Saucy liked forests, but this one was a bit thicker than the ones she was used to. She preffered nice open maple forests, with lots of sunlight streaming down to light up her pelt like the moon. This particular forest was dark, with aromatic pines and tall shadows. One word that crossed her mind in describing the place would be, sharp.
After a while of wandering through the woods with her usual youthful enthusiasm, Saucy found herself getting very weary. Even her powerful legs had their limits, and they were just screaming for her to halt. So she obeyed them, letting them lead her to a nice sunny grove where she could relax and warm her snowy pelt. She walked exactly ten circles before settling down, curled up on a mossy patch. She smiled and her breathing fell to a light rise and fall, she began to groom her silky pelt. The white lioness looked quite beautiful when she wasn't worried about looking like a badass.
thank you for starting! ♥
panther park is not too far from blackfeather woods and though wintersbane is not prone to locking himself away and never leaving the territory — in fact he likes to travel around outside of it's borders just as much as he's ( much to his surprise ) exploring the sub-territories of blackfeather woods. exploring hadn't exactly been at the forefront of his mind as a cub. he only wanted to fight as a child. he'd always been looking for one and if he couldn't find one then he'd pick until he gotten what he wanted. he has no interest in scouting, not truly, merely he seeks to assure himself he is no prisoner. he can leaves the borders and return so long as too much time hasn't passed for anyone to question his loyalty. wintersbane doesn't like being beneath the rule of another but thus far this edition of blackfeather woods isn't proving to be so strict...but maybe the difference is now he's an adult.
the coniferous forest gives the impression of being vast as he moves through the thick and wild forest. there are old, faded scents of mountain lions traversing to and fro and he keeps a keen eye and ear perked to the shadows around and branches above him. underlying the faded scents of mountain lions is a more recent scent of a lone female and while wintersbane doesn't particularly mean to find her ...he ends up finding her anyway. she stands out in stark contrast against the shadows, the dark browns and mossy greens of the forest around them: all pale fur as white as snow. he keeps to the shadows, not necessarily to hide but because he does not wish to invade into her personal space. there remains plenty of space between them and wintersbane likes it that way.
out of courtesy and not to startle her ( if she has not yet already noticed his presence ) the tundrian lets out a quieted chuff to announce his presence.
Saucy was running her salmon pink tongue along her fluffy white mane when she caught the scent of another wolf nearby. He was getting closer, and as she continued to preen her fine feathers, her icy eyes scanned the trees around her. She knew he was there, but she couldn’t pin point his dark frame in the equally shadowed scape. Finally when he let out a chuff, her gaze snapped to where he stood, a large man with eyes that glowed similar to her own. She paused halfway through a lick to look at him, before stretching out her long legs and smiling.
Dude, you just gonna stand there or come join me?
she said teasingly, with a playful hum.
Saucy was vain perhaps, though usually about her abilities more than her looks. She usually looked like a fluffy polar bear, pretty but ruffled and tomboyish. She only groomed herself now as a calming activity before her nap. The large male repeated her offer, then made a teasing comment. Good! He seemed like fun. She raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips as she replied, Yeah I am a pretty great groomer, but you know what I meant stalker boy.
It was a playful retort, spoken with a smirk.
She watched the dark furred man come nearer, inspecting him with curious eyes. Where’re you from? You smell like a pack,
she asked in her low tone, still lounging on her moss leisurely.
Saucy's tail wagged as she listened to the other man explain himself. He was cute, she decided, with all his theatrics. She raised her eyebrows when he said he preffered the shadows, amused at this. When he finished, she shrugged her shoulders, Whatever you say, weirdo,
she replied matter-of-factly, but meaning it in the most endearing way.
When asked about his pack, he gave her a very bland answer, that told her little to nothing about it. He switches the conversation back to her quickly, as if he doesn't want to talk about his pack. That was fine, for now, but eventually Saucy would weasel some info out of him. So I do,
she repeated his words and mimicked his low voice with a wry grin.
