Sunset Valley a very important date

Maybe @Kiwi or @Yami or @Dacio?

Its in the air, and it stinks. The stench of ozone bleeding out across a sky thick with grim, grey clouds. They draw the eye all the more for the garish way they hold the light - what little there is left, anyway. She stalks through the valley with an insistence that gives a dire impression; makes one think she has places to be. Its not accurate, but Vee feels more important because of the plans in her head. She hopes it won't rain; a part of her mind wonders if she holds on to colors the way the clouds do. How silly. Unneccessary. A moot point not worth a second more of consideration.

The girl had moved south on a fresh leg of her journey and entered the valley a day or so ago. She had trailed after some blacktail deer as they lazed through the area - even concocted a plan for taking one down solo, which would've surely earned her some praise had anyone noticed - but she'd spent so long deliberating that the herd had moved on. When she'd looked for them again, there was no point. That had cast her in to a spiteful mood and Verse had spent the majority of the past ten or so hours hiking through the wilds, trying not to think about how she'd messed up.

That leads us to now. A moon struggling to pierce the fat clouds, a mix of vibrant pinks and moody purples blushing their bellies; and a surly young wolf trailing through a valley seemingly devoid of all life. It was, in a phrase: the pits.

yaass

Kiwi wasn't exactly thrilled to have been cast so soon from her goal, but she confidently saw this as more a stumbling block than an actual prevention.  Soon she'd have the numbers and the skill to make it clear no one gave her orders.  The only demands she met were her own now.

But for now, she had to remain here, on this mountain.  She'd never lived on a peak before and the climbs were already leaving her sore.  Fortunately, there was a meadow nearby with easier hunting.  She appreciated that the terrain challenged her but when she was hungry, sometimes the hunt was challenge enough.

She was on one such hunt when she spotted the stranger, and for a moment she hesitated.  She did not like to abandon a hunt, but she didn't want the stranger to pass by unaccosted.  The other woman wasn't trespassing but she was a possible subject.  Decision made.  She broke from the trail and adjusted, making her way for the stranger instead with head and tail held high.

Her pace slows as she draws to a stop within the meadow, her eyes squeezing shut as a yawn pulls its way up from the pit of her belly and stretches her maw askew. An ugly look. All teeth and dimly glowing fur caught by the moonlight. She feels the stress of her journey chiefly in her ankles and the girth of her shoulders and rear haunch - so much toil, none of the spoils. All she can do now is ease herself in to a coil somewhere among the grasses and wait for morning. Will she sleep? Maybe. If her thoughts don't plague her too much.

The girl hasn't started building herself a nest yet, just perusing the surroundings while the light goes from flower-bright to pastel, to grey. By the time the sun has totally shielded itself with the horizon she thinks shes in the clear. An itch settles in her head, burrows there, something like a buzz of frustration. Vee is briefly distracted from her forlorn thoughts when the sound of grass shifting against the wind - or beneath the weight of paws - creeps closer.

She looks around with a more alert scowl. Maybe it's a lost hind trying to find the herd she'd been tracking before - maybe it was something more dangerous but equally edible. As the small-ish wolf comes crawling though the reeds (which are taller than Verse, so they certainly dominate this little firecrotch) the northerner notices the flagging of their tail and the napoleon-level pride simmering as fuel for their every motion.

'Lo, Verse calls; perfect pitch despite her mood. For once she wished she could sound as miserable as she felt - alas, the girl had been cursed with a powerful voice. Who're you then? Her acidic gaze shifts across the rust-coated stranger with about as much oomph as you'd expect someone to have after a week or so of constant travel. She looked bored and tired and all manner of on edge. Best not to play around.

The stranger didn't seem particularly patient or pleasant, but luckily, Kiwi actually appreciated that.  It meant she didn't have to bother with small talk.

Kiwi.  I'm starting a pack on the mountain, and then want to go take my home back.  Who are you?  There was obvious interest in her gaze, mainly because unlike Yami, this wolf looked like she knew how to carry herself.  If she was a fighter then she could be a valuable asset to the future... whatever she decided to call it.  

So long as she could kneel, at least to Kiwi, maybe she could even be one of her first officers.  The cogs were turning.

Verse wasn't the type to be friendly with strangers - if anything, she'd grow more skeptical of them if they took any interest in her what-so-ever, such as now. The stranger introduced herself swiftly and got right down to business. She couldn't help thinking that her name was appropriately small for someone of such defiant character; it struck her that this girl was not just smaller but younger too. And she hoped to lay claim to some spit of land, become its leader? That took moxie.

Who are you? Kiwi asked in the same breath, and seemed to be sizing the Blackthorn up with a distinct lack of self-awareness; that or they just didn't care how it was perceived, and it looked as if Kiwi was impressed with what she saw. It made Vee feel weird. Like a piece of meat, or something covetous and desirable, but there was an underlying current of something nefarious there too. A spike in her anxiety that didn't play across her face in any regard, but pulsed inside of her at a soul-deep level. Verse was uncertain what to make of all this.

I'm nobody important. She stated cooly. It occurred to her as she spoke that it wasn't entirely true - that if she wanted to become someone important, this was her shot. So what if the girl looked to be too young. What was that about taking their home back? Was she seeing some kind of warrior where Verse was standing? My name is Keela, she finally admitted. Vee tucked her familial nickname close to her heart and decided not to share it.

Hmm.  She was either lying or humble, and neither of those seemed like good traits to Kiwi.  Humble was okay in the sense that it meant she wouldn't try to make a grab for her throne, but if it turned into lack of confidence in a fight or a hunt they were going to have a problem.

