Wapun Meadow You’re right

when you have time :) @Vanja

Ameline breathed in deeply as the two wolves stepped beyond the stake-marked borders of Bearclaw Valley, and out into Wapun Meadow. The sun had risen and spilled their long shadows before them. Above, the golden sky shimmered with rising mist. A blast of air split the silence, followed by another, and the sound of bounding hooves; a pair of grazing deer disappeared beyond the horizon.

She had found Twitch, and invited her for a patrol of the meadow- a simple task, that she hoped would not turn into a battle. Two coyote heads pointed their slim, eternal grimace toward the meadow as they sat on crude, wooden stakes at the valley’s entrance. One of them had begun to list slightly, tilting the head at an odd angle. They remained there as a warning to the cluster of canids that had begun testing their luck. A third would join them before long, if Tvar completed his mission. 

She opened her eyes after she tested the air, confident that at least for the time being, they would not have to worry about their own safety. She lowered her head, and began to mosey to the South, to trail a clockwise patrol along the meadow’s edge. 

Tho, It’th not ourth, technically, She explained, But we hunt here. An’ the valley only hath one real way in an’ out that’th not like sheer cliff, tho- she paused to leave a scent marking. We tend to make our prethenthe known here…Can’t have anothuh pack thettle here anyway, or we’d be treth-pathin’ every time we come or go. She paused to sniff some rabbit droppings, only to find them cold and hard; they’d frozen overnight. Lonerth will hunt here ‘cauthe it ain’t technically ourth an’ we don’t patrol often enough to have a clear border but…We come out here often enough, the thmellth kinda like claimed turf, an’ they thtop huntin’ here ‘cauthe motht of ‘em don’t wanna rithk pithin’ off a pack. 

So the idea went, anyway. Couple a other pack’th nearby, though- but they mothtly jutht thtick to themthelveth. Twiftcurrent Creek, She gestured toward the North Eastern edge of the meadow, and then tipped her head back toward the Northern edge of the Valley. An’ Kvarsheim. 

She kept moving, flicking an ear toward Twitch.

twitch followed a few paces behind ameline, her gaze drifting between the regina and the sunlit expanse of the meadow—their's, apparently. hers, too, if she stayed. golden light kissed grass, making it glitter like shards of glass. the air was sharp, tinged faintly with the copper tang of the coyote stakes by the entrance. her eyes had lingered earlier when they had first passed them, though she did not cringe at it. only curious, really.

ameline’s voice pulled her from her reverie. her ears flicked toward the woman, listening as she explained the lay of the land. twitch nodded along, trying to absorb the details. she got the concept, it made sense.

twitch had always avoided others, particularly packs, far too wary of their intentions to risk anything bad, but now she was one of them—something bigger. she was adjusting.

her gaze followed Ameline’s gesture toward the meadow’s edges, eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to piece together the geography. "do they ever cause trouble?" she asked, the faintest waver of unease coloring her words.

Ameline blinked as she lifted her muzzle, scenting the air and casting her gaze across the meadow. It was hardly as protected as the Valley- wide, open, with only a few clumps of trees here and there- but a suitable home for wolves nonetheless for the amount of appeal it had to herbivores seeking to forage. Naturally, the Regina preferred the valley as her home base, but she felt the meadow had its merits. They had to maintain their presence in the area in order to keep their home from being barricaded. 

Trouble? She repeated, intrigued. She shook her head. Not the packth, no. Lonerth, though, yeah, She said. An' to be fair, they don't alwayth come here lookin' for trouble, they motht often jutht come lookin' for food, but- like I thay, we're a bit protective of the plathe an' don't want another crowd thettlin' here cauthe it'd be too clothe, tho... She said with a roll of her shoulders. We don't attack on thight, we jutht interrogate 'em, make sure they know our pack ith right there, She said with another gesture toward the valley's entrance in the distance, And hell- thometimeth they're lookin' for a home, tho they end up joinin' uth. She said brightly. 

She paused to sniff a clump of goldenrod, its stalks stiff and brown during the winter months. Some had been nibbled by passing deer, an encouraging sign. You got any ekthperienthe with thelf defenthe? She asked.

her eyes drifting over the open stretch of meadow as ameline spoke. the valley felt safer—tucked in, shielded—but she could see the appeal of this place, it was pretty. open, but that could work to a wolf's benefit in certain cases.

she absorbed the regina’s words in silence. they didn’t start fights, but they didn’t shy from them either. the logic made sense. packs needed space; twitch learned that the hard way when she was younger, when she’d wandered too close to a claimed stretch of land and found herself limping away with new scars and an even greater distaste for company.

the way ameline spoke about it—matter-of-fact, but not cruel—was different from what she expected. she was used to wolves guarding their territory with teeth first, questions second. diplomacy would be a good change a pace.

twitch gave a slight shrug, her shoulders hunching in on themselves. "not much," she admitted, flat but not entirely self-deprecating. "didn’t fight much on my own. never had to, or—" a pause, then a dry, humorless snort. "—never stuck around long enough to."

she could hunt, sure, and she knew how to dodge, how to slip away unseen. but real fighting—holding her ground? she wasn’t built for it, not like cole or tvar, not like the others. she knows when she's beat.

still, she should learn, now. a wolf alone could afford to run. a wolf in a pack was different.

