Bramblepoint your lips move, but i can't hear what you say

There were scents in this forest that disturbed her greatly. They weren't all that strong, but strong enough to give her qualms. She thought she must be imagining things—hadn't the last time she'd encountered this been much farther afield? 

Maybe the fire had singed her sense of smell. It certainly was possible.

Still, she was worried enough to tell @Titmouse to keep to the shadows, keep low. Maegi didn't know if he'd remember the significance. But all she saw as she padded through this place was that golden bitch, that burly dark shadow hurling itself toward her—

They couldn't remain here for very long. Sooner they got to the island, the better. She had figured cover would be better. . .but not in this case.

yips at @Fennec

Fennec had taken to the forest more and more recently.  Her badger friend trailed behind her, as it had ever since she started experimenting to find out what it liked to eat.  So far frogs, small birds, and bugs were a yes, which was fortunate since Fennec couldn't regularly manage much more than that.  She was still workshopping names, but her father's arrival with it had reminded her of her words with Sialuk.  The conversation seemed so long ago now, and so... unimportant?  But with everything going on, maybe it was more reason to just... dive in full-bore on this witch thing.  Besides, if she slept during the day, it would curl up beside her, and slowly she was shifting her schedule to be more and more nocturnal just to have that comforting (small) presence at her back.

Today she had staked out a place she thought might work for her second garden, the secret one.  She'd taken the plants from near her den and carried them with in the fox fur, carefully groomed after it's ordeal in the collapse and only slightly worse for the wear.  The only problem she needed to solve was how to keep curious wolves out of the place; she wanted to keep her stocks together, and to experiment, but she didn't want to risk any siblings or packmates getting nosy and killing themselves on her stores.  

Fennec stood for a minute in front of the patch of ground, her head cocked sideways as she listened around while she thought.  Thorns?  She only had a moment to consider it, though, before she heard someone passing through nearby.  Her friend was burrowed and asleep near a tree behind her... this was a wolf.  Hello?  She asked, hoping they'd pause.  If they didn't, that meant they might be less than friendly, and Fennec silently prepped for either outcome by trying to judge exactly how far away they were.

WC: 321

Hello?

Maegi caught a glimpse of pale-gold pelt through the thicket and drew a little nearer, bringing the entire wolf into view. Her nostrils flared, and she had to fight away the urge to visibly recoil at the scent. All too familiar. But this was a face she had never seen before, and so. . .

The benefit of the doubt it was.

Hello, she responded, her voice much more casual than she felt. Her gaze locked with the pair of milky eyes. Wait, she'd never seen eyes quite like that before. Suddenly captivated, she peered more intently, and then grimaced as she realized she was doing to the young woman what so many had done to her: awkwardly, rudely staring.

She blinked in subtle apology before speaking again. Am I intruding upon your home? she asked, though she knew it not to be true. Scents there may be here, but there was no marked border at the edge of the trees.

She sounded nice enough, if a tad nervous.  That was only accentuated by the fact that she immediately asked if she was in the wrong being here.  What an interesting first instinct, especially when Fennec had been the one to call out to her.  Intruding? Yes.  My home?  Not so much.  Fennec tipped her head a bit, turning her ears full front to better hear if the other woman moved.  

I could forgive it, maybe, for a price.  It was hard to tell from her tone if she was joking, but her lips twitched with a smirk.  She didn't have much to do that day and if this stranger had anything interesting to offer by way of conversation, Fennec was here for it.  Gardening was an okay pastime but it did get old at length.

WC: 135

Hmmm. That didn't altogether make sense off the bat, but she would roll with it. Well, until the girl mentioned a 'price.' What? Maegi cocked her head, eyes narrowing, brows drawing together. 

A price? she inquired, sounding openly dubious. She looked the rest of the girl over, taking in her appearance. Then her gaze landed on the ground just behind where the stranger stood, and her face lightened in some surprise. 

It was a garden. She'd recognize the scene anywhere. Maegi wondered if it was the girl's, and if so, what kinds of plants she tended to here. Was she a healer, or just—as the Melonii was—interested in the stuff both fair and foul that sprang from the earth?

