Fantasy Finding Pack and Finding Home

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

"He chased after us out of the store. We were gonna pay, but we knocked something over and he yelled, so we ran." Sarah said with a shrug, tucking the herbs into the smaller bag she wore, the one she used for all her medicinal herbs and healing mixes. She was trailing after the pair, trying to be as careful as possible with her high-tops being in the condition that they were in. Lucas let out this scoffing sound as he leapt off of the dead tree and hurried ahead to scent out the trail a head of them, making sure it was safe. He got distracted by a small animal and quickly engaged in a chase of it, pouncing on it with a growl it tried to hide in a large pile of dead leaves.

Max tilted his head as she pointed out a large city, he didn't like them and crinkled his nose as she said that they needed to go there. But he was so easily distracted by her as she touched his hand again, a soft pleased rumble coming out of him. He didn't notice it and instead watched her as she put the large map away before he was leading the way towards the destination he had chosen. While they were walking, he cleared his throat and took out the small bit of deer hide once again to keep fixing it up as he had planned for his sister. Even though they were going where they could potentially get her a better pair of shoes, she always went for the same things that fell apart so fast. "What's jazz?" Max decided to ask in the hopes that he could distract her from going to the city with the symbol she had dreamed off. He kept close to Felse as they walked, keeping a very close eye on her. It was going to be a long walk and it was going to be a long day, he might as well try to find out a little more about the humans that she had been among. Like finding out what jazz was because he already knew that trains were meant to be avoided. They went too fast and couldn't stop in time. They had been told horror stories about the large steel machines by their parents before they had disappeared.

 

[BurntCook]

Fesle looks up at Maxwell with a gasp, "Oh Maxwell please don't tell me you haven't heard of jazz!" she pleads before walking ahead of him. "I can't even describe the type of music it is other than it not being rhythm, but a conversation. There's a lot of improvising on the spot genius that artists create through these horns. It can be slow blues or dancing swings, you have to have a special talent to play those instruments. They're harder than they look." Explaining through a wide smile, it's almost as if she can hear the music so vividly as she walks in almost a rhythmic pace. She turns toward Max with her hands folded behind her back, "I think you would enjoy it, it's more of songs of soul rather than the louder genres."

"Do you know how to dance?" randomly asking, not walking backwards, giving Max all of her attention. "I think it's something everyone should have, it's like your own howl."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max arches an eyebrow as he watches Felse as she talks about Jazz, she almost seems offended by the fact that he had no idea what it was. He couldn't help the large smile that slowly started to spread and grow across his face as he listened to her and watched her describe it to him, talking about how it was a music that was different from all the others. He could tell that this was something that she really loved and enjoyed, that it was a part of her very being. It was in her soul. She was walking with this bounce to her step, she was practically gliding across the ground as they went. "We didn't really listen to a lot of music growing up, or now even. Nature is enough." he said, because he honestly felt that way. But he could also see how much the music meant to her. So, he took a deep breath and said "Doesn't mean we never heard of it, or saw our parents dance." he told her, watching her as she started to walk backwards with a skill he didn't think he had.

"Dad, he'd start humming as he walked towards Mom and he'd keep singing this song as he took her hands in his and he'd just hold her close and they'd move, slow and easy across the floor of the cabin. And it was just like they were the only ones there, they'd move slowly in this small space of the kitchen. Her head on his shoulder and he'd have one arm around her waist." he told her, looking at Felse but it was almost like he didn't see her. Max was talking about a memory that meant a lot to him, and it was like he could still see it happening before him, even though his attention was all hers.

 

[BurntCook]

As Fesle listens to Maxwell speak of his parents so fondly, how much love and adoration he has in his eyes for them. It makes her feel both happiness that he was able to have parents and glum that they disappeared so randomly. Surely there had to have been a reason to why they left, but wouldn't they at least leave a note or something? The more he spoke of the bond between his parents, the more Fesle longed for that. It makes backwards stride slower with each step, just looking over his features as he spoke. The way he's so tall, bearded, and muscular would make others so hesitant to go near him, especially other werewolves. Why is she not afraid of him? Furthermore, why can't she stay away from him?

It was to the point that she was going so slow that she finally stops in front of Maxwell. Her smile isn't as enthusiastic as before but still one of heart. A heart that has empathy for Maxwell and his siblings, one that made her not want to leave his side. "You know," she starts quietly, "I actually began to believe that a bond like that would be something I could never achieve. I mean, who would want a wolf that reeks of humans?" The thought of Maxwell having that someday and knowing how to give that type of bond made her envious. Her mouth twists as it tries to stay into a smile, "I hope you have something like that someday Max. All of you."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max isn't sure what to say or think when Felse slows down so much to a stop in front of him, which makes him slow down and stop because if he didn't he was going to walk right into her. Even still, he's only one steps away from her as he looks down at her, she looks so small compared to him, and he knows that she's smaller than what she's wearing shows. But he doesn't care because she has not once shown a fear of him, she had helped him keep them all afloat before they got ashore. Reaching up to scratch at his bearded cheek once again "I supposed that's up to the moon goddess, we find out what type of bonds we get to have when she sees fit." he tells her softly, reaching out to gently turn her around but he doesn't pull his hand away as he starts to walk with her as his siblings follow from a distance. "You don't stink of humans by the way, you smell like... Like pine cones." he told her softly, giving her hand a soft squeeze as they continued to walk. He wasn't really sure what else to say as they continued to walk towards the next town. Unconsciously, he had already adjusted his path to lead them towards the city she had said she dreamt of.

Lucas had picked up on the change of course, but he said nothing as he kept his attention on his siblings while ran a head sometimes to continue to make sure there were no dangers in their path. He would wait, to make sure he was still going in the right direction before he kept the path clear. Sarah had continued to stay only a step or two behind the pair, pausing here and there to pick any medicines that were in their path.

