[-Annali-]

   Shadows cast the eerie glow of the land into sharp, jagged relief, rocks mirrored into the imagery of teeth on the ground.  Ripping, caging, trapping, the image distorted only by the lapping of the waves of a large lake.  An overhang of craigy rock loomed above this side of the shoreline,  engulfing the cold, loose stone of what was left of a walkable path.

   The lake was a gem, nestled in between mountains to the east, and a vast, open plain on its far shore to the west. The expanse of the lake was too large for a wolf to comfortably swim across, and as it were, Annali had been traveling along its shore for the better part of three days.

   Above, the moon watched, distant and silent, uncaring on the plights of the beings that inhabited this land. An uninterrupting sovereign over the vastness of the known world, she ruled over her kingdom beside her brother, the sun, and while he rose over the land with warmth and radiance that threatened to burn,the moon was darker, cooler.

   Annali used to think the moon was indifferent through no choice but its own. Now she understood that the moon was cold only because the sun made it that way.

   Below, her paws were wet, caught by the shoreline. Had it been warmer she would have considered wading in the waters to wash the travel out of her fur, but with the land still reeling in winter’s clutch, she thought it a foolhardy notion.

   The girl examined the land before her cautiously, head low and muscles sore from travel, exhaustion tugging at the lids of her eyes from many restless nights. Annali thought about using the cover of the jagged overhang to claim at least a few hours of sleep, but thought better of it, too close to the water for her comfort.

   The greys of her pelt stood out less here than they had in the openness of the plains, but Annali found the more time she spent in the mountains, the more she disliked the shadows looming over her. More than ever, she missed the comfort of the forest.

   Green eyes peered ahead, taking in the landscape. This part of the lake gave way to a valley that held little promise, but took claim in being the only permissible way she could move forward, and so Annali had no choice but to enter it.

   Tired, sore, and hungry, the lone girl pressed onward, hoping this mountain range offered more than what she could see at first glance.

[ooc: so I had to re-write this bc a refresh ate the original, but I got it done ugh, and if Andraste/Faustina wants to remember Annali as Murmur, she is more than welcome to call her that. Once I have Annali's history written, there will be a reason for the change.]

[Andraste]

savage

The beast roamed, long after her many mates had vanished. Long after she had shredded all chances of her having a good and peaceful life, replaced by the damned soul that now wandered through the mist, puckering scars kissing the wind and glistening darkly against pale fur. Her scars had remained red and stark against her white coat, even as her markings had faded and her face had settled into a soft cream. Years had passed her by, throwing daggers at her as they went.

Through it all, she had survived. Picked up a few bad habits and caused more than a few old friends to become enemies. Still, she outlived them all - Jeremy, with his withering body. Thresher, with his flame and anger. Sanguis Diaboi and Asylum and Versus Pello and XVI and, hell, even a pack whose own name was Armageddon - she had outlived them all. Her bastard of a father, whose throat she'd cut mercilessly alongside her hell-mate at the time. Her mother (adopted, as she had found out), who had been her first taste of wolf flesh. Her daughter, likely perished in the desert, along with her son whose neck she had snapped and whose body had been disposed of by Kontra. Kontra himself was likely dead - he'd seemed halfway there when she'd seen him last.

Hunger bubbled up in her belly, sloshing bile up her throat and burning as it settled. She hadn't eaten in a bit of an uncomfortable amount of time, and while she could survive a good while longer, she hoped to eat soon. A scent and movement caught her eye and she smiled, ripped lips twitching deviously. Andraste lowered herself as she moved through the dark underbrush and headed towards the lakebed, where the other wolf was walking.

Recognition flickered in her eyes.

Wait, I know you, she breathed, bloodred eyes blinking as she slunk through the shadows towards the other. She rose to her full height and trotted out of the shadows, head held high as she focused on the other, then her trot turned into a run. Murmur! she barked, memory of kindness slipping into her damned mind. Realizing herself, she slowed into a more reasonable walk and then paused to determine how the other wolf, her adopted sister, would react.

Would she recognize her, even with her markings torn from her flanks and her body mangled with scars? Had she learned to hate her from Kontra? Andraste remembered when she'd last seen Lauren, how he had treated her with kindness and recommended she not let Kontra know the truth, for her own safety.