Hmm, She mused softly, reflecting on what Twitch might be implying. Did your folkth teach you when you were little? She asked, a gentle kind of curiosity in her tone. She tried consciously to avoid sounding judgmental. Fighting had been a part of her training as a youngster, right alongside hunting, tracking, and scouting. She thought perhaps Twithc might've been taught- but had likely avoided conflict while travelling on her own. 

Not that I think everyone in the pack hath to learn how to be a warrior, but- She said, halting briefly to sniff at some rabbit pellets, left behind a day or two ago. It'th more of a 'juthe in cathe' thort of thing. I'd like for everyone to be able to defend themthelves, jutht tho.... She trailed off. She recalled the day a wolf had been killed, for no obvious reason, at the borders of Redtail Rise; the murder had resulted in a manhunt that had lasted for what felt like months. She shrugged. Y'know. She concluded with a light sigh. 

Just so she'd never come across another packmate, murdered senselessly by a wolf who'd gotten the upper hand.

twitch stiffened at the question, though it wasn’t from offense—more like bracing against the weight of something half-buried. she was quiet for a moment, avoided ameline's eyes while she considered how much she wanted to say. 

her parents hadn’t been cruel—well, her mother wasn't—, and patience came in short supply. her father tried—tried to beat some kind of skill into her, figured if he kicked her down enough she'd learn to stand on her own—but that wasn't how twitch worked, and he only got frustrated. eventually, the lessons stopped. 

"sort of," she admitted at last, voice a few notches higher, lighter, like she didn't want to say it. "didn’t stick, though. my dad—" she hesitated, trying to word it as gently and vaguely as possible, "—well, he tried. gave up pretty quick."

it wasn’t bitter, just matter-of-fact. the past was the past. she didn’t blame him for it. it wasn’t like she’d ever given him much reason to think she had potential. 

she fell quiet again as ameline spoke, mulling over her words. "i get it." just in case. she’d never thought much about it before. avoiding trouble had always been enough. but she had a point—sometimes, you didn’t get a choice. "i'll ask tvar," she added, mostly in efforts to move one from the topic. maybe she would, if she got over herself for once.

Twitch stiffened, and Ameline realized then that she might be pushing a topic that made her packmate uncomfortable. Whether it was fighting in general, or asking about her parents, she couldn't tell- but she lifted the pressure as much as she could by diverting her gaze. 

She would still prefer that all of her packmates be able to defend themselves- but what if self-defense brought up trauma? Twitch had admitted that she hadn't 'stuck around long enough' to learn...Now, Ameline felt guilty for bringing it up. And while her packmate seemed willing enough to learn from Tvar, she decided privately not to check in and see if she followed through. 

Might have thomethin' elthe for you to do, in the meantime, She said- her way of making it known that she was in no rush for Twitch to begin training. How do you feel about doin' a bit of ekthplorin' along the coatht, when the weather warmth up a bit? She asked.

twitch relaxed, if only slightly, at the shift in conversation. she is thankful ameline had the sense to let it drop.

her ears twitched at the mention of the coast. she had never been, not for a long while, never seen the sea beyond fleeting glimpses in the distance.

"not against it," she retorted with the shrug of her shoulders, though her eyes flicked away for a moment. "what for?"

Ameline's features reflected some inner confusion for a moment while Twitch looked away. She was tougher to enthuse than others, it seemed. She reflected on the brief conversation they'd had when Twitch had joined- proclaiming that she wouldn't take up too much space. Most others had come professing their ambitions, promising to fulfil their duties and then had applied themselves with vigor. She wondered if she'd missed the mark yet again by suggesting a ranger's duties. 

We have friendth that live along the coatht, to the Thouth; I like to touch bathe with 'em every now'n again. She said. She fished through her memories, trying to recall if Twitch had suggested an interest. She stalled for a moment, taking note of some buds that had been chewed off by a passing herbivore. 

Not childcare, she'd said. But herbs-

They're kind of interethting folk, She said, tone brightening as she felt she might finally perk Twitch's ears. They're led by women- I dunno all the inth an' out-th of their heirarchy, but men have very little influenthe, if I recall. They got themthelveth a reputation ath bein' kinda like thea witcheth; they know a lot about herbth, medithineth, She said, casting a glance toward the lean woman to gauge her interest, now that she revealed more about the women of Sapphique. They might have thomethin' I'll want in due time, She said.

twitch’s ears flicked, betraying her interest despite the otherwise neutral set of her expression. she hadn’t known ameline had friends outside the valley, much less a whole group with a reputation like that.

herbs, medicine. that, she could stomach.

"witches." she let the thought settle, mulling over what it would mean to meet them. what she might learn. her eyes lingered on the earth ahead, brow knitting faintly.

"m’ not much for diplomacy, but i’m happy to go if it’s worth checking out." a pause. "when?"

