The sun had just about began to rise as the leaves shook from their holdings from a light breeze and eventually floated to the ground like feathers plucked from a bird. Not a sound was heard except for the breeze occasionally whispering through the trees and a small snoring sound from under a fallen log. While the river in the distance added to the ambiance, the snoring certainly broke it annoyingly. Under the fallen tree, a small camouflaged body rested soundly. It was a small wolf pup no older than two months. Her small paws were sore and stiff from all the walking she had been doing for ages to get here just to sleep. She almost couldn't remember why she traveled alone now, but in her rebellious mind she was better off for it. It wasn't as if she wasn't happy with her old home. Geneva simply didn't like the rules and control it had in her education. Especially since she was a foster pup anyhow.

Thoughts traveled backwards to her siblings and foster parents back home many miles away. Though there were bad times there were also good times too. She enjoyed the play times and laughs she had with her siblings. While they were few and far between each moment was greatly appreciated. Most of her so called training consisted of constant beatings to control her behavior. It was meant to make her an emotionless machine for whatever they needed. While the pack was good natured with those that were fully trained and dominated, during battles and great sieges they were to be feared. They saw something in Geneva so they were that much more strict in her training. Never would they guessed that she would run and if they found her they would most certainly kill her. It was her prerogative to never go back even if her life depended on it.

During her run she had seen some scary places and some more pleasant ones. The more pleasant ones were always too close to her old home and she couldn't stay long. Worry and fear began to set in the further away from home she went. At first, she was tempted to go back and take a very strict punishment and be sore for the next month. However, as she thought of her punishment it only gave her more reason not to go back in the first place. Eventually, she wound up simply wandering to wherever her feet took her and didn't stop until she collapsed. That was how she found herself in the fallen log.

As the sun continued to rise and the air began to warm up, Geneva slowly started to wake. Geneva could tell she had over did it with the walking when her stiff muscles screamed at her more while she stretched. Her body ached and throbbed as she lied there in the soft dirt next to a small patch of ferns. The river was in the distance quite a ways away and just the very sound of it made her thirsty. As she licked her dry lips, she let out another yawn. Even with her tired feet Geneva knew she had to find something close by to drink regardless of her paws being bruised or not. As she stood up, she winced as she took a few steps forward as each paw throbbed its screaming fury. At least it wasn't raining. Though if it were by now she would be holding her mouth open to collect water.

As she left her protected log home, Geneva tried to forget the pain in her feet and body. It had been a while since she saw another wolf and she wondered if she would ever see one again. She had smelled them coming through here, but it was so faint it was hard to tell how recent it was. As she walked her mind traveled backwards in time again. Her memories triggered anxiety of all sorts and occasional tear sheds and whimpers from time to time. She had never known a life outside of such strict regimes where puppies could be themselves and play all day to practice life skills they would need for later. Instead she only knew of routine, schedules, fighting until you couldn't anymore and simply giving your all to the very last. For once in her life, she just wanted to have fun and take things at her own pace. Now that she was here Geneva felt that her outlook wouldn't be so bad.

Deciding that it was all in the past as her puppy brain was tired, Geneva began to look at her surroundings again with interest and taking in the new growth from what seemed to be damage from a wildfire. While there were tall charred and twisted forms of what used to be trees, new saplings and ferns were growing wildly and the landscape was a sea of green. Geneva smiled at this as it was a pleasant sight compared to her old desert like home. Plus it wasn't as hot here. Perhaps maybe there was more life than just plants too.

WC: 851

He had left before the sun had thought about raising from it's bed. He had plans today, scouting a nearby territory for prey, it would be soon time to call another pack hunt which he had hoped would be a much better turnout this time. The last hunt he had called had failed miserably and he had felt like a failure again. He was wondering that now his rank had been raised if more pack members would be inclined to come to his call. Maybe he needed to figure out a new approach to things and maybe he should talk to Leo about it. He was sure his Uncle would have some sort of idea to boost attendance. They couldn't take down big game without a few wolves. He had traveled to Redbud Nook looking for a herd of larger prey to track so that when the time came he would have a herd to hunt. It had taken him a lot less time to get to the territory and instead of trying to track them while they were bedded down Jackson decided that he would wait until the sun came up. So the male found himself a comfortable spot and laid down, with his back against one of the trees. Yawning the male allowed himself to relax as he waited for the sun to rise. He was unaware of the small pup nearby nor was he close enough to hear the pups snoring. Where he sat it was fairly peaceful. Laying his head down the male closed his eyes to snooze until the sun came up. It was roughly about an hour before the sun started to rise, but Jackson didn't get up until a little later when the morning sun was lighting everything up. Only then did it stir the male from his slumber making him stir and stretch. He stood up and shook out his coat before looking around and deciding where to start. His nose was able to pick up a water source nearby and he felt that would be the best place to start to look for tracks of prey animals so he could find the herd. So he picked up his pace heading towards the water source. It took him merely minutes to reach the water and there the male dropped his head looking for tracks and for the scent of prey. "Talk" & 'Think"

