Meadowlark Prairie oh sunlight, sunlight

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Fawna, free-spirit and all, had found some time to slip away from the group of her new acquaintences. She felt no need to mask her desire to wander on her own for a while; hunt, scout, all the works. As no member of the group were specifically inclined to return to each other or function as a pack might, they had been free to branch off and explore as they may deem necessary or desired at any time.

Such was Fawna's primary intent now. A light snowfall had began speckling the plains with somewhat overcast clouds overhead; very briefly, yet slowly, does her head lift to point towards the sky, if just to bask in the ease of feeling she felt now. No matter the cold she had to shelter against, she was not one to take advantage of such beauties.

A crunch of earth behind her has her ear twitching first back to catch the sound, followed by her head turning to point her nose at the stranger - or whoever, if anyone - had found her.

"Hello?"

are you going with the BWP snow storm?

The large filthy white brute winced as the heard the earth shift clumsily under paw, he was not a hunter usually but winter made it harder to sniff out and steal from caches.

Then deer he had been stalking spoke and he froze. He looked over the animal much more carefully; it was not a wolf, at least not wholly, it was to lanky and coloured all wrong but it was also not a deer.

Would others blamed him if he killed it? His golden eyes stared at her hungrily for a few more minutes, a offering like this to his gods would be worthy, he could take this one down easily enough; but not likely without taking injury and with the storm brewing on the horizon he didn't relish the idea of spending energy healing rather then staying warm.

Settled on not killing her, he was sure it was female since during his mental discussion with himself his nose had done it’s thing and took in her scent. He stood up and walked closer casually offering her his deep rich timbre “Hello, my deer” he smiled at his own joke after having mistaken her for a deer.

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Her hackles hadn't the time to raise even slightly before she finally made out the source of the noise; a wolf, no doubt about it. While perhaps uncertain if he had been stalking her this entire time or not (she didn't have eyes on the back of her head after all, and so many new scents had made her vulnerable to those more fluent in the land could probably pick her out among the normalcy of their home).

She decides to move forward with this interaction with the same grace as she usually offered, though keeping the usual gentle hesitance about her, she turns to face the stranger with an amiable smile. Before long, she finds herself giggling at his joke, which takes a few moments for her to catch on to.

"Well, hello, good sir!" She takes a step forward before looking over him curiously, the space between them situated unless he himself decides to come closer. "You startled me a bit. I'm a newcomer here; only just arrived to these lands. But that was probably obvious. Have you yourself been here long? Any... Pointers you might have for a new face?" Her head tilts and she, once more, gives a small smile, all while awaiting a response patiently.

@Vein
i did some looking around and i'm actually not sure? i didn't realize there was a BWP active right now ;o; but i don't see why not? we can totally go with the BWP since i imagine it's easier!

His portable caches were well hidden since he had taken the time to hunt so he was unconcerned about it spoiling as he took the time to be with this female as she drew closer to him. The white yet dark stained brutishly large and overweight males deep sun golden eyes looked her body over as she drew closer, canid yes, wolf sort of, concern over her heritage.. none at all.

He noticed she did not offer her his name however his rich timbre offered her his “I am Vein, I to am a New traveler to these wilds,” His gaze moved to the sky and the fat white flakes that began to pour more intensely toward the ground and the wind began to pick up, sending the flakes already upon the ground up under their bellies and into the sky, as if to emphasize his next point. “Perhaps though a place to hunker down in the coming storm might be a good place to start,” He lifted his head and scented the air exposing more stain on his chest, the dark brown stains might have smelled faintly of blood and looked more like purposeful then just random stains. Indeed the stain from the top on his head to the tip of his nose was a perfect line as were much of the other stains. “By the smell of it there is a hot spring not a day travel from here” He looked down at her suddenly noticing for the first time her eyes, he was mesmerized by them, his jaw almost agape as he stared.

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The shift in weather, gradual as it was, hadn't caught her senses until, finally the snowflakes became fatter, more consistent. The cold wind picked up, though at current she has nothing but a seed of dread in her gut to tell her of the oncoming snowstorm's rage. There was no one around except for this fellow newcomer - Vein, as he states his name is - to trust in the looming situation. Surely the incoming storm wouldn't be for very long, and there wasn't any harm in seeking shelter with a stranger, after all.

Still, she can't help but to glimpse the stains at his chest, the ones that mirrored in some capacity the perfect stain line over his face, the slightest tint of its origin drifting in the cold air between them. While she was not used to such interesting markings, for her own sanity and ease of mind she tells herself that it could be blood from a kill rather than one of their own kind.

At his suggestion, shaking away some lingering reservations and intent on keeping up her polite disposition (especially with someone who could help her find shelter) she nods softly. "Regardless of being a newcomer, you sound like you know the surroundings well. And it seems like I've wandered into the makings of a sticky situation, so... I'd love to accompany you there." She grins and her tail sways behind her; nervous, of course, because of the encroaching feeling of a storm she had by now been blissfully unaware of, but hopeful now that she wasn't facing it alone and the other knew a stable spot to wait out the storm. Her mind falls on her companions, wherever they were, but she had gone far enough now that she's certain it would take more time to find them and then find shelter than it would to go now. She's also sure that they probably could sense the storm coming by now as well, and thus were also perhaps in hiding or on their way to be, which would make finding them even more difficult and time-consuming.

"Let's make haste, then, shall we? I'll follow you." Quietly, she steps to the side to allow him to take whichever direction he would decide on, and she'd follow in his wake.

@Vein
sorry for the length! please don't feel pressured to meet it <3

not to worry this is new character coming into his own I need to work on him

Visions of many pairs of eyes staring at him, into him, into his future, into his past, into his soul, came to the forefront, he lost himself in her eyes, his golden ones wide and almost unfocused as the recall of the visions returned.  The brute’s jaw snapped shut and he blinked a few times, shaking his head just slightly trying to get ahold of himself.

He cleared his throat and licked his lips glancing away from her but unable to unsee her mysterious eyes. They were to close to those of the goddess of change, could she be an embodiment of a goddess? This impure canid? It made sense, wolves changed through interbreeding and finding her in a storm; where weather was changing rapidly and these changes could be pretty severe, sometimes permanent depending on the gods desires. Perhaps she had simply changed from a deer to a wolf hybrid, who could make sense of the gods whims.

He just tried to abide by them and serve them. The fact she seemed to disregard his shamanic body paint though, The work he had done in the gods honour with his own blood no less, was what made him question at her origin. He would reserve judgement on this goddess for the time being, for now he would play along and serve her as he saw fit.  

He watched her graceful movements as she stepped aside for him, was it right to lead her? Shouldn’t he follow her? No! she had said lead and so he would, without hesitation, who was he to question the gods. He bowed his head low then spoke in his rich dulcet “I will take you to where ever you wish My Lady, First I need to retrieve something and then we shall be on our way”

He moved quickly not wasting a single motion, his practiced movement swift and calculated not for grace but for energy conservation. He moved into a bush and retrieved several herb laden skulls, one of a moose and one of a similarly large wolf both skulled were lashed together with twisted dried vines, both skulls were almost over flowing with herbs there were some wooden tools lashed to the antlers of the moose skull among other things, and these things together clicked and rattled as he moved to return to the lady’s side

He looked her over again and decided she’d likely wanted conversation so he nosed through the wood tools hanging from the antlers until he found a stick in the shape of a C. Vein tugged it free with practiced ease and hooked one end through the vine on the moose skull then readjusted his grip and hooked the other side through the vines attached to the wolf skull then he set the tool down and flipped it over his nose and slid himself under his burdens; the vines and stick sliding over his head and down his neck until it came to rest at his shoulders, he then stood up taller and the portable herb caches lifted easily off the ground, they hung from him like saddle bags would from a horse or pack animal

Vein smiled at her, “Now I am free to talk My Lady, I will not have to stop and set these down every time we’d like to converse.” He decided to explain his actions, then he lifted his white painted head and scented the air again looking for the sulphuric smell he had scented earlier. The stirring of the wind did not help but soon he picked it up and once he was sure of his direction he made eye contact with her again, drinking in the beauty of her orbs before speaking “Lets us be off” He gave her yet another bow before turning his caches clicking and banging as he moved, if she wanted to go unnoticed that wasn’t going to be a possibility with him at her side.  

