Cut Rock River Vinnie was a hustler out of Amsterdam

Birthday RE: You find a fallen bird's nest with strange, glittering strands woven throughout it. A trail of this same tinsel leads out of sight...
For @Clover and anyone! <3

It keeps being very cold. Malien doesn't mind because he's a Disney princess because it means that it's typically clear skies, and he enjoys the way sunlight hits the frost and snow, and the way everything glitters so coldly at night under a thousand stars. But he, ach... He could've just wandered anywhere and hit his head on a tree, because he had a lot on his mind.

Hitting his head won't help, so he avoids doing that, but he's not paying super much attention to where he's going. He just kinda goes somewhere, anywhere, because.. because... If Venus broke his heart, Artyom broke his brain. Malien.exe has stopped working.

The shallow creeks struggle against the heavy ice sheets threatening to form on them, but they remain open and bubbling at the center, swirling and whispering around the rocks. Malien stops at the edge of the water. No amount of what the fuck just happened and how do I feel about it can make him step into a creek in winter, so he turns. Walks along it. Something crazy bright slaps him straight in the retina.

He flinches, but the movement brings it out of the thin sun's glare. Both concerned and curious he draws nearer.. and nearer... Until he looms over a fallen bird's nest. It must've been dislodged by a heavy snowfall, or storm, but what's curious about it is that among the branches and padding it is woven of there's that bright, bright thing. Frowning, Malien bends forward to sniff at it.

It... doesn't really smell at all.

Huh?

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2023, 11:45 PM by Malien.)

I hope you don't mind me hopping in! And let me know if the pp isn't okay @Clover

Viorel had planned on meeting with Clover a little farther from home than normal, away from prying ears or eyes. Not that he had anything serious to speak about, but now that she was his co-lead they needed some time to discuss. Plus, he was increasingly aware that while they were deep in winter now, it wouldn’t last forever and soon spring would be upon them and everything that came with it. He needed to ask Clover her opinion on the standing rules, he was fine keeping things the way they were, each leader had the right to a litter, either their own or delegating to someone else, but needed her opinion too.

He was not exactly looking forward to the conversation. It was a little awkward given their history, and the fact that she was now….something with his cousin. Vi still didn’t fully understand what was happening there, and he wasn’t sure that he ever would, and though he couldn’t admit it, he was a little jealous. He was deeply lonely without Vanadis, and resentful that she had left in the first place, and Clover was, well she was Clover. It wasn’t like he was into her in that way, but they had raised a litter together.

But, though women were in the forefront of his mind, that was not who he ran into out in the woods. Hearing movement up ahead Viorel did not even think about the fact it could be someone other than Clover and let out a chuff in greeting. Surging forward he was taken aback to find that it was a loner male, and not his co-lead and that he had a weird shiny nest of some sorts at his paws. Swishing his tail in apologies, dark ears flipped backwards, ”Oh uh, sorry, my bad thought you were someone I knew.” He should probably leave now.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2023, 12:09 AM by Viorel.)

The cedarwood forest was peaceful during the winter due to the lack of bears roaming around; they were far less likely to be out and about during their hibernation season, and Clover took the chance to simply meaner between the trees. She was still getting used to all her new responsibilities, and was taking a walk to clear her mind and take time to process everything.

Two scents caught her attention, one familiar and one unknown, and she changed course to intercept them. Now that she was leader she figured it was her duty to assist moreso than she had been before, though even if she had still been a second she would have investigated regardless.

Viorel's voice rings out, an embarrassed tone to his words, and Clover hurries forward at a brisker pace. When she got there Viorel was pulling back from a larger silver male. A strange glimmer near his paws had her squinting slightly, but she dampened her curiosity to instead focus on the wolf himself.

She moved up next to Viorel, gently bumping his shoulder with hers as she looked at the silver hued male, letting her lips turn up in a smile. They weren't too close to the Backwater borders so she felt no reason to demonstrate rank of any kind, and allowed her posture to remain relaxed. "Hello, I'm Clover," she said warmly, glancing momentarily at Viorel with a slightly raised brow, prompting him to also introduce himself to the stranger.

He licks the glittering thing experimentally. It's.. not edible. He's 99% sure it's not edible. It's not just that whole weird "lack of scent" thing, it's also a lack of ..substance? Like sinew, but fake. Fake and glittering. And it sticks, to he point that he has to step on the damn thing to pull it out of his mouth and teeth while his tongue goes agfalfsmgmskahkag.

Not the most flattering position to be found in! Oh hi sir don't mind me I'm just flossing--

The other wolf seems equally embarrassed, but for other reasons. Malien, having finally pulled the tinsel out of his maw (sans a small piece, broken off and glittering among his teeth), flicks his ears forward in curiosity as the eager dark gray man equally quickly becomes the opposite of eager: all apologies and looking like he wants to melt into a puddle. "It's alright," he says, because he's curious. Who had he been mistaken for?

But they don't really get much further. Another wolf, this one white, pops out of the woodwork and goes to stand next to the first one. They smell similar, they stand next to each other with ease. Pack-mates at the least. Mates? Maybe. She introduces herself as Clover and silently admonishes the other for his lack of manners. Cute. Malien's face flatlines a little, because he can't ever admit that something is actually somewhat adorable. "Good day. I'm Malien."

