Bramblepoint Change is Coming.

Fallen leaves crunched under the paws of a she-wolf who ambled along with no real purpose in her stride. Surrounding her were magnificent shades of yellows, reds, oranges, browns, and the occasional green leaves that colored this forest for the season. Autumn was a favorite for the she-wolf; the temperature was cooler, pushing the humidity elsewhere, and who couldn’t love the scenery? There was something serene about it, something calming. On a calm day with a gentle breeze, it was hard not to get swept away by the beauty. Autumn was the season of change; but unlike spring, it signaled the approaching winter, looming over their shoulders like a bad omen. It was better to enjoy it while it lasted, for most of the creatures here would be in misery in a short time to come.

The she-wolves’ fur coat was beginning to thicken in preparation for long, cold days and even rougher nights. Patches of darker fur worked their way across her pelt as instinct drove her to survival. But for now, the winter doom was far from her mind. Halting in a bright clearing, sky-blue eyes tilted upwards as sharp rays of sunlight cut through branches in glowing shafts, illuminating the forest floor. Lungs expanded as she took a deep breath, letting the different scents flood her senses, not focusing on any one in particular, but picking through them. Faint prey trails, decaying leaf litter…these were the scents of autumn. Everything simply felt alive.

Running her tongue across her maw, the she-wolf idly let her eyes wander, deciding on where her paws should lead her next. Perhaps a water source; she was growing thirsty after all this traveling across territories. She did note with a growing disappointment that no wolves were present, at least at this point. Surely, this forest had something to offer her. A conversation at the least. Her last encounter seemed like ages ago and the white/gray she-wolf was becoming increasingly anxious by herself.

In later years, looking back, Dwin would note that for the first two years of her life the true beauty of the autumn had escaped her. During the first she had been too small and too busy to take any notice and during the second she was so wrapped in her own soul-searching and making sense of the world, that the changes in the nature would simply not seem relevant. Whether the third would bring a change to her - this remains to be seen.

It is possible to be in a crowd and still feel lonely - and in the light of recent events and her burnout from baby-sitting the youngest generations - Dwin learned this bitter truth to the fullest. Oftentimes she wished that Dee had chosen her home just a tad bit closer, so that visiting her would be as simple as going next door. But there was a distance between them - both physical and mental as well. The longer time passed spent apart, the more convinced Dwin became that even if they met, it would not be the same.

She yearned for company and recently on some occasions she had met lone wolves passing near caldera. Some encounters had been interesting, some less, but this was the reason, why she had come to the Bramblepoint and why she caught sight of the white fairy-like stranger passing through. Dwin noted that she did not carry the thick scent of a pack wolf, which encouraged her to approach and make her presence known. "Where to, fellow traveller?" she asked, though she herself did not call the road her home at the moment. But why not imagine that for a while?

Egeria stifled a yawn, her eyes traveling over the hues of the branches floating in the soft breeze above her head once again. It seemed like she could not look away, but alas, her paws decided the next steps. Her nose ventured between the cool compressed earth to the breeze whistling past her ears, senses alert to capture the slightest of scents. Most trails seemed stale; the afternoon was rarely a decent time to hunt, or she she's been told. Her distance hunger would have to wait until closer to dusk.

The she-wolf had just decided a water source was a good idea, her paws leading her to abandon the small clearing for the thicker wood when a rustling nearby captured her attention. Ears swivled to pick the sound up, knowing almost immeditely it was a larger animal moving through the sparse brush. Coming to a halt, Egeria scanned the surrondings, expecting a deer or otherwise to pop out. What her eyes did not expect was another wolf.

The greyscale coat of the other canine stood out against the various hues of autumn. A fluffy coat seemed ready for the approaching cold season while glimpses of growing muscle flexed with each movement. Desite the sudden appearance, the other seemed relaxed, if not just curious. No curled lip or spiked-fur; only cautious in the sense that Egeria was a stranger. Striking green eyes were inquisitive as they studied her.

Covering her shock at the sudden appearance of one of her own, Egeria regonized other scents; faint, but there. Were there more nearby? A pack perhaps? She hadn't scented any borders yet, but sometimes she was distracted. A flash of anxiety washed over the white she-wolf as she sheepishly glanced at the ground. "Oh, hello there," she responded, her voice friendly enough, but with an air of worry. "I didn't cross any borders, did I? Sometimes I don't watch where my paws lead me," she added with a nervous laugh.

The stranger seemed just as surprised to meet Dwin as she had been to find anyone here. Adding a friendly demeanor and polite conversation skills, let her make an easy decision of trusting the other for a while. "Not that I know of - no," she shook her head, trying to remember, if ever this area had been claimed by anyone, but no one came to mind. All Brecheliant's allies were located a day's worth of journey away. 

