Grouse Thicket mais oui on se connait bien

 

it was not the birds that stirred beneath dawn's first fluttering climb, but the small and delicate form of a wolf. this wolf walked out among the rosy light saturated in blushing color, as if her arrival and hers alone precipiated the coming day. early as it was, the dawn was still a subdued cerise hidden behind shadowed peaks. yet, annunziata strode as if she pulled the sun's molten burden to her backside. all was still in the hardwoods save for the slow slant of creeping light, and she the only creature that dared disturb the pallid glow of dawnrise.

it would not be this quiet for long. annunziata paused only briefly before passing under the outstretched eaves of a young sapling.

Though the thicket was wrought with life, the Nord had found it difficult to pass through without feeling the tug of a thorn against his skin or the whip of a branch that had been strung too far back. His breathing had been labored by the time he had settled into the cut out of brush that had formed a natural den. Vines had grown and wrapped themselves along the outsides of the foliage, leaving a wild tangle before the prized seclusion. During the night, the thicket had been alive with the sounds of birds and smaller animals scurrying about. Kodlak had slept well enough through it, exhausted from his travels.
 
It was the first early morning light that pulled him from the lichen that housed him. The broad stretch of his shoulders had caught against some of the climbing plant and tangled there. Against the dusty and pale browns of his pelt, the Nord appeared to have been sent by the gods of the chaparral to watch over their creation. Only when he had cast away the remainder of his sleep with a wide-mouthed yawn did the fierce Wuuthrad see the dark woman. Rolling tropical waves in his eyes lingered on her pitch-colored frame for a moment before he chuffed to sound his presence.

 

annunziata paused from the rustle of fragile weed, captivated by a throaty chuff. she slanted her muzzle and flung her eyes towards the shiver of foliage, spying an encamping man bent beneath the sunlit honeysuckle. his dusted form hardly bid for attention, but it was his eyes that commanded his features. annunziata averted her gaze from their seafoam surface, detecting the roiling depths of a hidden ocean beneath his stare.

her breath fluttered in her delicate heart, her soft voice lilting in exhale. "do you live here, have i interrupted you?" an urgency pressed her gentle tone while she hung the balance between fretting for her intrusion and being remorsefully sorry if she had woken him.  

The announcing of his arrival had been met by the soft voice of the stranger. The bister-bodied shewolf was fair and her tone suggested a distinctly sweet nature. Even in the aversion of her gaze, Kodlak felt himself soften. The Nord was a noble creature. Though he had battled alongside the fiercest of them, the Companion was nothing more than a fair brute with an honor bound spirit. If there was fight within, he would respect it; even if it could best him.
 
“No, but your kindness is sweet,” the Nord responded to her dual inquiry. The no had been a layering response to both questions, but he did not imagine he would need to explain. Most of their kind was more attentive than they appeared. His body language did not suggest that he was in any way discomforted by her presence. In fact, he offered a hesitant smile and a single wave of his dusted tassel. “I should like the companionship.” It was no attempt at politeness; the wolves had been stiff in the territories that surrounded where he had wandered. One had taught him to fish and another had snatched a grouse from its flight, but he had yet to experience the light of a true – meaningful – interaction.
 
 “What has brought you to the sharp tangle, shield maiden?” The Wuuthrad then enjoined in a baritone that he had forced to leave his throat softly. The booming of his homeland did not always settle well with others; many of the wolves in the wilds were unfamiliar with his customs.

 

annunziata settled by the stranger's answer, her expression demure as he spoke. she afforded the harsh glint of sunrise a brief look, before turning back and offering a smile as warm as the rosy sunlight that settled around them. he was forthright, which the woman appreciated in no small measure. her lot in life thus far had been many men which were not so transparent in their interests, yet had hoarded her the way one might possessively guard a kill.

"company would be nice." intoned the svelte woman, who also found a curse in loneliness. she hardly minded his accent, for it seemed to insinuate a cold strength that was intangible yet distinctly present. "in truth, i am a bit lost." she laughed at her own misfortune, a soft and fluttering sound like birds taking wing. "doesn't seem much like a place you'd want to eek out a living." annunziata joked lightly, sweeping a thin paw to motion the tangle that snarled around them. "i'm annunziata. what is a shield-maiden?"

Transparency had been born and bred into the very fibers of his being. The Nord was a specimen from the furthest reaches of Jorrvaskr, which did not allot for space to falter when speaking to another warrior on the wind. Even though the darker female had been startled by his appearance, he had felt it necessary to share with her few words so that she might feel more at home and comfortable in his presence. Cultures were so challenging to account for, and all that Kodlak could do was to respect her space and keep a sharp mind about him in case of an unwanted ambush.
 
The proud Whitemane nodded his head to her as she mentioned a desire for companionship, as well. If he could offer it, he certainly would. The world was far too vast and dangerous for wolves to travel without the beating heart of another beside them. The Nord thought this to be true among all of his kin, and all of those who had been birthed to different lands and beliefs. “I am honored to share my time with you, then,” he offered, bowing his head low and tucking a single paw back.
 
“I am Kodlak Whitemane of Jorrvaskr, Companion to all shield brothers and sisters,” he then followed with a fleeting smile that toyed at the edges of his dusted muzzle. “Shield maidens are those shewolves that fight with honor in their hearts. It is merely a term used from my homeland. I deeply apologize if it has offended you.” For all that he was, Kodlak was not at all interested in creating a relationship of hostility between himself and those who dwelled naturally in the Teekon Wilds. He knew his place well enough to simply offer her a genuine response and then to wait for what she might inquire of him next.