Limbs draped in ink fell carefully upon the soft terrain, pawsteps quieted by the cushioned moss that enveloped them with each step forward. Her gaze would trail to admire the few spring flowers that had begun to sprout in places where the sun triumphed over the shrouding canopy, though they had all mostly closed up as the dreary day fell like a plague unto the land. A disappointment, really, but what was to be done. She'd shrug to herself and continue her trek.
Her body was growing tired from the nonstop wandering of the last month, her mind exhausted and her heart aching in the moments she'd forget to distract herself. The patter of a woodpecker seeking its prey, the shifting clouds, the crunch of the leaves, they all served to offer a thought detached from regret and longing. Woes aside, at the very least, she'd found a spot where the shadows offered obscurity for her stygian hide.
A small crevice between boulders offered a moment of respite, and one she was keen to indulge in. Surveying her surroundings briefly, she'd make her way into the nook, settling comfortably. She'd rest her head atop outstretched forelimbs, both draped over the edge.
She had found a few places that might make serviceable whelping dens, though Masquerade had not yet made a choice. Today she paced around one of the largest trees in Shadewood, long dead and hollowed out near its roots. She wasn’t sure if the deadwood was safe, though it
seemed sturdy enough…
She turned her head suddenly, catching a scent on the breeze. Masquerade just barely swallowed a snarl as she broke into a stiff-legged lope through
her forest. She sent up a call for
@Riley as she tracked the scent toward a familiar pile of boulders, likely tumbled from Mount Everfall eons ago.
Masque was galled by the sight of a she-wolf lounging as if it was
her forest. This time, she didn’t stifle the snarl that burst from her mouth. Her fur stood on end as she closed in on the stranger, marigold eyes assessing the swarthy she-wolf: medium stature, deep amber eyes, fruity scent.
These woods are claimed. Leave now,
she rumbled, fully poised to back up her words with action.
Springing to her paws, she'd regard the masked dame with an air of uncertainty, her tail thrashing behind her whilst she kept ember-touched optics zoned in on the other.
Ah.... Of course they are.
She'd remark with an unamused roll of her eyes, a scoff echoing from a steely maw as her next words fell with a slight hint of mockery to them. ....Just passing through. I'll be on my way. There's no need to strain yourself.
Nanou would begin a quick scamper down the rocks, black-tipped audits flicking dismissively; still, she knew better than to turn her back fully on the stranger, and kept herself alert for the slightest disturbance. The howl the other had let out earlier could be troublesome, and so she'd vouch to refrain from instigating, whilst still getting in a snide remark where she could.
The other wolf sprang to her paws. Masquerade’s muscles coiled, though she remained where she stood, in case the stranger only intended to retreat. She adroitly sprang down from her perch on the boulders. Her actions spoke louder than her words, though the Redtail caught those too.
Masque made no response, just silently shadowed the other female’s steps to make certain she removed herself from the woods at once. She did not plan to crowd the stranger unless she forced her hand, though her long tail remained arched.
She didn’t intend to talk, either, though she found herself breaking her stony silence to ask, What brings you here? Are you a pack wolf?
Continuing to walk alongside the wolf, she'd debate offering an answer, eyeing the other's silvery pelage as if trying to find an answer to the same question. Eventually, she'd engage, the tense silence no more pleasant for her than it was for them.
Once. Now just a wanderer.
She'd sigh, shifting her tone slightly I-... apologise. My senses have been muddled the past few days. On the lookout for one thing while I forgo paying attention to another.... I'll find new lands to nap on.
At the very least, her weary frame had seen some respite in the time before she'd been confronted. She didn't need much to go off of, courtesy of high expectations always satisfied, no matter how gruelling.
Although she didn’t let down her guard, the apology shifted the dynamic. Now Masquerade did come closer, though not to heckle the other she-wolf. She still had every intention of escorting her from Shadewood, though now it seemed a proper conversation might spring up between them.
Once?
she repeated, sensing a story there and wondering if the stranger was willing to share. What are you looking for?
For the first time since deciding she would stake a claim with Riley and deciding the where, Masquerade began to think of the who. They would hopefully bring offspring into the world sometime later in the season but both their pups and their foundation could use some extra support.
She chewed the inside of her cheek as they continued toward the southern edge of Shadewood, eyes assessing the other she-wolf in a new light.
She'd watch the other warily as they inched a little closer, though the makings of an idle conversation as they walked towards the border offered little for her to be particularly on edge about.
Familiar faces, if any have actually bothered to follow me this far. It's doubtful, but I won't grow complacent.
She'd shrug casually, a hint of humour lacing the words as they fell from her tongue. I'd forgotten to keep strangers in mind, it's been a while since I've come across another.
She huffed as they continued on, quickening her trot to land a little ways ahead of the other.
The dreary sky was coming into view once more as the trees began to thin out, though the absence of the sun still offered little light to be strewn across the ground. A part of her was disappointed to be leaving behind the advantage of obscurity in the dense forest, but shadows could be found elsewhere just the same.
The stranger’s words stirred something in the pit of her stomach. Would anyone from the rise ever come looking for her? Would anyone care enough about her well-being and whereabouts to come searching? Masquerade sort of didn’t want to be found, though she could think of at least one exception. She pictured his face…
She needed to focus. Masque blinked, eyes cutting shrewdly to the other she-wolf again. She maintained a hurried pace, clearly trying to appease the territorial Redtail despite her barbed words a moment ago. The cooperation made a significant impression on Masque.
Did you leave your previous pack by choice?
she pressed, then decided it was past time to ask, What is your name? I’m Masque.
