elk creek, a werewolf roleplay

[Ashton_99]

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Benedetta A.gif (504.13 KiB) Viewed 195 times

✯ Wolf Pack Newcomer ✯ She/Her/Hers ✯ Thirty ✯ Bisexual- Single ✯
✯ 5'8 ✯ Dark, straight brown hair. Just at her shoulders ✯ Green Eyes ✯
✯ +: Inquisitive, Open Minded, venturesome, and Academic ✯
✯ /: Trusting, Eccentric, Restless, and Meticulous ✯
✯ -: Prone to Overthinking, meandering, and Fickle ✯
✯ Her wolf form is less tans and browns, being mostly grey and white ✯
she is on the leaner side though of average werewolfy size.
✯Cassia smells of rosewood, old books, and freshly laundered clothes✯

✯ Face Claim- Benedetta Gargari ✯

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⟸✯⟹
Synopsis: Curious and more or less friendly, Cassia has only joined the pack recently. Prior to becoming a member, she's spoken of a strange patch work of education and odd jobs. She is very well read and occasionally skilled at subjects that have held her interest in the past, though notably lacking in areas that didn't ever gain her fancy. It's truly anyone's guess on what Cassia knows about any subjects.

First and foremost, Cassia loves experiencing new things. She loves off the wall ideas and learning the ways different people think and how they view the world. She's still a bit unsure of how she'll fit into the pack and how she'll end up getting along with everyone as time goes on. Due to her active imagination and constant activity Cassia is prone to over-thinking and and anxiety.
⟸✯⟹
Brief Physical Description: Dressed in the academia vein of aesthetics, Cassia usually appears well put together. She has dark hair cut to her shoulder and light eyes. Ink often stains her hands. A tattoo above her elbow depicts a small, simple stem of leaves. She has a few nicks on her fingers from various misadventures over the years. In the same vein, her nail polish is always chipped from whatever hobby or idea she's thrown herself in to for the time being.
⟸✯⟹

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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.”

[Ashton_99]

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⟸✯ℂ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕒 𝔸𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤-𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖; ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡𝕤✯⟹
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benedetta b.gif (500.92 KiB) Viewed 195 times

.wip

[rigbees]

.
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
.
☾ 𝙃𝙪𝙖𝙣 𝙔𝙖
she/her . thirty one . pansexual . beta
straight brown hair . dark brown eyes . 5'6
wolf fur is a lighter brown and white
.
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
.
Huan is typically very calm and friendly, she
enjoys spending her time outside and with the
others in the pack. She works at a café part
time, although she also makes money by selling
clothes that she's made. It isn't enough to keep
her bills paid but she enjoys it as a hobby and
is glad that people buy her creations at all.
She is extremely loyal to the pack and Jackson,
worried that history may repeat itself somehow.
This causes her to be wary of newcomers,
but she often warms up quickly to them despite
her initial fears. She likes to spend as much time
as she can get away with in her wolf form.
.
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
.

.

.𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙃𝙀𝙍 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔
Huan wasn't exactly a full member of the pack when it was
attacked and destroyed ten years ago, though her parents
had been. Huan had had dreams of travelling the world and
so had been away for a few years at that point. She had
enrolled into college, but didn't attend for very long, her
dream of travelling the world more important to her. Though
once she found out about the incident she came back as soon
as she could, and has remained in Elk Creek ever since. She
had been extremely close to her parents growing up, and they
where the ones to encouraged her to travel, staying behind
because they were really attached to the pack, so once Huan
returned after their deaths she decided that the pack was
more important than travelling, and chose to stay as it
reformed. Because of her loyalty and dedication, Huan
eventually became the beta of the pack.

━━𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙄𝙏𝙎
.
━━positive ✧
━━respectful . caring . loyal
.
━━neutral ✧
━━curious . patient . active
.
━━negative ✧
━━biased . naïve . stubborn

━━𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙎
.
━━likes ✧
━━autumn . hot drinks . thrifting
.
━━dislikes ✧
━━being inside for too long
.
━━hobbies ✧
━━making clothes . running

face claim: Gemma Chan

[rigbees]

.𝙍𝙀𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙋𝙎 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙙 | alpha━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
★★★★★━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Huan respects Jackson━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
and considers him a good friend━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━𝙀𝙡𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 | healer
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★★★★☆
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Huan and Elijah are close,
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━she thinks he's important

𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝘼𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨-𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚 | newcomer━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
★☆☆☆☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Huan didn't trust her at ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
first but she is coming around━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙍𝙤𝙬𝙚 | subordinate
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★★★☆☆
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Huan loves her pack and
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━considers Frances a friend
𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙖 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 | subordinate━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
★★★☆☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Huan values Luca's carefree━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
attitude and enjoys time with him━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[друг]

↟. ─────── 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃

xxxxxxxxxxx32, elk creek alpha, tagging: Cassia, mentioned: pack, location: lake

Sunlight, in diffused shapes, shifting up and down the pebbled banks of the river. It filtered through the canopy of pines to catch and shimmer on the ripples drifting across the sluggish waters. Jackson loped up the shore, the lead of a small group that jostled each other this way and that on the off chance that one of them might slip on the stones and make enough of a splash to tell the rest. He had always been fast, in spite of his size, but the wolves on his flanks were barely outmatched: the headstrong Adrik in weathered silver, brave Julie in her flawless black coat— and Archie, lagging somewhere at their heels, like a smaller version of Jackson himself.
indentindentHe could almost smell the vegetation growing at the treeline, how the summer sun beat down on it and created a smell that was pure warmth when you drew it in. The calling thoughts of their alpha were drawing them somewhere, dancing at the periphery of their minds like firm, guiding hands, but he could no longer recall where. What he remembered clearly was being witness to their banter, the words Adrik and Julie had thrown at each other because they hadn't quite known how to say what they felt, even when everyone around them knew. Except Archie, young and innocent— hardly a handful of shifts under his belt. It was a grim lesson he had learned from them in hindsight, to act now and not in fifteen years. Or even fifteen days. How fearless and stubborn you could be, and still find yourself on your knees when it came to emotion. Strange life, this.
indentindentJackson was amazed to remember just how young he had been before everything. How young they had all been. But he did not allow his mind to wander to the times that had followed, and remained on that happy memory of a summer's day. It warmed him, even now with the last patches of snow still stubbornly clinging to sidewalks and the occasional bitter wind reminding everyone that spring had only just arrived. But the birds had returned to sing in the trees all around Elk Creek, the lake had thawed, and summer was not hopelessly far away.

Jackson snapped from his musings when the bell above the record store's door rang. Naskali, the old, one-eyed cat, chimed a raspy meow from his bed atop a shelf of vinyls. Jackson checked his watch as the employee he had gotten to cover the rest of the evening hung her coat by the door. It was later than he had thought, and he needed to go, but he couldn't help his manners as he greeted her and struck up a conversation about the miscellaneous things that would need to be checked on before the store could close for the night, by the end of which he handed her his jangling bundle of keys and retrieved his ancient shearling jacket.
indentin"So, what are your plans for the night? Got a big date in town?"
indentindentJackson laughed, a warm guffaw from deep in his chest. "We're all too busy for that these days." She agreed with an amused shake of her head. "Terrible times we live in."
indentindentHe laughed once more on his way to the door. "Have a good one now." "You too, see you on Monday."
indentindentJackson waved a final goodbye through the window on his way to the lot. Outside, the day was fading, the sky nothing but a purple-orange glow, and along the street and in the storefronts, lights slowly blinked to life. The faded blue truck was waiting for him where he had left it that morning— a relic from his father that his brother Ben had passed on, citing costs and road safety, but Jackson had been less practical about it. It contained a lot of precious memories, and it was likely that he would keep driving it until it fell apart from underneath him.
indentindentThe truck shook to life and a country song started from the radio with a twist of the keys, and Jackson pulled out of the lot and onto the road that ran all the way through and out of Elk Creek. He drove for the old pack house at the edge of town, past houses and forested slopes, but right before the turn onto that familiar dirt road, he took a right for the lake instead. It was there that patrols had found the scent of a stranger several nights in a row, perhaps scouting out the territory before approaching its pack, and tonight, Jackson hoped to catch them for a conversation. He had no belief of the wolf having come to Elk Creek with malice on their mind, and were they looking to join his little group, he would welcome them with open arms.

The stars were beginning to appear above, twinkling like needle-pricks through fabric, as Jackson arrived at the lake. He opened the door to the sounds of birds calling, echoing and eerie across the still surface of the water. The reeds were shuffling quietly against each other, the first grasshoppers of the year making their songs out of sight. As he sat down on the edge of the truck bed to wait, his thoughts drifted again, now to simpler days of childhood, to his father standing at the stove, and his brothers bickering— which they had never quite stopped doing. But he was lucky to have that family, and this family here.
indentindentTen years since the attack, and he found those wounds had largely closed. They had grown again, and even as bigger numbers would attract more attention, Jackson did not want to live his life in fear. He had hope. Nomads were rare, covens even rarer. And the more his family grew, the safer he felt.

