Phantom Hollow make me your radio

@Atka Tsimshian

the viper had been drifting off in an unknown direction when she stumbled upon a fallen deer, savaged and picked away at by all likes of life. the stench of bear, vulture, and rodent all mixed upon the odor of rotting flesh. the carcass was old, not suitable for scavenging any further without the risk of sickness following soon after.

and so rather than simply pass by, she reach forth and plucked out a broken bone, one small enough for her to gnaw at while she continued on. the grinding of bone against teeth could be heard almost echoing against the alarming silence of the hollow, only joined by the soft crunch of earth beneath her wandering feet.

It wasn't uncommon for Atka to stroll through this seemingly melancholic forest, the silence she was once uncomfortable with here now soothed her, it quieted her mind as well. Though she had headed here seeking the peace the Phantom Hollow offered her, the crackling of leaves echoed her direction. Her steps paused, she was not alone and it wasn't Khasni, or Dreven, or even Heph that lingered here. The scent that wafted here direction was finally paired with a figure.

❝Um, hello?❞ The unsure tone of her voice was clear, but she kept a comfortable distance between them.

Atka looked over the stranger, who was pleasing to gaze at. The wolf, though coyote like, had an intriguing gaze and brilliant build.

the symphony created between the steady beat of her pace and that of the gnawed bone was pleasing to listen to. she hummed along to the song internally, a blissfulness taking hold as she meandered through the ashen-wood. the trees stood like silent sentinels, dutifully watching as she passed through their domain. for a moment, she'd almost believed she'd even heard one speak.

she turned towards the voice, half expecting to be face-to-face with treebeard. what a let down it was that the tree had in fact not spoken.

instead it had been that of a petite, pretty thing that had interrupted her stride.

"hello," she greeted back with a crunch of the bone, wondering if that was all to be said or if further conversation would come from their encounter.

This conversation, if it even was one, seemed tense. Atka opened her mouth but seemed lost for words for a moment before piecing together some sort of witty response..

❝If you're heading towards that ash forest I would stop there, they aren't very friendly.❞ She responded with a smile, relaxing her posture.

and so it seemed conversation would come...maybe? it was more a warning than anything else, though in some way, it could also be seen as terrible small talk.

solaris turned back towards the direction she'd been headed, this so called ash forest stretched further ahead her path. she'd warned they were not friendly, a remark that caused a teasing smile to stretch long across the viper's maw.

c r u n c h went the bone once more.

"is it the trees that are not friendly, or the inhabitants of the woodland?" she jested. she knew well what the other had intended, though could not help but let the sarcastic remark part from her lips. she looked back towards the porcelain beauty, mismatched gaze seeking out those of bumblebee yellow.

❝The inhabitants aren't the most welcoming bunch.❞ Atka responded, but her ears tilted back and the crunch of the bone, it unsettled her for some odd reason.

Her tail lowly wagged as she was quiet for a moment, then taking a few steps forward so they could speak a quieter tone.

❝The trees reek of smoke however, don't know if you fancy that.❞ Her ears perked back forward again.

She couldn't pull her eyes away from the stranger's eyes, she had not seen different colored eyes before.

❝You are?❞ She would like to know who she spoke to, to pair a name to such an enticing, yet sly woman.

she'd clarified her answer for the viper, leaving little room for any further questions regarding the blanched woodland's occupants. they weren't friendly - noted. she'd divert her path elsewhere then, for she was not keen on participating in any scuffle of sorts that may result in unnecessary injury.

she continued to toss the bone about her mouth like a toothpick, oblivious to the uneasiness it caused the other.

there was talk of smoke then, which explained why the air felt heavier here than the plains she'd been in recently. she looked back towards the slight woman as she took a few steps closer and asked for a name. "solaris." she left room for the cotton coated stranger to introduce herself as well if she sought to.

"are you a part of these unfriendly folk?" she wondered with a curious twitch of her ear. if so, she wasn't living up to the memo of being unwelcoming.

