Drooping Willows the high priestess

AW! tags for reference <3
A late season snow storm takes Relic Lore by surprise, take cover!

Although she had rolled in like a hot breeze, this land still remained frozen. They still snowed.

She had not expected to be caught in a sudden storm of it, though. In a moment's notice it was like she had lost sight entirely. The world had become whipping winds in a white out. It had become worse here, on the fringe of the willows, where the trees could not shelter her.

She had been warned of these storms when she had left the south for the north. Older traders had told her all the warnings. Niamh would not feel fear, but she was smacked with a reality. That if the snow buried her, she very well may not be found until the thaw. Just like the mule deer she had found barely peaking out of the snow.

She refused to become like the deer.

She had the debt of @Hagar to both keep and pay. She had the Ridge to be a number for. She had too much left to do for a snowstorm to be the end.

Angrily she forged onward, blind and cold.

adopt my brother!

note: mentions of fortune telling and magic are purely a belief system.

Hagar followed her scent, first from want and then, as the winds kicked up and the clouds unleashed sheets of snow and ice, from need. There was no way they were losing her, not so soon and certainly not like this.

It wasn't until the trees thinned and vanished that he was able to see her, dark ticking and warm tawny giving her away amongst the blizzard. He plowed through the drifting snow as swiftly as he could manage, until at last he was caught up to her side. With a bark he hoped to get her attention before being close enough to startle, and he would use his nose to nudge at her hip once able to reach. If she was going somewhere in particular, that was fine. Hagar would be happy just to be along to keep her warm and safe.

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2023, 05:17 AM by Hagar.)

Bearkissed saved the day.

A life debt was far greater than she had been prepared to make and yet now she stared it down. Never would she admit she might have died without a proper guiding hand but...the possibility lingered, had it not?

She had no shame in the way she tucked herself fiercely against him. Used him as shelter from at least some hard cuts of the wind.

"It did not snow like this where I came from!"

And in this she offered a glimmer of the life she had before. Then wondered if he had any interest at all!

She wished to turn back to somewhere familiar for shelter. Yet the snow storm had blocked all senses she had to find the way. Still too fresh to the land to know the marks that could take her back.

Perhaps too prideful to ask outright as well.

adopt my brother!

note: mentions of fortune telling and magic are purely a belief system.

Hagar's tail wagged as she appeared to happily accept his presence, stepping a forelimb overtop her thin shoulders to further keep and protect her from the storm's bellowing. His muzzle rested briefly atop her crown, a deep, reverberating growl communicating the kind of warm welcome words never seemed to suffice for.

He lifted his skull again when she made him laugh. He too was from further south, and though their snows had been formidable, the weather in the Lore certainly had the worst of them all beat.

Niamh didn't move to lead him, or otherwise give him an indication of her intentions. He would only wait a moment, before coming to understand she must not be particularly moved to keep forging ahead, and then begin to guide her into turning and coming with him back to the forest. The trees were unable to completely block the weather, but it would certainly be far more manageable than being out in the open. His small green eyes ignored the wind and ice, focusing on the distant gray shadows that was the Drooping Willows.

She could have stayed there forever, she thought. In a welcomed embrace. She leaned softly into the underside of his neck before he was gone with laughter. How good a sound! A thing that warmed her in this frostbite weather.

And soon enough she was herded in the right direction once more. Not that she could tell. Poor eyesight meet winter storm, the shapes of the willows had become lost to her.

The journey would not be quick, even guided. She would still be a tiny thing that battled against the snow that piled and whipped. Words could have filled the journey, but he always seemed better and brighter without them.

So she reached without warning to nip at a dark furred cheek and something would be set ablaze in her lapis eyes.

adopt my brother!

note: mentions of fortune telling and magic are purely a belief system.

Hagar did not mind practicing patience, especially when it meant ensuring the smaller wolf's safety. He most certainly didn't regret the time spent in her company, blizzard and all. They were finally nearing the edge of the forest when she seemed to want for his attention, and as he looked down to meet her gaze, he felt a blush creep over his face. Suddenly aware of what such a proximity would normally bring, or at least imply.

For a moment, he saw Avella's masked face in his mind's eye. The image tugged at his heart, made him feel a measure of doubt. She had seemed to want him as well, to have thought him special. Clearly, he'd very much misread those signals.

He continued shepherding her, now avoidant of those sapphire eyes. When they crossed the tree line, he would step away and go a few strides to be able to shake out his pelt without peppering her with ice.

Something rolled in her gut to had become suddenly avoided. Politely so, but his jade did not meet lapis and her mind tumbled down familiar roads.

Just because he was not wedded did not mean he was not duty bound. He had already proved he was no liar either. Perhaps he would be called upon again this year as a woman had last year it seemed. Surely he would keep promises to women he already knew than be charmed by one like her.

A scrawny trader who spoke in riddles. Who held beliefs that seemed to not be common around here.

How funny that a soft ego blow had stumbled her into full blown insecurity! She had thought she was too old for that, better than that. She learned something new every day.

Yet she let the snow and ice cling to her form like a familiar cloak. Like she needed it to conceal herself suddenly.

She only looked to him silently and wondered if he would still stay, or if he considered himself done now that she had been herded back safely.

adopt my brother!

note: mentions of fortune telling and magic are purely a belief system.

Hagar kept himself busied for a just a few moments, chewing at ice caught against the pad of his paw until he realized just how uncharacteristically still his companion had become. He looked to see her still coated and likely cold, and moved to remedy the situation for her without a thought. Sweeps of his muzzle brushed the snow from her back, and he stood close enough to share as much of his warmth as she needed.

"Where were you headed?"

He asked, composure returned once more. Just because he had indulged in the previous seasons whenever the occasions arose did not mean he wasn't also capable of being a gentleman. Many of the old ways simply weren't viable out here in the big world, he was finding, and maybe he hadn't been as compatible with them as he'd thought anyway.

Hagar no longer saw himself as just a means to an end.

She had not meant to become babied. Yet she allowed it all the same. Welcomed the soft sweeps of his muzzle off her back where she could not reach. Dared to sway her tail for a moment or two more. Then began to work upon herself, combed ice and clumped snow from her legs and paws. The work would continue for some time, she imagined.

Conversation only allowed gentle breaks from all the work.

I did not know. Exploration is the state of my being. And this was truth she revealed with a soft smile. Why did you come save me?

She listened closely now as she leaned into him carefully.

adopt my brother!

note: mentions of fortune telling and magic are purely a belief system.

Another smile curled his lips at her words. Didn't that sound whimsical? He had certainly enjoyed his time venturing, before befriending Moore and Avella both, but still knew himself to be happier as part of a group. Especially with children of his own to raise.

She had her own query, and he answered truthfully.

"I wanted your company."

To what end, he hadn't considered. All he knew was that he had enjoyed all the moments spent with her so far, and had little reason not to pursue more of them. His haunches lowered to the ground, and he sought to preen the fur at her crown.

"Can't have that if you're frozen," he added teasingly.