Dead Empress Backwater Only Questions, No Answers

Your Gift is: It's exactly midnight and for some strange reason the moon looks like it drops dramatically all at once. You blink and it's back where it is supposed to be, what an interesting illusion.Swear Word

The girl sat outside the den, enjoying some alone time. Snow fell lightly down from the heavens all around her and she peered up yearingly. Clouds covered the sky spare for an opening that allowed the moon to shine through. The world felt peaceful in this quiet moment. Her eyes shimmered and reflected the lights around her. A deep breath brought in through her nostrils and let go through her parted lips. Euna smiled softly and cocked her head to the side. She recalled everything she'd been learning about the seasons and Earth's natural cycle, but now new questions prodded her mind.

What was above? Was there more to the stars, moon, and sun? What was there to know about the world that faced their own? Some nights she'd noticed shapes that resembled the animals that shared their home. What were those called, and how did they get there? She pondered on the idea that perhaps, just maybe, they were the animals reincarnated into star shapes and so they lived in the sky. She imagined them sleeping at night, oh so still, then springing to life when nobody could see them. Enjoying the daylight far far above the predators that once stalked them.

Euna knew her thoughts to be childish and didn't care, no one else could hear her inner monologue. Besides, she was alone and could be herself with no image to uphold. No need to fight for attention or prove that she was better than the other Valles. No competition. Just her and the...falling moon? Euna gasped as it plummeted from the sky and shook her head vigorously. Her head snapped back up to check for the bright circle, only to find it appropriately placed. "What the fuck?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 20, 2023, 05:37 AM by Euna.)

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

She had mostly been keeping to herself since her arrival here, and since nobody had seemed to care, Tyra had been content to go about her daily life filling in where she could. She’d made sure to keep herself on a strict schedule of hunting and patrolling, checking on caches, or whatever else seemed useful.

She never wanted to take more than she was contributing, either. And though that still meant sometimes going to sleep without a meal, she was still faring better than she had been alone.

It was probably just a random stroke of coincidence that she passed by in time to hear a rather startled sounding exclamation from a voice that sounded too young to be using foul language. Tyra paused, and then tentatively altered her path to venture towards where a kid was sitting, expression a mixture of confusion and concern.

”Hey there, everything alright?” She inquired gently. It wasn’t her place to address the foul language, this wasn’t her home nor her child. But she certainly would’ve been harshly punished for such language, at that age.

Euna sat there leaning upwards with her pointed muzzle on the moon, her brows knitted. She watched it as if such was the most important matter of all. Perhaps that is part of why she reacted the way she did. The girl whipped her head around to face the voice with her teeth bared, ready to defend herself if it'd been Tori. It was not, and it hadn't sounded a thing like Tori anyhow, she wasn't remotely nice. She smoothed down her hackles, eyeing the woman with suspicion. It was another newcomer, all of them which she'd sought to avoid. She didn't need more competition and that's exactly what they all were. "I'm fine" she all but growled the answer out, her face twisting into a grumpy pout.

She looked back to the moon to check that it was still there. Part of her wanted to ask the adult about it, why had it fallen then returned, but she didn't want to sound crazy. Being the superior sister couldn't be a title achieved by sounding like a lunatic. Euna met the woman's gaze and prompted her with a question,"What's it to ya?" Her head cocked to the side with a prominent scowl. She didn't understand the influx of strangers around her home, nor did she like it. Her father said winter had advantages...so what was up with all these lonely fucks?

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

The kid’s reaction wasn’t one Tyra was accustomed to seeing all to often, but it wasn’t her first time, either. One of her brows arched in a bemused fashion at the defensive posture, but at least it didn’t last. Perhaps the kid expected a scolding for her language, was privileged, or maybe she just didn’t care for anyone.

If this was her kid, the young woman would’ve absolutely earned a tail whipping for her attitude. But she wasn’t.

So instead of anger, one corner of Tyra’s mouth curled upward in mild amusement. Then she offered a loose shrug at the question.

”Not much, I guess,” she spoke offhand, not at all perturbed by the scowl or hostility. She wouldn’t lie and said she cared when the kid clearly didn’t want her to. ”Thought maybe you saw something cool, I dunno. Hoped I could take a peek.”


Something had clearly startled the kid, but not in a bad, scared for your life sort of way. Tyra could only speculate what it might’ve been though, for nothing seemed amiss at present.

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2023, 12:07 AM by Tyra.)

The girl's gaze narrowed, was this stranger making fun of her? Her lips twitched irritably and her eyes rolled in an overly exaggerated fashion at the answer given. "Then why ask." She spoke tensely. An idea sprung to life in her mind and feeling confident she decided to play it out. Euna rose to stand tall with her tail curling over her back, quivering while her teeth chattered with excitement. Her chest puffed out, hackles lifting, all while giving the woman a direct hard stare. Her skin above her nose scrunched, she was testing the waters. Seeing how far she could push with a new adult before being reprimanded.

