Laughing so damn hard, and no one knew why

Returning home, the lass expected her siblings to be there, and the rest of her family should have been lazing about doing nothing in particular. Her mismatched audits detected none of the typical ambiance, and her nose found strange scents overlaying those of her family. The carefree girl was suddenly stunned to find herself standing in the territory of yet another pack. Toxic pools scanned over the area, and surely enough none of her family was visible to her. A low rumble built in her thin chest, and her ears flattened against her skull while she glared at the prairie, as if it was somehow the lands fault that they'd been evicted from yet another home by the second pack so far. Grumbling to herself, the patchwork girl trotted along the borders that had been so recently formed, staring out at the territory she'd so recently called home. Now where was she going to go? Where had her family gone? Had they left her behind and found a new home? A small whine trickled from between onyx lips, and her double dipped plume started to wag nervously at her hocks. Standing at a height of thirty three inches, the ebony babe was rapidly reaching her adult height. However, she was far from grown. A delicate, willowy frame had yet to fill out, subtle curves not yet there on her bodice. However, she had the long, slender limbs and small paws that she would be keeping for the rest of her life. Oversized ears were still just a tad bit too big for her delicate tiara, and she looked a little like an overgrown fox sown together with different parts of wolves.

Holding her dainty cranium between thin shoulders, the girl tried to find her family's scents amid the myriad of wolves who had already begun to accumulate in the area. Acid green eyes scanned the border helplessly, and she continued to pace around the edges in search of clues to find out where her family had gone. She missed them already, she'd been out and about after the festival had come to a close so recently, she hadn't even returned to make sure her family had made it back safe. Tri toned banner continued to sweep anxiously across her heels, and she did her best to stifle the whimpers that were building in her throat. Loki, Hel, Everest, they were nowhere to be found. Not even uncle Thor and Baldur had left their heady musks behind for her, and she was left with absolutely no way of knowing where they'd gone. Her little cousins and aunts were missing too, not a single one of her family members had left her one clue. Now, the sound that she emit was a growl of anger. She'd lost her home again! Her family had dropped off the face of the damned earth! And here she was, lost and helpless! Maybe she'd just go off on her own, leave them to wonder where she was and get on with her life. Her brow furrowed, and a scowl formed on her delicate features. Maybe she would... Nah. She still loved them, they were probably just being stupid and had to get out in a hurry before they got their sorry arses handed to them by the pack that had taken these lands.

Who had given this pack the right to take their home? They had been living there for a while, and even though they weren't around all the time, it was still pretty obvious that they lived here. Bits of carcass, occasionally a sleeping lump that was one of her uncles remained behind, and bits and pieces of sticks and bones showed that she and her younger counterparts played here a lot. So how could this pack have justifiably taken her home away? Another short growl, and the grumpy scowl refused to leave her face. Now she was upset, but she couldn't just march into this groups new home and start yelling at everyone... or could she? She would watch the prairie with a mischievous glint in her toxic eyes, despite her undeniably angry expression.




"Speech"

But the rest is forgotten

Walk | Talk | Think With the new claim on the territory he and his family had taken refuge in, Rune was hard pressed to keep up with its initial start up demands. Borders had to be set up, monitored regularly to enforce them, and watched for those who might be eager to test the mettle of a new leadership figure. Though he had brought it all upon himself, there was no denying the fact that Rune was a bit on edge because of it. He was out of practice, capable but rusty, and the last thing he wanted was his claim on Secretua being challenged, or worse, lost. He had too many family members who needed his protection, too many lives at stake to allow himself to falter right here at the starting line. So he devoted himself to watching them, encouraging other patrols but still filling his days with walking them and fulfilling his role as Guardian. It never would have crossed his mind that his first confrontation might have been with a child. He had been walking across the border that closed off the Prairie from the rest of the world, reestablishing a scent where it needed it and following those that dared to venture inward before realizing their folly or deciding against it and leaving. Not once yet had he actually ran into anyone contesting his claim, but the second his frosty blue eyes alighted on the young girl's mostly dark figure standing there at the borderline he was raising his head and tail with authority, allowing a soft growl to sound in the back of his throat as he cut a direct path to intercept the would-be intruder. Only when he was closer and realized the wolf in question was still young, evident by her stature and gangly appearance, did Rune stifle his growl, allowing leniency there though his eyes remained narrowed and his expression stern. He chuffed lowly as if to announce himself - though he wondered how he might be missed in a place mostly flat and expansive - and eyed the girl with a confused mixture of uncertainty and disbelief. A child? Of all the wolves to find upon his border... "You're awfully close to trespassing," Rune warned, though his heavy, serious tone was not altogether unkind. "Why are you here?" No need to tiptoe around it, though he did hope she had not intended to do some snooping before he had shown up.

