Deepwood Weald night shadow

set for tomorrow morning, 6/21/24 <3

a large hare dangled from the seal hunter's jaws as he crossed the weald's border into morningsong. drinking in the slanting golden light of dawn's rise, he stretched there and put down his gift momentarily to sing out to the wolves of morningsong.
i am here! chakliux hoped it would find the ears of @Dutch, but was welcome to see any wolf of the forest as he took up the hare and trotted along.

Billie tried to pretend like she wasn't just good for songs and stories.

So she wanted to do something extra. Really prove herself! Which meant, of course, throwing herself right at this visitor when they called.

Well, hello! This was barked out as her tail wagged. The man seemed a lot more rugged than Dutch, but Billie would not let it deter her. In fact it kind of made her all the more interested in playing host to him.

Whatcha coming to see us for today?

the sight of her widened his eyes.
not in a way particularly negative, or that at all; the seal hunter was a man of many tastes and understood by now that appeal came in all forms.
"i am chakliux, first warrior of moontide," he grinned in a white flash her way. "dutch is a man of my heart. i have come here, to see he and his wife simblelmyne, to offer good wishes for their new children."

It was only a dull ache that told her she had began to wiggle her backend with strong wags. Whether his goal had been to impress (or woo) or not, his title has certainly landed.

These wild dogs really had it all, didn't they? Billie felt like a mortal come to walk among gods.

She only had a comically large grin to offer when this fellow said Dutch was a man of his heart. Seemed the Morningside leader made everyone walk away with a little shine, huh?

We can walk together to them, if you'd like. Maybe also so she could try to get a closer, better look at first warrior.

I'm gonna be teaching those kiddos to sing when they're not probably pulling at my ears and tail. The shine to her hardly said she'd mind such a thing. Do you have any, Mister First Warrior?

"it will be quite a task for you, but one pleasant," chakliux assured. "i have seven of my own, five born this year and two older sons who are now men."
her tail wagged furiously. he wondered if this was a sign of her people for a joyed feeling. "what is your name, happy one?"
the weald, chakliux decided, suited dutch and his people far more than the glacier had. that they were much closer together now did not hurt either.

The panther pounced while the two were distracted by one another. He did not quite tackle his seal hunter man, but his teeth pulled roughly at that pale scruff while a playful growl grizzled from black lips pulled back tight into a grin. He pranced back as if to escape retaliation, tongue lolling, and — as if he had not just made an abominable nuisance of himself, said —

"I see you have met our song voice woman,"

— for her voice was unlike their own, and Dutch found it strange but pleasing to his ears. Her otherness was something to be prized and wondered over, in his mind. Her meals were payment for her continued presence among them — a small but precious stone among the pretty pebbling of their pack. He recognized that she must share blood in common with himself and Simbelmyne both. Not familial, but perhaps he had more in common with her than Chakliux did. His tail, too, was always quick to wag.

He looked between the two of them and felt like a rich, rich man.

Seven!

Now talk about a real litter. Well, she supposed five were one batch and two the prior. Her cheeks were all flushed when he called her happy one.

Yet the feel only expanded greatly when Dutch crashed onto the scene. She only barked noisily once, twice before she realized it was just him. Then he went and said something nice too!

song voice woman.

You can just call me Billie, though. Her voice akin more to a young woman in that moment than the elder she was becoming.

"song voice woman!" chakliux exclaimed, and his own arms did rise to box dutch's strong shoulders a bit, to buffet him with a hard-lashing tail, the growl returned as the men roughly restored their bond.
eyes dancing, he glanced between them. "billie, a good thing it is to meet you. teach the little ones to sing as you do," the seal hunter laughed, then his gaze rested upon the panther. "so! you are a father now? tired! fulfilled?"