Bearclaw Valley Send Me A Sign!

Inaira trailed along the valley, stopping for a moment to get a clear look ahead. Wind ruffled through her pelt, a stray leaf finding its way lodged between her fur. 'Ugh' She grumbled to herself. This was why she hated autumn. Too much maintenance on her pelt. Much harder to blend in, too. She sat down to pry it out, getting all the more irritated as it shattered under pressure and imbedded itself further within her thick coat. Great.

To be quite frank, she wasn’t exactly sure where she was at all. She’d been wandering around aimlessly for what seemed like forever since she had left home, but it seemed to finally be catching up to her. If divine intervention was real, now would be a great time for it to put its work into effect. 

Her tail flicked in annoyance as she ultimately decided to give up on getting the scattered leaf-bits out of her fur. "Whatever." The woman mumbled under her breathe. Clearly what she needed was a moment of rest before continuing on her journey.

Yeah, that had to be it. As if a shadow cast over the hill, her black pelt slumped down onto the ground as she closed her eyes for a nap. Laters problems weren’t any of her concern anymore. Who cared about being lost, anyways? Sleep was much much important.

She had been ordered to protect the valley, and that she would do. When an unfamiliar scent was carried by the wind, she would investigate.

The intruder was not hard to spot - standing out among the orange and yellow leaves, only further illuminated by the bright sun. She approached, but did not carry the confident stance of a border guard.

Pausing next to the wolf, her head leaned down - whispering so as not to startle them too much. "Excuse me?"

"Are you a member of Bearclaw Valley?"

Yes, it was easy to tell that border guarding was not where Milan's expertise laid. She was a bit too.. gentle, with her approach.

Her ear twitched, a single eye opening to peer up at the sudden stranger looming over her. "Bear .. Valley..?” Her tone sounded uninterested. What on earth was this wolf going on about? At least, that’s what she had wanted to ask next before she laid eyes on the girl before her. A beauty with unique markings and soft fur stared back.

She lifted her head up from her paws. "No, darling. I’m just a passerby." 'Though I wouldn’t mind staying for a bit longer now.' She thought. She’d always been one to enjoy a woman’s company. Perhaps this was the sign she’d been looking for. "And you? Are you a member of this .. sorry, Grizzly Meadow, did you call it?"

"Ah.. no. Bearclaw Valley." She repeated, eyes evading that of the strangers. She took a step back so as not to crowd them. "But yes - I am. I'm meant to be guarding our borders."

She paused momentarily. "So uh, I need to ask you to leave. You know, so your scent doesn't mix up with that of our border markings." Her tone was unsure, nearly disingenuine.

Weak.

She rose up from where she was resting, sitting down on her hind legs and blinking at the meek girl. "See, err .. what’s your name?" She titled her head. The sudden question an attempt at being friendly. Something she’d never been good at.

"I’d love to, truly. However I’m in a bit of a predicament." A yawn escaped from her before she continued. "Problem is, I’ve got no clue where I’m goin'. Completely and utterly lost." She remarked informatively. There was no lie behind it, just the annoying truth.

The wolf was scrambled, asking questions and then answering two others. It left Milana confused. "I see - I can understand." She responded. "The same happened to me, that's when Bearclaw took me in as one of their own."

"My name is Milana. Could I ask for yours?" The stranger did not appear to be a threat, so she had no desire to treat them as such.

"Milana, you say? It suites you." She nodded, seemingly more so to herself than the person in front of her. "I’m Inaira. Named after a great chief from up North. My grandmother, Inaira the great." An unnecessarily long intro. The way she’d been taught to introduce herself back home. 

"Anyhow, that’s far besides the point. If you got lost too it means we’re either both dumb — no offense — or this stupid valley is way too confusing for its own good." An exasperated sigh followed the sentences. Who names a valley after a bear anyway? It all seemed rather dumb to her. Probably only her.

A slight frown stuck to her face as the woman spoke. She seemed to have quite the ego. "Well, I wouldn't say that. Our situations were quite different." She said. "I was stuck in the rain, the scent markers were masked."

She had to toughen up. Her home here in the valley was only guaranteed if all was well when Ameline and her family returned home.

"So what made you stay? They must’ve shown you the way out." Her head tilted. "Since you’re the guard and all." She watched the brown wolf carefully. Her eyes wavered as she spoke. Not all that cut-out for this whole schmink, was she? Perhaps she was new.

Didn’t really matter much to Inaira. She’d just prefer peace and quiet. Was being in this valley so important? She didn’t quite understand. Not that she was trying particularly hard to.

"I did not wish to live on my own." Her answer was simple, but it was the truth.

Gently, she nudged the other forwards. It was her job to protect the valley. "Come along - I will show you the exit."