Lion Head Mesa gesuto o omukae

@Nephele

news had come of yet another new arrival, this time a wolf. she had not been told of the woman's admittance to the mesa so much as eavesdropped the information as it flit about the tunnels between the gossiping fellahin.
it was a surprise but a welcome one, lending a sense of elation to satsu. she had taken the time to gather a welcome gift for the woman; a cluster of wildflowers in a loose bouquet, gathered from beneath her favored trees. it was not much.
satsu did not know what they were called, only that jawahir had called them sabah.

If she was being real, Nephele was kinda hot. Don’t get her wrong, this was nice and all, the cache, the security, but she was spending most of her time trying to find cool places to lay low in the hottest portions of the day.

She’d never been one of the godly folk but she thanked whoever was watching her that her coat was short, even if it would pose a problem once winter rolled itself back around to hound her. So, here she was. At the side of what could be called a puddle if you were being realistic, a pond if you were being optimistic, and she was periodically dunking her head and pulling it back out. 

Nephele puffed, gently. She remembered the last time she’d been up to her belly like this in water. Hopefully Germanicus wasn’t worried about her, she’d feel horrible if he was. He had been so friendly, everyone she’d met had been pretty friendly. Maybe she was just lucky in that regard.

the sound of something hitting water -- which brought to mind wading birds dipping for breakfast -- soon caught in satsu's ears.
it wasn't a sound she would have associated with a wolf; but when she came upon the figure with her head beneath the surface of a tepid patch of water, she stopped and stared.

upon realizing this was the wolf she had been seeking to find, satsu gathered herself and drew alongside where they were positioned. it did not occur to her to speak or make herself known, not that she could with the bundle of flowers held carefully between her teeth.

she placed them down beside the stranger quietly and continued to watch; presuming, erroneously, that this was some indigenous custom of such satsu was not aware of.

Nephele blew a bubble. Then another, just for fun, because she’d never had the time to just do this before. She deliberately didn’t catch her own eye in her reflection, rearing her head back out of the water to shake her face fur so it wasn’t dripping. Sufficiently damp, she gathered her limbs, turned to shore, and stopped.

A young woman sat there, pretty and colorful in ways Nephele was not. Wow she really was just a monochrome sketch next to these others among this pack, huh? Slowly, she offered a little awkward smile and a friendly wave of her tail.

Eheh, you didn’t see her blowing bubbles, she was a big bad protector okay, not bubble boy.

when finally the woman lifted free of the water, satsu was taking care to avert her eyes. she could not know the purpose of such behavior and erroneously thought it to be a ritual; any ritual from her home had been meant as a private moment, and so she thought herself to be kind and accommadating by focusing on the gift rather than the girl.

the sound of water dripping followed. movement in the shallows.
satsu looked, casually as she could, upon the bright-eyed girl and smiled when she smiled.

hello. i wanted to welcome you to akashingo. satsu offered with a dip of her snout, which then carried fluidly down to where the flowers lay bundled at her feet. she nosed at the petals of one flower before looking to nephele again.

these are for you, if you would like them.

Nephele’s eyes tipped down to the flowers as they were prodded at, breathing out a soft puff. Nobody had ever brought her flowers before, ever. Even Pidáo, in his infinite wisdom on courting (which he had assured her of), never brought flowers. 

She licked her nose, a faint wheeze to her breath when she inhaled it that spoke of the sudden knot in her esophagus. She swallowed around it, trying not to let it get her as it had before.

...thank you. This is kind of you to do. She murmured, biting down hard on her tongue to rid it of the tie in it, turning her words to ashes in her mouth. Nephele flashed a grateful smile.

I’ll place them in my alcove where I sleep.

if the newcomer felt awkward for their display, satsu did not notice. that or she chose not to comment on it.
it is nice to see our numbers grow. i hope that the mesa is not too harsh for you? the days can be humid, and the nights quite cold...
the girl took her gift, which pleased satsu.

Nephele lowered her haunches to the ground, grateful to take her weight off her paws for a time. Despite how long it had been, her leg still gave her trouble sometimes. She tipped her head side to side at the question, chewing on her inner cheek.

Its nice up here. I’m adjusting fairly well to it. I’ve spent most of my life in various forests, so it’s…nice to see something new when I wake up.

satsu nods.
it is much the same for me.
thinking now of what once was; then of the woodland where the saints had been, both very different from the home she hoped to build upon the mesa.
i come from... well, a large place. there were hills, forests, a lake, and one beautiful mountain. very different from this place. she did not mean to sound ungrateful for her home, but satsu did deeply miss the place of her birth.
hopefully she had not put a damper on the conversation.
i hope we both find joy here.