Mmhmm, She replied casually, searching Vanja’s features for any sign of concern or distaste- after all, being labelled a witch might merit a wolf a certain degree of avoidance from others. They might not conthider themthelveth to be official witcheth, but….Eh, you’ll thee when you meet ‘em. She said. They’re bewitching, if nothin’ elthe. She summarized, hoping the added mystery might intrigue Twitch further.

Before the end of March, She said. They got aloe, growth out in their landth. I’ve been given a thalve before- good for puttin’ on your belly when the kidth are nurthin’ hard. Thootheth the thkin….I’ll be wantin’ thome of that, if they got it, or thomethin’ along thothe lineth. She explained. We can athk ‘em what they’d like in return- could thend a yearling their way to help with hunt-th for a bit, we’ve done that before. She recalled the time Ancelin had spent at Sapphique, how he’d smelled of ocean whenever he’d come to visit. 

We- Anthuhlin an’ I- grew up in a pack not far from Thapphique. That’th…Thapphique, but uh, thtart-th with an eth, She explained, so Twitch might understand the correct pronunciation. Been a while thinthe we theen ‘em. Keen to check in an’ thee how they’re doin’ She explained.

twitch hummed, considering ameline’s words. she wasn’t sure what to expect from these women, but something about the way the regina spoke of them—half-fond, half-reverent—piqued her interest.

aloe. she could see why that’d be valuable, especially with whelps on the way. twitch wouldn’t pretend she knew much about pups or their needs, but at least this felt like a task she could be useful in. 

"long way to go for some plants," she remarked, glancing toward ameline. she wasn’t opposed, just… pragmatic. the valley was home now, and twitch wasn’t much for travel these days, but this wasn’t just a casual jaunt. "’s it okay if i take someone with me? to guard or something?"

she wasn’t sure if ameline meant for her to go alone, but twitch wasn’t keen on visiting strangers without backup. wolves could be unpredictable—packs even more so

Twitch’s honesty was refreshing. While Ameline felt as though she was being subjected to some amount of scrutiny, she cracked a grin. It ith, She agreed. But uh, thomeday onthe you’ve had four teethin’ carnivoreth chewin’ an’ thuckin’ on your tit-th for weekth…You might thee why it ith that I want it. A raw chuckle dribbled out after her words. Twitch probably wouldn’t know the feeling- but she felt the description might be enough to convince her that the aloe was worth the trip. 

She requested an escort, which suggested some amount of insecurity. Perhaps Twitch wasn’t cut out to be a scout, if she was so wary of open travel and ambassador duties with an allied pack. She weighed the option, and shrugged. I’d rathuh not have two wolveth gone for that long at onthe. If you’re not comfortable goin’ that far on your own, that’th alright; I can thend thomeone elthe. An’ I won’t think any leth of you if you thay you don’t wanna do it. 

She wouldn’t think less of Twitch, but she would certainly think differently of her. Perhaps she had every reason to not want to take on such a task- and she couldn’t be blamed for her past experiences.

twitch felt something bristle in her chest. not comfortable? that wasn’t what she said. she was being practical. she was being smart. and yet, somehow, in ameline’s assessment, she was being less. always less.

her jaw tightened, and she looked away, exhaling sharply through her nose. the offer to back out sat there between them, weighty, loaded. a test, whether ameline meant it to be or not.

she wasn’t stupid. she wasn’t incapable. and she sure as hell wasn’t about to let anyone—even ameline—think she was too fragile to walk a stretch of land and talk to some herbalist-witches. she was done with that, even if she let it go begrudgingly.

"it-it’s fine, i’ll go," she said flatly, before her pride could get in the way. "what’s the worst that could happen?" a fuckin lot, but she wasn’t about to make excuses, even if she still thought a partner would have been the smarter choice.

The wortht? It was a hypothetical question, but the way Twitch seemed to bristle at being dismissed from the task made Ameline feel as though she didn't truly believe that she'd be let off the duty without repercussion. Well, lot-th, She chuckled. I could get real creative, but uh, yeah, fuck- anythin' could happen, She said with a shrug of her shoulder. Couple of Thapphique wolveth got thlaughtered by thome murder-bear, jutht latht year. For all I know, it might've come back an' wiped 'em out. She answered. She looked to Twitch, her expression serious. 

That kinda shit can happen anywhere. Out when you're travellin', or when you're thafe an' thound in your own home. Obviouthly, there're more rithk-th when you go out there, an' I'd thay any wolf that don't wanna take thothe chantheth ith a thane wolf. Tho....Yeah. In reality, the wortht thing that could happen, could happen, but, She said, with another grim shrug, and a grimace of a smile. It can happen anywhere.

twitch stared. blinked. fought the overwhelming urge to rub at her temple with a paw. "yeah, thanks," she deadpanned, ears flicking back. "real reassuring."

she had meant it rhetorically—an offhand remark, a throwaway comment, not an invitation for ameline to start spinning some godsdamned horror story about murder-bears and massacres. now, she was stuck with that delightful image rattling around in her skull, along with the grim conclusion that yeah, death could come for you anywhere, anytime, no matter what you did. real uplifting.

she sighed, slow and controlled. "guess that means it don't really matter if i go alone or not, huh?" her voice was dry, but there was no real venom to it. still, she couldn't help but feel like she'd walked herself into this.