Firestone Hot Springs visions of blood and family

Hoping for someone from either DW or NW! :)

It felt strange, leaving the mountain that had been her home—and hers alone—for the past month. It was as if a cord that tied her heart to that place was growing taut, and Muirrin almost gave in to the feeling... to abandon her quest, and return to that sacred place. Let her followers come to her.

But that could not be the way of things. If her vision were to become a reality, she would need to seek out the wolves that would be her new blood.

It was the view of mountains that drew her to the west, though she would eventually need to scout out a wide range of the surrounding territories to create her tribe. Still, she needed to start somewhere, and Muirrin believed that she would find those with hearts similar to hers in the towering peaks. Such places must call out to similar souls.

As she navigated carefully through the hot springs, golden eyes intent on the peak that erupted from the earth just beyond them, a geyser just ahead and to the left of her began to sputter. Having never seen such a thing before, the female froze, watching the odd phenomena with a wary but curious gaze.

As Kisu walked toward the hot springs, mixed feelings from months before surfaced. He thought of the Alpha female he had run into--well, technically she "ran into" him and saved his life, but he didn't want to think on a time where he was completely vulnerable and pathetic. Kisu scoffed at the thought of it all.

He padded down the tilting woods, focusing on keeping his balance and the surroundings at the same time. Kisu had done well so far to stay away from wolves, turning away the moment he sensed their presence. Sighing, he reflected on his intense feelings that constantly flared up; he had been longing for some type of contact for almost a full season now.

Kisu froze as he noticed another wolf freezing at the same time; but the other wolf hadn't spotted him. Her dark goldenrod eyes shone, watchful and inquisitive at a geyser. A small smile appeared on his face. Lowering his body closer to the ground, he slowly moved forward and watched her, not wanting to draw attention to himself while he spied. Of course, that was impossible due to a twig snapping under one of his paws. Kisu cursed at himself while holding his breath.

Muirrin watched the sputtering geyser intently, and after a moment of nothing further happening, the female slowly moved towards it. It deserved a more detailed inspection, for it seemed quite unnatural to her—though apparently harmless. Before she arrived too close, however, a twig snapped behind her. She paused in her steps toward the geyser, turning slightly to search out the source of the noise with her golden eyes.

They rested upon a male, sunk low in the ground. Despite herself, Muirrin's hackles began to raise and her lips pulled back into a snarl—she didn't like being spied upon, nor the feeling that she was being hunted. But before her stance could evolve into something more aggressive, the geyser suddenly blasted a strong stream of hot water into the air.

Startled by the unexpected event, and feeling a wave of heat radiate off the fountain of water, Muirrin yelped and leapt away with wide eyes. For the moment, she was too shocked to reprimand her stalker—or even give him a thought at all.

Kisu stayed where he was as the female he was just observing showed her teeth at him. He didn't have to think long on what his reaction would be if she decided to attack--a steaming jet of water burst suddenly from the ground. Kisu's ears pointed backward and he started; he could run now if he desired to. But, before he could even think to hesitate another brief moment, he darted from the woods.

"Are you okay!?" He spurted out while running toward the female. Kisu mentally smacked himself, realizing that running up to a wolf who had, just moments before, been snarling at him and was now jumpy was not the best idea. He immediately stopped and stared, asking "Are.... you alright..?" Cocking his head slightly and moving his right paw forward a little, he nervously anticipated her reaction.

Sorry for taking a bit longer than I expected, kinda got wrapped up in behind-the-scenes stuff. :)

Muirrin only glanced quickly at the male when he shouted, her golden eyes shifting back to the once-more-sputtering geyser. She could still feel her heart thundering in her chest, the shock of the unexpected event not yet worn off. Of the two—the male wolf and the mysterious fountain of hot water—the latter seemed the most threatening. At least she would be able to anticipate if the male were to attack... but the water had come out of nowhere. After a few more tense moments of watching the geyser, when she was somewhat more certain it wouldn't erupt again, the female turned towards the other wolf.

"I'm fine, I think," she answered, watching him warily. "Do you know what the hell that was? And... why were you stalking me?" Muirrin wasn't exactly unfriendly in her words, but as she came to her final question her tone definitely became quite a bit more suspicious. Being quite a bit more straightforward in her approaches with strangers, she couldn't understand what the point of spying on anyone would be—if not something malicious.

ooc: It's okay! I have been anticipating your reply :D

Kisu opened and shut his mouth in slight shock. I suppose I was stalking... but that seems a bit harsh.. he thought to himself.

He blinked his silvery gold eyes and then began. "That," he spoke with emphasis while nodding toward the once-spurting fountain of water, "was a geyser. Hot water and steam that builds and rapidly pushes out of the ground." Kisu paused. "I guess I have spent plenty of time watching them from the woods." He stated, feeling slightly foolish for having watched water gush out of the dirt and blast into the sky as a past time.

Now for the next question... He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "I suppose I was just curious in what you were doing. I... haven't been around anyone in a very long time." Kisu endured some embarrassment from saying something so ridiculous and ludicrous out loud.

Muirrin remained silent for a time and turned somewhat introspective after the male fell quiet, both her questions answered. In fact, her expression was one of both confusion and newfound respect for the male she had believed to be hunting her only moments before. I don't like being wrong, she thought to herself, her golden eyes critical as they swept over the male and took in his features. Strong, and has seen battles.

"You look like a warrior," she said finally, thoughtfully—"but you speak like a druid. What is your name?" His crime of spying on her was forgiven, if only because the male suddenly intrigued her. Although balance was important in her family's heritage and stories, Muirrin had never heard of a wolf that was both druid and warrior.

Kisu had heard the term warrior many times in his lifetime, but not druid. He was unsure of what the term meant, but he figured it to be a compliment from the way she spoke. The grey and white wolf sat, curious as to where the conversation may lead.

"My name is Kisu. And may I ask of yours?" He returned the question to her as he noted her golden-brown eyes that were similar to her pelt, which was a mix of grey, brown, and white. She wouldn't stand out in a crowd, but she was charming nonetheless.

"I am Muirrin Blackthorn," she answered readily, her golden eyes still inquisitive as she watched the male's slightest movements. It didn't occur to her that now she was being the nosy one, but the agouti female was suddenly eager to know more about her. With ambitions to create a pack of able fighters and witty advisors, Muirrin realized immediately that the male would be a good addition to her roster.

"You say you have been alone for a long time," she continued. "May I ask why? You look like a sturdy warrior, and you clearly have knowledge of at least some of the land's mysteries—it seems to me that a pack would be lucky to count you among their ranks."

Her words took Kisu by surprise. She kept using the term "warrior", something he had felt he had left behind long ago; but, it was in his blood, so he carried it with a slight sense of pride, nonetheless.

"Thank you, Muirrin Blackthorn," he replied with a certain softness to his voice. His desire to answer her question wasn't strong, but she asked with respect and it was only polite that he answered with the same. "I ventured off from my last pack for a month to track down my twin brother. When I returned, my prospective mate had chosen another. I suppose I just couldn't deal with that. So I left and have been on my own since." Kisu felt strange saying the words aloud for the first time. It made the situation feel more real, a certain numbness forming over him. Being alone gave him a distraction--the need for survival prevailed over petty things like losing a mate to another.