Whisper Marsh a chill to warm the heart

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><i>"Whatever it is, Trisden, you need to let it go. You're carrying so much, and you simply don't need to. Talk to me."</font>

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>She had growled at him and said some harsh things before turning on her tail and prowling away. He had sighed, shaken his head, and said, "You know you won't get anywhere weighed down like that. You can run away when you've dropped the shackles."</font>

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>She pretended that she hadn't heard, but he was right. A few hours later, she had slinked back, pride burning, and refused to speak to anyone.</font></i>

---

The morning had been an exceptionally cold one, with the wind whistling through the Cedarwood carrying a bitter chill. She had been loathe to leave the comfort of the den, filled with warm bodies, but Trisden was not one for idleness. Such a thing as weather would not stop her from her duties, not unless it swept her off her feet and never set her down again. It was without regret that she stole away with a silent <i>au revior</i> to her packmates, a promise to be back again before nightfall. If the day was particularly uneventful, she may even return sooner.

She had planned to visit the marshland today. Having spent most of the last week under the cover of her forest, she desired some open sky above her head. She had left the den early enough to still glimpse some stars by the time she got there, though they faded in the sunlight almost within minutes. Silently she watched, breathing the crisp air, stood among the thin reeds as they swayed in the wind. It was peaceful here, and beautiful in its winter coat. Once upon a time she may have been inclined to pray, but those days were over.

It did not stop her from glancing at the sky with an angry eye, just for a moment... but then the moment passed and she relaxed again.

Feeling too serene to get worked up, she turned away and slowly, carefully picked her way through the marshes, the ground frozen in places where it was ordinarily wet. Familiar with the land, she knew which patches of ice not to trust, where the water was deeper. Softly she hummed a tuneless tune, engrossed in her simple task and the comfort of familiar surroundings.</blockquote>

<i>Now this is what I've been looking for.."</i> she thought while trotting through the dense foliage beneath her feet. It surrounded her and cloaked her in its fleeting darkness. The wind whistled through the tops of the trees and caused the wetland grass to sway back and forth. Her breath came out in wisps through her nares. Although it was particularly chilly this morning she was well warmed from the recent kill of last nights fallow deer. It had been quite sometime since she had been full of anything but a mere squirrel or mouse and she was happily content. She looked slightly misshapen however, her muscular legs and hips still lean, while her stomach protruded on either side. She was far from her regular weight and she took her steps slower than usual as not to disrupt her insides.

Navar was not particularly aware of her surroundings as she had yet to meet a dangerous or hostile wolf in this land since arriving nearly four months ago. At points she stepped to the edge of the waters, pressing down a paw to watch the ice along the top crack. Once she tested how far she could go. In part because of her natural competitiveness and in part because of the <span class='word'>potvaliancy</span> of the wonderful feeling from her meal. The lady moseyed about her way following the direction of the wind with no particular place in mind. Golden eyes were glazed over, posture low, tail swinging. Being a naturally observant and curious wolf she was stepping out of her shell for a moment. Letting her mind be free of thought if only for a little while.

In her state of oblivion she didn't notice the young wolf that she was currently approaching. The wind wasn't blowing in her favor and she paid no mind. It wasn't until she was nearly twenty yards from the wolf before she noticed her figure out of the corner of her eye. Slightly startled, she stopped, and her tail instinctively flicked upward at the tip. The mottled white wolf said nothing.

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2012, 07:11 PM by Navar.)

<blockquote>The wind blew towards her and carried the female's scent with it. Relaxed as she was, Trisden did not immediately tense at the knowledge that she was not entirely alone, but that was in part because she easily recognised the markers of a wolf who was alone. Though far from intimidating, Trisden did carry the power of a pack behind her, and even if she was a little far from their borders all she had to do was call and run. She was safe. With that in mind, she resumed the soft tune, half expecting never to cross the loner's path anyway. When the scent only grew stronger, Trisden paused, ears up, and she gazed in the direction that the breeze had come.

A figure appeared before long, white and lean and absent-minded, and Trisden watched almost casually as the stranger strolled roughly in her direction, feeling calm about the situation. It was not hard to see from the angle of hip bones that food was not readily available to this woman, though perhaps that was not entirely true. Her lips tweaked up as she saw the bulging belly, and unless there was something terribly wrong with this stranger's health - which she didn't believe was so, from the condition of the rest of her - she had struck meaty gold not long before.

