[Ashe]

Ashe had been settled into a visitor's den for the night, with Echo promising to return to show her a few possible denning sites in the morning.  Despite his assurances that she was safe, Ashe lay awake late into the night.  The sounds of the forest around her were unfamiliar, and the changes of cadence kept startling her back into wakefulness.  Her mind was abuzz with thoughts and what ifs, and she was trying very hard to to turn it off.  Instead, she focused on what was here, in the moment.  She was dry, she was warm, she was fed.  There was at least one male here who was interested in her safety.  She had not been accosted or threatened.  She was, for the moment.... safe.  Like counting sheep, she repeated the mantra until eventually, she fell asleep.

The grey light of dawn seeped into the shallow burrow, glinting across Ashe's closed eyes.  She lifted a paw and rubbed her muzzle, scratching the sleep grit from her face.  She stretched, shook herself, and stepped out into the morning.  A few birds sang overhead, and the grass and ferns that nestled in the shade of the trees still sparked with beads of dew.  It was a beautiful land, this new home of hers.  She hadn't seen very much of it on her way in, but today was supposed to change that.  She wondered what they would find.  Perhaps a nice little cave?  Or an old tree?  Ashe wasn't much of a digger.  Perhaps somewhere with a view, if she was lucky enough.  Were there any spots that overlooked a meadow somewhere?  She liked to watch the deer in the morning.  So lost in the prospects of what she wanted as a space of her own, she forgot to be aware of her surroundings.

"Just... Buy the Tree."

[Echo]

He didn't know exactly why, but he felt guilty leaving Ashe alone on her first night in Gemini.  He had told her she was safe, and she was, but something inside him knew she was probably freaking out in her little makeshift den.  He hadn't slept that well, tossing and turning, debating whether or not to check on their newest recruit, but figured him going to her in the middle of the night was probably a good way to scare the shit out of her more.  So, he stayed in his own den, tossing and turning the night away until morning.  

When morning did come, he was up before the sun, he'd caught a nice looking jackrabbit that he would take with him to Ashe.  He'd said he'd take her around to day to see some other places for den sites.  And- perhaps a little trip to the Fairie Pools to lift her spirits.  Everyone loved the pools.  So with the rabbit in his maw, he walked to where he'd left her the night before, hopes a little higher for her then the day before.  

He was a few yards away when he saw her emerge from the den, looking like she might have gotten a little sleep.  Good.  He smiled slightly (though how well can you smile with something in your mouth?), and began to walk over to her.  "'Murnin Afff."  He'd mumble out as he approached, and when she turned to him, (which would probably be her spinning around ungracefully), he'd drop the rabbit on the ground, and plop his ass on the ground next to it.  "How'd you sleep?"  He asked, as he scratched behind his ear.  "Well, I hope.  I bought you some breakfast, fresh caught on the way over. I thought you might be hungry-  don't know the last time you ate."   Ok well, not entirely on the way over, but, fresh enough.  And she was skinny, like, too skinny, she needed some meat on them bones to survive the winter.  He was sure she wouldn't mind, she was probably starving.  Letting out a big yawn, he took a peek at the scenery over his shoulder.

[Ashe]

 "'Murnin Afff."

As expected, she jumped at the sound of his voice, a straight hop into the air.  When she landed, her tail tick-tocked once in a shy wag as she turned and looked sheepishly at him.  He'd caught her day dreaming. He'd come bearing breakfast, a plump rabbit.  Her eyes widened in surprise.  She hadn't expected him to come with gifts.  He seemed to be a kind-hearted sort, she was coming to realize.  Part of her wondered if this kindness was exclusively for her or if all new pack members were treated this way.  What a place that would be, she mused.  For now, however, she was sure her treatment was more than she had dreamed to expect.  After a fitful night, she was surprised at what a lovely day it was turning out to be.

"G-Good morning."

"How'd you sleep? Well, I hope.  I bought you some breakfast, fresh caught on the way over. I thought you might be hungry-  don't know the last time you ate."

"I... um... caught mice.  When I lived on the plains."

She daintily accepted the rabbit, which was, indeed, a better meal than she had had in a long time.  While small, nutty mice had certainly sustained her, she often lost sight of the much quicker hares in the tall grass.  There must be an easier place to catch them within the territory.  Soon she had neatly dismembered the creature, and offered a haunch back to Echo.  It would be greedy to eat it all herself, and she intended to evenly split his gift.  Whatever else could be said about the flighty girl, she had impeccable manners.

