Greatwater Lake there with my crooked teeth

for @Dulce

The Merei grew brave once more, slipping out from the trees that shielded her so well. It was another body of water that she found today. Much larger than the creek from days ago. There were trees here too but not like the ones back home. The place was lovely in its own way though.

Views were not what had brought Jakoul out here though. She was in search of something worthwhile. Perhaps news or slivers of information to bring back to Nona. Her nostrils flared a few times before she began to prowl (slink would perhaps be more appropriate given her figure) around the edge of the lake.

Does the 12th work for the date?
edit: nvm aksjkakjs

The journey toward Blackfeather didn’t have to be so drawn out, but Dulce didn't mind. In fact, she preferred the time away from Kaistleoki; on her own, she could brood and sulk as much as she pleased without having to worry about judgement. What could have been accomplished in an afternoon had taken most of the day, but she would be the last to complain. 

It was warm. Not the dry, blazing heat that Dulce had grown accustomed to, but the humid, sticky warmth of the North. The reflection of a river would have normally served as an immediate pull, but she was turned off my the mental image of mosquitoes swarming just over the surface. Were it not for the faint, intriguing figure of another, she might not have approached at all. 

Taking it slow, Dulce came near enough to the lake’s edge before chuffing her greeting.

A chuff broke the silence of the lake scene. Tall and pointed ears briefly flickered before she halted, head turning to see who it could be. She had not scented anything — although, the damp ground and fresh water did well to mask most things — upon her arrival to the edge of the waters.

She spotted them easily enough though. Earthy, natural colors painted their short coat. Where from? The Merei asked softly. It was as though the stranger had appeared from thin air. Granted she was not the best with words and so the question had the potential to be taken in plenty of ways.

The words of the soft-spoken nymph pulled Dulce in closer, coaxing her down onto her hindquarters. She stared unabashedly, unashamed by her own interest, and thought about her coming reply. Up there, she said, head twisting to motion northward. It was strange, Dulce thought, the comfort that she felt sitting open before a stranger. She wondered if the nymph used her unique charm as magic to draw out the secrets of her prey. 

Probably not, though. It was more likely that Dulce just thought the stranger was pretty. Where did you come from? she then asked, breaking the straight line of her gaze and replacing her flat expression with a smile. Act natural, weirdo.

got a little long please don't feel the need to match <3

Her head twisted as silver eyes sought to see where the earthly woman pointed towards. The lake stretched for miles though and beyond that was even more land, more than she had ever seen before. On the tip of her tongue laid another question (goodness Jakoul was chatty today) but before she could think of how to ask it, a question had been turned towards her.

Narrow skull turned and pointed south. Somewhere a fair stretch from the lake's shore would lie her home with all its dark trees and shadowed resting spots. The scent of it clung to each hair on her by now. One might spot the fondness the drifted over her features as she longingly stared south. There. She whispered back, absently blinking the fond look off of her face before she returned her gaze to the stranger.

She tried to remember the word the other stranger had used. In her mind it was clear enough but how to put it on the tip of her tongue was a bit of a mystery. Her brows pinched together as she attempted to think of other words that might fit what she needed. Waaa — An apologetic look settled onto her features, gaze almost begging for patience. Wan...wanderer?

The strong odors of the lake had done well to mask both of their scents, it had seemed. The only pack that Dulce knew fell southward was Blackfeather, her own eventual destination. There could have been others that had settled since her visit, and although that didn’t seem likely, it was partially what she hoped for. The name? she asked, wondering if this stranger might be so kind to silence or confirm her theories. 

It felt almost unnatural for Dulce to be referred to as a wanderer. Sure, she’d spent most of her time as a pledge out on her own, but she still carried the anchor of being a pack wolf. The sudden identity crisis was something that she was still in the process of working through, unfortunately. N-no, Dulce replied with a sentimental shake of her head, I’m a scout. Are you? A wanderer?

The stranger did not ask for much information involving the pack that Jakoul called home and so she saw no harm in answer her question. Blackfeather. The word rolled off in a breathless way with underlying tones of pride. She had practiced it in silence and a few times out loud by herself. The Merei saw it fit to practice the name. There was no denying she didn't have a way with words but there were a few she felt she needed to know how to say.

When the other mentioned being a scout, her tail seemed to give way to her feelings. It briefly wiggled by her ankles with an unspoken excitement. Scout. It was what she had agreed to do for Blackfeather.

Home... Her voice drifted back into silence as she motioned back north, staring in that direction for a moment. Name? Give a little take a little. Not to mention she was deathly curious about the earthly woman.

Blackfeather. The name was fitting, but Dulce couldn't say for sure whether or not that was it. All she'd heard at the border was 'forest' and 'wood', neither of which were given just then. She figured that there was no need to dwell and that she'd eventually know for sure anyway, so Dulce chose to move on. We're doing the same job, then. It was nice to meet another scout in the mess of wolves inhabting the Wilds.

It's...new. We're Kaistleoki. The name felt foreign on her tongue, even after a month or so of uttering it. Her mouth curled uncomfortably to try and force it out, turning it more into Kytheloki. It's nice. If you scout far enough, you should come by.

She would not dare to even try to pronounce the name that had been given but she still attempted to commit it to memory. Surely Nona would wish to know of neighbors up north. Scout. Come. Her headed nodded. Come. She cooed back with a brief toothy smile that seemed to look out of place on her typically sunken features. It was genuine though, every inch of it.

What like? Home? She questioned in the best way she knew how. Was this new Kytheloki (as pronounced by the earthen woman) shrouded in the trees she found herself loving at her own home? Or were their lands unique in their own way?