<p>Tyra spoke again, this time catching mild interest from the child. "It's not like you grown-ups would believe me." She spat the words out venomously, but a hint of dismay softened them. She didn't like the idea of no one believing her or assuming her to be loony. She didn't think her siblings would believe her either. For a moment her posture wavered, eyes adverting, then stubbornly she reassumed with a fiery gaze.

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2023, 03:38 AM by Euna.)

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

S- a couple of swears

This kid definitely had an attitude problem - no child back home had ever been this brazen with an adult and gotten away with it. Tyra’s eyes narrowed, and she stood a little taller herself, matching the kid’s stance though not the aggression. Were they back home, she wouldn’t have hesitated to try to shove the girl’s nose into the dirt, but she wasn’t.  

It looked like someone needed to though, for clearly the parents didn’t seem to give a damn. Tyra would relieve some of the tension in her posture with another shrug, though, and resolved to attempt diplomacy. She didn't need to get kicked out for mistreating someone's precious angel or some such bullshit.

”Doing my job. Promised your leader I’d help out for letting me stay,” the response was delivered tersely, and it was as honest an answer as she could give. And to Tyra, helping out meant both assisting with tasks and making sure other wolves were okay, too - child or not. Then there was something else. Not like anyone would believe her?

”How do you know? Try me,” she countered, cracking a small smile. Wondering, hoping still, that she could break through this hostility with a bit of humor. ”My old pack had me believing all kinds of crazy shit - can’t be as weird as that.”

The tingling sensation of excitement raced down her spine when the other female straightened up to stand tall. There was a lack of spice in the other's body language which disappointed the girl. Perhaps she could push buttons harder. She sneered, "Your job doesn't involve me." Challengingly she finished her words with a threatening air snap.
"Oh I can try you." Euna smirked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She further instigated the situation by closing any remaining space between the two. She would attempt to be as big as possible, arched up in a way that had her hot breath in the other's ear with a low growl.
The woman's nonchalance and lack of aggressive behavior were starting to bore the girl. She wasn't sure how she could further ruffle feathers without physically throwing her weight around, which wasn't quite her style. That was Tori's deck of cards. She liked mind games and for the moment she was feeling a bit stumped with the newcomer, "Crazy shit, huh? Like what?" Her brown raised with her classic expectant stare she'd mastered.

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2024, 12:32 AM by Euna.)

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

I can try you. A statement that, as it turned out, was all too true. The child’s sneers, her posturing, and utter lack of respect really were pressing most of the right buttons. And aside from narrowing eyes and a snort of disgust, Tyra kept herself in check. This kid was thankful that she couldn’t afford to be alone this winter. Survival meant more than giving this kid the reaction it seemed she wanted.

That, and it wasn’t as if she were unaccustomed to wolves doing stupid shit like this.. just, not in the same way. A part of her itched for the child to take that last step though, and make contact. Just so Ty would have an excuse to try to teach her some manners. That.. didn’t happen though.  

This interaction was certainly making her reevaluate whether she’d want to stay here beyond winter, though.

”Tell me something, kid. Do you really wanna be burning bridges before you can even attempt to cross them?” The question was posed, seriously and directly. Forget the stories, for a moment. Maybe there was another way to go about this. Maybe she could teach the child, use her. Turn things around without the other knowing. Unless the kid was truly so damned spoiled that she just didn’t give a fuck.

Tyra hoped not.

They're gonna taste my venom
They ain't gonna know what hit them
Euna Valle

Euna waited for a reply, musing over her next course of action. She could mouth the other's muzzle, and give it a gentle chomp. The thought of attempting to push the other towards the dirt delighted the child, but the repercussions played out in her mind. There were a few different scenarios that she didn't favor. This new wolf seemed to be a pushover, but her parents wouldn't be...Uncle Viorel wouldn't be. He was a grumpy no fun adult she hadn't the slightest intentions of getting on the bad side of. Not at the moment, at least. She put a mental note aside to tell @Torianna about this wolf being easy to push around. She was curious how far her sister would escalate a situation, and, whether it'd be interesting for her to watch.

The girl kept her stance, an ear flickering as the woman spoke, "You didn't answer my question," Euna interjected before the wolf could finish her sentence. An annoyed growl slips through clenched teeth, "What does burning bridges mean?" Her brow lifted with subtle curiosity. She snapped at the air around the other's cheek, side-eyeing her with an arrogant smirk. Hurry up and answer me.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE