Larkcall Lowlands Waste of precious breath

For @Piety

you gotta fire up, you gotta let go

Morganna Archer

The day had started cloaked in freezing fog, and it didn't seem like lifting anytime soon. Morganna had surveyed the opaque fog bank with a sigh, leaving @Craw and Capable to deal with any intruders. She had set out to the west, to see if she could track down the herds of bison or musk ox and see if there were any worth picking off. Sight hampered as it was, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Peach eyes narrowed to try and see further through the bank of fog, thin patches here and there giving little away. She snorted in annoyance, lowering her nose to the ground to see if she could pick up a scent. Open mouthed to make the most of the faint trail that she stumbled across she began to follow. There was something almost familiar about the trail... something... something.

She growled in frustration at not being able to pinpoint the scent before finally giving up and issuing forth a demanding bark. Whoever it was couldn't be far off now. She supposed she would see soon enough whether the owner had heard her and decided to stop or flee. Either way, it was cold enough that she wasn't about to complain about the exercise.

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 03:41 AM by Morganna.)

She hadn't even realized she was back. These lands were unfamiliar to her and the cold was different without the touch of someone, preferably him. Of course, it had been far too long since she'd even been touched. In fact if she truly thought about it hard enough, Veho or Morganna might have had been the last ones to touch her pure form. The Santoro firmly believed that after Morganna had taken an ear from her, her sins were washed away. The blood that had run down her face that night and the cold river water she ran through had taken part in cleansing her. She had taken off for good and regrouped herself so to say.

But here in the thick fog and cold air she felt she wasn't alone. "Oh what a perfect time for a teaching! In the winters we must stick together!" Her joyous voice had rung out in her head. Alas the scent caught her off guard. It wasn't the most familiar but something wanted to tell her to turn. Go left instead of right, hide behind a rock instead of moving into the clear. She had to push all those thoughts aside, though! Piety had been wanting to share knowledge with a fellow wolf, hadn't she?

Before the pale, one earred woman could even make the first call a rather ruuude bark came forth. Her eyebrows raised and she lowered her fragile form. "Hello? Friend or foe?" Maybe if the rude caller would just tell Piety their intentions, she could happily be on her way.

"Speech"

Table Art by Becuffin.

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 03:58 AM by Piety.)

# C W T

you gotta fire up, you gotta let go

Morganna Archer

A voice chirped at her through the fog, large ears swiveling to close in. That voice. It was enough to put her on guard, the hair along her spine rising with the lips that should have been covering her teeth.  Finally, through the fog, she spotted something that seemed more solid than the rest. She lowered her lips as she scent grew stronger, head rising more from surprise than dominance. Why hadn't she run?Was it really who she thought it was?! The closer she got, the more defined the shape became, the nub where an ear should be, the same dull brown eyes and pale white coat. She couldn't contain her snort. "Neither." She answered in short, abrupt as ever.

Surprisingly, Morganna failed to make any aggressive gestures. Her departure from the Willows had changed her - Skoll and Sven had both stayed, so she owed them nothing in the form of retribution, and surely an ear was enough for abandoning the pack and leaving them an additional child to raise. "Never expected ter see you again," she stated coolly, tail held level with her spine and ears turned forward as she casually observed the ghost. She almost wished @Craw were here to do the talking for her, for what was she supposed to say?

If she hadn't known she was back before, she did now. Neither. Hadn't, once upon a time, this 'strange' been a foe? It was a surprise she wasn't already being mauled or threatened by the darker woman. Piety decided if Morganna wasn't going to attack, maybe she didn't have a reason to run. "I didn't expect to see you either." Looking around hesitantly there was no strong smell of others around. "This doesn't seem to be the place I'd expect to see you." No willows, no Archers (besides for the one in front of her), and no him. "Has your home moved?" She mused softly. Piety hoped to keep things neutral and not stirring the pot too much would keep her safe.

Her own position had been a limp tail hanging down between her pale, gangly legs and one, the only one, ear standing alert. More than ready to catch every word that fell from her company's lips. The pressure to ask more questions had been swelling but the last thing the Santoro wanted to do was bombard Morganna with words that would likely make Piety lose another ear.

"You look well." A simple compliment. Apparently, the fall and rising winter hadn't been too rough on the Archer, yet. Piety had become a woman who only wanted good from now on. So seeing her once foe in a healthy condition was a pleasure.

"Speech"

Table Art by Becuffin of Ruins of Wildwood.

# C W T

you gotta fire up, you gotta let go

Morganna Archer

She dared to smirk when @Piety replied that she hadn't thought to find her here. Truth be told if someone had told her twelve months ago she would have a mate and children and be living on the freezing open tundra she would have laughed in their face, hell bent as she had been on holding onto the Willows. "I moved, with m'mate and some others. @Greer came with us, the rest..." she had to shrug with a sigh, things hadn't been so good the last time she had been down south and she couldn't claim any certainty that anyone lived among the Willows anymore at all.

