Stone Circle On the far side of town is a room you love

Leynille (Secret Creek)
For @Lucius

There had been a wind storm the previous night; all that hot air from the daylight hours drawn up and away, causing a rush of chilling air that refreshed her, but also left a mess in the morning.

A tree had fallen across one part of the creek and broken pieces of its trunk were being washed downstream. Sanja had not seen it happen - she had been among the stones, sleeping at the time with Bjarna tucked close - but now seeing it shattered there, she understood what had interrupted her sleep.

Sanja prowled the creek's edge now. Sometimes she would set a paw upon the bank and feel the water move deftly around her toes; it was peaceful here, and cool. There was a new urge slowly dawning upon her, to find a place to nest - but she wasn't ready to give in to that.

Ink is welcome to join but she doesn't have to <3

Lucius had made a promise to not travel without @Inkeri, but just as he had the first time, he felt drawn to wander. Today, he was going south, and Inkeri was more than welcome to join him. In his travels, he found a creek, and at that creek there was the scent of another wolf. Lucius paused nervously, then let out a quick howl to let the wolf know he was near.

A howl broke her concentration. It was a man's voice - and Sanja rifled through the mental images she had stashed away, wondering who might have crossed the boundary in to her woods.

When she caught sight of them, it was through the broken segments of a hedge that grew tightly against the base of some trees.

No, it was not a man she knew. But that only meant Sanja would be cautious as she approached - rumbling a low note of greeting, which relayed her concern as well. He looked healthy and young; but also thin, with a rangy physique she was not accustomed to seeing.

Not sure how you wanted to handle this thread, but I can edit in a fade if you'd like!

Upon hearing the other wolf so close, Lucius startled, his hackles rising as he backed away hastily. After a few moments of frantic searching, he saw her through the hedge. He swallowed nervously, and stammered out, H-hello, sorry, I — I didn't know anyone else was here. And he could leave if she wanted.

A motherly instinct overwhelmed Sanja with such a rush that she stood there, breathless a moment, until the stranger spoke - and even then, the feeling only grew stronger.

The stranger was nervous! Of her! Oh, pitiful boy.

Her tail lowered and the end tipped up and down with a friendly little wag, and she eased the rest of her posture to become something inviting.

She stepped closer, carefully. There was ample room if the boy wanted to run, but she hoped he would linger long enough for her to learn more about him. Her nose wiggled as she tested the scents upon the air between them, and otherwise she was silent.

The wolf did not react negatively, no — instead, she became... friendly. She gave a little wave of her tail and he wondered if he caught a smile, or something in her eyes. He relaxed slightly, no longer frightened, but still nervous. He grinned, his own tail wagging low to the ground. She approached to sniff at him, and he stretched his neck out, to smell her, too. Breathily, he said, I'm — I'm Lucius.

the boy introduced himself.
he looked malnourished; Sanja did not yet know that coyotes were so different from wolves, and saw him as someone abandoned and in need, which tugged at her heart. her motherly instincts - which were only half developed at this point - told her to help him, needed her to.

Sanja. the woman said, motioning with a tip of her muzzle at herself for clarification. then to the creek - heim, ah... Sanja say, Leynille, there.

Lue-shus? his name felt more foreign than the others as she tried to enunciate it, and briefly looked sheepish, hoping she did not falter. Hunger? Stay, share.

Lucius understood quickly that the wolf did not speak common, or much of it, at least, but he was able to get the gist of her words fairly easily — her name was Sanja, and she called the creek Leynille. Did that mean she lived here? He balked for a moment, uncertain. Had he somehow missed the borders? Sanja did not seem upset, but that did little to quell the coyote's nerves. When she asked if he was hungry, he stammered quickly, N-no, I'm not hungry. I... I hunt for others. It was the one thing he was becoming decent at.

there was no reason in sanja's mind to chase this boy out; he looked so hungry, even when he denied it. her horomones would have made her welcome anyone at this point - anyone that looked downtrodden or young, criteria which this boy met easily.

yet he did not want to eat. he spoke of hunting and she picked up some of the words, mulling them over, finding their equal in her language. at the very least he needed somewhere to rest and she could provide that.

how motherly.

come, hunt, eat, sleep. lue-shus stay? she nodded and then moved quickly as if to herd him, or lead him, to where he might be able to rest, where a cache was not far if he did get hungry; whether he understood or not.

yes, it was charity. but it was something else too - something greedy, demanding sanja do these things - as another body would ensure more food for the rest of them, and a friend for bjarna, and a betterment to life overall.

do hunt, then lue-shus welcome heim.