Dragoncrest Cliffs tubthumping

The weather shift brought with it a slew of problems for most creatures of the Teekons, but Tirgatao was unconcerned with the outcome. It was unlikely, with a pack as large as Drageda, that they would fall prey to the usual pitfalls of scarce (or, in this case, frozen solid) prey and deadly cold. Though she was normally fond of having her own little hovel tucked away in the territory she'd decided to temporarily take up residence near the bulk of the pack. As an experienced Shouna, she was hardly ever uncomfortable when surrounded by so many personalities. In fact, she thrived among them. 

Tir lay just inside the mouth of a cavern, paws crossed, and eyes scanning the snowfall for any sign of movement. A sentinel was not required so far inside of the borders but it brought her peace of mind all the same. One of her ears twisted back and she lowered her teeth to nibble, corn-on-the-cob style, at an itch on her leg. She blinked and twisted now to comb her teeth through the fur on her flank, pulling away old burrs and twigs that had gotten caught in the fibers the night before. The wolf continued grooming in silence as the snow continued to pile up outside.

today was strange. she was cold as ever and hungry as ever but also apparently agitated by just about everything. she'd spent 20 minutes this morning crying about the dead flowers she'd planted, and then another 20 minutes crying because she didn't understand why she was crying. the cycle was endless, it was emotion after emotion and portia was quick honestly stumped. she was not a very emotional wolf, instead airing on the more free-spirit and happy-go-lucky type. but today was strange, and apparently an emotional rollercoaster.

half way through the day she realized what was happening, which only caused another fit of emotion. she was not among the leadership ranks, she could not go into heat, it was usually unheard of in the natural world... bodies just knew. but she was typically not so hormonal, and that was really the only logical explanation. soon her loins warned, soon. frustrated she had to deal with this-- or would possibly have to deal with this-- the skayona wandered the caves in search of her man, who she planned on complaining too-- and also blaming.

instead of finding dio, however, she found a stranger. she didn't recognize her name or face, but she seemed to belong. she gave a light chuff to distract her from her grooming, her head cocking to the side. she showed no display of dominance, though part of her sort of wanted to see someone bow down to her rank-- just in this moment.

As her teeth continued to rake through her fur, and her tongue worked to dislodge any detrius, her mind wandered. Now was the season for children and although she'd caught the faintest trace of estrus on the breeze, it seemed to bear nothing but the addling distraction of conception. She always looked forward to the newest generation; a few extra tiny mouths to feed was nothing in comparison to the joy and strength they would bring upon reaching adulthood. She did, however, wonder: what if she were to come into season now, lacking the rank she once held in Seageda. How would the Heda react? It would not be by choice, but Tir knew she would have difficulty controlling herself should the right prospect come around...

A friendly chuff drew her from her mind, and removed her focus from grooming to the wolf who'd make the sound. Tirgatao did a bit of a double-take; the stranger's snowy coat was broken up by curious black patches that also resulted in a beautiful smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, framing spring-green eyes. There was no active display of dominance, but the Kru assumed she was on the lowest rung by reason of being the newest arrival. 

Tir smiled. "Nasty out there." She said softly, uncurling to greet Portia with a proper kiss to her chin, unaware of the Skayona's inner turmoil.

hah! there it was, a display of submission that portia never cared to see. she allowed it to happen, then plopped her rump down with satisfaction. "there's no need for that, hun," she told her matter-o-factly, but frowned slightly at the woman's words. she recognized them, briefly, but wasn't quite sure what they meant. she squinted, sorting through the dictionary she kept in her head. "it is," she then agreed slowly, smiling gingerly, "ai laik ste tich, moba." that felt more natural, she felt, and her tail wagged after she spoke.

"my name is portia. i'm drageda's skayona," she said with a slight dip of her head.

Tir didn't linger on her display of submission longer than was socially necissary which, turns out, was shorter than normal with Portia. She reclined in a similar fashion as the Skayona but her shrewd gaze lingered on the fellow Drageda she-wolf, kindness eminating from her expression. She was surprised when the other seemed to struggle briefly with the language, and felt her heart sink a bit from disappointment and something much more distasteful. Something she quickly tucked away and buried.

She cracked a grin, "It's quite alright," she said, pressing her paws firmly into the frozen earth to steady her. "roots need time to grow, so that they might support the tree." 

Portia the Skayona. Heda had elevated an outsider to such heights. But there had to have been good reason for it, Tir reasoned with herself. There was potential here; in all of them. Eske was proof of this. "Pleasure, Portia. I'm Tirgatao, Kru, for now, though I've served as Shouna for two cycles in Seageda."

"What brought you to Drageda?" 

a plant reference! it made portia smile, warm and happy and thoroughly pleased, though it helped that the other did not show any signs of her distaste. deciding that her role as a healer was also notable, and probably useful, she shared "i've served as the fisa, as well." she wondered why the rank didn't roll over-- thinking that perhaps it was just a loyalty thing. now that she thought about it, every wolf she'd met from trigeda and seageda had skills in a trade, but they all started as a kru... she'd never really thought about that before.

"was looking for something new... something more permanent. drageda has proved to be that. it's been almost a year since i joined the ranks," she said, tail waving. her ears perked slightly, now curious. "what about you? you hail from heda's old pack, yes? you sought her out, i'm assuming."

"Mmm." Tir hummed in response to Portia's explaination as a smile pulled at the edges of her inky lips. It was honorable; something the Seageda wolf could respect even if she was still inherently suspect of outsiders. The dusk-licked she-wolf's lengthy devotion to Drageda was proof enough that there was merit in the wolves Heda had brought beneath their banner; it soothed her ire at the disruption to the status-quo. Perhaps there was reason to be confident in the future of Drageda.

Her ears shifted back to a more relaxed posture as they fell into a comfortable pace of conversation. "Indeed, Seageda. Though they are reformed under Trigeda now." Tir explained with a slight leeward tilt of her head. "When Gavriel and his mate, Gyda, returned they spoke of Drageda and how the Heda had overcome many obstacles since forming the clan. My place among Trigeda was stagnating, though my devotion remains unchanged." She explains. "I wanted to explore more of what my path could offer me, and so I came here to learn."

"As I understand it, things are not so traditional here." 

she nodded, smiling as she listened to what the other said. it sounded kin to what portia would call a calling, and that was wonderful. her ears did, however, splay at her final comment. she knew how tirgatao meant that, and being an outsider she no longer felt the conversation was aimed at the pack-- rather herself. she kept a smile, but it was notably weaker. "drageda does work differently, from what i know," she comments slowly, eyeing something past tirgatao. she could only think of chessur, and how coldly she had treated her, despite not knowing her. "we are more lenient, as i understand it?" she phrased the next comment as a question, wondering if the female would expand. she still didn't quite understand why so many of the trigeda wolves looked at her with such distaste, and though she doubted that tirgatao would explain, she hoped she would at least tell her more about the culture.

Tirgatao was not so close-minded to cut Portia off for coming from splita roots, but her ears still press insistently forward as she regards the woman with a probing stare. For all intensive purposes, her year spent among the Drageda made her more a part of the clan than Tirgatao could lay claim to for simply originating from Seageda. This was something she considered as Portia seemed to wither a bit beneath the weight of the question. This was not the first time one of the clan has questioned her. Or was it more harsh than that?

The snowy she-wolf flicked an ear and considered her options. It was one thing to inform an outsider of what Drageda was for the sake of affirming boundaries and staking claims, but Portia was Drageda. Perhaps that was reason enough to explain the roots that their Heda had laid for them here in the Teekon Wilds. "The full expanse of that remains a mystery to me yet, but yes. It is strange to me that Heda would allow such divergence from our traditions." She answers. Abruptly she swings her head around to nose the other woman on the shoulder with a gentle smile. "Change is difficult. Forgive me for being skeptical. Our people are slow to trust, as you might have seen."

her heart sinks further as she feels that she sees uncertainty written on the other's face. she doesn't speak as crudely as chessur or rebekka had, but she does not seem fully convinced of something, portia couldn't put her paw on it. she wanted to comment something like 'maybe we changed to fit modern times,' or something dumb like that, but she feared it would offend the other-- and she didn't want to do that.

