Dead Empress Backwater I've been down

Backdated to 8/4. Thread for @Oleander !
( @Leo
@Kateri
@Moonshadow for mentions )

Stella woke to find herself in a strange place, only to remember that she and Leo had come yesterday to bring their sister the news of their father. Her eyes pressed shut, longing for a moment to return to her sleep, to forget, but it was no use. So instead she rose, not quite knowing what to do with herself in this place that was someone else's home. It was a strange feeling.

She thought had sensed some tension with her siblings at their reunion, and though she had tried to smooth the first sign of rough spots, she wondered if she had been right to do so. She hoped that whatever it was, they could all work it out with one another. Maybe it was nothing, and still, she had become prone to worrying when it came to her family. She wanted to depart for home quickly today, but not wanting to rush matters either, had taken the opportunity to explore this place a little before they left. She would return before morning had passed, at least that was her intention.

The Vuesain girl walked, feet dragging with the weight of her own thoughts, until she found herself back near the border where they had crossed into the territory yesterday. The lands seemed to open up out here. Dawn was rising over the mountains with a fiery display of colors, a chorus of songbirds greeting it from the still grasses. Even through her sorrow, she could see a strange beauty to the place. Moon had told her not long after she'd returned from her travels that such things were a sign not all was lost, but just now it was hard to see past the shadows.

Bringing her head up and studying the place, she tried to ground herself, to look forward. For the Cove now, their relations with their neighbors would continue to be important. She thought of her home, and how much it meant to her, and wondered what this place meant to the wolves here. Dead Empress Backwater. Why did they call it that? She had never thought to ask, before.

(This post was last modified: Sep 20, 2022, 04:39 PM by Stella. Edit Reason: added mentions )

Oleander had been on the borders, sniffing around for the last of the summer's new growth. Late bloomers of all sorts that had never had the chance to even start. Wilted sweet grasses, damp moss, sad little flowers, and shriveled mushrooms... they were all clinging to the relief of drought's end now that autumn had come. The white wolf, meanwhile, was prospering for the most part. His parched throat had recovered, and his nose had a subtle shine to it now. He had been nearby when Stella had walked past.

It wasn't until he realized that she did not seem familiar that he stopped in his tracks. He turned around. Ears forward and tail low, he adjusted his gait and stance. A canvas of cream and browns was the first thing he saw through the underbrush. A couple of steps to one side allowed him to see the side of her face.

Ooh. He took a step back.

She was pretty.

In his mind, he fancied the idea of panicking but thought better of it. He wasn't a cub anymore. These were his father's and family's lands and he had younger siblings to protect (or, whatever, he hadn't even met the little punks... yet).

He ducked beneath a low branch and came out into the open. At first, he shook out his coat before standing tall. His bitterness towards everything might have been swept beneath the leaves, but it had not yet been forgotten.

Bright yellow eyes regarded her with a glimmer of warmth and a nod of his head. His voice was gravelly in his throat, "'Lo."

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

There was a subtle change in the air. This place was full of unfamiliar wolves, but Stella had thought herself to be alone for the moment. It was the hush of birdsong, just before he appeared, that let her know for sure she was not.

She turned.

Her eyes fell upon a pale figure with warm sunlit eyes, the momentary defensive flash in her own quickly receding as she composed herself. She reminded herself where she was, that she had little need to be on guard here. Shereleased a breath she had not realized she was holding.

He looked about the same age as she was, though his size was far more imposing. There was a warmth to his air, though, she thought. Her ears tipped up to catch his simple greeting, which she returned with a smile as her features softened in return. "Hello," she gave a nod and a half-smile.

She stepped closer, so they might speak more easily.

"I'm a visitor here," she offered a very brief explanation before introducing herself. "Stella Vuesain," she hardly wanted to be rude. Pa and the rest of the Cove had raised her better than that.