Dragonveil Fold watcher

@Isomne

His mountain home had come into a string of tragedy. Spartan extended his patrols by a healthy length, off into further mountain ranges. He looked for cougars, bears, beasts of great size. Even elks with great horns were regarded with wariness instead of hopeful hunting.

The Fold gave him a break from his wary watching. The land here seemed snugged with peace. Snowy sides as the icy creek cut through the land. Yet caves seemed to carve into the foothills here. He could see that bears might make home here too, if other canines did not first.

He thought nothing of it as he moved to pungently mark at the mouth of an empty den.

The blizzard that had waylaid her had left behind deep drifts to navigate as Isomne made her way back north. She had entertained the thought briefly of traversing all the way up the mountain to the pass, to see how the pack there fared and if any of the others still remained. To get a look at the land stretching out on the other side, for herself. But practicalities must come first for her, especially in this season and she was drawn along the foothills instead, tracing along where the trees made for cover that might have attracted prey seeking shelter from the storm.

As the day stretched on the light but steady snowfall continued, and she found her way to a part of the land that seemed to fold inward toward the mountain. The small hilly vale was a quiet and serene place. A small stream flowed from the rocky hills among the trees, free of ice, and Isomne stopped for a drink before continuing to seek out its source.

She found it just below where the land folded and rose into the rocky hills. The spring was nothing particularly remarkable, but it could be a lifeline in another drought or severe freeze. Even today, as the snows continued, she was thankful of the escape this place offered. She would make sure to remember it was here, though as she studied the area she caught the rather fresh scent of another. Her interest piqued, was this a traveler or one who lay some claim to this place? Curiously she moved closer until she caught sight of the white form against the darkness of a small cave, as snowy as herself and the world around them. So, she called out a hello with a clear bark, her social nature winning out against any initial hesitation. "Hello over there!"

Women were dangerous this time of year!

He had come to learn this. To learn when seasons struck, they could often bare marks upon men they did not welcome. Yet she greeted him openly and warmly. Without concern for a brash man who marked caverns to stave away more bears. Ah! She was a fierce one, hm? Or perhaps she was only a woman knowing more of the world than him.

Regardless, he openly looked upon her with warmth and invitation. He was a gentlemen above all else. She may only find safety with him!

He chuffed warmly, his tail swayed behind him. A low rumble welcomed her closer. If only she wished!

spartan does not speak!

The bardic woman smiled at his greeting, wordless but warm, and stepped nearer, looking the man over as she approached. He was stocky and somehow bear-like, she had the fleeting first impression, and certainly handsome. Isomne could smell his scent plainly in the area, and she glanced about the vicinity, noting few if any real signs of life. The place hardly looked lived in. Still, it was far more welcoming than the blizzard-filled open lands or the snowed-in forests. His smile was welcome too, an unexpected warmth against the winds that had howled at her back.

This time of year especially, she had learned to be cautious, but also to know when she should trust herself. In truth she did not yet fully know her own intentions here, but she was not without some curiosity about the stranger. And for some reason she found that she trusted him, enough to say what she said next.

"I don't want to trouble you, but the storm has made traveling difficult," she cared not to explain the aches beneath scars she wore on her forelimb. "Would you mind if I joined you here?" her tail swept gently behind her, a hopeful smile worn openly as she stood there amid the falling snowflakes.

He thought they might have shared cold tundra blood! Now he wondered if that was the case when she spoke distaste for the storm. Yet he found her no less lovely for this. He, only briefly, allowed himself to think of @Torrent from the willows.

But that kind woman was far away and he had been blessed with the face of another.

He swept warmly towards the den he had marked. He worried naught of what might be inside. The stocky man would even go as far to offer himself as tribute first to the mouth of the den! A quick patrol inside before he rumbled warmly.

Safety was plentiful in here, but did she think so too?

spartan does not speak!

His manner was good-natured as he lead the way, a soft rumble echoing back to her ears was all that needed to be said. Hearing it brought a smile to her jaws - she rather liked the sound of it, deep and assuring.

She stepped closer, following toward the mouth of the den and tilting her head to peer past him into the rocky den for a moment, sunny gaze blinking at the shadows. "Thank you," the woman exhaled before entering, her tail sweeping in a grateful gesture.

