Neverwinter Forest nothing could discourage me

@Valencia

 

mathieu started his evening patrol on the territory's southern fringe. he sounded a short call for anyone wanting to join him, quickly followed by several warning barks for anyone who lurked nearby. 

his eyes were wide, searching for anyone who looked like his brother. although doubtful, matty had to maintain some hope that yves would come to find him. he sighed and continued onward, wishing for some sort of miracle.

Everything was warm and itchy and Lenny honestly felt really gross, but it only made the girl more restless. She was walking almost constantly, patrolling borders and going on short excursions and just being generally jittery and fidgety. The girl didn't know it yet, but her heat would come in just two days.

So when the boy called, she was by the borders already, doing her own patrol. But she craved companionship, so she let out a yip in return and trotted over until she found the boy. A smile crossed her face when she saw him - spotty, like Mal, but more in shades of blue and gray. 

"Hey," she greeted amiably, slightly dazed but not so out of it that she was going to be a burden on the patrol. "I take it you're from here?"

thankfully, someone answered the call. mathieu looked over his shoulder at the unfamiliar woman, noticed the discomfort in her expression, and pressed his ears backward as he continued on the trail. had he done something wrong already? well, it wouldn't have been a surprise.

he nodded his head, replying: just coming back from a trip. you? she was pretty, but not as pretty as simmik. where was that girl anyway? i'm matty, he continued, who're you?

The girl noticed that the boy's expression changed when he saw her, and realized she must've been making a face. A smile formed on her muzzle and she mentally shook off the gross feeling that had been clinging to her for a couple of days now. Maybe if she just ignored it, it would go away. 

"I've been around here for a while," she told him, tail setting off at an easy wag. "My name's Lenny. It's nice to meet you." Silvery eyes flicked around before settling back on the boy - Matty. "You looking for a patrol buddy?"

mathieu's stared downward, but nodded for lenny to come along. yeah, he replied, nice to meet you, too. conversation lapsed for a moment, making mathieu nervous. what was he supposed to say? the boy gulped down a heavy breath and turned back to ask: what kind of name is lenny?

i don't mean— he stopped himself and tried to collect his thoughts. it's nice, but...isn't it a guy's name? it was like calling a girl fernando, or calling a boy bella. mathieu knew that he'd overstepped some sort of social line; he blew a puff of air and silently scolded himself.

Moonstone eyes lit up with mirth as the boy accused her of having a "guy's name." Laughter bubbled in her chest and she shook her head. "Sir, that's so rude! Making fun of a lady's name like that," she said dramatically, one of her accents popping out - it was the one that sounded vaguely southern.

The girl leaned in conspiratorially and wagged her tail, voice dropping to a whisper. "Tell you a secret, though. My name's actually Valencia." She winced then, still smiling. "I just really hate it. So pretentious. Lenny is much better for me."

oh, i didn't mean— mathieu looked up and noticed her humor. i'm sorry, he laughed. the guard brushed against the rotted trunk of a tree, leaving streaks of his scent behind. 

valencia was a prettier name in his opinion. it fit her much more than lenny, which matty thought sounded more like a street fighter than a woman. my name is mathieu, but i guess matty has the same effect.

Lenny laughed again and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. You were just being honest," she told the boy, sharp eyes flicking over across the border and nose tilted up to the wind to try and catch scent of anyone who might be intruding. She followed his lead and marked one of the trees nearby, pausing only momentarily.

"I think Matty suits you better," she told him, but then again, she had never been overfond of the names that sounded pretentious to her. "Are you and Mal related, by chance?"

i'm not aware of any relation, mathieu shrugged. there were some similarities between them, but he'd never thought to investigate. why? the speculation did bring curiousity which he would be sure to think more about later.

otherwise, valencia proved good company. mathieu pensively pressed his paws into the dirt, eyes open for any passers-by. how'd you find this place? he asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"Well, other than the pup, you're the only two spotted wolves I've ever seen. You just look... a whole lot alike," she said with a tilt of her head. It was hard to consider she might've been mistaken. "Maybe talk to him about it. Just to be sure." 

How'd you find this place? "Oh! My sister's here. Vallkyrie," she offered with a grin, pausing to scratch at the bark on one of the trees. "We look an awful lot alike, too. But her eyes are more blue and I've only got the one white spot instead of my whole chest." And she was shorter and thicker, but that was by the by. Not as elegant as her swifter sibling.

yeah, alright. mathieu didn't know much about his parents, but he assumed that siblings would have been something they'd disclosed. spotted wolves were everywhere at home; surely, they weren't an uncommon occurrence. maybe valencia just hadn't seen many yet.

whatever. the idea was pretty dumb...right? where's she? he asked. mathieu couldn't remember having ever met someone named vallkyrie, so maybe she was a newer recruit.

Lenny wanted to pressure him into telling her what he found out, but she didn't, instead letting the boy think about what she'd said. It was up to him whether or not he'd listen and do what she suggested, but she wouldn't press any further than she already had.

"Around, I'm sure," she told him, offering up a smile. "She's never really far from the territory. Unless maybe she's hunting." She stretched and moved to mark another tree - no trespassers would have any excuse for not knowing the territory was marked.

i'll look out for her, he replied. meeting his packmates hadn't really been one of mathieu's priorities, but he really didn't have an excuse to remain a recluse. 

patrolling in silence, matty and lenny continued with their small talk. i'm gonna take a break, he said. nodding his goodbye, the guard made one final marking and broke off for his den.

It was a nice patrol, Lenny thought as she padded alongside the boy. The chit-chat felt natural and pleasant, and he wasn't rude or standoffish at all. 

The girl nodded as he headed off, turning to continue walking along the border.