pondsquatter

set before Merlin goes to OTB - around 70 degrees, overcast, mid morning

In an effort to avoid making a boulder (or a pancake) of himself, Merlin had taken a longer, but less dangerous way down the mountain, finally finding himself in the Vale. The journey, in general, had been long and difficult. Merlin wasn't used to depending solely upon himself for anything, being raised in a pack. But he wasn't stupid or sheltered. Of course not. He knew of the gods that whispered into the ears of those worthy, that had eyes that could see everything and had the choice to save a wolf from demise. He'd been raised with them, though had never actively worshipped them. In times of hardship, he was unlikely to turn on some invisible being to light his way, to save his neck. However, he would respect them, whoever they were that whispered and saw. If they desired to interfere, then so be it. And perhaps they had led his paws to this place now, to the east.

It wasn't exactly what he'd thought it was, though. From high up, he could see the trees and the red rocks that seemed to keep creatures in or out. But now that his paws were on true earth once more, he felt...Well, it wasn't what he'd expected. His weight caused him to sink slightly in the marshy ground, and the brown green muck oozed between his toes. Quad-winged, shiny dragonflies flitted around his head, living jewels in the eyes of the man, and he could hear the croaks of amphibians around him. But certainly the whole east wasn't filthy marsh and slimy frogs, just as the west hadn't been an entire forest, not that he'd seen much other than woods, the route he'd taken. Snaking his mass uncomfortably through the thin, dying trees, Merlin moved himself northward again, where he'd intended to go from the beginning. <b style="color:#a59f32">

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> Crossing along the Cladestine Brook, Narcissa crept silently and steady. The process was soothing as she scouted out the southern area of the Lore as though to find every nook and cranny this place hid from her. The land was lush, which was the first sign that there were likely packs of wolves in the area, not to mention the occasional scent she picked up. It was near a marsh-like area that she picked up even more, there was something here—something that she felt should be avoided, yet it ebbed at her curiosity. Perhaps in the short amount of time that she moved around the territory searching for an unfamiliar face that she eventually saw one. From a distance she couldn’t make out too much beside the color of their fur—it was rusty brown color with some cream-colored undertones, a very unique appearance that Narcissa could not ignore. With a devilish smirk she continued in their direction with no true intention but to follow up on him. His scent was relatively fresh in the path that she followed so he could either lead her somewhere or likely sense her approach. Due to her whimsical and flimsy nature she never worried about being in danger and likely putting her life at risk. It likely would have been desirable for Luka if she remained safe and without injury but he knew that she was liable to change her course at any given moment. Cissa wanted adventure and the best way to find adventure was to seize it whether repercussions came or not.

i’ve got lots of inspiration right now for narcissa so
i'm looking for more threads,  message me if you'd like one!

Despite the trees, the water seemed to conspire with the heat, causing an excessive layer of humidity to sit just at wolf-level. Merlin quickly began to pant, frustrated with the soaking lands and would be more than glad to be done with it all, getting back north where it would be less...disgusting. He paused in his effort with sloshing to take a break from the heat, if just for a moment. The marshy land was gross, but the water was cool when he stopped mucking through it. But in his pausing he heard more sloshing from around him, not left over from his own movements. Ears perked up and he turned around, spotted a natural color body a distance away from him, a pair of bright green eyes just noticeable among the dank colored trees.

<b style="color:#a59f32">"I do hope you have no ill will for me!" Merlin called to the shape. The marsh around them made it hard for him to identify any outstanding information about the wolf, like scent or alliance. It worried him slightly, but he kept his voice lighthearted until he could find out more. His toes curled into the muck beneath him, and his tail swayed, its tip dampening in the liquid. He could easily say he wasn't a fan of being followed, though unfortunately he didn't treat others the way he wanted to be treated. It made him uncomfortable, as though there was some bounty out upon his head, even though there wasn't. But for all he knew, someone he'd wronged in White Cove took advantage of his departure and thought to harm him now that he no longer had the Leaders on his side. <b style="color:#a59f32">

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> Although she had initially planned for her presence there to go unseen, unnoticed and undisturbed it would seem she wasn’t alone. Nor would she get any sort of peace and quiet on her journey. The sound of another quickly broke the silence as her eyes found the culprit easily, pinning his rather orangey-toned body against the backdrop. Ill will? she asked herself in a whisper, wondering if he really thought that she was here to cause any trouble for him. Shrugging she decided to simply go with—if he thought that she was there to cause trouble then she’d just let him go on believing. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“Can you not handle this trouble?” She laughed, emerging from behind a tree as she got closer and closer to him, wiggling herself in a playful fashion. Narcissa could have some fun with this, just as she assumed that he too was going to play the playful tone. It was not every day that someone looked at her and automatically believed her to be up to no good so perhaps he had some special power that allowed him to look right through her. It could be possible but she wouldn’t know for sure until she got a closer look. So far, she deemed him a pretty boy—he had a very interesting pattern to him, rusty color on his backside with a white-cream undercoat, and not to mention a shade of blue for his eyes. Very unusual fur for what she was used to but it was ‘attractive’ nonetheless.

i’ve got lots of inspiration right now for narcissa so
i'm looking for more threads,  message me if you'd like one!