Boartusk Heights the first step

The icy winds sweeping over the ridge raked through the young wolf's coat, plastering the unkempt fur to her body with chilling hands and forcing her eyes to sqeeze shut. With her head bowed, ears pinned, and steps unsteady, she certinaly looked just as weak and lost as she felt, the harsh winter winds doing little to encourage her... yet she pressed on.

Why she was here, she didn't know. Where she was going, she didn't no. She hadn't known the day she started running, and didn't know now. Hadn't cared to know. She just... went. It wasn't even that she believed some glorious destination would be around the next cliff, that this would all somehow be worth it. She just kept going because she had nothing else to do.

At the very least, she did want to see the view from this peak. With how high up she seemed to be, she knew it must be a pretty good view of the world beyond, and if she had any hopes of giving her life direction, this should certainly help. Who know's; maybe the view would surprise her, be unlike anything she'd ever seen and inspire her to head forth into adventure.

Of course, with a hole in her heart, a rumble in her stomach, and an ache in her paws, it was hard to find anything inspiring...

Gingerly climbing up a few more paces, she brought her paws to the edge of a cliff, then slowly peeled her eyes open, her gaze still squinting from the force of the wind. Of course, when caught sight of the view, her gaze widened, and the wind was insignifgant.

It was beautiful.

New land stretched out before her, foreign and promising, displaying a wide array of terrain like rivers, peaks, lush meadows, forests, all bathed in the golden light of the sun and turning to blue haze in the distance. None of which she'd never even seen before.

"Wow," she whispered in astonishment, sweeping her gaze over the land. Could the world really be so big...? Had all of this really been here...? All of her troubles were simply forgotten as she considered this view, so much bigger than herself and the life she'd known...

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Though originally, the cold seemed to be a natural sedative to her body's cravings, denying herself the pleasures of the root was becoming increasingly difficult. Lulu was beginning to feel sluggish and fatigued, though she forced herself onward, deeper into the new terrain. As she marched through the low field of snow and up unto a system of cliffs, another woman came into view, colored similarly to the other femme who Lulu had just met only a day or so before. Winter wolves seemed a common occurence here, though she had admittedly only seen her first blanched body upon arriving in the Wilds.

Lulu barked a greeting as she trotted closer, though she stopped a few yards away. Hello there, she called out, Enjoying the view? It was breathtaking, something of a dream. Lulu would know, considering she spent most of her days locked in her own imagination.

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For the first time since setting out on her own, Andornika allowed herself time to think and reflect on her life. With the enticing view of a whole new world sprawled out in front of her, taunting her with possibility, it was hard not to reflect. Of course, she tried to only think strictly about the future, knowing full well the kind of pain she'd inflict upon herself if she brought up the past, yet this too seemed inevitable. The painful echoes still slipped through, stole into her heart and began to fill her with such a numbness that she forgot the view entirely, even forgot the world. Her eys grew distant, and the only thing she felt was the cold winds, still ripling through her fur.

In this state, she didn't hear the soft crunching of approaching paws. Or paerhaps she didn't, but thought nothing of it. She didn't care to recognize the strange feeling along her spine, the one that comes about when another presense had drawn near. It wasn't until a soft woof sliced through the frigid winter air that she broke free of her thoughts and became aware of the stranger. Too aware.

To hear another wolf's voice aside from her parents' was jarring enough, even without the added fear that all strangers sought to harm her. Her body completely spun around to face the source, legs splaying in a defensive manner and pupils shrunken to mere dots. Every inch of her being screamed alarm; even the air seemed to show it, her fear manifesting in quick clouds of steam puffing from her maw. To make matters worse, she nearly lost her footing on the rocky edge when turning around, but the adreneline in her veins quickened her reaction, forcing her to find a safer position before falling was even possible. All the while, her pale gaze swiftly scanned the wolf before her, taking in every detail.

A female by the sound of her voice, and the first things to be noticed were her striking blue eyes and uniqely freckled face. The second was her posture and attitude; she didn't look threatening, and she didn't sound it either. This certainly helped the anxious youth to relax, but she remained on guard, still not trusting the wolf.

Now that her shock had subsided, she could recall being asked a question, and with no other idea on how to react to her first stranger, she gave a simple reply.

"Yes, I... I suppose..." Her mind was still reeling, leaving her tongue to fend for itself, so she bluntly asked the first question that came to mind. "Who are you?" As her brain slowly but surely began to catch up, she realized the wolf's name didn't matter to her, so much as who they represented, where they came from. So she quickly followed up with that question. "And... and where are you from?"

It was obvious that Lulu had unsettled the other in her approach for which she was sorry, though her posture remained the same. The smile on her maw grew only slightly larger as she waited patiently for the other's words to stop. I am Lulua'ina, heir of Ke Aupuni, though I'm quite far from our original claim. She took a deep breath, as though she was expecting to find the scents of one of her siblings in the air. Of course, she knew it was unlikely, as they hadn't seen each other in over a year. I'm looking to resettle in the Wilds, though rebuilding a pack is a bit harder than I thought. Lulu paused to laugh, then looked back at the other. Who are you? And where are you from?

The lack of aggression in the stranger (now named Lulua'ina), coupled with the female's warm smile, brought a warm aura to the otherwise frigid environment, convincing Nika to calm herself further. All traces of alarm faded from her features, replaced by a neutral yet catious demeanor. Really, even if her fear had been justified, after seeing how easy going and light hearted this stranger was, the girl felt silly for reacting the way she did, and could only hope tipping her chin up and squaring her shoulders would be enough to restore her dignity. Certinaly not a good first impression for a lady such as herself.

