On her 3rd failed attempt to sneak away to the Hallows her parents finally gave in and let little Ruin have her way. They knew she wasn't going to stop, even if they grounded her or asked really nicely, so it was better and easier for everyone if they just made sure she got there and back safely. And thus there she was, trotting alongside her big sister Poem as they made their way towards the Falls. She was on her best behaviour- mostly and only for now- as Poem howeled to announce their presence and dropped her off, though not before telling her to be good and have fun. Gifting her sister a few kisses on the bottom of her snout, Ruin bounded off with a giddy bounce in her step. She was free!

She'd explored the Hallows a little before, but this part of their territory was new and uncharted to the little Cavaliere-Klein. There was much to see and do but what felt like not much time to do it in, before her big sister came back to escort her back home. Breaking out into a sprint she made a beeline for the falls, once again splishing and splashing till her dark coat was sodden and soaked. A soft little giggle passed her lips as her pale tail wagged behind her, oh she was the picture of innocence. If only they knew...

It was hard to avoid her memories some days. Today wasn't shaping up to be one of those days, though, and Avantika hummed a little nothing tune as she stood alone. She stopped for a breath and let the scent of the Hallows fill her nose, fill the empty parts of her that should have been hapoy. It was reassuring. She wasn't the best with scents yet, but she could pick out Resin, the woman she'd first met upon her arrival. She pointedly didn't think about said arrival. She still couldn't piece together what had happened, just that she'd woken up in a strange place.. She didn't even know if she wanted to know what had happened. She frowned. Did she? She shivered from a chill she hadn't noticed before. My name is Avantika. Bo calls me Tika. I live in the Hallows. I am safe. If she threw the thing she wasn't quite sure about in with perfect truths maybe she could trick her brain into trusting that it belonged with them But should I trust? Maybe it would be better to be suspicious, even if she'd sure as heck like to feel safe. If it was only an illusion of safety, that trust would make the eventual impact hurt far worse. She sighed, not silently, although still softly. Another promising day ruined. "speak"

Ruin was mostly happy to amuse herself. She spent plenty of time alone so it didn't really bother her, but her ears soon perked at the sound of paw steps. She turned, mismatched eyes alert as she watched from a distance as the Hallow's pup stood there and pulled in a lungful of air, as though the whole weight of the world was baring down on her little shoulders. Dramatic much? Ruin scoffed. Messing with a pup who was already miserable didn't sound like fun at all, she could sometimes be a little much, but even then she wasn't the sort to kick someone whilst they were already down. But what was their problem? Ruin hadn't been in Hallows for very long, aside from the fact that they got along with Abaven she knew next to nothing, but this place seemed nice enough. At the very least not so bad it warranted this mopey, overly dramatic behaviour.

Ruin abandoned the waterside as she padded her way over to the stranger, she made no attempt to introduce herself and instead cut right down to the chase.

"What's wrong with you?" Ruin asked with a confused tip of her head, all brash with no tact.

As Avantika was standing, unaware of the borders, she heard another pup walking towards her. She couldn't grab even a bit of silence here, it seemed. But as she looked upon the girl, she realized there was no Hallows about her. She must not be one of them. Maybe she was a lone pup just like the foundling had been. Avantika assumed her usual submissive posture. Head down, eyes glued to the newcomer's shape. She didn't look threatening. She didn't look particularly terrified either, because she wasn't. She was annoyed at the girl's interloping into her private time. She wasn't of Hallows though, so the ocean-eyed foundling would be respectful but not afraid. She had the protection of the pack at her back and the girl presumably had hers. She almost smiled. Knowing what best to do was so helpful. She wondered briefly if she should call for Resin to greet the pup, but a little conversation first couldn't hurt. She also didn't quite want to talk, though. Her decision was made for her though, as the girl spoke. Avantika didn't know how to answer her question. Nothing was wrong with her physically, and she had no clue how to describe her worries when sometimes she couldn't even understand them herself. But she couldn't just not answer. She pondered the trouble for a moment. She could always lie, but she hadn't the slightest idea how to be believable. "I... not there long." She told the truth as well as she could. "Not know them much." She felt the familiar prickle of shame at her jarbled attempts at sentences. She wasn't asking for information, but if this girl knew anything about the pack Avantika was visiting, she certainly wouldn't ignore her. "speak"

Ruin hadn't met too many wolves, mostly Abaven folk, but it didn't take a genius to work out that this gal wasn't quite right. She stood hunched and tucked over, as though she didn't want to be here, let alone talk to Ruin, which...rude much? Ruin sniffed, as she eyed the tawny girl with her critical, mismatched gaze. Maybe Hallows wolves were just made different, like this sort of skittish behaviour was an every day thing for them and not a big deal. But to Ruin it was as though the girl had grown a second head, she was being weird and despite it all that intrigued the little Cavaliere-Klein. She expected the girl to have some excuse, some logical reasoning behind her isms but instead her response only made more questions form in Ruin's mind. Mostly along the lines of huh???

"What?"  

Not only did she act funny she spoke all weird too and made little, if any sense. Weirdo.

"Okay. Well..who are you anyway?"  That seemed like a safe place to start, right?

Avantika could pretty easily guess that this pup didn't like her much. She wasn't sure why, but she hadn't really done much yet. Many would look at this situation and come off angry at the strange girl for being so judgemental, but Avantika was far from being one of those wolves. She had had a pretty good day, before this at least, but even on her good days she was still a nervous wreck. This was clearly her fault. So, besides her need for a dictionary, what else was wrong about her? She was anxious. But now she was anxious about being anxious, so that wasn't helping. The Not-Hallows girl, who smelled of a pack that was nearby, gave a little what?. Avantika shrank, her shoulders rising and tail pressing against her belly. "Just--" she broke off, forcing herself not to stare at the ground. She'd tried her best... Why was she always so stupid? "Who are you anyway? That was a question she could answer, at least. She pulled herself together, letting her shoulders and tail resume their normal position. For the tiniest moment, she almost wanted to say something like, "you don't care anyway." or something snappy like that, but it would never have come out right. "Avantika." she replied simply. "You?" "speak"