Heiress Loch not all light is good

@Kuwindwa || Afternoon, Patchy rain possible, 67 ° F, 19 ° C

There was still so much exploring to do before they settled down. The traveling duo (Mathuin and Astrid) didn't even know where they were going to settle down. All they really knew was that it was going to be a happy place. He had been in the southeast before but that had been a bit closer to the mountains. Here was just as bad, though. He hoped that @Astrid was having more fun exploring where she was. He knew exactly where to find her this time, though. Not to mention he planned on being back at their makeshift set-up by nightfall at the latest.

Through the dense woods he went snapping some fallen twigs here and there all while catching debris in his coat. While it wasn't as thick anymore due to the increasing heat he wasn't the shortest furred wolf around. Perhaps he could convince Astrid to help him clean the leaves and loose twigs from his pelt when he got back.

He groaned softly as he took a few more steps forward, not exactly paying attention to where he was going. It was then that he was somewhat startled. The light came from above between the scattered clouds and flooded his vision. The forest had been so thick just moments ago. Where was he? Green eyes blinked rapidly before he regained his composure. He noticed the wide body of water that spread out in front of him. Had it not have been for the utter calm and stillness of it, he surely would have turned around and left.

The loch was one of the few places—aside from Quaking Vale—Kuwindwa particularly liked in the midst of the thick, dark forest. Today Kuwindwa wasn't patrolling so much as she was wandering, exploring, appreciating the fact she wasn't drenched to the bone. For the moment the rain seemed to have cleared (for a short while at least), and god, it was beautiful. The weather was warming, so the woman panted softly as she trotted easily along the banks. Leaf matter shifted underpaw as she moved, tail flagging out behind her gracefully. Her twin mirrored her within the water, a creature spared half a glance and an ear-flick.

The woman's jog would have continued as such but for something caught out of the corner of one bronze eye: a large furred shape that prompted her head to turn sharply and her pace to slow to an easy walk. Her lips curved down thoughtfully as Kuwindwa's eyes fell on a wolf who, if not for his movement as he broke through the trees, might've blended perfectly against his dark, wooded background.

Her tail swayed a few times before stilling completely, along with her step as her body caught up with her mind, half-startled from its thoughtful stupor. It was such that she stopped almost as soon as the stranger did. Kuwindwa was never the sort to charge headlong into other wolves—for any reason—but today she felt a certain vim she hadn't in so long... maybe it was the weather. Maybe not. The presence of a stranger dimmed it only a little, reminding her she wasn't home and this wasn't a place for her to be absent-minded. Certain she must be seen already, she did not call out immediately. Instead, her ears pressed forward as she eyed the boy who had her pincered between his frame and the lake. After a swollen pause, Kuwindwa spoke just loud enough to be heard: "Good day." He had stopped because of the lake—at least it looked that way from Wind's view—so she added after a moment: "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

He should have been paying attention more but he was transfixed on the wide body of water in front of him that he didn't notice anything. It was when her voice called out to him that he blinked and turned his head to look at the culprit of the sound. She was close to him in size but he had more bulk. She was paler where he was dark and her eyes were more like the sunset where his own was like the moss.

Then he realized he was practically gawking at the older woman. "Oh uh," He looked back out to the water for a moment before nodding softly. "Yeah. Kinda caught me off guard, honestly." The statement could have easily been interpreted to be for the appearance of the sudden company or the surprise of a body of water hiding in the woods. Both were true anyway.

"Hope I didn't disrupt anything?" The large yearling asked with a small smile as his tail gently swung behind him. He really didn't know which one of them had shown up first but from how alert but comfortable the older female seemed he could have easily guessed her. Not to mention she smelt of others. A pack. That was half of a good sign. Of course, it also meant he could be threading a dangerous line.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

He was taken aback, the very image of a yearling in a new place. Hell, she was pretty sure he actually was a yearling. He was large—the biggest wolf she'd yet encountered in the Lore—and bulkier than the silvered warrior. Still, his face was young, younger even than the likes of the Vale's alphas. If he wasn't done growing yet... well, he was already a formidable giant. The woman nodded in agreement as her gaze flicked out to the still water once more. When she'd first come to the forest it had been winter. She'd wandered through the trees, lost and alone. When she first discovered the loch... well, it wasn't quite the way it was now. It really was beautiful, more than she might have guessed back then. "It is a bit surprising," the woman chuckled, "After wandering through the Copse."

His question brought her attention back to the green-eyed boy, and the warrior straightened. Kuwindwa's stance was tall and bold, a posture so natural to her she didn't have to think about before her paws were lined up evenly in front of her. "No," she answered evenly, scarcely lamenting her afternoon jaunt. "Nothing important." Enjoying the day. Not working. Not that she was bothered, just... well, she needed to switch gears. He wasn't so terribly close to the Vale she needed to be too worried, but he was in the area. Taking a few steps closer—she didn't want to feel like she had to raise her voice—the woman then introduced herself: "I am Kuwindwa Mapinago. Who are you?"