though rusalka is loathe to leave his wife's side in the thick of her season, he does it to patrol the neutral territories that bordered the plateau, feeling that rapidly sinking anchor of territoriality dragging him deeper. it is worse, he has come to learn, during solveig's season, pregnancy and when the cubs were young. from these early signs, this year does not appear to be different for rusalka.
sharp golden gaze surveys the land keenly, nostrils flaring to take in smells.
there is nothing lingers that catches his attention. stray wanderers, the scents of the herds migrating.
it is enough to soothe the worst of the awakening beast within the sea king and he reclines upon his haunches, contented to stare at the warming horizon for a few minutes.
@Rusalka Everest was still fairly full of the Pronghorn she had assisted in taking down with Ishara. She had gone back to it at least once to make sure that she remained full and perhaps put on a little weight, but she was contented in the idea that she would be okay for a while. In regard to surviving the winter season alone, however, that was another story. The thought lingered in the back of her mind, slowly becoming louder, that she would eventually have to join a pack to ensure she would make it to spring next year. A slight frown tugged at her lips at the thought as she reminisced on her old pack life. It was hard to say if she would experience similar events, however it seemed really hard pressed. After meeting Ishara, there was little doubt in Everest's mind that there would be similarities from her old pack to the potential new one she would come across. Perhaps she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out the answer.
In her snowy wanderings, a darkened figure, darker in color to Ishara, wandered about while keeping an eye out for something, or perhaps just looking around. It wasn't the same kind of travel as Ishara had when she first met her. This seemed more intentional. Everest hesitated on the idea about going up to meet him in case the male turned out to be aggressive. Everest sniffed the air and couldn't quite tell if he was traveling alone, or if perhaps he had a pack scent on him. The tension was high as Everest continued to watch him closely. The man was intimidating both in posture and movement, and she wasn't sure if it was entirely a good or bad thing.
Still, as she bit her lip, Everest knew that she would need to find a place to settle and call home where she would be warm and protected. Deciding to try and push any nervousness down, Everest let out a low woof to announce her presence so as not to startle the male. Head was lowered a bit, tail tucked in, to show her respect to someone seemingly bigger than her, and perhaps older. Who knew. If the man was kind, she may perk up just a little bit.
the sound of footfalls commands rusalka's attention away from the horizon. the snap of his head in the stranger's direction is militaristic; keen and sharp. a soldier standing to sudden and abrupt attention.
golden gaze takes in her posturing, the hackles bristling at his nape smoothing as he takes it in. it would be foolish to think she is no threat, but there is nothing in her posture that screams ill intentions at him.
tension remains in his shoulders all the same though, put on high alert being in the throes of the season. this tension would not leave him for quite some time. months. if ever truly did. he would always be a father and husband and thus always responsible for their safety.
hello.
greets rusalka, summoning his more diplomatic side in favor of the brutish side. what brings you this way?
he inquires conversationally. they were not close enough to raventhorpe for him to truly press so he keeps it light; an open invitation for her to divulge if she wished but with no real pressure behind it.
@Rusalka She half expected his reaction to be a bit more delayed than it was. Like any skilled fighter, the male was tuned in to her presence much more quickly, causing her to be a bit startled. Ears remained back as her body jumped ever so slightly. Everest remained paused in her position, eyes locked onto the position that the male stood, hackles raised but slowly relaxing. "Ah.. I'm.. I'm sorry I hope I didn't.. startle you.." Words were hard to share in this moment as she suddenly began to second guess her decision on conversing with him. However, winter was indeed coming, and already here, and conditions would worsen the longer that she was without a home.
"Settle yourself! This is no way to act as a Lady!" her mothers words seeped into her mind. A stark reminder about how a woman like herself was supposed to act. Although, this was no longer home and her mother's rules didn't apply here. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she tried to steel her nerves and not look so pathetic. So much for a good start on the right paw. The males voice cut the silence as he greeted her. Closing the distance just a bit more, Everest walked up so that they could converse normally. "I.." she began, suddenly needing to swallow hard. "Ugh. Okay. Sorry -- I'm new here and this is really awkward for me because I've not been in this position before." In truth, Everest had everything provided for her so that she didn't need to ask for something. This included everything at home so that she was comfortable. Now that she was in a position where she actually needed something, there wasn't anyone around to get it for her. Not that she was spoiled by her parents, but more so that her parents could keep an eye on her like a coveted item, safely protected until the time came that they used her like a bartering chip.
"I was wanting to know if you lived in a pack?" she asked as she sniffed the air to take in his scent. "I've been alone for a while and I would like to find a home. I.. I know it's strange to ask but.. I'm tired of being alone." The truth came out on her voice as ears dipped to the sides, shy and embarrassed to have admitted loneliness. Some wolves didn't like being in packs and preferred being alone, this she knew. Some viewed being in a pack as weakness while Everest considered it the safest way to live. Wait -- was this a wolf that preferred to be alone? Concerns of possibly offending the male flooded her mind as anxiety settled in her bones. The last thing she wanted to do out here was offend anyone. She hardly knew how to protect herself as it was, so getting into a situation where she would have to fight or flee would almost be a death sentence.
while startled isn't the precise word that rusalka would use, he doesn't comment on it in any way. this season had him on edge again, for many and more reasons; namely the confidence that solveig would soon grow round with his children.
it could be the father and husband in him, but it was definitely the man, at any rate. protective of his children, his wife, his home.
and what position would that be?
asks rusalka, ear twitching above his brow in an 'enlighten me' manner. he's remained stationary, and though he knew he wasn't being overly friendly, he isn't being hostile either.
her questions are direct, and rusalka finds them strange; gaze assessing.
i lead ravensthorpe with my wife,
he gestures in the plateau's direction with a motion of his muzzle. winter isn't kind to those without a family or pack behind them.
the cairn patriarch knows this from experience. i am rusalka cairn,
the könungr offers his name in introduction before inquiring, skills are important to my people, all are valued and sought after. what skills could you offer?