The woman's compliment puzzled Morganna, and she chuckled darkly in response, "Could say th'same fer you." A brow raised antagonisingly as she continued to smirk to herself. Perhaps the year apart had done them both wonders. It was obvious Morganna's temper was still there, but she had a better hold of it up here with less to drag her down. "So where'd yer go? Sven was tryin' ter rally a rescue party ter drag yer home from Cedarwood." She doubted he would expend such an effort now but it still begged the question, where had she run off to?

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

hunting-awkard-bonding time??

Piety was confused. Nothing aggressive was coming off of Morganna. In fact, both of the women seemed rather friendly with each other. "A mate? Congratulations. Have you been together long enough you've bared children?"A small genuine smile laced her face. Piety had to be honest that Morganna would make beautiful children and part of the Santoro hoped she did when she got the chance.

A chuckle rose from the pale woman. "Think the one ear suits me?" It was a friendly gesture and Piety obviously meant no harm in her words. They both seemed different now so she hoped Morganna would appreciate her little joke. But the talk of her son caused a stoic look on her pale face. Perhaps had she not already been so pale the blood draining from her face would have shown. "After our incident, I came to terms I wasn't going to put anyone else in danger. I was and am my own problem." She nodded hesitantly, a lump in her throat seemingly swallowing her from the inside out. "I've been roaming far west of here. Beautiful lands, beautiful creatures."

Fighting off the urge to talk about her son and mate till perhaps later, Piety's nose caught a scent before seeing something move in the distance. "Do you wish to hunt with me? Two is better than one, and it seems you have mouths to feed." Her tail wagging slowly between her legs.

"Speech"

Table Art by Becuffin of Ruins of Wildwood.

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 05:02 AM by Piety.)

# C W T

you gotta fire up, you gotta let go

Morganna Archer

This was an odd encounter, and certainly not how it played out any time Morganna had imagined them meeting one another again after their last encounter. "Shrieking an' covered in blood doesn't suit yer," she countered conversationally with a toothy grin. When she finished recounting her journey west Morganna went back to her previous question, with a nod of her head as she made towards the scent of the herd on the breeze. "They aren't his. I was leadin' th' Ridge an' butted heads with @Nicolò over breedin' rights, so even I don' know which one it ended up bein' in th' end, but @Craw's their father. A boy an' a girl, Odin an' @Kara."

It was hard to spot the deer through the fog until she suddenly found herself on the fringes of the herd. While most of the deer ran in one direction, a young startled cow fled in the opposite direction. She didn't bother checking to discuss a plan with @Piety, rapidly launching herself to keep the younger animal from rejoining the herd. It's frantic bleating rang through the fog like a beacon, and she wasn't certain they wouldn't be joined by @Lorcan or @Saradathia if they were close enough to respond.

Teeth aimed to close on the young deer's flank, hoping to use her weight to drag it down, or slow it enough to give Piety a chance to get a good hold on it and finish the job.

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 05:24 AM by Morganna.)

"Shrieking an' covered in blood doesn't suit yer,"

Was that supposed to be a compliment? Piety wasn't sure but part of her was soothed hearing Morganna say that. It helped solidify that perhaps the darker hued company didn't want the pale woman missing another ear. The mention of Morganna's children was a much more exciting topic, though. A drama filled one but it made it all the more interesting. "I am not familiar with Cra but, well, if he's the father then that's all that matters really. And beautiful names. Oden and Kara." The children's names rolled off her tongue like honey. Their names fitted next to her own son's name rather well. Perhaps it was Archer tradition.

When the offer was accepted there was no words. Morganna took off and Piety was smart enough to follow after. Her long legs had particularly come in handy this time. The Santoro noted as Morganna launched towards the deer's flank. Rushing a bit more to be ahead of Morganna's attack a tad, Piety launched her own self at the deer's shoulder. If the two could get it from the front side and the backside then it would be fair game. Piety knew first hand what Morganna was capable of. Of course the Santoro didn't know exactly what she could do herself. Two grown wolves would get the job done swiftly, or so she was hoping.

"Speech"

Table Art by Becuffin of Ruins of Wildwood.

Piety's move is on the opposite side of Morganna, a little bit ahead and aiming for the shoulder/foreleg

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 05:59 AM by Piety.)

# C W T

you gotta fire up, you gotta let go

Morganna Archer

As the first hint of blood touched her tongue, she was taken off guard. Piety's attack landed but startled the deer right towards Morganna, and having anticipated that it would try to pull away, she found herself sporting an aching nose as her grip began to slip. Paws flailed to try and keep pace without losing her bite hold, but it was a lost cause and as her jaws slipped free the hooved little bitch flicked her heels and the blow glanced off Morganna's rib cage. She coughed in surprise, the blow hardly enough to break a bone but more than enough to knock the wind from her lungs. Her steps faltered as she tried to catch her breath, coughing and gasping as she hobbled along. Perhaps this would turn into a game of endurance, the deer having the option to hide in plain sight with all this fucking fog laying around.

She wasn't convinced Piety could hold the deer on her own, but her bite had hit hard enough to leave a tantalizing trail for her to follow. Now that she could breathe again, she went back to trailing the pair, hopefully fast enough to catch them before the deer decided to give Piety a taste of what Morganna just got. With adrenalin coursing like this, she felt like she could run all day.