[Ashton_99]

⟸✯ᴄᴀꜱꜱɪᴀ ᴀʟᴅᴇʀꜱ-ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇ✯⟹
⟸✯The Newcomer ✯ She/Her ✯ Tags: Jackson ✯ Location: Woods+Lake ✯⟹

With claws dug into the dirt, Cassia stretched until a truly astounding number of pops sounded off from her neck and spine. Sleeping in her car and roadside motels had sounded like a much better idea in theory then it felt in practice. It was however the consequences of her choices. Especially as money from her last job ran out. She’d been in something of a holding pattern for days now, not sure if the pack she had scented in the area was going to be in the mood to welcome newcomers or not.

As they’d yet to chase her down or run her out of the territory she was cautiously optimistic. That and thus far she had avoided meeting any of them face to face. There was no book out there on how to approach an established pack and Cassia had never been good at timing things correctly. Whether rushing in or focusing on the details for too long she’d always just missed the mark when it came to timing. It had burned her more than once.

Cassia huffed softly. Dwelling on the past was a dangerous thing- too many memories better left alone and others not worth the effort it took to remember. Satisfied with her stretch, the gray pelted wolf padded languidly into the tree line. Having spent most of her time shifted the past few days, she'd slowly grown familiar with the section of the forest she’d been exploring.

The narrow game trail carved out amongst the low lying shrubs had become a familiar path. The fading dappled light upon the dirt and brush wasn’t quite the same as she had once been familiar with but it was pleasant all the same as she followed the trail out towards the lake she’d been frequenting without any real hurry. When a cottontail darted across her path, Cassia took the time to meander after it. It wasn’t much of a chase, the little tan rabbit crashed through the underbrush and when it found a burrow to hide in all Cassia did was let out a soft huff.

Despite the delay in what was becoming routine Cassia did end up getting to the lake eventually. The distant glimmer of stars overhead lit her way without the excess light pollution of a big city to drown them out. Scents she’d come to associate with the pack in the area came and went with the shift of the wind. Most were faded enough that Cassia was sure she once again missed their patrols. Whether that was accidental on her part or not was entirely up to interpretation.

The internal debate on appropriate caution vs potential cowardice was thrown out the window when Cassia heard music of all things out in the wilderness. The wolf stopped short at the tree line. The fur on her neck raised cautiously as she ducked into the underbrush.

There was someone at the lake. That was different-- new. She'd managed to avoid others thus far during her little scouting expeditions.

Nothing about the man or his truck appeared inherently dangerous. He could have easily been a regular person from Elk Creek out enjoying the tranquil night. But instinctually something inside Cassia told her to be mindful. She moved slowly, attempting to creep quietly through the brush so as not to alert the man to her presence before she intended.

Scenting the air brought notes of deep, woody scent separate from the pines and spruce. Curiously though, the smell wasn’t entirely new. Belatedly Cassia placed it among those she’d come to associate with the wolves in the area. The wolf stalled in her hiding spot. Her mind caught between a fear of confrontation and a restless need to get the whole debacle over with.

The man himself seemed to simply be waiting. Regardless of if she was quite ready or not it seemed that at least one of them was ready to meet her. Treading carefully, Cassia left the safety of the trees. Though tense she approached openly, her body language screaming non-aggression as she kept low with her ears flat back. She hadn’t quite thought through how the interaction might go with only one of them shifted but it was too late now. She was already there, a few yards off from the man but close enough to see him more clearly.

A soft bark was her cautious bid for the man’s attention. Despite her hesitation she was hopeful.

[rigbees]

☰☰ 𝙃𝙐𝘼𝙉 𝙔𝘼 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
☾ she/her . 31 . wolf pack beta ☽ tag. jackson, cassia location. town, lake

Huan sighs in frustration, staring down at her notebook that has become more scribble than sketch. Dropping her pencil back into her bag, she decides to pause in her planning for the day. She wasn’t getting anywhere with the pattern and she doesn’t want to get frustrated enough to call the whole project off, which she has done in the past and regretted.

She just needs some time outside, she concludes, peeking out her window to check the weather. She’s been cooped up all day, after getting home from work she had immediately pulled out her notebook to jot down a few ideas she’d had at the cafè and then she promptly got lost in the work and didn’t realize it as the hours passed. Some time outside will be refreshing and may allow her to shake off the day's frustrations. Plus, she may even be able to shift into her wolf and have a run as well. The thought has already eased her anxieties a little bit.

