Sleepy Fox Hollow saturday

It had not been easy to find what she had been searching for. In fact, the plant had been in the back of her mind ever since she had arrived here in the hollow. The long, grassy-like stalks poked through the snow. They were brown now, their yellow flowers long gone, but she was certain it would have the intended effect. Fiona began to dig at the snow around the cluster of plants, then ripped chunks of it from the soil. She would need a hefty supply.

Fiona left at least ninety percent of the original growth there, as she had been taught to do by her mentors, then headed back to the creek near her dugout of a den.

She knew @Glaukos would help her get there, though Javelina at first did not have the energy to walk to the bypass, then she lost the desire. She wasn’t going to die, thanks to him, and there was no reason to revisit Rivenwood now.

You’re out of the woods, Jav, she mumbled to herself, laughing as she slowly made her way through this dark, thick forest.

While Glaukos hunted, she walked toward a dark corner of the wood tucked into the mountains. It was even cooler and darker here, the scent of foxes even more potent. Javelina’s eyebrows rose curiously, tail flicking as she hobbled deeper into the crevasse. Some bird called off in the distance and it tasted like the same rich brown as her rescuer’s eyes.

The trees gradually narrowed and she found herself at the foot of a rocky slope. It wasn’t too steep to climb, though she didn’t dare take that risk. She was curious what she might find on the other side, though. Javelina swore she smelled the faint traces of wolves just underneath the foxes’ musk. She would usually avoid her kind, but after the last few days…

Out of idle curiosity more than anything, she decided to send up an inquisitive howl.

I saw that this was lonely and recycled this post. Hope that’s okay!

She placed the tall reeds in a still offshoot the creek, anchoring them to the ground by placing several heavy rocks upon them. Her feet and muzzle were freezing cold in the water, but she knew it needed to be done. Once she was satisfied, she retired to her den to lick her feet dry so that she could warm up again.

A howl interrupted her cleanup. Not a voice Fiona recognized, either. Very curious. Her toes still partially numb, but functional, she set out toward the outer reaches of the shaky claim on the hollow. The girl who stood there looked like she'd been through the runner, and Fiona's gaze hardened. They had taken in one useless mouth to feed, and the young dark girl had also stolen Etienne's hunting work for their already limited caches.

Fiona took a note from Anselm's book. Her face was hard and her tail lashing when she confronted the girl. We can't help you, she said flatly. They could barely help themselves.

The air remained quiet. Javelina’s lips pursed. Perhaps they’d only been passing through and were long gone now. She waited a few minutes longer, then swiveled carefully, preparing to limp back to the rendezvous site where Glaukos had left her to go hunting.

She’d barely turned when a face appeared to her right. Javelina looked up sharply, gaze fixing on a black she-wolf. Her eyes were two different colors too. They were hard, as was her voice when she spat just four clipped words at the Basilisk.

Despite the stranger’s frostiness, Javelina smiled patiently as she replied, No worries. I’m not looking for help. She shifted her weight. Who’s ‘we’?

Fiona relaxed a fraction, though she could not help but turn her ears back to listen for signs of Anselm. She did not think she would get the same exceptions as Etienne had, given that she was newer to his small crew. Then came the question, and Fiona flicked her tail.

We who live here, she replied. Listen, if you haven't got business here, I suggest you take your leave. Our leader doesn't take kindly to strangers. And that was putting it lightly. Fiona had not even seen him take kindly to his own packmates. It was that which she was most interested in. She had never seen anybody so angry at the world.

I can move back this way, Javelina offered, motioning behind her with a flick of her head. You could join me, if you like? I’ve been on my own for a while, up until recently. And I’m kind of rusty at them but I wouldn’t mind a conversation, she said candidly. I’m Javelina, by the way.

The aloof stranger probably wouldn’t be interested and Javelina wouldn’t blame her. She waited, shifting her weight with a slight wince, wondering if the introduction might thaw her a bit more.

Fiona wasn't convinced that Anselm would be satisfied by that. She bit her lip, sighed, and thought it might be an opportunity to check in on Prowler, who was surely wondering where she'd been all this time without so much as a word.