The white woman finally noticed that she was not alone, and stood silently, surprised. Trisden took an easy step forward, tail twitching to mirror the other's own - she had rank, but she could not exercise it here, and nor did she feel inclined to. It was not as satisfying imposing her rank on random loners to whom it meant little, not that her rank was particularly desirable in the first place. <b>"Hello,"</b> she called, ears pricking, eyes alight with polite curiosity, wanting to be sociable. She glanced over at the woman's belly and smirked. <b>"Was the grizzly a rough lay?"</b></blockquote>

Ooc: Sorry for the post length. D:

It took her a moment to let her initial startling pass and as it disappeared so did the rigidness in her body. She looked over the female for a brief moment as she spoke. She was rather young, and Navar didn't expect her to be out here alone. She could smell the faint scent of boundary marks and she knew that a pack had to be close. The humorous remark from the young female caused a small smile to creep across her muzzle as Navar spoke. <b>"No, the beast was no match for me,"</b> she said with a faint giggle, <b>"I suppose I do look rather odd."</b> Given she wasn't in the best shape of her life, but she could feel the effects of the food dispersing throughout her body. Normally she would be more inclined to leave the wolf before the onset of conversation, but that wasn't what she came for.

She was suprisingly calm about the situation and she sat down to make herself more comfortable. Her tail wrapped around her paws, her posture erect.<b>"I've actually come here for something.."</b> she paused, and took a breath before continuing.<b>"I can smell the pack markings from here. I've come looking to join one."</b> she said simply. Her voice had hardened a bit, showing her determination. She was curious about these packs that she had come across. Navar felt the need to know more about them.

Bah, sorry for wait, my crime is a hundred times more severe. We can wrap this up sooooper quick if you like~

The thought that a loner like this could be any match for a grizzly was hilarious, if only because of how silly she looked. Trisden let the notion entertain her for a few moments, smirking openly. Trisden knew what it was like to be hungry, but then to eat so much...? Surely she would feel like bursting.

With the odd nature of their meeting, Trisden had not really expected the conversation to turn so quickly to the matter of packs; they were not too close to the Hollow, really, though the scent was probably rolling off her fur in waves. Perhaps it was her lack of experience, but Trisden did not feel entirely comfortable bringing strangers into their home, especially with her younger siblings about. But then, they weren't that young anymore... and come spring, there may be even younger ones. Maybe this time of year was the best time for strangers to encroach?

"I see," she said plainly, choosing not to sit even as the other did. "Well, my family lives not far from here... though if you have a problem with grizzlies I wouldn't advise choosing this forest as home." She laughed softly, then cast her gaze aside, thinking. "I know there are other packs about, though. One near the river to the east, one to the south of them, I think." She had no idea if they had young to take care of - she had only chanced upon their borders in her travels, keeping far enough away to stay out of trouble, and barely letting herself study them at all. She wasn't interested in their wolfish rivals, anyway; nobody hurt them here.

Ooc: Yeah, she's already been accepted into PP so we can just wrap it up :P

Ic:

The initial meeting with the girl wasn't what Navar was expecting. She could tell that the girl was young, and wondered why she was out here alone to begin with, but she was thankful. Their banter was entertaining, and Navar was happy to meet someone with the same sense of humor, but her reason for conversation was very serious. The young female remained standing which told Navar that their time here was not going to be long. At her mention of a pack, Navar was happy, but was unsure about making a decision on meeting them. However, the girl knew about other packs in the area, and at their mention she was very surprised.

"I don't think I will be meeting with pack leaders anytime soon. I just wanted to find someone who knew of local packs," she said, looking to either side of her. This was a beautiful place to call home, but she must know all her options and she only had a small amount of time. This young one knew of packs throughout the land, she was either very curious or she was born into a pack that has been well established in the area; two things the cream female admired. Taking a deep breath Navar returned to her feet, realizing that she had not exchanged names with the young wolf, but at this point didn't feel the need."Many thanks for your help. I think that I'll be on my way now. There seems to be more to explore here than I thought," she said, with a small smile. Quietly the lady turned her back to the female, and with an amber glance over her shoulder she spoke,"It was nice meeting you, miss," Then she exited through the underbrush from whence she came. {exit}