As far as threats go, Fennec had no real leverage here or desire to back any of it up.  She'd drop it as soon as she was questioned.  Her main motivator was a hunch.  This girl sounded like she felt guilty being here, which meant she was probably a pushover.  Fennec didn't have a clue who she was or about their family, but she wasn't about to pass up the chance to extort some help from a stranger.

Yeah.  You help me, I'll let you go on by without a single issue.  She replied casually.  This wasn't a claim of hers but some wolves were pretty iffy about being bothered at any given place, she reckoned.  Besides, this was her garden.  I need to find some thorns, to hide this place away.  Help me make a barrier.

It was possible she'd flat out refuse, but if she didn't that would make Fennec's job a whole lot easier.  Looking for thorns was going to be a literal pain without eyes to find them first, and she wanted to get it up as soon as possible.  If she was going to keep poisons, she didn't want some idiot like Fig poking around and thinking he was getting flea deterrent or some shit.

WC: 210

That was simple enough. Maegi allowed herself to smile at the request—this was work she could do. Work she wanted to do. If this was the girl's price, she would happily pay it. Okay, said the wraith, and she began to forge into the thicket, looking for thorns.

It was more likely that she would find them inadvertently, feel them rake against her pelt. Sure and soon enough, she sucked in her breath as pain rippled across her flank; she craned her neck to stare and saw an array of them, scattered down a dangling branch.

Carefully, gingerly, she turned and began to work the thing free, careful not to pierce her gums or tongue in the process. She wondered how the girl was coming along with the errand. She shook her head once, twice, and finally tore it loose.

Dis shoul' do, Maegi mumbled, returning to the garden with the skinny limb in her mouth. She placed it flush against the borders of the freshly-worked soil. Her nostrils flared—but no scents were immediately familiar. 

What are you growing here? she inquired, looking around for the other wolf.

Despite the likelihood of it not turning out well for her, Fennec did settle on looking for some herself as well.  Never claim she wasn't down for the work too.  

No thorns, but she did find a nice thick patch of brambles.  Only a few got matted in her coat as she felt for a space to grab, then tugged them free and began to drag the tangled mess towards her garden.  Now that she thought about it.... she should have pulled the roots too.  Put the actual bush there.  She kept the thought in her head for next year, after this year's defenses probably withered away.

Her newfound assistant-for-hire was back and seemed successful too.  Fennec felt for the edge and pulled the brush to it, then began to carefully spread it.

Plants I don't want anyone getting into,  She said.  And that they'll regret getting into too.  Her smile was a little dark.  So I wouldn't touch any of them.  She'd need to work out some sort of entryway for herself.  Maybe a safe spot to grab, one only she knew about, to part the brambles?

Maegi's mouth split into a huge smile as Fennec responded. Poisons, you mean, she replied. My father taught me about those. About how to kill a wolf without touching them. 

Memories of Cicero bloomed up, and her smile remained, though grew more solemn, diminishing in brightness. Her father was not a good man. He'd tortured, maimed, destroyed. . . He was the reason for her existence, and many days she hated him for it.

But a small part of her did miss him and his twisted wisdom.

What have you gathered or grown so far? she asked, keeping her past at bay. Better to focus on the present, with this milky-eyed girl, rather than waste breath on anything dead and gone. There were a lot of poisonous plants in the forest where I grew up.

Fennec didn't bother to hide the pure interest that colored her when Maegi spoke to what her father had taught her.  So far she hadn't found anyone to really train her and had been made instead to learn for herself.  She hadn't sorted out entirely how to test the plants she found, but she did have a few ideas she was silently workshopping. Maybe this woman would have some as well.

I don't know their names.  This one I accidentally swallowed, and it ended up messing me up pretty bad, even from that little bit.  I couldn't walk right and when I woke up I couldn't tell what was real for a while.  She indicated the subtler scented plant, a small sprig of nightshade.  The other one is paatitaak, whatever that means.  It was a small patch of wild onion, but she hadn't understood Kukutux's term and took it for an odd name that she'd never heard before.  I guess it causes stomach issues?  And headaches, and something else I didn't really understand.  Some visual reference that hadn't clicked for her.