As if she'd already locked her in.  Counting her chicks a little early here.

You should work on that, she said.  Like I am.  Keela.  It was a pretty name.

Her rejoinder was curious - what exactly was she supposed to work on? Verse was tired and surly but she wasn't about to take offense laying down; it wasn't clear to her what Kiwi meant and so by default she became indignant, her fur bristling in a wave.

You tryin' to recruit me or insult me, pipsqueak? Verse knew she was a large girl and even if she wasn't, even if she matched this slender creature, it wasn't possible to remain civil with that edge of tension in the air. She stepped close but made move to harm, merely trying to throw her weight around and intimidate.

You insulted yourself first, she shot back, with a small shrug.  I'm just sayin you should try and be someone.  Otherwise what's the point?  At no point had she ever assumed she would be 'no one important', and she couldn't believe anyone else was okay with that moniker either.  

If you don't want to, though, then I guess you should probably move on.  Because I'm not willing to take just anyone.  She remained where she was despite the other girl's attempt to cow her.  She was used to being smaller, and she felt a satisfied pleasure in the fact that Keela even bothered to posture.  It meant Kiwi was coming across like she wanted.

The woman snorted. I'm not going to follow just anyone either. What makes you so special? She couldn't help but feel put-off by the conversation but she also wasn't going to abandon this chance to prove the girl wrong; as stupid as it seemed to get in to an argument over her own worth with some upstart, Verse's ego couldn't handle the opposition very well.

She wouldn't just stand idly by and let this girl talk about her like that — regardless of who started it. It was fine for Verse to be hard on herself and self-depricating but to hear someone agree turned her tired angst in to a livid little ember deep down.

This girl was stupid.  What made Kiwi special?  She wasn't the one who'd said she wasn't to a complete stranger.  Her confidence didn't need questioning, and she had nothing to prove to some stranger.  In Kiwi's eyes, if they couldn't see that she was a natural born leader, then they didn't deserve to follow her.

I guess you'd find out if you joined, but if you don't, I don't have time to waste on you. She finished instead, flipping her tail and looking at her now a little impatiently.  She wasn't exactly thrilled with this meeting either, and while she wanted this pack, she wasn't about to accept anyone who might cause her problems setting up.  She couldn't afford to be challenged; she had a goal and she needed to meet it.  She needed support, not rebellion or snark.

This girl had a peculiar style for gathering wolves to her cause; Verse wasn't swayed one way or the other by the conversation except to grow more frustrated by the nonchalant manner of Kiwi's insults, and the general unease she felt in her presence. The more this girl spoke the less Verse felt comfortable lingering near, and certainly didn't feel like she'd get along with her well enough as a leader — what sort of leader speaks so forthright? How could someone like that find any respect among other wolves if they were abrasive, stubborn, and so incredibly bitchy?

A part of her wanted to see how it panned out because it would be pretty amusing to watch Kiwi fail, but that would mean putting up with more of this bullshit and Verse wasn't sure she could handle that. You aren't so great at sharing information, she observed, but that wasn't to point out a flaw.

Despite being agitated and tired, Verse couldn't stop herself from weighing her odds as a lone wolf versus one of a collective. Even if that collective was headed by a spunky bitch-sicle like Kiwi, it was better than roaming alone and wasting energy; life in a group was easier in the long run. Vee didn't fully relax as she considered these things but her voice was a touch more level, stating bluntly: I'm not so great with people, but I guess we all have our flaws.

If I help you I expect compensation. Food, place to sleep, the basics are a good start. But in time she'd want more, and the sheen in her gaze (tired eyes turned sharp) gave that much away.

It was funny... of everything, it was the agreement that Kiwi couldn't swallow.  She could handle the insults because they weren't true, and she could handle the comment on not sharing because yeah, no, she didn't have to.

But the demand was the kicker.  Kiwi did not do well with demands.

No. She replied.  That's not how it is here.  You want it, you earn it, same as anyone.  I don't owe you anything.  You'll get food and a place to sleep, but only if you help hunt it and help protect it.  She was making that very clear from the get go.  Everyone in this pack pulled their weight.

She knew by arguing she was risking this girl turning tail and leaving, but that would be no big loss.  She didn't need her that badly.  Compensation.  No fuckin way.

She inhaled slowly, deliberately, as if to ease an internal combustion engine before it could explode and fume smoke from her ears. This exchange was giving Vee a headache. Let me get this straight.

You want someone that is strong enough to help you retake some land, you want to lead some group of wolves loyal to yourself, but you won't explain what makes you a worthy leader to follow or offer anything aside from attitude? Vee was too tired to mince words or filter any thoughts by this point. And that's worked for you so far? Rhetorical, but with a look of surprise that isn't at all concealed.

Wow, what a deal, sign me right up, sounds stable as hell. Cue small snort.

There was a definite catching point to Kiwi's logic here.... she knew that she was most suited to lead, but had no concept with which to explain why.  She had no experience, no real claim, and no idea what these wolves looked for in a leader.  But the biggest catching point was that she didn't feel it was her job to try and explain it.

You don't have to join if you don't want to, it's not like I'm going to beg you.  We don't need you.  But if you want to do more than just piss around and be 'no one important', I am saying I'm your best shot at that.  She shot back, then shrugged.  But do what you want.

Nothing had worked for her so far because this was her first time trying.  But it wasn't in Kiwi's nature to be underhanded or to kiss up to someone who she didn't think had earned it.  The way she saw it, there were plenty out there who would see things her way, even if she had to wait a while to find them.