Whitefish River that man is not your maker

Ugh I ramble nonsense in posts lately, sorry for the length!

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It was quiet here, save for the rumbling of the river as it tossed over its banks and smashed haphazardly against rocks. It was the kind of river that brought some faint, almost irrelevant nostalgia of home, for in some places its turmoil left foam curling on the surface, reminiscent of the sea itself. The gentle whoosh as it thundered along was the only noise to accompany her search; even the birds were silent here, and the hum and whir of insects was almost inconsequential. The tranquility of the riverside was unlike any she had ever experienced, both at home and here in this new land.

Perhaps that was why a sudden disturbance in the form of a sploosh was so startling to Jinx. Her head whipped around suspiciously as her gaze darted up and down her leg of the river, finally locking on a wolf's head protruding from the water. It might've been a normal thing, if the wolf's head hadn't been pointed right in her direction. Months as a loner had put the lean Kesuk on edge one too many times for her to be at ease with a stranger coming toward her; true, the packland was at her behind and she could turn and flee for the security of Neverwinter, but the thought of running was also shameful to her. Her ancestors never would've run, never would've depended on the safety of others, and neither should she.

It became blatantly clear the moment the amazonian Blackthorn exited the water that although Jinx and her were more-or-less evenly matched in height, the odds were heavily stacked in the Gunner's favour. Turquoise was both longer and definitely heavier, so a battle would only ensure that Jinx emerged the loser. It took only a moment to size the other woman up and determine that this was the case. However, she couldn't help herself fixating on the other's stark black markings, and wondering why she hadn't been born with a beautiful blaze upon her snout, or ears lined with ebon, although she was grateful her spine wasn't adorned in it. It was probably cool for your back to make you resemble a snake against the snow, she thought, but also probably a dead giveaway.

Regardless of the certainty of her defeat, the Kesuk very nearly squared off against the other wolf in case of an attack, until a called greeting surprised her. She had almost expected the other woman to be angry with her for some reason, but then again, the former Mambo wasn't exactly used to being approached directly. Often she stumbled upon others, or they stumbled upon her, as was usually the case in forested settings, but she had brilliantly misinterpreted the Blackthorn's approach as being… Well, purposeful. The Surgeon's head lifted an inch or so with confusion evident in her eyes, especially because Turquoise's manner and choice of words was entirely innocent and left Jinx scrambling for a more appropriate reaction than she had been prepared to give.

Uh... Thanks. They're not as cool as yours. There was a faint awkwardness, almost disorientation, in her response, as if Jinx didn't really know what to make of any of it. She supposed Turquoise might take offence to her hesitance, but felt it was easily explained away as previous loner nerves if brought into question, even if it was actually just the yearling's raw suspicion. Up close, she could see the brilliant green-blue of her new companion's eyes, and was almost reminded of her mother, but Nanuq's had been much icier; the pack Gunner's were prettier, definitely. The almost-familiarity of the colour, however, was even more disarming than the woman's greeting had been, and between that and forgetting her manners, she merely blurted, Yeah, I'm the new Surgeon… How'd you know?