Lost Lake am i making pitch or honey

Random Event: An avalanche has made travelling in Serpent's Pass particularly difficult! Be careful!
Backdated to 1/12, for @Flair only.

Woya walked the rim that marked the difference between unforgiving mountainside and the hidden oasis it shielded. Yesterday, she had circumvented the lake itself to stand atop the ridge that she had crossed alongside the other Cove wolves and attempted to see her home from the dizzying heights. Now, she opted to look toward where she'd come from - where, very far from here, her parents slept and, hopefully, Hudson too.

All four legs fucking maimed of course, the thought flashed through her mind like a heated knife, and she went from strolling to prowling as irritation became her. She could either wish he was well and away still simply because he was an awful father, or she could wish him harm. It was a difficult choice that grew harder every day, as her niece and nephews grew older, as they started to ask questions and make up their own minds about what it all meant.

And Aweho, what if he had left to chase after Hudson? Was it on her, was it on Hudson? Both of them? Woya's tail flicked back and forth behind her, restless and irritated. Her steps became harder against the slate and ice and it culminated with her lifting both forepaws and slamming them down as hard as she could.

The mountain answered her frustration with a great, thunderous roar. Woya's eyes widened in shock and fear as her head spun round toward the source. Great sheets of ice and snow had given way and were avalanching down the mountainside, into the foothills of Sacred Grove. It felt like it took an hour for the force to settle and quiet, and when at last she could hear nothing more than the rapid thumping of her own heart, her ears lowered and she quietly asked no one, "... there's no way that was me, right?"

She had ended up staying away all night, trying to hunt but continuously losing the trail until it got too dark, and she was too frustrated to continue.  At that point she had made it to the opposite shore of the lake, among the fallen trees where the Cove had first been born – and it was easier to sniff out the old den to sleep than make it all the way back; Always with the excuses…   This morning, she’d taken her time getting up and then chosen the long route, south along the bank, back towards Sanguine Cove, figuring she might catch something along the way to justify her absence. But in truth, she was in no rush to get back to the pack, still not sure how to deal with her conflicting feelings.   She’d only just rounded the southern curve of the lake, when the ground started to shake, her head jerking up as the rumble of the avalanche filled her ears. The fiery wolf rushed up the slope to see the last of the snow crash down into the woods below, a cloud of powder dancing above the treetops as the last echo slowly died out.   When the voice broke the ensuing silence, Flair jolted, spinning around to face the stranger. Her pale fur camouflaged her against the snow, although she could have been bright red and Flair probably still would have missed her, with all her attention drawn by the avalanche. Now, too startled to take time to think or consider backing off, she simply blurted out: “What happened, y’ fart or something?” ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Woya didn't expect company, though she shouldn't have been surprised that the noise would draw the attention of others. Her eyes lifted as words were spoken, meeting the fiery countenance of a battle-scarred woman. Her question took a turn that caused the honey-eyed wolf's jaw to drop in outrage.

"No I did not fucking fart you asshole!" she was quick to bite back, scowling deeply, "It was the goddamned mountain that took a fuckin' shit."

To emphasize the point, she lifted a paw and swept it forward and out, toward the sheer cliffs where the avalanche had just torn a path down.

Manners had never been her strong suite, and her mouth had gotten her into plenty of scraps over the years – though it had been a while since the last time, maybe she’d gotten complacent. At least, the stranger didn’t seem all too pleased with her crass joke. The fire with which she snapped back actually surprised Flair, who was used to being the grouchy one, especially when it came to meeting new wolves.     An unexpected snort of laughter bubbled from the russet girl’s chest at the clapback, her head tilting to one side as she dipped her muzzle in recognition; Touche…! Honestly, it hadn’t seemed an unreasonable question, with how sound was often the trigger for these things, and the stranger had wondered aloud herself; Of course if it’s a sensitive topic…   Choosing the diplomatic approach, Flair followed her direction, looking down into the, now quiet, woods once again as she answered: “A big one! Guess y’re lucky y’ didn’t get flushed too.” She looked back up at the stranger, raising her brows, waiting to see if there was any chance of reconciliation, or the other woman was set on making it a fight. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Woya's eyes rolled. She wasn't usually the lady in any given scenario, but it seemed this time she very much was. Oh well. The woman smelled of the pack, and therefor of family, so she supposed she would give her a chance.

