Dragoncrest Cliffs kveld

paging @Chacal but all are welcome!! <333

Maleah.
Tikal's disbandment left the mountainwolf astray, a fish out of water once again. She thought of seeking Arlette, or perhaps Sovereign; but what would they provide her in this time? What did she sincerely need from them?
And that was a question she did not have an answer to.
She found no use in picking at scattered remains. The skeleton of Tikal would be locked in the back of her closet.
There were many others alongside it, just as well. And as such, the red-blue spark had been lit, and out from it came a new title: Maleah.
Her sanctuary for the time being is now the shoreline. Miles and miles of ruddy beaches, gray and swathed with sins of old. Rocky shores, clifftops, spruces that line it. A good enough place to be, to find herself again.
Her inner musings lead her to pungent scentposts that lie amidst a canopy of evergreen, and admittedly, she is curious. What was the harm in investigating?
New beginnings, right?

Routine kept Chacal bouyant, in light of the grief that tugged at her heels, threatening occasionally to pull her into smothering depths. Sometimes, she succumbed in the dark, when the children were asleep and she thought of her lost loved ones; but it was in the happy voices of her children, of her nieces and nephews, and in the growing community of wolves who still called Dragoncrest Cliffs their home, she found reason to tread water and continue. 

She found swimming refreshing, a place where her body could be worked to distract her from her thoughts, toughening her physically and helping her deal with morning stiffness. She shook the water from her pelt when she emerged from the surf, and began to tread along the boundaries that led up from the sea's edge, toward where the cliffs began. 

It was in the Greatpine Wildwood that she spotted the lone wolf, small and dark. A teenager she thought, at first- until she recognized the subtle hints of maturity in the woman's build. Chacal pricked her ears as she advanced, a light sway to her tail as she studied the figure before her. 

"You 'ave reached de borders of Sapphique;
what is it you have come to seek?"

She is not alone. It's not long before the sound of movement in the brush hits her ears, and in its wake, a wildwoman; tall and nimble and glowing with gold.
Oh, uh, Sapphique. Something told her that should be familiar, yet it wasn't. She faces the woman with a courteous smile that tugs at the corners of her inky lips. hi. I'm, I'm Maleah, she hadn't said that name aloud before, but as she does, it brings a proud rise to her chest. I hope I'm not disturbing you. Or your family. My pack disbanded, recently, so I'm-- here, now, I suppose. Just looking around.
Cautiously, she dances forward on doe-limbs, a small flash of teeth in the form of a grin. I'm no trouble, I promise, I'm-- I'm just a medic.

She picked up on the small woman's nervous energy, though she felt certain that she wasn't doing anything to provoke it. Teeth sheathed and hackles smoothed, Chacal's only real show of dominance came from her calm sense of security. This was her land, and it had belonged to her mothers before her, and would belong to her children after her. Faced with a small, worried-looking newcomer, she had no need to flex or flaunt. 

Maleah was quick to apologize, and Chacal waved it off with a slow shake of her muzzle. She had no reason to apologize to Chacal- but the leader was wise enough to assume that she felt the need to apologize because there was guilt hiding somewhere. Perhaps it stemmed from the disbanding of her pack. Chacal leaned forward to sniff the air between them, but could identify no familiar scents that might yet linger upon the fidgety stranger. 

The nervous energy is cut by the young woman's smile. Less nervous, perhaps, and simply brimming with energy, then. It was difficult to guess which could be true of the wolf before her, who was a stranger yet, and worthy of some forgiveness. 

"I am Chacal, a leader of dis pack,
an' while healers are not somet'ing we lack-
dat skill be very valuable to all far an' wide;
an' we 'ave medicines dat come in wid de tide."

She knew some wolves had knowledge of plants, trees and herbs that grew inland, but not all healers would know of the medicines which came from, or along the sea. Chacal seated herself, hoping her calm energy might transfer to Maleah as well. 

"Tell me more of yourself, Maleah,
so I might know where it is you 'ave been," She invited warmly.

A classy name for a classy woman. Chacal speaks in song, a rhythm and rhyme to every word, and Maleah finds herself entranced. She is calm, assertive in a gentle way; she drinks from it, the tension in the maiden's shoulders easing as she reclines into a sit.
She thinks on it, for a moment. What should she say of herself? What matters and what does not? She feels as though she could calculate it. I was a resident medic of Tikal, for a little while, she begins, clearing her throat. though I didn't really know many people there. They disbanded maybe, like, a few weeks ago. It is what it is. she shrugs at this, a hint of a laugh along with it.
I'm mostly, um, a wanderer. I go where help is needed, or where I can study, though I'd like something permanent, there's a glint to her eye, perhaps of hope; curiosity. I like to think I'm good at what I do, although there's always more to learn, right? her shoulders move, then, bony back straightened out. What is Sapphique like?

