Golden Glade from a night that time forgot

@Harrison c:

So the sea nymph wandered again.

It was an odd thing, the life of a loner - without the company of wolves at her side (the waves of the ocean, too), she felt terribly exposed. She could handle herself, of that she was sure, but her dreams were not filled with warmth. Faeryn had to remain alert in order to ensure her safety, but sleep had eluded her the past few night regardless; the nightmares, they came in bursts of heat, flames licking at her toes and singing the ends of her silvery fur. They often scared her, so she kept moving to forget, her paws dancing across the ground swiftly, as though they had a mind of their own and yet somehow were controlled with a knightly precision. Though she was small, petite, the sylph had a great master over her own body - she was lithe, but had toughened over the passing moons (becoming stronger was, in reality, the only way to survive). From first glance she appeared dainty and regal, a little gem. 

Night was falling now. The moon gave a ghostly glow, and beams of pale light scattered in through the canopy above like shards of broken glass. Every now and then a trickle of white would pour onto the seawolf's delicate features and illuminate them in a way that could only be described as ethereal - perhaps it was the sparkling blue of her coat, perhaps it was the glimmer in her gaze. Her pace began to slow, and her breaths slithered through parted lips to pool in the air as little grey clouds - she adored the night almost as she adored the sea.

Maybe she'd rest here for a few heartbeats, regain her energy before setting off.

it hadn't taken him very long to want to stretch out beyond the creek that his brother and sister favored. he had wandered through the woods and beyond into open terrain. the more that he trekked, the further the temperature dropped. it did not take long before his breath was being released from him in great clouds that billowed out overhead.

almost as though he could have anticipated it down to the last second, flurries of snow began to fall around him. white flecks dappled the earth before melting away, offering a promise of what was to arrive in no more than a week or two. harrison knew that winter was harsh and unforgiving, but he had also been equipped to deal with it in the way that he was intended. he was a man, after all...

along his trek, the pale charmer caught sight of a figure that did not strike him as being familiar. her breath had risen from her dark lips, too. harrison watched her for a moment before approaching with a confident swagger and trademark, cockeyed smirk. when he had closed much of the space between them, he released a chuff to announce that he was near.

The snow felt cold on her leathery nose, and she brushed it off with a small paw - winter was fast approaching, and her coat was growing even thicker as the months progressed. Though she was a capable fisher, she had not hunted other prey for longer than she had originally thought, and the realisation came as a dismal acceptance of knowledge. Perhaps she ought to join a pack, but a part of her loyalties still remained in undersea, with Seelie and Stockholm; she only consoled herself with the idea that they would accept her decisions out here if that was what was required for her survival.

A flicker of movement broke her from her silent ponderings, and the blue nymph's gaze traced the horizon until she located the figure - he was alone, or at least she believed him to be. Soft ears tipped forward on her crown, attempting to gauge his purpose here when he began to approach at a steady pace, closing the distance between them with ease and a confident swagger that nearly threw her off guard. Who was he? She breathed in his scent from afar, deciphering what she could. 

His chuff was one of greeting, but Faeryn knew that she could not trust him as of yet, and her mind was questioning his charming smirk - the girl gave a small "Hello," in response regardless, voice as soft as her fur, and her tail swayed behind her with grace. Perhaps if she met him without aggression, he would return with a similar approach.

harrison knew that they would reap more of the benefits of having a pack when they had actually settled in and claimed their desired territory. he knew that it would be far easier to pull outsiders into their fold when they were able to show what they had created – what they had protected – and could offer to someone who had only known the life of a wanderer. although they were few in numbers, the pale charmer was intelligent enough to understand that they were far better off than if they were being forced to trek those lands on their own.

winter was on its way, and with it would bring a difficult series of months with little prey and harsh conditions.

when the female spoke, her voice was soft and sweet. harrison decided immediately that he liked the sound of it, as it seemed to be unassuming enough to fit well into their fold. the questions that fluttered through her mind like soft-winged butterflies were entirely warranted. she didn't know him, and though he had approached her with a cocksure gait and a crinkled smirk, he was still a stranger to her.

