Honeyed Pasture Coming Home

@Florence yoyoyo here we go, all are welcome though!

The sand stuck annoyingly the her paws, squished between her toes. She decided to venture further inland. Maybe find somewhere to warm up and get out of the wet. Maybe a cave or something. Alas she was not in luck, as she came upon on open field. With a small growl she headed for the edge of the field, away from the frigid wind that whipped through the center of the pasture. Looking for a small tree where she could at least block some of this annoying weather. She wasn't used to the snow and the cold, her origins never recieved this kind of weather. Rather it was usually warm and sunny, aside from the torrential downpours that struck often enough. Her light fur help her to blend in at the base of the tree, the black streak along her back tappered down into the white of her paws. A helpful coat for the snow that surrounded her.

Having not been born near the sea, Florence does not have the connection to it like some. Her heart sleeps in the tall peaks of an icy mountain with slow on all sides where she can blend in. However, the more time she spends near the water, the more she begins to understand the allure of it all. She may never feel the same as Meteora or the other packs near where she’s from but she’s certain she can get used to it enough to alter her way of life.

The sight of another catches her attention as she makes her way through the snow and perhaps it is because most of her life has been spent around the stuff, she is easier to make out for her than someone else. In parts she blends in but little surpasses Florence. It is an unfamiliar form, not that it’s hard, but it is not one that has been traveling with the band of wolves with Meteora. Her purpose with the Nereides is still mostly unclear, except for helping her companion along and for the moment she isn’t around. In order to pass the time, Florence approaches carefully before offering a gentle chuff in acknowledgement from a safe distance.

Still in the process of look for a place to lie down Cathenna looked up as she heard the presence of another. Turning slightly she was surprised to see a white canine behind her, she almost completely blended into the snow around them. If it wasn't for the trees in the backdrop she would have missed that woman all together. "Greetings." She dipped her head, as a courtesy. Her manners having been shoved down her throat as a pup. Clearing her throat, Cathenna looked around, she was never going to find somewhere to sleep on her own. "Do you live in the area?" As if the wind knew what she was looking for and laughing at Cathenna for trying to avoid her, the wind blow up her back. Ruffling her fur and sending a shiver down the black spine of the frozen woman. "Could you help me?" 

The wolf responds in kind and Florence nods her head but does not speak right away. She gives the other a chance to speak up again and she does and her only response is a quick shake of her head but it does entice her forward as another question is brought to her attention. Every thought comes rushing forward to tell her no, to not help her, but curiosity grips her and she ignores the ways she’s been taught and offers an indifferent shrug. “What is it you need?” she decides to say. Florence tilts her head a little but the rest of her body remains still despite the windy chill and flurry of snow that comes with it.

Cathenna almost lost it when the woman asked what she needed, thank the sea, she thought silently. Again a shake shook her form, the icy snow melting beneath her cooling paws. "I'm afraid I'm new to this weather." She confessed with a small smirk, she was normally a strong one. Atleast Cathenna thought she was, but something so small as the weather had turned her on her head. "My paws a freezing." To emphasis her point she lifted her paw, showing the bright red seeping from her cracked, chapped, sand filled pads adorning her paws. "Βλαστός!" The curse slip roughly from her snout, the sudden stinging needles in her paw as she returned it to the ground was a surprise. Cathenna was of a mind that winter, well winter sucked! "Do you know of a place where I could get out of the cold?" She was hopeful, and it showed in her ocean blue gaze.

Florence has not gone too far south along the coast, as far as it took to reach Meteora only for them to turn around, so what the weather is like is beyond her. It had been the warmer months, and miserable at times with her thick coat, but Florence is more than thankful to have the cold weather again. Still, it does not compare, but apparently the wolf before her isn’t able to handle it. If she has never experienced the weather before, she can’t help but wonder how far the wolf has traveled to get here.

When she lifts her paws to show the bleeding—and a word she doesn’t understand—her ears fall back against her head and she offers a soft, empathetic whine. Her jaw clenches, grinding as she recalls what little she knows in the art of healing. The necessary information during battle but she is far from calling herself a healer. “I don’t know this area well,” she confirms the previous shake of the head. Florence looks over her shoulder to see if one of her own companions is nearby but when her vision is clear, she returns her attention. “But there is a mountain a little ways from here, there may be a cave. Can you walk okay?”

Following the gaze of the woman before her, Cathenna too took in the surroundings although she was not looking for anything unlike the friend she had happened upon. She hadn't noticed the blood before lifiting her paw to the pale femme. Looking back the way she had come Cathenna noticed a small trail following her. Perhaps her dip in the sea had not been such a brilliant plan. The salt water sweeping the moisture from her feet, caused the tearing which further lead to her current bleeding predicament. There were only small cracks on her right paw. She didn't want to look at the others, although her front right one currently hurt the most. Looking at her tracks, Cathenna could see that it was only the one paw that was currently bleeding. 

She conceded to the thought of heading back the way she had come when the other canid admitted that she too did not know the area well. Although as she continued to speak Cathenna smiled slightly, "I can manage." Although her body apparently could not handle the weather Cathenna would not relinquish the strength she so desired in this moment. She could make it, she would make it. "Thank you." Cathenna dipped her head once more, in gratitude. "Thank you for helping me, I know you didn't have to." She was sincerely grateful, and hoped the pale dame would see that in Cathenna's ocean blue gaze.

The other confirms she can walk. Florence isn’t sure she can do much in getting her from one point to another but she worries about how she may walk on her paws. The trail she’ll leave behind, in addition to their footprints in the snow, causes a little concern that they may bring unwanted attention. If she can at least get the woman somewhere safe and then depart, she’ll be free, and she needs to get back to Meteora sooner rather than later. She’s spent enough time away from her companions that she doesn’t want them to think she’s abandoned them already.

With a silent pull of her head, Florence begins the trek through the pasture toward the nearest mountain north east of where they stand. Even though she may not know exactly where she’s going, she’s certain she’ll be closer to the coast and have an easier time finding those she is traveling with. The woman keeps her pace slow and even so that her newest companion an keep up and eventually she trots ahead when they are close enough, scouting out for a cave for her to rest.

Cathenna mindful of the scent blood can cause to other creatures of the forest, lifted her right paw as she the other woman walked a head. Limping along as fast as she could she huffed every so often. Walking along with only three usable paws was a lot of work. She was out of breath already, something she could feel in her lungs, however refrained from mentioning. There was no use if bringing up such a trivial thing, especially with and unknown woman. She had no desire to be a burden, well not more than she already was. 

"Cathenna." She said, with as much air as she could muster, leaving her lungs empty before taking another breath. She didn't expect a name in return, but she would offer her's in a form of thanks. Should the other need anything in the future, it would be easier to find with a name. This was the only gift of gratitude Cathenna could lend, her own name.

The other says something in their travels and Florence turns to look at her for a moment. With no other pretext and tone to match, she assumes it to be an introduction. Her ears fall back against her head as she realizes how long she takes but she dips her skull one with a hint of a smile. “Florence,” she says but nothing else. Her tail swishes a little back and forth, feeling too awkward to linger on the thought. She comes around the corner of a jutting cliff to find a series of caves.

“Hey, this way,” she calls over her shoulder as she bounds forward through the snow a few steps to investigate the openings further.