[daevi]

it’d been said before that traveling is a poor wolf’s medicine. if that were true, daevi would have walked far enough by now to have been cured of every ailment a wolf could possibly have. yet still her stomach clenched with hunger, and her paw still ached inexorably where she had hurt it before. walking miles each day had worked wonders for her emotional health, but wreaked havoc on her unaccustomed body, which throbbed at the end of each day in places she’d never hurt before. still, it was worth it; she took the pain as a trophy of her achievements, the tiredness in her bones a reminder of how far she had come. her home was long gone now, having slipped past the horizon long ago, disappearing forever. even the sky looked different here, taller, larger, more open, accepting. she didn’t know how far away she was, but she knew she couldn’t find her home now even if she tried. the thought was terrifyingly elating, and she tried to hold on to the feeling as long as possible. soon she knew this place too would become old and boring, and the pounding feeling of excitement in her chest would become nothing more than a vague twinge of curiosity. that was the problem with life, she thought: it was all used up too quickly, and then there was nothing new left. just the old, recycled and repackaged but still essentially the same. 

it was a cold day today. daevi liked the cold, liked the way it stung her eyes and nose and mouth and crept in and under her fur and made a home there. she felt renewed in the cold, cleansed, like the transfer of heat was a sterile, purifying process that left her clean and crisp and new. when the breeze tickled through the trees and breathed a soft sigh over her, she drank it in, let it penetrate her insides in a wave of icy cold. she didn’t need much more than this, she’d decided, the grass, the trees, the cool air, soft clouds overhead. anything more felt greedy. her family was greedy, desiring for more wolves, more land, more food, more this and that. always more, never less. never something different. more, more, more (a funny thought for a girl so deeply unsatisfied with life herself that she’d felt the need to leave her entire life behind to experience something more. but such was the mind of a young woman; naive and without an ounce of introspection. for this, we must forgive her hypocrisy). she curled her lip in vague irritation, picking her way over to a small creek that lay bubbling to her left. she drank it up in small, quick laps, feeling it crawling down her throat, soaking up the feelings of disappointment in her family. they should have come. they, too, would have felt what she did, she knew. even now - the sunlight was fighting against the clouds, casting speckled rays of light down upon the land that shifted and morphed with the breeze. daevi sat back on her haunches, giving rest to her hurt paw. before her, the creek rolled gently over the land, glittering in the fighting sunlight. the trees beyond waved softly to her, and she could see in their leaves small signs of life: a glimpse of a furry tail, a quiet cackle, fluttering of wings. it was free. why did wolves need packs and rules and marriages and traditions when one could simply forego all routine and just truly be free? 

after a while, the woman stirred again, snapping from her trance. it was peaceful here, sure, but it was difficult to drag her mind from the future to the present for long. she could feel the beginnings of hunger in her gut, and she’d need somewhere warm in the trees to hunker down through the chilly night. so with some difficulty, daevi pulled herself from where she was and headed toward the trees. surely there’d be something she could snatch up and eat in there - or, even better, maybe there’d be someone else in there who could get her something to eat so she didn’t have to. wishful thinking, but she’d gotten lucky before. 

[Sumitra]

Another day, another meal. Maybe several. It would all depend on Sumitra's appetite. She beamed with joy as she licked the remains of her prey off of her paws and swiped them over her lips. Eating was probably her second favorite part of the day, next to sleeping. It wasn't every day she got to eat and actually feel a full stomach. Today seemed to be one of those good days that she had been waiting to have. No one would hear her complaining today, nope. She knew when to just shut up and accept her blessings as they came. She had no problem waiting patiently for the next ones to reveal themselves. But she really did prefer to be eating as much as possible everyday while she waits. That was just her.

