Swiftcurrent Creek To Where from Here

OOc: Playing this vague while keeping an eye on current events. Dated sometime after the SC/NSV thread. @Tuwawi When she felt ready. That was when she was asked to return; when she found confidence that her body was ready for the rigors of training commanded by her instructor. She had taken her time, doubting at first until she understood what she need do. Days spent running seemingly endlessly, and her training time with Raheerah awarded her with some sense of certainty that the next steps were hers to take. In her mind was only the promise of progress, the hope that her instructor would be glad for her physical progress. That he would look to her not with disappointment for her actions, but pride in knowing her potential was still present. She felt ready for sure. Once more the female walked the familiar creek side towards its claimed home. Her nose close to the ground and wits about her as she walked, lest she be victim of some surprise unwanted and unwarranted. She proceeded with the same care as she had with her party some days if not weeks before, but with a certain eager air that betrayed her. As precious as camaraderie was to her, she was glad for the opportunity to ensure that what was fashioned had not frayed. Letting her shoulders roll forward, she stopped at the heavily scented border of the territory. The scent of the small Alpha was pungent if not bothersome, but too was the scent of whom she had traveled to see. Rather than announce herself immediately, the female lowered herself to sit just within reach of the scented marker. Trusting patrols to be as regular as they were within her own keep, she waited patiently for any that might wander by. She had traveled a little ways, and was certainly in no rush.

With the den's expansion nearing completion, and a successful morning kill in her belly, Tuwawi felt it a good time to re-assume her patrol along Swiftcurrent's borders. Fox and her wolves had done well to mark their territory, its perimeter clearly defined between their land and everybody else's. Strong personalities in the group made for an interesting cocktail, but it assured supreme diligence when it came to defending their stake in Teekon. Tuwawi was no different. She was hungry to make herself known to her pack mates, and make certain her position within their hierarchy. Although a competitive nature drove her to rise higher, Tuwawi knew it would be better to assume a less confrontational role, and settle for a place other's would not envy. Certain... plans... caused her to reconcile, and it made her content.

She rubbed her body against an aging maple to leave her own perfume. Its brittle bark pulled a few hairs for good measure. Tuwawi continued on the worn path other sentries had taken. Her gait was brisk, but when a figure came into view she broke into a purposeful gallop. Scarlet ears pitched themselves forward while a stormy gaze traced the stranger's silhouette. It was androgynous at first — rather large with a well constructed figure — but the gentle curves on its face revealed themselves to be unmistakably feminine. Tuwawi's tongue rolled over her chops as she slowed into a lofty trot, head erect and banner flying. This creature was a patient one, and Tuwawi addresses her in a fair tone. "What is your business with Swiftcurrent?" she asked directly, without being stern.

In the midst of her waiting, the female had taken to a mild groom, pulling the debris of travel from her digits as she waited. She was careful not to leave a bit of herself along the border, even near, lest she inadvertently imply some kind of rebellion to the Creek wolves. She hadn’t the mind, nor care, to invite such ill manners to the Teekon neighbors. She was there for a single purpose; to fulfill the potential seen by another and those she called brethren. Freeing a stubborn splinter from a weather pad, she looked up with ears twitching to the tell of another’s approach. Her posture was casual upon greeting, retaining a neutral seated form as she waited to properly be acknowledge. The question of purpose, her signal then to rise to all fours to her fullest height though tactfully slouched in the shoulders. She was not there to create an impression upon another, at least not one to convey a contesting air. “Good day,” she dipped her muzzle politely, her raspy chords hardly a whisper as she continued with her intention. “My business is with Njal of the Creek. We have an engagement. Is he present?”

When Tuwawi's pace settled to a stop she was able to further inspect the outsider's features. Her first impression of size had been accurate — she was dwarfed by the honey colored woman, who might have easily weighed twice as much compared to Tuwawi's spry 80 pounds. Long, well rounded limbs sustained her unusual robustness and well-coupled trunk. Just as well, lean muscles spied beneath a thick winter pelt the color of dewy amber. Longer locks of umber hair curled at her crown only to descended into a lush frock painted bronze. Her eyes blended in with the rest; a soft wheat only slightly mismatched between each orb. The woman took care to keep her posture neutral but inviting.

