Moonstone Quarry touchdown boy

Now that she had a mission in mind, Odessia felt a strong sense of purpose. She was going to find her handsome bodyguard. She had only stayed the night in the copse before setting out. As she traveled, she daydreamed about her perfect companion. He would have to be a good conversation partner, which meant listening to Odessia and complimenting her often. He would need to protect her, of course, no matter the cost. Finally, he would have to be loyal to her above all else. It really was too bad Viper had turned out to have a screw (or two, or three) loose. He fit all of her other requirements. Maybe she should add that to her list: mentally stable enough not to attack without her explicit command.
After navigating a particularly tall wooded area with lots of ferns covering the ground, Odessia slowed as she picked up a whiff of the unmistakable scent of a marked border. She knew better than to cross the line, and yet she was curious. Was this where her handsome bodyguard took up residence? She did not want to call upon anybody she did not know, so instead she continued traveling south along the western border of the quarry, making sure she was several strides away from the markers at any given time.

He didn’t feel up to climbing another mountain, which meant he had to choose: north or south. Cambria couldn’t decide, so he asked Wyvern to pick. It still amazed him, how much she seemed to understand. Were all prey animals so intelligent? He probably shouldn’t think about it too much…

She winged north, toward the coast, and he trotted after her at a fairly sedate pace. He was still pretty sore, though at least his mind was clear. With every mile he put between himself and everything east of the Sunspires—namely, Etienne—the better he felt. He really was putting his past behind him.

Cambria didn’t get very far before he needed a pit stop. He yipped to Wyvern to let her know, then walked straight into a shady forest. Feeling quite parched, he immediately began searching for water, which led him west toward the edge of a field. He discovered a stream, drank his fill, then deliberated which way to go now.

As if on cue, the nighthawk glided past overhead, now flying due west. He walked after her, even more slowly now, and found himself approaching a quarry. Wyvern screeched, causing his mismatched gaze to flick upward questioningly. She circled tightly, then promptly flapped back toward him. She began to descend, so the Dragonling braced himself.

Her talons pinched slightly as she alighted on his back. She immediately nipped at his ear, tugging it in her beak. Cambria muttered a curse, letting the bird steer him back toward the distant coast. But then he realized he was very curious what she’d seen and why she was trying to maneuver him away from it. He had a guess.

Feeling a little more up to a two-sided conversation today, he defied Wyvern’s directions and continued west, then south, following the quarry’s natural curvature. He detected territorial markers. And just as he had suspected, he spotted a she-wolf roaming along the borders. She was likely patrolling.

Calm, Cambria said at the very same instant Wyvern hissed, your tits.

forneskja wolves definitely still welcome at any time!

A familiar screech had Odessia whipping her head around to locate the source. In her mind's eye, she saw Etienne's teeth flash at her. The sound had been far off enough, but she wondered if the bird had followed her all the way here. It had attacked her last time she had see it, but she was not sure if that was because of the wolf it was attached to. She had a theory that it could be that species of bird as a whole. Why would a bird do anything for a wolf, anyway? Unless, of course, there was something in it for the bird. She had seen crows follow her around from time to time, looking to pick up after she was done with a meal.
Wanting to test her hypothesis, Odessia doubled-back on her tracks, orienting herself north so that the pack's borders were now on her right. All the while, she made sure she never stepped foot in them. No use in angering the locals; she had science to do!
Drat, same bird! She was not sure if Cambria spotted her before she did, but she dove to the left behind one of the many rock strata that covered the earth on that side. She hoped she had evaded his (and the bird's) observation. Odessia crouched down, waiting for them to pass so she could get a good look at the two as they continued their way south.
"Calm your tits," she heard him say from a distance.
Was he talking to a bird? Or had he spotted her?

Either she understood his words or, at the very least, his tone. Wyvern hissed again, though she remained attached to his spine. He turned his head to glance at her, arching a brow in amusement at her ruffled feathers. By the time he faced forward again, the she-wolf was… nowhere to be seen.