Sumitra finally mustered enough strength to gather herself and began seeing her way out of the patch of sun she was bathing in. It wasn't quite big enough for her entire body, and she was sure that with her luck today she could find something better. As she strutted through the undergrowth, she couldn't help but swing her limbs rhythmically and sing softly to herself. She was quite comfortable with where she was lately. She thought this forest was soothing and pleasant. She definitely couldn't see herself staying for very long, but she wanted to enjoy what it had to offer while she was still feeling optimistic.

"Yeh kiski hai aahat, yeh kiska hai saaya-- AAHH!" she cried out as she almost ran into a little grey wolf, but caught herself just in time. She backed up a few steps so that she didn't loom right over her. 'Cause that would be rude, right? The saber let out a little huff, her brow furrowed. "Goodness gracious! Excuse me, friend. I vas distracted." It had been awhile since Sumitra had come across a local. It seemed they mostly kept to themselves here, which was perfectly fine with her. Though, she did get bored every now and then and wished for someone to joke with. She tried to give the shewolf a toothy grin, forgetting that her mouth was still covered in blood and small bits of flesh.

  "Assalam vaalekum! Vunnderful day, isn't it?"

[daevi]

when the voice came, it was like a whisper in the back of her mind, barely noticeable among the whispers of trees and leaves and grass and streams and birds and squirrels. there was so much to consume her attention that if the woman had not almost run into her, daevi was unlikely to have noticed her at all. but the voice grew a form: a huge female saber cat, the likes of which daevi had not seen before. so when the beast came towering over her, it was quite a bit of a surprise for the young wolf, and she had to bite her tongue to stifle back a puppy like yelp of fear. “goodness gracious!” said the cat, furrowing her brow in an expression that daevi did not know how to decipher quite yet. she was still trying to decode the first string of words the woman had uttered. “excuse me, friend. i vas distracted.” the accent had slipped by her at first, but now it stood glaring the wolf in the face as she realized, as if for the first time, that she was in new lands, far from her home, in a place where no one knew her, and she knew no one. and also, apparently, where saber cats referred to wolves amiably as “friend” (though daevi would be hard pressed to complain about this, when most of the stories she’d heard of saber cats had been rather condemning.) 

“assalam vaalekum! vuunderful day, isn’t it?” said the cat, with a beaming smile that showed off bits of blood and gore between her teeth, which only served to stir the hunger in daevi‘s belly. the words hung in the air for a long moment before the wolf could muster up her voice in return. the switch between her peaceful solitude and whatever this was had thrown her, dampening her usual charisma. “assalam vaalekum,” said daevi in return, assuming this was some sort of common greeting in these lands. but the words fell heavy and clunky upon her tongue, and came out more a cacophonous mess of letters than the gentle lilt with which the woman had spoken them, and any hope that daevi had of appearing to be a “local” dissipated. “my name is daevi,” she said, hoping to save face with politeness. “you can call me vi, if you’d like.” a demure smile, though her heart pounded with an excited anxiety. “i was off to find something to snack on; you’re welcome to join - if you have room for more,” she offered with a soft chuckle. 

[WishingWind]

She sat there and  the river lapped at her paws as she gazed down into the river's water. She looked up and saw the Adoette Tree. The old tree with many intricate, almost strange designs all over it's trunk. It's roots bleeding deep into the ground and probably spreading all over the area. There was no question this ancient tree was something to behold. So much so that the entire territory around it was silent. Dead as the grave to honor this old tree. Just the perfect thing for a certain she-wolf needing some quiet time to think.

Wishingwind had been depressed for weeks, her green eyes not even shining. Her fur was messy and dirty, her tail tangled with a stick. The once proud and beautiful female was reduced to a skinny, ragged two-toned she-wolf with seemingly grayish fur. A twig snap, a short yelp, and she was against the tree, not noticing many thorn piercing her paw and leg, and starring at a cat like figure a couple yards away. Wishing wind struggled to her paws, chest throbbing and eyes widen,s he ran the other direction. She just kept, not even noticing the pain.