'Good day,' The other's husky voice warbled. Her polite attitude was quite refreshing, 'My business is with Njal of the Creek. We have an engagement. Is he present?' An engagement? Tuwawi pondered this, wondering what sort of meeting he was due to have... and with a wolf not of the Creek. Fox would not like this at all.

Tuwawi's eyes narrowed slightly, as if to attempt to gain a better insight. She approached the other woman with her blistered muzzle outstretched, nostrils working to decode her scent. "You are of the Vale," she said aloud, realizing the aroma was familiar, "What is your name?"

“I am,” she affirmed minding the tone of her respond. Among her brethren there was a tone of bother in regards to the Creek, but only was it due to the initial introduction between their band and the Creek’s new Alpha. On a personal note, the woman had a present, albeit minute for the diplomacies between packs, as the intact nature of her personal relationships held precedence. As she had heard, if not seen in her days was a wanderer and pack wolf, packs disbanded and fell apart every day. What mattered were the bonds maintained in the hopes to rebuild. Allies were harder to keep than recruits. Such a mentality did not escape even her views of her own pack. It was a reality better addressed as a possibility rather than be surprised if it transpired while in her time. When asked for her name, the female settled into a brief silence to observe her host. A trail beginning upon scarred muzzle laid a careful course about the scruff of the neck set ablaze by red then flowed along the rolling curve across full shoulders to the unkempt tuffs upon her back. Out of respect, her path ended along the flame ridge of the female’s back, satisfied somewhat by her initial impression. Like the Creek Alpha, this female was small but kept the assets of a fuller form then her superior. A more compacted state to suggest energy not needlessly exerted. A complement to Njal. “I am Xi’nuata,” she offered in conclusion to her inspection, once more dipping her muzzle in the courtesy of greeting. “Is Njal…-“ she muzzle slipped closed for a moment, her lips wriggling slightly by their corners as she paused to think. “-busy, at the moment?” It was not her intention to appear impatient, as was told by her posture yet unchanged. However she had learned the value in attaining information quickly and concisely. If she was to wait for longer, she wanted to know before further entertaining another line of questioning.

Tuwwi had yet to settle on exactly what kind of pack Swiftcurrent would become. It felt quite young and malleable, like hot lava before turning into harden stone... or perhaps the wild and untamed creek for which it was named. The characters here were a rainbow of personalities, but it seemed this pack would be the sort that took what it needed and remained self sufficient with little or no allies to name. It would be interesting to see what path Fox and her followers would carve for themselves, if not a reputation of being swift-minded and rainless.

It was these same creatures she thought of as the Vale woman sought out her spouse. Tuwawi trusted Njal's senses and opinions, and although she did not wish to interfere with his agenda, she did not want to see him berated by Fox for associating himself with a wolf not of their pack. "My name is Tuwawi... I am Njal's wife," she responded, although the presentation of her name and relation had been unasked for. It was offered for a few reasons: to show she had no intention to undermine the wolf Xi'nuata sought, and to offer a shared connection between them. 'Is Njal… busy, at the moment?' Xi'nuata asked with an ounce of hesitation laced in her eager question. "It depends...," Tuwawi replied with a downward tip of her jaw, "on the purpose of your engagement." She did not want to admit it outright, but she knew to howl for her husband for a purpose other than strictly pack business would be unwise. To overstep Fox's carefully devised rules would keep them in the dark of their alpha's attentions.

She shifted her weight casually, as if not to appear too interrogative, but maintained the posture of a warden. In the distance Mount Apikuni stood as a gatekeeper between the Vale and the Creek, shrouded in mist like a sleeping giant. An unusual omen.