Resolved to this plan, Huan stands up and stretches, rubbing her sore wrist from the frantic writing and scribbling. Her jacket had been sort of just thrown to the side once she got home, so she picks it up and shrugs it on, already ready to go out again. Brushing imaginary dust off her clothes and deeming herself ready, she practically sprints outside in her excitement.

She has no specific goal in mind, simply enjoying the air. She passes by the record shop and spares a thought to check if Jackson or Luca are working but figures it’d be weird to go in and immediately leave in the case they aren't working.

Huan shrugs to herself and keeps walking. After a nice calm walk and some fresh air, Huan decides that she should go out by the lake to have a bit of a run. It had been part of her initial plan, and she absolutely could use the time shifted, it’s been a few days. Nodding to herself, Huan turns around to walk back to the edge of town, pace quickening as she gets closer and closer to her goal. Once she reaches what she deems a safe place, she quickly sheds herself of most of her clothes and shifts. She grabs her bag by the strap using her mouth, hiding it slightly behind a tree for easier finding once she wants to change back.

She begins running almost immediately, letting out the occasional happy noise as she finally feels more like herself again. After a while of running around trees and chasing birds, Huan decides to head towards the lake, trotting happily.

Her mood changes rapidly when she smells it. A new scent. Old books, a familiar scent that she typically enjoys, although not so much in this case. Combined with rosewood and something else distinctly unfamiliar. Huan perks up, alert, and then begins trying to find the source of the smell. Someone new, she’s never smelled this particular scent before. Huan tries not to judge too fast, but she can’t help herself from becoming anxious, she wasn’t there for what happened ten years ago, and she certainly doesn’t want anything of that nature to happen again. The smell is around the lake for sure, but Huan can’t seem to hold it long enough to find the source. Huffing angrily, Huan quickly runs back to her things so she can tell someone about it as fast as possible.

–

It’s been a few days, and Huan has thus far been unable to track the origin of the scent, yet she smells it practically daily anyways. She knows Jackson is aware of it, so the others must be as well, and she really shouldn't try to fight by herself, but it makes her feel better hanging around the lake anyways. She wonders if Jackson is waiting for whoever the source is to come to them first. Whatever may be the case, Huan hopes she can meet them fast to see if they’re trustworthy.

She is currently on her way yet again to the lake, intending to stay a while to see if maybe the newcomer comes during the night. She hasn’t had any luck so far, yet she knows if this newcomer intends to stay around she’ll run into them eventually.

As Huan approaches, she startles at the sound of music. The music is familiar though, which quickly eases her anxiety. Jackson must be intending some sort of confrontation if he’s out here, though Huan knows it’ll probably go the way of cautious introductions rather than hostile chase away with Jackson around. Huan isn’t sure if she should turn around and leave him to it, or stay around. Eventually the curiosity makes her decision for her, and she continues walking forward. She heads towards Jacksons truck for the time being, even as she smells the scent close by and realizes the newcomer is actually around and definitely knows they’re there as well. She’s just about to reach her destination when she hears the newcomer bark, and she tries to be hopeful at what is clearly not an aggressive action.

[друг]

↟. ─────── 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃

xxxxxxxxxxx32, elk creek alpha, tagging: Cassia, Huan, mentioned: none, location: lake

