Willow Ridge starry eyes, blurry eyes

Please allow @Malien to post first and then WR will be tagged in <3

She led them back towards the borders. A familiar place where she had returned the wayward boy. With her was none other than her new companion, Malien. She also carried trinkets of toys for the children. An old bone, a rabbit's foot. If there had been any questions about it she would have been happy to explain them to him along the way.

This is the place. Gorgeous, isn't it? She beamed at him with a wide smile as her tail waved behind her. Some part of her felt prepared to see Daegal or even the hunter from the meadow. Whenever you're ready, I'm happy to be the one to call.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2023, 08:07 PM by Sephrina.)

The feeling in her presence lasted: a blend of contentment and adrenaline, surges like anxiety and excitement, a surprising ease. He's found himself watching her from the corner of his eye, the threat of a smile at the corners of his mouth and that strange, unnamable feeling in his blood.

He's tried to rationalize it, using his past metric of dissatisfaction with life and the world and his tendency to manipulate, want to influence, control. He's gone through she's easy prey to a new place, maybe it'll be better, worthier, or at least offer entertainment but at the end of the day none of them ring true. They don't fit the shape of this and he's torn between acknowledging that confusion or just going along with it.

He'd been curious about what she was bringing and why, had even offered to carry some of it part of the way, and now they were here. A meadow spreads out in the distance beyond the willow trees - spacious, open, dappled sunlight through the branches. He takes it all in with hungry eyes. It's not enchanting like the falls had been, but, yeah- "It is." It's beautiful in a different way. He wonders what it'll look like in spring, full of flowers and all of these old, majestic willows in their finest greens.

Her words snap him back to reality; his head comes around, tail offering some sort of apologetic wag before settling in a steady, swaying rhythm. It's all her, she's infectious still, her joy too open and radiant. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead."

It was all she needed to hear. The next step was to tip her head back and call in honeyed tones for the woman who led. A short sound, long enough to get the message across but not dramatic.

Still her eyes remained vibrant and fixed on the gaps between the willows. Prepared to see somebody. Shouldn't be too long. She assured him with a still lingering smile.

What would the leading lady be like, she wondered. Like Daegal? Like the hunter? She figured some similarities must be there between them all! Nerves tickled down her spine. Excitement.

Avella couldn't ever get over the Ridge in the fall. Thus year was special because she had her children and Cam to enjoy the changing colors with. She had decided to go for a walk on her own. The children were surely off playing or learning something new with Hagar. So she had some time to herself. Sure that the children were safe. She took in the autumn air as she walked through the tall grasses of the meadow that spread out just beyond rhe willows.

The matriarch wasn't expecting any visitors but it was a nice surprise. Perhaps this visit would bode well for them just as the last visit had. She picked up her pace as she made her way across the meadow toward the border. Avella was eager to see who was at their borders.

She approached with tail raised high over her back showing her authority in her home. "Hello there I'm Avella Archer leader of Willow Ridge," she greeted the two wolves her tone friendly, "What brings you to my borders?"

Well. This is it. Something twists in Malien's gut as Venus calls for the reigning monarch, a feeling like dread, a memory of Woya bursting from the ferns - an unpleasant reminder of reality, that this dream must end. There will be others. There will be rules. His lips tense and his eyes harden, but at her assurance his head dips, his tail wags once. Only his fondness of her from these past days keeps him from (spitefully) remarking that you don't know that.

She was right, though. It's not long before a wolf approached them, tail high, at ease in her kingdom. Malien's head dips further, ears flattening, tail dropping; his eyes linger on Avella for a moment. Her eyes are mismatched, her coloring tan and bright and somewhat unusual. Odd. Malien's gaze slides away respectfully. "I am Malien, and this is my friend Venus." The rest, he leaves to her.

She was a beautiful woman in every way. Graceful, motherly, sisterly. Warm and kind! Venus' heart thumped in her chest all at once. Malien was first to speak and she found herself suddenly grateful twice over for him.

Hi, so good to meet you. She dipped herself into a brief boy. Respectful of the woman before her. I, um. I met your son? Daegal here, he invited me to come join. I said I should bring a gift first! Then I met a hunter of yours. A brown wolf, bear like. She laughed a little. Warm and feeling heavy by the formalities that were needed in this kind of situation.

Quickly she brought forth the old bone and rabbit's foot that they had brought along. Daegal said he'd like treats. But would it at all be enough to appease the great leader?

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2022, 12:29 AM by Venus.)

With winter on its way Avella had hoped that loners woukd come to her borders seeking shelter. She of course was happy to take them in for as long as they would stay. As always she hoped they would stay much longer than a few months. She knew well enough that she could hope all she wanted but some wolves left and there was nothing she could do about it.

The regal woman met her guests making het authority on these lands clear. However when she spoke it was in a friendly manner that she hoped conveyed to these two that as long as they were kind and respectful she would remain as such. The man spoke first offering their names. Avella's mismatched gaze went from him to her as he said them. Then jt was the females turn to speak. She offered a smile at the woman's sentiment. "Its nice to meet you both and yes Daegal is my son." She had smiled at the part about him inviting them to join the Ridge. "It was kind of him to extend the invitation to you and Willow Ridge will be glad to welcome you to our ranks. However there are a few things we would need to go over first. As for the hunter you met that would be Hagar."

Avella took in the gifts that the woman had brought. "I'm sure Daegal did say he likes treats," she said with a light laugh, "These will do fine. You can deliver them to him yourself once we've finished here and we're all in agreement." Avella was more concerned with what these two could do to help her pack. That would be their gift to her.

It's not that he's gruff or socially awkward, just that the way she goes about introducing her business is so astronomically different from how he would've done it. Would that even work?

Somehow, it does. Maybe it's a .. no. Wolves are wolves. He knows it's doing everyone an injustice if you start sorting them based on rather arbitrary traits no one can change anyway. Instead, he sort of chuffs, oddly charmed by the way Venus has proposed her (their?) business and trying not to show it too much.

"Of course," he kind of hums at the mention of things needing to be gone over; it's to be expected, after all. He's unsure of how to bring it up again, though, doesn't want to seem too much like he's cutting the chase, getting it over and done with. Instead, he tilts his head to the side, dares an inquisitive forward flick of his ears as he watches Avella.