World in Flames

For Jessie, but anyone else is welcome as well!

The wind tugged at Nayeli's fur, threading icy tendrils through her dark coat until the cold touched her skin, her bones. The black she-wolf laid her ears flat against her skull as she moved, both out of irritation and to keep them closer to her own warmth. She cursed her pelt for not being thicker, and picked up the pace through the powdery snow. Particles of white danced through the air around her in silent graceful elation, unaffected by her ill mood. She could feel hunger starting to gnaw at the edge of her mind - she'd eaten recently enough, but since then she had seen very few signs of prey or other wolves, and that was a worrying observation. Being alone during winter gnawed at her as well - really, it was another facet of the same problem. These thoughts lit a fire beneath her paws, urging her to leave behind the dark forests and push even further North in her search, both for food and for information. She still had so much to learn about this place, but mother nature could care less about her mission, she knew. As she pondered these fears in the back of her mind, her paws steered her path toward distant, rocky hills. The slashed red stone formations might provide shelter, or perhaps she could use the rugged terrain to help her take down some prey... so preoccupied was she by these thoughts that she did not realize she had quite underestimated the distance to the hills until the painted themselves with fire before her very eyes. Nayeli was taken aback by the beauty of the improbable spectacle, even as she was alarmed by it's significance - the sun was setting. She must have lost track of time, lost in the blanket of monochrome grey and white. The great fiery orb, fitfully weak in winter's grasp, had sunk between the layer of clouds and the horizon. It was allowed this single moment of glory before it would slip beneath the horizon and the world would be plunged into night. She did not want to be out here then. With a burst of speed, she pressed on, paws sending up a haze of snow behind her as she ran for the hills. Ahead of her they loomed, closer and closer, growing darker and yet somehow less foreboding the closer she drew to them. The shadows grew longer, and her blood began to burn. If the situation had been less urgent, Nayeli might have delighted in the run. As it was, she let herself smile a tiny bit as she raced the night. <b style="font-size:10px; color:#cecece;">"Speech"

The sight that Arlette and herself had stumbled across had not been the most pleasant sighting in the world. The trip had taken a little while longer than Jessie had been anticipating but the two women eventually got the job done. Sighing softly, she let a small white puff form in front of her face as she moved towards the hills, her mind wandering aimlessly. Now that the mountains were blocked it was no shock to Jessie as to why Kisla had not returned home yet, and though the Huntress didn’t believe in any high being, she certainly had decided to pray and hope that the Tainn was safe and out of harm’s way, because from what she had seen, it looked as if there was no way anyone could have survived such a thing. Knowing that the mountains were now impassable and even harder to climb than they had been in the first place, Jessie had finally decided to head to the hills, which was why she was there now. As she climbed up the snow covered hills, Jessie welcomed the strain and burn of her muscles as she moved through the area, her emerald eyes searching the area, for anything that could have been food.

The Huntress was highly worried about the amount of prey around now a day. She hadn’t been able to find any new trails nor had she caught anything substantial in quite awhile. As of right then, she could not find anything either and she looked out beyond the lore, her gaze distant as she did so. Oak Tree Bend wouldn’t have a chance if the weather got any worse. The pups were Jessie’s main concern for the time being. If they weren’t healthy then it was possible that their pack would not obtain a future, which was what they needed. Jessie, of course would never vocalize their troubles to anyone, because she was the kind of wolf who needed to remain strong for everyone else. It was just how her nature was. Not realizing that she had completely zoned out, when she saw a flash of black in her peripheral, she immediately shot up at a speed thought warmed her muscles up immediately. There was nothing to be concerned about though, hopefully, because as she looked upon the wolf, she looked to be in even worse shape than Jessie, who could hold her own. None the less, the woman did not move out of her defensive position and instead called out to the stranger, "Hey! Who’re you?"

Nayeli was panting hard, and her paws were beginning to feel sore, but she'd made it to the hills. Large slanted rocks loomed around her, creating eddies in the air and catching drifts of snow at their feet. The wind was gentler here, no longer boxing at her ears and pulling at her pelt. I wonder if I can find a nice sheltered spot to- Her thought was cut off as a voice rang out, echoing off the rocky hills. Nayeli halted in her tracks. Her gaze flicked one way, then another, her head whipping around as she tried to figure out which direction the call had come from. "Hey! Who're you?" Smell, sound... none of it was reliable to her now in this world of ice and rocks and echoes. Then she spotted it, there - a grey form in the white world. Turning to face whoever it was, Nayeli tipped her nose into the wind and took one step toward them. Her tail swayed slowly in a kind of silent question. <b style="font-size:10px; color:#cecece;">"Just a lone traveler..." she called back, wondering which of them would be the first to step close the distance between the two creatures. <b style="font-size:10px; color:#cecece;">"My name's Nayeli." The other wolf seemed to be a female - her defensive stance made Nayeli reluctant to approach her just yet, at least until she knew what to expect from this encounter. She didn't think she'd stumbled into a pack territory, but in all this snow, perhaps she'd missed something... she certainly thought she could smell the scent of others on this she-wolf. Perhaps she was near one though, or perhaps this wolf had other reasons to be guarded. Either eay, Nayeli was not in a mood to provoke an attack. And so she waited for a response, for some kind of sign whether this was friend or foe.

