Emberwood time traveler

not deep into emberwood! more along swiftcurrent creek where it cuts up near the woods before the wetlands :)
@Fennec let me know if this needs editing!

down she went, away from the mountain. not by much though. uncertain if she'd wish to cross through the hollow once more to the other side. although both sides seemed mighty similar so far.

she had found a creek and followed it northward. only to discover herself on the edge of a peaceful forest. a quick sniff about told her she wasn't the only dog to cut through here. others' scents lingered. she wondered what they might be like. perhaps more friendly faces like tavina.

tentatively she peered into the woods, as if she might catch a glimpse of somebody home.

They'd barely had time to begin marking the boundaries on the place they'd chosen, but Fennec knew that she'd be walking the territory endlessly regardless. Relocating was always difficult for her, even when she loved the location they chose. It would take her time before she knew the place like she'd known the Caldera.

She could have easily grabbed Fig and forced him to be her guide, but right now it made more sense for them all to split and cover more ground. Might be faster, she thought wryly, slowly making her way between a thicker portion of the forest along the outer edge. She really didn't feel like busting her nose today.

Her ears flicked as she sensed something moving slightly nearby. In a default reaction, her fur lifted, but this place wasn't nearly settled enough for her to come out swinging. They sounded bigger, but they weren't coming at her. You a friend or an enemy? She called out, and her expression shifted slightly towards a smile despite her wariness. Imagine if they just... said enemy?

feel free to skip me, he's just helicopter brothering

Yes, splitting up would have probably been a better idea. But it just seemed inevitable for Figment that his path would eventually bring him back to his sister. He'd spotted her in the distance while exploring the area and had paused, just watching for a moment to make sure she was being safe. He hadn't intended on interrupting her or letting her know he was even there, but then the stranger had arrived. He knew Fenn could take care of herself, but the creature that approached was just so bizarre-looking to his eyes that he couldn't walk away and leave her to it.

Fig stepped up to his sister's side having angled himself on his own approach that she could've caught his scent prior to feeling his presence. He brushed his hip against hers by way of silent greeting, but kept his gaze on the oddity before them. There was something canid about the animal's appearance, but it was not like any wolf he'd ever seen. It didn't look like it stood a chance against either of them in a fight let alone against two of them, but Fig didn't let his guard down, and his wariness showed clearly on his stoic face though he remained silent.

it was a ghostly, wisp of a woman that arrived. she might have thought the woods were haunted, that she had stumbled upon something forbidden.

only words were spoken and nala was drawn back to reality. this was no ghost, she seemed as real as everything else around her.

a friend, she answered with warmth as her tail swayed behind her easily. what are you? humor in her tone.

oh but, who was this? another approached. a man, swarthy and handsome much like tavina had been. wolves, she was enamored.

the happy sound I just made, realizing her signature is relevant again ;o;

Of course, Fig was there. She could crack a joke about being his security blanket later.

The stranger had a weird quality to them, but Fennec couldn't see to place it. She sounded extremely friendly and that was all that really mattered. If she wasn't going to take issue with them being here, then that meant she had the potential of joining them.

A witch. Fennec answered, a little tickled by the way she had asked it. What, not who. We're making a claim on this forest. Are you heading somewhere?

She didn't want to come right out and offer a spot, but would rather feel the woman out to get a sense for her. She liked what she'd heard so far.

oh, no fair! i didn't know witches were an option. she joked back with a wide grin. in good spirits among these wolves.

i don't...really have somewhere to head to, no. was just wandering. the friendliness did not leave her tone or form but she was undeniably a bit nervous now! it always felt as though there were wrong answers when pressed with questions like these. best to just press on.

is this your guys' place?

<3<3<3<3<3

There was no malice in the creature's tone, only kindness and humor. Fig settled a tiny bit, but he remained for the most part wary. He'd seen oddly colored wolves before, but none with this sort of frame and look about them. No, he was certain this wasn't a wolf. But what was it? A cousin like the coyote? He grimaced. Coyotes were often enemies as well. Clever ones. Treacherous ones.

He remained silent, staring studiously at the beast and listening intently to the conversation it had with his sister.

That is kind of the whole idea, with making a claim. There were a couple of reasons why both Fig and Bronco were likely way better choices when it came to getting recruits. Fennec just couldn't help herself.

She really did take the witch thing in stride though, which was extra bonus points. Fig was a silent, anxiously hovering presence at her back, but that didnt seem to bother whoever this was either. Speaking of...

I'm Fennec. The rude, un-fun one back there is my brother, Fig. You can call him Figgy, he loves it. Don't you, Figgy? Fennec grinned sweetly, taking full advantage of the fact that he hadn't introduced himself yet. Did it matter that it was out of deference to her? Nope, not at all.

ope!

nala didn't let her goofiness trip her up anymore, though. especially as they moved onto introductions.

fennec! and...fig! or figgy? admittedly, nala was not capable of reading this sort of scenario. regardless her tail swished eagerly behind her as she offered her own name finally.

i'm nala! nice to meet you fennec and, um, figgy? eyes wrinkled with her open mouth smile as she looked between the two siblings.

At another time, Figment may have smiled at his sister's jest. Not even a hint of one touched his eyes, though, as he stared at the stranger. She continued to show only friendliness, introducing herself with a lighthearted smile and a jumping-on-the-bandwagon tease about his name. The name didn't bother him, but still, he was stone.

