Moonspear hunger.

A rabbit hung from her maw- a usual treat for Desdemona. She seemed to recently found a love for the small, fast critter, despite tastes usually falling with the geese. Now that winter was coming, those who fly in the skies were becoming quite scarce, and even too, the rabbits were starting to lay a den.

Up the mountain did the guard go, her paws drifting toward where a cache was.

Just as the bear grows fat before hibernation, Tehama had been both hunting for the sake of the pack's caches and hunting to fill her own belly and regain the weight she had lost in travel.  It was becoming evident in the way her cheeks curved roundly instead of at juxtaposing angles, and in the smooth lines of her flanks, no longer given to harsh lines and the hint of bone beneath.  Though the lady was petite and ever would be, too small of frame to ever put on more than the leanest of muscle, she was pleased to look more the gentle and genteel version of herself when she glimpsed her reflection during her morning ablutions.  In fact she felt better than she had since residing on Mount Mirror, as several weeks of stability and growing bonds with both the land and its inhabitants had improved her mental health as much as regular meals and an end to the many miles beneath her paws had helped her bodily health.

Even the insistent and seeping cold did not bother her as much as it might have.  The woman's tawny limbs brought her ever upward and the ground, damp and chill in the lower reaches of Moonspear, grew drier and more frigid beneath her paws.  In her jaws she clutched a vole, just one small creature to deposit in one of the pack's caches.  It was, as much as anything, an excuse to make the climb.  Soon enough ice would make the higher reaches more treacherous to traverse, and Tehama meant to soak in the view while she could.

It was that view of the surrounding valley and the mist-shrouded horizon that captured her attention after she stowed away her snack-sized contribution to their stores.  If she had company, Te didn't yet know it.  She settled back on her haunches to survey the surroundings with silver eyes, simple pleasure stealing over her features.

The smell of the wolf was clear, they had the usual Moonspear mixture, however a bit of unknown. When her jade eyes glanced through the darkness to catch who it was, she saw Tehama, someone Desdemona did not recognize. However, she held a vole and threw it alongside the cache with her own prey.

Respectable, the guard always enjoyed those who patrolled and filled the cache. She had a despise for those who slacked, especially if they were welcomed to the mountain with open arms.

"Who are you?" the spider woman asked the stranger from afar.

"Who are you?"

The voice, lifted in question, came to Tehama's attention moments before the speaker.  The tawny woman's ears swivelled towards the source of the words, shortly followed by her silver gaze.  A dark-pelted female, tall, and of an exotic appearance to the Mu.  Her life thus far had surrounded her with quite average-looking sorts; none she could recall with such a build and coloration.  

A bit taken aback by the stranger's appearance, but comforted by their shared scent of Moonspear and mutual contribution to the pack's bounty for the winter, Tehama spoke softly, a faint smile curving her lips.  "I am Tehama."  Remembering her place among the lower echelons of the pack's ranks, she demurred with a backward fleck of her ears, a lowering of the tail.  Her shorter stature left her already considerably smaller than her unnamed counterpart.

Though strict deference would demand averted eyes, Tehama found herself intrigued by the appearance of the other woman, and couldn't help but gaze upon her countenace longer than might be entirely appropriate.  Despite the cold, a faint warmth kindled within her.  "And you?" was her query.

"I am Desdemona." While she remained with such stoicism, the other smiled gently at her, and was noted. They seemed rather like a nice wolf, however niceness did not equal to usefulness. The other had added to the cache, but she did wonder what else the other could contribute to the mountain.

Perhaps but harsh, but lately times have been more difficult as the land was brewing with danger. The thoughts did not slip outward, however, but just internal monologue.

"What brought you too Moonspear?" She asked with a flicker of the ear, not realizing Desdemona may seem rather intimidating.

