Porcupine Ridge stone plug

each day the darkness gathered muskrat and then spat her out again into patches of sunflower light. she melded with the black mist of the ridge and came out into its glow. each spiked place had its own name, and now she had begun to contemplate the underbelly of the shadowland and its hidden secrets.

today she crept around the mouth of the yawning cave with its maroon throat and chert teeth; her senses strained for what mortal or eldritch thing might be there, and her lip lifted to show a single white tooth.

There were others on the mountain.  Redd told her charge to remain back, not wishing to risk appearing a threat to those establishing claim here.  She in turn explored the extent of their holding, navigating the threads of scent that wove a story of those who dwelt here.

A small group, recently arrived yet already threaded throughout the ridge before her.  They did not seem to have claimed beyond it.  All were young and healthy; one had recently passed by.

She lifted her head to stare in this direction, but made no move to approach any closer.  The longing to have pack surround her once more was supplanted by the gnawing restlessness within.  Not if they were not hers.

Still the longing compelled her to linger; a shade on the boundary of a fire, never quite stepping into the ringing light.

mind if we bring to present? <3

in time they would go to the vale, but she waited for that order to come from the shadowknife's decree. for now muskrat slipped along the borders, adding new scent to any faded marks.

each who arrived among them had carved out a niche of their own. muskrat had taken the position of lead-warrior and in her mind the pale eagle was next in such a domain. nutuyikruk had become a shadow of her own; swiftly it was becoming harder to track the girl, the little lynx who like her namesake had embraced the mountains so readily that their stone faces showed her the secret trails.

hackles flared to braw arrogance; muskrat caught the presence of another on wolf-sense alone, letting its own pull lead her to the sprawl of land just beyond their boundary. another; a woman. careful. her own citrus eyes shone with interest, though stance warned to come no closer if this was only an exploration.

absolutely!

Eventually another wolf approached.  Redd watched them with a neutral bearing, taking them in just as she knew they would her.  The other was small but her behavior spoke of warning.

Redd did not move closer but lifted her head and rumbled inquiringly.  Her tail swept up, but the sound of her growl was not aggressive.  She was only curious.

Her mind had settled on the eagle mountain to claim, but such a claim was not possible for one wolf and her charge.  This pack held few and this wolf was small.  Did she lay this claim herself or did they seek one to guide them?

It was a bold question but she had little to lose.  She was still not at her best health but her confidence did not waver.  If her query was rebuffed she would depart amicably.

curiosity. seeking. maybe if it were a man on the edge of the shadowland, she would expose the sheen of her teeth and drive him away. a woman, however, another thing entire. polite without submission. inquiring without beggary.

her own sunflower eyes glittered. hex for now had gone. but they were not without a leader. her own sound was a flagrant confidence in the dimmed light.

joining. perhaps, but they needed no blood diamond at the head of their shadowed keep, no matter how curious muskrat had become about her as well.

The answer was expected.  Yet it still sent a bloom of melancholy through her.  To lead was to be lonely both within and outside of a pack.  She could not go back and yet, in herself, had no foundation to build from.  If Redd could rid herself of this cursed knowledge she would.  She only wished to go home.

The understanding showed in a softening of her posture before she turned to depart.  She would not begin another legacy in blood.  Such a thing had only tainted the last.

they understood one another. muskrat stood watchful until the other disappeared from view; she followed along the ridges, noiseless, and then let the other leave her sight.

curiosity let her linger. she would tell @Makono of this; in the absence of the shadow-knife, it was they who held together the land he had founded. she waited.