He made his way in a northerly direction with only a slight westward cant and as they traveled he kept his nose up to adjust their direction as needed, since seeing anything with the growing snowfall was going to be difficult and not helpful anyway. He he kept an eye on on his travel companion in his peripheral, He decided to test her just a little. His voice was warm rich and just a little to casual “I have not yet been to the hot springs yet, I only know that they are there because the gods told me. And of course the smell of moist Sulphur being brought to me on the winds of this weather change” He watched her reaction to his mention of gods very carefully from the corner of his eye, he’d make his assumptions based on her response or lack-there-of

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Fawna is nearly tempted to ask him what might be wrong as his intent staring goes on for longer than what she'd personally deem 'normal'; concern rules out beyond uncertainty or any off-put emotion. Her maw opens just slightly to ask before he shakes himself free of his trance and fills in the space with his own words. A kind smile is offered to his decision, and a bit wider in the nature of which he refers to her as - introducing herself had actually slipped her mind in place of more pressing issues at hand, though this fact was lost on her for now.

She'd follow him to his cache in much a similar pace, familiar with the way he moved and what purpose it provided, her paws leading her to an almost weightless trot upon the ground, slowly being blanketted in snow. The more time that passed the more that pit of worry began to throb and grow, but she put trust in Vein - perhaps too readily - that he may indeed lead her to shelter from the incoming storm.

When they finally arrive to Vein's destination, she seats herself patiently, tail curled neatly over her paws, as she watches him curiously. She had never seen such actions before, no doubt innovation on a wolf's part, not in all her travels or time of living. It's enough to ensnare her in his workings, before an impressed smile slides upon her lips and her eyes brighten as his work is finished and his contraption hangs now as two skulls over his sides, stable as he walks. It doesn't bother her - not yet, or she's simply too intent on the workings of the vine-and-bone to give it much mind and how genius she believes it to be - that one of the skulls are canid in structure. The herbs are a compelling smell, too; something that eases her in that she is aware of their healing properties despite having not dabbled in such a profession herself before. This leads to her feeling a touch safer around him, not at all without taking knowledge with the fact that he had been courteous and polite to her as well.

Her tail once more sways, wagging from side to side as he looked to her, smiled, and gave a reason for his silence and pause on their small journey. "That was amazing, Vein!" She trots along beside him, worries for the time being squashed by the mind-boggling action she had just bore witness to, as well as the fact they were now on their way to their safe destination, carrying herself with a touch of a bounce in her step that accentuates her intent and awe towards him now. "I've never, in all my wanderings, seen anything like that! It must be so much easier to carry multiple things over long distances. How did you ever learn how to do that? Could you perhaps teach me?"

Looking to all the world like nothing short of some peppy pup, her tail lifted enthusiastically in the air, she doesn't seem at all perturbed for the fact they weren't walking silently at all. It was possibly the very last thing on her mind currently.

When her companion then speaks of Gods and the sulphur on the wind, her ears tilt toward him and, as she walks side-by-side with him (although most likely notably with more steps than he has to take considering their difference in size and stride) she looks to him with courteous recognition. "I've never heard of anything like that before, either." Though she had as a child known of Gods, her small family had never been particularly religious. And from all her wanderings, she had known there to be quite a few, though none that she had ever deeply learned about. "How interesting! You must be very gifted, to speak with Gods and have such knowledge," she pauses for a moment before continuing. "Which Gods have spoken to you? I admit, in all my wanderings I've heard plenty of names in passing. Though my knowledge of them leaves a lot to be desired. But I'd love to hear of your experiences, ehm... Maybe best when we stop. I don't want to drain you out with talk and my non-stop jabbering mouth." Fawna offers a small, almost nervous chuckle, having belatedly realized how ahead of herself she was getting and just how much she had bombarded his ears with her voice. Though if he decided to speak now rather than later, she would be just as intent on listening to him appropriately.

@Vein
ahh bless, i really enjoy his character so far! super fascinating :'D

A smile graced the white brutes lips, his jaws opened in a friendly grin, “My lady I am carrying my possessions and gifts in this manner so that we may enjoy a more thorough conversation, I will be more then glad to answer any and all questions you may have” more and more his mind was being made up, This wolf seemed young and naive and yet she had many questions, was she just an avatar and not the true goddess or was the goddess being coy wanting to know which gods aside from herself he had communed with.

The goddess of change, at least, was not notorious for jealously, if she were answering the question of whom else he had communed with might be his end or the beginning of fight among the gods depending on how smitten the gods were in his work.  As they walked he lifted his shoulders and moved in a more relaxed manner, his tail lifting high over his back in possessive joy.

His deep rich rumble filled the air as they moved, content with her attentive silence as he worked his way through her questions “I have collected many herbs and seeds from all over this continent these are the fruits of my labour and I need to protect them until spring when I can plant and cultivate them, I will be a powerful healer with herbs none others will have, I will be able to even stop scars from forming to a degree”

He waited then to hear her response hoping to hear more praise, then he continued “I have learned how to commune with the gods through trial and error I have found the best ways are the most expensive, but if one is willing to pay the price they may receive good advice as long as they have not angered the gods recently, I’m not sure you want to hear just how I offer sacrifice to them, but maybe, one day I could show you.”

He turned his head and winked at her. “I sure the gods would love to meet you, not that I’d let them take you away from me, I find myself quiet fond of you already,”

hmm he watched her move at his side, appraising her “Maybe you could be my acolyte, and perform the ceremony for me, I’m sure your graceful steps would please the gods”

He chuckled, imagining her painted up in his blood wearing his moose skull and moving around his form in the middle of a clearing chanting, he wondered how her voice would sound as the rich mantra fell from her throat. He cleared his throat and quieted not wanting to scare her off and scented the air again looking to adjust their direction, “The scent is getting stronger, I think we’ll be had the hot springs soon a good place to find somewhere warm to hunker down and if we are lucky some prey animals might think the same thing.”

His eyes flicked to her again “What are you looking for in the teekon wilds?  Do you have any plans?” He wanted to know of course, but his true motive was to find out if he could keep her. The snow they moved through was deep and slowed them down he kept an eye on his cache’s making sure they didn’t get contaminated with snow.

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As she listens to his answers to her many questions and curiosities, Fawna holds nothing but admiration at first for what he states. A confidence in your ability in life was notably an important thing to have; there's not a time Fawna thinks that if a wolf, or any animal, was insecure or uncertain of their steps in life that didn't end up tripping at one point or another. So for Vein to be so bold as to believe his medicinal abilities to be powerful and effective Fawna feels only impressed by the confidence he excudes in his answer and in his demeanor.

To be confident was to be strong. And strength, even Fawna could admit, had its appeal.

"I've never been a healer myself... I know of certain herbs and their healing properties, but you could not ask me to do much more than clean a wound." She smiles kindly toward Vein. "I really think it's fantastic that you've made yourself so adept at this kind of art. I don't know if there are many healers here, but I think they could learn a thing or two from you if there are! And I think in that way you've made yourself indispensible."

Curled furred ears round forward once more to listen patiently to his next words, though it is more than likely again her good nature and her trust in this stranger makes her wish to not think the worst out of him. Her mind finds itself running, once again, to the skulls at his sides - and she fixates hard on the moose skull again. Surely this wolf wouldn't go out of his way to harm other good wolves? That he hadn't been the cause for the canine skull at his other side?

She finds it hard to believe yet just a measure possible. She doesn't want her opinion soiled of him when there was so much good he could do for others and how well he had done for himself. Being devout to his respectful Gods didn't make him a monster, after all; there was more to his story and more to his methods than just the shallow uncertainty she felt by these 'expensive prices', to that she was certain.

His wink is responded to with a coy smile of her own, though it sobers quickly with the words that follow. "Those are words too kind for the likes of me, Vein," though her words sound degrading at a base level of understanding, she is simply humble in how she regards such opulent praise. And while Vein imagined her painted in blood with a skull upon her brow, she finds herself invisioning a far different picture. "I've never been very religious, only at a very basic level of understanding... But if my steps would please, I could dance in the snow and we could sing until our lungs tire." Her chin lifts to the air and she allows a stray, strong wind to grasp the fur at her face, cheeks, and throat while imagining her more innocent picture of his plans. At the same time, Vein had by then lifted his nose to the air and done well to readjust their positioning on their path.

