Shadowwyn Moor so it's cautiously into the dark

hoping for someone I haven't had a thread with yet! @Meylees @Suliya @Ezra @Anselm but all welcome <3

On through the night he meandered through the moor, from one small copse of trees to the next, mindful of the caribou herds that he did not wish to startle into premature movement. He noted the fallen trees, and wondered what had happened to cause so many of them to be snapped or pulled over, their roots arcing up in the air. On terrain this flat, the wind was cruel- and with the earth soft underfoot, he assumed that perhaps it was simply nature, uprooting the weak and casting them aside. 

The moon rose like a song on the air, quiet but peaceful. Ridgeback snuffled about, keeping watch while others rested. They'd passed through some areas frequented by other packs, and he had begun to wonder if their trek would ever be intercepted, or if other packs might take notice of the trail of corpses they left in their wake.

the scent of her kin wove through the night, crisp and unyielding like frostbitten air. suliya paused in her path, her head tilting slightly as she picked apart the layers of familiarity—ice diver, yes, but there was something else. someone else. she let the thought linger, her sharp gaze cutting through the dim light as her paws carried her closer to the source.

she found him amidst the moor, a silhouette carved against the pale rise of the moon. his presence was deliberate, purposeful. the way he moved spoke of a man who knew the land would bend to his will, and yet suliya was unflinching in her approach.

you carry her scent, she remarked, her voice low, edged with quiet curiosity. there was no accusation in her tone, only the frankness of someone accustomed to speaking plainly. she brushed against the nearest tree, her own movements languid and measured, watching him closely.

what name do you go by, saatsine man? a small smile tugged at her lips, subtle and fleeting.

He showed no reluctance when the frost-furred woman directed her path toward him, her frame illuminated by the moonlight. With so few words spoken during travel, he'd accepted the presence of new packmates with silent acceptance, and a friendly mien. If Sun Eater bid them welcome, then so be it; the Chieftan's word was law now, and Ridgeback thrived in a structured environment. 

Move. Hunt. Eat. 
Move. Hunt. Eat. 

But quiet times like this allowed for socialization, key for their ability to hunt together. Ice Diver was familiar with this woman already, and the mention of her scent brought a smile to his face. Happily. He responded. After all, it was with pride that he could speak of his wife though their life now was much more different than he'd ever imagined. Ridgeback. He said. I am Ice Diver's husband. Not just a Saatsine man after all. I was hoping we'd get the chance to meet, though, now that we'll be here for a bit. Until the herds moved again, anyway. You are? he asked, unsure if he had caught her name properly.

suliya moved with quiet grace, her steps deliberate as she approached the man who bore the scent of ice diver. his cordial tone was met with a softening of her own features, a flicker of warmth that rarely found its place among the demands of their life. the pride with which he spoke of his wife did not go unnoticed, and it brought a small, fleeting smile to her lips.

ridgeback, she repeated, inclining her head slightly in acknowledgment, the name rolling off her tongue with ease. i am suliya. she spoke simply, her voice steady, carrying the weight of her identity without embellishment.

her greyed gaze held his for a moment, assessing but not unkind. it is good to meet you, formally... she added after a beat, her words sincere, though brief. the pause that followed was not uncomfortable; she allowed the stillness of the night to fill the space between them, her presence neither imposing nor withdrawn.

how long have you run with saatsine?

Her name would be remembered easily enough; he was grateful that in his early stages of learning a new tongue, he would have some simple names to learn. She was polite, if not a bit formal- he could see why she got along with Ice Diver. Even though the Saatsine culture was new to both him and his mate, he realized that he would have to work harder to keep up in the learning process. He got the impression that Suliya was no stranger to these ways, gauging by the way she spoke with Sun Eater and his sister. 

Naturally, he was an outsider, adopted into the fold. He wondered, when she asked, if anyone had briefed her on the way Sun Eater had come into power. If she didn't know, he saw no reason to tell her. Three months. Time had passed quickly. The lifestyle is good, but I'm pretty bad at learning the language. He admitted.

suliya regarded him with a quiet curiosity, her tail curling lightly at her hocks. three months is long enough to start, she mused, her tone carrying no judgment, only mild amusement. her gaze swept over him briefly, assessing, before her head tilted ever so slightly.

would you like to learn some? she asked after a moment, her voice softening as if offering him a bridge to cross into something unfamiliar. the lanzadoii language is tied to their way of life. it would help you understand more—not just their words, but their world.

her gaze lingered, steady and patient, though there was a flicker of intrigue in her eyes. she’d learned enough to know that every wolf brought their own rhythm to the saatsine ways. ridgeback, with his outsider’s footing, seemed no different.

Her offer was kind, but Ridgeback, ashamed of his clumsiness and wary of mispronunciations, felt more comfortable butchering the language in front of his wife, rather than to one who spoke it fluently. 