Where Tehama's form was petite and soft, her personality tending towards gentleness and warmth, this Desdemona was tall, full of angles and lines, and came across as silent, cool.  What others might have taken for aloofness, however, added to the dark woman's mystique for Te.  The stillness of her demeanor, her sharp edges made her as intriguing as the mountain of Moonspear itself had been.  Moonspear's great peak had beckoned to the traveling female across the wilds, and bade her settle here for the winter, or for longer if they'd have her.  Just the same way, Tehama was not repelled by the dark lady's affect, but drawn closer by it, challenged by it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Desdemona."  Tehama felt the name on her tongue as she softly uttered her response.  She was not a stranger to uncommon epithets and took care to pronounce the name correctly as it had been given.  

For a moment, she considered answering the other woman's question with a platitude, some simple explanation of a traveler seeking shelter and companionship for the cold season, but quickly discarded that possibility.  This female would expect no less than honesty, and did not seem the type for small talk of any variety.  "I was raised on a mountain as breathtaking as Moonspear.  We never knew it was a dormant volcano.  When it awoke, the earth shook. Ash and fire rained down on us.  Our home was ruined, and three wolves died.  We fled to our neighboring pack, but... it was difficult for me to make a life there in the meadows and lowlands.  Always my paws sought to bring me back to a mountainside."

There was the reason why Moonspear, the mountain, attracted her.  But the question, Te sensed, ran deeper, and so she added why Moonspear, the wolf pack, earned her allegiance.  "When I came, I could see right away the pack was strong, in numbers and in leadership.  Nothing I have seen since has dissuaded me of that idea."  She thought of Dirge who was her example of leadership, Sialuq who was her vision of the pack's future, and the prosperity she herself had witnessed as Firefly Glen formed, an extension of the power of Moonspear.  Loyalty and pride rang in her clear voice.

"That is unfortunate, I have heard the terrors that it is worse then a fire, but I have never seen the experience." As she searched through her memories, there was not too many natural terrors that plagued through her history. The most she remembered was a drought that came to Teekon and survived, then the rainfall that seemed to never end. She was thankful there was no avalanche of sorts to the mountain-folk, but Desdemona could see the floodlands from afar.

Though fires and the mixture was unfamiliar, the guard heard the stories of the something akin to a sun, bright as an orange flower, and warmer then any summer absolutely bringing terror. She saw some lands that were charred, but fortunately always missed when it came. When she heard that itself, was enough of a nightmare, but then hearing what an erupted would give, was even a nightmare the reaper himself would not want. She could only imagine the fear the other gave.

"You are brave and strong. Moonspear always desired wolves with these traits." A nod of approval from Desdemona, though while her approval did not mean much, her loyalty to Tehama would go stronger in a time of need.

Tehama's silvered gaze flickered up to catch the startling jade of Desdemona's eyes, wondering what she thought of her history.  Only rarely had Tehama recounted the story to anyone, as she hated the idea someone would pity her or coddle her on account of her past.  But instead of a pitying or sympathetic look, the other woman's head had bobbed approvingly as she spoke of the traits coveted by Moonspear.  A flush warmed Te's cheeks, hidden by pale tawny fur.  She hadn't realized how much she would relish the larger wolf's validation.  Her tail swayed in pleasure.

Flattered though she was by the unexpected praise, the three-year-old turned the questioning back onto the dark lady.  "Have you lived at Moonspear all your life, Desdemona?" she wondered aloud, voice gentle, kind.  Tehama's slate-kissed ears tipped forward with curious interest.  "Are you family to Hydra and Dirge and the rest?"  Surely this lovely woman robed in charcoal looked like she could be one of the reigning family, and her mysterious calm seemed like it would fit in with the clan's overall character.  Again she stole a glance at Desdemona before looking away toward the cache between them.  Te's heart beat like the wings of a hummingbird in her chest.

"Ah no, i'm unrelated. I had met Hydra through my previous pack who disbanded, and been living here for nearly a year." The statement itself inwardly surprised her, for she felt it was longer then that since Desdemona came to Hydra, seeking a home. She remembered it was during the winter season, when the snow rained upon the world, and the guard was just a loner, looking for somewhere to pledge to once more.. Otherwise, she felt empty.