"Ah, I hope so. Settling down someplace warm with a full belly sounds very pleasant!" Once more, she finds herself hoping that it is the prey Vein focuses on; the prey that makes the stale blood on his fur, and the prey that he references to being an 'expensive price'. For, hopefully, even Gods would understand the importance that what would otherwise be food - life, for some - was a gracious offering and sometimes, all one could afford.

She forces her thoughts out with a shake of her head, intrusive and worrying as they were, and instead works to focus on Vein's questions instead. "Well, I've wandered for the better part of most of my life. I came to these lands with two others; I was searching the area and scouting around when you found me, and when this snowstorm began to show itself. So I'm separated from them now, though I hope they've found somewhere safe to hide. I hope to go find them sometime after this snowstorm has ended, just to make sure they're okay. Otherwise, I've been a lone wanderer and I'm... Kind of used to that life by now. Familiar faces are nice, friendly ones lovely to find, though I've learned there aren't too many that stay, but such is the way of a loner's life, is it not? I find no sorrow in it. It's just the way things are." So was the same in how she viewed Vein; there was no sadness that she held in the fact they may indeed split up at some point. Her eyes turn from Vein to the sky, thoughtful. "I think of what it might be like to settle down, sometimes. But I don't think any pack would take me and that's fine with me. I'm not here to disrupt anyone's life; just to live my own."

@Vein

lost my post yesterday it somehow got deleted/misplaced, and got some rough rl news about our dog. This is an approximation and pale imitation of my former post, so sorry

Want to start a thread in the Hot springs? They meet there kill a small goat that is lost and disorientated this BWP Snowstorm they can bunker down after a small hunt or we can do all that in this thread. 

Vein enjoyed a good ego stroking as much as the next wolf, in fact this brute was down right egotistical. So the soft lilt of his new companion was nothing but music to his ears. He hummed his approval though memories of his demanding training tried to fill his head, he was able to stuff down those memories turn his back on the thoughts of his mother, the only wolf to ever show him love and understanding despite her demanding lessons in herbalism, though his gaze flicked to his fathers skull dangling at his side filled with more precious things now then it ever had been in life.  His smile was almost a permanent fixture on his maw.

He had not been the cause of his fathers death in fact he had even tried to save him even though his fathers actions or rather inaction caused the demise of several generations of wolves including his own mother and grandmother and all of his siblings but for possibly one. In Vein’s mind his father did not deserve the honour that Vein now bestowed upon him.

His paws slowed and he stopped, his face was soft as he looked over the deer coloured canid before him. His voice was a deep yet soft rumble “Oh my Winkirmasa” his lips curved into a lively smile and his rich lilt lifted to a more audible level “We don’t just dance or sing we must offer ourselves and our very being to the gods. Only when our bodies tire do we know the gods are satisfied” He stepped forward and touched his muzzle to her brow between eyes, for just a moment before stepping back, but in that moment he had carefully and subtly drew in a breath and held it, memorizing her scent, testing it for anything other then wolf, but he found nothing he was floored by this being everything she said teased him made him think maybe she was an incarnation, maybe she wasn’t.

In short she was driving him mad, he listened to her story raptly. His tail swished the snow collecting below them in mounds quickly,  then heard her wish as she gazed at the sky he watched her eyes then slowly turned his head toward the heavens. “If no pack takes you then it is their loss, I would be grateful to serve you”
His lips quirked up into another smile and he gave himself a shake sending more snow into the air it collecting upon their bodies as they stood still. “Mayhaps in the spring, should we not have found a pack, we should meet back here the first full moon of spring and start our own?”
He looking into her eyes then with all sincerity then offered a hearty chuckle and turned to move toward the springs again. “Should we get cold at the hot springs I’ll teach you some ‘dance’ steps to inflame the gods attention and draw their notice. Perhaps they’ll let us know just when this storm will end”
He looked back up to the cloud covered sky the snow fall thickening just that much more, his voice soft and worried “This looks like only the beginning….” He frowned at the clouds