Waves kept washing against the loamy shore, and the moon hung bright and clear on the other side of the waters. Rivulets of snowmelt dripped into the lake through the rousing grass. It was getting late, and Jackson was beginning to believe that maybe the stranger would not show that night. They had scouted the area before, but maybe they had found whatever they had been looking for and moved somewhere else. He was almost drowsy, surrounded by the gentle, rhythmic chorus of birds and crickets. But then a fresh waft of the scent that trailed in older paths around the lake passed over him and he perked where he was seated at the back of the truck.
indentindentThe wolf in him perked his ears too, now on alert, senses aimed at the darkness hanging between the trees all around the lake, but not aggressive. Jackson believed that this wanderer had come to them in good faith, and he would offer the same sentiment in turn. Yet, as alpha, he was responsible for the safety of his pack, and confirming that his beliefs were true was the least he could do before offering to bring this new wolf to their home. He kept a calm demeanour, relaxing his body and allowing his eyes to focus on the shifting waters even as his ears remained open and surveying his surroundings.
indentindentThere was movement in the brush, but when a grey wolf slid out of the shadows, Jackson realized that he was surprised in spite of himself. But logically, it made sense. Based on what little information he had gleaned, she must have been alone in the area, without backup, and it was safer to enter an unknowable situation shifted. Not all packs welcomed strangers on their territories, and not all wolves were friendly. He removed his hands from where he had been warming them, in the wool-lined pockets of his coat, but he made no move to stand, guessing that she might feel safer if he were to remain seated. The quiet bark for his attention tugged at the corner of his mouth, a close-lipped smile.
indentin"Hello," he called out, doing his best to appear welcoming. She seemed cautious, but it was understandable. Right then, he picked up Huan's familiar scent, approaching from behind the truck. He acknowledged her presence with a friendly nod. She had been as curious about the new wolf hanging about in their territory as Jackson himself, and it didn't surprise him that she had had the same idea as him. "I'm Jackson, and this is Huan." He inclined his head to invite Huan closer, before turning back to reassure the stranger. "You must have scented it before you saw us, but we're like you. We're not dangerous, but you're free to keep your distance if you'd prefer."
indentindentJackson had done this a handful of times before, but each wolf that arrived to Elk Creek was different, in some way. Each of them had their own past, and some had left a pack willingly, while others sought sanctuary. For a moment, he merely watched the grey wolf as she stood low, not far away from them. He wouldn't have bragged about being a great judge of character, but he tended to have a sense, or a kind of hunch about others. Jackson had already noted her sensible caution, but she seemed to have a good nose and an awareness of her surroundings, not to mention a decent head on her shoulders. He had no doubts about her being able to hold her own on a patrol.
indentindentHe was about to speak again when he paused, thinking he had smelled something other than the lake and the stranger. A cold and sharp smell, like ice in the air — a vampire. Discreetly, he drew in another breath, but noticed nothing other than the scent of damp grass and a rabbit somewhere in the brush. Jackson did his best to put it from his mind. They would patrol again early in the morning.
indentin"If you've come to Elk Creek looking to join us, I have to warn you that we are responsible for this town, for protecting its people. The town is somewhat isolated and a tempting target for passing nomads. It can be dangerous, and I can't promise that there won't be a risk involved, but we are a family. We take care of each other. It's been the pack's duty for decades." Although it was only fair to warn her, he made no mention of what had happened ten years ago. If she chose to join them, she would learn both their history and how they had rebuilt their home soon enough. There was no sense in frightening her with the past, an event Jackson believed would never happen again. They would make sure of it.
indentindentFinally, Jackson smiled in his warm way, crinkling the corners of his eyes. "You don't have to decide right now, but if you choose to stay, this is a good town, full of good people. We may keep them in the dark about our nature, but there is real community here. A chance to make a home. If you don't have a place to stay in town, you're welcome to come with us. We've got a spare room or two. The house isn't far from here." No one would be roughing it in the woods on his watch. "Even if you only stay with us for a while, we'll at least make sure that you can get a decent meal and a hot shower before you go."

[Ashton_99]

⟸✯ᴄᴀꜱꜱɪᴀ ᴀʟᴅᴇʀꜱ-ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇ✯⟹
⟸✯The Newcomer ✯ She/Her ✯ Tags: Jackson/Huan ✯ Location: Lake✯⟹

The approach of another person froze Cassia in her spot. The woman had a scent that the grey wolf had come to associate with the lake and surrounding area. Another member of the pack, then. With how familiar the smell was it was more than likely that she specifically was one of the wolves that had been regularly patrolling the area. One of the wolves Cassia had been actively avoiding up until now as it were.

Shifting on her paws, Cassia tried to put the fact that she was now outnumbered out of her mind. No one had done anything aggressive yet. The woman didn’t appear quite as open as the man but Cassia couldn’t really blame her. Not everyone was always so willing to open their arms to a stranger. But at the very least they were giving her space and staying where she could see- being respectful of her caution if nothing else.

The man was speaking, his tone sounding even and friendly. She listened attentively since it seemed her optimism and carefulness over the past few days was beginning to pay off. She’d even gotten to learn their names. ’Jackson and Huan.’ Fascinating. Was everyone in the Elk Creek pack going to be so unreasonably attractive? Perhaps they were if these two were anything to go by. Cassia’s mental tangent aside, an invitation right out of the gate was surprising. Cassia glanced at the tree line, trying to determine her next course of action.

