Myth was moving along the lake's banks, away from the site where she had successfully snapped up a gopher that had strayed too far from its burrow. Her pace was quick and the limp body of her prey dangled from her jaws as she walked.
It had been... how long since she'd left the pack of her birth? Long enough, she wasn't really keeping track, but she was certainly in no danger yet of starving from her own inexperience -- especially with gophers as her unintelligent little saviors. Unintelligent little beasts that liked digging holes for someone to trip and break a leg in. Sure, they weren't nearly as good as venison, but she wasn't about to question her luck on such things. Food had provided itself, and she was thankful for whatever aspect of the world had decided to present it to her.
If anyone had heard the scuffling from her pounce, Myth hoped that by now she had left them all behind. She wasn't exactly keen on letting anyone steal her catch, and so settled herself on the shore, facing directly away from the water so she could watch for someone intruding. It was only then she dropped the gopher and settled down to eat it, doing so fairly delicately -- though she didn't like people trying to steal from her, choking to death from her own haste didn't sound like a good idea either. Even then, it wouldn't be too long before the grey female could be on her way again to... Uh. Somewhere that she was going to. Yeah. That was the ticket.
he had gone too far, and consternation nipped at his heels. yet taltos pressed forward. over hill and vale, wending 'cross plateaus and under rock overhangs. the earthen male had paused only to rest when his paws ceased to burn with the ache of a traveler. and now he found himself in unfamiliar territory — a whine slid unbidden from the recesses of his throat.
lasher did not enjoy being too far from those that he knew, but the wandering spirit imbued in him by the glen — donnelaith! o! how he wept for it! — and yet forward he moved, sweeping down to the shallows of a glimmering lake.
'twas there that he saw the figure. swathed in silver, eyes as twin suns; he beheld their light even from here. she crouched over a tiny body, but he was disinterested in her prey. lasher stepped into the shallows, not yet approaching, but smitten by her, as he was by all in which he saw the potential of witch.
She'd been nibbling away for a while when motion caught her eye. For a moment when he came into her field of vision, she thought he might try to do what she feared -- to steal from her greedy self. A slight ripple ran through her guard hairs, but she continued to eat, to dissect the gopher for the best tasting of parts. But no, he was moving on to a section of shore a little distance away. Myth relaxed. False alarm.
However, she wasn't exactly going to give him a chance to change his mind. Soon, all that was left were some tufts of fur and the stomach contents, neither of which were particularly appetizing. Dragging her tongue along her lips, she yawned, stood up and peered over at the darkish male. The fact he hadn't interfered, and in fact stayed away made her curious, so she had to go and investigate. Besides, maybe he knew something about this region -- give her some pointers of what losers to avoid and all that.
Myth sauntered towards him, paws pointed along the thin border where the water licked the earth. Woofing quietly once she was within a handful of yards, she stepped into the water as well, dragging her feet through the low water for a few strides. She watched for his response -- what kind of wolf was he? Serious? Playful? Ready to bite her face off for even coming near? Well, if she had to pick out of those, she'd prefer the second one. Myth was, after all, only just past puphood herself, and as such was quite open to games.
she glided smoothly into the shallows, her voice a wordless inquiry, though not quite a beckon. she was careful, and yet he saw curiosity in the curve of her gait and the proud arch of her gilded neck. and so he approached, carefully, halting only when the water threatened to lap with its cold tongue against the earthen fur of his breast. hello, he called softly, ears sweeping forward to await her response.
perhaps she in her youth would take pity upon his wandering soul, and tell him from whence he must travel to return home. but he stood silent now, wanting nothing more past the pleasure of her company, and perhaps to hear her voice again, lifted in words this time.
there had been many in his past who deemed his infatuation with the female form to be unnatural, for it did not stem from a demand or desire to seed vast fields with the fruit of his loins. for taltos, it was borne out of a spiritual need, an abiding and incomprehensible knowledge that one and one must come together to make two, that two was the sacred number that delineated the meeting of the souls.
In a lot of scenarios, Myth was naive. Though a yearling and thus still blessed with a certain level of ignorance, she wasn't going to be the first one to notice anyone's interest to be anything above normal no matter what the background reason. It wasn't in her character at the moment -- perhaps she'd need to be burned before being wary. Youthful invincibility.
"Heya," she said, upbeat. Where was she supposed to say in this scenario? Her nostrils flared and with a cant of her head, she confirmed, "You a traveler?" She hadn't met many lone wolves (she didn't really count herself among them; she was just between places, you know?) and wanted to make sure that her nose wasn't deceiving her. Sure, as a pup she'd been told to be wary of strangers, but at this point everyone was unknown to her. Myth had to start somewhere.
taltos was quiet as she appraised him, and likewise took her own scent. for now, he answered, and it was true; tartok had not been cemented here, not yet, but he did not doubt tonravik and her ambition. he drew somewhat closer, body kept carefully neutral; he did not seek to dominate or submit. they were equals here. good hunting, he complimented.
he wished to ask if she was alone, as a segue into his invitation to trek toward tartok, but wisely held his tongue on that point. the girl perhaps would not take his intentions as innocent. taltos glanced skyward to track the movement of the sun momentarily, then let his eyes rest on her again. what is your name? i am lasher. also called taltos.
"I'm Myth," she said plainly, bobbing her head slightly in the introduction but not doing much else about it. She was quick to continue prattling on. "You wouldn't happen to know much about what's around here, would you? Well, okay, more than just what's seen with your eyes, you know?" Okay, maybe he didn't. She was totally just so good at explaining... "I mean, I came from way out there so this is all new and stuff," Myth flicked her head to indicate a vaguely northeasternly direction as she spoke. It was pretty obvious that heading back there wasn't likely to happen all that soon. Adventures, after all, were the things that lay westward.
"I am new also," taltos murmured regretfully, but his eyes were bright. perhaps there was a place for this gunmetal wisp in tonravik's domain. "i am from the north. i serve tonravik, of tartok." he did not openly raise the question of her accompanying him to meet the sable berserker, but the hint lay in the open all the same.
"what brought you here?" he inquired, moving closer in friendliness. "i do not know much of this land, but it has been kind to me — to tartok — thus far." he wondered from whence she had arrived, and why; she seemed innocent enough, naive of her surroundings, and he was not wary, but there was a reason for each journey.
Myth had to take the obvious quip, "My feet?" Grinning awkwardly a moment, she watched Lasher attentively, wondering if he'd be amused or just scowl at her rather lame attempt at humor. She raised a paw, sweeping it across the surface of the water, turning a bit more serious, "There are just some times when it seems right to do something. I mean, some have to go out and find their destinies, right? That's just how the world works. Some stay put, some go away and do things." A pause. "It seemed right." Not everyone had to have a past full of horrors and disasters. She just wanted something new, and that was what she received.
"laughter!" he exclaimed, relishing her company thus far. he appreciated her answer to his question, this myth, and nodded at her when she had finished. "perhaps you will find what you seek here." he knew his place was not to gang-press her into swearing fealty to tartok, but he would certainly tell tonravik of her. for, while the dark woman enjoyed having would-be joiners come to her, certainly she would not be averse to a bit of news such as this.
"i have been hunting for some time, and have not been successful. perhaps you, with your admirable talent, might aid me?" his eyes danced as he invited her to a hunt; there was a chance to learn more of myth, if she would but accept.
"not far in the direction from which i came, there is a herd of deer, guarded by a lofty old stag." lasher was not interested in food, but engaging in a mutually satisfying chase would benefit the both of them.