 

[BurntCook]

Fesle nods, deep in thought as she lets him lead her wherever he wants to go. "I've heard of the moon goddess, but only from humans, I don't know if it's different tales in a wolf's perspective. I heard stories of how she favored women and how they would pray to her for a peaceful marriage and healthy childbirth." She looks at him, having to cock a neck a bit to do so because of the height. "Does she refuse bonds?" curiosity made her ask, but also in a weary way. All this time she's never been interested in anyone, so does that mean this moon goddess has been displeased? Is she not meant to be bonded to anyone?

Her laugh is soft as she hides it behind her knuckles, "I never heard people say that's what I smell like, and since it's coming from you I won't take it as insulting." Feeling the squeeze he gave her just makes her wrapped more around his fingers. Her smile, eyes, stance, they're all warm towards this werewolf, knowing he could probably crush her at any time. Each time they bump into each other it makes her not want to leave his side. She takes her other hand and holds onto his arm with her slim fingers. Her nails still have dirt under them from pulling herself out of the water, but she doesn't care. After spending so much time in the woods, she's used to them never being clean. "You smell like....hm, like a new coming winter. To others it would be a dread to smell, but to those that crave it, it's joyful. It's the smell that's clean and new...like fresh snow, a new way of life." Going on like that brings a light blush onto her cheeks, "Kind of like how you and your siblings brought a new way of life to me."

She watched Lucas go ahead of them and hears Sarah behind her, still plucking at any herbs and plants she finds. "So, with a pack, is it that we each are assigned a role, or are we unique or skilled to pick the role ourselves?"

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max felt like his tail would have been wagging as he listened to Felse describe to him what his scent smelled like because to him that was the best thing in the world, when there was fresh snow in winter and they got to make fresh tracks. He liked the way she made it sound, like it was a form of new life and he couldn't stop grinning as they continued to walk along their path while he kept her hand in his and kept her close. That touch on his arm as she held it with her other hand so they were even closer, made him feel lighter than air as he helped and guided her over fallen debris along the wooded floor. But he needed to force himself to focus as he said "I've never heard of the moon goddess to refuse a bond, just that she puts them into place and we keep them going." he said, because that was all he knew. He didn't know if she set certain types of bonds more than that of a pack.

"And a pack, well, ours was different before, but Sarah's always been one for healing like our father, so she spent a lot of time with him learning while Lucas and I spent more time with our mother learning ways to survive and keep each other safe." Max told Felse as he took a glance from one sibling to the next. "Mom was Alpha," he started very softly, trying not to remind his siblings of the hurt they had gone through. "Dad healed and helped keep us in line. They disappeared and they were so lost, I had to get them out of there. So, I did what Mom always used to do, I said we'd go find them but, we never have." he finished, glancing around him as if to make sure that Felse was the only one that had heard him. He didn't want to force his siblings to talk about it before they were ready. He had never heard them talk about it, so he rarely did.

 

[BurntCook]

She listens to Maxwell as she also is careful over the twigs and rotting logs on the forest floor. The grip on his arm tightens a bit, trying to not only get her foot stuck in anything but to also not make much noise. It's so easy for anyone and anything to hear cracking branches and leaves crunching, it's normal for her to be so cautious. But still feeling Maxwell's warmth in both her hands makes her more confident to just be, well a werewolf. Besides, Lucas would probably see something coming faster than any of them. A hum leaves her, "I see, maybe she's set some new ones into mine." after getting over mother nature's toss-outs, she looks up at Maxwell before looking away. It's dangerous how she's already used to this, what if she keeps expecting this? The last thing she would want is to be in Maxwell's way.

Fesle listens to Maxwell, not interrupting him and letting him air that all out. After all, she couldn't imagine having to keep that quiet for the sake of her siblings for so long. How does he not crack? Her want to help kicked in but what could she do? This happened eight years ago, any question she would ask about other family members or where they could be would be stupid to ask. Like they haven't already thought of every single option they could. "Your parents both sounded like they knew how to raise all of you." she says, equally as quiet, catching on that others aren't supposed to hear them. "I think mine probably weren't so much experienced, I mean, they had their pack near a damn- of all the places." a sigh leaves her just thinking about it. Sometimes she even thinks that her parents weren't wise at all to be near such a flawed man-made structure. "I'm truly sorry that you and your siblings had to go through that. I know the decision wasn't east to make, for you to make that for your pack just tells how much you're like your scent: chooses new and faces the winter." Her head lays against his arms for a few seconds as they walk, not being anywhere close to his shoulders.

Trying to lighten the mood, she looks up at him with a smirk, "Would your parents even let me within a five mile radius of you guys? I bet they wouldn't appreciate how close you are."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

A soft snort came out of Max when Felse said that it sounded like his parents knew how to raise them, but how he could he argue with her as she held onto him firmly and kept so close that all he really smelt was her scent more than anything else. "We're alright, we still have each other." Max said softly when she said that she was sorry that they had gone through such a thing when really, she had been through far more than they had. Like he had said, they still had each other, but she had, had only the humans. She had to learn about herself all on her own, and though he was sorry that she had, she was so very strong for it and he knew that she would make an amazing member of the pack. She was going to do amazing at his side. That thought was a surprise to him, but something inside told him deep down inside, that she was meant to be there at his side. She was meant to lead with him, he just, didn't know how.

Max couldn't help but laugh though when Felse decided to tease him a bit, moving his free hand to set it warmly over the one that was gripping his arm. "Parents do the best they can with what they're given. If they would have let you near, is another question. They'd just have to put up with how close we are." he told her, grinning at her as he kept her as close to him as possible as they continued on. "Would you have had a reason to have been in the rocky mountains?" he decided to ask her, letting her know in a way just how far away from their place of birth that they actually were. But he hadn't specified exactly which part they had come from. Not yet. He wanted to go back one day, eventually. Max had never told his siblings, but he wanted to spend the rest of his life in the cabin they had been born in.

