[Reath]

It had been ages since the large female had encountered another one of her species within the confines of the forest; which were popularly referred to as 'The Neutrals'. In these freelands everything went and justice had no place. There were nights when she caught wind of wolves from distant lands crossing into these forests. For what purpose she didn't wish to dwell on. There were whispers of strange wolves creeping into the forest and taking occupants, young and old, away never to be seen again. Ulva opted to avoid contact with other wolves just to be safe. One could never know what the intent of another and she wouldn't let her guard down when she did stumble upon other wolves. Mix breeds for the most part. She hadn't seen another fellow pure fringe dire since she started making a living here so many years ago. There had been some hellions carving out a living within these forests as well but they were evasive and rarely sought out companionship with anyone they were not familiar with. To sum it up; the neutrals were where creatures went to avoid others. Unless they met up with those with ill intent.

For now Ulva was curled up in a underground den that she had dug out herself. Yet enough time had passed for a body imprint in the dirt to mark her favorite position in which to sleep but was currently cradling her broad frame as her side fell and rose with her steady breaths that came from parted lips. Dawn had barely risen over the peaks of the surrounding mountains tainting the black of night with hues of pink, purple, yellow and orange. The bitter cold of winter season he began to take hold leaving the forest with a quiet and vacant feel. Unlike how it was a few weeks ago when the song of birds and shuffling leaves echoed constantly throughout the day. Now there was hardly a sound to be heard in the cold air of morning which often caused the fringe dire to oversleep for the most part but she also didn't feel like freezing her nose off and hunkered down within the warmth of her den. That would not be the situation today. After an hour or so passed closed eyelids began to twitch and flutter as brilliant yellow orbs were revealed to take in her familiar surroundings. A loud groan sounded as the red and tan female stretched. Her back arching as she straightened out her legs. Following up was a tired huff as she laid still for a moment. Gathering the will to get up and start her day by going outside. Something she didn't really want to do because the draft coming into the den alerted her to how cold it was out there but she needed to relieve herself and find something to eat.

The wind was stolen from her lungs as she braved the cold morning air but managed to power through and emptied her bladder on her favorite tree. "Damn its cold," she muttered to herself as her face contorted into a scowl as she began to walk to the nearby watering hole. Based on the temperature today she was fully expecting the small lake to be frozen over with ice. Which would mean that she would have to break through to get to the water underneath. Something she definitely wasn't looking forward to. It was times like this she wished she was somewhere warm all year round. It was the same thing every year and yet she remained. When the lake was able to be seen from between the distant trees and shrubs Ulva groaned in dismay. In her mind she was working out the best way for her to break the ice when her thoughts were interrupted by a strange sight that met her eyes. Yellow eyes narrowed as they scanned over the water that was flowing underneath a recently made hole near the bank. Black tipped ears flickered around in order to catch any sounds as she lowered her face to the ground around the hole to take in the scent that lingered around it. It had been done recently but not too recently still the large fringe dire didn't let her guard down. Her tongue dipped into the chilling water to lap up some into her mouth but she would pause frequently to listen before continuing to drink. Once finished she scanned the woods to see if she could catch sight of anything out of place but she didn't notice anything worthy of attention.

She made her way to her stash, a corpse of a small fawn, to fill her hunger. It had been a few days since she hunted and wanted an easy meal; until tomorrow when she would go hunting again. The warm air that she exhaled turned into writhing wisps that flowed and danced before dissipating into the cold morning air. It had yet to snow but she knew that it wouldn't be long before it would arrive and she was dreading it. It was hard enough to hunt when every sound made was amplified in the stillness of the forest but the added difficulty of walking in snow would make hunting an even more daunting task. All these thoughts ran through her mind while she was blissfully unaware of the events that would soon take place in just a few seconds time.

[Calypso]

C a l y p s o,

Woven in the fabric of your tapestry

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Clinging to the neutral land was not preferred. Especially after her last encounter with an indigenous. But the days were becoming shorter, becoming colder, and finding food and shelter was more important than travel. She had nowhere to go. No goal in mind. Calypso felt feral and meaningless. Her life had just turned into surviving. She wanted an actual purpose, an actual place in this wretched world. Her only company the Lwa spirits and her magic. At least the exclusion was a good opportunity to learn the herbs of these lands. What nature had to offer here. She knew only a select few that were helpful to canines and the like. Health benefits or spiritual benefits. But she was a witch, not a healer.