Tikal did not ring a bell, and whatever legacy it had had, it had fallen short  before becoming news to the wolves of Sapphique. Maleah seemed capable of shrugging the loss off, and Chacal had to wonder how close-knit the pack had been, to be so easily abandoned. Perhaps Mazikeen was simply hiding how she truly felt about the pack disbanding, so that she might seem employable to the next pack she found. Whatever her case was, Chacal found herself believing that the petite woman might easily make herself a home in Sapphique. 

Perhaps the stability would be good for her. She seemed to long for something that would be meaningful, something that might last. Skilled as she may be, she was also humble enough to admit that she could, and would, learn more. Chacal was encouraged. 

"it is what it is, though it is still a shame,
An' I am sorry for your loss all de same." 
She searched the woman's expression for any signs of grief. She might need more monitoring if she was covering up how much the pack had meant to her. Grief was a frequent visitor to the cliffs, and as unwelcome as it was, it was accepted nonetheless. 
"My sister an' I lead de pack here,
an' 'ave done so now for many a year.
Like our mot'ers before us, we guard our home,
an' nurture our family dat grows like seafoam.
We accept dose who wander, who search for peace,
an' initiate dem into our family."
She explained, with a faint smile.

What she had not mentioned, however, was her pack prior to Tikal. The memory of the brutal end of it all alone brings a shudder to her spine, but a faint grin finds its way to her face and lifts her chin. Thank you, Chacal, you're very kind, she shakes her head a little, downy ears pressing flush to the sides of her skull. Saying her name felt so informal, but what else was there to call her? Kukulkaan was ajaw, so what is she? The heat prickles at her cheeks, and she's unsure whether it's from the midsummer rays or her own embarrassment.
The offer — or what sounds like an offer — is startling, somewhat; Chacal is not suspicious of her, nor demanding of respect. She commandeers it with ease, and trusts Maleah enough to offer her a place in their cliffside home. Lips parted, she sucks in a breath, taking a glance at the foliage around her. Already, she can see roots she can make use of, berries to study, leaves that would make the perfect paste. That alone is enough to persuade her.
But the use of the word family melts her fully.
Softened lemon gaze meets the golden glow of Chacal's. If you think I'd-- I'd be useful, here, she all but beams. I'd be delighted.

Chacal could not tell if Maleah was more surprised or flattered by the welcome. She saw no red flags with this one- no arrogant pride, no hostility. Medics seldom posed a threat anyway, and were often more focused on helping others than starting conflict. Should harm follow her, Chacal felt Sapphique could deal with it. The less they knew about Maleahs past, the more easily she could shed it and move on to her new future. 

She indicated that Maleah should follow her, and began to lead her up through the softwood forest so that she could see the internal territories for herself, and if she dared, glance out over the cliffs to see the ocean raging at the rocks below. She explained the basics of their heirarchy to Maleah- that she would begin with the rank of Marble and once she had settled in and become familiar with her packmates, she would be initiated to the rank of Pearl and would receive a gemstone as well, as a mark of her fidelity. 

"Now tell me, Maleah-
do you like children, my dear?"

Because she was likely to be swarmed by them in the days to come.

Trailing behind Chacal at a leisurely pace, Maleah presses her nose to the ground every so often, a mental map of the landscape forming as the ranks are explained. A distinct, highly structured system, one with blue-crested titles in a different language. She nods or offers a hum to assure that she's listening, though she cannot help but find herself distracted on occasion by the flora that surrounds them.
Do you like children, she's asked, and she can't help but bark out a laugh at that. It's part of my job, she nods, one paw wrapped around the stem of a fern. but, yeah, I do. So long as they mind their manners. but even if they didn't, she'd like them anyways.
Coming upon the hilltop of a cliff, she can see just through the treeline the daunting waves of the ocean, the salt that hangs heavy in the air. Man, this place is beautiful. she paces just a bit ahead of Chacal, tail coming to a slow sway. That's your backyard, huh? she supposed it was her's now, too.

An appreciation for the territory's plants was an asset, and the knowledge Chacal assumed that came with it might prove to be helpful to them as well. She hoped they would never face another hardship like the bear...Like either of the bears- wherein they might need the assistance of several medics in order to see to all who were wounded. But the more medics they had, the more likely more wolves would survive. Even with the medics they had had, they had borrowed help from elsewhere to nurse Sapphique back to health, more than once. 

