Dragoncrest Cliffs Lapis

it was dark outside-- dark and cold and snowy. her shoulder had been popped back in nicely, though it was still tender and she knew better than to force too much weight upon it. she spent most of her time laying down, only having to bat her eyelashes when she needed some food or attention-- Dio provided without any hesitation or complaint. her legs did ache to explore, however, and it took everything within her to not up and walk out of this den. most of what she knew about the territory was relayed to her from her packmates, and she longed to go see it. still, she stayed put, knowing that if she dared do anything too strenuous she could permanently injure her left foreleg.

it was therefore unfortunate that a scent wafted past her nose, forcing her curiosity to nudge her up and out of the caverns-- towards whoever that scent belonged to.

since she had already expressed her belief that she was almost fully into womanhood, logic told her it was @Wildfire. curiosity kept her paws moving. loyalty told her to sit back down. lust drove her forward. but jealousy darkened her gaze. her ears were angled forward, eyes narrowed as she moved. she walked with a limp, using mostly just her three good legs and keeping her left foreleg free from pressure-- but she moved quickly still. her green gaze scanned the area for the red woman, her nose twitching as she shifted out the scents of the Heda's wife and Drageda's Wocha.

After her encounter with Hush, Wildfire fought the instinct to seek the nearest willing male and went to find Thuringwethil instead. The Bandrona didn't even have to open her mouth; the instant her scent hit her mate, the commander understood what was happening and ushered her away to a secluded area on the beach. Soon, they would call for Dio. Wildfire's insides burned at the thought. She was nervous but mostly she felt like her loins were on fire. Perhaps that's why they called it a heat.

The Heda disembarked briefly to find them something to eat and Wildfire sat on the sands, the flame inside her smoldering. When she heard someone approaching, her hackles prickled slightly. She knew Thuringwethil would not be pleased if any of the pack's male members made an advance, save of course for Dio. Despite her raging hormones (and the occasional urge to lay spread eagle on the beach like an open invitation), the young Bandrona intended to honor her wife's preferences that she remain in seclusion here until it passed.

She felt a telling tug low in her belly when she caught a thread of Dio's scent, which made sense as it was Portia who materialized from the darkness. "Hey," Wildfire said, a little surprised. Sooner than later, Wildfire would be mating with this woman's lover. She was suddenly hyper aware of this fact and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she tried to think of what to say in this situation.

Portia stared, silently. Wildfire spoke to her, but she just stared for a few moments, her nose wrinkling as she inhaled the bandrona's scent. it was a wonderful scent, no one could ever deny that. it made men crazy, and hell it even made her mouth water. but she was focused on something else right now, something laced with more anger than lust, and it made her blood run hot.

"you haven't seen Dio," she commented quietly. she let out a heavy breathe and her green eyes narrowed. Dio's scent wasn't on Wildfire, but she wondered if she was going to see him. would Dio at least warn her? would he even bother? would Wildfire even bother? she didn't know, so she just stared. 

Wildfire couldn't read the look on Portia's face, though there was a definite edge to her voice. The leader immediately felt defensive, her red fur prickling ever so slightly. She did not answer right away, taking a moment to breathe in and out and not let her hormones get the best of her. She had let that happen far too much. Maybe this was an odd time to practice self-control, yet that's exactly what the Bandrona intended to do.

"No, not yet," she answered slowly, wondering what Portia meant by showing up here and talking to her about this. Nothing was going to change with the plan. The mere thought of anyone trying to interfere at this point made the fire in her gut flicker and snap. But surely the Skayona wasn't here to heckle her. The Wildfire would at least give the woman the benefit of the doubt. "Why do you ask?"

she was right, obviously, it wasn't hard to decipher scents-- especially such a strong one, and especially Dio's. she just continued staring, appearing to sort through possible words and actions. the thought of fighting her was still fresh on her mind, and truthfully the skayona felt she could win-- though she most certainly would get her ass handed to her. but that felt wrong, and lately Portia had been getting better and choosing right over wrong.

she swallowed. "how is your leg?" she asked, not answering the bandrona's question, "shouldn't you be away?" the second question was a poor choice of words, but she too was trying to keep her emotions stable. she was fully ready to fight Wildfire for her own damn man, but common sense reminded her how terrible of a decision that would be and to remain civil. besides maybe courting Wildfire herself, she didn't have a good reason to be out here, so she played her usual role of caretaker.