 

[BurntCook]

This type of bond he has among his siblings, this inseparable, as long as they have each other, type of bond makes her speechless. A lot of humans aren't able to cope on their own after so long, even with the motivation to hopefully find others. However, just the presence of each other gives them strength, gives them courage to keep fighting. "I'm glad, so with a pack, it's not much about numbers and more about the members themselves..." she analyzes, trying to wrap her head around werewolves now that she's around them. Hopefully there's still a chance for her to change the tide of her life and finally be able to embrace this side of her that she's always hid. What will she be like? Does that mean she'll have a disregard for humans? From all the humans she's met in her life she really doesn't want that. There's still a distant respect she wants to have for them. Many thoughts run through her mind of the possible outcomes of who she'll become, some of them negative. But being engulfed in Maxwell's scent, a constant reminder of a new turn in life, and the smells of his siblings near her; the hope and strength that's in her will hopefully grow.

Fesle continues to look up at him, having confidence that he's leading her rather than her own legs. A smile grows along with a chuckle, "True, I would in fact be in someone else's territory. But you guys would have sensed that faster than me." The smile stays when he draws her closer, "Don't worry, when we find them, I'll make sure to be on my worst behavior." Though she's lying, it's still fun to joke with him like this, it almost seems natural. She even has to remind herself that they only met hours ago. Her laugh makes her head bump into his arm before considering his question. "Hm, I might come across that area simply for adventure. When I left that cottage town a year ago, there was a while where I traveled with those 'hippies' I told you about. We would go anywhere as long as it was away from society. If I would have stayed with them, we would probably be in the rocky mountains, searching for the energy found in the animals and the trees."

"Imagine the first time we met would have been with a bunch of humans that haven't showered in weeks." She can still smell the stench they give off, which always confused her. They could have easily bathed in the water falls, it's not like if they showered that their 'call to the wild' would subside. "Do you think you would still be able to smell me?" she jokes

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

"That's how we do it." Max told Felse as she asked about the pack and that it was about each of them as part of the pack, not just the pack as a whole. But then, that had been how they were raised was to function as a pack while each being their own person. He keeps her close as they keep walking, looking up occasionally to make sure that he's still on the right path to their next destination because he doesn't need that large paper map, to know where he's going but it did help to know how close the next group of humans were. Max was quick to turn his attention back to her when she said that he would have known if she walked into their territory before she did, he hadn't known such a thing was possible and was about to ask her what she knew when he was instead smiling and laughing because she said that she would be on her worst behaviour if they ever found them. "You're going to be the worst, huh? Well, I'm going to have to make sure to be even better than I've ever been before." he said, offering her a smirk and a wink.

Max was going to lead Felse around a rather large fallen tree when she mention the stink of an unwashed human, he knew the smell even if he didn't know exactly a hippie was. His nose had crinkled at the thought, but her scent was still in his nose and he wondered if he could pick it out ever that stink of a human unwilling to wash. He had to think it through, but was unable to actually come up with an answer that satisfied him. He wanted to boldly claim that he could, with no doubt at all, pinpoint her scent anywhere. But he didn't know why he wanted to make such a claim to her, or even why he still felt like she was meant to stay right where she was at his side. Instead he says "Maybe one day we can find out and we can play a little hunting game." he tells her, wondering if maybe when they arrive at their destination if she could run off and he could see how well he keeps her scent among the mixed and foul scents of a human city.

 

[BurntCook]

"I don't know if that's even possible," Fesle laughs at his wink, "do you have a suit for those occasions? Or are you used to it because of Lucas?" she jokes. The mention of fancy clothes makes her sigh in reminiscence, "I miss being able to wear a dress and not have to run or hike anywhere. I can't remember the last time I've worn that kind of attire." In fact, she actually could tell him when was the last time she wore a dress. Back when she lived in the cottage villages, dresses were sometimes cheaper than buying shirts and pants. There were even winter days she still had nothing covering her legs. It's probably been years since she's stepped foot into those clothes again. However, the thought of Maxwell in a suit does make her heart race. On cue, she slyly side-eyes his figure, looking him up and down with a smirk. If he was in a suit he'd have all the girls chasing him. Then again, maybe he shouldn't be in a suit.

Carefully walking around the tree with Maxwell, she chuckles before she squeezes his hands. "Let's hope those muscles won't make you too slow to lose track of me." her joke combines with a fun challenging tone. Not that she thinks he can't do it, if anything, he'd love for that to happen. Because, in a way, she feels like she can do the same. Even when he went out to hunt while they stayed by the fire, his smell made it seem like he never left. Even now it's filling her nose with each inhale, each time is calming yet enticing to say the least. It's strange how easily comfortable it is around him and how she feels like she can talk to him about anything. Hopefully she can stay as long as she can because she wants to spend that with him...but why? She feels guilty for not talking to Lucas and Sarah as much as she does to Max. There's just a feeling inside her that she needs to check up on him, make sure he's okay. True, she feels that with her new pack members, but Maxwell is somehow different. It's more intense, easily inviting.

"So, what is this small town like? Do you know anything about it?" she asks, thinking they're still going to the small town. By his reaction from earlier, she can tell that he wasn't too excited about going to Queens. She doesn't mind it though, it was in fact just a dream she had while in a freezing state next to the rushing river. It could mean anything or nothing at all. Though she would love to go to Queens, she will go wherever Maxwell takes her. Which is funny because she's so used to going wherever she wants to go, no matter what humans told her otherwise.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max turns his head and gives Felse a bit of a look as she mentions suits and dresses, of dressing nicely just to go out places. He doesn't understand the concept, but he can see the way that it affects her, so he offers up a large, sweet smile as they continue on their way. He can just hear her heart as it picks up a beat, the rush as a blush tints her cheeks. He pats the hand under his, over his arm and does his best not to pull her closer to him. "My muscle wouldn't slow me down that much, they hold a hidden power." he says, trying to tease her but it falls flat because he's starting to pick up on how he affects her. He can't wait until they actually get there and they can play this little game, they can actually run through the challenge of finding out if he can find her among the many human smells. He is more than eager to get there and show her, and he sees a way to keep her in the dark as she asks about the small town. "I don't know anything about our next destination, we've never been." he tells her before taking a glance over his shoulder at his sister and then looking towards his brother who is busy sniffing out what looks like a hare's den.

