With the weather certainly improving after that storm Novella had dared to venture away from Ludicael a little more again. The storm had certainly put a bit of a break on her plans to visit Myth, though at least Symphony had returned for now, that had probably been a bit of a distraction as well to be honest. She would definitely start her search again soon though, someone should certainly make sure that Myth was ok wherever she was and it seemed that the white girl was taking it upon herself to do so. Of course she still hadn't discussed this idea with any of her siblings and so it was something that was going to have to wait a little longer. She certainly wasn't about to simply disappear and her wanderings of the lands again was simply because of the fact that right now she was able to do so. Though perhaps she didn't long for adventure to quite the extent that her cousin did, there was still a part of Novella that couldn't turn down the opportunity to explore.

On and on... ever on and on. She didn't know where, nor when, she would stop;n she only knew she must continue on. There were times Gwyndolyn had to ask herself: why? Why was she journeying? Why did she leave in the first place? Why did she come here, a land she had never been to before? She could have made her point anywhere, and in a different way, but... here she was. No going back.

Travelling eastward with the steady pace of a young woman whose life of late had been nothing but travel, Gwyndolyn allowed herself only a momentary pause to consider her surroundings. They hadn't changed as of late, but something else had: the smell of the air, and something else drifting to her on the lightest breeze: a scent. Fresh, wolf, but unfamiliar. Gwyn's easy pace slowed, and finally ceased as she lifted her nose into the breeze.

It didn't take much for the young lady to pinpoint a direction. Altering her course and letting her own curiosity lead her, Gwyndolyn set off once again, her gait slower now, cautious. Not silent - she had no intentions of sneaking around right now, but still wary. It wasn't but a few minutes later Gwyndolyn glimpsed movement. There! A bit of white that didn't belong. Someone new. Gwyn stopped, nose lowering briefly to the ground, though her eyes remained firmly on the other being, watching closely. She considered for a moment that she might call out, but a small part of her hesitated... the latter bit only served to cause her some frustration however, and she physically shook the feeling away before a clipped bark squeezed its way from her throat. That would draw attention. She would investigate, then decide whether to press on her add another acquaintance to her slowly growing list...

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

With the recent storm driving the part apart rather than together, Novella found that she'd had enough of the quiet. Peace she could most certainly deal with, there had been enough drama just the girl had been feeling somewhat lonely. Her sister's visit had brought the family a little more together again, and the recent lessons had been quite a nice change of pace actually and as much as she was happy to simply continue with all that nice normal stuff, there was still that nagging for someone to visit Myth and wondering just how she was going to do it was driving another slight wedge between herself and everyone really. There was certainly the part of her that longed for company, Novella was a sociable creature after all and aside from her travels to Alacritis when she had been following her elder siblings, the Desctruction girl had always had her family and pack around her and she had absolutely no desire to change that any time soon. The walk was nice, but truth be told she was considering heading back already. Of course as she turned her mismatched eyes would catch sight of another wolf approaching. Novella paused her own steps now, perhaps not quite as cautious as the strange, though she certainly wasn't going to run up and cheerfully greet her. Keeping her distance and a neutral stance, the white female apparently would be the first to speak. "Hello." Came the single word, a simple start the perhaps could progress further if needed, spoken friendly enough to show she meant no harm. Of course she wasn't even sure if she could do much harm, though the grey wolf before her didn't need to know that.

The desired effect was accomplished only a moment later as the other wolf turned. Gwyn tried not to be too surprised by seeing another girl out here - a girl who could not be older than herself. Once she had ascertained the stranger would not be aggressive (a friendly enough greeting and rather more neutral stance confirmed this), Gwyndolyn began to pad a little closer. She stopped a few lengths away, her green eyes lifting to meet the other girl's eyes. Again, Gwyndolyn found herself startled, though it may have shown only in the quick blink of her own eyes. The other girl had two different eyes! Not something one saw everyday... certainly not something one would forget easily.