[Echo]

Quite as he had thought would happen, she jumped when he announced himself and he couldn't help but smirk only a little.  He was glad she'd stumbled across Gemini's borders and not say- Saboro or somewhere where she would have been mocked, and possibly hurt for her meekness.  He remembered traveling to Saboro, and though he was there for only a fraction of the time Serrate was, he was not a fan of what he saw.  Absinthe was one of the prime examples of what that place could do to a person- 

"G-good morning. I... um... caught mice. When I lived on the plains."

Looking back to her, he tilted his head slightly, "Mice barely have enough meat on them to sustain a bird, and you Ashe, are far from a bird." He smiled, mice were good for snacking and small meals here and there, but not fit for full meals, let alone traveling.  He wondered how the girl made it this far on mice alone. She continued to surprise him.  "Perhaps later we can go hunt- maybe find a nice stag, or boar... mmm ya.. boar..."  Echo daydreamed, licking his chops, he had eaten boar only once, and it was by far his favorite he'd ever eaten.  "Of course only after we've gone house hunting, and found you a suitable place to make your den, instead of a makeshift.. you know.. somewhere to call your own."  He smiled at her, and she slid over a haunch of the rabbit to him.  He took the whole thing in his mouth and began to chew- it was obvious he couldn't fit it all in his mouth, but maybe- just maybe- he could get a small smile out of her.  

"Fangks Affshh."  He mumbled, smiling and chewing, half the leg sticking out of his mouth.

[Ashe]

It had been very lucky that Ashe had come across a place as gentle as Gemini.  She probably would have ended up enslaved in a pack less hospitable.  She didn't know about Saboro, about how it was a dark piece of Gemini's own makeup.    She was more focused on the good place she had found than the possible hells in which she could have fallen into. At the moment, Ashe was a living example of ignorance is bliss.

"Mice barely have enough meat on them to sustain a bird, and you Ashe, are far from a bird."

Did he just call her fat? She raised a brow at him, but her mouth was full of a bite of rabbit, and she didn't have time to make a retort. 

 "Perhaps later we can go hunt- maybe find a nice stag, or boar... mmm ya.. boar..."

"What's a boar?"

She asked.  There were no boars in the territory she had been raised in, and she had never seen, nor heard of one.  Unintentionally, she kept dropping obvious reminders of how young she was.  No doubt Echo thought her an idiot.  But Reason's curiosity warred out over Anxiety's insults and proved more alluring.  He hadn't made fun of her so far, except for calling her fat.  He did NOT just call her fat.  And she could just argue that not everyplace had every kind of animal.  Duh.

"Of course only after we've gone house hunting, and found you a suitable place to make your den, instead of a makeshift.. you know.. somewhere to call your own."

"I've never had my own den before."

Her tail wagged at the prospect.  She had to admit she was pretty excited about exploring for a den.  Of course she had slept on her own once she had left home, but that wasn't the same thing.  This would be her establishing, or not establishing, a home for herself.  If she couldn't find something she liked... what if she couldn't find something?  Oh no... So much for a good day.  She hastily took a bite of rabbit to avoid saying anything that would betray her train of thought.

[Echo]

"What's a boar?"

What was a boar?  What was a-  Echo was stunned.  But not really, boars really didn't thrive in much of the areas around here, but man they were so good.  He swallowed the mouthful of leg he had in his mouth, and tried to think of a way to explain to Ashe just what a boar was.  Did she know what a pig was? Probably not.  He smacked his lips together a few times, and let out a long hmm sound.  "A boar is like the size of a smaller you- it has teeth that stick out quite far from it's mouth that they use to gut and impale other boars and sometimes predators.."  Maybe he should have left that out-  too late now- " But they can be very loud and very angry, but the meat they have is so, so good." He smacked his lips one more time, remembering the last time he had that juicy, tender meat between his fangs.  "We have to get one now, just so you can have a taste, like a little 'welcome home' party for you."  He smiled.  

"I've never had my own den before."

