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Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Featuring Draugr and Thalia .
Takes place before the rift between the United Pack. Thalia is a pup, Draugr is only a few months older.

---

Creative-Escape

The day was early. Temperature cool and sky barely more than the ice blue after a sunrise. The pack was up and about, all different ranks going about their jobs, hunters off hunting, elders discussing the prosperity of their home, and mothers tending to their litters. It was an ordinary day on the island, though one little pup was hoping for something a little un-ordinary to occur.

A little brown she-wolf found herself sitting, alone, outside the entrance to her den. Little puff of tail beating against the ground in a tune only she knew. She watched through half lidded golden eyes as the world around her went about its business, eyes curious and a soft smile on her face. Thalia wasn’t sure where her mother was today, and she rarely knew where her father was, so it seemed that she had a rare moment of freedom. Which was odd, considering she was rarely without one of them. More so her mother, the older she-wolf always kept an eagle eye on her sole puppy. Some raised eyebrows and concern about the nature of the female, but the elders of the pack didn’t seem worried about the almost possessive nature of the mother. Thalia was her first born after all.

Still, the young pup felt a little lost by herself. Wandering almost aimlessly through the pack, she found herself skipping and trotting in between different legs as she made her way towards the tree line. No one minded her, the pack was abundant with pups and it wasn’t out of the norm for a lone one to go wandering. The island was safe after all.

With a hum in the back of her throat, she made her lone travel into the forests. She wasn’t sure where she was heading, sometimes her mother would walk with her, showing her different flowers and the best routes to the rivers—and on some occasions the perfect hiding spots. Thalia wasn’t so sure of the last one, on why she would need it. considering she wasn’t even allowed to use it in games of hide and seek it made no sense. Still, she listened, she kept them a secret like she was supposed to and carried on her way. She’d also wander the words with her father on occasions, he would show her the perfect hunting spots, how to track and scent and do all the other important survival things. It was fun! As long as her father was in a chatty mood.

“What to do, what to do,” Thalia chirped to herself, no longer skittering about to avoid being trodden on. She paused when she reached a good distance into the trees, ears two sizes too big twitching as she listened to the sounds all around. There was nothing but bird calls. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to hear, perhaps the other pups playing in a game of tag or something else that she could join in on, but it seemed that they weren’t out and about yet. She sighs heavily, body dramatically deflating. Freedom wasn’t all that fun alone…

ClockworkDoge
“No!” Draugr barked, “- off!” Wheeling around, the adolescent stormed towards the woods. No. Today, she didn’t need his chiding. She didn’t want his guidance. She wanted freedom, to maybe spend a few moments enjoying the air and the outdoors rather than listening to her father’s nihilistic grumblings. If the old man cared so much about the impression his daughter left on the rest of the United? That was his own damn carcass of maggots. He could deal and explain away her behaviour however he saw fit. Didn’t matter to her, and it certainly shouldn’t have mattered to him.

The lowest of rumbles worked up all the way from the pit of her stomach and into her mouth, where she could taste the bubbling anger in the sound. He was following her, his own footfalls heavy and dangerously condescending. So, with a snarled sneer and a quick kick of her hindlegs – adequately sending a spatter of mud right into her father’s face – Draugr picked up the pace. A jog at first, but still his shouting at her was far too close, and she broke into a run. Whether she had to go over or under the other wolves in the pack was irrelevant. She was spry, much more so than the old brute tailing her, and she would use it to her advantage. It was easy to lose him in the trees. In the shadows and the sheer wildness of the place. Even Draugr’s light eyes and coat gave her no issue, small enough still to duck behind and beneath whatever hiding places she needed.

She steadied her pace, lightened her footsteps, and padded, slinking, around a lightning-scarred tree before pausing. If he was still there… a silent curl of her lip said it all. But no. No, all she heard were the birds and the leaves. Good. Her ears lifted again, slowly and reluctantly, to give the forest her full attention. As she stepped out of her hiding place, she damn near stepped on a pup! She retracted her paw after she felt the warm squish of fur and body beneath it, without having put much weight on the limb, fortunately. What was that doing curled up on the forest floor? And what business, blending into the soil did they have?