The term "heir" definitely caught the girl's attention, causing her brows to briefly arch with interest. Was this - how did she say it - "Ke Aupini", another kingdom...? Furthermore, should she be intimidated by being in the presence of another heiress? She didn't bother to interupt the other with these inquries, instead just listening patiently, assuming they would be answered in due time. 

What came next hardly registered anything in the yearling's mind. She didn't entirely know what "the Wilds" meant; surely it was a place of some sort, but she had no clue as to where it was. Here, there in "Ke Aupini", somewhere else...? When she brought up rebuilding a "pack", it took the youth a few moments to realize she meant the thing she was heiress to. Indeed, even Andornika Meronique, bourne of a kingdom, knew what packs were, but in her scarce knowledge of them, considered them to be rather primitive. They weren't as grand as kingdoms, more like a small group of wolves banding together for survivival, only hoping they would one day be as grand. She concluded being an heiress to that wasn't as worthy as being an heiress to a throne, so the question of this wolf's importance ceased.

Now it was her turn to answer the questions of name and origin, causing Andronika to freeze momentarily. She decided this Lulua'ina had nothing to do with the wolves that killed her loved ones, but it still seemed like a bad idea to give her identity away... What if word somehow traveled back to them? What if they found her and she ended up just like her parents? The unsettling image was enough to send a chill down her spine... yet... The teachings of her parents echoed in her brain, speciifically her mother's. Her lineage was nevertheless important: being a Meronique was not something she should hide, and it would be disgraceful to introduce herself as anything less. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, yet at the same time knew she was made to stand high on a pedestal. Her pride ended up overriding her fears, reminding her who she was and how she should be acting.

She took a bold step forward, puffing out her chest and straightening her back, mimicking the regal pose she'd seen her mother pull thosands of times, though it looked a little less regal with the youth's awkward frame. "I am Andronika Meronique, princess of the New Meronique Kingdom." She paused briefly after that noble introduction, as if she believed the words needed a moment to truly soak in.

Having decided this wolf was not a threat, Andronika was able to think more clearly about what she wanted to say to the other, and the first thing that occurred to her was gathering information. She was lost, was she not? Surely this female could enlighten her on this new world...

"I too am rather far from my home... Tell me, Lulua'ina of Ke Aupini, what do you know of these lands?" She turned her head to face the view, once more locking her gaze on the landscape sprawling out before them.

I wish I could tell you more, Lulu began, though I've only just arrived myself. You're one of the first wolves I've met, but they all seem friendly enough. Even you, Princess Andronika. There was a slightly patronizing tone to her voice, though it was barely recognizable behind a genuine smile and wag of her tail. How did you end up here? It was an odd place for someone to just wander into without cause, and though that had been exactly what Lulu had done herself, it still held true. She settled herself into a seated position, though her forearms were geared should the other choose to attack. The likelihood was low, but this region was much different than that which she was used to, and one could never be too careful.

Rlly late response, but I finally got around to it. Apologies for the wait. ^^'

 

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"Hm." Came her distracted response. She'd only been half listening to what the other said about being new to these lands and not knowing them very well herself. All she'd really heard was that this woman could be of no help to her; they were both as equally ignorant about the dangers and/or wonders ahead of them. In the same boat, even, except Andronika was certain this "heiress" was not running from home for the same reasons she was. Pale green eyes still scanning the horizon, she concluded the only way she'd learn more about this world was simply by heading out into it, experiencing it for herself... Truly, her lack of knowledge about what came next was somewhat exciting, but extremely terrifying all the same, making a frown tug at her features and her stomach clench with dread. She was in no hurry to get going, so she didn't mind sticking around to chat with this friendly face a little longer, knowing the next one might not be so friendly...

Her ears perked to the sound of her name and she turned back to the girl with an almost smug smirk, clearly liking the sound of her proper title being put to use. Out here, it was impossible to tell whether or not her status meant anything to anyone, and the odds of being called "princess" were likely quite slim. Needless to say, it was certainly nice to hear it again. So nice that she didn't pick up on Lulu's trace of patronization.

However, her smile withered when the woman asked how she came to be here. Her mind clouded with those terrible memories that she fought to push away, making her eyes distant as she drifted somewhere between past and present. Her parents leaving... Waking up alone... Going to find them... Seeing their bodies... Running... Her heart squeezed tighter with each image, emotion suffocating her until she mentally shook the thoughts away, forcing herself to grow numb to them.

Truly, it was just a casual question. Lulu meant nothing by it, and some distant voice in the back of Nika's head was acknowledging that. Yet all the grief and raw emotion was putting her into a dour mood, making her see everything through storm tinted glasses. That was none of this she wolf's business, she thought. Why on earth does she need to know?

The youth's expression hardened and she spoke with a forced monotone, something slightly bitter lurking beneath her "stoicness". "Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I had to flee home. Anything more detailed than that is, quite frankly, none of your business." Even now, trying to be numb, something dark flitted across her eyes at the mention of "unfortunate circumstances".

The air grew tense and awkwardly silent after her sudden change in attitude. She desperately wanted to change the subject, wanted to get away from her confused emotions, so she frantically searched for something else to discuss... Then a dull ache tugged at her stomach once again.

"What of the game? Have you seen any prey here since your arrival?" 
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