Look Out!

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

The figure she had seen was most definitely a wolf, and the other woman approached her cautiously, obviously noting her defensive stance. Emerald eyes tracked the loner’s movements, her gray body much smaller than that of this female, not that she cared. Jessie was sure that she knew this area better than the woman in front of her and would be able to outrun her for sure. The Huntress’ body was made for that and she had grown accustomed to the weather conditions in the area. Noting that the darker woman was keeping her distance, she let her ears prick forward so that she could hear better, her response exactly what she was looking for. Pleased that Nayeli was not moving towards her anymore, the Swiftpaw moved up from her defensive position, muscles still tense and ready for action if the other girl decided to try and start something. Jess had found that many loners liked to end up starting trouble with them, but she knew how to told her own and they always ended up underestimating her due to her size.

Huffing softly and letting a white cloud form around her muzzle, she spoke calmly, but loud enough for the other woman to hear her, "I’m Jessie Swiftpaw. How have you been long?" She asked the question bluntly, not really feeling the need to beat around the bush. This other female was not on pack territory but she did want to know what she was doing in the lands. This winter was going to be tough on all of them and it would have suited this woman to stay behind with her pack for a few months to beat the cold or at least wait it out until it was safer to travel. She had never understood what sense it made for other wolves to travel during the worst parts of winter, which just so happened to be when all the herds were leaving. Sighing, she waited quite impatiently for the other woman’s answer, shifting from foot to foot so that she would be able to pay more attention.

She couldn't be sure, but Nayeli thought the other female seemed more ill at ease than she. The silver girl danced restlessly, question hanging in the air, awaiting a response. The starred female let her tail hang low behind her ankles, brushing against the snow. Leaning forward she sniffed at the air, trying to fully examine the woman's scent, and whined softly to let the other she-wolf know that she meant her no harm. Despite the fact that they were strangers to one another, Nayeli yearned to step forward and share words - and perhaps kinship - with this wolf, if only for a fleeting moment. <b style="font-size:10px; color:#cecece;">"I'm alright... I haven't been here so long. And yourself?" She spoke in a soft, steady alto, genuine interest in her tones. The truth was that living had begun to take it's toll on her - emotionally even more so than physically. Still, the lass always wore a brave face. <b style="font-size:10px; color:#cecece;">"My proper name is Nayeli Stormwright. Have you met any others with that name? ...I'm in search of my family." She said the words with her ears tipped toward the other dame... only if she returned the signals of non-aggression would Nayeli draw closer. Starting an unnecessary fight was the last thing she wanted to do. Around them, the night was growing dark, long shadows crawling across the ground. Nayeli wondered what the other wolf was doing out here - she still wasn't sure if she'd stumbled close to a pack's borders, or something else of importance, like a kill.

The woman watched the other closely, but it did not seem as if there any harm would come to her, for the other female seemed to be submitting to her slightly, not wishing to start a fight and for that Jessie was thankful. This winter the lead huntress had no intentions of getting injured at all. Her pack couldn't afford it and neither could she. She blinked her eyes calmly and stood up straighter, more confidently and much less threatening. Her ears pricked forward when the woman spoke and she stepped forward slightly, trying to see if she recognized the woman at all. Her name was something of Cordova origin, she was sure, because alas, that had been where she had been from. She had found many different wolves with similar last names as hers and this woman also bare the mark of her region, but she could always be wrong, as she had been in the past.

Wagging her tail slightly, she tilted her small gray head and spoke strongly, "I haven't heard of your family...I'm sorry, but if you don't mind me asking where are you from?" She definitely didn't bare the mark of her family, though neither did Jessie. The whole Swiftpaw family were as pure as the snow, while Jessie's fur was a salt-and-pepper colored cloak. She walked a little closer, her emerald eyes adjusting to the new light instead of letting herself succumb into the shadows of the red hills. The woman was in better shape than the loner, obviously because she was a lone wolf, but none the less, she could prove to be a welcoming companion if she proved herself so.