Laughing so damn hard, and no one knew why

A larger male appeared, who looked to be about her fathers age. His stature was dominant, aggressive as he approached. He was big like her uncle Thor, a little bigger than her uncle Baldur. Narrowed orbs the colour of ice almost made her cringe. He warned that she was very close to crossing the set borders, closing most of the distance between them as he did. Suddenly, her mischievous desires disappeared, and she didn't want to be here anymore. The big man was scary, and he looked like he wouldn't object to eating her. A query was quick to meet her mismatched audits, and she sighed, looking longingly in the opposite direction. She really just wanted to find her family. She missed them, after being at the festival and then doing a little wandering before she arrived here. Her toxic gaze alighted upon the features of the male. "Lookin' for my family..." She mumbled, tail sweeping anxiously across her heels as her gaze dropped to the ground. She didn't know what she'd expected from the pack wolves here, but it didn't go to say that she hadn't thought there would be warriors here. "We used to live here, but I guess you just kicked us out." The dark lass would add quietly, shifting from paw to paw nervously.

Delicate crown would fall between narrow shoulders, and she looked up at him sheepishly. She hadn't meant to suddenly accuse him of being unjust, but she was upset about being evicted for the second time in her life. "Do you know where they went?" She asked softly. Almost afraid to meet the gaze of the stranger, who's home she was close in invading, she slowly looked back up. In the end, all she was right now was a scared child. Alone, with no idea where to even begin searching to find her family. She hoped the big male knew, at least a direction, so that she could go and find them. She missed her sisters, her uncles, and she really missed her dad. The patchwork girl watched the strange male, tentative and wondering if he was going to hurt her for trespassing. She was just mad, is all, she wanted her home back, and her family. She didn't want to make anyone upset, well, not super upset.
OOC: How did this turn into a sad Acadia post she was supposed to be grumpy and sassy what




"Speech"

But the rest is forgotten

Walk | Talk | Think Whatever he thought to expect from the girl, however he anticipated their meeting to go, he was taken completely off guard and surprised by her response. She might have seemed rather bold there upon the border, looking indignant and miffed, but the second he showed himself and her bright eyes spotted him she completely changed. The fight appeared to leave her, replaced by uncertainty and fear. Was that because of him? He certainly had not meant to intimidate her so wholly, he had only meant to enforce his boundary on Secretua to protect his family. But she was only a young girl... She hardly deserved this. Rune's frown deepened and he nearly sighed when she answered him. Her family? She was supposed to meet her family here? Rune could not recall running into anyone when he had set up a perimeter around the Prairie. It had been a fairly quiet endeavor overall, no issues and no protests. But...he had noticed the scent. The presence had been rather prevalent all across the Prairie, like that of a group who had been stationed here for some time without the calling of a pack to back up their claim. With his family's life on the line, he had easily ignored it and gone on with his claim, encircling the area the previous residents had staked out as theirs without a thought. He had, as this young girl put it, kicked her family out. A sudden sense of guilt nagged at him, irritable and unwanted. He had only done what he had to do to protect his family. It was not like he had take any pleasure in evicting the wolves who had come before him. He could not bring himself to apologize for that reason - it was a necessary course of action in his mind, no matter the inconvenience it placed on others - but still he averted his pale gaze as the girl asked her final question, wishing he at least had that much he could offer her since giving her her family's home back was not an option. "I don't," he answered, his tone softer and apologetic. Could he honestly send her on her way without knowing where her family had moved, or if they might come back looking for her? "Do you think they would go far?" Rune was not sure what exactly he could do for her, but turning her away seemed far too cold, even for him. Perhaps there was yet something he could do to amend the predicament he had left her family in.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The male softened, seeming to want to eat her much less now that she wasn't pondering meandering into the territory and causing mischief. However, she still wasn't feeling like the most social little lass, and felt better behaving in a shy manner. The male regarded her with unreadable eyes, and she watched him warily in return. What was he thinking about? Was he sorry for kicking them out? Probably not, pack wolves never really cared about nomads like her family, if they lived there or not, they'd claim what they liked. Rust toned paw would scuff along the dirt, sending a pebble skittering through the grass, only to disappear into the tall stalks. With a small sigh, her acidic pools would turn up to focus on the big male when he did finally speak. He informed her in a hushed tone that he was clueless as to her family's whereabouts. Well, that made things so much easier. Her ears drooped out to the sides in disappointment, and she let out another quiet huff. When he made his inquiry, she snorted quietly, a sad smile turning up the corners of her onyx lips. "Well, when we moved last time, we moved from the Serpent Plains, which a pack named..." She paused, frowning now as she tried to call up the name of the last pack to take over her home. "I dunno, Abercrombie or something like that. So we moved here." She sighed, scuffing her rust stocking covered paw through the dirt again. "They could be anywhere now, probably." She stared hard at the ground, frustrated that she kept losing her homes to wolves who didn't even ask before they took. It always happened when she was away, and she had to go searching for her family. "My name's Acadia, by the way. But everyone just calls me Ace." She offered hesitantly, peering up through long dark lashes at the male. It was always polite to introduce yourself, no matter whether you needed to or not. OOC: oh no shitty post am sorry "Speech" Fenben made me this here arts, thank you Fenben!

