Black Morass stirring

reyna's brows were knitted, but besides that the woman seemed fairly composed. but inside, anger swells. it boils, and burns the insides of her eyes. how dare he.

no matter. it's his decision, and reyna can't fix stupidity. instead, she must learn from it. she has her eyes set upon a mountain, towering above the plateau she finds herself atop of. such a fine palace it would make, she thinks, before dipping her head to lap at the river water that trickles down the mountain.

She wandered south from the meadow by the ocean, skirting the edges of the bordering mountains as she had only just gotten rid of the musty, rocky scent from her jaunt in the ranges before. Pukei had decided she was a wolf meant for the lowlands, amongst berries and herbs and plants – and her travels took her to a wetland that smelt just of that. The darkness of the area was off-putting, but the tantalising scent was enough to draw her in. The loamy soil was soft underfoot, and it released each of her feet with an amusing squelch sound with each paw-step.

Eventually, the girl made her way to higher ground where the earth wasn't so swampy. She figured it would give her a vantage point so she could figure out just where she was exactly, only it seemed she wasn't alone. A ghost-like figure stood against the darkness, catching Pukei's eye.

She pauses, studying the lean stranger with a slight tilt of her head as she drinks from the stream.

a spectator arrives, or maybe it was always here. reyna hears the lapping of water disturb what would've otherwise been silence and she turns with the grace of a swan. dawning her best smile, her eyes scrutinize the woman in front of her.

why, hello. she begins, placing one foot foreward. each step like a doe, her long legs slowly close the distance.

my apologies if you were here before me. i am reyna nocturne. she stops just a couple feet away from the stranger. and who may you be?
her sullied-red eyes stare the other woman down. it was not a question she had asked, despite all the niceties.

It is no surprise that the other turns to respond to Pukei's presence on the scene, yet the girl's ears prick and she raises her head as if she were a deer hearing the snap of a twig. The woman is a stunning sight to behold, her long pale coat falling around her like a fine silk gown, with a name just as regal as her appearance. She was in stark contrast to the gangling, muddy-pawed thing before her.

Yet Pukei's cheerful demeanour does not falter, and she offers an innocent, beaming smile in response to the stranger's greeting despite her intense, red-hued gaze trained upon her. "Evening! My name's Pukei!" she replies, then adds after a beat, "oh, but no need for apologies, miss."

"Not like I'd set up shop in a place like this," she continues almost without taking a breath, oblivious to the fact that the stranger may have been enjoying a peaceful moment in silence. "Kind of a bit squishy, y'know?" As if in demonstration, she lifts a sodden paw, flicking it to rid herself of the mud.

the pale ghost watches as mud flies, and a bit of it stains her wrist as if to prove the woman is corporeal. unaffected, she dips her dainty paw in the rushing river as she listens to the strange girl named "pukei".

would you stay if offered shelter? the land here is the richest of all. even in the driest of seasons, you would always have a full belly and plenty of water. reyna gently argues over her decision to stake her kingdom here, but it seems others had realized this too — for traveling here she could smell the typical signs of wolves congregating. planning. her palace — her children — would have competition very soon. and that unsettles the prospecting queen more than any mud ever could.

it's just a thought. please do not take what i say to heart. she adds last minute with a laugh as sweet as honey.

Unexpectedly, the woman puts forward what sounds like an offer of a home, though when she adds a disclaimer with a soft chuckle, Pukei realises it's more of a musing. Bouncing an idea off herself, perhaps? The girl responds with another quizzical tilt of her head, wondering what sort of gears were turning behind the stranger's copper eyes.

"Oh, well..." she trails off for a moment, casting her own gaze over the sweeping landscape. While she hadn't put much thought into scouting out a territory for a home, she did agree it was indeed a land rich in all a wolf could ever need, bordered by forests that no doubt were home to many ungulates and birds.

