Barrow Fields just to stay awake in conversation

@Harley (:

corinna heeded the warning that indra had given her about the dark forest, deciding instead to head back up to the north. perhaps she'd turned back too soon, maybe there really was something for her up this way. she didn't know, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

beneath her feet was the soft cushion of snow, each step another crisp crunch. her ears pricked, satellite dishes listening to the sound of the snow. she wasn't alone, she realized, as off in the distance she heard an echo of footsteps that weren't her own. after some thought, corinna came to a slow stop, pausing with a signature paw held up to her chest. her nose twitched, and she listened as the footsteps grew nearer and nearer.

Harley moved idly through the feilds, neither enjoying herself but nor feeling like she was wasting time. She moved without aim, but what little hunting there was, she partook in — a mouse here, a carcass there, and the hoyden knew better than to be picky this far north, this deep into winter. She had always been a child of necessity, and a burden and drain her caretakers. They never faulted her for it, or made her to feel less than, but Harley knew to take whatever she got and to be completely, entirely thankful for the kindness. If she didn’t, she felt as though she owed them something. That type of guilt just would not work!

and no, that would not work when it came to mother nature’s offerings, either!

Footsteps, crunching along in the snow, captured her attention. Harley’s charcoal-masked visage snapped to attention, but visually relaxed when she found nothing more than a pretty lady, standing alone out in the winter’s cold. “Yo!” Harley called out, prancing towards the other shelf and waving her banner behind her in an excited, circular manner. When she was a bit closer, Harley inquired “Who’re yah?” and pressed her perky ears forward on her crown, all too ready to receive the pretty girl's response. Although she had no right to this information, Harley didn’t expect the stranger to rebuff her. That just didn’t happen often — more often than not, Harley got what she wanted of others.        

the crunching came faster and louder until corinna had placed it to her left, and watched as a bouncy figure pranced into view. she was a spritely fae, dark chocolatey fur and bright ambient eyes. her approach might've startled someone else, but strangers did not worry corinna as much as they did others. her own tail swung at her hocks, mimicking the excitement that the other seemed to radiate. but like this perky wolf, corinna too always got what she wanted-- and she did not give as easily as others, for she was simply above that.

"well, who are you?" she asked, turning more fully to give the stranger her attention-- for it would be rude not to. she did her own look-down of the girl, deciding immediately she thought she was much prettier than the sweet red child she'd met a little while back-- indra-- but perhaps it was merely the joy that gave off an illusion of glowing youth and beauty. after a significant amount of time had passed, corinna finally gave her answer. "i am corinna."

Harley halted her approach when she was several feet away from the sandy blonde and sat down, immediately invested in this interaction. She had always been a sociable wolf — a pack wolf — and she fully appreciated the role that others could play in her life. Hunting, haunting and healing were all such valuable skills but, if for nothing else, Harley was happy to be in another’s presence simply for the enjoyment of their company. Such was this situation!

The stranger did not immediately respond to Harley’s inquiry, but she waited patiently and sweetened the conversation with her own introduction, when prompted. “I’m Harley,” she offered and raised an eyebrow, as if to say et tu? Finally, when the girl relinquished her stoic prelude, Harley gave a pleased titter. “Corinna,” Harley echoed. “That’s pretty.” 

Harley immediately began to wonder about this girl, as she hadn’t come across another in a while. There were parklands dotting the coast, and she shared with them a wide berth; but this woman smelt of neither. She smelled distinctly alone. Cocking her head to one side, she chimed “You from around here? I’m new to the area,” in her most honest, earnest voice.“I could use a friend, if you’re lookin’ to make one.” Harley much preferred having friends to being strangers — but, didn’t everyone?

"so is harley-- like a spring field," she purled thoughtfully, waving her tail. that was what harley meant, her mother had told her a while ago-- corinna had used to know a harley, much different from this one, however. 

she shook her head, ears pricking. "not even close, and not staying, just wandering. i'm headed somewhere, though, and you're more than welcome to join me," she told the stranger with a bright smile. what was wrong with having a friend? corinna saw no problem with it at all.

A step of her stockinged limbs forward and a dip of her black velvet maw signified her immediate interest. “Man, really? Where’re yah headed?” It was not often that Harley met loners who were so open and eager to engage — kinda like Harley was herself, honestly — so the temptation to join this relative stranger on her travels was real. She didn’t have anything else to do, either, so the objections she could conjure for this plot twist were minimal.

Well, there was one — but Harley had never been the most self-away of creatures, so she found the reason for the iota of hesitation. All she could chalk it up to an inkling of a feeling that Raiden was close. She probably wasn’t, and Harley wasn’t sure she wanted to see the girl if it turned out she was — but the more she thought about it, the more Harley knew she could not turn away from this small call of her intuition. “Dang, that sounds real fun, but I’m actually kind of looking for something — someone, too,” she kind-of lied to Corrine. Her honeyed gaze dropped to her toes, her demeanor transparent, clearly advertising the dismay that she felt at not being able to join the girl on her adventures… and not being able to voice the true reason, because Harley barely understood it herself. 

“Say, y’haven’t seen her, have yah? Name’s Raiden.” Harley chirped, regaining her natural charisma quickly. “She looks… kinda like me, really.” Harley stuck out a leg, canted her head, and swished her tail as if to demonstrate what a ‘wolf like her’ might look like. Then her demonstration dissolved into a small guffaw of laughter, and after a moment, the hoyden pointed her muzzle right at the girl. “Neither of us got those pretty-light-coat genes like you got,” she commented with a winsome glint in her gilded eyes. “Lucky betch.”