Broken Antler Fen roseblack

set for tomorrow morning <3

whether or not teya understood her own wanderlust, it was in answer to the pending question of the warmer months. not yet of age, the half-woman felt the thrumming call of it all the same.
her hind-ankle had grown stronger; the girl tested it with great foxhops through the snow, landing in a flurry of flakes and eventually, with soft glissades of laughter.

When Bridget set off to find Teya, she was delighted to be led to her by the sound of laughter.  The medic had spent the days since they settled here exploring the fen, greeting any she ran into casually, and getting a feel for what this place might have to offer come spring.  There was a lot of water; that was familiar to the faerie.  Likely many of the medicinal plants around would be familiar as well.  Good thing; the mountains had been far less likely to provide the same.

She grinned as she came in.  These trees have jokes? She asked though it was rhetorical.  Her tail waved, and she was actually tempted to entice Teya into a game of tag.  Something about the atmosphere felt playfully light, a nice change from the worry Sundance's disappearance had wrought in them both.

bridget appeared, and teya looked up breathlessly from her game. "many jokes," the shyflower shot back, a true grin lighting her small pointed face. in the next moment, she had crossed the drifts to join the red-masqued woman.
"you like it here," teya observed, noting the lighter nature to the lines of her companion's figure. sundance had gone, and for that she might always feel a twinge for the lost potential.
but the snowy fen belonged to them now, and teya was beginning to find her place, at last.

Bridget laughed at Teya's observation, then nodded.  She didn't mind that it was obvious.  That I do!  It's got potential.  Interesting sort.  Did you know they talk about magic in these woods?  She chuckled good-naturedly.  Bridget wasn't the sort to get deep into stories like some, but she didn't mind listening.  It was just a pity it wasn't true since magic would have definitely spiced this place up even more.

I woulda called bullshit on that, but then I remembered my friend is on the council.  She smiled and playfully nipped at Teya's shoulder.  Maybe that's some kinda magic at work.  She was lightly teasing, but moreso herself than Teya with saying it.  She was intrigued as hell to see what kind of leader Teya would make, even as only a portion.

"magick?" teya turned the word over in her mind, thinking of lumiya. where had their fae queen gone, once the court had come apart? she held only warmth in her heart for the woman who had given her a home. and the empire; it felt long ago.
now their place was here, with wraen. 
as bridget clipped her gently, with her usual roguish grin, something curled inside teya, pink and soft. an answering glow began to light her coolwater eyes.
"i met a man," she began quietly, hesitantly. "i touch him. it feel ... odd. inside. then another day, a woman touch me. different. strong." she was meandering as best she could upon the precipice of speech. "and when you — smile, it —"
voice trailing off, desperate for her tongue to match the sentiment conveyed. she found the red-masque's eyes and held them for a desperate second.

Before Bridget could explain, Teya began speaking in a way that made her think the question had been somewhat rhetorical.  She certainly wasn't expecting the next words, but was clearly pleased by them.  Her smile warmed.

Despite her competitiveness, when it came to affairs of the heart, Bridget felt little drive to push for victory.  She had a deep seated view that wolves, unlike challenges, were not things to be won or claimed.  So as often as she'd considered Teya in the same light, her focus was more on the return than the description of others who shared it.  She understood, at least in part.

I like you too.  Not in a way that has to change anything, but in a way that makes me damn sure I want us to stick together regardless.  She answered, sensing her friend was a little unsure in all this.  There's wolves you meet that just hit different, yknow?  Like... they hang around in your mind, and you wonder how they are, even if you haven't seen 'em in ages.

Bridget thought of the woman on the coast as she spoke, though she doubted they'd ever meet again.  There had been maybe one or two others, but none stuck out so much as she or Teya.  I think I'm pickier, though; men never stick.  She chuckled.  What was he like?  And this other woman?

bridget spoke and steadied teya — per usual, the shrinking young wolf had found. but she was relieved to hear it all the same, and sought the red-masque woman's cheek with a kiss. the right words seemed always to come easily to her companion; perhaps it was a power she would one day come to conquer herself.
"kind. soft," teya described, cheeks lifting to a roseate hue beneath the sienna-grey flecking of her cheeks. "and she —" a soft laugh, deprecating. "she is mother in brecheliant," the woman coughed, knowing bridget would surely and sharply know who she meant. married, even! though she had not seen the man who had accompanied the young family in quite some time.
not change anything? what if she wished for it to shift? how might she say that? but teya, as always, was silent.

Bridget wasn't the type to mince words over the truth on most days, but she also wasn't about to rush into this sort of thing half-cocked.  About anything else?  Sure, why the hell not.  But when it came to friends and relationships, she knew how quickly things could shift, and how easily friendships could be harmed in the process.  It sounded like Teya had caught feelings for a few wolves, and while she felt her own affections towards her friend deepening, she hadn't confirmed them quite enough to call them set in stone.  Teya was so quiet, a fact that allured Bridget, but also meant that she wasn't sure she knew all that much about her yet.  And, for once, she was enjoying the slower pace.

She was pleasantly surprised by the kiss, though, and it showed.  She felt a warm smile spread over her features, but she didn't return the gesture right away because Teya was already speaking to answer her question.  Bridget knew exactly who she was talking about, and could picture the woman.  She'd not have taken her for the type... she was older, and had kids, after all!  Then again, Teya (as previously stated) had a presence that could melt any number of hearts.

I've seen her around, she's got a nice look to her.  Though, I'd be a little careful on that one.  Bridget said, her smile turning a little wry.  If she's got a mate, they usually aren't one for sharing attention.  She hadn't seen him around much, but she thought she recalled it, and unwittingly she repeated the very thing Teya had been echoing internally herself.  

And for herself?  Sharing wasn't something she'd ever had to consider, and she felt that she'd likely be pretty poor at it.  Still, Teya's obvious happiness when she spoke of these other wolves didn't really spur any jealousy in her.  The only question was - what did that mean, exactly?

"i be careful," teya agreed with a duck of her muzzle to have remembered the way that she and the swan had —
the inside of her jaw, bitten gently. thoughtfully.
"i feel ... warm," teya struggled, a quick smile evincing her willingness to attempt again. "in last days. something, uh," gesturing toward her belly where the soft glittering had become stronger. what was it? she glanced to bridget, and found no words arrived; tongue-chained again by the expression that composed the redbird's features.

The medic in Bridget was concerned first.  Warmth could mean fever or illness, especially in the cold.  Then she was amused, playfully, because it seemed Teya was embarrassed?  She'd learned all about these things back home, and part of her job as resident doc was to inform others.  She hadn't expected to have to fulfill that here, with a friend! But didn't mind.

If you don't feel sick, then it might be your season, Bridget answered, no trace of embarrassment.  She was crass sometimes with the wolves she knew enjoyed that sort of talk, but she toned it down a bit here.  Just a bit.  It's when you become receptive to having pups, and when trying starts to sound really appealing.  She gave a little suggestive waggle, then burst out in a laugh.  No wonder you're finding a lot of prospects! Not that you wouldn't otherwise, of course, but that might be part of why you feel it so strongly all the sudden.

It wasn't a bad thing, though if she didn't want pups, she might want to be careful around men.  Ibis was safe territory, at least, and this was another bonus to Bridget's own preferences.  She had little desire to be a mother anytime soon; she'd never pictured herself in the role at all, to be honest.  Her vibe was 'cool aunt who takes us on rad trips every so often'.

her season? teya attempted to follow along as bridget explained, but soon found herself lost in the idea of having pups. "children?" she whispered incredulously, thinking of the man who had touched her so sweetly. he had seemed genuine, but perhaps it was all to be attributed to this 'season' of which the redbird spoke.
teya grew contemplative. she and the young mother had spun head over heels, and yet for all pleasant efforts, she would not conceive from it. "so i stay away men?" she asked, attempting to try on bridget's directness for herself despite the fact that she pinked with the effort. "you do not feel season yet?"

If you don't want kids, I would.  Bridget said, teasing.  She could see from the reaction that her friend wasn't thrilled at the idea, and she definitely understood that.  Pups were a hell of a responsibility, and this pack was a pretty damn new thing.  Then, almost without warning, the memory of Deirdre slunk in.  Her expression darkened, for a second only.  If you want, you can stick by me.  Sometimes, when this time comes... men can't help it.  Right.. It sounded like bullshit even as she said it, and no excuse in the world would stop her from tearing the throat out of any man who dared do that.  She already had one on her list.

She sighed, then lightened up again with a smile.  She didn't want to dwell there, and no way did she want to take away from what must be Teya's first!  Shit, that was kind of a big deal.  Nah, not yet.  Hers ran later, and she wondered idly if she'd hide away this year like she had last.  Leticia had all but tied her up in their shared den to keep her contained.  What could she say? She had an appetite even when it wasn't her time, though she had to admit, that was around the only stretch she'd ever felt a guy worth her attention.  Maybe she'd better... or at least find some of those "oops" herbs her mentor had shown her a time or two.

