She had never had trouble sleeping, and she had always been able to spend the night snuggled in the den. Her first summer made her and her siblings drift apart in the den, because it would get way to hot to cuddle. That hadn't even disturbed her slumber, but tonight she wasn't sure what had. She couldn't sleep and had grown vary restless. So she slipped out, careful not to wake her family as she did so. She had walked for some time before her paws led her to the thicket. She had found herself a rather open area where she then flopped on her rump and looked up at the large full moon. Since the pack meeting the young mind had been pondering on what she wanted to learn, what she eventually wanted to do for the pack. What options were there? She knew about being a healer, since her mother was one, but what else was there? The young girl was curious at the options and her thoughts had been traveling to this quite often. A loud sigh passed her lips as she gazed at the large moon and studying it with curiosity. It was so cool now that the sun had went down and it felt so relieving to the pup. Just then a small flash of light lit up beside her and she jumped whipping her head in the direction. Then another lit up to her left scaring her again and making her growl. She backed up and looked around to see many tiny lights lighting up then disappearing again. What the heck were these things? Moving forward a little she stopped as a bug landed on her nose, crossing her eyes to look at the bug before it's butt lit up looking exactly like the other little lights. It amazed her young mind and made her tail wag with happiness. "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

Brandr had finished digging himself a den in the safe closeness of the Rustling Thicket and had been doing his best to fall asleep. The hours stretched by as he tossed and turned, unable to quite get comfortable. He wasn't really sure why. He supposed it was just the unfamiliarity of it all. He'd just joined Abaven and there was so much going on with him emotionally, the excitement, the nerves. There were so many new smells and things to explore. He wanted to fit in and do well and argh!

Brandr rolled onto his belly as thoughts continued to vibrate around in his head. Maybe a nice walk in the cool air would be good for him? Stretching he slipped… slowly out of his den. Ack… he was going to need to widen the entrance a bit. He was nearly fully grown and shaping into a massive brute. The moon was bright and full and it glittered down over him and he wondered if that wasn't part of the reason he was having trouble sleeping.

As he travelled he caught the scent of one of his packmates. Oh? Was someone else having trouble sleeping? He moved toward the scent and when he came to a clearing he saw a young girl with a black and silver coat who was staring intently at a the fireflies that were glowing and twinkling about them, having one last fling before the cool air of fall managed to pierce through summer's heat. He wasn't sure if there was a way for him to introduce himself without startling her so he just went for it. "Uh, hi there… I take it you can't sleep either? Shouldn't you be back with your mother?"

had such elegant graffiti

She was a curious creature and though on the smaller side compared to her other siblings she was still brave and wanted to venture away from her safety zone. Mother had always told her as long as she stayed within pack borders and was careful of other creatures that she would be fine. So she had no fear wandering through the pack lands. Besides it was beginning to seem like things were a lot more interesting after the sun disappeared. She shook her head and the lightning bug took to the air, flying away from her. She ran after it her mind curious to know more about these bugs, it then flew higher out of her reach and making her stop her eyes fallowing it as it flew through the sky. Then came a voice, from behind her and her attention was drew to the pack member not far from her. Ears listened to his words as she turned around to face him her tail still wagging. It sounded as though he might have also had trouble sleeping and asked her about being back with her mother. She approached him, closing the distance a bit before flopping down on her haunches and looking up towards his face and his amber gold eyes. She too had Gold eyes, bright gold ones that shined with curiosity. "I know..... But I didn't want to wake anyone up and it's so boring in there when you can't sleep so I had to sneak out," she replied being honest with him. Maybe if he couldn't sleep he would be up for being her supervision for the night until she was ready to head back to the den and sleep. Maybe she could even learn stuff from him which thinking about this made her smile. "How comes you can't sleep?" she asked before her head cocked to the left side slightly. "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

Brandr gazed at the girl as she approached him before flopping down to stare up at him. He was rather relieved he hadn't startled her to badly. Being so new to the pack he had yet to meet everyone and while his coat was quickly taking on the scent of Abaven he knew he smelt of other lands, a strange mix of the familiar and the foreign. The pup knew she was supposed to be with her mother but he could understand needing to get out and get some fresh air when you couldn't sleep. Brandr hesitated to speak though. He didn't want to encourage this kind of behavior if the mother disapproved but she wasn't here right now and he wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"It's ok, as long as your mom doesn't get upset. I don't want to get in trouble." He sat down gingerly and wrapped his tail around his massive paws as she asked him why he couldn't sleep. Again, Brandr was unsure how to answer but he felt the truth would probably be the best. "Well… I'm new here and I guess, it's just taking me a bit to get used to my new home. My name is Brandr, by the way, I'm a hunter. What's your name?"