Startled, Draugr huffed the feeling away. “You are an awful long way from the others,” she muttered, taking the opportunity to step over the little one. “Your mama dump you out here?” Regardless of how awful the thought of abandonment, Draugr smirked at it anyways, moving to continue her walk. If she had any luck whatsoever, she’d manage to find that cave she stumbled on that one time. Shady, quiet, and preferably empty. There were so many wolves in United, she wouldn’t be surprised if a pup or two got lost – or ditched – and went unnoticed due to the adults being just… too many. There were just too many. And this was half the reason the woods seemed so much more inviting, at times. Beloved peace. No duty, nothing but adventure… well, minus the whole taking care of yourself gig.

Creative-Escape
Crossing her front paws over one another in a fairly ladylike manner, Thalia took to staring out around at her surroundings. From the trees, to the sky to the bushes.. Lazily blinking as she contemplated on what she was going to do with herself. She could go for a walk? But that was boring, and she still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable in wandering away from home that far. She could faux hunt? But with a quick glance around there didn’t seem to be anything that she could hunt. And she was far too old to play with rocks like they were her prey. She sighs again, puffing her cheeks out wide and closing her eyes in frustration. Why did her mother have to be busy today? They could have played in the streams, gone exploring, Thalia could hear more of the stories her mother loves to tell her. Yet the older wolf was nowhere to be seen… Thalia tried to not let jealousy flood through her core, her mother could have her own life—just, she wishes she didn’t, so they could be with each other always.

So, lost in her own thought Thalia didn’t notice the other wolf appear until they were right on top of her. Eyes widening to almost fit the entirety to of her face, she looks up into the icy blue gaze of Draugr. The slightly older wolf was looking down at her, surprised. For a moment Thalia was pleased to see her, finally she wasn’t alone!

And then… She had to go an open her mouth. Instantly she deflated. Well… maybe being alone wasn’t too bad if she wasn’t having smirks and taunt and remarks flown in every direction. Thalia liked Draugr, she did! (In fact, she liked pretty much everyone) but she could do without the grey scale wolf's personality. She was a hard bone to chew, one that would crack your teeth if you weren’t careful. Thalia didn’t even care that the other wolfs moon phase was frowned upon, the only thing she frowned upon was the other girls attitude.

Pouting up at the older girl, she shook her head. “Not that far,” Thalia disagreed, little nose crinkling at the indication she’d want to wander far from home. She loved her home! And the people in it! Rolling the limb the older wolf tread, she gave her an almost- but not quite dirt look. How’d she not notice her? It wasn’t like she was being quite on purpose! With a little huff, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. “And no,” she retorted, a frown appearing on her features at the implication her mother would abandon her. “I’m allowed to be out here. Are you?” There was a slight mocking tone to words, a rarity for the little brown wolf. Though, Thalia was no fool. She knew about the constant disagreements Draugr had with her parents. Hell, most of the pack did. So, it wouldn’t be that much of a reach to assume that the silver coloured wolf was running away from something—or, someone.

ClockworkDoge
“Far for small legs, yes,” Draugr laughed, and shook her head, smirk never waning. No time required to contemplate the pup’s questioning – she knew what was up. “No. Never. But that’s what makes a walk in the woods an adventure to me… and boring to you.”

Besides, her father would not follow her so far into the trees. If nothing else, he’d let it go. For now. A grimace struck her at the thought, but this would not deter her. She shook it off. Why was the pup being so snarky, anyways? Not that it wasn’t somewhat endearing, an adorable attempt, but everything slid off of Draugr like water from a duck’s back… at least, that’s how it always looked on the surface. The yipped words of a small pup would not shake her.

