Swiftcurrent Creek and it's all because of you

@Tsaesci led the way back to the creek, though the river otter had never been there. Some kind of ingrained instinct, perhaps, or maybe she picked up on more of Mae's idle ramblings than she'd realized. It had been just the two of them for many months now, ever since Mae had found the creature starving and alone. Tsae didn't speak her language, but they communicated well enough in their own ways.

Besides, it was good to have a working pair of eyes around. Mae halted to breathe in the scent of her home, empty as it was. A ghost town. But it was hers, and now it would be Tsae's too.

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smoke paused at the bend of the creek, water talking soft over stone. swiftcurrent, he thought — felt right. he held still with a ground squirrel limp in his jaws, tail low, eyes sharp.

black female ahead. steady. familiar grief in the way she breathed the place in.

then the otter.

his gaze slid to the river-creature padding like it belonged there, then back to the woman. an otter leadin’ the way. well, hell.

the fuck..., he mutters under his breath, but still well enough for her to hear.

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Ty for joining!! <3

She scented the man before she heard him. A stranger in her creek; quaint, really. Mae stiffened a bit, but Tsae made no sound of alarm, so she forced herself to relax. The last thing she needed was to accidentally teach the otter to start biting guests.

When she heard the man muttering, she could only smirk. Got a problem? Mae called out, taking a few steps toward the figure whose shape she could just barely make out. Some big guy. That didn't scare her, though. The bigger the guy, the harder he would hit the dirt.

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smoke lifted his head when she called out, eyes settling on her through the trees. big, yes — but not crowding. he stepped once into clearer view and dropped the ground squirrel at his feet, the soft thud landing between them like a peace line.

his gaze flicked to the otter, then back to the woman. one corner of his mouth tugged.

nah, he said, voice low, easy. don’t wanna offend your friend there.

a beat.

mighta’ killed its cousin, he added, nodding at the squirrel.

he stayed where he was after that — shoulders loose, posture open enough...

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Don't worry, she's got real thick skin, Mae laughed, taking his humor as an invitation to close the distance between them. She could see more of him up close. Well, a little more. Nice squirrel.

Name's Mae. This is Swiftcurrent Creek. Born and raised here, but I just got back from a real long trip. Don't tell me there are squatters...? Her muzzle lifted almost imperceptibly with the words, one side of her mouth quirking upward. It didn't smell much like the man had been here for long, but then, she'd only just arrived.

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smoke shook his head once, slow and sure.

nah, he said. no squatters.

his eyes tracked the creekline, then the trees beyond, reading the quiet the way some read tracks. few packs out there, a small tilt of his muzzle to the distance. but not here.

he glanced back to her, steady.

smoke, he introduces himself as.

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No squatters, he confirmed. Just him. Smoke. Mae flicked an ear at the mention of other packs in the valley; she would have to investigate for herself soon. Somehow she had a feeling the valley had changed quite a bit while she'd been away.

Her family still hadn't come back, though. Smoke. Nice name, she commented, gesturing for him to pick up his squirrel and follow her. Think I got an old cache somewhere around here, if ya wanna put that away. You're stickin' around, yeah? She cast him an impish glance, taking comfort in the large shadowy shape of him. It made it easy to see where he was at.

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smoke dipped his head, the corner of his mouth twitching at her tone. he scooped the squirrel up again and fell in beside her without fuss, broad stride easy to match.

yeah, he said, simple. i can stick.

his gaze slid over the creek, the trees, the places a pair of extra hands—or teeth—might be useful. needed t'get back to workin', he added, voice rough but easy. i’m better when i’m helpin’ out.

then he kept pace at her side, ready to be put to work, shadow and muscle waiting for direction.

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Only time would tell if the man truly stuck, but Mae smiled at his words anyway. It was good to have another wolf around. Tsae was left behind for now, playing in the river and probably looking for other otters. She could take care of herself well enough, though; Mae wasn't worried.

Instead she cast her thoughts toward what needed to be done. Work was something she knew well. Work was easy. Plenty to be done around here, she told him as she led him down familiar paths once laid by @Akavir. They hadn't yet faded in the time Mae had spent away, though she felt signs of the changing seasons beginning to erase them. My father made these paths when I went blind. They're in kinda bad shape now. Gotta fix those up, and mark the borders. Freshen up the caches. Clean out my den - well, it ain't a den yet. Will be soon, though.

Whenever my body gets the memo, I'm plannin' to whelp there, Mae informed Smoke, turning her muzzle slightly toward him as she said it. Old habit; she would have been watching his face very carefully just then, if she could still see.

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smoke listened as she laid it all out, paths and borders and caches, the den-to-be waiting on her body to catch up. he didn’t interrupt. just nodded once, slow, solid.

yeah, he said. i can help with all that.

no hesitation. no questions. he didn’t mention seasons or timing or what the land might argue back — just stood there broad and ready, already picturing the work in his head.

point me where you want me, smoke added, voice easy. we’ll get it done.

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A quick grin flashed over her features at Smoke's easy agreement, and Mae nodded. Eventually the path took them to the cache, still close enough to the river to faintly hear the rushing water. One ear cocked back to listen for Tsaesci, Mae stepped toward it and got right to work. She let her nose guide her.

It only took a few quick swipes of her paw to scrape away the dirt, and then the aged remnants of bones and fur. Mae grimaced when her claws caught on a fish bone, shaking her paw a few times to throw it off. There, she muttered as she stepped back. Then she lifted her head, looking around. The world was nothing but shadows of varying darkness, as it had been since the injury which took most of her eyesight, but Mae had learned to parse the shadows to an extent. She knew where she wanted to go.

Borders first? Near the wetlands, Mae gestured with her muzzle. Always trouble over that way. And all that nasty ass water washes away scents real quick.

good to fade here!

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smoke stepped in close long enough to drop the squirrel into the cache, nosing dirt back over it with a practiced shove. clean. done. he straightened and dusted his muzzle once with his foreleg.

at her words, he dipped his head in a short nod.

got it, he rumbled.

then he turned without ceremony and headed off toward the wetlands, broad frame slipping into the trees. tail low. pace steady. already working the edges in his head as he went, ready to lay scent where the water tried its hardest to steal it away.

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