“hey there,” the pale snake offered in a gruff tone. “what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

His coat was a mixture of pale hues, muted greys and browns slinking across his back and up his neck - his eyes, too, glittered an intruiging light champagne (a colour she'd infrequently seen), but from them the sea nymph found herself unable to detect any obvious malice. She'd not deny that his charming smirk was curiously handsome, but she'd not voice it aloud. His voice too, though gruff, bore no link to anything evil. Though the girl watched with a careful coolness, she could spy no lacing of venom behind his words, but she was a warrior (despite how her appearance suggested otherwise) and she knew that to let down her guard even for a second could result in her demise.

"what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

In truth, she didn't know. Her quick decoding of the man's scent had given her a single clue that she would use to direct this conversation, for as of this moment she was a lost wanderer with no place to go. She was sure she could scent other wolves on the stranger's fur, and she was critically aware of the support a pack could bring in the harsh months to come. "I am in search of a home, perhaps. Every wolf knows that winter can be cruel." The sweet voice tumbled from her lips, which quirked slightly at the corners as though on the fringes of a smile. Oh, perhaps she should introduce herself before the discussion progressed. "Apologies... my name is Faeryn."

the girl seemed to hold her guard, which struck him as being odd, but only perhaps because he didn't think that he could ever do something that would cause a woman to shrink away from him. though she regarded him with a careful look in her gaze, the pale charmer did what he could to make sure that he was friendly and approachable in appearance. though he typically wore a cockeyed smirk and a sharp glint in his gaze, harrison did what he could to even out his features and hoped that he did not seem as haughty as he actually was.

when the female spoke, she mentioned that she might have been searching for a place to stay. she stated that most of their kind knew what winters could do, and he could not help but to think that it was an obvious thing to mention. instead, the snake nodded his head with a solemn expression and fixed her with the pale light of his eyes for a heartbeat of time. “well, you seem to have the same thoughts as we do. we're seeking to claim one of the territories near to here,” he explained to her, hoping to keep things vague so that he wasn't selling out the other members of his family.

“what are you seeking to find in a home?” harrison then asked of her, quirking a single brow upward and drawing his head high.

Her deduction had been correct - he was a pack wolf. Or, at least, he belonged to a group.

The sylph's muscles began to relax and her oceanic gaze softened visibly as the pale man made mention of those he travelled with - perhaps, with the moon glinting like pieces of a puzzle in her gaze, she would appear as innocent and dainty as ever, anything but a warrior; inside she remained alert, for it was simply her nature to be so, but it would not be obvious on her gentle features. Another mercenary skill, she supposed - the ability to mask her worries when needed. Faeryn held a great deal of control over her own body, but with it came a swift elegance, for she was a seawolf and seawolves were well adjusted to the strength and flow of the water's current.

"I am not picky," The Renoda began, head dipping and tail swaying smoothly at her hind. "I simply would like a place to settle down," what exactly she meant by that, even she was unsure, but she continued as though she was certain. "I can do whatever is required of me." Now she fell silent, parted lips sealing with another miniscule cloud of air billowing from betwixt them - she would wait for his verdict on her statement, wispy ears of silver inclined in his direction, and hope in silence that he would deem her acceptable.

if the snake had known that the girl was something of mercenary, perhaps he would have tried his best to send her away from their little homestead. women had no place fighting; that was known. as it was, he didn't know much about her at all save for the fact that she was a pretty thing and he thought that she would make someone a good mate if she happened to work out with their crowd. surely, those who didn't fit into their culture could find their way to the door. harrison didn't imagine that he'd get reprimanded for allowing too many women into the mix.

offering her a smile and a short nod of his head, the pale snake noted that she was willing to do what was required of her. that was a good start, he thought to himself. grayson would really have to make all the final decisions until they were ready to call the territory their own. until then, he didn't think that it would do any harm at all to give her an idea as to what they were about.

“well that's good. with that in mind, i'm sure you'd make a good fit here,” he offered her cheerily. “we really don't ask a whole lot from you ladies. the men handle the fighting and hunting, and the women tend to children and herbs.” really, it was a poor summary of what they did, but he wasn't too involved in the great long-winded speeches about why it was beneficial for men to tend to men things and women to tend to their own little projects. that was more of grayson's spiel. “when the time is right, you'll also be paired with a mate,” harrison then added with a swift smile.