"What are you?" Fig asked, bluntly ignoring the banter, tensing again as though calling her out on being different would prompt her to suddenly change into an even more horrible, violent creature that would attack them in an instant, "You are no wolf that I've ever seen. You're not like anything I've ever seen." Not entirely true, but he wasn't interested in clarifying his experience.

To Nala's credit, she took it in her stride. Fennec was expecting Fig to get angry, or awkward, or anything really directed at her. Instead he decided to be an asshole to whoever this was.

Fig, what the fuck... she muttered, curious why he was acting like that but even more annoyed by the sudden aggressiveness. Her fur bristled with warning, but towards him. She was tempted to tell whoever this was that she didn't need to answer his rude question but she curbed the impulse. He wouldn't stop at that, probably, and Fig could be weirdly stubborn. Still, she'd kick his ass if he messed up this recruiting effort on the basis of some dumb shit like that.

his words were somehow mean but also familiar in a sad way.

this would not be the first time nala’s…uniqueness had been pointed out so bluntly. she also had to imagine that if he was reacting this way here, it wouldn’t be the last time either. tall ears awkwardly swiveled as she let her eyes wander to the trees.

well…i’m not a wolf. or a coyote. or whatever else big wild dogs are out here. i’m just…a dog! laughed a little bit of a sad sound, but smiled nonetheless.

He ignored Fennec, keeping his eyes on the other girl while she answered the question with sadness in her tone. Fig's suspicions remained, but he couldn't help the prickle of sympathy that touched his heart. He was not an unkind wolf, after all. Just a protective one. He'd never heard of a dog before, though she mentioned wolves and coyotes in a way that suggested she thought herself related to them somehow. He'd had the same thought, that she might perhaps be somewhere in their gene pool. He wasn't sure if this confirmed anything, but it was something.

"Your abilities," he continued, "They're like our own?" He paused, trying to figure out how to explain his question better without sounding completely stupid. "Your strength is a match to ours? Your speed also? You're not more on the level of like... a cougar or a bear?" That wasn't the way to not sound stupid. He huffed in frustration, giving up on any pretense now so he could bring this to a close.

"I'm sorry, I've never heard of a dog. I don't mean to be cruel. You look similar to us, but I can tell you're not the same, and it makes me nervous that you are some sort of threat to my family," Fig explained, "You seem friendly and you look harmless enough, but how do I know you are what you seem?"

Oh, wait, holy shit. There was a chance this girl was on par with a cougar or a bear and Fig had a problem with that? The instant he said that, Fennec's entire focus honed in and her interest skyrocketed about sevenfold. Screw whatever the fuck he was doing, this dog (whatever it was) was theirs now.

Well, I'm sure you aren't. And that's what matters, isn't it? She was absolutely pulling rank, and she gave Fig a smirk that knew how much he was going to hate that. As much as she appreciated his concern, there was no way in hell she was going to let him talk about her like she needed a fucking bodyguard. She'd hardly needed one for the last year.

Besides, it isn't like most of us here can't handle ourselves. That one was a little pointed. What we could use, though, is a few more hunters. Are you looking to stick around?

she shrunk under figgy's words.

each one a bit harder hitting than the last. nala was deemed a threat. somehow compared to a cougar and bear — which...okay she kinda knew what a bear was but not a cougar. she didn't even know what she was being compared to or why she was being compared to it. even she knew she was closer to them than a bear.

fennec offered a kind recovery, one that softened nala to her further, but still the dog felt...disjointed. uncomfortable under the bright gaze of figgy.

only if that's okay. i don't...really want to upset anyone...

she had already done that, though, hadn't she?

Before the girl could answer, Fenn butted in with her usual recklessness. Fig tore his gaze away from the stranger to give her a sidelong glance. For once, he wished she would put safety before her other ambitions. But once again, she charged ahead without a second thought. She wanted bodies in her ranks. What did it matter that this wasn't a wolf?

Fig looked away from the smirk on his sister's face to the anxiety on the dog's. She accepted the offer, though didn't seem to certain about it. Guilt began to gnaw at him, seeing the discomfort on her face and her features, strange as they were. He didn't like being cruel, but he also didn't like being reckless. Befriending a species they knew nothing about, even going as far as welcoming her into their home, was about as reckless as it got in his opinion.

"Do no harm, then," Fig replied to assertion that she didn't want to upset anyone. He would let this happen (like he had a choice when it came to Fenn), but he would watch her. Fennec might welcome her with open arms now, but she was on probation as far as Fig was concerned.

Fennec couldn't see the effect but she could hear it. Her brother seemed willing to drop it, but not without one final word edgewise. Fennec made a small noise in her throat, but decided to let it go. He could be paranoid if he wanted. She knew Nala was no threat to her.

C'mon, I can show you around. If you think you can contain all that pure, violent energy though. I can really just feel it rolling off. Okay, so maybe not entirely let it go. She was clearly messing with both of them in a sorry attempt to lighten the mood, but she turned and made to lead Nala around the borders a bit before heading deeper in. She didn't bother asking again if she wanted to join - since Fennec had said it was okay, that meant the matter was settled. She was a member until she decided she wanted to move on.

this can be last for me <3 we'll have to have another, I love this!

last from me :)

thanks, softly mumbled for fennec.

nala was content to simply follow along with the pale woman. perhaps stay clear of the man who seemed very keen to paint her as some sort of...monster.

she wondered what anybody else here would think of her. would they think her something to gawk at and spread rumors of? or would they welcome her as fennec had?

only one way to find out...