Kingsfall there's a hummin' in the restless summer air

Truthfully, she did not mind if he followed directly behind her. If he got too much, she trusted her ability to pry him right back into a submissive state like he had been in moments ago. Still he neared close. Not yet at equal status but close enough for her to catch glances of him the step or two behind her.

She liked this one. A good listener, a good follower.

"Kisina." She supplied smoothly. Although she still carried around her surname, she felt no need to supply it here. This seemed to be a casual affair as far as she could see into the future.

"Are you alone?" Inquired with a turned head to give him a look that lasted longer than a simple glance.

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2021, 08:54 PM by Kisina.)

Keeping up with her larger frame, moving with clear, fervent purpose required a bit of effort for Vasco, his skinny body less able to push through the snow. But he was in good shape, lean muscle hidden well along every bone, and thought he breathed a little quicker than her, he managed to maintain his position at the agouti woman’s shoulder.   Her name rang foreign to his ears, though that was no surprise, but it did seem to fit her, soft yet fiery at the same time. Vasco dipped his head in thanks, skipping a step but jumping nimbly forwards to get back in time. Wherever she was headed, she showed no sign of slowing down.   Although she did make time to ask another question, bright cerulean eyes resting on him pointedly as she waited for an answer. Despite his generally accommodating nature, Vasco couldn’t help but cast his own gaze around at the snow overdramatically, quirking a brow as his eyes returned to hers. “For the moment,” he answered, half-smirking at the joke. But then, deciding it was time to play a few of his cards, he cleared his throat and admitted: “I’m actually looking for someone…”   The words hang heavy between them, weighing him down as he once again remembered his despair; I have to find them! He didn’t have time to waffle around anymore. Word Count: 227 Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

Everyone is looking for someone, bucko.

Except she felt kinder in that moment, which meant she didn't volley the snark at him. Softened by his obedience to her unruly demands and bullying ways. "Oh yeah?" She started with as if he had said the most interesting thing in the world. "Who are you after?" Some genuine curiosity in her words as she focused again on the untouched path before them.

The mountain of snow that had swept in overnight would not make their trek easy, but she felt skilled enough. Worse case scenario she forged the path and her smaller company followed the trail.

An eagle flies overhead and drops pieces of its kill. +3 Health

Suddenly he felt like he was back in the nightmare, running through the fog all alone, everyone else seeming to have vanished from existence. What was he doing, groveling for this strange young woman? However delightful she might smell, she was not his Sita, and ambling along with her would only make his heart ache for her even more.   Shaking his head, the young man turned his eyes back on his companion, ears twitching at her reply and silvered brows furrowing ever so slightly at the tone. But her question harbored, at least some, real interest, and now that the subject was broached, he couldn’t afford not to continue. Vasco cleared his throat, looking down at his paws before answering, timidly: “My pack.” Knowing how it must sound, his ears drooped, a hint of shame in his tone as he explained: “We got… Separated. I’m not sure how far I might have gone…” He cast around at the snow covered, over dimensioned forest once more, for the first time letting a little of his desperation show on his face.   Then, turning his gaze back on Kisina he asked tentatively: “You don’t happen to have heard the name ‘Valle’ on your travels, do you?” He knew it was unlikely, and he cringed inwardly at showing his desperation so openly; Desperate times… He needed some sort of lead to follow, and for now the assertive woman was all he had. Word Count: 238 Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

Someone turned into someones. She didn't entirely grasp how a whole pack was lost.

Actually.

Shit.

She did understand that and her face grimaced for it. A real blow to the whole big and bad attitude she had had so far on her adventure out here. A train of thoughts ran right into those of her childhood. How it all had been scattered like ashes and took most everything from her. Her home, her father, crumbled the family entirely.

Her frown only deepened at his question as she failed to grasp any wolves with such a name. "Sorry." She mumbled softly, a feeble smile offered as well. "I, uh, know what that's like though. So I hope you find them soon." He had unexpectedly cracked her hard exterior and had exposed the softness that still lived within in.

Understanding was about the last thing he expected; What kind of wolf loses their whole pack? With Kisina’s track record so far, he wouldn’t have been surprised at all if she mocked his ineptitude. Yet, the expressions that passed over her face encompassed something much deeper and more complex than he could hope to guess. He definitely saw pain, but it was fleeting, gone again as soon as he’d identified it. What was clear though, was that his opening up had in turn disturbed something deeper in his companion.   But the final point was that she had no answers for him, a simple ‘sorry’ crushing any last hope he might have held. His chest felt hollow, her words of empathy only vaguely registered as he nodded his head, answering reflexively: “Thank you.” Even his voice sounded distant, already off on the continued search.   But he forced himself to return attention properly to the woman; One last time… Giving a vague smile, he bopped his head, making a faint effort by returning: “I hope you find what you’re looking for too.” Although he didn’t know what it was, and he didn’t care. Having broached the bossy attitude and poked at the scars within, Vasco suddenly found himself much less interested in the young woman, with no emotional surplus to devote to her problems; Finding my family is all that matters! Word Count: 229 Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

It seemed like both of them had deflated greatly in the last few moments. It was not what she had wanted when she had arrived. She had expected...something. Something more riveting and not so depressive. It sort of settled her into a fidgety state of mild annoyance.

”I think I’m going to keep heading south. You’re welcome to follow or...do your own thing. Whichever way you think your pack went.” He didn’t have to follow, but she figured that he didn’t seem horribly put off by her. Whether that was actual personality at play or the way of the seasons wasn’t picked apart by her.

It was such an odd thing, how the mood had completely shifted. With the serious subject had come not only a somberness but an exhaustion, taking the fire out of the young woman, and with that out of Vasco too. As silence stretched, he felt himself sinking deeper into his own depression, the worries for his loved ones towering all around him and boxing him in.   As such, he couldn’t blame Kisina for wanting to move on, nor could he really fault her for the uncertainty in her voice – yet it saddened him, to see her decisiveness so reduced. If ever he had felt truly tempted by her seasonal allure, that was long gone now, but that didn’t mean he was repelled by her. Rather, he started to see a kindred spirit under the hard exterior, someone just as lost as himself, if not in the exact same way.   And so, after a moment’s thought, he nodded at her invitation, speaking softly: “South sounds as good as anything.” He had no way of knowing which direction would be better, and at least together with the larger woman he would have help plowing through the snow; And perhaps someone to talk to… For a time at least. Word Count: 206 Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA