Deepwood Weald do you ever feel like a plastic bag?

well, she said. fuck.

magpie corvidae xiii was utterly and hopelessly lost. she thought she was a well-trained tracker, living among her nomadic familial pack. they were not unused to venturing into unknown places, and frequently navigated across difficult terrain. and yet— lost.

this forest had looked unremarkable from the outside, but beneath the canopy a thick fog clouded any visual cues. her scent, the usual thread leading back to wherever she had come from, stayed close to her body and couldn't seem to penetrate the mists. nor could she see much sunlight breaking through the trees, which would have been an indication of the forest's edge, a clearing, or (most helpful) higher ground. fuck, fuck, fuck.

tags for ref!

The two families thrived with Meerkat and Nasamik as mothers. Sialuk yearned for her chance at motherhood, but her time had not yet come. She was patient, and she would wait for nature to take its course. She wondered how Marina faired in village Moontide, young ones likely growing in her belly. She wondered also of her own mother in village Moonglow. Sialuk knew she was due for a visit there, and to wherever Vaire had decided to settle—if she had at all.

Her time in the evening was spent with @Argent when he answered her call. During the daylight hours, she hunted and fished for @Nasamik and @Meerkat when she was not gathering herbs and softening skins. She wandered closer to Moontide today, thinking she might check in on Marina, then make her way to Moonglow to meet with anaa, but a cursing voice slowed her.

This woman greets you, she said, drawing closer to the dark-cloaked woman. Her coat was striking, and her verdant eyes bright even in the dark of the fog that hung in the forest.

whaauugh, magpie answered ungracefully, her lean frame spinning around in surprise as a white figure coalesced from the mists. she felt her hackles rise briefly in fear, but the nomad quickly recovered as it became apparent that the white she-wolf before her was corporeal and not a spectre.

she dared to draw closer to the other, cautiously sniffing her shoulders and along her taller physique— if the stranger did the same, magpie would be utterly unbothered. a pack wolf, then, and not in heat or pregnant, things that would have given the corvidae a clue as to the stranger's standing if they were present. magpie's own scent was much the same, but wilder and untainted by others— she had dispersed from the familial pack some time ago.

finally, she stepped a respectful distance away, and told the other, this woman is called magpie. as an afterthought, and she's fucking lost.

Sialuk did not balk at the forward nature of the dark woman, and she invited her into her space with ease. There were no strong scents of others upon her, no pack to call her own, Sialuk gathered.

Magpie. A fitting name for such a beautiful creature. And Sialuk laughed freely at the observation, reminded of Bridget and her humorous words. You are found by Sialuk, she said, a glimmer in her gaze, a teasing smile to match.

sialuk, the corvidae repeated, testing the name and pronunciation on her tongue. a soft smile crept into her expression as the snowy woman laughed and teased. i must be blessed to be found by such a... magpie paused for a beat, considering her words, radiant creature.

do you live here? she asked, then, vibrant green eyes scanning the fog and the shadowed, towering trees. this wood seemed to suit sialuk; both were ethereal and filled with mystery.

A compliment woven into Magpie's words, and Sialuk felt herself even more strongly drawn toward the woman. Already she found herself eager to invite her to the spear, to her ulaq. She thought of Keen, of Argent, of whom she might next share a night with. The starwoman refrained, reeling her thoughts into the present once more.

Sialuk shook her head. Village Moonspear is home, she said, gesturing vaguely in its direction. Though I make a path to village Moontide today, then to make words with village Moonglow. Perhaps you will find way if we travel together? Sialuk suggested, eager to learn more of the bird.

i'd be honored to travel at your side, magpie told her warmly, moving to nuzzle her snout down along the woman's face, not realizing she was falling into the unconventional habits of the corvidae. they were all raised to show affection, regardless of station— it was only the act of mating that required consent.

bird metaphors for life.

Sialuk tensed only a split second, but when she realized the touch was of affection and not malice, she softened. Her heart fluttered in her chest, thrilled to meet somebody who was so free with their tenderness. Her tail waved gently back and forth, and she returned the show of affection with her own: a gentle nip to the shoulder.

Come, she said, beginning to make her way along the path she knew would lead them to Moontide. Her visit there would be brief—only to speak with @Samani and make sure that Marina was settling in well.

Do you intend to find a village here, or will you seek the path you have come from? she asked, beginning to gauge where the bird's wings might fly her next.