Black Morass no light no light

ooc; march 24th - entering teekons

there was a flourish of activity here if one knew where to look.

spring had given the land its blessing, and in return, the people here had been provided a bountiful harvest. this murky swampland was not pretty to look at yet it had its uses. he could easily spot the various wildlife. rare plants grew here, where the sun did not tread. having lived a large portion of his young life in a cavern pack, the young man's eyes were more sensitive to the light than dark. for now, to adjust, he moved at night with little ventures in the sunlight.

he did not seem to care about the muck dragging at his limbs. as he bent over to sniff at some foliage attached to a fallen log, Baelfire was absorbed. he breathed in the earthen scent, a content look upon his otherwise neutral face. from passing travelers, he learned this realm was the Teekons. a whole new biosphere to enjoy and learn of... he could not wait. footfalls would sound behind him but still, the man did not start. if another approached with intent, his back was to them currently. wondering if he should gather some of these samples to place in a cache, the young man tilted his head lightly in thought.

Kiwi didn't generally go this far south, and knew she probably shouldn't wander too far what with her mom being kinda busy.  She had a pack to lead, but also, she felt like sometimes she just needed a walk.  Especially lately.

Forgetting her family in Drageda was easier said than done.  With new siblings, she couldn't help but think of the old ones, and of Nomi.  But Nomi was dead.  Her siblings, she'd finally realized with Artaax, really did hate her now.  She was Natrona and she couldn't go back.

Of course that meant, conversely, she couldn't think of anything she wanted to do more.  Kiwi hated "can't".

The beauty of spring was lost on her as she walked, but the other wolf at least she saw.  She paused, staring for a second curiously, before coming forward.  She wasn't near home, so her normal aggressive interrogation didn't come out.  Small blessings.

Hi, she said, looking first at him, then at what he'd been staring at.  Who are you?

ooc; thank you for joining!

a greeting would be offered, causing Baelfire's head to shoot up slowly. he'd turn, finding the fiery coat of a young lady meeting his eyes. the more reclusive part of him had no obligation to answer; he could just continue on his way. but this place... it was meant as a fresh start. he wasn't going to ignore her because she was there. "hello" he'd return to her, voice crackling from no usage these past few months of travel. he didn't see her as a threat unless she made herself one. for now, there was no harm. "my name... is Baelfire. I've just arrived here" he'd explain slowly. "do you live here?"

She gave a slight, almost derisive ksst of laughter when he asked if she lived here.  Of course not!  I'm Regent for the Firebirds, she said, tail lifting with pride as she said it.  He had a good amount of height on her, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a presence.

Where are you from? Probably nowhere she really needed to know, but she did always like learning new places.  Never knew when it might come in handy.

for fuck's sake, he only asked a question. the meaning wasn't if she lived here here. it was this realm. this unknown land. a denizen or something. maybe he could have worded it better but damn. Baelfire's eyes squinted a bit at her seemingly holier-than-thou amusement. people never seemed to understand that an ecosystem flourished whether it was pretty or not. everything had the right to live. 

and it always had an effect on the people living near them.

her words meant nothing to him. Firebirds, some sort of pack he'd avoid. "then why come here?" he'd ask her. if she had a problem with the environment, why even come near it if it was so beneath her... Baelfire had no reason to answer her, so he'd only grunt a reply. "far away." was hopefully good enough for he wasn't going to explain himself further.

Because, a good leader knows what's going on around them too, she answered, still lofty.  She had no reason to dislike this wolf, but no reason to like them either, and practicing authority made her feel powerful.  If it bothered him, she didn't notice.

His answer wasn't really all that informative but it was enough to let her know she didn't need to know more.  I have to know who's around and who they are.  She didn't need to stop them from being there, but she did need to know if they were a threat.

Baelfire felt this girl had a lot of ego; more so to fill what little he had and then more. "hm" was his only reply, not concerned about who leads what pack. at least not yet. he always felt if they wanted his respect, they'd earn it. this girl was probably some fancy prancing princess, born into the role and knowing nothing else. a sad life. "well, I'm not going to your pack" he'd tell her bluntly enough even if his tone was soft "so you need not to concern yourself with me." he didn't want anyone to be watching his comings and goings anyway. he felt she would think this wasn't good enough and didn't rightly care if it was or not. to her, he was a nobody. someone without a rank and a pack. she'd get bored of him soon enough and leave.

I don't care about that.  She replied, shrugging.  It would have been nice to recruit a member but Kiwi wasn't about to ask them - the question wasn't if they wanted Firebirds, but if Firebirds wanted them.  There was no way she'd ever make a solid recruiter.  Are you settling in the area?

If he was that was probably fine.  Probably.  She just needed to know.

Presumably he answered, or told her to get lost.  Either way, it was clear he was only a traveler and not worth much of her time.