Lone Star Mountain what should we do?

the night's rest and an absence of men had left the obsidian better than before. but the timeframe of these months had not abated. with the invigoration came the waves of her own want, wafting bannerlike from erzulie whether or not it was desired.
she would travel toward home now, but she did not intend to go through the land of ravens. two men had met her there, and while only one had pressed her, it was two men too many.
the woman's wolf-trot carried her over the foothills of a single mountain.

The northerner had ventured out on his own for a short while. It would not be long enough for the young ones to worry or search for him, but long enough that he might find them food and chart the rest of their course. He would want to return to the glacier before long. The thought of leaving Lane to tend to matters there had filled him with uncertainty.

As the man prowled along the base of a snowy mountain, he drew his gaze upward and met a figure in the distance. The scent of her was carried on the wind. It had – perhaps – lured him a short way from his original path.

The northern man crossed the earth in long strides. He carried forward until he had closed much of the space between them. Once nearer, Issorartuyok drew his dark head up and chuffed out to her. The wave of his tail was a friendly one. The thrumming of his instincts was fierce.

another man. 
unlike the others, this one did not crowd the seawife. she paused to regard him, her two-toned eyes cold as the snow around them. she could press on, she knew; she could run, down from the mountains into the coastline and toward the seacliffs.
beneath her skin burned fire; below that, desperation, fatigue.
erzulie did not draw closer. but she did not move away. her gaze tested him, and the obsidian waited to see what this man would do.

The woman wore a ruddy brown mask over her face. The sharpness of her gaze was not missed by the northern man. He could not blame her for being wary. Also, he was not certain why she roamed in the reaches of the wild when she was in heat.

Greetings, I only came to be sure you were well. It is not safe. A man has reported bad spirits in some of the wolves nearby.

Issorartuyok shuffled slightly, realizing how uncomfortable it must have been to have a stranger approach her, speak like a worried father, and then wait to see what she would say in return. For a moment, the man thought of young Meerkat and their conversations.

Do you travel alone, lady of the wild?

The northerner could feel the draw of her fragrance. It filled his head with perfumes that threatened to overthrow his restraint. He held his ground, keeping the distance between them. Issorartuyok would not sacrifice honor for the season of lust.

erzulie tensed imperceptibly as the man came closer but still she did not move. his eyes were dark and thoughtful despite the clear pull her scent was having upon him. "i do not be needin' your protection," she told him, though her tone was one of intrigue, not irritation.
she did not answer. erzulie felt the power of the atmosphere gathering in and around her.
firefly, a coward. merlin, too young to understand that the sea would swallow him,
njord — surely she had broken his heart. 
it was she who closed the gap of space between them, it was she who took his scent and stood watching him with the energy of a courtesan. "an' t'ere be very little i fear, man of de mountains."

When the woman spoke, it was with a heavy accent. Immediately, the northerner struggled to make out her words in a way that made sense. Her voice was lovely. The unique way that she spoke was unlike anything he’d heard before. In any other circumstance, he might have complimented her.

Instead, Issorartuyok feared that the accent she bore would mean that he would be more likely to insult her by misunderstanding.

The woman did not need his protection, though. This had been clear enough.

When she approached him, the man held himself stiffly. The wavering of his tail remained – friendly and warm. Issorartuyok even offered her a smile, hoping it would alleviate some of the unknown. The scent of her heat was wicked upon him. He did not like it, did not want to find himself falling down a path he wouldn’t return from. Meerkat sprouted into his mind again, and the man felt his heart grow heavy.

I did not intend to insult you, lady of the wild. Even as the Alpha of Duskfire Glacier, he bowed his head respectfully to her. His mother would have scorned him, otherwise. Your current state makes it known to those around you. Some will not hold their desires in check.

he bowed to her. whether or not he meant it, the stranger appeased the part of erzulie wishing for respectful suitors. his quick smile glowed and she saw how handsome he was. there was a moment of deep amusement for her, that this should be the only time of year she saw any appeal in men.
"an' you?" she searched his face, a brow lifting softly. erzulie knew she was beautiful. for a long time it had been the only thing prized about her. until the teekons. until rosalyn.
but now she used her countenance as a tether, garotting the man closer and closer to her. he was not a coward. he was not a boy. he was not a wolf she could love, but only so far.
he was a stranger, hale and well-built under the harsh glow of sun upon snow.
erzulie waved her tail, first to mirror his own, and then deliberately. how old did he believe her? surely not young enough to misunderstand what was happening to her.
there was a knowing curve to the harlot's mouth.

Me?

The woman drew closer to him, seemingly more comfortable with his presence. Issorartuyok watched her while his heart threatened to thump into his throat. He would not sacrifice his honor. He would not do what bad spirits willed him to do.

I am a man of honor, lady of the wild. You are lovely to gaze at. You have beauty in you. You are a frightening thing, too.

The northerner cleared his throat, wondering why he had admitted to her that she was frightening. He did not believe that he would quaver before her, only that the unknown of their meeting could lead to many things. The uncertainty of their dance, the toying curiosity of her eyes, the longing he felt-

Forgive me. Again, his head bowed.

I travel with young ones from my village. We seek a new home. If you wish for company while you travel, you would be welcome with us.

I can't help you, Issor. You're like talking to a cardboard box.

his words flowed like water. he was a man of water. he traveled with young wolves from his pack, seeking relocation. he thought she was frightening. erzulie laughed, a rich sound that carried. she did not care who heard her. 
"i have my own pack. what i be wantin' is a man's company for a while before i return." there was no plainer way to say this than she had now. travel did not interest her; pinning this man with her gaze and watching him bow, squirm, and deny the season was more than enough sport to keep her mind delving to darker places.
"now, if it will not be you, den i will go. i would not want to continue frightenin' you," the seawife said in a low drawl, teasing him now with a seeking barbed edge.
she wondered if he had a wife back home.

Company is something I can offer, yes.

The northerner lifted his dark brown gaze to her.

They might have made a lovely pair, in another life. Both sported masks upon their faces, lighter cloaks draped down their backs. The sharpness of her eyes mixed with his black and snowfall coat would have been shocking and beautiful.

How far is your village from these lands?

For when she had said that she desired the company of a man, Issorartuyok took that at face value. This was true for most things said to him. He did not understand the subliminal. He had never been one to catch on to hints.

"far." she was not certain what a village was, but the cast of their conversation implied he was asking after her home. erzulie, who had always chosen inside her pack, was out of her element, wandering the mountains alone. thus far she had not wanted males near her.
it was his respect that had shifted her mood toward him; she looked at the fineness of the stranger and knew that he would give her something which she might expand and gild into proper sea-dwellers.
but it would be with rosalyn, with her sons, with her daughters.
erzulie turned. one hip curved toward the unknown wolf. she wanted the anonymity of the wild place, wanted her thoights kept at bay for a little time. "have you ever been wid a woman?" she inquired. he was not a pup, nor near childhood, and yet he did not respond with a man's interest.
perhaps he, like zephyr and hyacinth, only cared for the company of his own.
erzulie's curiosity remained apparent.

A traveler!

Again, his mind shifted to Meerkat. He wondered if this woman who spoke strangely was a scout, too. She may have wandered in search of mapping the wilderness for herself. It was an admirable skill. He admired the talent.

The question she asked him next had caught him off guard.

Oh… no, I have not been with a woman. Though, I am a good man who would make a fine husband or father. It is my hope to make a wife for myself and to build a family.

The warmth of lust filled his belly. Issorartuyok turned his head over his shoulder, wondering how the children of the glacier were faring in his absence.

a virgin? at his age? erzulie almost offered to induct him. but the way he spoke of being a husband or a father suggested that his reticence followed more in line with her suspicions. he was a man of honor, and he was waiting to build his family until he had a wife
a gentler smile touched her mouth. erzulie pulled away from the stranger with a more resolute look, stepping sideways into the snow with a friendly wave of her tail, one that still did as she wished.
"i wish you well on your journey," the obsidian murmured. the longer she remained, the more restless she felt. "bo't of your journeys." she would let him parse the implications.
unless he moved to stop her, the cinnamon she-wolf meant to crest the next snowy ridge and continue around the mountain.

The woman with seawashed eyes pulled away from him in a few steps. The tension that he had felt withered. The northerner found himself in a more relaxed position. It did not appear that she had wanted the company of a man for long.

She wished him luck with both of his journeys. Issorartuyok dipped his head to her, a show of thanks.

If you should need assistance, you may call out. I wish you well in your travels, lady of the wild.

The man watched her climb away toward the mountains for a short while. The cool winter winds chased through his coat and chilled him. The northern man waited until the scent of her had left the air before he prowled in search of food for the young members of his scouting party.