"Good day. I'm Gwyndolyn," she offered with a quick bob of her head, a small smile appearing on her dark lips and remaining there. She tried not to stare too hard at the other girl, but... well, those eyes couldn't be a trick of the light, could they? One as golden as the sun and the other bluer than the sea... no, no mistaking those colors. They were very different in hue. "I don't mean to bother you too much, but might you be able to tell me where I am?" She remained polite, even if she was not necessarily jovial. Her words were not entirely a lie either - she had fully intended to "bother" this other wolf, as she put it, but more for curiosity's sake than anything. A name for the places she wandered in wouldn't be too bad either however... she was far from home and the names and words she'd once used seemed useless here. So she needed new ones: new words and new names.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

For Novella the differing eyes were entirely normal, the trait had certainly shown up in a number of her siblings and had been inherited from their father. Many others in her birth pack had just the one single colour for both eyes though never had it really occurred to her that Heterochromia wasn't exactly considered the normal. She hadn't really had the experience to sympathise with such a shock for the wolves that found it a little odd, though would likely react in the same way if she met a purple wolf or something. She of course noticed the slightly strange reaction from the grey wolf before her, though fortunately couldn't place what it was. Maybe she was just a little nervous seeing someone else? Novella would settle for that, she seemed friendly enough otherwise. "I'm Novella, nice to meet you Gwyndolyn." Not sure if the other had simply failed to mention her surname or didn't have one Novella decided not to bring up her own. She was of course proud to be part of her family though it wasn't necessary to bring her heritage up in conversation. "I think this is the Kamui..." Truth be told Novella had explored the surrounding lands but hadn't really bothered all too much with the names for each of the parts. Perhaps it would be good to learn properly especially if she planned to take a trip but considering her lack of interested previously she'd done rather well really to even remember part of the land's name. "I've still got a bit of learning about the lands to do myself."

Novella - another name to file away with the others Gwyndolyn had met these past weeks. Another wolf... and another place. Gwyn smiled, musing more to herself than anything. "Ah. Thank you. 'Kamui'," she uttered the foreign word once then dared a brief grin as Novella continued. "Have you?" Gwyn responded with the slightest furrowing of her brow. Well, it isn't like she assumed everyone here knew more about the place than she did, but it hadn't hurt her to ask yet. "Well no worries, Novella. That's all I wanted to know," she grinned, but it slipped quickly back into that polite smile that plagued her face at nearly all times. She didn't want a history lesson or anything, fortunately for Novella.

Gwyndolyn believed she had gauged the other woman's age correctly... and that did make Gwyn wonder whether this other wolf was a wanderer like herself or if she, like most wolves their age, had a pack she was still part of. But that question fell by the wayside, in favor of another musing comment, "Your eyes are... different." She said it so simply. A blunt comment, but the tilt of her head suggested curiosity.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

There was another word that followed the entire name of the lands, it wasn't as simple as river though, Novella just couldn't recall what it was. "Ah. Thank you. 'Kamui'," Gwyndolyn was apparently satisfied enough with what little detail she had been given though, and the white girl gave a small smile in response, glad to have helped. "Have you?" At Gwyndolyn's question Novella gave a nod of her head. "When I arrived in Alacritis I found my family and remained in the East with them, keeping close to the pack my sister was in. I ended up joining in fact and well my exploring time has been a little more limited." Novella explained. It wasn't odd really, she was sure there were plenty of other wolves that didn't know there way around the lands too well. "Well no worries, Novella. That's all I wanted to know," The smile found it's way back to her face once more as Gwyndolyn smiled again. It seemed she was starting to make a new friend, certainly glad for the moment that the grey female had dared to ask where she was. Barely anything had been said between them really, though she seemed nice enough so far. "That's good, not sure how much else I could really tell you." "Your eyes are... different." The next comment however took Novella quite by surprise. It wasn't something she had really heard anyone say before, even if perhaps some people had thought it. It was certainly news to her and her brow furrowed a little in confusion. "What do you mean? The different colours? They've always been like that."

Gwyn received more information than she had bargained for, but she didn't complain about it. It answered one of her unspoken questions: Novella was part of a pack. Now that was something very interesting, though Gwyndolyn herself wasn't actively seeking a pack. Friends, perhaps. But a pack? She hadn't just left one to find another. Not right away at least. Of course, finding a pack here seemed a bit easier than it might've been at home; she'd heard the howling, the calls of other wolves in the distance. There were different voices for different packs - she didn't dare guess at how many were actually out there.

