Moonspear Essence of peppermint

The Netherwoods - Anyone!

Toad couldn't remember the last time she had seen the sun. The days had been so dreary that she could hardly stand to remain at the rendezvous point any longer, descending once more to the forested base of her mountain home. The pines immediately gave her a strange sense of relief; perhaps it was the oxygen they released, or maybe the scented oils of their bark, that made her feel calm. Whatever the case, it was as good a day as any to take a walk through the Netherwoods.

For a time, the company she kept was only the squirrels that bounded from the branches overhead to avoid her. Their angry chatter and alarm calls hardly deterred her, but they didn't make for a pleasant afternoon walk.

Toad kept her coffee-coated ears sharp, listening for rustles in the undergrowth of ferns that might suggest a rabbit or wood rat. She was always ready to launch into hunting mode, though without her packmates she wouldn't be able to catch much.

She silently trailed after her packmate at length, swiftly brushing through the leafy undergrowth as if she were on the hunt. Not that there was any malicious intent to her stalking, she simply wanted to catch up to one she had yet to meet. There had been a fair few outsiders welcomed into the fold of Moonspear lately, and Lyra had only heard of them through Hydra; it was about time she sought them out herself despite her penchant for seclusion.

She followed the woman's scent right up until she saw a stout figure in the distance through the haze of the light rain; thankfully the woodland shielded them from most of the dismal weather. "Toad Amelia, am I correct?" The Ostrega suddenly announced as she closed the distance between her and the woman, noting her rather drab coat of brown and grey, but approving of her build — strong and sturdy.

Although Toad kept a lookout for things in front of her, she didn't expect any movement from behind. The brushing sound of branches finally alerted her to the following Ostrega, and she turned around to greet someone that Toad mistook at first for Hydra. The woman called out a gentle greeting, knowing her name already. Toad was a bit taken aback by this — evidently she'd been talked about. This gave her great pride, and her tail wagged swiftly in response.

Yes, you are! She moved closer to the woman and reached out her nose gently to sniff at her, ears bowed and polite. Forgive me, I don't know your name, Toad admitted, offering a bashful smile as replacement. @Jarilo had mentioned to her that his sister had two lookalikes from the same litter, but Toad had no idea if this was Lyra or Alya, and she thought it would be especially rude to attempt to guess.

The woman turned with a gleeful greeting and sweep of her tail, and she allowed her to touch noses with an investigating sniff. Despite her own current low rank in the pack, Lyra never let that affect the way she handled herself around other members. Hierarchy be damned, she was an Ostrega, and she wasn't about to bow down to some outsider.

With ears thrust forward, the triplet appraised Toad with an air of superiority, though her insatiable appetite for respect was appeased somewhat by the other woman's polite words. "I am Lyra," she replied, motioning for them to continue walking together with a dip of her head. "My sister Hydra has told me about you." Not much, admittedly, but that was the purpose of her seeking her fellow pack mate out — to find out more about her.

"How are you finding Moonspear?"

The black Hydra-sister smelled of moss and pine. Her coat was thick and healthy, her eyes just as sharp and discerning as her sister. Toad knew that they all looked alike, but there were subtle differences in the way Lyra spoke and how she carried herself that made all the difference. The chocolate storyteller followed the motion to walk; she had always had the temperament of a follower and took subtle direction easily. It was the same reason Toad's ears and tail were kept relaxed rather than forward and high.

When Hydra was mentioned, Toad dipped her head a bit and smiled widely with an anxious grin. It pleased her to know that she had left even the slightest impression on her fierce leader, but she worried that Hydra might have said something negative. Toad knew this was most unlikely given Lyra's tonality, but the thought remained anyway.

I love it. The mountain and its paths are majestic, our puppies are growing strong and fierce, and everyone has been very welcoming and kind, she explained, her tail waving softly behind her as they moved. It's strange though, the sun seemed to stop barely a week after I came here. I've never seen it be this dark and dreary for so long, she continued. Surely she hadn't ben the cause of this sudden change in weather. Others had told her that this was indeed very unusual for Moonspear. She hoped it didn't stay like this for much longer.

They began to move in the direction gestured, and Lyra listened as Toad spoke, relaying her positive opinions of their home. Her language, however, when talking about their puppies caused a flare of possessiveness to rise within her heart. The other woman was right in a way — it was the entire pack's responsibility to ensure the pups were brought up right. Still, the woman had an issue with other non-Ostrega members seeing the pups as their own. It was likely she would never see outsiders as true members of Moonspear.

She did not voice her opinions, though, and instead gazed down at the stocky brown wolf as she mentioned the dismal weather. "It is strange...and concerning," Lyra replied as her brows furrowed. She glanced up at the sky as if in confirmation that, yes, it was still raining. Just as it had been for the past few weeks. "We are safe from flooding," she said. "The real worry is the herds moving away." She quirked a brow at her company, wondering what Hydra saw in her — she must have impressed her somehow to have been accepted. "Are you a hunter?"

Toad looked at the sky too when Lyra did and couldn't help but frown. Generally, she was a positive woman and optimistic about the general course of life. The weather had been a recent challenge to that outlook. It was hard to be much excited about anything when every day looked and felt the same. Every day was soggy. Every day was gross.

Toad nodded. She also worried that the herds on and around the mountain would grow tired and move away; she had been trying to track their movements some, but being new to the area, she was a novice at best. I am actually, or, well I hope to prove that I am, she said, offering a small smile. She had no certification or license to show Lyra, but she had been hunting for as long as she had teeth. I'm also really curious to learn more about the Ostrega history — Jarilo said there were lots of stories and things to learn. Your family seems so grand, she said, smiling while looking at the ground and scrunching her brow in an almost anxious awe.

She wanted to learn the stories of the Ostrega to learn and to teach herself. Though her words might have seemed hyperbolic, she was wholly serious.