A testament to the beige female’s ignorance of deeper relationship came by way of the blank expression upon her face, when given both name and relationship of her host to whom she sought. Perhaps a word of understanding would have been better uttered, but the intimate bonds let alone the title of such things was limited to a few words at best. To her, ‘wife’ was a word as distant to her as ‘shark’ had once been. There were no relatable instances that she might fall back on, let alone visual cues to help give her a clearer understanding. There was only friend, comrade, ally, enemy, and mate. Limited, certainly, but concise all the same. Without responding to it further, she simply allowed her shoulders to roll as she hunched a little more forward, settling deeper into her slouch. Her tail came to drape around her paws in leisure. Her heavy lids falling somewhat to half-mast as she waited. “I do not understand the relevance,” she informed her host and candidly, having adopted a word she had heard her prior lead use once before. Her voice remained at its soft octave whilst speaking. Either he was able to visit with her now and continue their training, or she would need to wait for longer until the time suited him. How the nature of their engagement fit into it was absent from her comprehension. “I am patient,” she continued. “If he requires more time to finish his tasks, then I am willing to wait. Enough time has passed that more would not discourage me.”

@Njal I howl for you!

Tuwawi's tail visibly twitched, somewhat perturbed by the tawny woman's obtuse response. The tone of her voice was frank, but the usually perceptive Sveijarn could not discern if Xi'Nuata spoke in earnest or if she was being difficult on purpose. The true reason, that this stranger didn't understand the word wife eluded her. "It is relative," she corrected with a hard tone, an expression of offence painted on her face, "his business is my business." She wasn't, or at least she didn't want to be, an overbearing spouse who was prone to pry. However, given the circumstances with their leadership, and this Vale wolf parked at their door, Tuwawi thought herself privy. If anything, to protect Njal politically.

'I am patient,' said the larger wolf, 'If he requires more time to finish his tasks, then I am willing to wait. Enough time has passed that more would not discourage me.' Her persistence irritated Tuwawi further, who found her own questions deflected so easily. She huffed, slightly exasperated, before deciding. "I will howl for him. But if he does not come, you cannot stay," Tuwawi told Xi'Nuata. Her ruddy crown craned backwards as she sang, summoning her husband from his patrol so he may receive his guest.

Despite the finite nature of the woman’s words, the Vale wolf did not perceive them a threat to herself. Rather than take them to heart, she imagined them to be no different than what would come from her own maw if she were to speak with another seeking an audience with her packmate. It was protection she found in those words and was both humbled and accepting of them. Rather than contest, she simply nodded her head in understanding, retaining her relaxed posture as she again resumed care over her callus paw. This time picking at a small stem that hadn’t yet bent to her weight. As a personal thought, she found that travelling around the creek was more a nuisance than it was the cross by the mountains. At the very worst, she would suffer a small rock in her paw, but then it could have easily been dislodged by a gentle pat. The ground bore more obstacles, more sticks and leaves to walk over in attempted silence. With that thought, she wondered if her mentor might have a solution for that trouble.

Birds flitted between the few trees that dotted the landscape, flying out of the path of the burly animal as he crossed to-and-fro between the claimed and unclaimed land. One bird was either young or stupid, for it sat in his path for a touch too long - and Njal snapped his teeth at it, playful and exuberant, which roused it in to flight. He had half a mind to follow after it, try to chase it down. A method to making this quiet patrol more interesting. But then a call rose upon the wind - the voice borne by his wife, questioning and dynamic in equal measure. He paused long enough to hear the song end, and then took off towards it's source.

Tuwawi came in to view and Njal's heart did swell at the sight; but then as he drew closer, he spotted the interloper seated just beyond. A large creature with a familiar silhouette, who upon a more furtive glance, was exposed to be more toned than when the man had previously laid eyes upon. He chuffed softly to both women, and brushed his snout through Tuwawi's scruff in passing. When set beside his wife, Njal gave a small nod to Xi'nuata, and then addressed the woman who summoned him.

"You called for me. What is the problem?" There was a tiny look of concern placed upon his face as he watched the ruddy woman, although it dissipated by the time he turned to watch Xi'nuata, quiet, calm, and confident.