She leaves a silence between them for a moment, wildfire gaze fizzling to a mere spark as her expression darkened and she'd shift her crown to face away.
..Yes and no. It's a complicated thing really.
She remarked with an exasperated sigh and a lack of elaboration, flipping a switch between solemn and non-chalant. ..And it's Nanou. I'm from much further Northeast. I've been going it alone for a month, at the very least
Though secrecy still lingered on her tongue, she entertained the conversation, as she hadn't had the chance to do so in a while. She slowed her pace, deciding to probe further and seek out information on the area and its potential territories. Are there many packs to be aware of around here?
The similarities between them were striking. Their former homes were even in the same general direction: northeast. Masquerade wondered if Nanou would elaborate, though she didn’t, and the Redtail decided not to press despite her growing intrigue.
Nanou inquired after the local packs, her pace slowing. Masque didn’t like that much, though she exercised patience as she matched it. They were near the fringes of the forest now anyway. Her long tail lashed as she considered the question.
I know of at least two east of here, at the foot of those mountains,
she said, pointing her reddish face toward the distant range that formed a barrier between the hinterlands and the wilderness beyond. We scouted the area extensively before deciding on Shadewood and didn’t come across any others.
Would Nanou want to find a territory of her own to claim? Or would she be interested in joining a pack that already existed? Masque’s lips parted as if about to ask about it, though she pressed them together again. They barely knew one another. She appeared hale enough, but…
I don’t know about those familiar faces you’re seeking,
she said instead, but if you want someplace comfortable to nap, I recommend the forests due south of here. One of them has a huge creek, the other a beaver dam. Both struck me as particularly quiet and peaceful.
She'd halt her pace, lifting a dark mitten as she peered back over her shoulder, noticing the hesitance displayed by the other, and the patient, yet darkened tone they took at the quiery of pack activity.
Oh? Touchy subject?
She mused with a slight tilt of her crown, reassuming a light trot as they neared the edge of the forest. She wondered about these mentioned packs, if they too held the same damnable sort of reputation. A flicker of desire danced across her mind, wishing to know whether this one too held disgraceful heritage, or a vendetta that matched her own intensity. Still, she didn't pose the questions, allowing such thoughts to remain as they were, unanswered and cradled within the comfortable silence left between the two.
She'd listen intently to the other, now Masque, as they revealed some of the land previously an enigma to the stygian dame. She'd nod her head in a gesture of appreciation. Good enough.
She remarked, pausing as they grew ever closer to the finality of their little walk together. The once tense atmosphere nearly felt amicable. Though, I'm not so much seeking those faces as much as I'm avoiding them. Any who trail me do so out of malice, however... misguided.
She shrugged idly, a light scoff simply reeking of deflection falling from her jaws.
She'd recall her manners, appreciative to have stumbled upon one who didn't immediately seek to rip the fur from her hide. Perhaps she'd finally sought out some good luck. But.... thank you. I'll seek out the areas you mentioned, though I don't plan to stay still for too long. Perhaps I'll try my luck with some of those packs. Safety in numbers, and whatnot.
“Touchy subject?” Nanou wondered, earning a confused blink from Masque. She didn’t follow, so she just shook her head as they continued forward at a steady clip.
The trees eventually fell back behind them; they were officially beyond Shadewood now. But Nanou was talking again and Masque neither interrupted her nor slowed, happy to carry on a bit further as she took in the woman’s every word.
They made her wonder again about her own situation. Perhaps someone from the rise would come looking, not out of concern but to condemn her for her desertion? Her chest pinched at the thought. Masquerade wouldn’t mince words, even in her own mind: she had abandoned them. It was selfish of her. That was sort of the point.
Sucking in a breath, she refocused on the conversation to say, If you find them wanting, you should swing back this way. I could introduce you to Riley and perhaps the three of us could hunt together. We could probably use some skilled wolves to back our claim.
She’d put it out there, now it was up to Nanou whether or not she wanted to pursue the offer once she explored her options a bit more. Masquerade huffed out a breath and finally came to a stop, feeling they had arrived at the natural conclusion to today’s spontaneous rendezvous.
The offer prompted her features to soften, black-tipped audits swivelled to the side as she weighed it in her mind. There was somewhere to go if her travels turned up fruitless. She'd offer a brief nod to the unexpected invitation.
...I'll get a lay of the land before I trouble you. I admit it causes me great... discomfort, not knowing much about where I am. Perhaps I'll take you up on that offer another day. Good luck to you and your companion.
She'd respond in a softer tone, though her sullen edge still lingered on her breath.
Once they had reached the cusp of the border, Nanou would turn her back to the other, an unspoken gesture of trust offered, and slink away into the undergrowth, her long serpentine tail rustling the brush as her pawsteps gradually faded into the distance. She'd raise her maw to the wind, determining where to go next. She needed a meal, at the very least.
Masquerade understood that sentiment quite well and acknowledged Nanou’s words with a dip of her snout. By now, her posture had relaxed into something more natural, though her long tail still swung in a loose curl behind her.
Good luck to you as well,
were her parting words.
Her marigold eyes tracked the other wolf’s movements until she disappeared into the distance. Masque stood there a few beats longer, wondering if she would see Nanou again. Only time would tell, she supposed, as with most things.
For now, she pivoted on a black heel and loped back into the cover of Shadewood. Although they had parted on peaceable terms in the end, her fur ruffled possessively as she thought of how she’d discovered an intruder lounging so freely in her forest.
She would need to fetch a long drink and then do an intensive sweep. Masque had a lot of aggressive marking to do.