Phoenix Maplewood up and down this road before

a cluster of grouse explode through the trees; at their heels, the huntress. she is an arrow loosed, fangs bared for the plumpest of them all. jaws close around a limb, forelimbs hit the ground a moment later as she lands and reverses her momentum. a quick and violent shake of her head, the bird is thrown to the ground and dispatched quickly. the frantic fluttering and shrill alarm calls fade to utter silence, and the woman moves to make quick work of the grouse, plucking away the feathers from it's breast before partaking in the meal, panting still as she keeps a watchful eye on the woods around. it is unlikely that the harried flight of the birds will go unnoticed. 

@Kora!

Kora was attempting to nap in some comfy underbrush she had found not but a few minutes ago when the cacophony of nearby flapping filled her ears. Usually, she would pay no mind to the wanderers and hunters of the world. But, to be frank, she was altogether curious. Kora hadn't seen another wolf in at least two weeks, and she definitely hadn't had company in a while.

So, she stood in her weird and awkward way, shook off some grogginess still residing within her and walked towards the sound. Well, walked is an overstatement, it was more a mixture of limping and hopping... she hobbled over to where the sound had originated from. At the least going for a hello to show she was in no danger. But, Kora wasn't necessarily on the small scale, so she stood with everything except her feet visible. Caution first, hospitality second. She was too vulnerable to start with the latter. 

she makes quick work of the bird; she's had enough practice to dismantle the thing quickly. her attention on her surroundings drop as she nears the end of her meal—when she looks back up again, a pale woman stands there. she huntress blinks, auds flicking in soft surprise. she feels no need to be hostile; there's barely anything left of her catch for the woman to steal; though somehow, she doubts it's her intention. 

"hello," comes her greeting, tail wagging easily to dispell any concern the stranger might have about her intentions. "I'm dawn. can I help you?" the woman had approached her, after all, even if it was only for a greeting.

Expecting the woman to protect her meal Kora had attempted to stand as tall as she could by standing on her mangled paw, even through the pain. Exhaling sharply with pain when the lady's tail started shifting and she began speaking. Dawn. She'd have to remember that. Kora decided it was okay to reveal herself to the grey woman in front of her.

Stepping out, the lady stumbled to sit down with her still aching paw. Once seated she threw her lavender eyes back to Dawn with a wag of her own tail. She almost started speaking her native tongue before she stopped herself, which allowed a few beats of awkward silence to slip before she replied. "Hello Dawn, I am Kora." she spoke whilst dipping her head in respect. "No no... I was just curious was all!" the lady assured with a kind smile.

she dips her head in greeting as the woman offer's her own name, attention drawn to the awkward cant of the girl's forepaw. with a motion towards it, she asks, "are you alright?" she doesn't seem all that comfortable on it, and she wonders briefly if daylily might be able to help—though now that she thinks on it, she has little idea how much the woman knows about the healing arts. 

"curious?" she echoes, with a cant of her head. was it the birds that drew her here, or some other reason?

Kora watched as the woman dipped her own head and then glanced and motioned to her foot. "Ae, kei te pai au." the lady responded, once she started there was no stopping her. "Oh wait sorry. Yes, I am fine" she corrected. Putting extra emphasis on the yes to show where her translation started. "It's been that way since birth. I have learned to live." the lady explained. 

Dawn seemed to not understand her previous excuse. "Umm yes. I haven't seen many others around lately. And I wanted to make sure I would be safe in this thicket." Kora responded, hoping to clear up some of the confusion. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude upon this woman's home. "Do you live around here?" the lady inquired quizzically with a tilt of her head. Just in case the lady reasoned.

she mumbles something the huntress can make no sense of, leaving her a moment of confusion before she apologizes, and replies with something that makes a little more sense. still, it seems more a recent injury than one she'd been born with; those she knew born with such a defect adapted to it naturally, so much so that it seemed entirely normal. this woman, on the other hand, seemed somewhat uncomfortable with it. 

