Despite her ill luck the last time she'd been down this way, Qanik had returned to the south to better explore an area that she'd just glimpsed from a distance on her quick scouting trip. An old orchard, run down and unkempt but nonetheless beautiful. Especially now, the warmer weather of spring coaxing the trees to unfurl their bright blossoms. She padded beneath a gnarled old apple tree, trailing soft white apple blossoms down it's knotted branches, and stretched sphynx-like beneath it's sheltering boughs. The scent was intoxicating, and she watched for a moment as bees busily buzzed from blossom to blossom, in their own way enjoying this beauty as much as she was. Too bad there was no land like this up in the north where Tortuga resided. The red wood forest had it's own beauty, and the waterfall was certainly lovely, but she'd never seen such a relaxing place as this. The warrior had let her guard down, drowsing in the warmth and the scent of the orchard. Dreamily she pictured Tortugan pups racing beneath the trees, her beautiful little nieces and nephews with their clumsy puppy ways and inquisitive nature... The daydream vanished with a snap when reality intruded. She would never have Tortugan nieces and nephews. Her siblings, if they lived, had scattered to any number of different packs far from here. The odds of one finding their way here were nearly insurmountable. There would be no blood relatives for Qanik in Tortuga. She shook off the sudden gloom. It didn't matter that she shared blood with no one in the pack. It was still her family now. If Ritsuka or young Gossamer took a mate and had pups, or Deteste or any of the other members of the pack, it would be no different than if one of Qanik's old pack members had. They'd still be family. Still, the daydream had lost some of it's lustre, and a thread of loneliness, of feeling like an outsider in her own pack, had intruded. Stifling a morose sigh, Qanik pushed aside the feeling, determined to enjoy the day and the surroundings. Her eyes drifted shut, blocking out all but the sun's warmth, the scent of the blossoms and faint buzz of the bees as she meditated there. Speech,

REGRETS COLLECT LIKE OLD FRIENDS here to relive your darkest moments Flamesong loved his new home very much. He had anything he could possibly need, right in front of his nose. His herb stockpile had grown immensely since his arrival in Valhalla, yet he knew that it was still incomplete. In his travels to the new island terra they had passed an old rundown orchard that had once been run by humans. He hadn't been certain, but thought that perhaps he would be able to find grapevines growing there. He had encountered human gardens in the past that had contained these plants and he had known them to be quite good for bellyaches and indigestion. His silver fur rippled in the wind as he trotted at a quick pace towards the sweet smelling place. Amber eyes squinted in delight at the scent of fresh apples and various other fruits. He wondered why the humans would be so careless to leave their herbs this way. He could never imagine cultivating an entire area to your liking just to leave it shortly after; it was madness! The man shook his head and smiled. Their loss, and his for the taking. He arrived on the border of the sweet smelling terra and stopped. Beneath the scent of flowers and fruits was the scent of another wolf. A female. Flamesong continued forward with caution, his pawsteps light and senses completely alert in case of an attack. She smelled like Tortuga, and Flamesong racked his brain, trying to remember if Tortuga was an enemy of Valhalla. He could not recall... Silently, Flamesong allowed his senses to lead hom through the orchard towards the herbs that he required, feeling grateful when he found wild grapevine growing around the roots of an appletree. He raised his eyes briefly to the heavens to thank his ancestors and then started digging them up by the root. He redirected his focus only when he noticed the she-wolf he had sensed earlier, dozing under a tree nearby. His amber eyes squinted slightly. She didn't appear to be any danger to him...but there was no way to be sure. He decided to approach her. "Excuse me, miss? " he called out to her. He realized just then how pretty she looked, with pure and unblemished ivory fur covering her entire body. A smile grew lightly on his maw. it's always darkest before the dawn[FLAMESONG ETHEREO]

Qanik's reverie was interrupted by a voice calling out to her. Cursing herself mentally for letting down her guard, she snapped her eyes open to slits, muscles tensed in readiness for an attack. An attack that didn't seem to be forthcoming. She cast her gaze around, finally coming to rest on a larger male wolf who seemed to be watching her. The dirt was disturbed around the roots of some sort of vine. Had he been digging them up? A healer perhaps? Or just someone who really wanted to dig up a plant for no reason whatsoever. She breathed deeply, trying to draw the wolf's scent from the multitude of flower scents, but tracking was not her forte and the wind was wrong. She could vaguely scent that he was from a pack, but being unfamiliar with the packs and having it so mangled anyway she had no idea which. She studied him a moment before saying a cautious "Hello." He seemed friendly enough, but there were many packs in this new land and not all were allied with Tortuga. Not knowing which wolves would take exception to her for her new alliance yet, it would pay to be careful. Careful, but not rude. She stood, slowly so as to not appear threatening, and nodded to the other wolf. "I am called Qanik. Yourself?" Speech,

