Altar of Twilight Forty thousand feet

Wraen found it funny, how one could travel many miles away from home and see foreign lands and mysterious places, and yet miss the amazing things that were lying right at your doorstep. It was quite late, when she returned from a hunting trip in the Bramblepoint and happened to pass by the Altar of Twilight.

Of course, she did not know it by name, neither had she paid any attention to it during the day-time - it being just another tall wall of the rocks by the mountain range. But now with the clear skies and moon shining she was drawn to the unusual luminiscence that came from the area just south of Moonspear. Being one of those people, who knew the extraordinary, when they encountered it, she sat down to enjoy the phenomenon for a little while, before turning an leaving.

though closely she has danced by these parts, the starlet has not yet graced the nooklet valley until tonight, when her eye is caught by the way it is awash in moonlight, glowing unearthly-beauty. naturally she can't help but want to see it up close, entranced by the sight, and the presence of a stranger is but a welcome bonus.

she's not yet learned to be wary of strangers, even after all she's encountered. adopting her cheerful grin the coywolf makes her way near, pausing when she's within earshot. "it's beautiful, ain't it?" her dreamy voice floats, glancing between the moonlit valley and the girl.

Three months might have passed, since Wraen had met the coywolf in the middle of the night, but she had not forgotten the sound of the other's voice - dreamy, naive and making you wonder, whether this person ever stood on the ground with all fours or constantly floated few inches above. 

Wraen, though a little wary now that she was part of a very small group in comparison to the protection a pack offered, turned and greeted Witchbaby. "Funny meeting you here," she said with a smile. "You are probably the second vagabond I meet twice... how did you come this far?"

 unlike her second-time companion recognition does not immediately flare within witchbaby, not until that friendly-brisk voice registers and her grin broadens. oh, ho, what a pleasant turn of events! cheered greatly, she focuses like a laserpoint on the girl, able to give her a proper look over without the blackness of shadow offering their shared secrecy. small, though still wolfy-bigger than she, and with the pretty green eyes. 

"i wander 'round," wb answers, a little cheeky, and takes a seat with tail curled around her toes. "the pack i was gonna be joinin' ended up fallin' apart, an' then i went back an' forth a coupla times, nothin' fancy." she still speaks in honeyed dramatised tones, but her days of sulking over kinkajuú have passed (even if the girl herself still features prominently in her thoughts -- alas), so she does not offer another bid of attention. instead she cocks her head, curious as can be, and asks, "how 'bout yourself?"

"That's unfortunate," Wraen interjected politely, but true sympathy was not there, because it did not look like Witchbaby cared for the disbandment of a would-be pack. 

"And still... despite the winter - you look quite well for a lone wolf," she observed, though it could have something to do with the girl's lighter build, smaller frame and general need for less food then most people to sustain herself and keep going. 

"Well, I with a group of other wolves just left Moonspear and we are founding a new one," she explained, idly wondering, if the coywolf would be interested in tagging along, but not asking it out loud. "Heading off to the bright future ahead, so to say," she said with a light laugh.

for once! she's more interested in the other than in herself, curious what entanglements wraen has gotten into (though of course she accepts the compliment with a bit of preening and a playful-flirty "y'look pretty yourself.") bein' the tiny-scrawny thing she is, wb is used to surviving on scraps -- honestly she's never really been in a state of peak physical perfection (she's just good lookin').

the coygirl perks visibly at the mention of wolves traveling. founding! again! for a moment she thinks of bhediyon, what a pity, but when has she ever dwelled (one thing aside?) "oh, oh," wb says, "that sounds mighty fun -- think y'got room for a pretty lil scout like me?" scout she remembers from bhediyon and talking to ty about her particular proclivities for wandering at-will. even if they ain't nomadic, maybe they won't mind having her dip out and about if it's useful to them..!

"Maybe," Wraen replied, curious about the other's sudden interest joining the group without even asking , who is part of it and what they were up to. In a different dimension Wraen could have been a part of stealthy group of murderers, scouting and recruiting would-be victims. Or pirates that kidnap people and raid other packs. 

Since things were as normal as they were, she continued: "You should come and speak with Rannoch and Terance - they are head of the group and make decisions."

wraen's suspicions fly wholly over her pretty little head -- she's impulsive, is what she is, and she likes wraen's company well enough and what else is she gonna do but keep going in circles, eating away at herself in boredom and stress?

rannoch and terance, she commits to memory, wondering what they're like (her recent encounter with the cranky wolves of grimnismal fresh in her mind). "sure, sure," wb agrees, "i can tag along if you're headin' back to 'em?"

"Alright then," Wraen said, giving Witchbaby another head to toes look and deciding that taking the coywolf to the place, where they were staying, wouldn't harm anyone. After all - if any trouble did arise, there were four grown-up and strong wolves against the tiny one.