The other girl looked a little confused by Gwyn's question. She supposed she could have been clearer... or at least specified exactly what she meant. She'd been caught up in the strangeness and had quite forgotten to clarify how she meant it. "Yes. I've never seen a wolf with two different eyes. It is unusual," she went on, seemingly unaware that her words could be offensive to the other wolf. Honestly, Gwyn thought they were pretty. But she was one to speak her honest opinion on occasion and her tendency to put things so plainly at times certainly couldn't help... "No one where- uh, where I come from has anything like that. They're both the same. Their eyes, I mean." She hazarded a smile. Her own, normal, green eyes were boring by comparison, she supposed.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

The funny thing was that Novella hadn't actually anticipated on joining a pack either. Upon leaving her birth pack she had always thought she would be returning back to her family, never had she expected that her siblings would have travelled this far, that the majority would have followed and they would have all found some way to settle down here in Alacritis. It had taken her a little while to finally give in and join Ludicael though since she hadn't really regretted her decision at all. "Yes. I've never seen a wolf with two different eyes. It is unusual. No one where- uh, where I come from has anything like that. They're both the same. Their eyes, I mean." Stumbling over her words it seemed that Gwyndolyn was having trouble expressing how strange she found Novella's appearance, the white wolf on the other hand simply found it odd that she thought it strange in the first place. "Others in my family have eyes like it." Novella replied simply with a small shrug, not really sure what else to say upon the matter. She didn't suppose anything she said would really make Gwyndolyn see the mismatched eyes as normal, it was rather fortunate then that she didn't find the matter offensive.

Gwyn's head tilted gently in response, her smile still small and ever-so-polite. "They are unique, pretty," she compliment Novella softly. Even if it ran in the girl's family as she said, it was something unique to them. She allowed only a few moments of silence before she proceeded with another question, "You said you had a pack, Novella. So you are just exploring? For... fun?" As she spoke, she shifted her weight, a small twinkle appearing in the woman's green eyes, "Know any neat places?"

Perhaps for the first time, the truth of the lone girl's youth seemed to peek out from its hiding place deep inside: her tail wagged a little as she lowered her forequarters the slightest bit. Truth be told, Gwyndolyn was lonely. She didn't desire for a pack, but she rarely found company for more than a few minutes at a time and there was no denying she was a social animal. Her questions were simple, but their purpose was clear: she wanted to continue her travels, to see more... and just for a little while, she wouldn't mind some company. Novella seemed friendly enough and her conversation was interesting. She answered Gwyn's questions fairly, simple though they were. Novella would be a good wolf to walk with for a while.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

"They are unique, pretty," Gwyndolyn was certainly getting used to the opposing colours of Novella's eyes. They were far from unique in the young girl's mind though, not even if it was just to the members of her family. She had seen the same trait after all in Cherokee and he had only married in. She'd never thought about it really but there were surely others that had the differing colours. "Thank you..." She just responded politely all the same, albeit a little awkwardly, sounding almost like a question. It was indeed a compliment, though whether it was something she ought to thank the girl for Novella was entirely certain. It wasn't like she could change her eyes, she was just fortunate enough apparently to have been born like it. She was happy with them, the only part of her appearance she'd inherited from Dutiron really, the rest of her certainly marking her as Novel's daughter. "You said you had a pack, Novella. So you are just exploring? For... fun? Know any neat places?" She gave a nod of her head in response to the comment upon her pack. "Yes, Ludicael. It's not too far from here." She informed the other girl, her tone a little more sure of herself now that the topic had moved back to an easier one. "It's mostly for fun, but not all of my family lives in Ludicael, I want to be a little more familiar with the lands so I can hopefully find and visit them at some point." With Symphony's visits it seemed like she didn't need to worry so much about her elder sister, though Myth hadn't been back since she'd left. Put on the spot, she couldn't recall any particularly interesting place off of the top of her head at that moment. All that sprung to mind were areas of Ludicael lands, like the warmth of the pools in the hot springs or the beautiful glow at night of the Lover's Mangrove. "Everywhere must have something neat about it if you look around enough." Novella decided, she'd explored the areas of Ludicael more than any other place, perhaps that was part of the reason she could recall the interesting points of those lands before any of the others.

"Ludicael?" She intoned the name softly. Ludicael... was this a pack name? Strange names from a strange land. The other woman continued, explaining she had other wolves she would visit - family - that lived beyond her pack. That, Gwyndolyn supposed, she could understand. Before she had left her own pack however, she had never experienced a family being separated in any way. Now here she was... "That isn't a bad idea. Knowing the lands around your home is an advantage," commented Gwyn quietly, her smile shrinking a little, but never vanishing.

Gwyn couldn't - wouldn't - go near Ludicael yet. She didn't want to get involved with another pack so soon. It would be too strange. It might have seemed perfectly natural for some to leave their birth packs and mesh into another pack without a problem. For Gwyn, it wasn't the leaving part that was bothering her. It was the... beginning again part. The part where she found her identity anew. It might be with another pack. But she wasn't ready. Maybe she never would be. But being packless, a rogue, a lone wolf... that didn't mean she had to constantly go friendless and really alone.

"Everywhere must have something neat about it if you look around enough."

