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 Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:59 am
 Coming off her first shift as a protector for The Swiftfell, Ashen Spruce felt full of energy. Something about standing watch for the pack lulled her into a certain kind of boredom; she hadn't wanted to be a protector, but really it was the best option for her. She hated puppies, she hated taking care of others, and unfortunately her father said she didn't play well with others, which eliminated the possibility of being a hunter. Luckily, she was strong — something she was sure would come in handy some day, but until she saw action on shift she knew she'd remain quite bored.
Deciding to channel that energy into sprinting back to the dens, Ashen Spruce took a moment to stretch her body out while still standing at the watch point, ignoring the others who were patrolling the border beside her. Then, she smiled — a rare occurrence — and sprung forward into a full-out gallop.
The sun was invisible within the forest, and it was beginning to get dark and shadows littered the forest floor, so it wasn't a surprise that she didn't notice Mourning Dove as she was sprinting forward.
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 2:06 pm
 Mourning Dove would never forget the loss that she had felt when her mother had died and indeed, her own name was a reminder of that loss. But... since the Hare Hunt, she had begun to feel more at ease within the pack. She'd found that she took delight in decorating her fur with unusual or pretty accessories. Such was it that when she found the unusual bat wings on the ground and too them. They were seemingly left there as an unfinished meal (though what could catch a bat? she couldn't imagine) and she now wore them nearly everywhere. They made her feel more confident... more worthy of notice. Although it seemed like they weren't that worthy, because when she was out and about for a solo hunt, trying to pick up the scent of a small prey beast, she felt something fast and hefty collide with her. She was sent lurching forward with a yelp, tumbling ears over tail, until she came to a stop not too far away. Looking around, dazed and dizzy, she tried to figure out what had hit her. Was it a bear? Or a crazed stag? The shadows seemed to grow and shrink as she blinked slowly. " What on earth...?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:55 am
"Oof-" Ashen Spruce let out a deep grunt as she took a harsh tumble over and past what felt like a solid wall. She didn't think she was an oblivious wolf, but dang she had really overestimated her ability to control herself at full speed.
Groaning, Spruce pulled herself up from the ground, a bit unsteady on her paws after the collision. But collision with what? Her eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on a soft, gray female wolf adorned with a bat wing on each ear. The other wolf also fell quite heavily, rolling on the forest floor with a distinctive, high-pitched yelp.
"Mourning Dove," Spruce spat (mostly because she'd inhaled some dirt and needed to get the awful taste off her tongue), approaching the female. "I'd apologize but you were in my way." Her face was stoic, but her voice betrayed a certain level of annoyance.
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:34 pm
When Mourning Dove finally got her bearings on the situation, her gaze settled on Ashen Spruce, one of the younger members in the pack and another daughter of the beta. A Protector, if Dove remembered correctly. That was all that she really knew about the young she-wolf, but as far as first impressions went. " I was in your way?" Mourning Dove echoed. " Oh dear, I'm sorry that was the case, but... why didn't you just go around me? Or called out to me so I could've moved..." She asked, cocking her head to one side. " Or you could have slowed down, too. I don't mean to sound impertinent, but you have just as big a part to play in this as I do." She was proud of herself, being able to say as much without ducking her head and apologizing profusely as she may have done in the past. " Though I suppose it doesn't matter so much, so long as we're both alright." She said, getting to her paws and shaking off her pelt. " Are you alright, Spruce?" She asked, approaching the young wolf. " Do you need to visit a Healer?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:27 pm
align=left] Well. She had to admit, those were some very fair points. But, on the other paw, she could just not acknowledge the volley of blame, which is what she decided to do when Mourning Dove spoke again, rising to her paws. In response, Ashen Spruce cocked her head.
Gods above, why was she so nice?
It wasn't a concept entirely foreign to her — the pack was full of sickly-sweet wolves, it seemed like. But she certainly wasn't used to being checked in upon. Spruce couldn't decide if it was endearing or annoying. She went with the former, in an effort to defuse the situation. She couldn't have Mourning Dove continuing to make her feel... bad? about being her grumpy self. Actually, she liked her grumpy self. But still, she didn't need to be irritable all the time. Especially with, dare she say it, likable wolves.
"I— I'm fine. I don't think a healer will be necessary. But uh, thank you for asking?" Spruce's head was still cocked and she straightened it in an effort to look less unsure.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" She meant for it to be conversational but wasn't exactly sure how her tone sounded. Oftentimes she couldn't tell what tone she was taking, which led her into even more sticky situations than her usual crass attitude did.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:44 pm
Mourning Dove smiled in relief when Ashen Spruce revealed that she didn't need a healer. " I'm relieved to hear it. I would've hated it if you'd gotten hurt on account of me." She said, before flicking her ears at the question. " Well, I had come out here with the intent to hunt. Even a squirrel or rabbit is still food for the pack. That's all I can really manage on my own." She admitted. " But... I don't know. Hunting in groups is still a little... scary." She whispered the final word and looked embarrassed. Looking for a way to change the topic, she hurriedly went on. " Oh, but I'm not bothered by your company Spruce. Or, wait, do you prefer Ashen? I usually go by Dove, if you'd like to call me that." She flicked her ears again, ever shifting between sheepish and polite. " What were you up to out here? Looking for company or...?" She asked the other she-wolf. Rulerr Sorry for the late reply!