@Rusalka The male wasn't increasingly hostile, though he wasn't being super nice either. Just -- the same. Everest remained still, but observant. Well, since it was clear that there weren't any ill intentions -- yet -- she figured that it was safe to continue the conversation. "Well.. I've never had to go look for a new home before." she admitted sheepishly. Ears flicked in discontentment at the idea she "had to find a new home" since running away from her original one. The male introduced himself as Rusalka and what role he had in the pack he belonged to. Well it made much more sense now! Not only that, Everest felt that she made herself look rather silly being as sheepish as she was. If there was a wolf equivalent to facepalming in embarrassment, Everest would be doing it right about now. "Great first impression, Ev." Everest looked in the direction that Rusalka indicated and nodded in acknowledgement. It looked like a fairly pleasant place to belong.
"You can call me Everest." she started to say. "As far as my skills.. well." she had to stop and think for just a moment. This was her first real "interview" into joining a new pack. Everest had seen this many times before from her old home and watched as many nervous wolves spoke about their abilities and what they could provide to the pack. Even some that were arrogant and over-confident. No one ever talked about their personality though and why they were so different compared to others many times before.
"My skills that I've self-taught myself is how to interpret basic forms of weather, as well as some plant medicine. If you don't have enough healers or trackers, I am able to read the earth and the environment on basic levels to determine quality of life of the area." she started to say. Feeling good at the initial start of describing herself, Everest continued, riding on the high of confidence until whenever that balloon decided to pop.
"Although I am -- shy -- I do come out of my shell when I get to know someone, and I have a passion to talk about the things I find the most fascinating. Others find that weird about me, but I consider it to be steps of becoming a master of the area." That's it. Bubble popped. Oh boy - did she say too much? Her head dipped a little bit with a nervous grin, hoping that Rusalka would be pleased enough with the information to grant her a home. The winter was going to be harsh, she knew, and scaveging off of corpses wouldn't sustain her the entire season.
the woman — everest, he learns as she introduces herself — begins to speak and soon enough the words flow out of her mouth with a vigor that reminds him almost of his chatty children. the fact that she taught herself medicine causes his brow to rise; impressed. we could always use healers,
rusalka replies. do you have experience being a mid-wife?
to rusalka, ignorant as he was, mid-wife and healer was one in the same vein ...; and his question stems from the hope that he and solveig would soon know if she was expecting.
not weird,
rusalka is quick to dispel, a grin tugging at the edges of his lips. you're just passionate.
rusalka takes a breath of the chilled air. well, if you want it, ravensthorpe has a spot for you.
@Rusalka
Rusalka seemed to become more interested when Everest mentioned that she had learned some healing skills and asked if she was possibly also a mid-wife. Or at least had the experience of being one. Everest paused for a moment. She knew what a mid-wife was, but she had never been in the position of one. She had watched many times however, as her home pack's leadership was required to witness the birth in the event of any defects or imperfections. Heaven forbid if you gave birth to pups who's father was an outsider. It wasn't just learning about births that Meadow was responsible for, but also to become familiar with the entire process from conception to birth, so that one day she knew what to expect for herself.
"I am not a totally experienced mid-wife. However - I do know some things. What to look for, anyway. I might be able to help." And if this meant that she becomes a mid-wife for this pack, then so be it. It was not the same thing as a healer, but they did walk hand in hand with many things, especially when it came to preparing to have a litter. "I imagine you asking that means that you have someone you care for? And it almost sounds as if though you may be anticipating the sound of puppy feet?" Everest smirked at the question, as she always loved puppies even if they could be annoying little brats.
The offer of a spot within Ravensthorpe was more than Everest could have asked for. It meant not being in the middle of winter anymore in cold areas, scavenging for food, but also meant meeting new people. It was both an exciting but fairly scary idea. Everest's ears tucked in lightly in bashfulness but also gratitude. "I would love to call it home." she finally said.
with my wife, solveig,
rusalka reminds, knowing that he already mentions solveig once. but he had dumped a lot of information on her in such a short amount of time. we don't know for sure yet...,
but rusalka was pretty confident that at least one of their nights spent in one another's arms had took. but it will be our second litter. her third.
by this point, rusalka does not doubt his fierce valkyrie wife was an expert at pregnancy and childbirth, but still. he would feel better having a midwife to tend to her as in that department he was fairly useless.
in that case,
drawls rusalka, come. i will take you to ravensthorpe and introduce you.
with a gesture of his muzzle, inviting her to follow his lead.