Northstar Vale Attempt no landing there
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Ooc — Jennifer
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#1
All Welcome 
Treason only rarely left the pack's territory, and every time she did it was with a purpose.  It had been a while since she'd met with the packs' usual border patrol group and the bears had been mentioned, so she was keen on seeing if they were still down in the vale.  Not to mention, it'd give her a chance to scope out the ruins of Tindome in a sense.  Though she doubted there'd be anything left given the lack of interesting things when she'd investigated Shadow Mountain, there was always the chance there'd be something nonperishable-but-interesting left behind.

She wasn't too deep into the almost-raining mist that had gathered in the vale today -- it had at least kept the temperature pretty reasonable -- and thus far hadn't found a sign of any ursine beasts prowling along.  Sure, it was dangerous to make a point of going into a possible bear's territory to check things out, but Treason was alert and counted on all her senses to alert her to any dangers that approached.  The only thing allowed to not make a noise was an owl -- even the trees had to breathe.
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#2
hope it's ok if i jump in here!! you mentioned bears haha

Borya did not have anything against wolves. They'd never bothered her so much as dogs, and knowing she could tear any single wolf -- more than one, even -- apart was, well. Perhaps she was getting a bit too dismissive these days but she thought she could hardly be blamed, even if she felt the need to defend her opinions to anyone. The point was that she tended to ignore them during the rare occasions they crossed into what was certainly known as bear territory. There was rarely more than one or two at a time, and either it was a harmless jaunt or they were hunting; the former were easy to ignore, the latter simply provided her with a free meal after her size and appearance had...discouraged them from mounting much of a defense.

Anyways. It was a solid plan and one she would have continued to follow had the gathering mist not dulled the scents in the air to nothing but wet earth and grass, and had her wandering thoughts not blinded her to exactly what she was walking towards. She lumbered past the trees and through belly-deep ferns and damp grass, paying little attention until a flicker of color that was not green or brown caught her eye.

She did not pause right away -- though her pace did slow -- but drew her head disinterestedly upright as she continued her walk through the brush, peering almost sleepily at the figure in question. It was most certainly a wolf. On its own, as far as she could tell; she was predisposed to assume that, like dogs, all canines were loud in groups -- at least loud enough to give her a notice of what to avoid, or what to follow in hopes of food. In the end she just blinked slowly at it, waiting to see whether or not it would turn tail and run, or ignore her, or speak. She didn't have much of a preference either way.
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#3
Perhaps the sighting was now just old news -- the family had moved on, whatever worries there had been were now pretty pathetic to dwell on.  Then again, she did kind of think the fuss was maybe a little overblown in the first place.  Bigger predators were gonna exist and sometimes they even ran up against wolves.  Smaller predators were always going to be obnoxious and ignore territory markers.  It was just the way the world was.  With that on her mind, she continued on.  Or at least she did until a tawny shape broke from the greenery.

Treason froze.  That was definitely a bear but that was not the previously-mentioned cub.  That was a lot bigger.  Her fur slowly stood on end.  She hadn't been noticed yet, had she?  This wasn't exactly a time of year or a location where she blended in particularly well -- if she hadn't been seen yet, she soon would.  As the boxy head turned her way, Treason finally moved to retreat farther away from the bear's expected path, a quiet growl briefly coming from her throat.  She wasn't going to run away, but was definitely going to stay out of the way and see where the bear was going in case she had to go back and warn the pack of impending doom.  Did bears know about pack boundaries?  Could they even talk?  Hell if she knew, the only thing for certain was she wasn't dumb enough to get within chomping distance.

It wasn't what she expected, at all.
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#4
Of all the options she had considered, she had thought least that it would simply wait and watch -- but for the few steps back it took, the low growl it gave that was just audible over the faint, persistent patter of water on leaves. The tattered half-moons of Borya's ears twitched forward, and her eyes slid past and along the summer-green tangle of foliage that had made the wolf's coat so noticeable. For a moment she half-expected its companions to come bounding from the trees, but then...this seemed an odd place to fight over, with no attempt at reasoning to begin.

Still, the thought lingered.

For a few moments longer, as Borya's pace slowed and came at last to a halt, they did nothing more than stare at each other, blue to green. It was...nothing like the way the dogs would meet her eyes before the humans unclipped their leashes, but despite it all since she'd arrived in this land she'd seen none of that particular brand of cruelty. Oh, she was certain it was hiding around some corner, yet -- just not this one.

Borya took a moment to sweep her gaze briefly side-to-side once more, but there was still nothing else left to leap out at her. And as long as that was the case, she was feeling -- well, maybe not benevolent, but willing to at least offer a friendly warning. She wasn't the only bear around. 

"You're alone?"
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Ooc — Jennifer
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#5
On the bright side, Treason wasn't getting run down by an angry fuzzy monster.  She was watchful, expecting a sudden turn to just make her leave.  It wasn't like there was food between them, and as far as the wolf was concerned, the bear might just be an angry rock, so hopefully they wanted to move as fast as a rock, too.  Treason was also not big on sprinting, she was just not built for it. 

So apparently bears could talk, fancy that.  For the instant.  She wasn't too far from the pack.  It'd take a few minutes for someone to run over, but if she had to, Treason was sure she could dip and dodge with the best of them, wasting enough time for reinforcements.  She wasn't about to go and start a fight if she had to.  Treason had proved she was paying attention, but that was about it.

A quick flick of her eyes to scan the area for a second brown lump.  None.  Is the cub yours?  The one that Bernard had scented.  Obviously not here, but if it was lurking nearby, she'd have to be more on her guard.  Certainly this bear could tell there'd been another few ambling about.. Uh.  Whenever that was?  Time wasn't exactly high on Treason's list.
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#6
tense consistency? i dont know her

for the instant. "of course," borya says. that doesn't really answer anything, but then she supposes that's the point.