❝Solaris,❞ Atka tried the name out with a smile.

It was a pretty name for a pretty wolf. Atka rested back on her haunches as she took a moment to respond.

❝I'm Atka, and I am with those folk- but I'd consider myself friendly.❞ She finished her sentence with a light laugh. ❝Dreven has turned wolves away from here bloody and beaten, and others unharmed. He can be kind, but I wouldn't underestimate his power.❞

Atka reflected on her first meeting with him, the fear she had first felt, yet regardless of her explanation she came to the understanding this wolf was not seeking a fight. She may have been wrong on that part, but she didn't think Solaris needed more of a warning than, 'they're not friendly.'

the whisp positioned herself to rest and sit among their scenery, and for a moment solaris considered to do the same. she passed the thought on though, thinking it best not to become too comfortable so close to where seemingly territorial lives collected.

the expected introduction came, and the viper sought to stash both names she'd received to memory. names were useful after all, in more ways than one.

she assumed that the souls who'd left bloody and beaten had deserved their fate, but she was also not one to sell short the twisted cruelty of others. "do not fret, i underestimate no one." be it mass of muscle or an ingenious mind, there was always a way to win the battles placed before you. 

"are you out here scouting then, or should i take it you are the woodland's guardian?"

She blinked, expression blank as she thought of a response.

❝Good to hear.❞ Atka paused and cocked her head slightly to side, ❝And I just like walking through here, not much of a guardian.❞

Finishing her sentence with a small laugh she trailed off again into a pause her speech.

❝You looking for someone, something?❞ Perhaps she was a mere traveler, like Heph, not tied down to anyone or anything.

s n a p went the bone, now broken into two and splintered in her mouth. she let the larger of the two halves drop to the earth while she proceeded to spit the countless shards towards some aimless direction. 

what an absolute bummer that was.

"well, now i am looking for a new bone" she let out, frown upon her lips as she glanced down at the still gnawable half that lay before her. she could have continued to chew away at it should she wish, but no, it wasn't worth it anymore.

"wouldn't happen to know where any of those'd be would you?" she asked the snowy sylph, head tilted ever so slightly as she awaited her answer.

Atka was shaken at the snap for a moment, not expecting it, but she settled though. Her ears tilted away again as she stared, quietly for a moment.

❝If your looking for a meal perhaps we have something to spare in our caches.❞ A brow quirked, as her confused expression phased back into another gentle one. ❝Can't promise the others would be happy, but I don't believe they would go about starting a fight. You'd be fine with me there.❞

She thought on Dreven and Khasni, not likely to outright attack, especially if the viper was accompanied by her; probably more likely to express their discontentment.

she thought it odd the kindness of strangers.

her homeland was less inclined to extended such hospitality. the gentleness here unsettled her, it was foreign, unnerving, suspicious. she'd just been warned of unfriendliness, of spilt blood over territory, and now a pretty dove had invited her into said realm with a warmth she felt was unnatural.

a lure, a trap it was perhaps! or maybe it was just the fear of a recluse so alone she'd spun a web of doubt and fear for affection.

"i do not wish to inconvenience you." a lie, her eyes told it so. there was no trust earned here over honeyed words, no matter how sweet they sounded.

Atka did not frown, and was not upset at the decline. She noted that some were just distrustful, and in this case, Solaris had all the reason to.

❝Hm, it would be no trouble- I'm sure the nearby meadows do not lack rodents or hares though.❞ Atka nodded, offering a smile. ❝Though I had warned you, I do firmly believe if you were with me as we entered the ash forest you would be safe.❞

Atka wasn't lying, she had Dreven's favor.

❝If you need a place to bed for the winter, if you chose not to roam the white slopes, seek me, we would make space. The group I am with may end up with The Saints however. ❞ Perhaps this Solaris was simply just not accustomed to others offering kindness.

Yet if this was where they parted, she was almost glad for the rare interaction, intrigued by this wolf. This brought something to her day at least.