[Sumitra]

“Assalam vaalekum,”  the grey one soon replied, and Sumitra tossed her head back as she cackled, bits of food flying from her jaws. She did not expect her to attempt and return her greeting, but it amused her and tickled her heart a bit.

"My name is Daevi. You can call me Vi, if you like."

"Daevi, it is! Vhat a cute name. I am Sumitra. Pardon my tongue, I come from afar. But Amma* always said, be good to the outlander and good will return," she said proudly.

"I was off to find something to snack on; you’re welcome to join-- if you have room for more."

Sumitra immediately straightened up, her nose twitching and grin widening. She just said the magic word. With an enthusiastic spin, she turned and began marching on."Say no more! I just finished eating, but I never deny seconds. Come! Ve shall find us something big enough to share. Meanvhile you can tell me a bit about this place. How exciting! You do live here, yes?" she went on and on, glancing backwards only once to check that she was following. There was no time to waste if they wanted to catch something in this horrible weather. But she would not give up until they both had something at least somewhat satisfying. She thought it may be useful to warn Daevi that she was quite a fast thinker and kind of just went with the flow, but she didn't feel like it. Strangers usually catch on.

At that moment, the feline heard pawsteps bounding away in the distance and caught a small glimpse of another shewolf running away out of the corner of her eye. Sumitra slowed to a halt, staring after her, then tilted her head. "Arre yaar! You hungry too, friend?" she called out to the wolf. She wasn't really sure if she was listening the whole time, but she did not mind catching her a meal either. She would wait only a moment longer to see if the wolf would come back before continuing onward with Daevi.

^{ooc: * Amma = mom/mama!}

[daevi]

daevi could only look on with embarrassment as the woman threw back her head in a loud laugh, awfully amused by daevi’s attempt to return her greeting. obviously she had not done it correctly. her fur burned with humiliation, though she tried to crack a half smile in return as if she had originally intended the words to be in jest. “i am sumitra,” said the saber car, who now had a name. daevi tested the name in her head silently a few times, though dared not attempt it aloud. “pardon my tongue, i come from afar.” ah, so she wasn’t a native after all. “but amma always said, be good to the outlander and good will return.” her accent was thick enough that some of the words were garbled in daevi’s head, and she was quiet for a long while trying to detangle them, pick apart the known from the unknown and piece together a meaningful sentence. even when she succeeded in this, she wasn’t quite sure what to say in return. thankfully though, sumitra seemed to perk up when she suggested they find something to eat, grinning and turning theatrically around on her heel to march the opposite direction. after a short moment of hesitation (in which daevi argued with herself about whether it was worth it to wonder off with a saber cat twice the size of her, if only to learn more about her. she was pretty sure that a cat’s diet didn’t include wolf, but not sure enough that her chest didn’t ache with nervousness), the wolf moved to walk beside sumitra as she talked. 

“i just finished eating, but i never deny seconds! come! ve shall find ourselves something big enough to share.” daevi perked up at that, a bit of the fear dissipating, loosening her limbs which had been tense instinctively, ready to bolt. the idea of having something other than small rodents to eat filled her with hunger and made her mouth water. it was an interesting life as a nomad, but the menu was not very diverse. she was excited to see what a cat sumitra’s size (were they all this big?) could muster up for them. surely together they were a rather formidable team, certainly more so than daevi on her own. “meanwhile you can tell me a bit about this place,” continued sumitra with a glance back at her. “how exciting! you do live here, yes?” daevi pondered the question for a bit, but decided she was a bit too hungry to come up with any real good story, so she may as well tell the truth. besides, she may want to see this woman again, assuming she didn’t gobble her up in the next few moments. 