Without any disagreement from Xi'Nuata, Tuwawi finished her melodic call, laden with purpose, into Swiftcurrent's heart. Both women sat opposite each other for some time, and the garnet colored woman couldn't help but wish her mate was preoccupied so that she may refuse this stranger. Nevertheless, they waited patiently in silence, and it wasn't long before the steps of Njal's approach became audible. His mountainous aroma was unmistakable, but Tuwawi managed to steal a glace over her caped shoulder to wonder at his confident demeanor. His touch reassured her, and so she took a seat besides him.

'You called for me. What is the problem?' he asked as they exchanged glances, her own expression slightly cryptic. "This is Xi'Nuata, of Northstar Vale," Tuwawi told her husband, gesturing to the sandy hued wolf at their border, "she says she has an engagement with you." Engagment? Yes, that was the word that she had used. Since no other explanation had been offered, there was nothing more for the Eta to say. Her face looked back to Njal to survey his reaction, interested in how and why these two knew each other.

As his wife introduced the woman, Njal thought to nod - for he did know her, he had been training her for a few weeks, on and off. But there was a blank look upon his face instead. Not one that did not acknowledge the woman, but, Njal wanted to wait and see just what was going on. He had been so busy with other things that he had let the arrangement slip his mind; but as Tuwawi spoke, he did finally nod.

"I have been training her to fight." Njal admitted with a look to the red woman, slightly apologetic with the state of the pack relations in mind. He had heard of Jinx's tribulations amongst the vale wolves and knew of the implications that could be hidden behind his actions. It did not bode well. "When I first encountered Xi'nuata she had no allegiance and I believed that, giving her some training, she would warm to the idea of joining our ranks." It was a slight lie; Njal hadn't really considered recruiting her but driving her away, which then became their odd arrangement. But it would have to do. A small tingle of guilt rose in his chest as he told this tiny fib to his wife.

Then, with that explanation open upon the air, he turned to Xi. "I have not brought our arrangement to the attention of our leader yet." That fact alone would be enough to tell the two ladies about how strained this situation really was. He could spar with her if that was what she wanted, but at the same time Njal did not want to undermine Fox's leadership; he was already paying the price for bringing one stranger in to the pack, and he did not want to put his future with Tuwawi in jeopardy.

That gave him an idea. However, he wanted to see how the two wolves would react to his previous statements before voicing this.

Patiently she waited, minding her own person as she did, until the distinct sound of footfalls alerted her to an approach. Sure enough, by the summon of her host, her mentor revealed himself in confident stride, acknowledging first his 'wife' then her second, but in passing. In either instance she remained silent, observant in the interactions between the pair, though withdrew from her personal chore to listen attentively. By the tone of the vibrant female, she was not pleased with the Vale wolf's intentions with her companion. Though for the life of her, she couldn't imagine why. Sadly, she did not understand the political stress that come with her appearance nor the true vision of the Creek leader. To her, this was a matter that did not need the care of another. She would do no harm and pose no threat, just as she was certain the same was of her mentor. She was transparent in her intentions. Quietly, she observed the two as Njal explained their arrangement in greater detail, but it was with a skeptic's tilt to her crown. Join their ranks? If she recalled correctly, he was quite adamant on pushing her away from the Creek on their first encounter. From neutral grounds no less! But rather than correct him, she remained dutifully silent, simply waiting for either the female to speak, or for Njal to begin his assessment and lesson. She was in no rush though she was growing restless with the wait. Had she traveled all this way to hear a conversation, she would have done better to listen to the chatter of the woodland birds.

The hair on Tuwawi's neck couldn't help but prickle as Njal's explanation spiraled into something more meaningful, loaded with pack related implications. He was training her how to fight? There was something to appreciate about maintaining good relations with their neighbors, but it was another thing altogether to train rivals in the art of combat. It didn't help that the Vale wolf was clearly a creature of great physical strength, due to her abnormal size. She would be an asset to any pack.