had such elegant graffiti

"Not at all! Especially now that I have some company," she said with a smile. She understood his concern, but as long as she was safe and now had someone to hang out with things were fine. She encouraged Corentine to be outgoing and to explore, but Storm didn't want her daughter to leave pack lands. Besides without exploring how would her and her siblings figure out what rank they wanted to work for in the pack. It was how Storm herself discovered her love for plants and healing. The male went onto explain why he couldn't sleep, something her young mind didn't quite understand, but she wasn't going to question his reasoning. So he was new to the pack lands? Does that mean he would be a new friend for her? He was a little older, but did that really matter much? "It's nice to meet you Brandr I'm Corentine Wreckage," she replied. "Since we both can't sleep do you wanna explore with me? The nighttime is so much different from the daytime?" "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

"Corentine, that's a pretty name." He smiled at the girl. She was a spot of sunshine in the shadows of a new night in a new pack on the eve of a new life. Some how just speaking with one of the bright youths of Abaven was helping to chase away some of the uncertainty and anxiety that was churning in the pit of his stomach. He nodded eagerly at her offer. "Sure, that sounds like fun. I'll follow your lead, where would you like to explore first? I'm new so I'm afraid I don't know much of where anything is." That wasn't completely true, Bass had given him a basic lay of the land but he had yet to go exploring either territory for himself.

had such elegant graffiti

She grinned as he complimented her name feeling slight butterflies at the small unexpected praise. Her mother always complimented her, but she didn't get compliments from others often and it felt nice. The girl wriggled her tail again in happiness. "Thank you Brandr, your name is vary nice also" she replied. She knew saying his name was pretty wasn't proper so she had settled on 'vary nice' and felt that it was a good way to put it. She was to young to understand words like handsome. He then accepted her offer making her all the more excited to spend time with her newly found friend. When he stated that he didn't know much of where things were an idea popped up within her mind as far as where to go and what to do tonight. She could give him a grand tour! She had explored enough that she knew where things were. "I could show you around then! Until we both feel like we could sleep then we can call it quits for the night," she offered with a grin before beginning to lead the way. "Where did you come from before you arrived here?" "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

Brandr grinned at her compliment. No one had ever really complimented him on his name before, at most they might question why it seemed to be missing a vowel. He couldn't even remember now what it meant. Something with fire… or light. He couldn't be sure. For a moment he was startled at how far off his memories of his parents and old pack seemed to be. Surely his memory couldn't be fading so quickly? Just because he had a new life didn't mean he should forget the old one and he certainly hadn't meant to.

He nodded as Corentine said she'd show him around until they were both feeling sleeping. As she took off he trotted along after her, taking in the thick night air and the sound of insects and nightlife.

"Where did you come from before you arrived here?"

Brandr blinked and held his silence for a moment as he pondered what to say. "Well… I'm orginally from canyon lands far, far to the north of here. My pack called themselves the Wolves of the Dysmal Canyon but uh… they split up several months ago. I'm on my own now." He really wasn't sure how much was appropriate for a girl her age to hear so he kept it brief. "What about you? Were you born here? Do you have any siblings or are you an only child?"

had such elegant graffiti

Corentine was just so happy to have made a new friend. She loved to be in the company of others and the fact that Brandr really hadn't had a chance to explore it gave her the perfect opportunity to bond with him. He seemed really nice and she was vary eager to get to know him. Her ears perked up as she spoke her tail wagging lightly as she took in his words. She had never heard of his pack, but she wondered what his pack had been like before they had split up. She also felt a little sorry that they had split up and he was on his own, but now he was here and Abaven was the best pack in the world. He then asked about her family and she nodded lightly. "Yes my mother is a healer for the pack and I was born here with my four siblings. Sadly my two sisters have up and disappeared and my brothers.... Well they are not as social as I am," she replied. The grass grew taller as they moved forward, but there was thin paths worn down in the grass, frequent traveling spots of other pack members. Corentine hopped into one of those paths and moved on forward heading towards the thicker part of the river that was calm and a good spot to watch fish. "Do you have any siblings Brandr?" she asked. Maybe he didn't and that's why he was here in Abaven alone, or maybe his siblings had been like her brothers. "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