She winced as the girl described her experience with the plants. Maegi, too, had fell afoul of a poison more than once. And when the plants hadn't gotten to her, they had gotten to someone else. Some had survived. Some had not.

Fennec was lucky. She wondered—

You can test them on others, you know, she replied, as casually as if they were discussing the weather. My father said he used foxes. Wolves, too, no doubt, given the enmity the Redhawks held against him. And. . .her mother? She didn't know. She didn't want to know.

I'm Maegi, she introduced herself, realizing that she hadn't yet. Gone was the formality of the past, the pride in her name and birthright. She was simply Maegi, and she liked it better this way.

Fennec was thrilled when Maegi presented to her exactly the same solution she'd been considering, simply, without any hesitation.  There was a trick to it, she thought, but with the conversation open they could workshop it.  Fennec smiled.  Fenn.  She gave her nickname, the shorter version.  This woman was ineresting enough to warrant it.

I thought of that, but I'd want to make sure no one I didn't want eating it got ahold of it.  And I'd want to track what happens after.  Both of these were problems she'd had yet to solve.  She could hear when someone she knew approached, but it was difficult to tell from a distance the difference between a strange wolf and a larger creature.  Just as it was difficult, once they'd eaten it, to know where they'd go or how they'd react.  If they dropped dead immediately she'd know, of course, but if the effects were slower she'd be out of luck.

Maegi gave a nod at the name, tucking it away alongside all the others. Jaes, how many were there now? Dozens? Hundreds? And she may never see this girl again after today—names and faces crammed into her mind for no reason at all. 

Still, she was grateful for the chance to talk to a wolf beyond Mou (she loved him dearly, but he wasn't much of a chatterbox). And about this subject matter!

Yeah, I've thought about that, myself, she agreed, glancing toward the garden. You'd have to keep a close eye on it, stay nearby and intervene if someone that shouldn't be eating the plants decides to take a bite. And then. . . Maegi chuckled, shaking her head. They might even think you're crazy for doing it. I know they thought my father was crazy.

Well, wasn't he? Do you live alone or in a pack, nearby? You must, to have a garden here, she assumed, and the fear, the prickling at her nape, returned. She waited for Fenn to confirm what she already knew, and prepared to mourn a friendship that never could be.

True.  Fennec wondered if there was an alternative.  She couldn't very well keep an 'eye' on anything, and unfortunately, her badger friend wasn't likely to be much help.  Such surveillance was a little beyond his capabilities.  Maybe she could rope someone into it?  Not him.  Bronco wouldn't like this one bit, she imagined, but maybe... well.  Her screaming friend had potential, or Sialuk.  

I live in the Glen.  But I have family nearby, so these gardens are kind of a travel project.  She liked having a place to go that was in neither, too.  It was cool to be able to get away for a bit, take some time to herself and just be.  Are you just passing through?  Fennec tried to keep the hope from her tone, but a bit leaked out regardless.  If she wasn't, and was looking for a place to stay, well... so far, no one had shown her interest.  She'd love to learn, and this woman had the potential to be a real source of information (and kindred spirit, though even silently admitting that felt like getting ahead of herself).

The Glen. And hadn't that been something similar, when—no? No, the Redhawks had been on a plateau when she'd paid them an ill-fated visit. Her muzzle scrunched up for a second before she remembered herself (not that Fennec would notice anyway, but she didn't know that) and smoothed out her expression. This girl was quite the enigma.

And despite what she likely was, Maegi couldn't help but like her a great deal.

Yes. . .I'm just passing through, she replied, choosing her words carefully. No companion mentioned, no companion to track. If Fennec was a canny scenter, as all wolves were, she'd smell him on her pelt. But maybe she was too young to know Titmouse's crimes. Maybe she'd never been told.

Maybe they had forgotten.

Ha. Fat chance of that.