Come this way, she said, leading the stranger away from the marked border. I have an errand I need to run, and you can come with me. It would be easier to use Javelina as a cover rather than divulge her actual reasoning for leaving should Anselm spot her. Besides, he had told her to stay away from other men, not women.

My name is Fiona.

She was out of practice with reading others, though Javelina felt a flicker of hope when the she-wolf bit her lip. As soon as she said, “Come this way,” Javelina dipped her head and fell into step with the other woman. She mentioned an errand, then offered a name.

What’s the errand? Maybe I can help, she said, well aware that she needed to be careful with her wound. It’s nice to meet you, Fiona, she added, genuinely glad for this opportunity, even if it only amounted to small talk.

Fiona smiled at the question, though she was less than eager to give away that she had a friendly raccoon waiting for her in an undisclosed location. I need to check on something, she said, deciding a vague reply was better than none. Fiona glided down away from the ridge, putting more and more distance between herself and the "case" of Anselm. Perhaps time and space would help her to determine the cause of his pain and anger. Something had hurt him, and Fiona was willing to be patient enough to find out. Time and trust were the only two tools she had on her side right now.

Do you live nearby? Fiona asked, not wishing to ignore her acquaintance entirely. Perhaps she could use the information to garner more trust with the angry man.

Fiona’s reply was vague. Javelina said nothing, still glad for company even if this conversation felt more like pulling teeth. She followed the other woman’s lead, staying mum until Fiona followed up with a question a few minutes later.

No. I’m staying here until this heals a bit more, she replied, indicating her wounded thigh, then, after that, I’m not sure. Before I got hurt, I was living on my own for years. I suppose I’ll go back to that when I can. I’ve never stayed in one particular place for long.

Fiona’s pace was pushing Javelina to her limit, though she did not complain. She scanned their surroundings as they passed through them, though eventually her attention drifted back to her acquaintance.

You live in the hollow, with a leader who doesn’t take kindly to strangers, particularly injured ones, she observed lightly. You don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want, she continued, recalling her reluctance, but is there anything you wouldn’t mind telling me about yourself, Fiona? Maybe you could tell me about what you like to do in your free time, when you’re not running errands.

til fiona is a terrible conversationalist. (:

Fiona found herself rattled by the constant need for conversation, but she repressed the urge to pin the girl and tell her to be quiet. Why was she so eager to share, to want to make a friend? Fiona would have thought that—being on her own for so long—Javelina would have been used to silence, preferring to be with the familiar rather than prattle on and inquire after a woman she had only just met.

Time is not free, she replied. There was always something to be doing. Patrolling, hunting, observing her projects, making medicine so she could prevent her body from wanting children. The only reason she broke away from the hollow this day was to ensure that Prowler was well.

Javelina recognized a dismissal when she heard one. She supposed Fiona had been trying to get rid of her since the instant they’d spotted one another. She’d just hoped… well, it didn’t matter, nor did she take it personally. But it did bring her to a sudden halt.

I’ll leave you to it, then. She couldn’t really say it was nice to have met Fiona, though she dipped her head and said, Take care of yourself, Fiona, and the sentiment was genuine enough.

With a parting wave of her tail, she retreated in another direction. Out of respect for Fiona and this faceless leader of hers, Javelina would avoid this corner of the wood. She headed instead toward its center again, moving slowly but surely. Perhaps by the time she got there, Glaukos would have returned with a meal.

Finally, Javelina appeared to take the unspoken hint. Fiona breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the other woman would not be accompanying her all the way to check on Prowler. The raccoon could be seen as prey to many—and Fiona had eaten her fair share of the bandits—and she did not wish to lose her familiar so soon. You too, she replied, watching as the grey and black woman disappeared into the trees.

The witch waited for a time, then veered to the left, toward the spot where she had told Prowler to wait. There were traces of her masked friend near the tree where Fiona had arranged for them to reunion, but no Prowler herself. She frowned, but it was better to know that her familiar was alive, even if they could not meet today. The witch left a token—a tuft of her fur—to indicate to Prowler that she had come to check on her. They were both alive, and they would find one another again when the time was right.