Making a quick inspection of her own, she turned her gaze toward the snowy scene outside. Where she meant to go from here, she did not know. Back north toward the lake, to seek out the pack forming there, perhaps? At least for a time. But until the storm relented, it would be best to wait it out and avoid stressing her old injury in the deep snows, so full of pitfalls in these rugged lands.

Within, the air was still and though it was cold, there was no wind to sap the warmth from them. The interior was surprisingly roomy. It smelled empty though, and her gaze slid back to her newly acquired companion. "This is not your home?" she guessed aloud, voice inquiringly curious. She had thought, perhaps. Isomne only wondered more about the man before her, now.

His home or not, the place would certainly do for the moment, and she was quite glad of his invitation.

Kind and well mannered. He continued to be grateful that she did not dig teeth into his skin!

He was a gentleman enough too. Not a savage beast come to rile her without proper intentions. Neither one of them seemed to be a spring bird!

As for his home? He shook his head side to side in a silent no. Then jutted his chin back towards the southern slopes and peaks. Where the cove should lay nestled within. With the kind woman near him, he did not miss the cove for now. Yet he knew he had come here on a lengthy tracking patrol. Soon he would need to return home, to let them know he was not also chased by a bear or befallen a worse fate.

For now, he chuffed warmly. Nostrils flared softly.

A curious gaze over her.

spartan does not speak!

He was quite sparing with his words, she thought, or perhaps without them altogether. It mattered little to her, as his gaze met hers once again she thought it was not hard to read the man, and his intentions. He seemed to understand her too, even if he had not spoken. Isomne appreciated that she did not have to be hyper-vigilant of her boundaries, trusted enough to relax them some. A true gentleman it seemed, a fortunate encounter at any time but certainly now.

From up on the mountain, it would seem. "Ah," she nodded in understanding. Now that they were in close proximity, she could scent others on him, if only faintly. "You know of Sanguine Cove?" the snowy woman inquired, thinking of those from the Chasm who had traversed the to peaks recently to unite with their kin. She smiled wistfully. Perhaps he had met them, she wondered, or had he come after they'd gone?

Catching his curious gaze, she gaze him a sidelong smile of her own. The wistfulness departed, replaced by a twinkle of flirtation. Possibilities stirred in the back of her mind, of course, born of the particular season of the year it was as well as the season of her life she was currently in. The traveler was not one to rush into such things, normally, but she was aware that life could not be predicted or charted out, either. No one had innumerable years, nor even know the number of them, so she would not limit what she might experience in those she had left without care.

She took a breath as she eyed him. "I'm Isomne. I've been traveling since the pack I was in disbanded, and before then too. Seeking out songs and tales, and well, things worth singing and telling tales about." She mused, her tail stirring gently. "You wouldn't happen to know any good ones, by chance?" She wasn't sure what to expect as a response, but it was good simply to sit here and talk with him, to share this moment of quiet in the storm of life. Such moments were worth taking, in her opinion.

The next sound he made was louder but warmer. A prideful smile crossed his features for a moment. She knew his home! Why, he wished to know. Yet he also did not wish to pain her with the agony of the Cove. The shadow of death a fresh mark and the reason he had come out all this way.

She was too good of a woman to have to carry those things. It was why his shoulders had been made so large, so that he might carry the brunt of these things for other.

Especially as he soon learned she had a creative soul. How could he diminish her flame with tragedy? She asked after his own stories or songs. How suddenly he wished he had all the words for her! To paint a picture of the rolling tundra until it dropped into the sea. Where great beasts full of fatty meat would be hunted for sport. Or the mountains he had crossed to come to this chain. To stand before her as a man.

He crooned a note, melodic in nature. Held it, carried it. Perhaps she might find it in her to join him!

spartan does not speak!

He answered in the affirmative, a reverberating rumble, and she smiled again. Perhaps later she could explore the topic of the mountain further. She could tell him of her friends from the Chasm and find out if he'd met them.

But for now, she was just as interested to learn about him. It did not seem he would be one to tell her, however curious she might be, but that deterred her little. His speechless manner was intriguing, and Isomne was surprised to head his deep tones hum a note, holding and drawing it out.

For a moment she simply listened, ears intent and tail stirring, and then after a time she joined him, a soft and light note set above his that grew in volume until their voices matched. The woman shifted slightly closer to him as she did so, almost instinctively, drawing a breath as she brought in a different note, one with a slight tension against the one he'd chosen.

Hearing his voice like this felt like she'd glimpsed something secret, and she found she very much liked the sound of it.