so she stayed silent as the other spoke, until tirgatao gave a small nudge to her shoulder, to which portia responded to with a blink of her green eyes and a single tap of her tail against the ground. "you're among the more understanding few i've seen come through," she said with a small smile, "i don't usually get this time of day with others." she took in a small breath, studying the other carefully for a brief moment. "the commander is my leader, and i gave my loyalty to her the day i stepped in the borders, i've done nothing but learn and share my trades with the rest of the pack," she said with a brief puff of her chest, "not everyone accepts me among the ranks, but heda believes in me as a member of drageda. i know i belong here." she went silent for a moment, fearing she had over-shared, as usual. but this wolf was more open than other-- save milchior-- and she planned on winning her over in the end. "that's all i need."

Unsurprising, thought Tir dryly at Portia's comment, if this were Seageda you might be run out or worse. It was in Tir's benefit, however, to be patient with the outsider even though she struggled with their language and lacked the intracate knowledge of their beliefs. She was trying and it spoke volumes of her dedication to Drageda; something Tir admired from a very basic standpoint, her opinions on outsiders nonwithstanding. This was an oppertunity to learn about the workings of Drageda from a wolf on a similar rung of the hierarchy as herself (or would be when she had the time to speak to Heda and prove her skills to the Commander et all). A point of view highly valued to the former Shouna.

She was still as Portia sized her up. Her patient smile remained from her earlier gesture though her ears ratcheted forward a few clicks at the unmistakable pride in the other woman's voice, and she stole a moment to ruminate on the information. Tirgatao, finally, chuckled. "And that, my dear, is more than enough for you and, of a lesser importance, me." She replied.

"You believe in yourself. My opinion, their opinions? They don't matter. Your heart is iron." Tir was not so much lecturing the other wolf. Rather she was lamenting on the ideaology of confidence and self-worth. Portia, as a matter of fact, displayed strong aspects of both. The snowy-she wolf swept her tail over the slate of the cavern floor in a display of good-will. "There are others like you here? Strangers to Seageda, but not Drageda?"

portia let out a breath, nodding at the woman's comment. yeah, she thought with relief, i am fine. it was fine, she was fine. she gave a smile of gratitude and then her ears perked, listening and pondering the question. "we are more seageda than we are otherwise," she said with a shrug. the skayona had taken time to at least meet every wolf in the pack, and knew each of their names and origins (at least the basics) by heart. "seageda has given us heda, of course. our dragedakru holds tanja and eske-- both gonas. eske was born here but is gavriel and gyda's child, so i always count her," she began with a smile, deciding that she had time to go through all the wolves in the pack-- especially since it would be useful to tigatao. "our ogedakru consists of you, arlo, and melchior. i know the ladder are training as gonas, and you i assume a shouna?" she commented, lips twisting up in a smile.

she hesitated briefly before continuing, knowing the other would find out sooner or later, and better sooner than later. "i know that we have... outsiders, among our hedonakru, which is not traditional in seageda. our wocha is dio--" a small smile traced her lips again, but she continued, "-- and our bandrona is wildfire. then me, our sole skayona and fisa, and hush-- though i call him basil-- our rauna." with a small, breathy intake, she took a quick moment to think. "emaleth is our newest outside kru member-- i haven't seen much of her, i'm not sure what she's pursuing here." 

she stopped with a few blinks and a long pause, because she was out of wolves to name. she'd probably spoken too much-- fallen into one of her usual rambles, but it was useful information... even if tirgatao zoned out, maybe she'd at least remember some of the names.

Tanja? she was surprised to hear his name, though glad for it. Tir knew he'd left Seageda to find his place but she'd not heard of him since. In fact, it was his willingness to seek his true calling that inspired Tirgatao to challenge her own personal status quo to begin with! Portia spoke further and Tir listened, having only missed her explanation for Eske (which she was already well-versed in) while reminiscing about the Gona. The snowy she-wolf nodded thankfully as Portia launched into a much more detailed list pausing only to comment on her desires to rise, once more, into the rank of Shouna. "That is the plan." She remarked with a hopeful smile.

