Bearclaw Valley Will

AW - but also looking for @Ameline and/or @Ancelin!

Last, but certainly not least of Winter’s Wake’s tour of the valley packs, was Bearclaw Valley. He knew the least about this reclusive lot, and therefore took more time in calculating his approach to their well-defended border.

The snow had misted upon his arrival that afternoon, making it difficult to see far into this odd, fishbowled domain of the Bearclaws. Wake brandished several new scratches from his hunt for a gift, but he successfully toted a badger from the snowladen meadows, in the hopes that its offering would be more impressive to the wolves here.

He splayed the creature near, but not too near their borders, and sent up a querying howl in a bid for the pack’s attention.

zephyra was reclusive. her mother often tried to soothe the raging storm within the girl but the woman's attempts were often shooed away. she did not know what to think of this new place, of this new home. it did not feel like home. 

her thoughts drifted to @Anatolia. what did her sister feel of this change? zephyra might have sought her sibling out, if she'd not been afraid of appearing weak. smaller than her sister, smaller now in this unfamiliar place full of unfamiliar faces. 

the girl's paws wandered, right up to the border. she eyed the invisible line and thought then of @Alasdair. she missed him. 

a call sent her ears on a swivel. it'd not been far, and she was so near. the itching in her toes turned toward the howl's source and she began to venture toward it.

The first shadow to appear through the snowmist turned out to be a child. This was alarming, for several reasons, not least of which he had no desire to be caught alone with a pup that did not belong to him so near to its pack and inevitable reinforcements. He lifted his muzzle, scenting the air for more company, but for now only the girl’s scent carried through the icy fog.

Winter’s Wake casually took several paces back, retreating a step for every two the girl advanced. He would give her well space enough to investigate the deal badger if she so desired, but the last thing he wanted was to appear as a threat to her.

He studied her while maintaining his distance, noting the greystone of her fur, scorched ravenblack in places and smudged ruddy in others, most notably upon her crown.

I am looking for the leaders here, he called to her, artfully preying on a child’s typical desire to be involved and treated without kid gloves. Can I trust you to deliver a message to them for me?

zephyra lingered, absinthe eyes peering through shadows of snowfall as the stranger took shape. his retreat emboldened the wary girl, her steps guarded but her curiosity fueling recklessness. 

she did not appraise the man as he might have her, her attention drifted instead to the gift left on the doorstep. powdered paws toed nearer, a neck carefully arched to sniff at the badger. eventually she drew close enough to lift a paw and prod at the carcass, judgmental eyes scanned upward as if to condemn the man for only bringing this much. 

she blew a puff of hot air from her nose when he addressed her, a lip curling as she spat out a "no," to his question. a moment of scrutiny then, a glance around for any other company from the valley wolves. "but looks like you ain't got another option," she let out just before reaching down to seize the badger and begin tugging it back home.

Cole’s molten eyes narrowed as he stepped out from the veil of snow, his massive frame moving with quiet precision. The sight of the stranger lingering near one of Nephele’s daughters—Zephyra, if he wasn’t mistaken—ignited a protective edge in him. His gaze swept over the scene, taking in the man’s cautious retreat and Zephyra’s boldness as she dragged the badger away.

He positioned himself between the stranger and the girl, his stance firm but calm, the kind of confidence that didn’t need to be shouted to be understood. His voice, when it came, was low and steady, carrying the unmistakable weight of authority.

Don’t reckon I like the look of this, Cole drawled, his Southern accent tinging the words with a dangerous warmth. Y’got business here, best speak it plain. Don’t see a reason for you to be lingering ‘round young’uns otherwise.

His amber eyes flicked to Zephyra briefly, softening just enough to convey reassurance. You alright there, little lady? he asked, his voice quieter but no less serious.

Turning his attention back to the stranger, Cole stood his ground, every inch the protective wall between the man and the pup. The snow swirled around them, but his focus didn’t waver. He’d wait for the man to speak, his posture making it clear he wouldn’t tolerate anything less than a straightforward answer.

Oh, lovely. A brat.

The pup regarded him with disdain over the carcass. He wondered what it was exactly about the large dead creature that displeased her. It was at least half as big as she was. Hadn’t her parents told her how dangerous badgers were? How one of this size would have killed her easily and without a second thought.

She scoffed at his request, too, which elicited an eye roll from the rogue.

Perfect. Useless and uneducated.

He looked up from her attempts to drag the heavy thing away, noticing the rippling approach of another. Thankfully, I do have other options.

Winter’s Wake straightened as the mud golem came to stand between him and the girl. He noted the assumption and made the painstaking decision not to react with derision. He had, after all, predicted how things may look, even in his attempts to minimize the appearance of impropriety. Still, the presumption was ludicrous, when considering the fact that it was Wake who had called for an audience in the first place.

I have business with the crown. It was open-ended enough that the packwolf might either admit to being a leader himself or otherwise presume that Wake knew that he was not a leader and required the actual leader’s attendance. He preferred not to waste time explaining his purpose here twice. I have brought a gift, he gestured towards the killed badger lorded over by the girl, which doubled as a meal and a safety precaution in favor of the Valley’s apparent young. I seek to foster good will between myself and Bearclaw Valley.

zephyra would have been a ruffled mess of spite and spitfire had she known the stranger thought her a brat. but the child was blissfully unaware of such notion and so thankfully the world kept spinning. unfortunately her choice of words quickly came back to bite her in the rump as the familiar figure of cole came marching upon the scene. 

the girl, still tugging away at the badger, didn't stop until the guard came to rest between herself and the strange man. it was at this time that she paused her focus on the gift, peered around the hulking figure of cole while he addressed the outsider, and proceeded to stick her tongue out with an unruly expression so that only winter's wake might see. 

as soon as cole shifted his focus back to the girl, zephyra was snapped back to the usual stoic express she kept on display. "i'm fine," she let out, a roll of her shoulder given as if she could have handled whatever it was the man wanted all on her own. 

the crown, a gift, good will. the girl scoffed, grabbed hold of the badger once more and began tugging away again.