Speaking of... Hey.  If you do, yknow... run into that guy again.  And something happens, something you don't want to deal with?  There's plants that can take care of it.  Just let me know, okay?  She asked, hoping her friend would trust her with it.  It was hard for her to believe sometimes how short a time they'd actually known one another... sometimes it felt like Teya had been in her life all along.  This was a hard subject, but as a medic and someone who cared deeply, it was important.

she listened with a nod here and there, bristling somewhat at bridget's allusion to the lack of rein men could have. staying close to the red-masque was not at all an unpleasant thought; she welcomed the notion of being secluded with her companion. perhaps, and she titillated herself into guilt to think of it, she might persuade her companion — closer.
something. teya tried to piece together what bridget could mean, and then awareness dawned in her gaze. herbs. ending an unwanted event. she accepted this, and fixed the other with a grateful look, understanding the heft of what was being offered.
"no kids." not even the beginnings of them. she kissed bridget's cheek and sighed at the restlessness in her heart. "this happen most year?" she inquired, wanting to know when she might be done with what was to come.

Luckily Teya took it in the way it was meant, not as a push towards it but as an offer.  One that Bridget didn't make lightly, yet always was sure to make known to the women in packs where she worked.  Sometimes men were too forward, and they weren't the ones to suffer the consequences, were they?  She didn't think any of the ones here would be capable of it, but she would certainly be keeping a sharp eye out.

Bridget pressed her nose just to the side of Teya's muzzle as she left a kiss that did linger.  It could be the season making her act like this, but the medic leaned in and against her and didn't shift to pull back.  There may be years it doesn't.  I think it depends on a few things, food and stability and stress.  If the body knows it is not in a position to have children, sometimes it won't bother.  She'd seen it in the past.  There'd even been a faerie who had never seen a season despite a desire for children.  They'd tried a few things to help, and the woman had never stopped trying, but at the point of her departure had yet to succeed.  Perhaps it had been the overpopulation of the pack at the time, but Bridget couldn't help but think it was likely something else.  Something inside her that knew something the woman didn't.

Mine usually comes with the late spring, she added with a wink and a slightly connotative smile.  Last year she'd been kept at bay by her mentor, but this year there'd be no warden to force her in a cage.  Oh boy.

It wasn't a huge surprise that her family hadn't taught her this, but Bridget did have a moment to feel sorry for it.  She'd learned from both her mentor and her mother and each of them had had a different take.  The healer had been mostly business when she spoke of the cycles and the factors that went in, but her mother had been the one to tell her about men.  Bridget felt a sudden stab of homesickness, one that surprised her.  She hadn't missed her mother in a long while.

Your home wasn't much for teaching this, was it? she asked, understanding coloring the question.  Sometimes it was better to refrain from stating the obvious, but Bridget sensed that Teya refrained from stating a lot.  No way to get to know her friend better but to begin to say it for her.

bridget did not pull away and teya clutched to this with wonder and a growing sense of intimacy. her heart thudded faster beneath her ribcage; plume swished to and fro and she nibbled along the cardinal's cheekfur with a playful, relieved grin. teya did try to focus upon what was being said, and nodded gravely a time or two.
"no. if we talked of where baby come from, we might want to have baby." a dry tone, a sardonic lift of her eyebrow at the foolish, repressive teachings of borva and tremelia. the girl wondered how many like her had stumbled into pregnancy over those years; even until this point the raven had not understood the gist of it.
she leant back toward bridget, seeking the warmth and connection of their mingling fur, glowing beneath that smile. "you want children?" she asked, though with slightly more of an observational tone rather than one that inquired. her companion had spent many sentences educating teya, but the girl did not remember if bridget had yet said outright.

That didn't make a single lick of sense to Bridget.  How do you keep goin if no one wants to have the babies?  She asked, though it was phrases less of a question and more a rhetorical statement.  The more she heard about Teya's previous family (they were family, right?) the more she wanted to go back and give them a big old chomp to the ass.  Imagine having a daughter/neice/sister and not telling them about this!?

Nah, not me.  She admitted with an easy smile.  Some women might feel guilty about that but Bridget didn't care to.  I figure there's enough out there who want to be parents that I can miss the trouble of it.  I like kids but I can't imagine raising one.  Lilitu was cute but in doses, and she was older.  Being stuck in a den for months with puppies swarming over her sounded like absolute hell to Bridget.  She was an avid avoider.

"you would have thought," teya laughed sarcastically, but in truth it angered her to think of it now. however, none of it mattered. she was with bridget in brecheliant, far from those things, and she need not be defined by them any longer.
"i did not enjoy man enough to want baby," teya said smugly, seeing no reason to curb her tongue in the cardinal's presence.
"who will have children here?" she wondered, reaching out to give a gently idle tug to her companion's ear.