Max wants nothing more than to stay right where he is at Felse's side but the thought of a fresh hare pulls him away from her and he drops the duffle from his shoulder and extracts his arm from her grip before he's leaping over a small log to shift and run up to the den and sniff. He is more than distinctly aware of where Felse is more than he is of his siblings as he inhales the scent before he was off with his nose to the forest floor as he hunts it down. He's favourite thing to eat has always been hare, the thrill of the chase such a small thing can give has always excited him.

"We still have some left over venison." Sarah says as she walks up to scoop up the duffle bag and put it over her head to start making the strap shorter before sticking her hand inside of it to find the wrapped scraps to hold them up and offer to the other she wolf. "Sorry, he adores hunting down hare." she told her, aware of what appeared to be going on between the pair because she had been watching from behind them. She still wasn't so sure she understood it, but she knew enough to start to figure out what was going on. "Did you want some more to eat?" she adds, holding out the bundle to her as she walks at her side to continue on the path they had already been on because she knew that her brothers would catch up once they completed the hunting.

 

[BurntCook]

Leaning her head closer to his', she faces his attempt to intimidate with narrow eyes and a grin. "What good are those muscles if they can't catch me?" her honey voice seeped lower, practically enjoying this whole thing. The thought of a chase sounds so exciting, hoping that it'll happen sooner than later. She's tempted to even start running now, but surprisingly, like reading her mind, he lets go of her and shifts to chase after something. In a normal scenario, she would be startled, wondering what's going on. But the way his tail wags as his sniffs and the scurry he does, Fesle knows it's nothing dangerous happening. She giggles as she uses her now warm hands to pull the scrunchie off her hair.

As she starts plucking her hair to unravel her braid, she smells the venison faster than seeing it. While still fixing her hair, she uses her teeth to bite onto the wrapping, thanking Sarah through her eyes crinkling. It takes only a few seconds to get her braid out before violently shaking her fingers through her hair. A few knots pulled later and she finally has all her brunette hair out. Some of it is still damp from the river, not surprising to her because her hair is a little thick. The most obvious part of her hair of course being the ends of her hair that are lighter. Sure they need a trim, but she's definitely not going to try that herself. Her hands unwrap the venison meat and flings some blood onto the floor so that it doesn't drip on her.

"I'll just take it as him not wanting to accept my challenge, I know I'm intimidating." she says sarcastically before taking a bite. The blood dripping out leaves her to cock her head forward to make sure it doesn't get on her denim jacket. After all, what kind of first impression would she have on humans if she had blood all over her. She swallows, "Are you hoping for anything when we make it to town? Since winter is coming, hopefully we can get you some good boots!"

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Sarah laughed, taking a glance back towards her brothers "How about we just say you're both intimidating." she says, hoping to compromise that as her brother begins to scamper and scurry after what looked like a rather large hare. She ended up laughing some more because it looked like this one was not going to go without a good fight. "Hmm? Boots? I've never worn boots." she tells her as she takes a large bite of the smaller bundle she kept for herself. "I don't like them. Too heavy." she tells her as they keep onwards towards the city but she knows that this other woman hasn't figured that out yet. And as they're walking side by side, she finally notices that she's a bit shorter than the other woman, though she knows her body shape is a bit bigger from earlier when they were soaking went and trying to dry off only a few hours earlier. "Whenever we stop among the humans, we take what we can get. Sometimes we're lucky and there's money in the pockets. We've got a bit saved up, we usually try to save it for our birthdays or emergency instances. They might make me buy a pair if we can't find any." she told her, stuffing a piece into her cheek to talk before she was chewing on it. She wasn't nearly as careful as Felse was, a few drops of blood going down her chin to rest on the faded, worn pink sweater that she wore. It was easy to tell that it was once been such a bright colour with how lacking it now was. But that doesn't matter as the sounds of her brother hunting gets further away, but she knows that he will find them easily. They've done this sort of thing before. And sure enough, eventually he's appearing in their path.

Max had heard Felse, how could he not, but that wasn't his concern to continue with their verbal banter as he finally located the hare that had been trying to hide as its scent filled his nose for a moment and he pounced as he tried to catch it in his jaws. But he missed and it boxed him square in the jaw with its back feet, it was then he hears the laughter and knows that had not gone unseen. Growling deep in his throat, the chase is on as he scurried forwards on his paws to try and catch it. But this one obviously knows how to fight for its own life and it leads him around the forest floor, going under things he has to destroy to get to it before its off and running again. Obviously the other predators in the area would have given up, but he can tells its getting tired and he enjoys the thrill far too much. The chase leads him away from the others, but he can hear Lucas just behind him letting him know that he hasn't gone too far before he finally succeeds in catching it. Its a very proud, happy wolf that comes trotting back in his abnormally large size with the hare, tail held as high as he shows up that he caught the elusive animal.

 

[BurntCook]

"Fine, I'll settle it with that." she giggles before biting more into her meat, still being overly cautious over the dripping. Quickly finishing it is something she's used to doing, hardly ever having the time to savor food while traveling; with no fuss too. "Sometimes boots are better for situations like this." she motions towards the ground, covered in either random puddles or fallen debris. "But as long as the shoes aren't cloth and can be water resistant, I find those better in the long run. They're worth the money whenever you can get them, sometimes you'll find them in a thrift store for cheap!" Taking a break to clean off her fingers, she licks the ones that touched the meat before they could be tinted from the blood. Licking them reminds her of how Maxwell cleaned her muzzle back at the river, making her cease from cleaning them. For a few seconds she's deep in thought as the tips of her ears turn pink. I can't believe I actually did that...