“no,” admitted daevi. “i thought you did,” she added with a coy smile. as she opened her mouth to continue, to say something to make up for her pronunciation faux pas earlier, a noise caught her attention, and her ears snapped to attention, her head swerving toward the direction of the sound. she didn’t find the source until they were nearly out of her vision, loping away quickly - perhaps in fear? she flicked her ears this way and that, scanning the area around her with her senses, but heard and smelled no one but them, and the vague scent of the wolf who had fled from them. “arre yaar!” called out sumitra - were those words? or just sounds? “you hungry too, friend?” daevi smiled lightly. she was beginning to like this cat, with her open gregariousness and easy going attitude. “does that happen to you often?” asked daevi, jokingly, a gentle laugh falling from her lips as she watched the she wolf in the distance, wondering whether she’d return and join their posse. before, she’d enjoyed her solitude, but now, in the presence of the ever social and cheery sumitra, she felt somewhat more inclined to be inclusive. after all, the more, the merrier, right? 

[WishingWind]

she halted as the thorn in her paw dug deep into her pad and the thorns in her leg throbbed. She whimpered and limped to a near by patch of grass and layed down to pluck the thorns from her pad. 'My leg' she thought,' i will do later."She tore the thorn out fast, and a few moments later the blood started to flow from her paw. She got up, shook herself and walked in a side angle towards the pines. A twig snapped,her head spun around . Rabbit!

She dropped into a hunters crouch and walked slowly to the rabbit.Her shoulders tightened up,she leaned back and pushed off with her back legs. She caught the rabbit and with a quick bite to the throat the rabbit was dead.She wagged her tail, the first meal in 3 days,she started to walk into a pine grove looking area. The feeling of being watched came over her and she quickened her limping pace.She layed down in a sunny spot and started to munch on the rabbit as she let out a soft sigh. She didnt eat a lot when she picked it up and walked back to wee she had ran and saw the wolf and the cat like figure. She lowered her ears and head., and dropped the rabbit by them and backed away. For safe measures.

[Sumitra]

“No, i thought you did,” she heard the little one say. Sumitra grinned and let out a chuckle, neither disappointed or surprised. It wasn't rare that she came across nomads such as herself. After all, lone wolves weren't the only ones with nowhere in particular to be. Through her adventures, she had met hundreds of other creatures, big and small, who were all so different. Although, one thing was always common between them; they were all a little lost, even if they liked to pretend they weren't, and always living off of excitement in the moment. However, Sumitra never saw that as a bad thing.

"Aah, so you are like me! But more cute. And not as fat," the feline burst out in laughter. "That is quite alright. Ve shall learn more about this land together! For example," she glanced up at the overhanging branches above them, "Did you know that trees are the lungs of this world? I learned that recently. They are here to protect us and help us breathe this vunnderful air. And they, too, breathe through us." She paused to inhale slowly through her nose and exhale dramatically through her mouth. "Lovely. Makes you feel a little less alone on your journey, yes?" she asked, smiling down at Daevi. She didn't know much about this one so far, but she could tell she was a good girl and she liked her. Normally it took her longer to feel comfortable enough to spend time with someone.

But no time at all to share a meal. She stared after the she-wolf that was attempting to escape, bewildered as to what had startled her. “Does that happen to you often?” Sumitra looked down at Daevi and giggled, flicking an ear. "Bah, it happens. Can't please everyone!" After a minute or so, she could just barely see her dropping into a hunter's crouch and successfully pinning down a rabbit. The saber stomped a paw against the ground in applause. "Subhanallah! Vell done, friend!" she called out, smiling uncontrollably. She seemed a bit skittish, but not bad at finding prey to catch when she was in the middle of running in fear. Impressive! She liked this little wolf, too.

She continued to wait there, standing by Daevi, to see what she would do next. Wolves made Sumitra very curious, and she wondered whether the frightened one would come back and greet them. She emerged from the undergrowth, rabbit clenched between her jaws, and the big cat stomped some more. But she stopped when the she-wolf dropped her catch in front of them and moved away. She tilted her head, perplexed. "Arre kya, friend... I believe that one is yours." She moved closer, very slowly as to not scare her, and nosed the dead rabbit towards her. She looked up at her and smiled warmly, trying her best to be gentle and not as obnoxious. "Please, eat. You need it more than I. And I get very anxious when friends do not eat." Sumitra nodded towards her, inviting her to take her rabbit back. "I am Sumitra. This is Daevi," she gestured towards her new friend. "What are you called, hungry one?"