The sun was nice and warm on her back as Geneva walked, tearing away the chill of the morning and the moistness of the dew from her coat. Even though it was fall and warm from time to time, it was evident that fall was in full swing from the cooling rains and occasional cloudy days the land had. The reddish brown pup appreciated the change more than anyone knew. But now, she needed to figure out the biggest challenge yet; breakfast! Her stomach began to pang quite painfully now and she needed to find something and fast. At this point, even the trees and rocks looked edible.

It had been a few days since she had eaten last and while she found small bugs and critters to eat, and occasionally a bone with some meat left, it wasn't enough to keep her satiated. Geneva had begun to worry because she was way too small and lacked all of the experience to be able to hunt for her own. She had only gotten a few lucky breaks just to get her to this point. After that, there wasn't any food or water to find. As she continued to hike the new growing forest Geneva began to smell water. As much as she was hungry, she knew she was dehydrated quite badly and needed to drink. So without further hesitation, she sprinted like a little fluffy bullet to wherever this water was. She was close by for sure. She didn't even stop to think about her aching paws.

As she ran, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and instead ran right into the back end of Jackson with a tumble and an 'Oof!' but it didn't stop her. She clambered back to her little feet and splashed into the water and began drinking ravenously. She was soaked after her tumble and gallop into the water, but Geneva didn't care. Once her thirst was quenched she simply laid down in the water and looked back to the wolf with an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Mister." Geneva said softly as she took a few more sips of the water under her chin. She eyed him cautiously and examined the orange and sandy colored pelt the wolf adorned and remarked in her mind how much he looked like her. While he had two white circles over his eyes, he was not so different than her. Little did she know that she would have more detail in her pelt when she became an adult, but that was something to think about later.

Then the thought came to her mind... he's a wolf! She jumped up excitedly and bounded around. "I'm not alone anymore!" Geneva shouted and laughed as she spun around in circles. "Wait... you're not here to take me back are you?" she asked as she slowly backed away. Her little orange ears were flat against her skull as her posture resembled one of fear and submission. She was fixing to run. "I'm not going back there!" she shouted again. The same fears of being found from before were once again flooding her mind. This had been way too far for the wolves to come out for a thing like her, but she didn't know if she was even worth the hunt. Something in her gut told her he was safe, but she needed to be sure. In her current condition she would not be able to run far or long and since she hadn't eaten for a few days, it had begun to show in her body. She was ultimately done for if he was after her.

WC: 605

He was consumed with what he was doing and gave little attention to his surroundings. He had no clue of the pup that was nearby. He moved about trying to pick up a trail when suddenly something small ran into his back legs. His head shot up and to the right looking back at the small bundle of fur. At first nothing was said and the pup just got up and ran into the water and began drinking ravenously. It perked his curiosity as he felt the actions a little odd. He turned to her looking her over, though her fluffy fur made it hard for him to see any wounds on her. She did look worn out and she flopped herself down in the water after she finished drinking. She then apologized to him and a few moments after jumped up and bounded around. The attitude on the pup changed to excited and happy as she began to state she wasn't alone anymore. 'Alone?' Where was her mother or father? She was way to young to be out here alone and it made him feel pity for her. It also made him wonder what had happened to lead to her being here alone. Then her tone changed and made his ears flatten in confusion as she started yelling not to take her back. He had no idea what she was talking about. "Dear I have no clue what your talking about. Back to where? Why are you alone?" he said backing away slightly, not liking the fact that she was upset. "Talk" & 'Think"

Geneva sighed as she felt her body beginning to relax and become more stable. The fact she had water in her system now made her feel so much better than without. While she still had her aches and pains, she was at least confident she would make it a few more days now especially with another wolf here. He looked concerned as he asked her why she was alone and where her family was. Geneva frowned lightly as her memories traveled backwards in time briefly. "I.. I ran away." she said softly as she traveled along what she remembered.