Every twitch of her nose left smoke in its wake. The wolfess didn't hate winter. It was cold, ruthless, and indiscriminate. Possibly the fairest thing in the natural world. Calypso respected that. It was beautiful and still as well. It was easy to take time and reflect on it when she was alone with nothing to do but live. Did she even want to do that anymore? There were ups and downs to her depressive, alone state.

Or perhaps she wasn't alone.

Already paused to admire the scenery, all Calypso had to do was look down to see the faint outlines of pawprints. Tracks that would soon be covered by the flow of powder from the sky. Charcoal nose bent to its concave form to inhale any remnants of its owner's scent. Female. Wolf. There were no other scents but Calypso wasn't sure if she should trust them to be alone. There could be a pack nearby, and the witch wanted little to do with those she did not know. She didn't know their culture. She didn't know their territory. It was a dangerous and treacherous situation. Yet, if this was a lone shewolf, like herself, she could perhaps gain information about the surrounding lands and civilizations from them.

Against what she'd consider her better judgment, the woman began to follow the tracks, nose halfway towards the ground to keep the scent trail. Nostrils were all but overwhelmed upon passing a tree, almost causing her trail to be confused by olfactory overload. Was the female marking territory, or just pissing as everyone did? Brow furrowed. Should she waste her time with this? That was answered by the subconscious movement of her limbs onward. The wind was picking up, blowing white mane everywhich way but the trail was clearly much fresher now. Calypso felt the other girl would be behind every next tree. Technically, she was right. She happened upon her not long after.

“Greetings.” The witch called out from a respectable distance. Tail and ears were kept neutral. This encounter was intended to be purely diplomatic.

ooc Sorry for the wait!

forest graphic © m-adking / coding © vixxie's codes

[Reath]

"Greetings"

The tone of the voice was stiff but carried no emotion in it. As if the word had only been said to alert the large female to the strangers presence. Curious and somewhat perturbed that someone had taken to following her, and more so that she was unaware of it, Ulva turned to face the other. Narrowed eyes gave the stranger a once over. The silver colored wolf that stood a fair distance behind the fringe dire appeared to be confident yet showed no signs of aggression if her stance was anything to go by; yet appearances could be deceiving she thought idly. For a moment silence hung thick in the crisp morning air, clouds of gray smoke escaping with each breath from the two figures, as the red female took in the others presence. It was beginning to get awkward when Ulva finally deemed it safe to converse with this newcomer, "mornin'," she grunted ,"Its not wise to follow strangers," she said emotionless, "could end up turning foul real quick." The broad fringe hoped that the silver female facing her was aware of this but kudos to them for risking life and limb talking to her. Not many would try and make conversation with the pmsing 'wench' of the forest. A title that many males called her when an altercation didn't go the way they wanted and some females who found her temper most unpleasant. Ulva snorted manners held no place in the wilderness its such a petty thing that only existed in packs. It was one of the reasons that Ulva preferred to dwell within the neutral lands instead of buddying up with the many packs surrounding the forest. Manners were never one of her strong points.

"What is it you want," she inquired, "if its conversation I have to tell you that you picked the wrong wolf to converse with." Honesty was the best policy.

The forest surrounding them was still, quiet and peaceful, the sound of birds singing echoed loudly every so often. Above them the sky was misty and gray. Seemingly lifeless compared to the bright clear autumn mornings that seemed ages ago but then again everything seemed ages ago when you lived life day by day. What the red female did know was that she was hungry and her stash wasn't too far away but if this stranger demaned more than a few seconds of her time Ulva was just going to head off towards her breakfast and leave the other to either follow her or go their own way. Which ever the other female chose didn't affect Ulva for she preferred solitude to endless fights that seemed to result from her trying to 'talk' to others. Sometimes she would wonder if there were other females like her. Strong, independent and willing to tussle every now and then but if there were Ulva had not come across them.

Sometimes she imagined what her life would be like if she had been raised by a pack of females instead of a pack of males. Would the outcome be better or worse for her? Would she still be as strong as she was now or would she be frail and skittish like most females she came across? Ulva scrunched her nose at that thought; no, she was better off as she was now. What fault was it of hers if the world didn't accept her 'strange' mannerisms? It was their loss. Ulva knew how she would die. She didn't know why she knew it but she did know it. She was a protector, a defender, to those who valued her presence and she in turn would value their existence as well. She had yet to meet anyone who was worthy of her admiration.