She met the non sequitur with a blink, though Wildfire replied, "It's much better now." She peered at Portia for a long beat, then turned and glanced at the thigh in question. The gnarled tissue would certainly scar, though she hoped the fur would regrow and the old wound would become largely invisible. "It's not bothering me much anymore," she added before facing the medicine woman again. "Thanks for asking."

Portia's next question didn't make a lick of sense to Wildfire and after repeating it a few times in her head, she admitted, "I'm not sure I'm following..." In fact, she didn't understand what the Skayona was doing here or what she wanted. She wanted to ask but also didn't want to be rude, particularly to Portia of all people.

she nodded. all her doing-- even though she had gone and almost hurt it all over again. thankfully she'd healed from that, and recently she seemed to be walking like nothing was wrong at all. her ears pricked, studying the woman again.

"away," she repeated, "like, with Thuringwethil or..." her eyes narrowed, tail flicking. Dio was the other option, so she ended up trailing off-- she wasn't sure she wanted to say it out loud. in an effort to block off more awkwardness, she shrugged. "usually women who go into heat stay in seclusion," she explained.

When Portia explained what she meant, Wildfire bobbed her head in understanding, though her amber eyes squinted a little. "That's why I'm here," she answered, "on the beach. Thur's staying with me, she just went to get something to eat." She wasn't sure what else to say, so she paused for an awkward moment before adding, "Nobody other than you has approached." Although she was still a little confused about what Portia was doing here, she wasn't unwelcome simply because she was a fellow she-wolf.

Wondering if maybe the Skayona wanted to talk to Thuringwethil, Wildfire said after another few beats, "If you're hoping to speak to Heda, she'll be back soon." The commander hadn't been gone long but the Bandrona knew she wouldn't leave her unattended for any longer than absolutely necessary. "She'll probably appreciate that you're de facto guarding me," she quipped a little tightly.

whoops i missed that whole part of your first post lol

"oh," Portia responded quietly, her gaze falling from Wildfire and to their surroundings. she hadn't noticed, she'd sort of drown out everything and this wasn't really a cave, so the thought of this being seclusion sort of slipped from her mind. "right," she said, pressing her lips together awkwardly, inwardly calling herself a dumbass.

Wildfire's next comment lightened the weird sensation she was feeling. she shook her head. "no," she replied, "i just... could smell you, and i just wanted to make sure you were alright..." she trailed off, sucking in a breath. "and uh, i guess a good luck should be in order too, huh?" she added with a dull smile, "i know you and Heda really want this."

Portia seemed to realize her own misapprehension, which gave Wildfire a momentary sense of satisfaction. Outwardly, though, she merely shrugged. She supposed she could understand the medic's confusion. They had chosen an open beach versus squirreling away somewhere totally hidden. In any case, Wildfire let the misunderstanding go.

"Ah," the Bandrona said, feeling a little odd knowing her scent was likely wafting throughout the pack land, declaring the state of her loins. It was only natural, she supposed, as was Portia's curiosity. "I'm fine," she assured, then paused as she considered how to address the Skayona's latest statement. "We do," she answered slowly but with confidence, feeling simultaneously defensive and mildly apologetic. "Thank-you," was the only thing Wildfire could think to add, trying to inject her genuine, deep gratitude into her voice as her chestnut eyes lingered on Portia's face.

stupid. stupid stupid stupid. this whole thing was! what did she think she was going to do anyway? fight wildfire for her own man and then just remain in drageda? she'd be kicked out-- or killed, for God's sake. this whole thing was stupid, and portia knew it. instead of mentioning how stupid she was, or even giving the head's wife a proper response, the skayona just nodded once and glanced away, her ears flattening. "right," she replied, "well i'll be off. good uh... good luck." she repeated her good luck with less enthusiasm, but it was more from awkwardness, and turned. she left the beach and navigated the tunnels again, mortified at herself for being so Goddamn stupid.

last from me! thanks for putting up with a strange portia <3

Portia. ❤

Their stilted conversation came to a close and Portia wandered away after wishing them well one last time. "See you," Wildfire called softly, blinking and watching as the Skayona became smaller and smaller, then disappeared from view. Her own ears wilted a little bit. Although Portia's true feelings were about as clear as mud, the Bandrona sensed some uneasiness with the entire situation. She couldn't blame the woman, yet she wished they could've cleared the air somehow. Wildfire would just have to let it go, safe in the knowledge that the Hedonakru would take the most respectful, mindful approach to this entire situation.