All Mortar could feel was anger and hurt lately. He felt like a kid that was destined to just be abandoned by everyone. Ricky had left him, all of Dono had left him, Ray had left him once too. He worried for his friend - it'd been a while since he'd seen her now, but they both had a mission. They needed to find Ray's family and Mortar wanted to reconnect with his siblings. He'd forgiven her. She'd promised that she wouldn't leave him again so he was trying his best to remain optimistic. She was his only friend right now - surely she wouldn't just disappear permanently again. If she did he didn't think he could handle it. Everyone always left him. He settled on the thought that she was off searching for the rest of her family and tried not to think about it anymore. He was alone, which wasn't anything new, and he couldn't take being at the beach anymore. All the old dens were staring at him and the entire place felt empty and devoid of life. The winter wasn't helping either - it felt like all life had just taken a leave of absence as if being around Mortar was a curse. So he'd left. He'd return in time to go see if Ray had come back. In the mean time he'd managed to travel along the coast. It was easy to keep the beach in sight as he walked and he took his time. His thoughts would travel to Ricky, the only sibling he'd seen so far, but he knew Caliber and Arsenal were out there too. She'd explained everything that had happened - Caliber getting kicked out of their old pack and the rest of them leaving. It was crazy to think they were all here on the same continent as him and he hadn't seen them in two years now except for Ricky. The landscape finally changed a bit and the sun was high in the sky by the time he noticed the delta. The river spilled out into the ocean and Mortar stopped to try and marvel at it for a moment. It was easier to focus on anything else other than everyone he missed, but his thoughts couldn't be entertained by the scenery for long. He finally pulled himself up to the river and sat down in front of it with a sigh. Being alone sucked. Walk, "Talk" Think

Finally it seemed like maybe her illness was finally gone. It was odd to have a cold, or whatever it was, finally clear up in winter, but this winter had been oddly calm so perhaps that had helped. Since she was feeling better, and she hadn't seen Diana in a while and needed something to do, she headed out of the pack for a while. Seeing the same mangrove trees all the time was getting a little boring. She loved living with her mothers and siblings and cousins, but sometimes she just wanted to get out and see something new. Maybe she could find some herbs to bring back to Amalia while she was out! She padded along until she got to the river, her pale blue gaze taking the wide open landscape in front of her. The sun was bright in the sky and made the water of the river and the ocean sparkle. She smiled a little and her pale tail flicked behind her as she continued on her way. An unexpected figure came into view though and her steps slowed a bit. She probably would have avoided the dark male with her mother's warnings to beware of strangers, but he just looked so gloomy. A small frown touched her lips and after a moment of hesitation she turned her path a bit to head toward him. "Are you alright? You look kinda down," she commented as she padded up to him, coming around to his side. She offered him a warm smile while her gaze lingered on him curiously. "Talk" "You" Think

Mortar didn't really have a plan in mind. The day was beautiful out, the sun was warming on his dark pelt, and the water sparkled like crystal with the clear day. Unfortunately he wasn't very focused on enjoying his surroundings and idly watched as a squirrel chattered noisily on the opposite bank of the river. He knew coming here in the summer time might have been a better expedition. It would have been warmer and more wildlife would show up, yet at the moment he didn't quite notice. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts and was just staring off into space. He didn't notice the approach of another wolf either until it was too late. At the sound of her voice he turned his head hopefully to see if it was Ray, but soon realized that it wasn't. Instead his dual-toned gaze traveled over the smaller woman's body. She was pretty - he'd never seen spots like hers before and her gray coloring was nice. Her eyes reminded him of his family considering blue had supposedly been a common color in his ancestors. He looked away from her for a moment and let his gaze rest on the horizon again. He did feel kind of down and he didn't feel alright, but admitting that to a stranger didn't exactly feel like it'd help that. Plus he assumed it'd be weird if he said any of his thoughts out loud. Would she think he was crazy? "I'm okay, I just miss my friend." Walk, "Talk" Think

Jayne's gaze lingered on the man while he looked at her and then looked back out at the water. His eyes were two-toned like her older brother's and if she had to guess he was big as Tib too. Something was obviously bothering him, but she started to wonder if maybe she should have just left him alone since he didn't really seem to want to say anything to her. But eventually he did speak, saying how he missed his friend. Well, she could certainly relate to that! Her sister had been more and more scarce lately which was so strange since Diana had been glued to her side as a pup. She was proud of Diana for branching out more, but it did leave her a little lonely at times. "Well, I'll be your friend!" she responded cheerfully with a big grin. She plopped down onto her haunches beside him like it had been finalized that she would indeed be his friend. "We both need a friend so we'll just be each others friends! How about that?" She smiled up at him hopefully, her pale tail wagging against the ground. "I'm Jayne! Who're you?" "Talk" "You" Think

"Well, I'll be your friend!" Her remark sounded so familiar, in a nostalgic sort of way, that reminded him of Ray. She'd instantly declared herself as his best friend. Jayne's enthusiasm/declaration brought a soft smile to his face. It was almost like life was repeating itself in the form of a new wolf. So long as he could skip everyone abandoning him then he didn't mind the idea of a new friend. His hopes of keeping Ray and his sister around had diminished after they'd both disappointed him, but he still held out a small sliver of hope that he wasn't destined to be alone for the rest of his life. He was only two after all. "It's nice to meet you Jayne, I'm Mortar." His mood had picked up slightly as she flopped down on her haunches next to him. His tail thumped softly against the bank, but paused slightly when a thought occurred to him. He took another small sniff and recognized the scent of others on her pelt. Was she in a pack? What did she need a friend like him for if she had others to be around all the time? "You smell like a pack. Do you not have friends there?" He asked curiously. Walk, "Talk" Think

Jayne's tail wagged again when Mortar introduced himself. She didn't know what it was about learning someone's name that made them feel so much more familiar, but now that she knew who he was she felt even more comfortable sitting next to him. He seemed like a really friendly sort of guy anyway so she was happy to have run into him. When he asked about the friends she should have in her pack her smile faltered just a bit and her ears flicked uncertainly. She really should have friends there, shouldn't she? "Well... I mean, I have my siblings. They count, right? But my sister hasn't been around much lately and my brothers are a lot older than me and are kind of around sometimes so I dunno if they really count or not." She frowned a little and looked back out over the water at the realization that she really didn't know anyone else in the pack besides her mothers and siblings. She knew her uncle and cousins of course, but she hadn't really even talked to them. She just knew who they were and recognized them when she saw them in passing or at meetings. The realization made her a little sad. But she couldn't be sad while her new friend was right here! She pulled her smile back onto her face and turned to look at Mortar again. "But it's okay! Cause we'll be friends, right? So now we can't be lonely." "Talk" "You" Think