Drooping Willows just breath

Her heart is racing, though her body is still and her breath at ease, deep as she sighs out. Through the breaking of dawn, all the world is still and silent- at peace. The darkest of the night is replaced by a blanket of navy, smudged with colors of yellows, orange and reds where the sun just barely peeks the horizon. Just at the edges of the Drooping Willows, lies the Fireweed Rise, matching and aglow with the sunrise. It is here, Elettra smiles, true, wholeheartedly. Though she is alone, she has found happiness in these fleeting moments.
Its been weeks since she has left the Grizzly Hollow pack, and although she has left much behind (her den, much of her collected herbs, the children and some few friends: alexander, jaysyek...) still she feels as though as she has done right. This was a new chapter in her fourth year of life and with her strive for greatness, she would succeed. Her body finally moves then, turning away from the shade of one of the many willows and off she is, a new day to her life as a rogue.

Cali's heart pounded in her chest as she moved farther away from her home, both homes really. It hadn't been all that long since she'd been the cherished daughter of the Snowfall Packs Alpha' pair. Until she met Grindle. He'd swept her off of her paws and they'd started a new life together, carving out a small territory for themselves in the wilds of Cordova. Then tragedy struck and she lost her mate and her unborn pups. Unable to bear even the thought of staying where she was, she traveled east into lands completely new to her. This thrilled and terrified her at the same time. What would happen to her now? She knew that she wanted to find a new pack, but for the time being she was a loner... a wanderer with no place to call home.

Nearly in a daze, the white female had traveled for days and she was startled to realize that she had not stopped at all the night before and the new day was breaking in glorious colors that awakened her senses and brought the feeling that today would somehow be different. Significant and different from the monotonous days of endless miles traveled before. She looked around at the beauty surrounding her... the scents and smells of spring in full bloom. Taken by a sudden urge to greet the beautiful new day, Cali sat back on her haunches slightly and gave a joyous howl to the rising sun. Then she stood tall and shook her thick luxurious pelt and walked forward fascinated with the breeze gently dancing with the delicate green limbs of the willows before her.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

The howl was sudden, flowing with the fresh breeze and arching with the rising of the sun. It was light, happy, and new. This caused Elettra Archer to pause, weary as her usual and natural manner but no longer tensed so much that it left her muscles sore as she had been in the Hollow. Her head lifted high, as her body- erect with a sign of determination, purpose and power. With the new light, the slight golden highlights within her pelt were aglow, only and often seen through the bright new and breaking day. Her silvered gaze would land upon the woman far across the boarders of the willow lands.
She looked everything of the 'pure' women picked out from her home pack- flawless in a veil of snowy white, fluffy and plush even as the wind took to dance amongst her. The very thoughts formed a tight line over Elettra's lips, though she had grown accustom to the many light colored wolves within these lands. So, with this, Elettra's muzzle would lift, sending out a howl of her own to the unknown wolf. It was not as light and happy as her own, but dark and eerie as her voice would allow, yet nothing less then whimsical. If Elettra was going to form her own pack, she would at least have to try and be friendly.

A howl answered her own. Dark, yet feminine. She turned her head in the direction that the soulful howl had originated and spied a beautiful fae in the distance. Her fur blended with her background far better that the pristine white of her own pelt. A small part of her envied the other wolf's ability to become one with her surroundings as she herself was only capable of this in the heart of winter, when powdery snow blanketed the ground. A small part of her wanted to turn and flee, but she was tired of being alone. She wanted to meet this dark female, even if just for a while. Then she wouldn't feel so alone. So vulnerable.

Cautiously, she turned towards the she-wolf entirely and slowly began to cross the divide that separated them. Her body was tense with excitement and anxiety beneath her snowy pelt. She hoped that her nervousness didn't show too much. As she neared the other wolf, she stopped and stood. Her body was still as a statue, yet her lush coat flirted with the breeze. Her emerald green eyes gazed into the pale silver eyes facing her. She put as much confidence as she could muster into her stance, without looking aggressive. She certainly didn't want to offend this new wolf and provoke her into an attack

"Hello. I'm Cali." She smiled and her tone was friendly. She kept her introduction polite and simple, while her body was poised to defend herself if the need arose. Most likely by fleeing.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

She could see her, moving forth now, slowly but surely in both interest and weariness, much as Elettra's own feelings. A few fleeting steps would be offered into the other woman's direction, but mainly the darker woman allowed the snowy younger lady to do the most of the approaching before she stopped, allowing still much space between the two. The strange pair would take some time looking over one another, their gazes met, both holding a strong stance, Elettra's perhaps a bit more bold with her birthed nobility.
And then the other woman spoke, simple, soft and polite. Be that as it may, Elettra's tradition way of greeting others gained the best of her and slowly, her chin dipped down and back up again in a small gesture of greeting before clearing her throat to speak. "Hello to you. My name is Elettra Archer." She allowed, her expression mild where she did not frequently smile, though her tail forcing a small wave behind her to show she meant no harm.

Cali let out a small, nearly imperceptible breath at the formal, yet friendly greeting of the other wolf. Her tail had moved ever so slightly to show that she wouldn't harm her. Cali waved her own snowy brush with slightly more emphasis. She was a trusting and friendly wolf, after all. Now that she knew that she wasn't in immanent danger of being attacked and forcibly removed from the area, the tension in her body relaxed and she allowed a friendly smile to light her face.

