Hoshor Plains Bright Lights, Bigger City

@Tomahawk here we go!

The dark Amazonian was on the move again, learning the lay of the lands that their Prince had decided to settle down in. She would need to know what was where, the packs around them, everything she could possibly glean to report back to Tyrr (if he should decide that he wanted to utilize her skills). After letting Citali and Manauia know that she'd be gone for a few days, she'd headed out to start her way south. Mountain ranges, marshes, a diverse collection of lands that had not yet ceased to amaze her.

Even now, she found herself staring at a golden plain where each gust of wind caused a ripple of movement. Such scenery was rather breathtaking, though not enough to distract her from the fact that the place was claimed, by a relatively new pack by the smell of it. Curious, Nochtli settled back a bit from even the outskirts of the pack and just... sat and watched. Should someone come along and shoo her away, she'd be happy to get up and move but right now, she simply gave into the desire to sit and observe the beautiful landscape.

Being vague about some things...

Tomahawk blocked that night out of her head, pretending it had not happened at all. Her condition had not improved, and so she had removed herself from the rest of the males for the day, retreating to the outskirts of her home. A speck of black caught Tomahawk's eye, and she (nervously) began to gravitate toward it. She did not even know if she was meant to speak with outsiders, but it would be a good idea to practice her native tongue so she did not lose it completely. The past few weeks had been all in Dotharan.

Her approach was not covered, though her coat did blend in with the waving grasses. "Who are you?" she called out, the common tongue feeling strange in her mouth. "The Khal claims this land." Tomahawk's stance was in some strange place between trying to look intimidating and being obviously intimidated by the dark stranger.

Another creature approached, bright eyes turning to acknowledge. In those first few moments, Nochtli's hackles rose as she recognized the slightly smaller female as a coyote but there was no aggression in her posture, just some misconstrued idea of dominance. Curious. Was this girl part of a pack? The Amazon hadn't heard of coyotes being part of a wolf pack before but these lands were strange and apparently, so were the inhabitants.

Khal. A strange word but the dark female put two and two together. "The Khal. Your leader? King?" These were words she could relate to and she used them to confirm her thoughts. "My name is Nochtli Tlachinolli," she announced, name rolling from her tongue. She had not moved from her sitting position, a sign that she was not here to cause trouble or show disrespect. She would not move until the other had... relaxed a bit. "I was just admiring the beauty of these lands. They are quite unique, from what I've seen, at least."

"My master," Tomahawk clarified, though there was no shame in her voice. She was here to please Rakharo and his underlings, nobody else. She owed outsiders nothing at all, even if they were wolves. If they were not part of the pack, they had no control over her. Tomahawk was their property, nobody else's. The other mentioned something about Hoshor Plains being "unique," but Tomahawk was not so easily charmed. "I do not think the Khal will approve," she warned, "Unless you are here to join the Khal, it is best that you leave."

If the stranger refused, Tomahawk would be forced to call for backup. Even the most well-trained coyote was no match against a grown wolf. The slave was a dwarf against a giant, and she was not willing to risk those odds. She continued to put off a mixture of threatening and insecure vibes and body language.

Master. Curious. Was she to the pack here as males were to the Amazons? Nochtli's curiosity grew though, even as the coyote attempted to edge her back from the lands. Not a wolf to rise to violence, the dark woman rose and took several steps back, her posture still quite neutral, if unafraid of the other canine's warning. If she was owned by a master, Nochtli had an idea of how far she might be willing to go to earn her master's approval.

"Let me clarify. I mean you or your master, or any of his other followers, no harm. I am simply exploring, to learn the packs and their territories." Her voice did not tremble or quaver, remaining even as she regarded this one, even offering a bit more than what explanation she had already given. "My own leader claims a territory much farther north of here. I assure you, I am not here to cause trouble."

If asked again, the dark woman would leave, but one way or another, she would aim to learn the name of this pack. If others were not welcome here, Tezcacoatl would need to know. She would not endanger the life of her Prince by not informing him of this pack's view on outsiders.

Tomahawk licked her lips, taking in the words of the stranger at face value. "Fine. This is Hoshor Plains," the coyote replied. "What more do you wish to know?" As a slave, there was only so much information she could provide, especially considering she was not sure how Rakharo would take to bleeding information to outsiders. Perhaps he would want their culture to remain inside, not for the eyes of others. It was a question she would bring to him in time. Tomahawk did not aim to be a pestering little child. She was a slave, and she did not wish to make her masters slaves to a questioning peasant.

Hoshor Plains. The name was stowed away, Nochtli's bright eyes observing the female, watching to see if she would get aggressive, perhaps to try her intimidation tactics again. "Not much," She replied before continuing with a question more about the coyote than the pack. "Have you been with them for a while?" It was a fairly easy, respectable question.

"We are settling in a place called Frostfire Ridge, to the north next to a lone peak. Should your master decide to send a subordinate," — For she was not sure who he delegated tasks to, wolves or coyotes — "They can ask for myself at the borders and I will meet them there." Perhaps she could take the information to her Khal, perhaps it would appease him. Either way, she supplied the knowledge without being asked, for Nochtli was not a wolf to use someone and then simply discard them once she had gleaned some information out of them.

"Yes," Tomahawk replied. "A while," was about as much of a response as she could have given anyway. Days flowed by, as did the months. Tomahawk had quit keep track of anything smaller than the seasons. She had been with the Dotharan since the spring, and that was as much as she could have given. Not that it mattered to this outside wolf, anyway. "I will tell him of Frostfire Ridge," Tomahawk said, once the female was finished giving her own information. "My master’s name is Rakharo. Mine is Tomahawk."

Would that be enough to satiate the stranger's curiosity?

One more post from us both, just to get this to 10? :)

This one was not talkative. Whether that was her personality or simply that she remained closed to any outsiders, Nocta couldn't determine. Not yet. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tomahawk." And it was. The dark female enjoyed meeting all walks of life, closed off or not. But she knew when she was unwanted or unwelcome as well.

She took another minute step back, a signal that she was preparing to go. "Before I take my leave, is there any information I could offer that would be of use to you, or to your Khal, Rakharo?" She doubted it but offered anyway, wanting to extend feelings of peace towards her. As she'd said, she was not here to cause trouble, and would depart shortly to prove such things.

Tomahawk shook her head, indicating that there was nothing left to say. She intended to stay and watch the other leave until she was out of sight. Only then would Tomahawk resume her the delicate balance between going back to the heart of Hoshor Plains and staying far enough away not to cause any trouble. Truth be told, she was not sure how much longer she could refrain from going back. She yearned for their company, and staying away had been even more difficult than she had expected.

Thanks for the thread!

Well. That was that. "Thank you for your time, Tomahawk." She turned and, true to her word, the Amazon left Hoshor Plains to the coyote and the fellows of hers that lived here. She would head back to the Ridge now, sure to head out in another few days to go off on another adventure.

Thread end.