It was not as if she didn’t want to try joining the Elk Creek pack. That had been the whole reason she stuck around- wandering was all well and good but even that grew old eventually. At some point even the most fickle of individuals needed to settle down for a bit. Though taking responsibility for the safety of a whole human town wasn’t quite what she had been planning to sign up for. Cassia could hold her own alright but she wasn’t exactly a brawler by nature and she had little interest in becoming one. Her ears flicked to follow the sound of grasshoppers dancing in the grass around them. Their songs were accompanied by the birds calling, and the gentle wash of the waves on the lake’s shore. All was calm for now, but who knew when the next nomad would come through and kick things off.

Truthfully, she didn’t know what to do. She could spin her wheels trying to think of every possible outcome for hours on end and would still not be any closer to a decision when the sun rose. Her attention flickered back to Jackson when he continued speaking. His smile was inviting- warm even. It chipped at her hesitation a bit. She was a sucker for kindness.

But more than offers of community and even something so fantastical as family, the promise of a ‘decent meal’ and ‘hot shower’ were what really tipped the scale. Cassia rose out of her low position. She shook out her coat, dislodging the nerves from her mind with the action. With much less caution than she had had moments prior the wolf approached the pair, tail starting to wag tentatively. Even if she wasn’t so sure about sticking around to play guard dog for the long haul, even a temporary offer of a decent place to stay was enough to sell Cassia on going with them. She made a mental promise to herself that she would make a choice soon. For sure. Definitely, she swears she will. She just needed to observe them more now that she had the opportunity. That was it- she wasn’t being indecisive at all.

Wading through the dew-damp grasses Cassia moved up to the truck and in a single fluid motion she jumped up into the truck bed. Eventually she’d have to get back to her car since she actually would need her personal effects at some point but if someone didn’t mind letting her borrow some clothes for the night that was a journey that could be taken tomorrow. As it were her car was little more than an afterthought with food, a shower, and sleep on the table. Her tail thudded against the truck bed and she barked, trying to get the pair moving. There was (hopefully) non-greasy non-gas station food in her future and she was determined to make it there.

[rigbees]

☰☰ 𝙃𝙐𝘼𝙉 𝙔𝘼 ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰
☾ she/her . 31 . wolf pack beta ☽ tag. jackson, cassia location. lake

Huan stays silent as she walks up to the scene, allowing Jackson to do his introduction. Huan nods a little as she hears her name, before she finally arrives next to the truck. As Jackson continues to speak, she leans against the side of the truck, listening as he goes on. She typically likes to be around when new people join the pack, always trying her best to trust Jackson's judgment and not fear the others too much. She remembers a time when she was new, being welcomed back into a pack she abandoned. Jackson has done a lot for a lot of wolves, and Huan doesn’t want to be the reason this new wolf distrusts them just because she was worried and appeared too threatening.

Huan focuses most if not all her attention on the wolf, trying not to overanalyze every little twitch. She is so focused on her, she doesn’t really notice anything amiss, not even picking up Jacksons brief pause. As he continues, Huan nods along as he describes the pack and their role in the town. Huan takes pride in their pack's protection of the people, and she tries to make it obvious in her body language.

Despite having known it was most likely going to be the case, Huan can’t help but hesitate once Jackson offers her to come with them. She absolutely knew he would offer, yet she always gets really anxious when new people are offered to spend the night. She knows she will most likely not sleep much tonight. She wonders if the newcomer likes coffee, Huan is aware that coffee will be her friend tonight as she remains awake, so maybe she can offer the other some as some sort of peace offering. She does make pretty decent coffee, she likes to think.

As the wolf stands up, Huan pushes herself so her weight isn’t supported by the truck anymore. She watches the entire process of the stranger getting into the truck bed, noticing for the first time that she doesn’t have anything with her. Huan isn’t sure if that means she truly has nothing to her name or if her things are simply hidden away somewhere, but the sight does make Huan feel a little bit bad for her, her guard lowering in the slightest out of sudden concern.

Once she is seated and clearly ready to go judging by her bark, Huan decides to quickly address her before they leave, speaking for the first time since showing up to the scene, “I don’t know if you need, but if you want you can borrow some clothes,” she offers, although she has no frame of reference for the girls size or height in her other form, “I also have some clothes in other sizes, it’s my hobby to- anyways. The others might have stuff for you if my stuff doesn’t fit, and I can make coffee if you want. Or tea, whatever you want,” she finishes awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. Embarrassed by the awkward interaction, she moves on without giving time for her to react in any way, quickly turning towards Jackson.

“Can I ride with you?” she asks him, unwilling to walk back alone despite having walked here. She would rather stay around the stranger in case anything happens. Also it would cause weird timing of her arriving at the house later than the two of them and missing potentially important things.