Gwyn's smile redoubled as her tail began to wag slowly behind her. "Then we may find one! If you would like to... besides, it's all new to me." Her head tilted as she awaited an answer, her eyes twinkling.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

"Ludicael?" Although not entirely certain why Gwyndolyn had repeated the name as she had, Novella took a guess that it probably was simply that it may not have been clear whether that was the name of the pack or of the lands, after all she had said it wasn't far. With a nod of her head she confirmed that the word had been heard correctly before explaining a little more information about the pack. "Yes, that's the name of the pack. My sister is actually the alpha now. It's not just my family there though, there are a lot of other nice wolves too." It was probably more information that the grey wolf actually required, though the amount she had spoken of her family it probably sounded like there was no one else really in the world to her. "That isn't a bad idea. Knowing the lands around your home is an advantage," That was the problem though, Novella had no idea just how far around her home she needed to explore. Why Myth had cleared off without telling any of them where she was going was a complete mystery to the white girl, she'd have to ask her just what she was thinking if she ever saw her again. "I suppose it is pretty good knowledge even if I don't plan on going anywhere else." She agreed with a small smile, deciding not to mention her missing sister anymore for now. "Then we may find one! If you would like to... besides, it's all new to me." With her smile growing wider and her own tail wagging a little in response, Novella gave a firm nod of her head. Exploring could be quite fun on your own, though it would certainly be nice to do so with company and make a new friend at the same time. "Of course we can."

made by nyx

OOC| -makes references to her favorite show- xD And if you spot it, good on you. ;) Also, sorry there's not much to this post otherwise. o_O' Gwyn's gonna be awkward and quiet now.

With Novella's confirmation Gwyndolyn hardly waited two beats before she chose a direction and began to pad onward, expecting the other girl to be close behind. She followed the delta, traversing the rockier terrain carefully. Occasionally her head would lower to sniff curiously at one thing or another, or she'd take a deep breath - she could smell the larger body of water and an acrid, unfamiliar smell. Salt. There was bound to be something interesting around here to look at. It was now that she allowed a lull in the conversation, though her mind lingered on Novella's words: "I suppose it is pretty good knowledge even if I don't plan on going anywhere else."

There was a time Gwyn had thought similarly - only a few months ago. That she would never leave, never go anywhere other than where she had been - didn't plan on it. Plans could change in a heartbeat. I was always restless there anyway, she thought darkly to herself, pausing briefly to cast her eyes out and turned to follow the flow of the water. If the silence was uncomfortable for Novella, Gwyn was unaware, her keen green eyes more interested now in taking in her surroundings, her head on things other than conversation... like that salty smell. She was pretty sure she smelled water, but it didn't smell normal. Gwyn had never seen an ocean before. She came from the forest... and the only water in the forest was the river.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

Novella stood shocked for a moment, head tilting slightly to one side as Gwyndolyn suddenly took off. Her mis matched eyes watched the other girl for a moment, though there was no pause in the grey wolf's steps. She'd agreed for them to look together, though she certainly hadn't expected the silent take off just like that. No discussion of which way to look or anything else, suddenly it seemed they were on the move. At least, Novella thought she was meant to follow, after all it had been Gwyndolyn's idea that they looked together. Ignoring the strange actions however, Novella set off behind indeed still feeling a little awkward about things. Her own noise trailed a little lazily over the grounds, head lifting mainly to watch and follow where Gwyndolyn went, the other was eagerly sniffing for some reason or another though there was nothing particularly intriguing that the Destruction girl could smell. Prior to her arrival in Alacritis, Novella hadn't seen or smelt the sea before either. It had been a little odd at first, though now she thought little of the scent of salt on the air. Her main challenge was attempting to suss out Gwyndolyn who still continued on in silence.

Perhaps Gwyn hadn't given it much thought or consideration... maybe she had a place in mind in any case, whether Novella had said yes or no. But now she had taken the lead without so much as a suggestion as to where she was going... and it was a few minutes more before she seemed to realize she hadn't exactly shared any of these thoughts with the other wolf. Gwyn supposed she should, so at last she lifted her head to glance toward Novella. It was the briefest glance, signalling words were incoming, and followed up by a smile.

