she was never quite fond of leaving the rise on her own, let alone leaving the rise at all. but the world was a big place, and the girl was growing curious about the things that moon runner had seen during her days underneath the wild moon and snowy nights that plagued the wilds. sunrise thought of many things as she stepped past the border. she was leaving behind pieces of her, and even for a moment, the idea scared her.
she was a homebody, after all, she enjoyed the idea of always sleeping in her own bed and remaining close to her family. but she can tell there is still a sense of uncertainty in her family, and this drives the girl to become used to the idea of away. she walks the plains quietly, nose brushing against the lingering smells of strangers and growing curious about what exactly she might find while out here.
she wondered where the little mammals had gone in the winter, where all the butterflies flew to, and why the sun was still so chilly despite being present in the sky. her eyes grow shrouded with the dense afternoon fog that spreads over the plains, and for a moment, she feels nervous about not being able to see clearly.
there was fog in the air and fog in her mind. She didn't know what to make of this.
it was entirely coincidence, that the two should materialize from the fog within sight of each other.
annie had wandered since the demise of solivagant and her marriage. purposeless. aimless. it could still be lonely enough to gnaw at her at times but for the most part, she'd grown accustomed to her own company and found peace in the solitude.
still, it was nice to come across others in her journeys.
as such, her tail took up a slow wag when she spotted the young girl some yards away -- perhaps a year or so her junior.
she let out a soft bark, waiting to see if the pale girl seemed open to companionship before moving any closer.
should she be permitted to, she'd sidle up nearby and drawl out a sugary, "hi."
she was older, and her voice was something that she had not heard from the rise before. something sweet, something that promised more. in some ways, it did little to disarm the feral girl. but that did not mean all was lost, for part of sunrise held curiosity for the tone this one spoke in.
sunrise would look at the other, eye searching for weak points if it came to it. she wasn't used to meeting strangers after all, and perhaps this lack of social knowledge with wolves who spoke would be a determining factor in whether or not she'd decide to try and speak.
a small tentative step back, though she does her best to avoid coming off worried, she offers her own nonverbal greeting; it was a warm chuff from her throat, and a dare for her tail to swing back and forth, all an attempt to seem friendly.
annalee remained nonplussed. her lips quirked apologetically, sheepishly. she hadn't meant to startle the poor thing but it was wise to be leery of strangers.
the yearling did her best to seem reassuringly non-threatening. her ears tipped back a hair, tail low and wagging in a friendly gesture as she pointedly turned her gaze away from the girl's.
"i'm annalee," she introduced herself after a moment, head tilting curiously at the dove-pelted girl. "it's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?"
her name is given, and for a moment, sunrise thinks of how she may convey her own. she can sense that there is a level of honesty within the girl, annalee, was it? sunrise said her name at least 3 times in her mind to try and memorize it, for it was perhaps the first that she was given, rather than having to come up with her own.
and when asked for her own, a thoughtful look comes over the girl's visage, yellow eyes clouded for a moment. and so with a meaningful look, she encourages this annalee to look towards the sun, and flame stalker sweeps her muzzle high, as if to convey 'sun-rise'.
she had no idea of the girl would actually be able to decipher her, but she tried to punctuate with certain sounds and grumbles, all in a gentle meaning to convey herself. another point of her muzzle towards the sun, before she throws her head up-- sunrise.
now she looks at the woman, a hopeful look in her eyes, tail beginning to wag just a tad more behind her.
her brow furrowed, curious and vaguely perplexed as she watched the younger wolf's movements.
it was only by the second gesture that annie suddenly pieced together the guttural sounds and lack of verbal response -- her companion was mute.
silently, the woman turned her gaze to the sky, following the trail that had been indicated across it.
the moonstones flew wide suddenly, a grin cracking lopsided and pleased across her lips.
"you're sunrise?" there was a hopeful, uncertain tint to the words. as if afraid she might be wrong.
aha, she had gotten it!
sunrise bounds to the side in a playful manner, tail wagging in a vigorous sweep as she nods her head. this one was sharp, and sunrise could feel her interest grow in the woman before her as sunrise steps closer, her muzzle now pointing towards the woman's chest, as if to ask
'and what might your name be?'
sunrise grumbles a curious note to her, head tilting to show her interest in the answer. she knew that it was hard to communicate with her due to her silent nature, but annalee would leave a lasting imprint on sunrise' mind.