Blacktail Deer Plateau woke up on the wrong side

Ah, so not only was the male familiar, he lived here. Finley kept her stance steady, feeling no need to drop into further submission, and paused her approach when he didn’t mirror it. He was an attentive listener at least, and continued to show no sign of aggression. Good.

Then he delivered two jarring lines in a row: “I’m rebuilding my fallen pack here,” followed shortly by “…so my partner doesn’t rip you apart” and a casual laugh, as though that was something to laugh about. On one hand Finley’s heart lurched at the mention of a pack; this was the second time she’d heard of a new group founding here, and while the first hadn’t appealed, now she was certain the right pack was in the area somewhere. On the other, the mention of the stranger’s aggressive partner gave Finley pause. Was the unnamed “she” merely being territorial?

If nothing else, the brute’s escort offer suggested that his partner was at least willing to listen to him. He introduced himself as Donovan Azura of the Abbey; bold of him, Finley thought, to introduce his honorific as though this “Abbey” wasn’t being rebuilt as he spoke. And she could appreciate his confidence.

“Finley,” she said, resuming her approach. Her tone was distant still; for all she knew she was trotting facefirst into a trap. But a quick sniff confirmed that, even if Donovan had been around others recently, it wasn’t enough to form a stable pack scent. And Finley had no reason to doubt the rest of his words. To stay on the safe side, she slowed a few feet away even then—but in the continued interest of not appearing suspicious, she offered a grateful nod. “Sounds like quite a partner.” She was careful to keep judgment out of her tone, making the statement as though commenting on the weather; if Donovan cared to clarify, Finley would be happy to listen.

Minor clarification on the pack bit: Finley has a thread planned with a (future) Seelie Court member, hence the pack mention, but said thread hasn’t started yet. It’s safe to assume she wouldn’t be into the fairy theme.