So what're you doing out here then?
she asked, hoping he could at least disclose this with her. She finished grooming her polar pelt and sat up like a sphinx, a jovial smile on her face.
Wintersbane gave another playful, but non informative answer to her question. This guy was obviously not the most open of books. She on the other hand was willing to share just about anything, she wasn’t just an open book, she was a billboard with flashing lights. Saucy shrugged her shoulders at his comment, blowing a puff of air out of her mouth as she spoke, Psh yeah I know. I was just wondering,
she replied. She watched him for a moment, just analyzing with furrowed brows.
So other than exploring, what other not crimes do you like to do? I like to fight, not like in an angry way but like a fun way you know?
she said with a smile, her striped tail swishing across her mossy spot. She was feeling a little playful now (when wasn’t she), and she wondered if her company would be up for a spar. Or maybe he was too prim for that. The white lioness hadn’t decided yet.
Wintersbane returned her question with the appearance of mild interest, and Saucy chuckled as she replied, Ohohooo yeah, I love sparring.
Then he asked another question, referring to her former comment about liking the fun kind of fighting. She narrowed her eyebrows and her lips pursed as she thought about her answer. Well I mean real fighting’s ok I guess, but I prefer it when it’s like a challenge thing. I definitely would angry fight if I had to but it’s better when it’s more of a see who’s stronger deal,
she explained.
Her whole philosophy about fighting to some would seem juvenile, and sort of was. She liked to show off, she liked to be seen as strong and sparring was a great way to show that. Sure she did it so that she could be ready to protect herself, but in her life it’d always been more about seeing which of her siblings was the leader than who would live or die. Wintersbane said he liked all manners of fighting, and a wide smile spread across Saucy’s face. She certainly would be challenging him to a spar, if not now, soon.
He also liked teaching cubs, which sounded pretty fun. She’d always liked kids, she could definitely imagine herself teaching a bunch of little potato blobs how to be a warrior like her. But she was also a big fan of the wild world, and she’d always thought of herself as a bit of a naturalist. Who knew what would come of that, maybe it was more of a hobby than anything else. Awesome, d’you have any where you come from?
she asked, though she fully anticipated another noncommittal answer.
saucy’s eyebrows narrowed further when he asked her another question about sparring, like he was trying to prove something. Too many questions, she thought, it wasn’t that deep. She liked to fight and that was just it. Wintersbane made another point that was of course true, but the white lioness just shrugged. Yeah, I guess so,
she said, then eyed him curiously. As she did so, a smirk tugged at her lips. You’re an over analyzer aren’t you?
she said with a nod, for even if he answered no she’d already made up her mind.
After her inquiry about pups in his pack, Saucy is given an answer with a hint of warning. He really didn’t want to talk about his pack, which was frustrating to the girl who wanted to know everything about everything. But she knew everybody had secrets, Wintersbane just liked to keep them under close lock and key. She met his tundra gaze with her own, but her eyes are softer and warmer. It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about your pack, I’m just curious,
she said before continuing, I didn’t grow up in a pack necessarily, it wasn’t anything established. My parents were loners so my family just traveled around,
she shared.
Do you mind if I use this thread for a Dark Brotherhood quest? The Tongue Over Teeth quest requires him to talk about ( and attempt to recruit ) into BFW. He doesn't have to try to recruit Saucy if you don't want him to but since he's ( finally ) talking about BFW I figured I'd ask if I could use it. :-)
the woman calls him an over-analyzer and he scoffs at the word. "i'm a tactician." he corrects her, figuring he does not need to explain to her that analyzing and strategizing is what they do. of course, he did not yet have the specialty but it didn't mean he wasn't good at it. the specialty was just extra credibility. "we are an elusive bunch and our reputation is a dark one in these wilds." he tells her with a sigh of resignation. the fact that she does not recognize his pack scent tells him that she likely hasn't been in the wilds for very long. "many fear us and for good reason." he isn't saddened by that, really, but there is a trepidation towards it. blackfeather woods maintained their reputation sewing fear in the wolves of the wilds and yet ...yet fear was a strong weapon and a dangerously double-edged one. wolves, beneath the heel of the boot of the pack they feared would try to fight back when they felt threatened enough. fear made wolves desperate and that risk of desperation could bring death and the pain that death leaves within the survivors in it's wake. he does not offer her more information, watching her reaction, waiting for a further press of her curiosity or the recognition and concurrent hesitance that usually accompanies it.