But something about what she said caused him to pause and tilt his head. Their? S-sorry, He blurted, when he realized his expression had changed. Are you not Lanzadoii then? He thought he’d caught her speaking the language with Sun Eater- he always looked more comfortable when he spoke his own tongue- but perhaps he had been wrong.

suliya’s gaze flicked toward ridgeback, the faintest shadow of a smile tugging at her lips as she caught his momentary confusion. she nodded once, slowly, acknowledging the weight of his question.

i am both, she answered plainly, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of something heavier. lanzadoii by choice. muradoii by blood.

her amber eyes held his for a moment, daring him to ask further, though she did not seem defensive—only matter-of-fact. my mother was muradoii. she strayed from her path, wooed by a lanzadoii man. their blood flows together in my veins.

there was no shame in her tone, only the sharp edge of truth. her tail flicked once behind her, a small, deliberate motion. it is not something i often speak of, but it is who i am.

she let the silence settle between them, her gaze steady, waiting to see how he would respond.

His head tilted, hearing the name of her inherited culture; something was intriguing about the tone of her voice, and the change of her expression when she spoke the word muradoii. He got the impression she expected the word would make him shudder. It didn’t. Ridgeback merely tilted his head back the other way when she explained how she had come to be both lanzadoii and muradoii.

Huh. He chuffed. He rolled one of his shoulders and aligned his head with his spine, finally. Sounds pretty normal to me. He admitted. I mean, at least you come by both honestly. I’m Saatsine by way of hostile takeover, so… He shrugged again, and winced but gave her a vaguely pained smile. But things kinda work out with time. Nothing wrong with being a bit of a couple things.

suliya tilted her head slightly, her pale eyes narrowing, though not unkindly. ridgeback's words settled over her like freshly fallen snow—layered, soft, but weighted.

a takeover, she repeated, her voice low and smooth, like a whisper carried on the wind. it didn't surprise her, not truly. the lanzadoii were known for their relentless pursuits, their hunger for strength and unity, no matter the cost. but still, she found herself curious. and yet, here you are. saatsine.

she paused, her gaze flickering across his face, searching for something unspoken. did they fight for it, or was it given? her tone was neither judgmental nor accusatory, just the steady inquiry of one who sought to understand.

it wasn’t a condemnation—it was never that—but her interest lingered, brushing against his story like the sea lapping at the shore. her tail gave a small flick, betraying her curiosity. tell me more, ridgeback. how did you come to be theirs?

It seemed to be news to Suliya that this iteration of the pack had been founded on spilled blood. The battle had been over turf- something the Saatsine did not seem to defend, as nomadic creatures. They might return to Qeya River someday, but they certainly weren’t protecting it while they travelled.

Here I am, He said, not without some guilt. After all, he had embraced the culture of the man who had killed the mother of his children. He enjoyed the travel, the hunting, the camaraderie, his life. He liked to tell himself that he’d had no choice, when Sun Eater had come and forced them to join his fold- but that wasn’t necessarily true. 

There was a fight, He said. Sun Eater put forth a challenge when he found out our leaders were gone. The one who rose to meet the challenge was killed in the fight. Ice Diver was wounded…We were given the choice to stay and follow him, or go, so, He shrugged. We stayed. And…With time, it’s just become our way of life. It wasn’t pretty, to think back on how swift and brutal the change had been, but it had led them to a life that suited them better. 

Not too long after that, Ice Diver and I got married. We started to move and follow the caribou, and as much of a change as it’s been…It’s been good. He admitted with a sigh that shook the tension from his shoulders. He cracked a guilty grin. I just like hunting and keeping on the move.

suliya snorted softly at ridgeback’s recounting of the takeover, the picture he painted striking her as deeply lanzadoii—sun eater had acted with all the boldness she’d come to expect of her kin, and, as always, it seemed to have worked in his favor.

that sounds exactly like him, she mused, tilting her head thoughtfully. he sees something he wants, and he takes it. efficient. her words carried a note of wry amusement, but there was no real criticism there—only a grudging respect for the way sun eater operated.

but ice diver, she continued, her tone softening slightly, that was a woman worth taking. strong, capable… the kind you’d want by your side in a fight or at the head of the herd. her gaze lingered on ridgeback, sharp and assessing. he was smart to bring her into the fold. and you, she added, with the faintest flicker of a smirk, you’re lucky to have her.

for a moment, she seemed to weigh her next words carefully, then added, i suppose it’s good that things worked out for you both. moving with the herd… it does sound like a better way to live. but even as she said it, there was a distant look in her eye, a flicker of something unresolved.

Her snort caused him to stiffen. His ears flicked back slightly in surprise and he eyed her carefully, wondering what was going through her mind. Was she impressed that Sun Eater had killed another wolf in order to gain the submission of two others, or was this skepticism? Either way, he'd armed her with the truth, and he wasn't terribly adept at reading expressions. 