"My name is Dwin," she introduced herself, dipping her muzzle politley and smiling at the stranger. "I am from a pack nearby - called Brecheliant," she told. "What about you?" she asked. "Do you have home nearby?" in case there were new settlers in the area, this was important piece of news. "Or you are out in the world to search for the answers to the life's big questions?" she grinned, as she asked this. 

OOC:: I apologize for the late reply, some weeks are busier than others xD
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Egeria gazed upon the young she-wolf as she, in turn, observed her. With no aggression noted, the other contently offered her a reply, stating how no one in the area has a piece of the territory. At least, not close by. Her shoulders loosened with a relieved sigh; at least that was one thing her mind didn't need to dwell on. Focusing back on the she-wolf when she spoke again, Elergier blinked gratefully at the introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Dwin," she responded in turn, lowering her muzzle in a polite nod of acknowledgment. "I'm Egeria." Her head tilted slightly to one side at the pack name, running her tongue across her teeth in thought. No, it didn't sound familiar, but then again, she was fairly new to these lands. "I've never heard of that pack before, but I am simply a wandering stranger." A fleeting thought tugged at Egeria's mind: how was a pack wolf traveling in neutral territory? Did the pack have looser laws on borders than others? Perhaps she was tasked with something, though she did seem young.

Clearing her throat, Egeria continued, her tail slowly swaying with the soft breeze. "I left my homeland not too long ago; I simply felt the pull to travel and learn more about this world." Her past wasn't a secret she needed to keep hidden, but she wasn't naive enough to have a loose tongue about such things.

Lowering her haunches to the ground in an amiable posture, Egeria let her eyes wander, opting for friendly conversation. "You mentioned you were a part of a pack, you were born there?"

No worries! We are all adults here and realize that real life take priority. :)

"Well, Brecheliant is small and mysterious. The name itself means "the magical forest" and part of the magic is that not everyone knows about it," Dwin said, realizing that she was painting an image of her home more alluring and mysterious than it was in reality. It was due to the fact that she had known every single corner of that place for longer than it had been necessary. Even the painting of Mona Lisa would lose much of its magic, if you stared at it every single day.

"Umm... I was born there, I guess. Though there is still a possibility of me being found in a parsley bed," she grinned. It was a while now that Dwin knew, how and where kids came from, but she still liked to play with that childhood belief of hers. "My mom used to tell that I was an owl baby that had fallen out of the nest and, who she picked up and nursed to become a wolf. Hence - my middle name is "Owl"."

"Where is your homeland? What is it called?" Dwin asked, tilting her head to the side, hoping to hear an interesting story of a kingdom in a land far far away. Perhaps, Egeria was a crown-princess, who had run away in order to pursue her dreams. Or... Dwin sighed, suddenly feeling a bit envious of the other girl, who had the freedom to go and do, whatever she wanted. 

Egeria listened with rapt attention as the other she-wolf began to explain the pack where she resided. If there was any chance at making alliances, even as a loner, the best way was to gain information and form relations. Or, at least that’s how her mother had explained it. The mysterious part piped her attention, though. Mysterious in a good sense or a foreboding sense? She supposed that melting into the territory with little attention from others gained that description. It wasn’t a bad way to live, honestly, though it must be tough to keep it that way.

“It does sound like a wonderful place to grow up in,” Egeria admitted. “Not having drawn so much attention from others, I mean. Conflicts are so tiresome.”

Found in a parsley bed? Egeria couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face at that thought. She had a bit of an inkling of how pups came to be, but she was still naive enough that she believed idle stories and tales first. “That’s quite a story,” she giggled. “Owlets are such cute things with all their fluff, just like us when we’re small.”

Egeria’s bright presence faltered slightly as the questions began to turn toward her own childhood. Even so, the she-wolf considered how much was really worth telling. “Eh, it’s a typical tale of escaping being stuck with a family and home against your will. They wanted something for me that I never felt quite right with, so I left for my own adventures.”

"Growing up it seemed like the best place in the world. Endless possibilities. But then - I guess it happens to all yearlings - your home grows boring and you want to go out in the world and see, what else is there. And then... you get the first taste and the home never feels like the same awesome place again. At least... I always keep wondering, if things are better, more interesting, enchanting elsewhere," Dwin explained. Since Egeria was a young lone wolf, who appeared to be quite content in her "shoes", she would understand the sentiment. "Sometimes the place does not live up to the name. Or... it once has, but then the magic disappears and the shell remains," she added. 

Then Egeria shared her story and Dwin could easily imagine, what it had been like to her. Because she too - fairly often now felt stuck and bogged down. And every time an idea occurred that maybe in a month she could finally go, something would happen and she would no longer be able to do it. Postpone it to the next month until infinity. "Did they want you to marry for alliances and you were in love with someone else?" she guessed, basing this statement of all the familiar fairy-tale and romance novel tropes there are. "Or was it - you disgraced us and we disown you - kind of scenario?" If it was any of the two plots, Dwin would gain proof that not all stories were made up and unrealistic.