Walk | Talk | Think It was not the sort of conversation Rune had hoped to be having on this little patrol trip of his - hell, if he had had it his way, there would have been no conversing at all and the border would have been completely empty - but he supposed it was just one of the challenges that came with being a leader. Being forced to withstand uncomfortable or irritating interactions when there were other things you could be doing that would be considerably less trying. At least the girl was polite. She had that going in her favor, and so far nothing had been said or done to really irk the burly grey wolf. Either she had been taught well or she was more intimidated by him than her quiet demeanor seemed to let on. And apparently this had all happened to her before. Not once, but twice, the girl's family had been evicted from it home, forced to move and find a new place of residence since they seemed to refuse to join a pack. It seemed almost silly to him, but then again for a while even he had been reluctant to join any of the remaining packs after Covari had fallen. It had only been the prospect of creating his own that had given his family a pack name under which they could reside, and here they were. Had her family followed some similar course, perhaps? If so, finding them might actually be easier than she seemed to think. Rune was still quiet after she had finished explaining about her family, wondering at the likelihood that they might return for their lost child. She introduced herself after a moment, and because she probably deserved to know that much about the man who had taken her home, the grey wolf did the same. "Rune," he offered simply, "Guardian of Secretua." He was still adjusting to his title, but maybe it gave him a new course of action that he could take. "If you think they might come back, you can stay here and wait for your family." Opening his borders so soon had never been his intention - he was still wanting to be very particular about those he allowed near his family - but this was a child, one that he had displaced and made homeless. It was a special circumstance. "Or, if you prefer, I could send someone to search for them with you." It might actually do Eirik some good to get out, Rune thought, and at least spare him from constantly being under scrutiny. But that all depended on what this girl wanted to do.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The male decided he would introduce himself as well, and added in his title, the Guardian of his pack, Secretua. Did that mean he was a guard? Or was it an important rank? Ace had absolutely zero knowledge on packs and their hierarchies, so she was hopeless at even trying to figure that one out. She simply bobbed her head in acknowledgement, and offered a small smile. He was quick to offer her a place to stay in case her family might return, but she slowly shook her head. There was no point, her family wasn't stupid, they'd leave and stay the hell away. His next offer had more appeal to it, though she wasn't sure how she felt about having a stranger dogging at her heels until she found everyone. What if he sent her off with a big scary grump of a wolf, or a flippin' nanny who would flutter around like a coked out sparrow and worry about every little thing she did? That would suck all kinds of horrible. She frowned, shrugging narrow shoulders gently in response. "I dunno, I mean, I don't wanna be a pain in the ass or something. If someone wants to tag along, I wouldn't mind the company, but you don't gotta do nothin' if you don't wanna." She hummed quietly, scuffing her paw through the dirt again. She really did want to find her dad, she missed him a lot. She wanted to hang out with Hel some more, because Hel was the only fun sister besides her. Everest was all bossy and stuff, and then Aksel had been missing for like ever, so he wasn't even really a factor in the process of weighing her options. She missed uncle Thor and Uncle Baldur, they were so funny, and when she was upset about something they always cheered her up. Her little cousins, and even her little aunts were missed by the patchwork girl. They were gone, and here she had an opportunity to get them back. She had to get going soon, the sun would be setting in no time and she had to find somewhere to rest for the night before that happened. Double dipped banner would flick anxiously over her heels for the billionth time, and her acidic gaze swept away from the steel furred male and over her shoulder, to where the sun was beginning it's descent across the sky. She had a few hours, and she still wanted to cover ground before she set up camp for the night. Her gaze returned to Rune, and she waited to see what he would do. OOC: Oh man another craptastic reply I'm seriously sorry "Speech" Fenben made me this here arts, thank you Fenben!