"Dis be good- as I have four
from dis year alone, last year t'ree more.
Mireille, my sister, dis be 'er first year-
but she 'ave four too, so we be full 'ere." She said with a chuckle. 

She suspected there was very little chance Maleah might be pregnant now, coming to them to find a place to give birth. She certainly didn't look pregnant, and it was late in the year anyway. Perhaps next year would be an option for her, if she proved herself and stayed around. Stability might lead her to life the way the women of Sapphique lived; and choose sires the way they did, as well. 

"It is beautiful, dis be true.
An' dis belong to you now, too."

Eleven children. Oh, wow, she huffs out a little chortle with a shake of her head. I can't wait to meet them. I, um, offer my services, wherever they'd be needed, headaches, postpartum care, weakened pup immune systems — all were concepts she was not unfamiliar with, ones she prides herself on her knowledge of. I'm sure you're glad to have an extra set of paws.
Maleah herself was not a mother, and as it stood, she had little desire to be such. The thought of seeing her father's eyes in her own children made her squirm — the thought of having to parent with another man was even worse. Are their dads around, at all...? Perhaps a stupid question; a matriarchy, Sapphique was, and thus far, the signs of many men living here at all were few and far between. It seemed almost too luxurious to be true.
But this was all her's, too, Chacal had confirmed; this land of oceanwomen, of beauty and danger and gemstone. Maleah can't hold back her toothy, sheepish grin.

Chacal smiled, knowing how inevitable it was that Maleah would meet one of her children. After all- there were six of them currently living in the pack, which was a substantial contribution to their numbers if nothing else. She nodded her head when she considered how much help another adult could be. Another set of eyes looking out for the youth who were steadily growing more and more ambitious and with that ambition came the capability of travelling further and faster. The kids couldn't simply be picked up and plonked back down in the den anymore, and she and Mirelle would both have to rely on all other members of the pack to be watchful. 

To Maleah's next question she shook her head, though without any sign of regret. She was satisfied to be able to give Mazikeen that response. "No." She added, thoughtfully- as Maleah would likely want an explanation. "We do not count on de support of men-
well, not unless we are related to dem.
It is not a law, of course,
but men are not always...First choice.
I was raised by two mothers, you see,
an' dere be no ot'er way I would rat'er it be.
Per'aps dis will change some day,
but whet'er dat happens, I cannot say.
Regardless, women tend to be higher in rank,
for deit faith, fidelity, an' deir strength."

No men; no fathers, no uncles, no brothers, no husbands. At least not in positions of power. It was as if the heavens above had sent a beacon of light in the form of an oceanside pack.
Maybe it's mean, but, uh, that sounds wonderful, she feels awful for saying such a thing, but that is only momentary, for relief is soon to wash over her like a warm wave. I made a good choice, huh? Lucky me.
It swirls around in her mind in a glow of pink hearts; a saving grace, a ticket to freedom; no men. And it wasn't as if Maleah was a stranger to warriors, to tacticians, to tenacity. These were all important values, and were often the groups who sought her — or at least needed her — most. But testosterone not being at the forefront of a strong family was enough to make her heart sing.
And yes, she had made a good choice. Perhaps Sapphique was the missing piece she had not found in The Saints or Tikal.

Chacal was pleased that Maleah seemed amenable to their typical rank structure and beliefs. There was always the chance they'd have some potential joiners who might learn that unrelated males would be limited in their rank, blame them of nepotism and walk away- and if they did, then it was likely all for the best. It wasn't as though they were taking in men but making them slaves- they simply wouldn't be granted a position of esteem, nor would they become leaders, but they would still have a good life. 

Maleah seemed more relieved than anything, and Chacal nodded. "Dis be a good place to be a woman," She said. "it be a good place to be free, to be home."

last from me <333 thank you so much for the thread, chacal is so lovely and i'm so excited to be part of sapphique!!!!!

A good place to be a woman.
Freedom. Solidarity. Family. Strength, compassion, independence.
She was free. She felt free.
Tired eyes find Chacal's once more. Thank you for taking a chance on me, soot-black tail comes to a gentle sway. I won't let you down.

And perhaps she would then find somewhere to settle for the evening, a dinner of seafood along the cliff's edge, watching as the western sun casts Sapphique in a gold-pink halo. When she closes her eyes that night, she sleeps soundly for the first time in moons.
And all the while, the heavens welcome her home beneath seaside starlight.

Maleah, she felt, would fit in well. Regardless of what had happened to her previous pack, she felt a new start was merited. She would have to work to prove herself of course, and like any other she would be kept under the watchful eyes of the pack’s leadership until she could be properly initiated.

But like any who came to their shores, who sought refuge and could abide by their ways, she could find a home among the women of Sapphique and become one of them.