There was nothing wrong with Thalia. In fact, aside from her parents, Draugr didn’t have a particular disdain for any of her pack mates. Her issue was related to authority – being told what to do without her own consent. Thalia, though, was ultimately non-threatening. Although her mother…

Draugr’s ears twitched, and she lifted her head to the breeze. Where was Thalia’s mother? Overprotective and very attached to her daughter, Draugr realized that if the female was within earshot, she was going to need to get out of there. Fast. Yet she picked up indications of no wolves besides herself and the muddy-coloured pup at her feet. Nowhere in sight. Nowhere upwind. She sighed with relief and relaxed once more, the settling of her muscles causing her silvery fur to ripple softly, any bristling or other disturbances calming to her lithe frame once again. Her blue eyes again settled on the pup, albeit briefly.

“Now, I’m going to go continue my adventure. Sulk here if you really want to, or maybe you can learn to lighten up?” with another giggle, Draugr circled away from Thalia and aimed herself in the direction she assumed this cave was. From here, it wasn’t like she could smell it… not that it had a smell that differed greatly from the rest of the forest. Especially not this time of year, when the scents ran rampant with the freshness of it all. “Where is your mother, anyways?” she asked it as if expecting Thalia to keep up. Which she did. It was doubtful someone so young, so curious, wouldn’t immediately attach to the first companion who came along. Whether or not their parents told them not to.

Having this pup trailing her was going to make progress slow. Something about pups not being able to keep up even with adolescent-sized wolves without needing to practically run. However, that didn’t mean Draugr had any plans to slow down. Anyone, regardless of age, who was going to keep her company was going to have to keep up. That… and she was still somewhat sketched out at the thought that Thalia’s mother could be nearby or looking for the youngster. After all, the last thing Draugr wanted was to be blamed for Thalia’s excursion into the woods.

Creative-Escape
Her legs weren’t that small. She was still growing! Soon she’d be just as tall as everyone else. And besides, Draugr wasn’t that tall either. She was still a pup too! She found herself sighing again, she had a feeling she was going to be a lot of those around the silver she-wolf.

“I never said I was bored…” Thalia muttered, frowning. Obviously, she was bored, one hundred and ten percent bored, but Draugr didn’t need to know that! Besides, she was sure she could find something to entertain herself with, and he mother surely wouldn’t leave her be that long. Or at least, Thalia assumed she wouldn’t anyway.

Hind leg rising to scratch at the side of her face, she shook herself out. “I am not sulking.” She disagreed, jumping to her feet with a stubborn set in her jaw. “I was com—cont—contemplating!” She struggled with the large word before managing it. “I was contemplating what to do for the day.” Thalia didn’t know what it was about Draugr, but there was something incredibly mature about the blue-eyed girl. She was positive that she was only half a year older than her, maybe less maybe more, but there wasn’t much of an age difference. Yet, there was something so different about the two of them. A disconnect, a divide. It confused Thalia… surely there upbringing wasn’t so different? She understood their parents were unalike, but—the pack was always the same. Se found herself frowning, looking at her paws and the distance between the two of them. Even now, Draugr carried herself like an adult and Thalia still felt like she was tripping over limbs she still needed to grow into. That doesn’t matter though, everyone’s different after all.

“But sure,” She starts, scrambling to her feet to catch up with her. “I can join you on your adventure. I’ve got the time.” With a nonchalant bob of her head, she jogged alongside Draugr. Though she tried to seem calm about the whole situation she couldn’t help the slight wag of her tail and the smile on her lips. An adventure! She had never been on one of those without her mother before. There was so many questions on the tip of her tongue that she wanted to let out. Where were they going? What were they going to be doing? Did she go on adventure often? Still, no matter how much she wanted to ask, she held her tongue. Even more so when Draugr asked her about her mother.

And that, was the question of the day for Thalia. Where was her mother. “Out hunting,” she answers. A silent ‘I think’ being left unsaid. Thalia had no clue where she was, but hunting could be the truth—so technically she wasn’t lying. With a skip of a step to jump over a few rocks, she grinned up at her companion. “Where are we going?” She asks, unable to keep that one question from slipping past. She was too curious for her own good.