Definitely! i was also gonna try and use this towards saucy's merc trade so maybe later they could spar, or talk some more about being a warrior? (But after your quest <3)
Saucy smiled when Wintersbane defended himself, not an overanalyzer but a tactician. tomayto tomahto, she thought, but didn't say. She'd figured by now that Wintersbane didn't love being teased, and though it was all in good fun, she'd let up a bit.
She didn't expect him to open up then the way he did, it wasn't much but it was more than "yes" or "no". Her ears perk to a more attentive position as she listens, her interest piqued when he says that many fear his pack. He didn't seem very scary, but then again Saucy was headstrong and feared very little. She'd always been that way. What makes you so scary? You're what like an uh, an assassin?
she asked.
So he himself was no assassin, but his pack had them. As well as priests and spies, and other things she assumed. He'd opened up very suddenly, and though it really wasn't something she'd done, Saucy gave herself kudos for accomplishing her goal. She listened with interest, though she wasn't quite sure she'd fit in with Wintersbane's pack, which was a shame since he was kind of fun. She just wasn't into the whole mercenary idea, she fought when she wanted to because she wanted to, not because somebody else needed her to. That just sounded harrowing, tiring, and lacking in the ethics department.
But still she felt no aversion to him, and would love to meet his packmates someday. Their way of life sounded interesting, and she'd love to learn more. The snowy woman was a curious one, she soaked up information like a sponge. What's it called?
she asked. When he'd finished talking, about history and relationships and all, Saucy backtracked to another topic, she wanted to know a bit more about him. What're you called
she asked.
Blackfeather Woods, Saucy committed the name to memory. It would be a hard pack to forget, for it seemed to function not at all like the usual pack. Though of course she’d never truly been in a pack, with ranks and niches to play, so she couldn’t know for sure. Still it felt important, Blackfeather Woods. Sound’s intense,
she commented.
They moved on to something that usually came at the beginning of the conversation. Wintersbane, ooohoho did that fit him well. Her own icy eyes follow his when he looked away from her, her ears flicking as she does. Then he asked her her own name, and with a coy smile she introduced herself as, Saucy.
Wintersbane voiced a similar sentiment to hers, she smiled and replied, Yep, I think so.
She’d always been proud of her name, it wasn’t ladylike or most elegant, but neither was she. She was saucy, her name described her perfectly. The pale striped girl raised an eyebrow when asked about sparring again. She was always game to talk fighting, Offense for sure, I can take hits but I’d much rather give ‘em. You?
she asks, feeling a little antsy. Her body is full of energy, it sparks out through her tail which lashes behind her.
saucy quirked an eyebrow at his response of both, feeling confident that both hadn’t been one of the answer choices. However upon elaboration she understood what he meant, his weakness was in speed rather than strength or endurance. She still thought that he had to favor one over the other, didn’t everyone? She eyed him for a moment, a smirk dancing on her drawn lips. hm, weird,
she said, baiting him, you definitely seem like a defense guy to me.
there really was no toying to be done with him, he was hard to bait, hard to get information out of- he was very steadfast in his opinions. That was a big advantage in many ways, but truthfully Saucy just wanted to spar with him, and she’d thought she could coax some friendly competition out of him with some teasing. Ok fine mr tactician,
she said, but I still prefer offense.
She stood then, and drew her front paw over the moss like a bull. Her gaze drifted back to his and she moved down from her spot to be closer, I’ll let you be both, but only if you can prove it,
she said with a smile, her chest puffed and her head held high. She was ready to spar, so he damn well better be too.