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:11 pm
And here she was being nice again. It took Ashen Spruce all the will in the world not to actively choose to tune out the gray wolf. But her parents had raised her with some manners, so she decided to keep paying attention. She felt rectified when Dove admitted that the collision was her fault and not, in fact, Spruce's. It was always good to hear that you were right.
"Spruce is fine," she said, mulling over Mourning Dove's next question. It was meant to be innocent, but Spruce thought it prying. In response, she posited, "Is it so wrong to want a little adventure? You can't tell me you don't like to stretch your legs every once in a while. Let loose a bit." Truly, she meant her tone to be casual and conversational, not in any way accusatory or targeted - though she was in control of many things, she could not control how others perceived her. It was an annoying trait.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 2:10 am
Mourning Dove nodded her head. " Then Spruce it is." She agreed with a smile. At the questions that followed, she shook her head, but her smile dropped a little. " I don't imagine it's wrong to want an adventure, but I can't imagine the Point would agree with the sentiment. After all, who knows what might lie so far beyond our borders. When you think of all the dangers a single wolf, or even a duo, like ourselves, could face without a pack to protect us..." She shuddered and then her smile returned, a glint in her eye as she said, " Well, let's just say they really do make a point when they tell us to stay within the pack limits." She said and chuckled a little. Shaking out her pelt, she turned. " I came out here for a hunt and you're welcome to join me. While it may not be as daring an adventure as you may have imagined for yourself, a hunt in perfectly thrilling in its own way." She said and started off. " Unless hunting is too much of a challenge for a wolf of your size?" She teased, though there was no malice behind it. " I'm sure with your aid, we could easily bring down something much larger than the squirrel or rabbit I could have brought back." She said as she set off, taking pause to look over her shoulder. " Are you coming, Spruce?" She asked the she-wolf with a grin.
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 7:13 pm
Ashen Spruce's heart panged in a weird way, and she wasn't sure what the feeling coming out of it was. Warmth, maybe? Mourning Dove was just so damn nice it was like a soothing salve on a terrible wound.
"The Point... has their way of doing things." She gave a smile that indicated she thought differently, but had the decorum not to say as much. "I suppose that is true - Ghost Whisper is the first to tell you how horrible being a rogue could be." The white wolf found herself rolling her eyes playfully at Mourning Dove's bad pun. Nothing was wrong with it, just all puns were bad. She had no use for them.
Then, Dove asked Spruce if she'd like to join her on a little evening hunt. Originally, she hadn't planned to hunt. It was getting a tad bit dark so she'd wanted to head back to the dens, but then the gray wolf teased her and something inside her snapped and she just had to prove her teasing wrong. "Of course," she mumbled, then looked up and caught her eyes before rising to all four paws and bounding forward. "What are we looking for? Big bad protectors like me don't often do the dirty work of hunting." A laugh and a smile. Mourning Dove had managed to make this grumpy gus' frown turn upside down. {Total WC: 953}
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 7:26 pm
Mourning Dove inclined her head towards the she-wolf. The Point had the right way of doing things. Dove was a loyal follower, but she was also smart enough to realize that all of the things that The Point had done up to that point was to preserve the dwindling numbers of the Swiftfell. She wasn't entirely surprised that the younger generations felt them confining, but Ashen Spruce didn't see her mother killed off by an enemy that couldn't be attacked. " Rogues can be unpredictable." She said with a nod. " But I can't imagine all of them can be so horrible. They certainly outnumber us, yet no one has tried to come in and attack our small pack outright." She remarked and then shrugged her shoulders a bit as she continued moving on. " Big bad protector indeed." She laughed at the she-wolf. " Big, certainly, but I cannot fathom you as a bad wolf, Spruce." She thought for a moment. " Big pushy protector, perhaps. If you'll pardon me for saying so." She said before going on. " I suspect our chatter may have scared any prey away from this territory, so let's go a little further out. Maybe you'll get to find a new place you haven't seen before and we'll be able to catch a meal for the pack. A perfect adventure, if I do say so myself." She said and after looking at Spruce, she winked and then launched off into a run, her paws light on the ground. " Come on, don't want all the prey to run into hiding before we can find them!" She called back to the white she-wolf. " Besides! You won't want to be known as the big, slow protector, do you?" She laughed again, inspired in her teasing, but increased her speed lest Spruce take offense and see fit to catch her. Oh, what an adventure they would have! And hopefully, it would not be the last, either.
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