ClockworkDoge
Draugr had to smile at the pup's determination, both to defend herself and also in her attempts to get her words right. Something Draugr herself never cared terribly about, although much of that came from her father, who mispronounced things left right and center. Upon receiving confirmation that Thalia was going to indeed tag along, Draugr slowed her pace somewhat so she wouldn't be struggling to keep up.
“Found a cave a while back. Wanted to check it out then, but... y'know how things go – you just get busy. Or interrupted,” her tail swayed lightly behind her as she headed in the right direction. Further into the woods. Further away from the dens. Yet having Thalia with her might keep her in line during this exploration, too. After all, there was no way to live it down if you lost a pup on purpose and were found out. It happened, probably, but if it could be proven it was you... or if it was just heavily suspected, paranoia might leave the pack driving the guilty wolf out. And caves, with as many twists and turns as they were granted, were easy places to get lost or hurt or fall down into a hole you didn't see and can't clamber out of. “I don't think there's anything in the cave. Last time I was there, no signs of activity so... no other animals, I don't think.”
Though if there were, would it have changed her mind? Or would it only serve to fuel the excitement?
She laughed a little, lightly. “There might be some nice big cave spiders, though.” Let's see if this thought would act as a deterrent for the little wolf, or if she was as brave as she was trying to make Draugr believe. There was always something entertaining about the way children in particular tried to prove themselves; and though Draugr herself was not a great deal older, she felt mature even if she really wasn't. In fact, this was a feeling – however false – that the young wolf prided herself on.
As they got nearer to the location of the cave, Draugr became more visibly eager. She lifted her head a little higher. Her ears stood up. Her tail rose to remain level with her back. It was around here someplace, and since it really had no scent any different than the rocks, mulch, and trees around, her eyes began to skim the area. Focusing, her pace grew almost painfully slow. Looking for any little bit of darkness... any crevice... anything to indicate the cave still existed here, and hadn't fallen in on itself. And then – ahah! - there it was. Tucked between a cluster of rocks and trees, nearly buried in foliage, was the entrance to what was likely a den. Whose or what's, Draugr didn't know. Any small traces of their scent vanished with time or washed away with the seasonal rains.
She approached the entrance and stuck her head in between the large leaves that obscured it. “It's dark in here,” she said, the grin audible in her voice. “And a long way down. Shall we go?”

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Featuring Draugr and Thalia .
Takes place before the rift between the United Pack. Thalia is a pup, Draugr is only a few months older.

---

Creative-Escape

The day was early. Temperature cool and sky barely more than the ice blue after a sunrise. The pack was up and about, all different ranks going about their jobs, hunters off hunting, elders discussing the prosperity of their home, and mothers tending to their litters. It was an ordinary day on the island, though one little pup was hoping for something a little un-ordinary to occur.

A little brown she-wolf found herself sitting, alone, outside the entrance to her den. Little puff of tail beating against the ground in a tune only she knew. She watched through half lidded golden eyes as the world around her went about its business, eyes curious and a soft smile on her face. Thalia wasn’t sure where her mother was today, and she rarely knew where her father was, so it seemed that she had a rare moment of freedom. Which was odd, considering she was rarely without one of them. More so her mother, the older she-wolf always kept an eagle eye on her sole puppy. Some raised eyebrows and concern about the nature of the female, but the elders of the pack didn’t seem worried about the almost possessive nature of the mother. Thalia was her first born after all.

Still, the young pup felt a little lost by herself. Wandering almost aimlessly through the pack, she found herself skipping and trotting in between different legs as she made her way towards the tree line. No one minded her, the pack was abundant with pups and it wasn’t out of the norm for a lone one to go wandering. The island was safe after all.

With a hum in the back of her throat, she made her lone travel into the forests. She wasn’t sure where she was heading, sometimes her mother would walk with her, showing her different flowers and the best routes to the rivers—and on some occasions the perfect hiding spots. Thalia wasn’t so sure of the last one, on why she would need it. considering she wasn’t even allowed to use it in games of hide and seek it made no sense. Still, she listened, she kept them a secret like she was supposed to and carried on her way. She’d also wander the words with her father on occasions, he would show her the perfect hunting spots, how to track and scent and do all the other important survival things. It was fun! As long as her father was in a chatty mood.