"there aren't any established packs in this region," she offers by way of explanation for the solitude the stranger must have endured, "yet." motioning over her shoulder, in elaboration and in answer to the woman's second question, she answers, "I'm claiming the stream just to the west of these woods. we're still a small group, for now." turning back to the woman, she questions, "and you? are you a traveler, or new to these lands?" 

This time the woman seemed to accept Kora's explanation and goes on to answer her question. But didn't seem to necessarily understand it. To assist, Kora nodded to her foot and said "I've been traveling a lot lately. My paw wasn't used to it." There aren't any nearby packs? Oh, that explains the lack of others. 

Yet. Just that one word brought a type of smirk to the lady's face as she stifled a laugh at the woman's determination and confidence. But she wasn't sure if this caused her excitement or queasiness, either way though, she could move some if need be. Then she went back to her common smile as the woman continued, nodding all the while.

When the conversation came back to her, the lady had a simple reply, "I usually don't move around too much due to.." she trailed off as she motioned to her forepaw again. "I am quite new still." she rambled in response to the woman's last question. "I'm glad to know the newest and most successful pack is kind." the lady teased. Giving off a broad smile the entire interaction. 

ah. that makes sense, then, and the matter is forgotten. 

new, then, and not exactly traveler material. she is light-hearted despite her discomfort, and at her tease dawn cracks a grin. "of course. I won't be surprised if we'll soon have to claim the entire taiga as our hunting grounds," she returns easily, glad for the jest she hadn't experienced in a long while. things had been pretty heavy for a while now, though her re-awakened ambition seemed to be changing that. 

"if you're looking for a group to fall in with, the stream might suit you," she offers then, waiting for the woman's reaction before probing further. should could obviously hunt, seeing as she was living and breathing, and therefore ticked the very first box on the potential recruit checklist. she was healthy besides, save for her foot, but dawn had no qualms about that. "being the freshest and most successful pack around, of course." 

Not sure how Dawn would react to her chaffing, Kora was relieved when a smile spread across the woman's muzzle and she replied with her own witty remark. "Oh, you'll need more than just the taiga." the lady quips back with a sarcastic eye roll. Happy her previous joke was taken light-heartedly she figured it was alright to keep the sass train moving.

Kora was taken aback by Dawn's offer at first, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. She didn't really know what she had to offer other than fishing skills and possibly something medic or nature-related but she wasn't quite there yet. Dawn seemed to be quite one with witticism, for this time Kora could not help it but to giggle and agree. "Of course" she managed to squeak out between her half-stifled laughs. "Who could refuse the best pack around?" the lady mused, shooting back with her own repartee. If this was their leader, the pack had good times coming. No, not the pack... this was the pack. Her pack, she though beaming.

her grin does not fade, nor does the swelling lightness of her heart. ever since leaving easthollow, things had fallen into place; this interaction as easy indicator that things are going well for the group. "I'm glad," she replies, tail wagging a staccato beat as she motions for Kora to follow. "walk with me? I can show you the territory." an opportunity to familiarize the girl with the stream, and learn more about her in the meanwhile. 

fade here? we could continue this in a second thread if you'd like!

Kora liked this woman already. Of course, she got along with most everybody she'd met. Granted she tried to stay away from others sometimes, just in case. Or at the very least, doing as she did with Dawn, hid her paw when introducing herself. When needed Kora could walk a bit on her paw and almost walk normally (if your view of her paw is blocked), that is how she approaches others.

But now, she decided she will not do that inside the pack, at least not with packmates, it doesn't seem right. I'm glad. Kora nods to the woman and stands when she tells Kora to follow her. Everything was fine until a thought hit her, right in the face, like a pile of bricks. But, Kora had let negative thoughts consume her before, never again she had sworn years ago. AND BY GOSH SHE WAS GONNA STICK TO HER VOW!!

Shaking the thought, along with the brief frown that had crept up on her face, off the lady nodded with a new set of determination. Maybe a heads up would be good anyway. Spreading a smile back across her muzzle, the lady flashed a glance at her friend and spoke up. "Though you must forgive me if I seem a little slow." and took off towards the woman. 

 

Sounds good!