But the air between them changed—it bristled, shivered and, when it resumed, it was at a much more glacial pace. She felt her mood shift with it as the feeling of unease rose once more to inflame her sensibilities. Her ears shot forward to peak atop her skull, and the skin around her eyes was tight with ambiguous indignation before she wised up and looked away from Portia. Outsiders among the Hedonakru​?! she swallowed thickly. She felt hollow—did their traditions truly matter that little to the Heda? Her frail sense of serenity was shattered and budding hopes dashed.

Tir shot a look at Portia, ready to launch into an angry rhetoric about the current problems in Drageda, but she stopped short. She bit back her scathing words. It wasn't her fault that her faith in the Heda was shaken, she was simply part of the problem. "Tell me about Dio and Wildfire?" Tir said calmly. Though it was phrased as a question, the tone left little room for argument.

tirgatao seemed to be warming up to her a bit more, and portia was grateful. it was silent encouragement to keep talking, and the skayona still felt it was important to know anyway. but, as she suspected, the air thickened when she mentioned dio and wildfire. she almost hoped it wouldn't, that maybe tirgatao would ask why she seemed to happy when she said dio's name (portia was, after all, like a newly-engaged woman flaunting around a giant engagement right). but she didn't, and while she hadn't expected it, portia had kind of hoped for it. now she wasn't even sure if she should mention that she and dio were together-- much less wifi and thuringwethil.

"i'm not sure what there is to tell," she said with a brief shrug, "both wildfire and dio were here before i was, and both of them are very well skilled in their trades." she pursed her lips, studying the woman. "they're both wonderful leaders," she added with a narrowed gaze. it was a sort of discrimination that she'd become accustomed to here, but portia was not a woman who liked to lay down and take shit from other wolves. if she had a problem with the hedonakru, tirgatao could take it up with the heda, portia didn't want to hear a single word of slander about her beloved dio.

The she-wolf was placid as their brief moment of understanding was absolved, though she did feel a sting of regret at being, well, so herself in a place that was certainly not at all her own. Tir was grounded in tradition; it was not something she would allow herself to ignore, even if it did have the potential of changing the Drageda's perception of her. No, this was important. Thuringwethil could not just promote splita to the Hedonakru. Tir withheld a growl. She could be the one to bridge the gap between those of Seageda, and the strangers—she stopped herself, and swallowed again, feeling suddenly and immensely guilty. This was not her home, she was not Heda, and poor Portia was undeserving of her opinions and scorn. This was not proper Shouna behavior.

When she turned her head to Portia once more, she caught sight of the narrowed gaze and knew the avenues she'd opened between them were now on uncertain ground. She'd missed the special emphasis the dusk-kissed woman had put on Dio's name; if she had, it wouldn't have changed her reaction. Tirgatao frowned and she knit her brows together, "I imagine so if they have survived this long." she replied, gently testing the waters with each carefully chosen word. Tir said, curling her tail around her hindquarters. "I respect your faith in them." 

portia eyed the woman and all her agitation, she herself growing rather heated. after a brief pause, the skayona let out a light "hmpf," and a rather matter-of-fact nod of her head. she stood and lightly shook out her pelt, her green eyes falling onto the other before she spoke again. "you bet your damn life i have faith in them, the whole lot," she said with a quick, cat-like lash of her tail, "if you have any other concerns perhaps you should seek out heda, i have nothing else to offer you."

without another word-- of even pleasure or farewell, for that matter-- portia turned tail and stalked away from tirgatao. to insult her family? her mate? some nerve. it was each and every day portia felt a growing dislike for the seageda wolves. the only exception thus far had been thuringwethil herself, and perhaps gavriel-- everyone else had just been downright rotten to her.

last from me! <3 thanks for the thread <3

Portia responded, and her words were scathing, though they did not pierce to the heart of her. She was, by some definition, still Seageda, and her armor was thick against biting words and slinging arrows. Tirgatao held her head high as Portia stood and stalked away from their conversation without so much as a farewell. This encounter did not bode well for her if she wanted to reclaim her title as Shouna. If Heda heard about this—of the trouble she caused her Skayona, Tirgatao could be punished. Interpersonal relations was supposed to be her specialty, so why were the changes of Drageda so hard to swallow?

Tirgatao stretched out her forelegs to lie upon the stone once more, resuming her watch with a thousand more questions and concerns running through her head.