The Sveijarn suspended her breath, ears pinned backwards as a perceptible sign of her discontent. "Good," she told Njal. Fox would not take kindly to this at all, "because it seems this one has already decided who she runs with." She shifted uncomfortably, chin raised to look down at Xi'Nuata with a steely gaze. Her words had been curt, trusting it would be enough to deter the two from continuing with their training without having to openly voice her opposition. This place wasn't like Kindred, where they had sparred with other packs to strengthen bonds.

Slowly, her pupils shifted back to her mate, hoping her words hadn't scorned him.

OOc: Poor thing doesn't like being ignored... “Pardon…” A testament that even the lengthened of patience wore thin, the female took it upon herself to let her silent voice be heard. Her ears remained neutrally kept to either side of her sizeable crown, yet her eyes had harden from shifting liquid to hardened stones. While her posture remained relaxed as her visage, there was a noticeable backing to her tone suggesting not anger but…disappointment. Her eyes were directed to neither wolf, but the ground as if transfixed but some unseen force that elicited bother. “…but please do not speak as though I am not here,” she continued. Her voice soft, near sullen as if reciting a dreaded request. “I have lived a life where my presence was ignored, spoken of as if I were no different than a tree among the forest. I have not traveled here to be regarded like that again. I have come to learn from one that knows more than me in the hopes that I can aspire to something more. If this bothers you, ‘wife’ of Njal, I would rather you say this than neglect my purpose further. “As for my pack… those I run with, I believe they reserve more care and courtesy for the borders you protect, than your ilk that run freely across our own in disregard. I will not stand here willingly as you speak bitterly towards them. We have done nothing to deserve it, while we have every right to speak of you and the Creek with resentment.” Gingerly, Xi’nuata raised her muzzle and let her eyes rest on the bridge of a scarred nose. Her eyes remained averted yet her attention on the flame-hued female was apparent. “And yet I do not. You have done nothing to earn the anger of me or my pack. You are one of many- two of many, and I see you only as that. If you cannot see me in the same manner, then I will leave without contest and adopt whatever mood towards the Creek you’d rather me take…”

Tuwawi accepted his fib without much resistance, although Njal found himself growing steadily more unhappy by the entire situation. Had he been the one to arrive first, then maybe things would have been different. They could have had their training session in quiet and then, with an angry wife at his side, Njal would only have to calm her fire a little. Instead he was here with a precarious situation sitting before him. Ready to respond, to voice the idea that had popped in to his mind, Njal was cut off by the cooing voice of Xi'nuata. When she caught his attention the man's mouth closed, and he regarded her with the same respect he may have given to one of his own; although his ears did twist in a silent expression of apprehension, for he assumed Tuwawi would not take kindly to the words of the wanderer.

She spoke of things that Njal had no connection to, but with a rightful level of indignation for her treatment here at the borders. The man gave a small sigh as her words drifted, and then interjected before his wife could.

"It is my fault. I should have spoken to our leader prior, but I did not. Now, with the animosity between our groups," A side-glance was directed at Tuwawi, not out of a sense of blame, but to make sure she was keeping a level head, "The arrangement will have to be rethought. Perhaps cancelled indefinitely. It is our duty to protect our home and, for the moment, you are not welcome here." Njal was surprised to feel such guilt when he spoke. More than when he had spoken falsehoods in the presence of his own wife. He felt connected to Xi'nuata on some level, the way he once felt connected to Kindred or the habits they had held, but those bridges had to be burned now. They could not continue together any longer.

To punctuate his seriousness, the man's fur bristled and he advanced a step - partly between Tuwawi and Xi, with a brief look of apology that he hoped only the vale wolf would notice, and then he motioned with his nose to urge her away.

The fiery woman's fur stood on end at Xi'Nuata's words, red ears pitching forward as her ruddy banner waved stiffly in the air. A growl bubbled in her throat, warning the woman that she was owed no favors, here. Tuwawi became loathed to listen as the Vale wolf's explained her cause, and wondered how a creature of their breed could be so inept. She dared to come to their borders, offering no explanation, and now complained when it turned out that the meeting between Njal and herself was just a hair shy of taboo in Swiftcurrent's eyes? It was Xi'Nuata who had wasted Tuwawi's time. If she had been smart enough to state her case in the first place, then the Eta would have wasted no time dispelling the mountain wolf; and yet here she still stood... disappointed like a yearling who didn't get first pick at dinner.

