Broken Buildings - Part 1

JadeRavenWing (Milani)

It was about midday, and with spring rolling across the land in full bloom the days were beginning to get a little warmer. A little too warm for one particular Felvarg. Viktor had decided to nap the hottest part of the day away, having finally made it to the village of Hearth. He’d booked a small tent in the visitor’s section of Hearth, had made sure Milani had plenty to eat, and then settled down atop a soft cushion of hides and straw to sleep. It had been a long morning spent walking, though the events of the past few weeks had left him more exhausted than anything. So exhausted, in fact, that Milani swore he was sawing through hardwood logs as he slept. Try as she might the young pup couldn’t find the desire, or the ability, to sleep. Especially not with the way Viktor was snoring. He didn’t usually snore so loudly, if at all, and even pressing her paws over her ears did little to muffle the sounds that rumbled from Viktor’s throat. After about a quarter of an hour trying the young pup finally gave up. He certainly wouldn’t notice if she slipped out for a little while. Besides, she wasn’t sleepy, and there was an entire village to explore! Maybe she’d get lucky and find her friend! With that thought to spur her onwards Milani took only a brief moment to glance back at the sleeping Viktor before she pressed onwards into the bright daylight. She had to stop and squint in order to give her eyes time adjust. Once she could see clearly the young pup stared around in awe, unsure what to do or where to go first. She supposed left was as good as right, and so she picked the path that led farther into the heart of Hearth. Milani stared with wide eyes, having never seen so many buildings, or people, in one place before. She was so distracted by the sights, the colors, and the sounds that she didn’t pay attention to what was immediately in front of her. So when she collided nose first with the legs of another Felvarg Milani yipped in surprise and flopped onto her rump, staring up with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

MrsEvelyn (Maiara)

The brown female didn't often come to the villages, not when she had the pack to keep her busy. But while she was off on a midday stroll, she could see the looming shapes of the huts and it caught her eye more than usual. Humming softly, her green gaze studied it before she finally turned her body in that direction. It would be worth while to see if there was something worth trading for. With determined steps, her head held high Maiara marched into Hearth. Her eyes wandered as soon as she entered, trying to pick up everything at once. It was a busy place, bodies swarming around the well-kept houses. Gaze full of wonder, she made her way down the cobblestone path. Maia's left shoulder connected with someone, making her stumble back with her eyes wide. Turning to the stranger, she dipped her head in an apologetic manner. She wasn't used to being around this many direwolves, it made her wonder if she had made a mistake. She was one who liked to have wide open spaces, inside the town of Hearth it was crowded and full of life. it made her ears pull back towards her head ever so slightly, however she was determined to not turn back now. She was here, she might as well enjoy herself!

Cutting towards the outer ring of the village, she heard the soft yelp of a child. Perking, her emerald gaze glanced around to try to find the young one that had cried out. Soon after Maiara spotted a cream girl looking rather surprised, making a wide smile cut across her gray lips. Weaving around other bodies she made her way towards the young one, leaning her head down to attempt to nuzzle behind her ear. "Are you okay little one?" Maia asked sweetly, a motherly like tone to her words. The direwolf took a moment to look around, but didn't spot anyone looking for her. Was she here all alone? Well now, that wouldn't do one bit. It was far too easy to get lost in the twisting path and sea of bodies. Turning back to the girl, she smiled at her again. "You here alone, dear?"

JadeRavenWing (Milani)

The stranger that Milani bumped into was, fortunately, of a kindly sort. They simply chuckled at the young pup’s wide eyed stare before continuing on their way. It was not at all unusual for newcomers to bump into others, so taken in were they by the strangeness of Hearth compared to much of the rest of Ulfrheim. It took a while for Milani to regain her bearings, trying to determine which way to head now that her original path had encountered an unexpected, albeit temporary, obstruction. When she felt the soft nose of a Felvarg nuzzle her from behind the young pup’s head leaned back in order to get a good look at the female addressing her, and with a happy little wag of her tail Milani yipped in greeting. "Hello! I’m alright! It’s just… everything is so big here! And there’s so many people!"

Milani breathed in wonder before grinning, shaking her head and giving a reassuring, "Nope! Uncle VeeVee is here! He’s taking a nap though, and he was being so loud that I couldn’t sleep." Her tail continued to wag along the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud. "So I decided to take a look around for myself!"

MrsEvelyn (Maiara)

At the pups excited voice made her chuckle, folding her rump down to the ground to take a seat. She loved being around little ones, they always had such a bright outlook on life. It was refreshing after the darkness of the days they were facing, to speak with one who was blind to the black parts of life. To this little one, it was all new and full of interesting things. If only Maiara could be like that again, what she would give to have an untainted view. Licking at her lips, she felt more relaxed when the cream girl told her that her uncle was around. Good, at least she didn't have to hunt down parents, or even take her back to the pack with her. "It is very big, you should be careful by yourself out here." It was a gentle warning, nothing harsh about it at all. She just wanted to make sure that she would be okay, it didn't feel right to just walk away now.

Pulling herself up again, she shook out her fur to take another look around. Well, if she was out here she might as well make sure that she stayed safe. Hopefully she wouldn't get in too much trouble. "Well then, I'm Maiara. If you need an escort I will gladly take you around Hearth." Maia didn't know too much about it either, but it would be fun to learn together!

JadeRavenWing (Milani)

Milani was pleased to have met such a friendly stranger. She did so enjoy meeting new people, and it was all the better when they were just as enthusiastic about meeting her. Milani wriggled a bit when Maiara suggested she should be careful, giving a right proper nod in response. "Oh yes! Of course! Uncle VeeVee is always telling me to be careful." She wrinkled her nose a little before rolling her eyes. "Though sometimes I think he worries too much. Besides, I wouldn’t run off so much if he wasn’t so boring all the time." She grumped, though when Maiara stood and offered to escort the young pup around Hearth Milani’s tail began to wag at a million miles an hour.

The small dust cloud from earlier wisped about and Milani bounced to her feet, turning around in the process so that she now faced her newly made friend. "Oh, oh! Really? Thank you! It’s so much more fun exploring when you can do it with a friend!" Milani exclaimed excitedly, her enthusiasm for the adventure showing through in an excited lolling tongue grin.

MrsEvelyn (Maiara)

Maia was glad that she had listened to the pull towards the village, it was delightful to meet this bouncing bundle of energy. The woman chuckled when she spoke of her uncle always telling her to be careful, leaning down to playfully nip at her cheek. "That just means he cares about you and wants to make sure you're safe. It's obvious that Uncle VeeVee cares you," she commented with a grin. "And who wouldn't!" Maia exclaimed, bouncing on her paws as she picked up on the child's seemingly endless energy.

Her excited claims for exploring got the black toed dire energized as well, her head darting around to try to see a good path for them to take. She didn't really want to wander back into the largest fray of the crowd, it would be too easy to lose the cream pup. Maybe if they inspected a nearby building? Squinting her green eyes, Maiara spotted an old out building that had seen better days. Vines choked out parts of the wooden boards, cracks in the surface giving them a good peek inside. With a nod she started off towards it, occasionally checking to make sure her new friend was with her. As they neared the building she realized that she hadn't caught her name, wondering if she had missed it or if the girl has simply forgotten. "And what's your name, dear?" As easy as it was to use sweet terms towards her, it was always nice to have a name.