Sanguine Cove freefall far away, out of sight out of mind

Adora had (very sheepishly) taken notice of one girl in particular.

Richly colored of the earth, much like her siblings. Only the girl had something exceptionally striking about her. Markings along her face unlike much anything she had seen before. Scars. Adora had done her best not to stare at them too much or too often. Yet every time she did she found herself in complete awe. She saw only beauty in the way the girl was unlike any others.

Today she worked up the courage to approach the girl. It had likely taken a little bit of a pep talk from her Mama or the obnoxious nudging of siblings, but regardless she was here!

Only suddenly her stomach felt kind of twisty, winding. Butterflies and nerves alike. She could not say why this girl in particular gave her the feeling! Yet still she figured she needed to say something. Which meant she awkwardly meeped out a single worded greeting.

"Hi."

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Perhaps if she were raised by a different family, Magg might have been self-conscious about the permanent marring of her face. As things were, she had no reason to feel she was in some way damaged or any less kind to the eyes. In fact, she found herself feeling a bit proud of them when catching sight of the distinct marks in reflections. She'd survived something that had killed Alpha Dad. How badass was that?

Nevermind that it had been a bobcat and not a cougar, and that Aleister had fought alone while she had literally had her life saved by several others. Magg was tough now.

Hi.

She blinked and turned round, pulled away from the hole she'd been digging by a voice that sounded as though it belonged to a mouse. Instead, it was Adora, the sunny-eyed visitor. A smile flashed across Magg's muzzle, but there was something off and abated about the other girl in that moment and she wasn't sure how was best to react to that. It caused hesitation to appear in her as well.

"Hello," was the easiest way to start, but then she dithered, looking side to side as though something in their environment might give her a clue.

"... what's up?"

The girl seemed so cool already! Asking her what's up undeniably had to be the best way to greet somebody. Yet here stood Adora, who waffled and wavered with her stomach full of butterflies.

"Oh, um," Yeah, Adora, what was up? "Would you like to...hang out? I think my siblings got tired of exploring the mountain with me..." Which she had no clue if that was the truth or not! Only that she seemed to love the mountain most of all so far.

Some part of her imagined that this very cool girl would know all the best spots. Better than anybody else.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Hang out? Magg's ears lifted. That was definitely doable! She loved when other wolves chose her to spend their time with, even if she didn't necessarily understand why they were doing so.

"Totally," she answered with a smile, hoping this would set the other girl at ease. She could show the way for now, and then hopefully Adora would warm up enough to take the reins herself. Magg was always more comfortable following than leading.

"So you wanna like, go for a hike then? I've gotten pretty high up," the brown-eyed girl gave a small boast, pointing with her muzzle toward the shielding walls of the valley.

Totally!

Her stomach sort of flipped, fluttered. Totally, Adora! Her tail wiggled behind her pudgy form as the girl offered up exactly what Adora had wanted. Hiking! It would be so good to continue exploration of the mountain. She had politely asked her Mama but this would be better. A local showing her the trails! It couldn't be any better.

Yes! I mean, totally! She beamed a bit flustered. Her head bobbed some too. I like seeing everything up there. It's nothing like that back home! There's lots of rocks but not really the climbing kind, or the kind that shows off these views...

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Sunshine emanated from her, and it was infectious. With every cheerful word Magg grew happier herself, tail now keeping a steady pace at her hocks. She soaked in Adora's preferences and promptly thought of places she thought might suit their visitor. Her own grin bloomed across her muzzle, toothy and wry.

"I've never been outside the valley," she admitted, unable to imagine anything too different but certain there had to be lots more to the world than their little lakeside home.

"Wanna see if we can get to the top? Maybe you can point out your home!"

That would be really cool. Her brown eyes panned up to the closest heights, measuring their scalability. They could totally manage this, right?

"If we smell cats though, we gotta run."

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2023, 02:55 AM by Magg.)

It was not such a farfetched idea to think that Magg had never been beyond her home. Adora hadn't really seen much up until recently. Then it was like the whole world opened up all at once. The forests beyond the chasm, the rivers and creeks, the mountains. Now she could not fathom seeing anything less than the whole earth!

"Yes, of course! Yes!" Her paws softly shifted in a tip-tap manner of her excitement.

Although the warning that was given came as an odd one. Cat? She was not sure she had ever seen (or smelt) one before. So her lips thinned out in a thoughtful manner before she dared to ask.

"What, um, does cat smell like?"

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Adora danced with her mirth, and Magg found herself mimicking the steps without conscious intention. She tip-tapped at the snow beneath her own paws and wriggled with rapidly mounting excitement. Today would be an adventure, no one and nothing could convince her otherwise!

The question her new friend had stopped her from bolting to lead the way then and there. She thought a moment about how to explain, head tilting and muzzle scrunching slightly as she pondered.

"It's like... sharp. Like, y'know... pee, almost. It's gross."

She'd point it out if they crossed it; if Adora was going to be traversing the mountain, it was important she knew these things. Otherwise, she might end up on the wrong end of a bobcat like she had, but without a @Stella and Grama @Moonshadow to save her!

"Don't worry. They won't get the drop on me, n' I got your back," Magg promised with a wink.

Like pee.

Adora scrunched her features at the thought alone. Although she supposed borders technically smelled like pee too but it was...different. It smelled like friends and families! Not cat.

Although her stomach was quick to do tumbles and twists at the wink(!) that Magg gave her. She could not pinpoint what about the other girl gave her such intense butterflies, but she found they were not so awful.

She motioned for them to begin their adventure now, though. Eager to explore and see all the grand views that home had not had! Are you like a guardian then? Or maybe a hunter? Her gaze fluttered softly as it darted from the scarred girl out over the Cove's claim.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Magg happily fell into step with the other girl as they set off in no particular direction other than out and away toward that towering unknown. The snow crunched crisply beneath their paws and the sun shone with approval upon their backs.

Are you like a guardian then?

Her ears twitched with interest, the queries tickling her imagination. The young Eastfall was learning that lies were a tightrope walk, but also a key component to her chameleon-like nature. Unlike her family and packmates, however, Adora knew next to nothing about the truth of Cove life and hierarchy. At least for a few hours, Magg could virtually be whoever she wanted to.

But... who in the heck would that be? Guardian made her think of her father, while hunter failed to resonate at all. She liked following after her dad, and had certainly shadowed him on patrols. He seemed confident, strong, unstoppable. Maybe she'd grow to have those traits too.

"Basically," she answered breezily, the fib falling easily from her dark lips.

"My dad was The Guardian before he took over as The Alpha, so he taught me all about it. I took on the patrols when he got too busy."