“What to do, what to do,” Thalia chirped to herself, no longer skittering about to avoid being trodden on. She paused when she reached a good distance into the trees, ears two sizes too big twitching as she listened to the sounds all around. There was nothing but bird calls. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to hear, perhaps the other pups playing in a game of tag or something else that she could join in on, but it seemed that they weren’t out and about yet. She sighs heavily, body dramatically deflating. Freedom wasn’t all that fun alone…

ClockworkDoge
“No!” Draugr barked, “- off!” Wheeling around, the adolescent stormed towards the woods. No. Today, she didn’t need his chiding. She didn’t want his guidance. She wanted freedom, to maybe spend a few moments enjoying the air and the outdoors rather than listening to her father’s nihilistic grumblings. If the old man cared so much about the impression his daughter left on the rest of the United? That was his own damn carcass of maggots. He could deal and explain away her behaviour however he saw fit. Didn’t matter to her, and it certainly shouldn’t have mattered to him.

The lowest of rumbles worked up all the way from the pit of her stomach and into her mouth, where she could taste the bubbling anger in the sound. He was following her, his own footfalls heavy and dangerously condescending. So, with a snarled sneer and a quick kick of her hindlegs – adequately sending a spatter of mud right into her father’s face – Draugr picked up the pace. A jog at first, but still his shouting at her was far too close, and she broke into a run. Whether she had to go over or under the other wolves in the pack was irrelevant. She was spry, much more so than the old brute tailing her, and she would use it to her advantage. It was easy to lose him in the trees. In the shadows and the sheer wildness of the place. Even Draugr’s light eyes and coat gave her no issue, small enough still to duck behind and beneath whatever hiding places she needed.

She steadied her pace, lightened her footsteps, and padded, slinking, around a lightning-scarred tree before pausing. If he was still there… a silent curl of her lip said it all. But no. No, all she heard were the birds and the leaves. Good. Her ears lifted again, slowly and reluctantly, to give the forest her full attention. As she stepped out of her hiding place, she damn near stepped on a pup! She retracted her paw after she felt the warm squish of fur and body beneath it, without having put much weight on the limb, fortunately. What was that doing curled up on the forest floor? And what business, blending into the soil did they have?

Startled, Draugr huffed the feeling away. “You are an awful long way from the others,” she muttered, taking the opportunity to step over the little one. “Your mama dump you out here?” Regardless of how awful the thought of abandonment, Draugr smirked at it anyways, moving to continue her walk. If she had any luck whatsoever, she’d manage to find that cave she stumbled on that one time. Shady, quiet, and preferably empty. There were so many wolves in United, she wouldn’t be surprised if a pup or two got lost – or ditched – and went unnoticed due to the adults being just… too many. There were just too many. And this was half the reason the woods seemed so much more inviting, at times. Beloved peace. No duty, nothing but adventure… well, minus the whole taking care of yourself gig.

Creative-Escape
Crossing her front paws over one another in a fairly ladylike manner, Thalia took to staring out around at her surroundings. From the trees, to the sky to the bushes.. Lazily blinking as she contemplated on what she was going to do with herself. She could go for a walk? But that was boring, and she still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable in wandering away from home that far. She could faux hunt? But with a quick glance around there didn’t seem to be anything that she could hunt. And she was far too old to play with rocks like they were her prey. She sighs again, puffing her cheeks out wide and closing her eyes in frustration. Why did her mother have to be busy today? They could have played in the streams, gone exploring, Thalia could hear more of the stories her mother loves to tell her. Yet the older wolf was nowhere to be seen… Thalia tried to not let jealousy flood through her core, her mother could have her own life—just, she wishes she didn’t, so they could be with each other always.

So, lost in her own thought Thalia didn’t notice the other wolf appear until they were right on top of her. Eyes widening to almost fit the entirety to of her face, she looks up into the icy blue gaze of Draugr. The slightly older wolf was looking down at her, surprised. For a moment Thalia was pleased to see her, finally she wasn’t alone!