She wagged her tail slightly, which made Echo's smile grow a bit more.  He was glad he could get away from the negative things that have been going on around here- get his mind off of other people- other things for the moment.  His chest tightened momentarily, as thoughts of Absinthe crossed his mind, wondering how she was doing, what she was doing, how she was... coping.  He shook his head, she had a support system- didn't she?  She had to, Gaius, Serrate- they were close to her.  Ashe had no one- so for the moment, he'd concentrate not on Huckleberry, but on this small girl, doing what he could to help her settle in.  "Well, we will just have to remedy that today won't we."  He'd nod his head, before adding a little tidbit of information, "And don't worry if we don't find one today- there's plenty of time, and we want this to be just right for you don't we?"  He'd wink at her, "Whenever you're ready!"

[Ashe]

"You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." - Eat, Pray, Love

 

"A boar is like the size of a smaller you- it has teeth that stick out quite far from it's mouth that they use to gut and impale other boars and sometimes predators.. But they can be very loud and very angry, but the meat they have is so, so good. We have to get one now, just so you can have a taste, like a little 'welcome home' party for you." A smaller her?  She was learning that description may not be Echo's strong suit.  The creature known as a boar sounded terrifying, and she wasn't all that sure that she wanted to "get one".  Still, Echo seemed enthused, and she gave him an encouraging smile, then quickly took another bite of rabbit so that she would not have to give him a reply.  She didn't have the heart to discourage him, even if he was seriously going out of his way to welcome her.  Ashe thought again about his attentions, and wondered if there was some reason why he was paying attention to her. She wasn't anyone special. While she was grateful for his presence and company, Anxiety scratched at the interior of her mind, whispering about how there had to be some sinister plot afoot.  She wondered how long Anxiety would keep berating him, and mentally appealed to Reason to steady her.  It wasn't proper to think ill of her host.  She realized she'd drifted again, and hoped Echo had taken her momentary lapse as her trying to envision the taste of the boar he raved about. "Well, we will just have to remedy that today won't we. And don't worry if we don't find one today- there's plenty of time, and we want this to be just right for you don't we?" "I do not even have an idea of what I want."  She admitted, giving him an unsure-but-game smile. She was curious to see the lands she would be calling home.  The plains she had come in on looked nothing like the land on the other side of the wall.  It was unlike any landscape she had seen, and it was exhilarating.  While she may find the beasts, wolves included, terrifying, the land gave her only a comforting excitement.  Like walking in the door of a dark house and hearing the shouts of your family as they turn on the lights and present you with a birthday cake.  A good surprise.  Echo, too, was a good surprise. So far. Anxiety hissed. She mentally glared at her shadow self.  Go away and stop ruining the morning she willed.  She wanted a good morning, and a home.  She wanted this to be as true as it was good. "Whenever you're ready!" She let his excitement infect her, and eagerly hopped up, giving him a tail wag. "Ready!"

[Echo]

Echo didn't expect her to be hopping on all fours, whooping and hollering about the chance to hunt a boar.  After all, she'd never seen or heard of one before, so her, less then enthusiastic celebration bite of rabbit to his explanation didn't hurt his feelings one bit.  He knew she was one of those kinds of wolves that needed to be eased into things, explanations before they set out on any sort of adventure was a must.  He didn't mind though, it was nice spending one on one time with someone he had no romantic interest in, and had no interest in him except as a friend.  

"I do not even have an idea of what I want!"

He smiled again as she said she wasn't sure what kind of den she wanted for herself, but he was sure the right one would speak out when the time was right.  "You'll know when you find one, they kind of.. speak to you."  He wasn't sure if she'd take that literally or not, but he left it at that.  He smirked as she took one last bite of rabbit, it was time to get going, time to hunt down a nice spot for her to settle down.  Maybe once she found a den, and moved herself into it, she'd be more comfortable around others, he could hope anyway.  It's always nice to have friends.  She jumped up and gave him a wag of the tail, and he nodded, and turned, leading them into the vast lands of Gemini.  He wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for in a place to stay, he had a feeling she would probably like somewhere secluded, hidden so she could get away if she needed.  But he didn't like making assumptions, you know what that did (make an ASS out of U and ME).  Making sure he walked at her pace, so he could walk side by side with her, which would look ridiculous as he was quite a bit bigger than her, he wanted to get ideas.


"So, I know you said you didn't know what you wanted, but do you have any ideas?  By a tree, by a river, a pond, the faeire pools? The ocean?"  He asked, turning his head to look down at her.  Any ideas would be better than none.