Brandr enjoyed the sounds of the night, the buzzing and chirping of insects, the whispering of the wind through the thicket and the cool, moody light of the moon streaming down through the clouds. He also greatly appreciated Corentine's company. The girl's bright mood and gentleness was a boon in a land that still felt more foreign than home. She spoke, stating her mother was one of the packs healer's and that she'd been born here. He frowned a bit at the mention that her sisters had disappeared and her brother wasn't terribly friendly. Brandr found the idea of missing pups distressing. Did Bass know? Surely he knew. Were they looking for them? Or did missing perhaps mean something other than lost?

Brandr let it go. He didn't want to think such depressing thoughts before bed and knew that whatever the situation Bass and the higher ups likely had it under control. He followed along after Corentine as the grass got taller, hopping down onto one of the paths after her.

"Do you have any siblings Brandr?"

Brandr shook his head then stopped sharply. "Well… I don't have any littermates but I did have some older siblings. We weren't too close though." He shrugged not really knowing what else to say. "My eldest brother got in a pretty bad fight with my dad, and I know some of my family split off with them. What is your dad like?"

had such elegant graffiti

She was sure Bass knew of her missing sisters because his absence had been more frequent and she was sure she heard him talking about finding them. He had been helping her mother ever since she could remember. She felt bad that her mother had to deal with a lack of sight, but it was something Corentine couldn't change. Once they reached the shore of the calm part of the river she stopped and looked to the water with her tail wagging listening as Brandr spoke. He wasn't close to any of his older siblings and he didn't have any litter mates. Though she loved her siblings she wondered what it would be like without them. She wasn't to close with them, but she would never wish any ill intent towards them. Her mother's family orientation had rubbed off on her and despite her feelings for them she would be the first to step in line of fire for them. Then he asked the question that had always been at work in the back of her mind. She never knew her father and Storm had never talked about him. She always wondered who her daddy was and why he wasn't around. Though she was always able to distract herself from dwelling on the thoughts to long, this was different. Brandr was asking about him, so how should she answer. Should she spin him a tail of woah or just tell him the plain truth. She moved over to the shore and sat down looking at the water for movement. "I never knew my Daddy," she replied before jumping to her feet. "Hey look at that big fish!" "Talk" & 'Think"

Then they went on to say the pearly gates

Brandr watched as Corentine moved toward the shore to sit and he immediately winced. He knew the answer wasn't going to be something kind. Something like oh, my dad is so-and-so, a hunter in the pack and he immediately felt stupid for asking such a personal question. Sure enough, Corentine stated that she didn't know her father, had never known him. Brandr mentally cursed at that. He couldn't imagine growing up without knowing his dad. His father had been such an influence on his life even though he was taken away before Brandr turned a year old. "I'm sorry…" Brandr started to speak but his voice trailed off. He had no idea what he was supposed to say in this situation. Thankfully Corentine was easily distracted as she noticed a fish.

Brandr trotted over to her and gazed into the water to stare at a large fish that was swimming lazily to and fro. Brandr grinned. "Hmmm…. I wonder if I can catch it." Carefully, Brandr reached out a paw and slowly, painfully slowly submerged it into the water until both his front legs were in. The fish swam off a ways but slowly started to come back towards him. Brandr grinned at Corentine and whispered, "I'm not the best fisherman but lets see if we can get a midnight snack."

had such elegant graffiti

She looked at him, cocking her head to the left as he stated he was sorry. She grinned at him and shook her head. "No need to apologize," she replied. He moved over beside her and she turned back to the water tail wagging in excitement as her eyes searched for the fish. He then mentioned about catching it which made her eyes glow with excitement. How was he going to catch it? It was so big and had to be slimy living in the water. She was interested to learn how to catch the fish. She crouched down ready to watch his every move so she could learn how to properly fish. She watched him slowly submerge his front legs into the water and caught the movement of the fish as it swam away, though it turned and slowly headed back. Her tail wiggled looking to him as he spoke, well whispered to her. "I hope you do!" she whispered back. "Talk" & 'Think"