"Where's it go?" Her tail indicated the river and the grey woman kept going without so much as a pause in her gait. Novella was likely to have an answer, or so Gwyn figured. So she would ask... and if Novella didn't have an answer, then she figured that was what exploring was for! She might've asked to see something particular before now, but when the other woman had said most of them rested within packlands Gwyn had lost some interest. She wanted to explore, to see new things... to be her own wolf. "It empties somewhere- I know. It just- it smells different..." she explained at last, hinting at her intentions.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

Quietly Novella continued to follow, gaze looking up frequently to watch Gwyndolyn and see where she was leading them. Still somewhat confused by the silent and sudden way in which the other female had set off. They were walking alongside the river now, following the direction it flowed though unlike her new found friend, Novella paid little attention to the waters, Gwyndolyn still proving to be a little more intriguing to her. It was likely down to the fact that Novella had grown rather used to the salty smell on the air, learnt to think rather little of it understanding that the ocean wasn't too far away. Like Gwyndolyn though, before coming to Alacritis she had never seen the sea, those questions had once lingered in her own mind. "Where's it go? It empties somewhere- I know. It just- it smells different..." Her eyes had flicked away from the grey wolf now, briefly moving to the river as Gwyndolyn motioned to it. "The salty smell?" Novella asked, just wanting to confirm that was what Gwyndolyn had meant. "We must be getting closer to the ocean. Maybe this river leads there." To be honest she wasn't entirely sure where the river went, it was just an educated guess.

image by yumpy

OOC| Sorry for the delay my dear! I've not been feeling too well the past few days. :( On another note, would you be opposed to Kat joining in with Song? ;)

"The salty smell?"

Gwyndolyn acknowledged this was right with a quick movement of her head, though she didn't slow down until several seconds later, when Novella had finished speaking. She stopped a moment after that, head canting slightly as she considered the word, foreign to her as so many others still seemed to be. They didn't get many travellers where she was from. No one had ever mentioned anything called an "ocean" before. The question was likely apparent on her face: what is an ocean? But she did not voice it directly. She wanted to go there... so asked another question entirely, "Is it very far?"

Gwyn was not much older than the other girl... and not quite as well-learned in her geography beyond the forests she had called home and their simple surroundings. There had been too few visitors she cared to recall, and few of them spoke of their journeys. Nor had Gwyn been given the chance to ask them about all they and seen and experienced. She was guarded jealously - along with her brothers - whenever strangers were present. She did not understand it then and doubted she could hope to understand it now. She would, for the moment, chalk it up to overprotective parents and leave it at that. "I would not drag you further from your home than you would like," she commented after a moment just to make it clear Novella was under no obligations when it came to following Gwyn (for this venture had become just that, rather than two wolves exploring it seemed.) She supposed if it was too far then she might continue on alone... or, perhaps not wishing to part company, she may yet turn to follow Novella's lead.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.

ooc: I know the feeling, haven't been all that great myself. And that's fine, she asked me the other day actually

Ludicael was near the ocean, something Novella had learnt upon a visit to Song and the pack. Her sister had taught her a little then, though it wasn't really until later when she had been a member for a while that the questions had begun to fade, growing used to the odd water and coming to accept that it too was actually completely normal. There had certainly been a time though that it was as confusing and intriguing to her as it was to Gwyndolyn now. "Is it very far?" Came the sole question from the grey female's lips. "I would not drag you further from your home than you would like," Novella peered ahead for a moment, her home wasn't in that direction exactly, though surely couldn't be too far away given the strong scent of the sea now. "I wouldn't have thought so." She responded. "It's alright, I can continue." Even if her guesses were a little off she would be back home again before she knew it. Besides, the pack may have assumed she was looking for some of the missing members, the explorations would be good for that too. Perhaps she would spot Fal'Dara or Lakota, not that she was sure either would be quite so intrigued by the ocean. They'd probably travelled in another direction, away from the Eastern coast, somewhere different.

made by ethereal

OOC| It's lame. I am so. sorry. D:

A soft smile appeared on Gwyndolyn's pointed muzzle as Novella confirmed it'd be fine for them to continue. A quick bob of her head and she would proceed once more... but this time she made to keep pace with the other woman, her head tilting again. She spoke softly, sheepishly, her ears splaying as she said, "I have never seen the ocean. It must be something you are used to. We... we lived near a river that ran into a lake. It was immense! I have heard of oceans but I cannot imagine one... so I wish to see it." The girl's words were almost tentative, as if she felt out the way with a metaphorical foot before taking a step forward. She spoke of a pack she was no longer part of - one she would rather not speak of at length. So, naturally, she hesitated to mention it at all... even in passing.

Novella didn't ask - or need - to know more about Gwyn. And that made her shy to go on, afraid to say more. But she only smiled a little, pretending she was never worried about little things like that - never concerned if she could help it.

Stock courtesy of Dawnthieves.