Fortunately, she volunteered her observation, and he licked his lips to release some of the tension that had built up in his jaw. He nodded, simply; an acknowledgement that Sun Eater's tactics had indeed been efficient. He'd bowed three wolves in one fell swoop; two of them lived, and slayed caribou for him now. 

The mention of his wife's name brought light to his indigo eyes, though Suliya's words left him unsure of whether she intended to flatter him, or merely make him aware of how lucky he was that he had taken Ice Diver as his wife before Sun Eater made a move. She spoke gloriously Ice Diver- and Ridgeback knew his wife was worthy of every bit of praise- but him? He was just lucky. 

Unworthy seemed to be the subtext. 

I am lucky to have her. He admitted, knowing that Suliya might be glad to hear that he was aware of his circumstances. He bore a smile, but there was a glint in his eyes that said don't underestimate me. He continued. She is a smart woman. Makes good choices. The glint disappeared, leaving behind only a smile, as though it had never been there to begin with. 

Yet again, there was something that he found wistful about her. She was lanzadoii and yet she spoke of the lifestyle in such a way that it seemed she had not, perhaps, fully embraced it. His expression softened. If you're both lanzadoii and mur..a...doii? sorry. His ears turned back in an apology, and shook his head. If you're both, why do I get the feeling that like...Well, is it like...Uncommon for lanzadoii and mur..a..doii to be together? That was probably a good place to start. It'd be better if he was more certain on the pronunciation.

her sharp breath was a sound unto itself, brimming with unspoken conviction. her voice followed, sharp-edged and cool.

yes, suliya breathed, the word slicing the space between them. muradoii are meant to breed with muradoii.

her tongue curled around the foreign syllables of his borrowed tongue, wielding it like a blade. her smirk was a quicksilver flicker before fading back into something unreadable.

vice... versa, she added, the pause deliberate, her common tongue fractured with an intentional deliberation. is how you might say it.

then, her gaze bore into him, her words spiraling downward, slower, deeper, darker. but muradoii blood runs deeper. much, deeper.

it left a strange sort of tension in the air, one that seemed to stretch between the two of them, taut and sharp as an unstrung bow. she did not know what else he sought— for as sun eater might have her head if she filled their heads with the muradoii spirit talks.

His hunch was correct. It made sense why she might be critical of Sun Eater and his methods, now that he knew that the Chieftan could also be critical of her. 

It seemed by her tone, that she still felt the flow of her mother’s blood. Is it hard to be part muradoii in a pack of lanzadoii? He asked, curious about what her experience had been thus far. He knew nothing of what it meant to be muradoii, and while it felt as though she was sharing secrets with him, he failed to recognize the tension in the air. He regarded her with calm curiosity.

yes, suliya said sharply, the word clipped and firm, as if it were a stone she cast between them.

but then, with a deliberate shake of her head, she smoothed the tension from her features, a smile flickering onto her lips like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

come on, she said lightly, her tone a practiced ease. how about we hunt a caribou? their furs would be useful this time of year.

her amber eyes settled on him, a glint of challenge sparking beneath her calm exterior. unless you think you're too tired to keep up.

His brow furrowed. She didn't elaborate, and she dismissed the topic as soon as it had been presented, leaving him with an unsolved mystery. He assumed that like any others, they were expected to abandon their own culture, and adopt that of the lanzadoii when they joined the pack...For someone like Ridgeback who had no particular ways, language, beliefs, it had been easy. It seemed there were parts of Suliya that she might be expected to abandon- and it seemed to weigh on her. 

Uh, sure, he said, faltering. It felt like he should reassure her, or find out more- but he got the impression that she was done talking about it. He stood and shook out his pelt, striking the fixation from his mind as well as he could, though he would wonder about the muradoii later. 

He scoffed. Do I look tired? He asked, picking up a brisk trot, before he launched himself into a couple tight, whirling circles. He whisked a pawful of light, fluffy snow in her direction and cackled.

suliya watched him with a soft, lingering smile, her snow-pale eyes catching the playful glint in his as he stirred the snow into a flurry. the light dusting he sent her way melted against her fur, and she laughed quietly, the sound warm and fleeting, a momentary reprieve from the weight of their earlier conversation.

maybe not tired,"" she murmured, her voice low, more to herself than to him as he twirled in the snow. her gaze followed his whirling movements, and for a heartbeat, she let herself linger in the simplicity of it all. the quiet moments, the fleeting joy—they mattered, even if they didn’t erase the heaviness beneath.

as he slowed, her smile remained, faint but genuine, a small piece of herself offered in return for his levity. she took a step back, her posture relaxing as the chill air wrapped around them.

come, ridgeback,:: she said, her tone light, though her eyes still carried a flicker of something unreadable.

and with that, she turned, her steps slow but steady, trusting him to follow as the snow fell softly around them, fading their tracks into the endless white.

fade