jackson had been everything kind to her and she couldn't thank him enough for that. Geneva stood up and walked out to of the water and took a step on the hard ground. Her paws were sore, but not as bad as they were. While they didn't feel as sore they were still quite irritated. It wouldn't be long before they acted up again. "I think I can walk for a while longer..." she said softly as she looked to Jackson. While she might have been hungry, she was not out of energy yet to be unable to travel for a while longer. "Plus I can learn more about you and your pack mates too." |
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Geneva was indeed tired, but not too tired that she couldn't travel anymore. With her paws cooled down a bit the young pup felt she could go another mile or two. However long that was. She was never good at navigating or knowing distances, but she had heard the adults talk about it a lot before. They made it sound so easy whenever they talked about it. It was the same whenever they left they came back full of energy as when they originally left on the trek. Geneva could never figure out how they did it and often asked their secrets. But to her disappointment, the adults would laugh and give a wink after saying "when you're a little older." She still wondered how others managed it. Maybe because when one was a bigger size they were much stronger than being a pup. It often made her think of other things too that related to being an adult.
Jackson spoke up and Geneva listened quietly, understanding that she had control of the pace. She appreciated this a lot. "Probably a mile or two and then I can rest." she said softly. "I have been resting most of the day and night and would like to get some more movement in. It only makes me stronger anyhow." she followed close behind him as she watched his gate and how loose and relaxed it was. Jackson must travel this area a lot, she thought. Each paw step he took was sure and concise as every thought and word he made were. Was that what it was like being an adult? Or at least part of it? Geneva often wondered as much because growing up took so long.
"I go by Geneva." she replied to his question as she zipped in and out of ferns where the ground was softer. She kept an eye on her feet as she walked. Her gait was a tad faster than his was simply because of her size. Occasionally she tried to do the lope he made, but she simply looked like a bouncing trotting wolf and she chuckled at it. Once Jackson kept his pace slow, she trotted up to his right side so that she wasn't behind him and met his pace. "What's your name? I'd make one up for you, but I don't think you'd like it." she said with a soft smile. Geneva was feeling much happier than she was earlier. It was nice to even see the face of another wolf after so long. Somehow, she could feel some of herself returning again as they walked.