Huh… Cambria said after a moment of blinking one way, then the other. Did you scare her off without even really trying? he mumbled, more to himself than to Wyvern.

Mystified and intrigued, the Dragonling padded closer to where he’d last spotted the pale figure. He envied her powers of concealment, especially as a white wolf. Winters favored them, though this time of year, they stuck out like sore thumbs.

He paused to sniff at the air, noting the resident pack’s scents. He felt the nighthawk shift on his back, folding and refolding her wings. Cambria didn’t try to look at her, though. He just panned his two-toned eyes from left to right, wondering if it was possible she’d dove into the quarry.

Marco…? he tried, because why not.

Cambria spoke again, and either he was really good at hiding that he had not spotted her, or he actually had not spotted her. She liked to believe the latter, as it played in well to her ego. What had that coyote said? She was pretty good at stalking? Not that this was stalking, but it was definitely hiding, which was part of the same game. Until she found her handsome bodyguard, she would have to learn to hide from her would-be attackers. In her mind, everybody was a potential threat, so it was better to play it safe.
From her spot hidden betwixt the rocks, she watched him sniff the air, eyes scanning the world in front of him while that awful bird clung to his back. Odessia still failed to see the logic in that. Then, it dawned on her: instead of seeking out another wolf to be his bodyguard, he had found a bird to do his dirty work. Wait, no, that could not be right. He was an able-bodied, healthy looking wolf. In fact, Odessia soon found herself shoving him right into her bodyguard fantasy.
She kept herself hidden in the shadow of the rocks, ears pricked forward when he called out... a name? Did he think she was somebody else? That simply would not do.
Against her better judgement, Odessia stepped out into the light just behind him. Her heart raced as she tried to put on a brave face, though her quivering voice was evidence enough that she was not as confident as her puffed out chest would suggest.
"My name is Odessia, not Marco," she said.

Wyvern spotted her first, the bird’s talons digging into his back to the point of pain. Cambria snarled lowly as he felt the nightjar spread her wings, a tip brushing the back of his neck. He supposed he should just be glad she hadn’t launched herself off him, especially considering he recognized the she-wolf who stepped out from behind a rocky outcropping.

He gawked at her for a beat, then warned Wyvern under his breath. The bird remained still, claws still pricking his flesh, as Cambria beheld the pale woman. Yes, she was the very same one the raptor had attacked near Swiftcurrent Creek. Cambria wondered if she’d run the whole way here, then marveled at the irony of crossing paths again so far from that original brush.

No, it’s… he thought to say, then decided not to bother with explaining as he added, I’m glad to bump into you again, Odessia. We owe you an apology. He side-eyed Wyvern, who clicked her beak in what he took to be protest. I’m sorry she attacked you that day. She’s a bit of a bit— The hawk bit the back of his head. See what I mean?

He rolled his mismatched eyes, then jerked his shoulder. It hurt, though the movement had the desired effect: Wyvern unlatched and leaped into the air. She made a lot of noise as she climbed skyward, though fortunately she didn’t attempt to attack either one of the wolves. Her shadow circled them, ominous but ultimately harmless.

Anyway, I’m Cambria. And that bitch is Wyvern.

Fleur wasn't quite sure why she had taken it upon herself to peruse the borders, refreshing scents and checking caches, but she found herself doing so now. Alone. But, she understood. As much as she would have preferred for @Solharr to be at her side, he had a pack to run and she--well, she didn't. 

And, it aligned with her wandering spirit, so she pushed on.

Until a screech and the word tits--though, faint as it was--caught her attention.

Confusion, intrigue, both guiding her paws to where the noises had come from, her ears perked forward. The closer she crept, the more apparent it had become that others were speaking and...squawking? No, wait--that was a bird.

