Ocean's Breath Plateau …it's falling into place.

Anybody wanna come and meet the new girl as she enters the territory? Tags can be for reference unless you want to partake. Your choice.

Raindrop had taken this day to make the trip to her new home, Ocean’s Breath Plateau. As she climbed up the incline, she huffed some, but it was all worth it when she made it to the top…. She looked out, and could see nothing but ocean for many miles. The oceans breathe rustling her fur, blowing on her face, it was indescribable. 

She thought she’d stick around here, let them, whoever, come. Maybe it would be the man Heph spoke of, @Chakliux, or maybe @Towhee, but there were others, and she’d be delighted to meet any of them.

So here she sat, upon the plateau, and gave a low howl stating: “I’m here.”

She hadn’t made it to the copse the other day. Towhee contemplated trying to make the trip again, yet the air was downright frigid today and she could barely bring herself to crawl out of her cozy little tepee. Eventually nature gave her no choice, her bladder insisting on being emptied on a nearby patch of snow.

Once she was outside, she decided to make herself useful by heading out on patrol. Towhee trotted northward along the plateau’s eastern edge, then hooked a left. She picked up the pace to warm up her cold, stiff muscles, only to slow again when she saw a figure in the middle distance. Their palette was similar, though the stranger’s was many shades lighter than Towhee’s.

Unaware that she was heeding a call she naturally hadn’t heard, the Epsilon closed the distance and offered a breathless, Hey, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Towhee.

A dark woman approached, very similar to Raindrop’s own color, but darker, almost black and Rufus accents. She approached Raindrop, greeting her. 
“We haven’t. My name is Raindrop. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Towhee. I’m a new member here in Moontide.” A swish of her tail.

In her mind, she wondered why the woman spoke without a breath. Putting this aside, she continued to speak: “It’s truly beautiful up here. But I’d love to explore the rest of the land.”

The name suited her, particularly her bright blue eyes. Towhee’s gaze didn’t linger on them long, naturally dropping a couple inches to catch everything else she said. She was new; the land was beautiful; and she wished to see more of it.

-“Well,”- Towhee said, sliding onto her haunches to make signing that much easier, -“I was just heading out on patrol if you’d like to join me. You’ll at least get familiar with the perimeters that way.”-

She didn’t mention it, though she contemplated heading to the copse after she (they) wrapped at the southern borders. Now that a little more time had passed, it didn’t seem as absurd as before. Then again, it was still brutally cold. Towhee supposed she would make up her mind by the time she (they) finished the circuit.

Towhee signed with her paws, and spoke with her mouth, although Raindrop didn’t know what the motions were, or what they meant. She could question it later, because now, the woman offered to let Raindrop follow along on her patrol. “I would appreciate that very much. Please, lead the way.” She replied, getting in position to follow Towhee around the territory. 

Without being here long, she’d already felt comfortable in this land on the coast. And the locals, Heph and now Towhee, made wonderful impressions on her. She hoped that this would be the case for the others.

Raindrop agreed to accompany her, so Towhee rolled onto all fours again with a grunt. She motioned for the newcomer to fall into step beside her as she continued walking westward along the plateau’s northern stretch. It afforded them some spectacular ocean views, even if the sky was a dull gray and the water nearly black on this bitterly cold January day.

So, where’d you come from? And what brought you to Moontide in particular? Towhee asked conversationally, turning to face Raindrop after a cursory sweep of the nearby coastline.

The area they sweeper allowed for stunning views of the ocean and horizon, and despite the cold, Raindrop relished in the cold ocean air, the salt on the wind. They went westward along the edge, and the water down below was dark and angry looking, so she kept away from any ledges.

Into their venture, Towhee asked her where she had come from and why she chose Moontide: “I’m from the west coast,” she went on to explain, “up along the cascade range. I grew up in a national park as part of a small pack. But last year, I was taken by humans, and left here. Since then I’ve been a loner.”

“And as for why Moontide, I feel drawn to the coast, and I wanted a good place to settle. Heph left nothing but a good impression on me.”

Her story was like many Towhee had heard before, though the mention of being forcibly relocated by humans gave the Redhawk pause. She’d heard of them a time or two before, though she still couldn’t quite conceptualize mankind.

Oh, yeah? Heph’s great, Towhee concurred. She and my brother are… courting, I guess? His name is Phox. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. Thinking of those two prompted her next question. So, are you planning to build a life here? Is this hopefully your ‘forever home’?

She mentioned her brother, a man named Phox. “I’m sure I will.” She said with a smile, “I hope to meet many.”