Geneva didn't want to give him the full details of what happened as it wasn't necessary, but she figured a run down would be good enough. "My old pack lost a battle for prime hunting territory and as a result, we had to disband. I got separated from my family and I am too far to search for them. Some of the rival pack tried to capture younger wolves like me to serve various purposes, but I ran as far as I could. I'm too far for them to find me now. Or return home safely.." Geneva said with a sigh as she squished the mud between her toes. The sensation was a mix between soft and squishy compared to the stiff and hard surfaces she had been running on earlier. It was soothing to her sore paws as she sat in the water which softened her aching joints.

"I don't want to go back either.." Geneva said hesitantly. "Knowing what my mother would possibly say, she would say that I should focus on surviving and finding a new pack. So far, I've scavenged on food and hunted smaller rodents, but I don't know how to hunt like the adults do. I've been traveling for so far and so long that this is the first time I've officially stopped running. I suppose my paws need a break." Geneva said as she lifted them out of the mud to reveal swollen and bruised paw pads. She dipped it back down for it to cool down again in the mud. Geneva tried to calculate just how far she might have traveled in her mind. She could count the number of days and nights it took for her to get here, but she was never instructed on miles and distances. So for time wise, she could guess it took her almost seven days and six nights from her old pack land to this forest. The amount of land between the two pack lands was too vast for anyone to come and find her.

"I thought you might have been one of them come to find me and drag me back. Their structure was quite restrictive. But you don't seem like one of them. You're too nice." Geneva said as she furrowed her eyebrows together in tense concentration. "But no offene... I would rather take a very nice stranger than my old pack land any day! Are you part of a pack?" she asked. She tried to take in his scent and while it was unique to his own, there was something else that lingered there subtly which was similar to what her mother and friends smelled like in the pack lands.

WC: 547

Seeing that the young girl began to relax, he did also. She must have realized that he was no threat to her which he was glad she did. He would never think of hurting anyone as young as her. It wasn't right for anyone to harm a pup. Her first words spoken made his ears perk and his brows furrow in confusion. 'Ran away? On purpose?' he mentally questioned. He knew how easy it was to get lost because it happened to him as a pup. He was a little older then her, but he knew it was easy, but to run away was not something he expected her say. It made him wonder what kind of life she had that drove her to run away, but he remained quiet wondering if she would continue on or not. The male was patient allowing her to take her time in telling him what was going on. He was also alert making sure that no danger approached them. He felt bad for her because he remembered the sickening feeling of being alone at such a young age. To even try and survive on your own at her age would be extremely difficult and there would be no way for her to survive on her own. If it hadn't been for old lady Hadi he would have never lived to see his first year of life after getting lost. She went on to explain things, but he could tell she was holding back or not telling him all the details which is okay. By the sounds of it her home had been shattered anyway which was another thing the male could relate to. The first place he considered home which had been his brother's pack had been challenged and his brother defeated. The pack broke to shambles which is one of the reason's he came back to his uncle's pack. She went on to say that she had been doing okay, able to catch rodents, but she was worn out. In his opinion just rodents wasn't good enough for a pup her age, she needed more so that she could grow properly. He winced slightly as she showed him her sore paws. They should be tended to and he knew his Aunt would be all over treating the girl if she was in his shoes right now. Though he didn't know much about healing therefor he didn't know where to begin as far as healing the girl. What he should do was take her back home with him and let his aunt tend to her. He was sure his Uncle would take her in, if the child desired to be in another pack. She had thought he was from the rival pack, here to drag her back, but she seemed to know now that it wasn't the case. She then questioned about him being in a pack and he shook his head yes. "I'm apart of my Uncle's pack which is actually only a territory over from here. I'm what they call the Baron, the pack's head hunter. If you like you could come home with me, will get your paws tended to and I'll hunt you up some bigger more yummy grub?" he replied. "I'm Jackson by the way." "Talk" & 'Think"

The orange colored male was silent as he listened to her story. Geneva wasn't sure if the silence was a good or bad thing, but she was at glad someone was listening to her at least. It had been so long since she had someone to talk to that she had almost forgotten what it was like. Once she finished her story Geneva took a breather to allow the male to speak. He mentioned his name was Jackson after talking about his pack. A smile rose to her lips showing her comfort that he offered to take her there, tend to her paws, and give her food. Her stomach rumbled at the idea of a fat piece of elk or buffalo or whatever they had. Rodents were one thing, but a big fat steak was another. Her mouth had already begun to drool and she had to lick her lips to keep it from dripping.