She caught the names: Odessia, Cambria, and Wyvern. Though, she didn't quite know who was which, and because they were near her pack's borders, she would intercept them and find out.

Stepping into their path from where she had been hidden, Fleur cleared her throat, her head cocked as she regarded the trio. Well, hello, you three. Careful, a wrong step will land you in pack lands. It was a friendly warning, yet weighted; she couldn't promise the same extended by her pack mates should they join her.

posting order: odessia, cambria, fleur.

Odessia flinched when Cambria snarled, but she kept her toes gripping the ground. She tried to focus on remembering the intricacies of the little yellow flowers that had become her saving grace, tried to recall all the places she had seen them bloom. She steadied her breath and unclenched her paws. Whatever relationship Cambria had with that bird was a weird one. The bird seemed to hate him—at least on some level—and Odessia watched as it pecked at the back of his head when he tried to apologize.
Her eyes followed as the bird—the bitch, rather—flew up into the sky and circled overhead. It was very, very odd. Then again, nothing about this area seemed normal to Odessia. Back home, any bird who attacked would have been put down in a heartbeat. She knew she would have killed Wyvern if given the chance.
Pretty soon, there was another in their midst. She seemed to appear out of thin air, and Odessia felt like she had just been one-upped in the stealth department. The female looked healthy enough, but it was difficult to tell with how... fluffy she was. She was small—about Odessia's size. Mostly white with some odd facial markings. How had Odessia not noticed her? Maybe she had been further up ahead, or maybe she had caught sight of Odessia when she had doubled-back north. Either way, she gave a not very subtle warning about how close Odessia was to her pack.
"I know. That is why I am over here," Odessia said, using her front paw to point to the ground where she currently stood, plenty of distance away from the marked border.
She gave Cambria a look, then returned her attention to the newcomer.
"What do you call your pack?" she asked.

In the beat of silence following the bird’s name, a third wolf appeared. Cambria’s head rapidly swiveled as he took in the newest arrival, another pale she-wolf with reddish markings dusting her crown and nape. She seemed friendly enough, her words striking the Dragonling in such a way that he had to very carefully control his facial expression.

Odessia’s rejoinder further tested his impulse control. He had never fought so hard in his life to keep a straight face. He didn’t even know why, none of this was very funny. But Cambria hadn’t smiled in so long. As soon as that thought drifted through his mind, he quit trying to hold it back. His lips pulled apart and he huffed a laugh right through Odessia’s question.

Cambria looked to the newcomer, attentively polite, as he pressed his lips together in a milder smile. It felt good to find something funny, even if it was something as dumb as a wolf including a flighted bird in her warning not to take a wrong step into her pack lands. And, of course, Odessia’s overly literal riposte, which had been just as amusing.

Fleur took a glance at the male, his laugh pulling her attention. She noticed the mismatch of his eyes first: a startling blue and glimmering gold, reminding her of the sun kissing the sea. He was smiling, so she gave him one of her own, a wink in his direction. 

Her attention returned to the female Forneskja. Fleur answered simply. I am Fleur. I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping, just out refreshing our boundaries, but I had heard the names Odessia, Cambria, and Wyvern. Mind clarifying which name belongs to whom? Her tail moved with a languid flair as she waited patiently, looking back and forth between the pair.

If Fleur was offended by Odessia's matter-of-fact statement, she did not make a show of it. Cambria, on the other hand, bust out laughing, and Odessia stared at him. What was the joke? It would not be the first time she had been the butt of a joke (her siblings had made sure of that), but the sting felt sharper coming from somebody she did not know in front of somebody else she also did not know. Fleur even seemed to be in on the joke, judging by the wink she gave Cambria. Was this some kind of setup? Odessia felt her skin flush with warmth.
Fleur played her part well, pretending not to know Cambria or the evil bird who followed him everywhere. Odessia was not buying it one bit, and she definitely did not like being put in this position. Not wanting to look weak, Odessia decided her best bet was to pretend she was not hurt at all. She held her chin high, her lower set of teeth jutting out even more than usual.
"I am Odessia," she said to Fleur.
Considering Fleur and Cambria already knew one another, Odessia did not bother clarifying the other two names.
"Will you tell me about your pack, Forneksa?" she asked.