"the cub," borya repeats flatly when the wolf mentions it. she does not move; she doesn't think she could have missed something like that, because even if she had, its mother would not have let her miss it. which means -- "you saw a cub and yet you still come here alone? looking for it?" she snorts, uncertain quite how to take that. "bold of you. it is not mine, no. if it was i would not be speaking to you." she smiles thinly at that, a sharp, wintry thing that leaves no doubt as to her meaning. she has not yet borne a cub in her time, but she has been one herself, and that is enough to know the reputation they have earned.

her mother left more than one dead to protect her. she can admire that, though in the long run, she doesn't think she ended up that much better off.

she has moved past those times, though, and doesn't like to dwell on them any longer than necessary. instead, she rolls her shoulders, considering. "there's more than just me around here, if that's the question you came to have answered." a low huff, underlaid with something like amusement. "here to make these packlands too?"
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Ooc — Jennifer
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#7
Being careful did make Treason rather cryptic.  Why would she trust a more dangerous animal, after all?

She frowned.  Um no, that was totally not what happened.  Another did, a while ago.  Now wanted to see if it was gone.  That was totally obvious to her, but then again the fact that there might be others around in the first place might be foreign to a bear.  It was also unfortunate that Treason couldn't just use some sci-fi scanner device that would tell her exactly how many of what animal was in what territory, so she was just left with the senses nature gave her.  Treason continued with her cool indifference, It could be dead.  Life happened.  Since only the cub was mentioned, maybe its mother had died and it was alone, at which point, maybe it would follow soon after.

Too bad the bear didn't know the details, though.  It would be nice to have a for-sure yes/no that there was that much danger lurking next door.  There are always more of everything around.  If something's existence meant that part of the world was off-limits, all of it would be.  Coyotes, foxes, wolves, cats of varying sizes, even bears would always be around in fluid numbers.  It was something she would probably get irritated at people forgetting in the not-too-distant future if it was brought to mind.  Better to keep the dangers that you knew than to walk into the unknown and find worse ones...  Just not keen on being wary of ghosts.
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#8
it's not like she has ever had much in the way of interaction with wolves, and she can only assume the same is true for them with bears, so despite her knee-jerk instinct to ask what kind of question that is all she ends up with is a twitch of her lip. even though the concept of territory seems like it should be universal, among predators anyways. "could be," she allows. it's not unheard of. would probably even make things easier for her if it were correct. "even if it is, its mother is still around."

of course, that's not something she knows as fact, but even if it wasn't more than likely true borya has ulterior motives.

"mmm. well then, i'll confirm for you," she says. "it's not ghosts here." that's a truth. she's done her best not to run into anyone else, purely because it's often more trouble than it's worth, but she's scented just about everything she can think. other bears, cougars, coyotes, lynx -- not to mention the many wolves. whether that will actually prove a deterrent or not is up in the air, but then she doesn't really know what the concern is. as far as she knows, there's no pack in the valley. and there's enough here -- in the summer months, anyways -- that there are much better potential meals than a wolf.
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Ooc — Jennifer
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#9
It felt kind of like both were dancing around questions that the other asked.  The pale devil's ear swiveled as she thought -- what the bear had just said didn't entirely mesh with what had been said before.  She'd seemed unaware of the cub, so how would she know which was the mother?  They could be halfway across the wilderness together.  Or both dead.  Whoever she saw might just be some other random bear.  Maybe she was just being a bit paranoid, but Treason wasn't going to trust the bear until she found a scent that agreed with what she'd said.

Annoying.  Well, obviously she wasn't going to get to see whether it was truth or lies today.  Some other day she'd have to go check it out for real, without interference.  Are you planning to stay here?  At least she'd know to expect to run into her again if so -- Treason could at least inform the pack that the one bear didn't seem to be outrageously aggressive.  It did pose a problem for hunting there, though.  Small game would probably be no problem -- they could have it caught and be gone before anyone noticed, but anything larger would probably get raided before it got eaten.
Arbiter is often not a nice person and will think mean things without acting on them.
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#10
borya doesn't think she is having the intended effect, though she hasn't managed to puzzle out the motive here to truly say for certain. she could have charged, she supposes, if she was that determined to ward this wolf and whatever followed it away, but she does take a certain measure of satisfaction from letting its kind deliver her meals, if inadvertently; but then that does make it all the better. it all seems harmless enough for right now, and if that does not last long -- that's what she has teeth and claws for. 

borya considers the question a moment, the only indication she has heard it at all the slight flick of an ear. "yes," she settles on. "for now." the valley is a good place for prey, a good place to hunt and scavenge, and as long as it remains so and as long as the ever-present itch under her skin does not drive her to seek out a new location there is no reason to move. she thinks she will stay for a while yet.

she cocks her head, just barely, pale green eyes still focused on the wolf. "is that all?"
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Ooc — Jennifer
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Yeah, Treason was stubborn and suspicious.  She wasn't gonna believe anything until the evidence was right in front of her nose.  Right now though?  She didn't want to press her luck and didn't want to have the bear following her if she continued searching.  Yeah, she should probably wait for another day.

I guess.  She'd wanted to get the whole matter settled, but... Oh well.  She'd have something to report, at least. Not good news, either.  Maybe the bear was lying and she'd come back in a few days and find out that there were no new signs.  Could hope, at least, but Treason was way too pessimistic to actually think that was likely.  She started to turn and head away, one ear kept solidly in Borya's direction before starting her casual retreat.  Being wary should keep her alive, at least.
Arbiter is often not a nice person and will think mean things without acting on them.
If you aren't sure whether her snarky thoughts might be readable, just ask!  IC≠OOC