"Whatever we can find for your feet, I'll help chip in." she offers, well insists. "A pack has to stick together, right? Besides, I don't need any other shoes until these go out." Looking down at her shoes, you would think they're regular sneakers, but they do have a rubber-looking cover over them rather than cloth. Sure, they're definitely worn in with some tears and permanent dirt marks. At least water doesn't get in them as easily. "What's mine is yours." Fesle smiles before snapping her head when Maxwell's scent becomes stronger. A moment later and Maxwell does appear on the scene, the smile staying when she sees how confident he is. It unconsciously makes her shift into her wolf form and walks up to him. Her tail is as high is his, not having the feeling to lower it, as she sniff the hare with a wag. With ears perking up, she boops her nose on his before showing off her congratulations through a hop. A sort of hop that a puppy would do along with a bark and a lick against his muzzle.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max's first instinct as Felse walks up to him, seeing her shift for the first time since that morning, is to wag his tail and greet her happily. But the moment she bumps her nose to his, he unconsciously drops the small meal he's holding and just stares at her for a moment as she does the cutest things he's ever seen, his tail wagging again as he looks at her and puff up taller with pride as she finally gives his muzzle a grooming lick. That is all he needs and he moves forwards to rub against her, so their scents become mingled in a way that has his tail continuously wagging. He gives her some happy bumps before he was digging into the hare to finish it off as quick as possible and starting back on the path again.

Sarah is still thinking about what Felse has said to her, about offering to help buy her something for her feet, and how boots are better. But she knows that she can't won't be getting anything more than she normally does. She isn't sure when it will happen, just that it will as she yawns and finds a log to sit on and finish off her own bit of Venison before they leave the scrap hide on the ground before she too shifts.

Max silently leads them once again, carefully making sure that his siblings are following as he keeps himself as tight to Felse's side every chance that he gets because instinct is so much easier to follow now that he's a wolf. He rubs against her, and nuzzles her neck as they walk along. Its easier to travel like this, on four paws and it goes far quicker than he had originally said, especially since they aren't going towards the small town anymore. They hear it, drowning out the birds and nature before they ever see it. Smell the foul, polluted air before they even get close. Max stops and shifts as they start to see sings of humans and he stretches out his back, rolling his shoulders before he's turning his attention to Felse, a large smile spreading across his face "You want to start now, or after we find a place to stay for the night?"

"Can we find a place to stay first? Isn't the point for more humans to be out, aren't there more during the day." Sarah cuts in, walking towards them before she slips and nearly falls. She catches herself on a tree and then lets out this loud groan before lifting up her foot with the repaired rip to show it had finally failed with her misstep and showed her barefoot had gone through, the sole barely holding on. "Dammit!" she groaned, needing to keep using the tree for support to get the remains of the shoe off. Lucas waits before walking over and crouching down to offer his back to her. Normally he isn't the one to carry her, but he knows this time its his job as they rise up and get that last distance into the city.

"Motel first, shoes first tomorrow." Max says as he leads them once again, holding his hand out for Felse in a want to keep her close so that she too doesn't end up randomly losing her footing. "Do we have enough for a motel stay, or are we breaking into a room?" he decides to ask while they're walking, glancing at his brother and sister. They both give this sort of shrug and he knows they might be better off setting up a shelter in the outskirts where they're still among nature.

 

[BurntCook]

Fesle sits and happily enjoys Max's bumps and nuzzles, her tail wagging and her ears turn towards him; and as he continues on the path, she follows. She's attached to him like glue as they travel so close together, she's surprised that they aren't tripping over each other. Whenever he nuzzles her, she returns it with just as much enthusiasm. With each rub it's like she doesn't feel the heavy bookbag on her back and the world around them goes silent. Then again, maybe it's silent for a reason. Getting caught up in Maxwell, it took her a second to actually notice the smell of fuel, garbage, and stench that's in the sky.

She almost forgets to shift back as she runs forward to get a better view of the scenery. When she shifts, she has to grab onto a slim tree, reminding herself that there are some spots still slippery from the rain. But the smell of dew and the venison no longer fill her nose as she looks out onto the city. They're on a bit of a incline, but at the bottom of the hill is a road that leads straight into the city. There are some skyscrapers, but not too many to be compared to the famous ones. Some of the fancy skylines collide with the old brick apartments and other buildings, signifying that they're up to date but don't want to let go of their history. If they would have came earlier this morning, no doubt they would see a brown haze surrounding the city. To be able to smell everything from here is phenomenal but also saddening. She wonders what it would be like if humans had never built like this, how the earth would be better off.

When Maxwell offers the hunt, she turns to him with a giant smile and is about to agree before Sarah makes a huge point. They can't carry around these bags all day, people would think they're tourists and that always causes more attention than needed. "That's true, plus we shouldn't keep carry-" she stops when Sarah slips and flinches towards her in an instinct to help her. Seeing her shoe give out makes her sigh, wishing she had bought those shoes from the previous town instead of trying to be cheap.

Hearing Maxwell speak brings her out of her thoughts as she swing her bookbag around again, "I should have enough for a motel, at least a one bed at lease. One bed is better than no bed I suppose." she offers as she pulls out a zip lock bag. It has only cash in it, a good few stacks, but nothing that she would consider being rich. "Before I ventured more into the wilderness, I picked up a job or two, one of them being in a big city." she explains, hoping they weren't thinking she stole this or anything. "You guys save on shoes, I'll get the motel room, how's that?" she offers gratefully, finally being able to somewhat pay off how much they've helped her. "We should find a run down, small motel in the outskirts, those are usually the cheapest." She shoves the zip lock into her denim coat pocket before taking Maxwell's hand once again. Not needing it for help but more like because it feels so right, it's like their hands are puzzle pieces. "But let's please check for bedbugs when we get a room."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

"We have ways of getting around spending money that we might need later." Max says to Felse, more than happy to hold onto her hand as they carefully make their way to that road that leads into the town. He also can't help but laugh a little when she expresses the fear of a bug. They had never had any issues, but it sounds like she has so he just offers her a smile. "We'll figure it out." he promised, though his plan had been to set up a camp on the outskirts in the woods so that they can dig a deep hole to hide their bags if she really wants too. But he doesn't like going back the way he came from, he hasn't back tracked since that time they were shot at around their own home, having apparently gotten too close to a humans animals in a fenced area. But he didn't want to tell her that yet, so he settles wordlessly on motel, as they got to the edge of the road and started to walk along it towards the city. The cars become too frequent for his liking but he knows there is nothing that he can do as they continue walking. He keeps looking back over his shoulder to make sure that Lucas and Sarah are okay as they continue on the path in relative silence.

It's starting to get dark when they reach the city and Max crinkles in nose in annoyance and disgust. He hates the busy, loud and stink that comes with a city. He hates that he can barely smell Felse and he tugs her closer before wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walk in and start looking for the motel. It isn't hard, and it doesn't take long to find it and it looks like its closed as he slows down. But some of the rooms have lights on and he decides that its worth the risk as he turns his attention to his brother. "We'll be right back." he says, giving Felse's hand a squeeze before guiding her over to the side on where to sit and wait. Sarah is set down and he and Lucas start walking up to the motel and into the office.

"They usually send me in there alone." Sarah said from where she was sitting, studying her broken shoe in the hopes she can at least fix it enough that she can use it until they find a place to get another pair. She looks up at the other woman. "Did you know they fall asleep at the desk all the time and if you're quiet enough, you can steal a key for a room, mark it occupied and spend at least one night there without paying." she told her, still looking up at her from what she was sitting on. And from how she says it, its clear that they've done this repeatedly for all their years of travels. Her attention is pulled away as her brothers were quickly returning and she gets up while trying to keep her barefoot off of the concrete.

"Last one on the end." Max said, holding up a key and holding his hand out for Felse as Lucas picks up their sister. He's quiet as they walk to the one that they picked, how they had both not woken the sleeping man was beyond him. But they had a relatively safe place to spend the night. Unlocking the door, he lets all three other members of his pack inside first before he looks around to make sure no one saw them before he slips inside and starts to look for another exit. He finds it in a window that's up high in the bathroom. Satisfied they have a way out if something happens, he returns to the pack and sits himself on the floor with his legs folded and his back to the door like a sentry.

 

[BurntCook]

As Fesle allows him to lead her once again, she focuses on not falling as they go down the hill. Due to the mushy ground, she holds down her weight by digging her heel in the ground, acting as some sort of an anchor. Though some times it doesn't work and she has to catch herself, gripping onto Maxwell's hand with both of hers'; it's the only plan she's got. When they make it down, she can feel all the pressure she put into her knees. She goes back to her original hold on Max a while ago, one hand holding his while the other resting on his arm. It's when they get down that difficult hill did she notice how it's getting dark.

Mixtures of blues and yellows begin to set the sky, still not a cloud in miles, quite different from yesterday's evening. The sun can barely be seen through the skyscrapers that seem miles away from them now that they're on the floor. As the walk into the city, she notices how the outskirts are. They must have taken a calmer, side entrance to the city, noticing the few shops connected to each other and some gas station. Feeling Maxwell shift from holding her hand to pulling her close, she looks up at him to see he's not in the best mood being here. Which she can't really blame them, they were raised different from her. If anything, maybe she shouldn't be too excited to be in the city. The smell of gasoline, garbage, and other things do fill the air, but she also smells food, some toasty fires in alleyways, and hundreds of smells coming from thrift stores.

The sound of some children laughing while their mother scolds them to get inside for dinner makes her chuckle softly. "I can tell that this area is nice despite the lack of finances they have." she comments towards Maxwell and his siblings. Perhaps as long as one of them is the city-born wolf, maybe things won't be as bad for them. They all spot the same motel that first comes in sight, a motel with some cracked cement and weeds growing from the ground. It's a classic rundown motel with it's brown exterior, beige trimming, and the L-shaped rooms it holds. She's surprised they even have a second story to their rooms, one of them even having a cracked window. But being used to getting the worst of the motels is normal for her and she doesn't really turn her nose to it. A bed is a bed, remember.

Fesle nods and reluctantly lets go of Maxwell and watches the two go into the office. The neon sign that says "OPEN" barely functions, only the E is lit up while the others blink. When the brothers open and close the office door, a bobble head that's shoved in the window bobbles from the rare entrance. Leaning against a pole, she looks down at Sarah, listening to her intently while popping her neck. Almost like preparing for the bed's quality in this place. "Hm, really? I've seen people do it but I've never done it myself. Sometimes if someone is cleaning a vacant room, I can usually say that I didn't want my room to be cleaned and then walk in. It leaves me without a key but I never really stay longer than one night." She's impressed with the many ways they have survived around humans, even though it is illegal. You got to do what you got to do though.

"This is exciting," she comments as she grabs Maxwell's offering hand, "these hotels are usually one bed so I'll sleep on the floor. This is almost like a slumber party, a cheap one." she jokes. Trying not to walk faster than Maxwell and to not get too excited as he unlocks the door. She suddenly stops when she notices a weird smell, not coming from the room, though it smells of old carpet and past cigarettes; a different smell catches in her nose. Her head turns away from the door and up to the ceiling, where the next rooms are upstairs. It's a faint smell, but it smells almost...canine like, but not a dog, and has a mixed smell in it. Brows furrow at contemplating what the smell is as she walks in the room, knowing Max is waiting for all of them to get inside.

Fesle stretches as she plops her bookbag down, "Home sweet home." she teases before walking to the bed. It has thin blankets and sheets, having a grandmother-beige pattern to them. Hope no one was wanting these blankets to get warm. Immediately, she pulls off the blankets and sheets to investigate the bed. From lifting the box mattress to looking inside the pillows, she does her best to look for bedbugs like always. A sigh leaves her, "Thank goodness." she mumbles as she puts the sheets and blankets back on. "Is anyone going to take a shower first?" she asks, looking around at everyone.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max just got comfortable on the floor in front of the door when he notices what Felse is doing and tilts his head to the side as he watches her. This must be part of the thing for bed bugs that she was talking about, but he doesn't understand it and just watches with a smile before shaking his head. He feels like the dip in the river was enough and folds his arms as he makes himself comfortable against the door. If he's lucky, he can get in a nap before taking his watch. "No one sleeps on the floor. Pack sleeps in a pile... Or at least, we sleep in a pile. Helps know who's safe and keeps us warm if its cold." he says, scratching at his cheek yet again as he keep his attention on Felse. He can't help it, he has this deep feeling that he needs to know where she is and that she's safe. He can't relax enough for that nap he's hoping for when she goes into the bathroom to have her shower.

Sarah quickly follows Felse inside and drops the duffle bag that holds their things on the table before making sure the curtains are drawn tight before she's turning around to stop and also give a curious look as she too watches the ordeal with the bed. She then blinks before glancing towards the bathroom, the promise of the hot water humans often have is promising. But she's not the only girl anymore, so she bites the edge of her bottom lip before she gestures for the other to go ahead. She needs to find out which of her clothes are the cleanest anyway. She sits in a chair before opening the duffle to start going through her clothes.

Lucas was reluctant to go into the motel room, he had caught the scent the same as Felse had. But he wanted to go and hunt it down, wanted to run upstairs to knock on the door and find out who it was, but he knows that he can't just run off. He isn't the Alpha, he's needed to help protect the pack as a whole. Letting out a sigh, he walks in and is pushing the tv over to sit on the dresser when he stops to watch their new pack mate with the bed. Were they always supposed to do that? He wondered what he was meant to look for by doing that. But he ends up shaking his head before sitting himself on the piece of furniture and presses his back into the wall, as he hugs his legs. His attention is turned up to the ceiling and waves off that he doesn't want a shower. He has no interest in it right now and knows his siblings scents like he knows his own, and he knows they'll be a comfort when it comes time to finally sleep. Maybe, he'll shower in the morning.

 

[BurntCook]

As Fesle investigates the bed, she hears Maxwell about sleeping in a pile together. For a second, she tilts her head at him, "Sleep in a pile? You mean as wolves, huddling together?" the clarification makes her cheeks warm up. I didn't expect to be sleeping beside him on the first night. She has to remember that there's others that will be sleeping with them as well. So...it's not like they're sleeping together together. That's what she has to keep telling herself, gulping before continuing with the bed investigation. Seeing how curious the others are makes her giggle, feeling like a mom more than a pack-mate. When she traveled with the humans, she was usually the one that checked the bed as well. The human family that looked after as a pup always taught her that, sometimes she misses them, the familiarity of them. Being able to walk into a house of humans and they know everything about you except being a werewolf, except they didn't feel the need to poke into her life. They thought they knew everything about her...but I lied to them every single day...

Seeing how everyone didn't want to go shower yet, she nods and quickly starts unpacking some things. She didn't want to take up a lot of time since there's three more that might want to shower, plus it's getting late. Her hands seem to know where in her stuffed bookbag to look as she pulls out some cheap shampoo and conditioner, a small hotel bottle of body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste, and some clothes to change into. "I won't take too long!" she says before rushing into the bathroom, closing it behind her. Turning off the light and about to take off her shirt, she gets one last whiff of Maxwell's scent and her face gets hotter. He's not coming in here... she assures herself before continuing to take off her clothes. They smell of river water and ashes from the campfire, she might have to get some new ones because she can't always afford to clean her clothes.

She walks over to the shower and notices the shower head is a bit rusty and it looks like the tile wall hasn't had a deep clean in a while. The toilet looks that way as well. With one hand while the other covers her small frame, she turns on the tub before pulling the metal tip to change it to a shower. Pulling the shower curtain after she gets in, she does her best to do it as quickly as possible. One moment she's washing her body and then the next she's brushing her teeth while washing her hair. It takes about ten minutes for her to be finished and she turns off the shower. Stepping out carefully, she makes her way to the mirror, where she placed her clothes that she'll sleep in. Luckily she has some green plaid pajama pants but she doesn't have a shirt to sleep in. Of all the times to not have something covering my arms. Hesitantly, she puts on the pajama pants, nighttime undergarments, and a loose tank top.

I wonder if there's anything to dry my hair. She looks in some bathroom cabinets but doesn't see a hairdryer, not surprising though, that would be too much in the budget. So, she takes the same towel she used to dry off with and wraps her long hair in it, making a sort of turban around her head. Making sure she has all her stuff gathered and not wasting time, she opens the bathroom door. She was hurrying to the point that her bare shoulders are still a bit damp from the water. Going to put her stuff away in her bag, she doesn't look anyone in the eyes, especially Maxwell. This tank top shows the insecurity of her body's size and she wishes she had an extra coat or something to put around her. "I didn't use much of the hot water if anyone wants to go." she says before sitting on the bed, a loud creak comes out of it. It feels like she's sitting on a rock, a lumpy rock, but better than the ground she supposes.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Max's nose crinkles slightly when Felse steps out of the shower, a false scent clings to her and covers her own. But he still smells it, still knows that its there as his eyes track her movement from the bathroom to the bed. She looks uncertain, so he looks away and stays where he is on the floor with his back to the door as he leans his own head back and closes his eyes as he tries yet again to take a brief nap. But its hard, knowing that for the first night that they're together as a four member pack, that they're safe and that he gets to curl up with her somewhere in the pile. He'll be able to watch and know that she's safe all night long as opposed to worrying and wondering if something might sneak up on them in the night.