As if to further incite her ire, the Vale wolf dared to bring their packs' statuses into play. For the first time, Tuwawi found herself commending Jinx for raiding Northstar, if not for anything else but to appease a small masochistic slice of her psyche. She would not let Xi'Nuata play the victim here, and so she took a bold step forward, lips twitching wantonly, ready to unsheathe its daggers.

Her tattered maw parted, ready to verbally lash out at the other woman, but Njal was quick to intervene — and wisely so. He stepped in front, leaving Tuwawi to smoke behind him, narrowed eyes casting daggers from just above the small of his back. She said nothing, realizing that the stoic man was doing his best to mediate the situation, but remained just below a boil, her body coiled like a snake which had been stepped on. The ember struggled to remain tempered even beneath her husband's watchful gaze. Despite this, she remained silent, and uttered nothing else as she watched Njal refuse his pupil, stepping forth to cast her from the borders.

Anger was no longer become a rare notion for the woman, as it seemed that with relations to the Creek, it was all she felt. A single trespass had undone what neutral passes had once built, and strongly. And by the silent seethe of the Njal’s wife, the transgressions of their kin was approved of… not disciplined. How this was possible, was truly beyond her, but it did not ease her disappointment for the situation. Her ears were bent forward to the words of her former mentor, though her eyes remained fixed on the woman ablaze behind him. Her understanding of the title ‘wife’ was nil, however she assumed by their care it was a close companionship. Though she questioned in her silence how that possibly could have been when the more rational of them was bound to the blind and raging. Only when he verbally announced her unwelcome did she looked to the shorter male and relinquish understanding to indifference. She said nothing as he approached, gesturing with his muzzle for her to move on. The flicker of the turn of his expression was caught, then just was quickly dismissed as she turned toward the creek along the way of the mountain. It was disappointing that the actions of one- no two, could inspire a change in the lives of those effected. Yet at the same time it inspired an encouraging thought. One she had every intention of sharing once she put the way of the Creek behind her. [Exit]

The woman did not speak any further, and instead regarded Njal with quite a hostile expression; he wondered if she would lash out, but when Xi only stood and moved to depart, the man gave a small sigh. He watched her go with his body rigid. The woman's figure fell away among the surroundings, and soon enough was only a shifting boulder on the horizon. Njal calmed considerably with the situation diffused, and turned to regard his wife. Tuwawi was radiating anger and he, with a careful nudge of his nose against her cheek, tried to quietly soothe her. There was nothing much else for him to do now that the arrangement had been broken, and the woman banished.

For a moment, their gaze locked, and Tuwawi's lipline lifted to reveal the tips of her enamel, feeling no regret for the results her actions had spurned. Swiftcurrent's values weren't as peaceable as Northstar's and they would, in time, find the creek-bound pack becoming a stronger unit who preferred to keep to themselves.

The Eta's posture did not ease until Xi'Nuata's figure completely disappeared into the treeline, the unique scent fading with her departure. Slowly, the ember came off her toes, hair settling haphazardly back into its usual disheveled manor. She chuffed, air hissing between parted fangs, as she offered a light shake of her figure to diffuse the built up tension. Only her husband's caress pacified her, and softened the burning in her eyes. Her scarlet licked shoulder buffered his ashy one as Tuwawi resumed her patrol, leaving it up to Njal if he would like to walk with her or return to his other duties.

fin.

Tuwawi brushed by him and Njal, for the first time, was unsure of her intentions. He knew her well. They were close, they were mates, but there was a certain nervousness that had entered in to Njal's mind ever since spotting Xi'nuata. A guilt, maybe. Something was off, or so he thought. The man would follow his wife through her patrols and bask in her company, hopefully to ease her mind and keep things calm. Even as he did these things, the Delta had Xi on his mind. He made a note to visit her at some point, to talk things over in private where he could be honest - but that too, brought a fresh wave of guilt unto him.

[exit/finito!]