Redhawk Caldera vanillabark

there was a new wolf among them. @Medb was her name. the raven ranged out, searching for the eun liath. along the way she paused to roll at the lakebank, hopefully dispelling the smell of fish which clung ot her after her aquatic hunting that day.
teya shook her ruff and continued on, choosing to visit the elk carcass for a piece of ivory to chew before she resumed her search.

Medb had been biding her time, learning the territories and routines to figure out how she might best fit in, and what her plan even was to begin with. Usually she had a strategy, but this had been a mere whim driven by the hunger pains in her belly… and so with it came the uncertainty of what came next. She would need to figure it out fast.
 
She had carved out a den about halfway up the caldera from the boundary line that marked the strange pack. It oddly enough reminded her of home, of the peaceful bliss that she had known in the Sidh before she had been whisked away from it so cruelly. She had shamefully not gotten to know many. She had met Eljay, and spoken with him when she had been accepted into the ranks, but apart from that other wolves had simply seemed to elude her, though not through her own intentions.
 
That was when she caught sight of another, a female. She offered a soft smile, going for a friendly attitude as her tail wagged softly from side to side and she let out a soft bark in greeting.

teya barked back and approached. "you are medb. eljay tell me we have new joiner. i teya, raven in brecheliant." but the woman had never been fixed upon shows of submission. if the auspex had allowed her entry, then the little violet would trust the opinion of her fellow leader.
"how you settling?" she asked, inviting medb to fall into step with her. "i am going to stream to fish. it is easiest source of food when land is so frozen." that and voles, but they were barely a mouthful. the snow crunched pleasantly underpaw as she walked.

The woman had chosen to approach, and Medb fell into the friendly nature she had adopted across the members of the pack that she had met. Consistency was key, and this was the persona she had chosen therefore it was the one she knew she must stick with. He offered a respectful dip of her head to the woman upon learning her ranks. She was still learning more about the pack structure, but she knew the Raven was an important role.
 
The question came and she hummed. “Quite well, thank you. Eljay was quite kind and explained much to me.” She had been offered a few days to simply settle in and she had been eager to take them. “I would love to join.” She offered again as she fell into step with her. “I figured it might be, but I know some packs are peculiar about wetlife as a food source… shortly before I arrived here, I had been tracking a herd of deer that were travelling just to the south. Perhaps we could also supplement with that should I be lucky enough to find them again?” She offered as well, eager in that moment to show her worth, a hint of a competitive edge to her voice that simply fell naturally.

medb was a huntress too. teya saw a kindred spirit in her, quick as a whip. "i take lead to water. we find nothing there, you show me." her eyes were dancing, and the raven's stride widened as she slid into a trot.
the woman was pleased. her mouth kept its warmth when she turned back to her companion. "i once live in place with wolves who called faeries. your name remind of that time."
the raven moved on, following the crackling frost at the edge of the stream.

The woman carried herself well, and it was difficult for Medb not to find an instant respect for her. She reminded her of the grace and poise of her own mother, who fought so vigorously for her. Who taught her the crafts she needed to know. She nodded at the statement. The woman spoke… strangely. She had never heard such pronounced statements, the words jumbled lightly. We find nothing there, you show me. It caused confusion, though she hoped clarifying questions were allowed.
 
The mentions of faeries brought a spark to her eyes, a smile on her features. “My mother used to say we came from the land of the faeries. My home was believed to be a connection to their world: The Sidh.” She offered with a soft smile, remembering the details fondly as they moved about. “My mother taught me to commune with them too.” It had been part of her training; it was how she could blend in. It was a skill she had learned from them. They had danced in her dreams and showed her the way to make a small woman powerful.

"you would have liked bridget then." there was a pang in her chest. teya almost jerked her words aside. "she spoke of these things too." a pace. a breath. a pause. "do you know about stars? i have always liked them. want to study them — one day."
whatever had she been doing with this year?
the edge of the lake proved frozen solid and dusted with new snow. teya tested several points, even walking lightly out upon the stiff surface. 
"no fish today," she shrugged. her orange-flecked ears swept forward. "show me deer tracks? and maybe, i learn more about faeries too."

Bridget. The woman wanted to inquire more, to learn about who this woman was… but she could hear the pain in her voice and sensed a sadness about the woman. There was no need to pry, not more than she was willing to provide at least. “I know a little about the stars… I know how to use them to find my way home.” She confirmed softly, keeping the tenor of her voice low and sweet for the woman in a way that was meant to be calming. “There are much more to them than that, though. My mother was an expert of the stars. She could tell stories from them, show moving pictures in the sky.” She recalled the tale of fierce warriors falling from them for her and her brothers when they had been too young to train.
 
She moved with the woman, eyes watching as Teya stepped out, taking several steps with a soft frown on her features. No fish indeed. Her hunger panged for a moment but she pushed it down at the question. She nodded, motioning with her head towards the lower points of the Caldera, seeking small streams or creeks that were easily broken that the deer might find for their own hydration. “Faeries are mischievous creatures.” She offered lightly, wondering what the woman wanted to know.

eergh soo sorry <3

teya was fascinated. "i always want to learn that. can find way home too, but that is all." she followed medb eagerly. it was not often, if ever, that she was able to think of the faeries. "the leader of the willows was beautiful. so beautiful it not seem real."
a grin, a flick of he tail. she was happy to take a secondary role; it felt like so often she was hunting alone.
"do you think faeries take other forms?"
and now, yes, she was thinking of sundance.

She hummed softly at the woman’s fascination with her knowledge. She could use this to her advantage, a soft and friendly smile on her features. “My mother told me tales of the stars, of how they fell upon the sky like they did… but that is all apart from using them for navigation.” She offered softly. It was clear she did not fully believe the webs her mother had spun around them.
 
The suggestion of the leader of the willows being unearthly beautiful brought another hum from her lips though no comment. She could not bring herself to comment on the nature of the woman’s beauty without first meeting her. At least, she assumed this leader to be a woman. “I know they do… I once met a faerie who took the shape of an elk in the woods… another as a bird. They are all around us, blending in and sometimes causing mischief.” They could be quite mischievous at times, she recognized as well.

teya wanted to hear more of the stars. she understood that they could be used in different ways, but so many of those escaped her. she thought with guilt and longing of bridget, and how once they had watched the skies together.
her ears swung forward in naked interest.
"an elk." the raven hummed to herself, rather distracted from their hunt. "if faery take form of prey, and wolf hunt them ... do they bleed? or do they become other thing?"
her tone was rhetorical. but her eyes inquired vaguely after medb.