"Where have you been during this time - if I am correct, we met many moons ago somewhere in the coastal area," so much had happened that the young wolf was not entirely sure, when and how they had met each other for the first time.

a delighted giggle escapes her as she falls into step with the wolf girl -- oh, what a fun turn of events! what sort of place they live in, she wonders, what sort of wolves they are (a more grounded individual might feel anxiety at this prospect of unknown things, but to wb, it's more of an excitement). her steps are quick and dancing, wraen's question pulling a thoughtful hm-hm from her. "more'r less," she agrees, thinking the best way to tell what's gone down. "i was joinin' up with a group called bhediyon, but it didn't work out so we parted our seperate ways. after that i tried joinin' up with a pack on the coast but they were grumpy sonsa bitches so, here i am!" curiously she twists towards wraen, expression bright. "how 'bout you?" she asks, returning the question with the realisation she knows very little about wraen -- even when they met before she didn't learn much 'bout her except what a good storyteller she was.

"Sounds like there are a lot of sons of bitches to look out for," Wraen commented, recalling her conversation with Wylla, who had been very open about her views about all the packs she had met along the way and people, who did not fit her idea of useful and worthy packmates.

"Well, I was a good and obedient packmate at Moonspear and, when my brother decided to join Rannoch and Liffey, I decided to follow. Realized that I feel more loyalty to him than to my former alphas," she replied. "He is the only family I have got around here, therefore it was an obvious choice."

her giggle turns into a full-fledged witchy cackle, steps light beside the girl. there are a lot of sons of bitches to look out for! how funny would it be if they meant the same folks -- ah, but, how would she ever come to know that particular truth?
and speaking of truths: brothers, right? so wraen's the weetzie of her sibling dynamic -- oh hell she should find poor weetz huh. "i got a brother too," is what she says out loud, "though he's more inclined t'do the followin', since i'm the one that left our folks in the first place." she loves that monochrome monotone idiot, she truly does, but she's not so kindly as to keep him first in her list of thoughts or priorities -- sorry, dear brother, your sister's an impulsive fool. "he's around.. somewhere, i'll track 'im down eventually," she chirps as an afterthought, "thought he ain't sociable like me." would he join whatever pack thing she's flung herself into now? depends on how nice they are, she guesses, and resolves to look for him after determining the personalities of her new ... packmates.

"Well, I can't speak for all people involved, but I am open to variety. I enjoy having company of people, who know, how and when to shut up, as well as those, who talk non-stop," Wraen even preferred the latter kind, because in that case she did not have to wring her head to find the topics for conversation. Plus, you got to hear a lot of interesting stuff.

"Why prompted you to leave your folks?" she asked out of curiousity, because it was only, when she had come here, that she had found out that leaving families behind was a favorite choice among a lot of people.

wraen earns a sly sideways smirk, playful and only a little flirtatious (a different girl would take offense to 'talk non-stop' but she knows her own charm points thank-you-much), though she holds her tongue 'til the girl's next question. "my folks were kinda extreme 'bout avoidin' wolves -- my pa got in a lotta trouble for decidin' to choose my ma over his pack, an' they both kept us secluded outta fear of prejudice. ya woulda thought we were the only hybrids ever born!" and for a while, she did think that -- it wasn't really even until she got to the teekons that she started meeting all kindsa mixed breeds and realised the whole thing was even more bunk than she'd originally guessed. 

"anyway, i've always been a real restless kinda spirit, real interested in travelin' and seein' all kinda stuff, so i up an' left 'em. didn't expect weetzie to follow too, but one day he turned up too an' now we more or less stick together, though he goes off an' does his own stuff too now." she twists to look better at wraen, her pink eyes bright and curious as she returns the thought: "whatta 'bout you? were you born at moonspear an' all?"

So all the "Romeo and Juliet", "Eastside and Westside" and other likes of story-lines were true in the real life as well. Wraen - of course - was sensible enough not to envy  Witchbaby for her start in life, but she found it exciting as well as amazing that people, who weren't imaginary, had just as interesting tales to tell and to live through. 

"Oh, no - not in Moonspear," she shook her head. She knew that Osprey had been offered a place there, but doubted that, if her mom had ever accepted, her daughter would be standing here and talking to the coywolf now. On the other hand - maybe for his best friend Charon would do a favor. "I was born in a pack that was located near the coast, but I do not remember much from it. Me, my siblings and parents were nomads for the most part of my childhood, therefore I have done my share of traveling around. Now and then I do this too here, but I like having one, permanent home just a bit better."

They found the temporary camping place soon after and Wraen left the introductions and neccessary inquiries be carried out by the three leaders.