[Ashe]

"You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." - Eat, Pray, Love

"You'll know when you find one, they kind of.. speak to you." Ashe could understand that.  Her mother had told her that if she felt she was home somewhere out in the world, that that was where she should stay.  She wasn't sure that Gemini felt like home, but having a den would probably help.  She trotted after Echo, taking in the sights as they went.  While they walked, she tried to think of what she wanted.  Somewhere that had multiple entrances, she thought.  She liked the breeze, but didn't want to be out in the open.  Nothing that would be near a river.  Her old pack had a few dens like that, but they were mostly abandoned since they flooded periodically.  Ashe wasn't fond of mud.  Echo was right that she didn't want to be too close to others.  She needed her breathing room. "So, I know you said you didn't know what you wanted, but do you have any ideas?  By a tree, by a river, a pond, the faerie pools? The ocean?" "A tree might be nice. I really don't want to be too close to water. But I'd like to be close enough to get a drink easily." She cocked her head "Faerie pools? What's an ocean?" There were so many things that she just didn't know about.  Ashe was starting to wonder exactly how much of a backwoods pack she had come from.  For one, Gemini seemed to occupy a much grander territory than her little valley.  There were creatures she'd never heard of, and they seemed straight out of fairy tales to her.  The faerie pools, for example.  Weren't faeries a myth?  Did Gemini really have them?  The thought thrilled her a little bit.  Did dragons exist too?  That was a scary thought.  She felt too shy to ask.  Maybe she should just wait until they visited the pools... just in case.  She didn't want Echo to laugh at her.

[Echo]

The pair travelled for quite some time, Echo left her to her thoughts as they went, taking the time to look around himself.  It had been awhile since he had taken the time to just take a stroll through Gemini, and take in the sights.  He made sure to keep his stride shortened so that he did not get ahead of her.  He kept his eyes out for places that she could possibly use as a den, big, full trees, or perhaps somewhere closer to a stream or creek.  He turned his head when she did finally speak up, he turned his head slightly to look at her, a small smile on his face, happy to help her, and get out of his own mind.  

"A tree might be nice. I really don't want to be too close to water. But I'd like to be close enough to get a drink easily. Faerie pools? What's an ocean?" 

He nodded his head, "I know a few good trees, not too close to water, but within walking distance."  He said, before catching himself almost stopping at her second questions, "I'm sorry, have you-  never seen the ocean?"  He asked, not with sarcasm but genuine curiosity.  It hadn't crossed his mind that not everyone was lucky enough to have been born with a varying landscape.  He stopped, and cocked his head slightly at Ashe, his new, sweet friend.  "Would you like to?  I'd love to introduce you to it.."  He said, paused before continuing, "And the Faerie pools too, they're actually quite beautiful at night, and the ocean is best at sunset.  Maybe we can make this a little- welcoming trip."  He said, smiling, hoping she would accept. "We'll even put the boar hunting on hold." Winking as he joked.  

This is the getaway he needed right now, from his job, and from his overwhelming feelings that were not being reciprocated by another.  He really just wanted to get away from it all, and this would be the way to go.  Plus, he'd would really like to get to know Ashe a little more, maybe become her first friend here, and be someone she could turn to if she needed it.

[Ashe]

"You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." - Eat, Pray, Love

"I know a few good trees, not too close to water, but within walking distance." Ashe brightened, glad that her request was a plausible one. Her steps were light and bouncy, but then Echo abruptly stopped, and she practically ran into him. Had she said the wrong thing? "I'm sorry, have you-  never seen the ocean? Would you like to?  I'd love to introduce you to it.. And the Faerie pools too, they're actually quite beautiful at night, and the ocean is best at sunset.  Maybe we can make this a little- welcoming trip. We'll even put the boar hunting on hold." The mousey girl's eyes went wide at Echo's exuberance. Whatever this "ocean" was, it must be an exciting thing.  Was his definition of exciting her definition of exciting?  Boar hunting was Echo exciting.  Ashe didn't think boar hunting was Ashe exciting.  But maybe Ocean would be her kind of exciting?  More likely her kind of terrifying... Everything was her kind of terrifying.  But she was supposed to be learning new things.  That didn't mean she wanted anything to do with boar hunting.  That she didn't have to experience.  Hard pass. "I... would like to see this 'Ocean'." Ashe said with another shy smile.  Hopefully it wouldn't be anything like boar hunting... she'd hate to have stepped out of the frying pan right into the fire.  She looked up at the sky, attempting to judge the light.