And then… She had to go an open her mouth. Instantly she deflated. Well… maybe being alone wasn’t too bad if she wasn’t having smirks and taunt and remarks flown in every direction. Thalia liked Draugr, she did! (In fact, she liked pretty much everyone) but she could do without the grey scale wolf's personality. She was a hard bone to chew, one that would crack your teeth if you weren’t careful. Thalia didn’t even care that the other wolfs moon phase was frowned upon, the only thing she frowned upon was the other girls attitude.

Pouting up at the older girl, she shook her head. “Not that far,” Thalia disagreed, little nose crinkling at the indication she’d want to wander far from home. She loved her home! And the people in it! Rolling the limb the older wolf tread, she gave her an almost- but not quite dirt look. How’d she not notice her? It wasn’t like she was being quite on purpose! With a little huff, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. “And no,” she retorted, a frown appearing on her features at the implication her mother would abandon her. “I’m allowed to be out here. Are you?” There was a slight mocking tone to words, a rarity for the little brown wolf. Though, Thalia was no fool. She knew about the constant disagreements Draugr had with her parents. Hell, most of the pack did. So, it wouldn’t be that much of a reach to assume that the silver coloured wolf was running away from something—or, someone.

ClockworkDoge
“Far for small legs, yes,” Draugr laughed, and shook her head, smirk never waning. No time required to contemplate the pup’s questioning – she knew what was up. “No. Never. But that’s what makes a walk in the woods an adventure to me… and boring to you.”

Besides, her father would not follow her so far into the trees. If nothing else, he’d let it go. For now. A grimace struck her at the thought, but this would not deter her. She shook it off. Why was the pup being so snarky, anyways? Not that it wasn’t somewhat endearing, an adorable attempt, but everything slid off of Draugr like water from a duck’s back… at least, that’s how it always looked on the surface. The yipped words of a small pup would not shake her.

There was nothing wrong with Thalia. In fact, aside from her parents, Draugr didn’t have a particular disdain for any of her pack mates. Her issue was related to authority – being told what to do without her own consent. Thalia, though, was ultimately non-threatening. Although her mother…

Draugr’s ears twitched, and she lifted her head to the breeze. Where was Thalia’s mother? Overprotective and very attached to her daughter, Draugr realized that if the female was within earshot, she was going to need to get out of there. Fast. Yet she picked up indications of no wolves besides herself and the muddy-coloured pup at her feet. Nowhere in sight. Nowhere upwind. She sighed with relief and relaxed once more, the settling of her muscles causing her silvery fur to ripple softly, any bristling or other disturbances calming to her lithe frame once again. Her blue eyes again settled on the pup, albeit briefly.

“Now, I’m going to go continue my adventure. Sulk here if you really want to, or maybe you can learn to lighten up?” with another giggle, Draugr circled away from Thalia and aimed herself in the direction she assumed this cave was. From here, it wasn’t like she could smell it… not that it had a smell that differed greatly from the rest of the forest. Especially not this time of year, when the scents ran rampant with the freshness of it all. “Where is your mother, anyways?” she asked it as if expecting Thalia to keep up. Which she did. It was doubtful someone so young, so curious, wouldn’t immediately attach to the first companion who came along. Whether or not their parents told them not to.

Having this pup trailing her was going to make progress slow. Something about pups not being able to keep up even with adolescent-sized wolves without needing to practically run. However, that didn’t mean Draugr had any plans to slow down. Anyone, regardless of age, who was going to keep her company was going to have to keep up. That… and she was still somewhat sketched out at the thought that Thalia’s mother could be nearby or looking for the youngster. After all, the last thing Draugr wanted was to be blamed for Thalia’s excursion into the woods.

Creative-Escape
Her legs weren’t that small. She was still growing! Soon she’d be just as tall as everyone else. And besides, Draugr wasn’t that tall either. She was still a pup too! She found herself sighing again, she had a feeling she was going to be a lot of those around the silver she-wolf.

“I never said I was bored…” Thalia muttered, frowning. Obviously, she was bored, one hundred and ten percent bored, but Draugr didn’t need to know that! Besides, she was sure she could find something to entertain herself with, and he mother surely wouldn’t leave her be that long. Or at least, Thalia assumed she wouldn’t anyway.