^{ooc: sorry for the late response!! work got me exhausted ;-;}

[daevi]

ooc; sorry for this mess! work is dindoandms and i just needed to get something out there! <3

though being next to a huge saber cat that could gobble her up in a second made daevi a little nervous, she was starting to warm up to this sumitra. it was hard not to when she had such pleasant laughter that just made daevi want to smile and laugh with her. “ah, so you are like me!” said sumitra, looking and sounding quite excited at the prospect. “but more cute. and not as fat.” another burst of hearty laughter. daevi couldn’t help but snort out a few laughs as well at that. the woman then went on to tell daevi about the trees around them, how the land breathed through the trees, and how the trees breathed through the them. the wolf looked around, eyeing the trees in a new light, feeling suddenly very small but also very important, a necessary string intertwined with all the other strings that kept the universe in tact, balanced. “makes you feel a little less alone on your journey, yes?” said sumitra, smiling down at daevi. 

“yes,” the young wolf replied, still unable to draw her gaze away from the huge grey trunks, or the bright green leaves that swayed soothingly in the breeze - something daevi had not often thought much on, but now the movement felt like something from a living being, swaying, breathing, living. after a moment, when daevi finally realized the silence had stretched on just a touch too long, she yanked free of her fantasies and smiled up at sumitra. “i didn’t know that about the trees. but looking at them now - it’s like i can feel them breathing with us.” she frowned at herself. when she said it aloud, the thought felt foolish, so she quickly launched into something else to change the subject: “did you know the buzzing birds make the flowers grow? my dad taught me that. they carry the flower’s seed on their bodies - that’s why they’re so fuzzy and bright - and plant them all over.” she smiled softly, remembering her father showing her the bees (“buzzing birds”) as they worked from flower to flower. they didn’t come out much in the north since it was so cold, but from then on daevi was sure to be nicer to them. 

when daevi inquired about the wolf who ran off from them, sumitra replied with a giggle, “bah, it happens. can’t please everyone!” daevi smiled. it was nice being in the presence of someone so happy and positive. for a moment the two watched the she wolf in the distance as she successfully took out a rabbit. jeez, daevi wished she was that good at snatching them up. usually it took her a good few hours and even then she usually ended up empty handed. they were just so fast! “vell done friend!” sumitra called out, and daevi smiled happily for the wolf. she was just about to turn and move on, suggest they go after something reasonably sized - a hog or fawn or something - when the she wolf started to walk back toward them. curiously, daevi looked on, watching her slow pad back to the duo, and promptly place her kill upon the ground before them. daevi looked up at sumitra for guidance. “arre kya, friend,” said the cat, in that thick, beautiful accent of hers. “i believe that one is yours.” she nosed the rabbit gently toward the she wolf. daevi watched on, thankful for having sumitra here to handle this. if it were up to daevi, she probably would have just taken it and not thought much of it. now, though, that seemed kind of impolite. “i am sumitra. this is daevi,” said the cat, motioning toward daevi, who smiled and nodded her head at the girl politely. 

[WishingWind]

(OOC: its me right)

She looked up and sat up, not realizing she was crouching down. She heard her say "Please, eat. You need it more than I. And I get very anxious when friends do not eat." Wishingwind saw the cat like figure nose it back, inviting her to take her rabbit back. "I am Sumitra. This is Daevi," Sumitra gestured towards her new friend. "What are you called, hungry one?" Her ears flicked, a small but quick moment past and she said, " Nice to meet you S-Sumitra,.," she then nodded and looked over at the Daevi. "its also nice to meat you Daevi" She smiled weakly, she took back the rabbit but she didnt eat it.
(sorry to cut it short)