What was stopping her from answering so quickly was her mind, a fickle thing it was. With her past experience Geneva's defenses were still up so trusting quickly was an obstacle. She weighed out her options in her mind; either decline and starve to death or accept his offer, heal up, and see his pack. Who knew - there might be other nice wolves in the pack like him. Geneva sure hoped so as she took another moment to think. Even though she was young, she obtained her mothers smarts so survival was her sole top priority at the moment.

Silently, Geneva was still wary as to what she was getting into by accepting his offer. It was possible he could be a very cool minded liar and tricking her. Jackson could also be a more passive wolf that turned a blind eye. On a more positive light, Geneva strangely did not feel threatened by Jackson. He had this rather relaxed air about him and he sounded genuinely concerned for her well being. Not only that, she was too far from her old pack to be found nor was she even worth the effort at six months old. Eventually, her old pack may move on to better grounds for take over or someone from the inside would end the reign. Regardless, she felt in her heart she had nothing to fear for the time being especially with this place so green.

After a few moments of thought, she felt like she needed more information. "Maybe." Geneva said softly. "What is your pack like? Are there a lot of.. rules? What happens if you break one?"

His curiosity was perked even more when her reply was a simple "Maybe". It made him wonder what kind of pack she had been in before. What kind of life drove her to run from what she knew. He had plenty of questions, but he felt that right now was not the time to be asking the young female. It was one thing for her to pump him with questions, but he felt with how tired and paw sore she looked he should wait for another day. His main concern was getting her fed, rested, and healed. She then went on to ask some questions about the pack. He had no problem explaining things to her, especially if it would make her feel more comfortable about coming back to the pack with him. "Well the pack has been around for a while and it a vary peaceful pack, in my personal opinion. It has around 18 pack members including myself and has a lot of room for a young one to learn and grow. It's a strong and a vary safe pack to be a part of and live with and is vary communal." he started. It was hard to shorten the rules and the ranks for the girl so that he wouldn't bore her with talking. Though she had asked so he felt obligated to tell her in detail and to be honest with her. Even if she didn't want to stay maybe he could convince her to just stay a few days to get healed up and rested. He would not in any way to force her to go with him or to stay with Fiori. "No not alot at all. There is only around six rules that the pack fallows, along with fallowing whatever the King says. The King, named Leo, is vary laid back. As far as what happens when you break one, the worse I have heard happening is being banned from the pack, but that only happens after your demoted to the lowest rank and continue to break rules," he stated. "Talk" & 'Think"

The more Geneva talked to Jackson, the more relaxed she was getting. That or it was the exhaustion setting in from not moving as much as she was before. While she had slept for a few hours, her body was still tired from all the running. It didn't matter anymore that she was still sitting in the water and her paws melting in the mud. In fact, she hardly paid attention to them now. The physical pressure of the mud against her paws was much less than the hard ground so her paws began to relax also. Geneva had been through a lot and it had worn her out both mentally and physically. At this moment she was on her reserves and didn't feel like she could go another day without collapsing. With her spirit also partially broken it wouldn't take much for her just to give up. Jackson began describing his pack and how many members were in it including the punishment for breaking a rule. Banishment was the same punishment her old pack had implemented. Geneva's old alpha didn't believe in violently punishing someone for their actions. Instead he did a more passive approach that others cautioned him about, however nothing ever came to pass about it until the rival pack arrived. It was the one thing that Geneva felt that her alpha could have done differently, but then again nothing would have altered the destiny of the pack. It was to be expected since they lived on that land for many years anyhow so a change needed to occur anyway. Geneva smiled lightly at the sound of Jackson's alpha being laid back. It reminded her of the temperament her old alpha had. Jackson carried a hint of pride and loyalty when speaking about him. He had the same hint when describing the pack which helped her to feel more at ease. Maybe this was a new start for her and it was okay to trust again. After all, she was a young pup and not everyone in the world could have been as bad as she has experienced, right? Closing her eyes for a moment tightly shut Geneva contemplated decisions in her head. "Okay.. I will go with you." she finally said after a few moments. It wasn't as if it was a hard decision to make given her predicament. She knew deep down she couldn't go another day alone. Jackson had been everything kind to her and she couldn't thank him enough for that. Geneva stood up and walked out to of the water and took a step on the hard ground. Her paws were sore, but not as bad as they were. While they didn't feel as sore they were still quite irritated. It wouldn't be long before they acted up again. "I think I can walk for a while longer..." she said softly as she looked to Jackson. While she might have been hungry, she was not out of energy yet to be unable to travel for a while longer. "Plus I can learn more about you and your pack mates too."

The more he looked at her the more he could tell how worn she was from her journey. If she were to head back with him could she even travel that much further? If not Jackson would be more the willing to either carry her, or form a den for the two of them for the night. They were not far from the pack and he wasn't bothered being outside of pack borders overnight. He didn't want the girl to make herself collapse. Her reply gave him relief because he knew she would be well taken care of and he himself would be in charge of her care he felt obligated to. Perhaps it was because he was without any more immediate family, or perhaps it was his own desire to have children some day, but the male felt the need to protect her and keep her safe. It was somewhat strange to him that he felt this way since he knew close to nothing about her. He just felt this strong pull to protect her, tell her that it was okay, and feed her. Is this what his parents felt when him and his siblings were born? Was this how Razor felt when he took in Sabriel? It must have been because what else would have drove them to take care of these pups. He nodded to her reply a gentle smile spreading across his lips. She then stated that she felt she could travel a little longer, though he was somewhat wishing she would rest more. They weren't far from Fiori borders, but for her it would probably feel like days before they reached them. "You'll just have to let me know when you would like to stop, we do not need to get there today if you need to rest longer," he said before standing in his spot and shaking out his fur. He turned his body towards the direction they would need to go, back where he had come from. "This way, and what may I call you?" His gently moved past her and waited for her to fallow then kept his pace even and somewhat slow. Being larger he knew he had longer strides which could be harder for one her age to fallow. She was a pretty big pup, but he didn't want to leave her in the dust. In fact he would rather her walk beside him then behind so he knew where she was. "Talk" & 'Think"

(Sorry lost net for a week. I am back going again.)

Geneva was indeed tired, but not too tired that she couldn't travel anymore. With her paws cooled down a bit the young pup felt she could go another mile or two. However long that was. She was never good at navigating or knowing distances, but she had heard the adults talk about it a lot before. They made it sound so easy whenever they talked about it. It was the same whenever they left they came back full of energy as when they originally left on the trek. Geneva could never figure out how they did it and often asked their secrets. But to her disappointment, the adults would laugh and give a wink after saying "when you're a little older." She still wondered how others managed it. Maybe because when one was a bigger size they were much stronger than being a pup. It often made her think of other things too that related to being an adult.

Jackson spoke up and Geneva listened quietly, understanding that she had control of the pace. She appreciated this a lot. "Probably a mile or two and then I can rest." she said softly. "I have been resting most of the day and night and would like to get some more movement in. It only makes me stronger anyhow." she followed close behind him as she watched his gate and how loose and relaxed it was. Jackson must travel this area a lot, she thought. Each paw step he took was sure and concise as every thought and word he made were. Was that what it was like being an adult? Or at least part of it? Geneva often wondered as much because growing up took so long.

"I go by Geneva." she replied to his question as she zipped in and out of ferns where the ground was softer. She kept an eye on her feet as she walked. Her gait was a tad faster than his was simply because of her size. Occasionally she tried to do the lope he made, but she simply looked like a bouncing trotting wolf and she chuckled at it. Once Jackson kept his pace slow, she trotted up to his right side so that she wasn't behind him and met his pace. "What's your name? I'd make one up for you, but I don't think you'd like it." she said with a soft smile. Geneva was feeling much happier than she was earlier. It was nice to even see the face of another wolf after so long. Somehow, she could feel some of herself returning again as they walked.