REGRETS COLLECT LIKE OLD FRIENDS here to relive your darkest moments Fiery eyes blinked at the ivory woman in understanding. He was still growing used to the difference of lifestyle. He had once been a married man with pups and a pack to care for, and now it seemed that even with the Valhallan title he was only supporting himself. It was not a selfish decision, but simply one of necessity. Chrysanthe knew that he would be one of the first to arrive if the need be. The man nodded his head and sighed. "Yes, it seems that quite often we lose sight of what we have had and what has been so kindly given to us...adjusting to a new way of life is like becoming a new person. It is not something that we can stop, but something which can definitely be directed." He had never been a wise man or one who striven to remain prepared for all instances, yet with the tragic loss of his family he had found strength and motivation to become just that. And the land? Bah, the beauty and convenience alone had him sold on it. With another thought, he laughed inwardly, the wolves on it only made it more beautiful. Unless you considered the large pink nightmare who ruled the pack up north. He didn't even want to think of that. "New to the packlands, or simply new to the land itself? Out of curiosity, if you don't mind miss." it's always darkest before the dawn[FLAMESONG ETHEREO]

Thank you. It's a pleasure. Simply polite words, as the white wolf had no idea if this chance encounter would prove to be a pleasure or a danger. Flamesong? The name seemed fitting enough with those bright eyes Her own blue eyes followed him as he moved closer and asked her purpose in the orchard. Well, the truth wouldn't hurt here, though she was still cautious enough not to mention her trip's connection to Tortuga. Even if her scouting hadn't been directly authorized by Deteste, another pack might take exception to the fact that she was doing so for the direct purpose of furthering Tortuga. "I found this place when I was hunting not long ago. I came back to explore it further. It's a very restful place." When he mentioned the grapevines, Qanik glanced back to the vines with the freshly-disturbed dirt. That was what those were, then? Grapevines? She was no healer, certainly no plant expert to know. So far north as she had come from, grapes did not grow there. "You didn't frighten me," she assured him. "Are you a healer, then, Flamesong?" Speech,

REGRETS COLLECT LIKE OLD FRIENDS here to relive your darkest moments Flamesong chuckled and shook his silver head. The idea of him being a healer was comical. He could never imagine focusing solely on plants for his whole life. She was definitely proper in assuming so, though, as he could see how he must appear to her. "No, milady. I am simply a man who believes in being properly prepared for the most unexpected of possibilities. I supoose I never considered this as a place of rest, it is quite the haven though, isnt it?" His amber eyes surveyed the flowering trees and bushes surrounding them and nodded in approval. It was a beautiful place.. He had never been blessed with such a territory in his old home. He had found wild grapes growing only in select areas and never had he seen so many apple trees. It was becoming easier for him to move on now in this place where prey and herbs grew in abundance. Things were simple and he had a pack that he could defend and serve for the rest of his days. And now he was meeting a pretty she-wolf from a different pack who did not seem to harvest any hostilities towards him. He relaxed his muscles and drew his tail in closer in a calm and comfortable manner. Flamesong returned his attention to the female and sighed. "I haven't seen you around Qanik. Have you been in Alacritia long? I myself just arrived nearly a season ago. Im finding it suits me quite well." He told her in deep friendly tones. He hadnt met many wolves who were willing to sit and hold conversation with him and her company was pleasant. it's always darkest before the dawn[FLAMESONG ETHEREO]

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

Qanik, too, believed in preparedness, though she had absolutely no skill in healing whatsoever - she had tried to learn, in an attempt to better serve her pack's needs, but she'd fumbled at anything more difficult than putting pressure on a wound, and her mind went blank when she tried to recall what herbs did what, even the most basic. It was like her mind could simply not contain any healing knowledge.

She caught herself nodding in approval and had to glance away to hide her confusion. All her life she'd been taught that her pack was everything - anyone outside the pack was dangerous, an enemy, but this man seemed very open, friendly even.

"This land is very new to me," she allowed. "Everything is so different here. It's taking some time to... adjust."





speech.

cowardice is the only sin

REGRETS COLLECT LIKE OLD FRIENDS here to relive your darkest moments Fiery eyes blinked at the ivory woman in understanding. He was still growing used to the difference of lifestyle. He had once been a married man with pups and a pack to care for, and now it seemed that even with the Valhallan title he was only supporting himself. It was not a selfish decision, but simply one of necessity. Chrysanthe knew that he would be one of the first to arrive if the need be. The man nodded his head and sighed. "Yes, it seems that quite often we lose sight of what we have had and what has been so kindly given to us...adjusting to a new way of life is like becoming a new person. It is not something that we can stop, but something which can definitely be directed." He had never been a wise man or one who striven to remain prepared for all instances, yet with the tragic loss of his family he had found strength and motivation to become just that. And the land? Bah, the beauty and convenience alone had him sold on it. With another thought, he laughed inwardly, the wolves on it only made it more beautiful. Unless you considered the large pink nightmare who ruled the pack up north. He didn't even want to think of that. "New to the packlands, or simply new to the land itself? Out of curiosity, if you don't mind miss." it's always darkest before the dawn[FLAMESONG ETHEREO]

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

"New to Alacratia," she clarified. "My pack was one far from here, outside the bounds of the packlands to the north. Things were very different there." The least of those changes was in the way packs were set up here. Her pack had always been very traditional, with alpha male and female, and the beta male and female, and the rest of the pack taking care of their own rankings by proving themselves in sparring, or hunting, or battle against another pack. A meritocracy, if you will.

Shaking off those bittersweet memories, she smiled at Flamesong. "I don't mind you asking. The past is done, over with. I have to move past it and let it go, eventually. I'll get used to the way things are here." Starting, apparently, with the fact that wolves here didn't seem to treat those outside their packs as enemies.



speech.

cowardice is the only sin