"The idea of a full belly all the time is mighty tempting," she finally says, turning back to the pale woman with a wink, though Pukei still isn't fully sold on the idea of living in a wetland. Her expression settles into a look of questioning. "Why do you ask? Would you? Settle here, I mean."

reyna watches as the girl deliberates over her own thoughts. and she smiles. initially, she did not intend to convince the stranger in front of her. but now, now, she sees opportunity. like a viper, she bites.

of course, why else would a woman like me be out and about in this bog? she nods to the mountains. i do not aim for the land we stand on, but to the mountains in front of us. it must be dryer, since it's higher up. not by much but enough to get away from the mud.

the rant stops when reyna points towards a long forgotten skull that lays behind her. and i'd be close to an easy food source without having to even enter into the thicket. i can just pick up whatever poor soul lands here.

Pukei responds with a soft, sheepish laugh. Right, the woman didn't seem like the type to go frolicking through a mire just for the fun of it. Well, her loss. She looks at the soft, pristine locks of Reyna's fur, wondering what her idea of fun was.

Her gaze follows the woman's gesture up to the mountains that stand guard over the lowlands, and Pukei makes a small noise of understanding, before she looks to another object the woman points out behind them. She makes good points; the land was rightly suitable despite the risks of living on a mountain. "Huh, you've given it a bit of thought already." She pauses again before she assaults the stranger with another breathless train of thought.

"You'd live here by yourself? It'd get pretty lonely, I'd imagine, unless you could make friends with the frogs, but I don't think they'd make good company – probably'd just wanna talk about frog stuff." The rambling continued. "I guess the mountain'd be alright, you met any of the wolves hanging out in the mountains though? They're kind boring, one made fun of my fishing skills."

pukei thinks on reyna's words, nodding along and even surprised just by how much thought the queen had put into her plan — as she should. of course there are risks, but there is no such thing as a haven in the wild. even if the land is peaceful, conflict with the neighbors could be deadlier than mother nature herself. the mountain taller than even the one she aims for provides a barrier, meaning any fool stupid enough to climb it would simply join the rest that lie on the ravine, closing off one potential weak point for any invaders. it's perfect, truly.

no, no. i wouldn't live here by myself. i'd start a family, definitely. or i'd bring my own company, so they may shoo away boredom and frogs alike. she offers a smile. sequestering a colony up in the mountains might pose risks with pups.. but i'm sure it'll be fine. any parent who doesn't keep an eye on their children doesn't deserve them anyways. reyna keeps that to herself.

As the woman spoke, Pukei slowly realised Reyna's question from before was more than a mere musing – it seemed like she had a fully developed plan to settle and stake her claim on the mountain. Ambitious! Such a trait was at odds with Pukei's own easy-going, lackadaisical nature, but she admired those who had a goal and steadfastly pursued it.

She listened, responding in turn with a smile and laugh of her own. "Man, sounds like a lot of work!" Too much work, if she was being honest. Not to mention then eventually having to keep an eye on pups to make sure they don't tumble off the mountain side. Pukei loved puppies, but they were definitely a pawful; babysitting her siblings in her natal pack was bad enough! Though she had little doubt this woman wouldn't be able to handle it, if her measured plans to find a home were anything to judge by.

it is, which is why i start soon.. reyna says with a bit of sigh.

well then, i'll be headed. have safe travels. the bog can be treacherous, i'm sure. the yet-to-be queen offers one final smile as her slender legs already begin to wisp her away to her tower.

so sorry for the response taking forever

 

nivis is welcome in all threads

reyna is rated mature

No worries at all! Thanks for the thread! <3

Of course she was aware of the amount of work involved, seeing as she had everything already planned out. With a polite smile, Reyna bid her farewells, and Pukei's ears flipped up as the woman quickly turned to resume doing...well whatever destined Alpha's did.

"Good luck with it all!" she called out after her with a cordial wave of her tail. The sentiment was genuine, even if Pukei would have declined an offer to join the would-be kingdom; the mountains were simply not for her. She watched the woman's slim form disappear amongst the undergrowth before turning on her own heel to discover what else the area had to offer in the way of plants.