The leader had been hoping to pass off this slightly awkward encounter quickly, but they were joined by Clover and all hope of that was gone. Flicking his tail against her haunches in a silent greeting, he had to press his lips together to keep from laughing. The stranger - Malien - looked ridiculous with whatever that was hanging from his teeth, sparkling in the light and wiggling when he talked.

Breathing in deeply from his nose to smother the laughter, he cleared his throat, ”Oh, yeah I’m Viorel Valle.” Then his yellow eyes zeroed back in on the tinsel in his teeth and he felt the need to keep talking to keep the laughter at bay, ”We’re leaders of one of the packs nearby, Dead Empress Backwater.” He wasn’t ready to give their exact location given what had happened the last time a loner had been invited back, but that seemed fair enough.

Viorel looked away at the trees nearby, as if deeply interested by one of the birds up in the branches. He couldn’t care less, but he knew that if he spent even one second longer looking at Malien and his shiny accessory he would break out into uncontrollable laughter. Not exactly leaderlike.

The loner introduced himself, and Clover couldn't help but notice a small piece of the strange glittering thing lodged between his teeth. As far as she knew Malien was unaware, but after a quick glance at Viorel who appeared to be staring resolutely at something in the difference she concluded her co-leader had noticed, and apparently found the whole situation amusing.

She returned her gaze back to Malien, deciding it would be better to let him know of the glittering strip between his teeth rather than leave it be. What if he accidentally swallowed it and it turned out to be poisonous to ingest? Clover couldn't risk something like that happening on her watch.

"Are you simply passing by Malien?" She figured starting with some idle chatter would help ease into it, just in case he would feel embarrassed by her pointing it out. "By the way, you have a small piece of... whatever that is still in your teeth." There was no malice or teasing in her tone as she simply just wanted to point it out as a fact.

The black wolf's moods seem as fickle as a spring wind, because now there's something else going on with him. He almost seems.. disinterested? Distracted, at the very least, introducing himself easily enough but then very decidedly staring off in another direction. A slight frown creases Malien's forehead, the urge to call him out on it rearing its ugly head. Malien's not that ugly, is he?

The fact that they're the leaders of a nearby pack barely registers. He's more concerned (and somewhat offended) with whatever is going on with Viorel, but Clover comes nicely to the rescue.

"Mmh," is about what he has time to respond, wondering how much and what to tell. But she goes on, gently, and Malien half-opens his mouth, tongue rubbing against his teeth.

Ah. He wants to be angry about it, but that'd just be too messy. "It's the latest fashion, don't you know?" He lowers his head to push the abandoned nest forward. The tinsel glitters in the sunlight. "Here, you want some too?"

The leader was thankful that his co-lead had come to the rescue because he had been only seconds away from letting the laughter out. Breathing out slowly through his nose he glanced towards her and noted the gentle concern on her expression. The loner, Malien, did not answer whether or not he was just passing through and that caught the dark man’s expression, his eyes leaving Clover and looking closer at the stranger. This whole interaction had been silly, but he was still more critical of loners than he ever had been before.

Then Clover ruined all the fun and Viorel finally let out a brighter smile. Showing off his teeth which had nothing in them. He wouldn’t express the thought, but it did make him feel pretty pleased with himself. Then the nest was shoved towards them and silver eyebrows rose high onto his forehead in surprise. He for one would not be adding a weird thing into his teeth but he looked to the woman at his side. Flicking her playfully with his tail he gestured with his muzzle, ”Ladies first.” He hoped she did it, he would never let her live it down.

A single brow raised even higher at Malien's response, betraying her skeptical inner thoughts. It had been drilled into her from a very young age to never put something unknown into her mouth on the off chance it was not safe to eat, and though Malien appeared to be fine, Clover was not sure if she wanted to partake in said fashion. But she was never one to put down others in what they chose to do.

She shook her head as Malien pushed the nest with the strange glittering object tied up within it, and at the same time returned the playful tail flick against Viorel's flank. Viorel appeared to be in a more playful mood than in recent times, which also lifted her spirits. It was nice to see him smile again, at the very least.

"Thank you for the offer Malien, but I'll pass on this occasion. I'm not one for fashion, usually." That was the nicest way she could think to refuse him without being rude. She turned to look at Viorel with a small grin of her own, not expecting him to go along with Malien, but nonetheless wondering what he would do in response.

Viorel seems to take it with good humor, baiting Clover into accepting. Oh ho ho Malien thinks to himself, keeping up his innocent (though oh so slightly sardonic) expression, wondering if she'll allow herself to be goaded into such a silly thing. His tail wags politely, maybe even hopefully as he pushes the nest towards her, but- nope, it is not to be.

Talk about graceful, though. Even if he had been dead serious, not even one as prickly as he would've been too upset by that. Probably. "That's a shame," he delivers flawlessly, "the glitter would've gone great with your white coat." Next victim, then. Malien lowers his head to reposition the fallen nest, pointing it slightly more towards the dark man. "What about you, then? A bit of glinting light to go with your dark and mysterious looks?"