Towhee then asked if this would be her forever home. “I really hope so. Now that I finally have a home to build upon, eventually the next step is, well, to find someone. I’ve made many friends during my time wandering, but very few stuck. I do have a wonderful friend in Moonglow, Valiant.” She explained more in short. She missed Valiant, her kindred spirit, but she knew they would meet again, and these Moon packs were connected anyway. “But truthfully, I’m just happy with the way my life is going. Things that are meant to happen when it’s the right time, can’t rush ‘em.”

A seabird of some kind drew her attention upward briefly, causing Towhee to miss Raindrop’s first comment. But when her orange gaze came to rest on the silver woman’s face again, she caught the answer to her question. Although she didn’t explicitly mention a mate or pups, Towhee drew that conclusion from her words.

You have plenty of time to find everything you want in life, Towhee agreed, guessing that she was the same age as Caracal and—well, just the twins now. Her jaw clenched momentarily before she added, If you don’t meet anyone here and things don’t pan out with Valiant, there’s always Kukutux.

They were approaching the far western span of the plateau, so Towhee turned her back on the ocean and glanced over the neighboring plains. She didn’t expect to see anything but cold, brittle grass stretching miles toward Shadewood off in the distance. But she stopped when she noticed some specks here and there on the grassland.

There’s a herd of some kind down there, she noted to Raindrop, tail flicking. I’ll have to tell @Phox. Maybe he’ll get a group together and go hunt them. Wonder what they are… Towhee mused, squinting, but they were too far away to make out details.

She listened intently to Towhee’s words after she’d brought her gaze back down from a sea bird on high. She’d mentioned Kukutux, a name she was familiar with. But as for why she would go to Moonwoman should things not work out between she and Valiant, although to her, he was more of a confidante, a cherished friend. 

“You’re right.” She nodded, “I’ve met Moonwoman briefly, in a women’s circle. She held it during the hunt’s gathering. She seems very wise, with much knowledge.”

The two of them had reached the far west of the plateau, where Towhee observed a herd below, but could not identify what they were made up of. Then she’d mentioned that she should let Phox know, and he could gather a group of hunters, or even trackers. 

As they began to move on, Raindrop would ask about the pack. “Towhee, are there any customs I should be aware of? Beliefs, cultures, those sort of things.”

She’s also a famous matchmaker, Towhee said, giving the distant ungulates one last glance.

They began moving again soon after that, her attention returning once more to Raindrop’s face. She asked about customs. Towhee could think of a few, though she didn’t think she was the right person to consult about this particular subject.

I know of a few, like… for instance, Chakliux has multiple wives. And I know we’re not supposed to say the names of the dead. But really, you should ask Rodyn about this. I’m definitely no authority on the matter. I’m not even here to stay, to tell you the truth.

You got #4,800. :D

“Ah.” A matchmaker, Raindrop would most likely have to revisit this later on, maybe a surprise tool that will help her later. Towhee mentioned only a few that she knew, one being that Chaliux has multiple wives, which was strange to Raindrop, but hey, everybody’s got their thing. The second was not speaking the names of the dead. This was a curious one, perhaps it helped with grief, who knows, but she’s sure that she’ll find out one day.

“Hm. Heph mentioned him, telling me that he may try and tempt me into his Lodge or to hunt with him.” This she said with a tilt of her head. If he did really have multiple wives, she didn’t wanna be one of them. She wouldn’t voice this to anyone though, as to not show any disrespect. “Thank you, even if it’s only a little bit of information. Anything is better than nothing, and I’m sure I’ll learn more from Rodyn.”

Yay! Congrats to 4,800 posts.

She fully expected Raindrop to ask why she didn’t plan on staying. Towhee’s head tilted slightly. Maybe she didn’t want to pry. But Towhee realized the newcomer hadn’t really asked her anything about herself yet. Maybe she wasn’t interested to know.

You should go find him, Towhee said as they drew nearer to the southern border. You two can talk about culture while he gives you a proper tour, rather than this boring old patrol. She huffed a laugh, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Besides, I’m going to head out for a bit, she added, pointing vaguely in the direction of the copse.

Thank you!

The woman tit,Ed her head, telling Raindrop that she should go and find Rodyn for a proper tour and cultural lecture' instead of this burning patrol. “It wasn’t boring in the least. I quite enjoyed myself. Thank you, Towhee.” She spoke warmly, returning a smile. She did enjoy it, and now she wouldn’t feel as much as a stranger now.

“Well then, I wish you safe travels. And I have no doubt I’ll see you soon.” With a wag of her tail, bid the woman goodbye.

Of course. And thank you for the wonderful thread. :)