Sarah's up and bolting for the bathroom before Lucas can even thing to move, a bar of hand made soap in her hand and a change of clothes. Her feet are bare, having left behind her shoes to be discarded. She ran into the bathroom to start the shower back up, carelessly stripping off her clothes to leave in a pile. She doesn't bother to lock or secure the door because she knows they won't bother her. She is all too happy to feel the warmer water on her skin as she just stands beneath the running water to enjoy it before she's starting to wash up, knowing that at least one brother is going to want to get in after her.

Lucas has one leg off of the dresser before Sarah races past him, and he lets out this soft huff but moves where he is anyway and goes over to the duffle bag to find a change of clothes for himself because he knows that he's going to need it. At some point down the line they're going to have to find a place and a way to wash their clothing, its been a little too long and they hadn't been able to afford the luxury the rushing waters of the river would have provided. Instead, they're there in a motel and he's got half washed clothing that still smell like the forest.

Max can't nap, he's tried over and over again but he can't. So, he stands up and stretches out his body before he's pulling off the thick, large and worn hooded sweater and hanging it off the back of the chair. The arms drag as the open ends of the zipper touch the floor. But its one of the only thing he has, and he goes to the duffle to pull out a few clean things for himself. He knows that even though normally he'd have changed right there, not often afford the time to shower, he can't now that they have another female pack member. So he's resolved to wait his turn, in the mean time, his weight sinks down on part of the bed and he bends forwards to start taking off his boots. They still faintly smell of peppermint when they're off and he's leaning back to just flop onto the bed. Its one of the softest things they've had to sleep on in months. He can't help it, Felse right there in arms reach, his eyes begin to flutter.

 

[BurntCook]

As Fesle puts her things away in the same spot they were in in her bookbag, it shifts when Maxwell plops onto the bed. She flinches a bit, having focused so hard on not looking at anyone that someone finally in her peripheral vision startles her. But a giggle soon comes out when she sees how exhausted he is. Of course he would be, he didn't sleep this morning but Sarah and herself did. Lucas is probably tired as well. This will be the first time they will all be sleeping together and it shouldn't mess with her as much as it does. When she traveled with the hippies, they usually slept around each other or even in the same bus. There were even times she voluntarily stayed up to keep them safe. This will be the first of sleeping among her own kind. I'm glad I don't kick as much as I did when I was a kid.

Knowing that the others will be sleeping on the bed as well, she moves her bookbag onto the floor and shifts into her wolf form to save space. With bend hind legs she hops onto the bed before shaking off the nervousness she's feeling, literally shaking. Giving Maxwell and the others most of the space, she moves to the head frame that's against the wall. She shoves most of the pillows away with her muzzle before she settles with sleeping on top of one. To make herself comfortable, she starts circling on the pillow before tucking her front paws under her. Maxwell's head is about a foot away from her, making his smell so close to her nose. After a deep inhale and exhale of it, she closes those cognac eyes and tries to go to sleep. Occasionally, a whine will leave her throat out of wanting Maxwell closer, but she'll do her best to settle with the proximity they already have.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Sarah would have jumped in surprise if it wasn't for being a wolf and having heard and smelt her brother outside the bathroom door, she's dressed as she opens the door and is warned to keep quiet in a hope that they don't wake their brother too soon. Fully dressed, Sarah puts a few things away, braiding her wet hair down her back before she's shifting and hopping up onto the bed, stretching out before she's curling up somewhere between Felse and her brother. They aren't all ready for the sleep pile yet, so she doesn't try to get more comfortable and instead waits.

Lucas doesn't take long to shower and change, only taking a few minutes before he's leaning over the sink to use their large knife to trim his beard so it doesn't hang down to his chest, tidying it up so its closer to his chin and jaw before he's coming out of the bathroom and going to do what he doesn't want too. Max often goes without sleep, he knows this as much as their sister does. But its an unspoken secret between them, they never talk about it. So now, that he's sleeping, its with regret that he wakes him up to take his shower. Then he's sticking a chair under the handle of the door and shifting to jump up on the bed. He curls into the spot Max had just been in.

Max jolts with a start as he's woken, growling a deep warning before his mind catches up and he's letting out a sigh, patting Lucas on the shoulder as thanks before taking his clothes and disappearing into the bathroom for his own shower. The water isn't that hot, its barely warm but its enough and he almost cries because he finally gets to enjoy something that's been so rare in all of their travels. He's used to going without things in the recent years, having gone from the smallest who got extra, to the largest who got very little. Finished with the shower right as the water runs cold, he gets out to change his clothes before he's doing much the same as his brother and trimming his beard. He cuts all the hair that's been down to his chest, short around his chin and jaw and tides it up around his cheeks before he's coming out of the bathroom to put the knife away and his clothes. Satisfied that the door is blocked, he shifts and jumps onto the bed with a very large yawn.

Its a lot of movement and jostling around that Felse can't possibly ignore before Max is curled in next to her so they're nearly nose to nose. Lucas then curls in by him so they're back to back before Sarah is crawling on top of them with very careful paws. Its how she walks so quietly, stepping on her brothers every night has made her very sure of her step. She curls up on top of them and they're this odd sort of sleep pile with one wolf piled on top of two. They make themselves comfortable and slowly, each one falls asleep one after the other. Max has one of the best sleeps he's ever had, comfortable and relaxed with Felse's scent in his nose, softness under his body and the touch of both of his siblings.