The Stormwright woman blinked back at the other, moonlit eyes reflecting emerald ones for an instant, probing to see what lie behind the other mirror. The grey lady seemed slightly more at ease now, asserting herself into the situation moreso and dishing out another question. Nayeli noticed that she didn't answer her first question, just the second one. She was left still wondering whether this wolf was from around this area or far away - but one thing was clear from her scent, she had been near others recently. In trepidation she shuffled her feet, trying to warm them. "I hail from an isle called Lostwind," she offered, brushing her tail in a quick wave of easy dismissal at the other's apology. She was used to wolves not having heard of her family by this point, although she still hoped this one might perhaps recognize the isle's name. Perhaps one of the others from her pack, not a direct relative, had wandered to this distant region? It was not out of the realm of possibility, although a part of her feared they had all but disappeared from the earth. It was nothing to be sorry for. "Might I ask if you're from around here, Jessie?" She tried again, curious about the region itself. "I'm trying to learn a bit about this area."

The woman was patiently awaiting the answer from the other woman her eyes flickering in the area, trying to find any movement just in case someone else decided to sneak up upon them. Flicking her tail back and forth, her ears twitched forward slightly when the woman began to speak and Jessie couldn't help the small twinge of disappoint she felt when she heard about the location of the girl. Ever since she came to the lore she had desperately hoped that someone else would come for her, besides Brenton, who had ended up betraying her in the end or her sister, who also had disappeared without a word, again. None the less, the Swiftpaw provided a genuine smile towards the woman who was new to her. She was never one to like answering questions and when two of the woman's came, Jessie shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, her emerald eyes staring blankly at the woman for a second, deciding the best way to answer.

The girl pondered over her thoughts for several moments before finally parting her jaws to speak, "I am from around here...but I honestly don't know much about the area itself." Her words trailed off when she finished, not exactly knowing how to explain the area. She dreaded the northern part of these lands and purposefully didn't move towards it in any part of her time, choosing to forget the horrid happenings of the year prior with Rissa. Never again did she wish to go through the same pain of finding a child beaten, bloodied, and dead for her findings. The girl once again looked towards Nayeli, her voice somewhat darker now,"I reside in Oak Tree Bend...which is that way," She mentioned the direction with a flick of her tail before continuing, "I am the lead Huntress and what some would call a Scout for the pack...perhaps if you need a place to call home then we would be a worthy match for you...but alas, I'm sure there are other packs within these lands as well." Jessie replied to the other woman honestly, her jade eyes some what kinder than they had been before as she waited for the other woman's response.

Dawnthieves.de, somestock @ DA & candyhorse @ DA - Table by PuppyThief

I think we can probably wrap this up whenever you want... ? xD

As she waited for her new acquaintance to speak again, Nayeli took the opportunity to study her more carefully. Her silvery frame was smaller than Nayeli's own; lean and lithe - the competitive streak in the Stormwright lass wondered which of the two might win in a race, and several other types of competition - it had been a long time since she'd had the luxury of taking part in such a contest - but this sort of speculation was out of place for their current situation, and she filed it away as nothing more than an idle curiosity. The other girl's verdant eyes darted around their surroundings before settling on her again, and Nayeli got the feeling that she was not keen upon answering questions. Perhaps she simply didn't like to consort with loners, but at least she remained polite rather than acting aggressive or refusing to speak with the wanderer. Nayeli missed the simple ease of being around a group of her own kind, of not needing to ask questions like this because you knew the answers, because you were home.

Her attention snapped back to the present situation as the grey lady began to speak. Nayeli followed the flick of her tail with her gaze, studying trees that, to her, looked the same as all the rest. Silently she stored the facts where she could remember them. Oak Tree Bend. She wasn't sure about anything right now, but she appreciated the woman's offer, turning the idea of home over and over in her mind like a worry stone. If only it would be so simple to find a home once more - but she couldn't stop searching for her lost clan, even if she knew the odds were astronomically stacked against her. She'd had a home once, and some part of her was bound by blood to try and find them again, repair what had been broken. Maybe someday she'd be able to give up on the search - already she knew it was proabably in vain - but for now her will clung on stubbornly. Nayeli returned the offer with a genuine smile of her own. "Thanks for the offer... and the information," she said, coal-black plume swaying gently. "I think I'll try and seek out the other packs in this area, to see if any of my family have found their way there. But if I don't find them... I'll remember your invitation." She hoped that this Swiftpaw would take no offense to Nayeli declining her offer - at least for now. She was truly thankful for for such hospitality - most packs would probably chase loners away no questions asked during a winter like this one, with so little food to go around.