Now that was an interesting tidbit.  Bridget didn't have the pride to think she was the only wolf in the wilds to think that way but she hadn't expected it from Teya.  She'd drawn relatively quick assumptions from their time with Sundancer that mattered less now but still did matter, in a way.  Maybe that was why she'd been less bothered by his disappearance than Bridget had at first feared, and why she hadn't gone to search for him (a worse fear).

She smiled easily, understanding completely.  She'd been open about her own preferences from the start so maybe she shouldn't be so surprised.

No idea but I hope they let me know.  I don't intend on stickin my nose in any dens and interrupting.  Bridget said with a chuckle.  She didn't know much about delivering pups but she'd seen it happen once or twice.  Most of the work managed itself and the things that went wrong generally killed or didn't.  At most she'd want to be there to ensure the pups were tended properly; her mentor had explained that occasionally a mother could forget.  Bit on their mind, suppose.

Figured on Ibis but I guess her mate's off somewhere now?  And no one else seems keen on pairing up.  Maybe it'll be a quiet spring.  She speculated, though not with any real excitement.  She'd have enjoyed having at least a couple kids running around underfoot.  Pups had always brought a special kind of life to the court.

teya had no pronouncements upon the new babies meant to be born in brecheliant. she enjoyed the company of lilitu, but the girl was not a newborn, and was capable of existing alongside the grown wolves in her pack without fanfare or extra demands.
ibis too, she had suspected, but the man akavir had gone and he had not come back. it was just as well; she meant to tempt the soft mother dove again, for who was in need of a husband when such loving friends existed? a cold thought, an aloof thought, one she felt guilty at once for having.
"we will see," she sighed, pushing herself into a stretch and smiling softly. "fishing?" a good sport for a cold day, and it would keep bridget at her side; teya was not yet ready to part ways.

Fishing, Bridget agreed, flashing a warm smile. There was the familiar hint of competition but she didn't act upon it just yet. Perhaps once they arrived she'd propose something. Fishing was nearly always more fun when it could be made into a game.

She tended to get invested in the outcome, and Bridget suddenly wondered what kind of a challenger Teya was. She was so soft spoken that it was hard to picture her caring much about losing, but more often lately she surprised her.

fade or keep going? could use it as a trade thread :D

the fen was picturesque despite wintersbite; teya found herself caught by the sight of a cardinal, winging its way through the snow-laden canopy. she watched it for a moment, then glanced to bridget with a sheepish grin.
eventually their path curved and widened into a silty bank. teya trudged forward, testing the icewater edge with a travelworn paw and then glancing to her companion. "where to put fishing hole?"
her lips glimmered into a smirk.

yes!!

Bridget watched as Teya's eyes followed the bird, then glanced up as well. She'd always enjoyed cardinals because they were just as pretty as blue jays but not the jerks the latter always were. Then again... she'd never robbed a carinal's nest of the eggs, she thought with an impish nostalgia.

When they arrived she eyed the river. She smiled when Teya asked where to put the hole, considering. She'd fished enough to know that near the thicker plants they'd be feeding. Over there, I think, she said, pointing with her muzzle. It looked like there was a veritable buffet poking through the ice only a short length from the bank.

First to catch claims expert of the day? she asked, swishing her tail as a teasing challenge warmed her features.

"deal," the girl chirped back. moving to where bridget had indicated, teya reared foxlike, striking her paws against the ice. with a grudging eventuality, it gave way, and she chipped away at the edges.
when teya tired, she fell back to allow the cardinal her own efforts, and then crouched beside it with switching tail.
"i let you go first. this you need," she teased with a ribald laugh, inching back to give her companion space.

Oooooh, fighting words. Alright. I'm going to make you regret that. Bridget gave Teya a look, but couldn't stop the grin that split her features too. She was so going to show how it was done.

Positioned over the space she'd broken in the ice, Bridget kept an eye on the plants near the edge. She knew if any fish came, they'd be low and they'd likely be hungry. It took a while, but eventually a shadow flickered past. Bridget lunged in.

The water was frigid. She'd been braced for cold but somehow was still surprised, and as her jaw tensed, the fish slipped from between her teeth and vanished. She resurfaced and shook water from her muzzle, breathing frost out with a shiver. I guess I can't call that a warmup, but let's see what you got, she joked with a small snort of laughter.

rolled an 11 for her, which felt slightlyyyy too low for a catch! I will prob roll for all hers, but feel free to use whatever you want for Teya XD

ope i rolled a seven so nothing is caught this round lmao

bridget made her draw, but the fish skillfully evaded the cardinal. teya chuckled softly, though not in a mean air. she too grabbed for one of the leaping things, but her teeth did not even connect, and the small shadow cut away from the wolves directly.
"bad day for fishing!" but she was warming to the challenge now, shifting in the water as she waited for bridget to make another go at a catch.