there weren't any more frogs to be had in the swamp.
she'd realized it a week ago, yet persisted in her hunting of the witch's bog until the previous morning, because it just wasn't worth the time and effort. not if she was going to slog through the mud for nothing!
magda found solace beneath the trees here, in a spit of wood that smelled of vermin.
better'n nothing, she'd thought, but she hadn't gotten a lick of sleep that night, or any night since.
now the sun was setting at its earliest hour yet; she'd gotten a few hours of light to scour the woods for a meal but, given her luck as of late, there was nothing here for her. the stench of wolf had become pretty strong upon the wind and she blamed that for her poor fortunes.
When next we find Sanja, she is far afield and slogging her way through that same marsh. Having by now been turned away from the home and the family she thought she could depend on, she is bereft; not for the sake of her children, who are by now forgotten, but for her own precious sake.
And it is to the forest she now goes; seeking the shadows and the scents of autumn, and the promise of small game. Instead, she finds a wolf not unlike herself: alone, muddied, a mess; and she seeks them now to commiserate.
What poor life choices led them here? Sanja could offer her story and they could compare, certain she would win such a competition! No home, no children, no food - she chuffs a greeting to the other woman, and roams among the trees.
someone was watchin' her! she could feel the eyes. she took a big sniff of the air and could only smell fox musk, or her own scent, which was more bogwater than anything, and after trying a second time she gave up on trying. spitting a gob of something in to a pile of leaves.
aye, git out here! i know i ain't alone!
she called in to the trees one way, and then glared another. wasn't much she could do if the stranger decided to leave, though; she wasn't about to chase them down.
She didn't know the voice that called. It didn't matter — she didn't know anyone, anymore. The news of Gunnar's passing had not sunken in until the night before as Sanja had crossed the bog, and now as she stood within the veil of these woods, everything felt heavy. It would pass. All things did.
Somberly the woman trudged among the trees without really paying attention to where she went; but she caught the distinct note of wolf-scent and stopped, sinking low and suddenly cautious. There wasn't exactly a hostility to them, but a lack of familiarity. The other woman seemed... annoyed, somehow.
What had she done?
gotta do errythin' myself, nhehh,
she inhaled through phlegm and trundled on, swinging her head to find the stranger. they were partially exposed now and staring in the direction of Magda, who took on a more prominent scowl and let the fur of her haunches and tail to puff out.
there y'are. what? cat got yer tongue?
maybe they were touched. magnolia gave a cursory sniff and found no sign of illness, weakness, or others. odd. a little old to disperse, weren't they? ya hungry?
hungry, yes.
she nods, speaking her first words to the odd woman. deeming them not a threat despite their demeanor, sanja sidled up closer and took notice of their health and age, and searched for any scents that might be familiar - there were none. no surprise.
sanja.
she motions to herself, and then with a curious look on her face motions to the woman.
who?
lookit yew, talkin',
her eyes brightened up, although the praise was more acerbic, like talking to a child that had finally uttered something intelligible. a moment later the idiot was introducing themselves and magnolia laughed.
yew can call me magda! almos' erryone does. well,
she pulled away from sanja's company a moment to inspect the ground, where she found a trail for something edible. not a frog, mind you, it wasn't the season for it - but something warm-blooded and easy.
c'mon. we'll split the catch, if'n there's anythin'. mind, i call first dibs!
and she began to saunter off in pursuit of the wee beastie that would soon fill her belly. if the other woman followed or not didn't really matter to magnolia, as it would mean more for her.
magda.
she nodded, and was about to say something else - ask more questions - when magda started rambling. it wasn't really a ramble, but it was fast and with enough choppiness that she had to take a moment to really think about what was being said.
magda took off after that, saying something about food and hunting and splitting the bill, so to speak; and after a moment of blank staring, sanja carried off after her.