Hind leg rising to scratch at the side of her face, she shook herself out. “I am not sulking.” She disagreed, jumping to her feet with a stubborn set in her jaw. “I was com—cont—contemplating!” She struggled with the large word before managing it. “I was contemplating what to do for the day.” Thalia didn’t know what it was about Draugr, but there was something incredibly mature about the blue-eyed girl. She was positive that she was only half a year older than her, maybe less maybe more, but there wasn’t much of an age difference. Yet, there was something so different about the two of them. A disconnect, a divide. It confused Thalia… surely there upbringing wasn’t so different? She understood their parents were unalike, but—the pack was always the same. Se found herself frowning, looking at her paws and the distance between the two of them. Even now, Draugr carried herself like an adult and Thalia still felt like she was tripping over limbs she still needed to grow into. That doesn’t matter though, everyone’s different after all.

“But sure,” She starts, scrambling to her feet to catch up with her. “I can join you on your adventure. I’ve got the time.” With a nonchalant bob of her head, she jogged alongside Draugr. Though she tried to seem calm about the whole situation she couldn’t help the slight wag of her tail and the smile on her lips. An adventure! She had never been on one of those without her mother before. There was so many questions on the tip of her tongue that she wanted to let out. Where were they going? What were they going to be doing? Did she go on adventure often? Still, no matter how much she wanted to ask, she held her tongue. Even more so when Draugr asked her about her mother.

And that, was the question of the day for Thalia. Where was her mother. “Out hunting,” she answers. A silent ‘I think’ being left unsaid. Thalia had no clue where she was, but hunting could be the truth—so technically she wasn’t lying. With a skip of a step to jump over a few rocks, she grinned up at her companion. “Where are we going?” She asks, unable to keep that one question from slipping past. She was too curious for her own good.

ClockworkDoge
Draugr had to smile at the pup's determination, both to defend herself and also in her attempts to get her words right. Something Draugr herself never cared terribly about, although much of that came from her father, who mispronounced things left right and center. Upon receiving confirmation that Thalia was going to indeed tag along, Draugr slowed her pace somewhat so she wouldn't be struggling to keep up.
“Found a cave a while back. Wanted to check it out then, but... y'know how things go – you just get busy. Or interrupted,” her tail swayed lightly behind her as she headed in the right direction. Further into the woods. Further away from the dens. Yet having Thalia with her might keep her in line during this exploration, too. After all, there was no way to live it down if you lost a pup on purpose and were found out. It happened, probably, but if it could be proven it was you... or if it was just heavily suspected, paranoia might leave the pack driving the guilty wolf out. And caves, with as many twists and turns as they were granted, were easy places to get lost or hurt or fall down into a hole you didn't see and can't clamber out of. “I don't think there's anything in the cave. Last time I was there, no signs of activity so... no other animals, I don't think.”
Though if there were, would it have changed her mind? Or would it only serve to fuel the excitement?
She laughed a little, lightly. “There might be some nice big cave spiders, though.” Let's see if this thought would act as a deterrent for the little wolf, or if she was as brave as she was trying to make Draugr believe. There was always something entertaining about the way children in particular tried to prove themselves; and though Draugr herself was not a great deal older, she felt mature even if she really wasn't. In fact, this was a feeling – however false – that the young wolf prided herself on.
As they got nearer to the location of the cave, Draugr became more visibly eager. She lifted her head a little higher. Her ears stood up. Her tail rose to remain level with her back. It was around here someplace, and since it really had no scent any different than the rocks, mulch, and trees around, her eyes began to skim the area. Focusing, her pace grew almost painfully slow. Looking for any little bit of darkness... any crevice... anything to indicate the cave still existed here, and hadn't fallen in on itself. And then – ahah! - there it was. Tucked between a cluster of rocks and trees, nearly buried in foliage, was the entrance to what was likely a den. Whose or what's, Draugr didn't know. Any small traces of their scent vanished with time or washed away with the seasonal rains.
She approached the entrance and stuck her head in between the large leaves that obscured it. “It's dark in here,” she said, the grin audible in her voice. “And a long way down. Shall we go?”