Wolf RPG

he offers @Solveig a loving nudge and a soft murmur that he was going to explore more of the neutral territories nearby before he sets off; curious about what the neutral lands he hasn't gotten to yet had to offer as far as hunting and guarding; though he wonders if perhaps his possessiveness over lands bordering the plateau is unfounded ( for several reasons ).

but rusalka is a creature of habit and the brooding scorpio is not in favor of breaking them when he believed they ensured many things for his family, safety and resources included.

the scent of a fledging pack catches his attention, almost as soon as enters the forest and he cuts a path towards the glacier — careful to leave a wide berth from their borders, just in case — as curiously guarded about these neighbors as he was the ones the mountain concealed.

Ariadne had been on her daily walk when she'd caught wind of Rusalka's scent. She stopped, looking around, until she saw a large man who walked the borders at a respectful distance; he was from another pack, she sensed.

Turning on her heel, she headed in his direction with a smile as his coloration and size reminded her of @Barbatos. She wondered how the man of the willows was doing and briefly reminisced when he held her; she missed him.

This woman greets you, she called as she walked.

he does not even need to call; though he draws in a breath to do so, he lets it out the air he'd been building in his lungs at the approach of a woman draped in browns and creams. hello, he rumbles to her greeting, finding it a bit strange.

i am rusalka cairn, of raventhorpe. we claim the plateau a ways north. he gestures in it's direction with a sweep of his broad muzzle, just in case she was not overly familiar with these lands, as he'd been, recently. in truth, he was still unfamiliar with most of the territories, likely. for though he ventures it is not without purpose and always he remains in the radius of home.

He was Rusalka Carin from Raventhorpe, a village on a northern plateau. She nodded, committing this information to memory before speaking. And I am Ariadne Nuiruk, moonwoman and head of village Moonglow—we are just settling here, she informed the man.

What brings you down south? she wondered with curiosity in her voice.

she introduces herself in return, offering that she is from one of the moon villages that his valkyrie wife had spoken of on occasion. this piques rusalka's attention. are there many moon villages? he cannot help but inquire with a tilt of his head. my wife has spoken of one of them. he admits, so she does not think that he is a mysterious creep.

studying patrol and hunting routes. learning the lay of the land. i do not want to accidentally intrude on hunting or patrolling grounds of other packs.

There will be four in total when this one is established, she answered. Moonglow, led by my anaa, Kukutux and my taataa Aiolos, Moonspear led by my sistraa Sialuk, and Moontide .... she hesitated, led by Rodyn, husband of my late sistraa.

She was quick to change the subject. I appreciate you being so careful. What is ... ah, Raventhirpe, right? What is it like? she asked.

there were four moon villages, she tells him, and rusalka ruminates upon that for a moment, letting that knowledge sink in. four. it was a lot of branch offs. my wife, solveig, she leads raventhorpe, she has mentioned moontide, he remembers that name and how his step daughter had been sent to parlay with them prior to their relocation and rebrand. perhaps she will be interested in an allyship with moonsong. he suggests, letting the moonsong leader know in his words that he would be sharing this information with his valkyrie wife.

we have recently rebranded when we relocated from the coast, less focused on the religious beliefs of my wife and her people and more focused on arts and trades.

Her ears cupped forward in interest; Moonsong could use allies outside the other villages. I would be open and interested in that discussion, she said. And I am more than happy to visit village Raventhrope once my leg has healed. She was already thinking of the furs, dried meats, and other offerings she'd bring. Maybe she could also convince @Kilgitsuk to come along, too.

Curious, as he mentioned their re-brand and relocation, she asked, Why Raventhorpe? Are there many ravens in your new claim?

she did not spurn the idea. rusalka offers a simple nod of his head, tucking her response away to relay back to @Solveig later. another moon pack that they may lay foundations of allyship, and another neighbor, at that.

it is a good start, rusalka thinks. even if he cannot entirely shake the jagged foundations on which he'd been raised. warsaw had needed none but their own; but cairn clan was vast and many chose to stay on the isle.

a question better suited to my wife, rusalka admits with a sheepishly, wiry grin. she chose the name. but i believe it relates to her culture, in some way. in truth, he couldn't remember asking why she'd chosen raventhorpe because ultimately, it hadn't mattered. he was content to go along with it all the same.

Ariadne found it odd that Rusalka was deferring so much of her questions to his wife. Did he not lead the pack with her? Did he not know of her ways? It confused her, but she did not ask. Instead, she simply nodded, saving her questions regarding the pack's ways for another time.

Then, a question he could answer: How far away is your claim? Are there any hunting grounds nearby that village Moonsong should stay away from?

the mountain and the no man lands in between lays between us, rusalka answers her inquiry, easily. simply. though he cut through the forest and avoided silvertip all together, he is aware that it helps in offering sufficient distance between them to sate the worst of rusalka's tendencies.

no. the plateau offers plenty of prey, as does the river. i believe we should be fine without needing to venture too far. rusalka aims to reassure.

No ... mans ... land? Ariadne echoed, unsure of the information she had just been provided. Where is that? no, more importantly, and what is that??

no man's land.

it was a term he's always used; picked up, no doubt from his father.

the no man's land, rusalka begins, a swipe of his tongue against his lips. is what i call the land between territories. the lands with no name. turf that could be considered apart of one territory or the other.

with usually, some sort of argument as to whom it belonged to, if neighbors were parked right next door to each other.

Oh, she said with a nervous laugh. Now I understand, thank you. It didn't seem like their territories were too far away and that traveling would take no longer than a day, so it'd be an easy first trip to make post-cast. When my leg is healed and before the world begins to freeze, I would like to talk you and your wife about the relationship between our packs, if that can be arranged, she said, already thinking of who she'd bring for the trip.

of course, rusalka agrees in a low, smoky rumble. this much, at least, he could promise without feeling like he was stepping on his queen wife's toes. he had sewn seeds of potential ally ship, though whether they blossomed or not, did not feel up to him.

a soft draw of breath is given; the chilly tang of air lingering in his lungs for a moment before he pushes it out. i won't keep you any longer. we look forward to your visit, when you are ready. with that said, he offers a dip of his head and makes to retrace his steps back to ravensthorpe.

I look forward to it, she responds brightly, watching as the man takes his leave. She lingered until he was out of sight. Then, once she was sure he was gone, she turned to retreat into her territory, already thinking ten steps ahead to when she would meet Raventhorpe's queen.