Her nerves had gotten the best of her and her greeting had been friendly, but brief. "I am sorry. Please forgive my lack of manners. I am Cali Swiftpaw, formerly of the Snowfall Pack." She tried to take in as many details as she could about the other wolf. She was emanating strength and confidence and it would be easy for her to fill the role of leader. Likely, she had a pack nearby. "Forgive my intrusion into your territory as well. I have been wandering alone for many weeks now." She had to work hard to keep the nervousness from seeping into her words.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

She moved her own tail, faster then El's own slow sway and her body visibly lax, causing Elettra's own to follow in suit. Though Elettra was not as friendly and trusting as this woman, in time, perhaps she might come to like the girl she was meeting this day. After all, as a loner, she held no room for enemies and though she was not well with it, found herself available for small talk much more then she had been as a pack wolf with the need for hunting for her pack, scouting the boarders and collecting herbs for emergencies.
Elettra enjoys the woman's introduction, causing her ears to perk further and for her to take a single step closer in mild interest to her new greeting, now that the tension in the air from the first few moments of meeting had been cleared. "Swiftpaw? A strong name- though I have not heard of your pack before. I originate from the nation within Torbine." Though the Empire was vast and spread all the way throughout the country-side, a peninsula cut off from the land by mountains, she doubted the woman might know of the place. But then again, who knows? Various bands have roamed from within the country, after all.
Then, there was a mentioning of her wondering as a rogue for weeks, and, of course, her territory. Elettra's stance rarely ever faltered from proud and noble and so, the mistake could have been easily made, despite the fact that Elettra had not been marking boarders. More often then not, as a lower, she lived here within these willow lands, but she had yet to find herself a den to mark out a piece for herself. Pride filled her by the woman's words, and her smirk grows, a chuckle even rumbling in her throat. "No apology necessary. Though I seek to cut out a piece of these lands for myself, I've yet to form the pack as of yet..."

Now that both of them had relaxed, Cali was a bit more confident and she felt much of her tension and nervousness melt away. <b>Yes. Swiftpaw is the surname of my family, the Alpha pair of the Snowfall Pack, of the lands of Cordova. I have not heard of Torbine, I'm afraid, as Cordova is quite far from these lands."</b> The snowy wolf was quite surprised to hear that Elettra was a loner, much like herself. Albeit, she had the air of leader still. As she heard her next words, she realized that she had not been all that far off. Elettra Archer was indeed on her way to becoming a leader. The desire was half the battle. Cali, herself, had no such desire...merely the wish to be a useful part of a pack once more.

Cali was happy to have met this reserved, yet friendly wolf. She felt safer already, just being in her presence. She was not a helpless wolf by any means, but she was on edge living on her own. There was definitely safely in numbers. <b>"Perhaps not your land as of yet, but you have the right of being here first, so thank you for your tolerance. I am sure that in time you will have a strong pack to call your own."</b> Of this there was little doubt in Cali's mind. In the little that she could see of Elettra, she would have nothing less than a powerful and loyal pack following her.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

Cordova. Though perhaps it might have sounded familiar, maybe even mentioned in passing from one wolf or another, Elettra could not definitely pin-point the location and knew to have never been there before. After all, the Snowfall pack was but a pack within the lands of Cordova and if Torbine had not been heard of by her (in which the Nation ruled all of this piece of land) then surely Elettra had not the chance to hear of her own home-lands. "If it was the snowfall pack, I'm assuming along the tundra or mountains? Torbine was a peninsula along the sea, secluded by a range of mountains, so I can understand the lack of knowledge from one another." She offers lightly in explanation. With the lands of Torbine guarded by the mountain range, filled with mountain lion and then bordered on all other sides by sea, not as many rogues came about for the lands to be known by.
Honestly, it amazed her, that she held the ability to get along with this stranger. When it a pack, Elettra held little interest or time for small talk and in her defensive nature to her boarders, gained enemies more then friends. Without this, it would seem the woman's need to talk was shining and, after some practice, Elettra proved to not be half bad at it. "I offer my thanks in return, then. I will not allow your words to become a mistake." She assured the woman, whom already believed that in time, Elettra would gain what she willed and had no means to prove herself, or the snowy woman wrong. "You say you've been traveling for weeks, then? If you don't mind my wondering, is there anything in particular your in search of?"

Cali dipped her snowy head in acknowledgment of the females words. <b>"Yes, I hail from the foothills of the mountains. Quite far from the sea."</b> She sensed that the fae was not at ease with idle conversation and was even more grateful for her company for it. She too was having to step out of her usual comfort zone. She was so far from the simple life that she'd lived less than a year ago.

The thought of all that had brought her to this place in her life brought a shadow to her bright eyes. She smiled sadly and said, <b>"My mate wanted a pack of his own, so it was just the two of us to start. Time passed and we were expecting a litter but, in the end, my mate gave his life to defend me and my unborn pups. Only I survived the bear attack."</b> The last was said in the barest whisper. Her white head hung low as the sadness and grief weighed down on her. <b>"Alas, I am here, hundreds of miles from my home in search of a new beginning."</b> Her words were soft and filled with pain, but then she took a deep breath of the fresh cool air. She looked around her, letting the breeze wash over her. <b>"A fresh start."</b>

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...