There is another alternative to foxes, Maegi continued, diverging from the topic of travel. If you have enemies—anyone out to get you—slipping one of these plants within the body of a dead rabbit or squirrel can take care of them.

Oh.  Fennec did not want to let her disappointment show, but she couldn't help it, and her tone was a bit flat.  Well.  If you wander through again... you might find me here.  She said, settling for letting fate decide if they met again.  She wasn't about to beg this woman to mentor her, but shit, it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't scared.

And Maegi was not!  Fennec could hardly believe how openly she approached the next subject, and her smile grew into something genuine and that was very, very rarely seen.  Not right now, but don't think I haven't looked forward to it,  Fennec replied, (mostly) joking.  She had no intentions of ever killing anyone, but she wanted the knowledge regardless.  Who knew when she might need it? And she'd never say never.  Besides... she'd learned firsthand that not all poisons killed outright.  If she could paralyze, and incapacitate, there were uses for that as well.  You've done this?  It was hard to imagine a wolf would be that careless about what they ate, but not completely impossible.

She gave Fennec a wry smile. At first, she was inclined to think the girl really didn't have true enemies, based on her youth. But then, Maegi had held intense grudges at that age. Hell, she'd been born into conflict—her own mother had hated her since birth. Maybe it was different for Fennec.

She hoped it was different for Fennec, anyway. Hatred over a long period really wore on a wolf.

She was starving, Maegi explained, shrugging. She would have eaten anything. It was easy. Well, Parvati had vomited, and been forced to lick it up. . .not entirely easy. But the woman was so far gone—

Maegi was still unsure how she felt about it. It was a means to an end, though. Parvati had gotten what she deserved, and Maegi had taken back her rightful children. (Though a niggling voice in the back of her head suggested that, perhaps, Anansi's and Sobek's deaths had been karmic comeuppance. . .)

She inhaled sharply through her nose, shaking her head. It's not always easy, she added, and then gave Fennec a gimlet look. But it's something. It's power.

Obviously the woman had done something to deserve the title of enemy, as well as the death.  Fennec wasn't so naive as to think some wolves didn't deserve such a fate.  Maybe I could get someone to help.  Though, usually they aren't all that happy to hear I want to know about this sort of thing.  She had yet to tell Bronco or Fig, but her mom had seemed a little wary and Eljay and Kukutux both freaked out.  None of them seemed to trust her in dealing with poisons.  How would they feel about her testing them?

Niamh, though.... that was another thought.  If she said it was for protection, and would help both the glen and the caldera, maybe...

It's cool your dad was.  And you are.  She spoke like her dad was a pretty good mentor.  Hers were great for heals, but for the witchier things, she had to find her own path.

Strange. She'd never been deterred from the path of poisons, though perhaps that was due to her upbringing. Fenn probably had been given a more stable, loving, not creepy childhood; it was natural that normal wolves might look askance at what the girl pursued.

Maegi shrugged. You never know who you'll run into, she remarked. Titmouse, after all, had come along from the Redhawks. Yes. . .I wish I had been given the chance to learn more from him. For all his flaws, Cicero was an incredibly fascinating character. Their time together on earth had been far too short.

But if she wanted more time with Mou, alive, she needed to ferry him away from Redhawk territory post-haste. It was nice to meet you, but I should get going, Maegi said, regret tinging her words. Best of luck with all this. I'll look for you if I ever see any dead foxes around.

She made a face that was almost silly at the joke, and then relaxed into a smile. With a farewell wave of her tail, she trotted away, slipping through the forest. If Mou had been smart, he was already well on his way to the island and far from this place—so it was imperative that she catch up.

Fennec cackled at the joke, then listened regretfully as her not-to-be teacher disappeared from earshot.  Damn.

She'd certainly opened a lot of interesting concepts that Fennec could dive into. She'd need to do so before the cold came and killed the green, but she had some time.  And she had little else to do, avoiding as she was.

An experiment, then.  She considered it, but continued to search for more brambles to conceal the garden from prying eyes and curious intruders.