Fleur introduced herself and offered the name of the pack in residence before asking for clarification about their names. Cambria looked closely at her face and saw she was being serious. His eyes drifted up to watch Wyvern circle before dropping down to flick between the two she-wolves.

I’m Cambria, he said after Odessia offered her name, then nodded upward, and that is Wyvern. I’m a little surprised she’s not trying to murder you right now, Cambria said to Fleur. She’s usually very tetchy around females.

But that was neither here nor there, he supposed. Odessia queried about the pack and Cambria shifted backward a step. He wasn’t particularly interested in Fleur’s answer and didn’t want to interfere if Odessia was bidding to join this… what had they called it? Fornication?

'scuse you, it's CALI-fornication, thank you very much XD

All names accounted for, Fleur sat on her haunches. Her gaze had landed on each as they spoke, even tilting up to eye the raptor in the sky. Well, I'm glad she hasn't, but I won't push my luck. Fleur had watched the bird for a moment, wondering what it would be like to touch the sky so freely.

She turned then to Odessia, not wanting to ignore the female's question regarding her pack. Forneskja, she enunciated the name, saying it a tad slower than she would normally, is a rather proud pack of warriors and hunters alike. Some here are more divine-oriented. We finalized our claim here not too long ago, though the pack has been around longer than our arrival here. I am rather new to the pack, only having joined them just before their relocation here.

She paused, then, should they have other questions. However, her curiosity won out, and her mouth continued with a question of her own aimed at them both. And you, she nodded to each respectively, are together, yes? No? Or, did you come this way for a reason? Not that I mind, of course; you all were respectfully outside our bonders. I'm just curious. She shrugged nonchalantly.

They continued to pretend as if they did not know each other. Odessia had to had it to them, they were playing their parts very well. Cambria introduced himself and the bird (which Odessia thought was really weird), and Fleur made it seem like having a bird friend was the most natural thing in the world. Now Odessia was convinced they were messing with her.
Still, Fleur went on to answer her question, and Odessia listened. She corrected Odessia's pronunciation of the pack's name, which she appreciated at least. What a fool she would look like if she had gone on saying it wrong! Unlike the Summerwalkers, who seemed a peaceful pack, Forneskja was all warriors and hunters. Big-bad muscled types, Odessia assumed, although Fleur did not seem to fit into the stereotype that Odessia had cooked up. She was much too soft. The good news was that it might be a lead on what Odessia was looking for: her handsome bodyguard.
Fleur's questions made her wonder if maybe she was wrong about the whole "they are in this together" theory, but Odessia was stubborn if nothing else.
"Oh, no. Cambria is too young for me," Odessia said matter-of-factly.
"I do not know about him, but I think I would fit in well with Forneskja," she said, making sure to pronounce the pack's name correctly this time.

He continued withdrawing step by step, though Fleur’s question and Odessia’s subsequent reply made him pause. Cambria huffed a low laugh, shaking his head lightly.

And that’s my cue, was all he said before dipping his head, offering a wave of his paw and retreating at a steady clip.

The Dragonling didn’t pay much attention to what direction he was going until he’d put some distance between himself and the quarry. The smell of saltwater threaded into his nose and he decided to head toward it. Maybe he would trawl the coastline further westward.

He heard the beat of wings a moment before Wyvern descended once more, her weight settling into his back. Cambria grumbled a little—why did she need to sit on his back when she had perfectly good wings?—but for reasons he could not quite explain, he was rather fond of the bi—rd.

Buckle up, baby, I’m in the mood for a long walk, he warned her, his white paws carrying him tirelessly onward without a single backward glance.