"I'm hungry so if you want to continue this follow," she stated matter of factly, "if not then your more than free to hunt out the other occupants of the forest to chat with."With that the broad female turned back to her previous action until she came upon the half hidden carcass of the fallen fawn; hidden hastily by evergreen branches but her kill had not be touched. Good. The fringe dire grabbed the branches and tossed them aside effortlessly. When there was enough space for her to get to the meat she began to rip pieces of meat from bone and devour them with gusto. Manners weren't her strong point. Once she had gotten her fill she licked her blood stained lips and turned her narrow yellow eyes behind her to see if the other had followed her.

[Calypso]

C a l y p s o,

Woven in the fabric of your tapestry

actions - “speech” - thoughts

'Its not wise to follow strangers... could end up turning foul real quick.' The prickly female stole words right from her very mind. It was true, she was touched with folly when she followed the femme's trail. Many ways things could go wrong had entranced her mind as she was following. But a female couldn't be so bad. Would she let her prejudices be known, though? No. This was not a cordial meeting. Though, if she was being honest, she already liked this girl. And obviously far better than that damned fox male.

Before she could answer her question, Calypso was instructed to follow her if she wanted to continue. Many would probably take the offer to look for someone else. In many ways, the other female was reminding her of herself. Their likeness was almost uncanny, save obvious physical differences. But the wolfess could be her sister. A brow raised. She debated her options. She didn't want to bother the woman, especially when she was not very welcoming to her approach. Surely, however, when Calypso explained herself any remaining agitation would be mended and they could swiftly be on their way. The witch had no intention of keeping her long.

After giving her plenty of space, Calypso began to trot behind. “I have no interest in coversation.” She began, “I merely seek information. I am wondering what you may tell me about the surrounding lands and its realms.” There. Short, simple, to the point. No need for annoying introductions or tedious explanations. That aforementioned vulpine could have learned from her social prowess.

ooc Againt, sorry for the wait, work and school are kicking my ass :/

forest graphic © m-adking / coding © vixxie's codes

[Reath]

"I have no interest in conversation." Good because Ulva didn't feel like engaging in a lengthy chat. "I merely seek information. I am wondering what you may know about the surrounding lands and its realms." An invisible brow was raised in mild amusement but there was no trace of humor o be found beneath her stern facade, "What exactly are you wanting to know", she inquired as she lazily scratched her neck only to sit straight once the offending itch was vanquished. The broad female kept her distance from the sliver fea as she patiently waited for Ulvas knowledge but little did she know that the red wench wouldn't share it idly; she didn't want to be responsible for aiding a rebellion of some sort. "The packs now a days keep to themselves," she grunted out, "some packs you can only learn about from recruiting pack members." She could at least share the common stuff right? How long had it been since the nearby packs sent out recruiters? The fringe dire ransacked her memories for her last memory of seeing, or hearing, about packs accepting newblood into their territories but yielded no prize. She was known to be somewhat of a recluse. So information she gathered was a slow trickle of whispers and tales that were more than likely overdramatized drabble but there were nuggets of truth hidden in the tales.

She vaguely wondered if the silver female was wanting to seek acceptance into a pack. If not then she was genuinely curious about what she needed this information for and even more curious as to why she came out here to inquire about the surrounding territories. The landscape they were holding this little meeting was bare of inhabitants and scarce of prey items. Ulva wondered if this was the year when she would be forced to leave the comfort of her seclusion to seek out greener pastures. Hopefully not; she didn't want to leave the body imprinted den that she had come to know as 'home'. Time would tell but for now the threat of starvation was not immediate so no rash decisions needed to be made...besides what packs to join apparently. There had been a time when Ulva had wanted to be a member of a larger society but the childish ideas of her youth were swiftly brought to an end when she found herself growing up in a male based pack. She cared deeply about her former pack mates but they never really saw her for her worth and Ulva left after falling out with their ideals. Yet for all the wrong they did to her the large fea did not regret living with them.

"I can't remember when the last recruitment was but it has been a long time since they came hollerin' for fresh meat," Ulva yawned into the stillness of their surroundings.Large clouds of gray mists bellowing out as she exhaled through her massive jaws before fading away as her teeth clicked together. Crud was her nose cold but the smaller female watching her stopped her from tending to the prickling appendage. The sound of a crow cawing echoed overhead as its small form darted overhead. Could always trust the feathered pests to come calling once they caught sight of a carcass and Ulvas face contorted into a sneer as her eyes watched the bird begin to circle above the two wolves. Well...more food for her then if those loud buzzards dared to try to steal any part of her kill.

(ooc: wow, I tried doing this with my tablet and keyboard but the keyboard sucks apparently. Edited the post with my cellphone. Forgive any mistakes I might have missed.)