"They are very accepting even if you aren't family." She didn't realize the admiration Tehema had for herself, but Desdemona looked upon the other respectfully. She suspected that the other would definitely integrate well into the mountain ranks, and understood it may be intimidating that majority were family, as she was in the same situation, but tried to assure her she would easily slip into the rhythm.

She rolled a look to the sky before locking onto Tehama who focused onto the cache. It really was building, and she nodded in thought as winter would be tougher to truly bring more into it.

Desdemona's words surprised Tehama somewhat.  In her mind she'd imagined the other female was a lifelong resident of the mountain.  It was comforting, then, to hear that Moonspear was not hostile to outsiders despite being largely comprised of family.  Not that the Mu had been made to feel unwelcome, but the reassurance was good to know.  Te's tail flickered back and forth as she absorbed this new knowledge about the pack and about Desdemona.  They both looked upon the growing cache for the moment, until Tehama broke the silence, gazing again at the dark woman.

"I am glad we've both ended up here, then."  A smile curved her lips.  "I have only been here for a few turns of the moon.  I've loved sleeping under the open sky, but... I think I'll have to find a den soon as the weather gets colder."  The mountain's heights brought the stars and the moon closer than anywhere else she'd ever been. Even the peak of her birthplace would have been dwarfed by Moonspear.  Wherever she chose to reside, Tehama would certainly make her den in the higher reaches where the heavens seemed just upon her doorstep.  Her silver eyes glittered with keen interest as she asked the taller lady, "Is there a place you call your own here?"  The question made her wonder if there was a mate and children Desdemona shared her life and her living space with.  The prospect made Tehama feel a hint of dismay, but she couldn't have said why.

"I as well." It was truly a fortunate life to be granted within the arms of the mountain. So many strived to enter, and could not count how many came and left, asked for alliances, and fallen to the demise. It was but an endless cycle, and she was glad to be fully embraced into the ranks of Moonspear. While dear memories were held in Morningside, at the same it was filled with but an abandonment and weak leader mentality, and only Hydra alone, defeated those she held within her mind. She gleamed in pride.

"I normally sleep near the borders, though I have found an old fox den.. There is quite a few burrows." Desdemona did not have a preference in sleeping, as normally upon the feeling of exhaustion, she would generally simply rest against a rock or tree, not particularly retreating to a den of her own. Though she had found a comfortable place, and occasionally would sleep into it more often then not.

Tehama listened intently, ears pricked forward, and filed away this new knowledge.  Desdemona's desired proximity to the borders was something of a mystery, but Te attached the information mentally to her dark pelt and jade eyes and quiet solemnity and the unbidden interest that the tawny woman found rising within her.  Tilting her head in query, she asked, "Why the borders?  You don't favor the mountain's peak?"  It was all wolves' duty to mark the pack's borders, but the concept of a trade doing just that was unknown to the Moonspearian newcomer.

Tehama herself was not the most frequent visitor to Moonspear's outer reaches, finding comfort within its fortress rather than the uncertainty that existed outside its borders, but she thought perhaps she would make an exception in order to meet Desdemona again another time.  She suspected the current darkness did not best accentuate what were surely startling features in full daylight.  "I was like a mountain goat as a child," Tehama recollected with a smile, "so it is hard for me to resist cliffs and crags and mountaintop views.  I am sure I'll find a home up there with the bighorns and the goats."  A faint teasing quirk tugged at the corner of her lips, changing smile into gentle smirk.  "But perhaps even a mountain goat can come down from the peak sometime to visit a friend."  Tehama hoped belatedly that she was not being too forward in calling Desdemona a friend, but she had not yet encountered another packmate who seemed close to her in age and yet not so far above her in station as to be strictly dictated by their respective ranks.  And indeed, one who was so captivating in appearance and in manner.

So the pair shared simple conversation for a time, and then went their seperate ways, at least one of them departing with a light of warmth and hope in her heart...