"So what're you doing out here?" she asked bluntly, her attempt at being nice and opening the door for conversation. The avalanche had more or less spoiled her desire to to peer over cliffs and take in the view that doing so offered, giving her time that could now be spent getting to know the particularly striking wolf.

 

Well, it wasn’t a fight at least. Whether it was the shock or just a generally surly disposition, the stranger clearly wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Instead, she offered a question almost like a challenge, the odd phrasing making Flair’s brows furrow.

 

“Uhm… I’m huntin’…” She answered slowly, wanting to make sure the other woman understood her words; “What’re… You doin’ out here?” The question came equally hesitant, head titled to one side as she tried to get a read on this unusual wolf.

Woya's brow quirked upward as it seemed to take a measure of time for the other woman to get out her answer and subsequently mirror the question. The girl was strange in her eyes, even if well-built. It didn't occur to her that her company found her to be the odd one.

"Checkin' out the view," she answered simply, "don't usually climb all the way up to bumfuck-nowhere. So. Why not."

Apparently, the mountainside caving in on itself was why not. Woya gave her coat a good shake to free it of any snow that settled upon her as she had stood still before addressing the other wolf again.

"Name's Woya. Who're you?"

An equally simple answer, though given in a much more confident town than Flair’s own. Apparently, this was just the pale woman’s typical style of conversation, strictly to the point; Efficient… She kinda liked it.

 

Feeling a little more at ease now, Flair leaned back, planting her haunches in the snow. She gave the stranger a more thorough once over as she offered her name – even the introduction was short. Though pale, her fur didn’t quite match the snow, with patches of silver and even a hint of russet she made quite a striking figure, somehow managing to appear prominent despite her small stature.

 

“’m Flair,” The fiery woman answered, more smoothly now. Her head remained slightly tilted, one brow still cocked, though now in more enthusiastic curiosity; “So ‘t wasn’t jus’ th’ view that brought y’ up here then?”

Woya could sense the shift, and she realized now, late as always, that it had been a measure of tension that had tainted the air. At least it had dissipated before she'd managed another enemy without any such intention. Especially given she'd been the one caught off guard.

Flair. Fitting, she thought, as likely many before her had when they heard flare rather than panache. The woman had a rough, almost temperamental contour to her being that reminded Woya of flames, and the sun filtering through her red fur of course bolstered the image.

"Oh yeah," she answered, expelling air from her nose in a scoff, "I could imagine this shit."

She wouldn't admit that the sunrise had been pretty stunning, and everything else had been just like what she'd thought the forest would look like from above - green.

"I'm visitin' Aleister and my other li'l cousins."

She still couldn’t quite get a read on this Woya, body language and tone seeming to shift between irritable and carefully neutral, yet keeping up the conversation, mostly civilly. Not that Flair was particularly adept at reading others even at the best of time, and the smaller shewolf’s blunt way of speaking didn’t exactly offer much help.   Still there was something intriguing about the enigma, enough for the fiery woman to want to find out more. And her curiosity only deepened as their exchange went on. The attitude in her reply made Flair snort, a surprised smirk parting her lips; Suppose it’s not for everyone…! Though this was the first time she’d met someone on the mountain who didn’t complement the view.   The rest of the answer was the real surprise though, both flame-colored brows bouncing high at the revelation. “Y’re related t’ Al?” he hadn’t mentioned anything about having more family around the Lore; Though I haven’t really given him much chance lately… She pushed the thought aside, focusing on Woya and the present instead; “Just visitin’?” The only family of Aleister’s she knew of was his dead parents and the sister who had left the Cove without a word; Nothing about cousins… She wondered just how far the pale lady had come for this visit, and how she knew where to go. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA