Fishblight Mire trials and tribulations

@Lagertha

The muddy drag on her legs had become much more of a pain than that miserable smell, the cream wolf quickly found out. When Menta first stumbled upon the expansive wetlands, her nose had wrinkled in great distate but her eyes had spotted shimmering fishes only a short wade in - surely that was worth braving through something that was simply distatesful. The slog she had discounted too quickly.

Now Menta sighed as her legs again moved both slower and more noisily than she was used to, slower than her brain was accounting for as it watched yet another nearby fish swim away from the loud schlump sounded by the mud as she pulled a paw forward. Fishing had never been her true calling, it was true, and she mentally churned away at how she could catch one of these teasing creatures.

She would undoubtedly have to wait, still and quiet, until one of them was close enough to make a dive with jaws alone instead of her usual reliance on "scare & speedily grab the odd man out" strategy - but patience was not one of her stronger suits. Menta gave another sigh as she felt stuck in bored thought, stuck even more than the bits of mud that clung almost all the way up to her chest.

Yet another expedition led the Viking to wander from Sleeping Dragon and into the outside world. Lagertha knew she couldn't stay away for too long, that would be forfeiting her place in the pack and she wasn't willing to do that. It wasn't as if she had to stay put in the territory though, Lag had a wandering soul and soon found herself in a mucky wetland.

Slipping through the mud and humming an old war song beneath her breath, the Valkyrie looked up as she caught sight of another wolf. Coming closer, Lagertha could see that it wasn't any stranger but the cream female she had met outside Sleeping Dragon not so long ago.

"Hallo!" The Shield-maiden called out loudly, albeit cheerfully, as she approached, unmindful that Menta could be doing something or that she might harbor harsh feelings after being chased off.

Shluck, shluck, shluck, came the unmistakable call of the mud quickly being traversed. Menta's bored concentration was broken - as was the growing confidence of the fish - and she quickly looked up to find a wolf making their way towards her. Fish at hand were promptly forgotten - not that she had a chance with them anymore - and the cream wolf put up her guard.

It was with recognition of this wolf that she gave a slow wag, unsure exactly what the protocol here was. They were on neutral territory, but they had very much been on neutral territory before when they last met - and Menta had been chased off, although that wasn't necessarily a call that Lagertha made. The greeting given was cheerful enough that she stayed still, and even gave a wide smile of hope.

Hello, she said pleasantly to accompany the wag. Here for fishing? There didn't seem to be much more reason to slip into this mud, although Menta supposed some wolves had fun rolling around in this sticky substance. Certainly the stench alone would put them off of this particular spot.

"Menta, 'rect?" Lagertha cocked her head, certain she had the right name for the woman. Lag held no hard feelings towards her for the encounter outside Sleeping Dragon. Menta hadn't seemed like a threat, it had only been on Thuringwethil's orders that she had watched the cream woman leave.

"Hmmm, don't quite remember. I think I was just wandering a bit, smells right awful down here though," the Shield-maiden let out a booming laugh, she wasn't known for being a quiet woman. 

"Did I interrupt you? I can leave if you wish," Laggy offered, aware she may have disturbed the other female's fishing.

Menta gave a nod and a smile at the other female's name recollection, tail continuing to wag. Fish were forgotten; this was much more pleasant company than silence and stink. Stink was all that was present anymore, anyway, and Lagertha noted the obvious -- it was miserable. The cream wolf wrinkled her nose in response and nodded again, It does, doesn't it?

No, no bother, Menta hurriedly assured her, happy about the intrusion now that it was clear they were on friendly terms, although I might want to get out of this mud if you'd like to join me back closer to shore. There was no point in staying chest-deep in this muck any longer, and Menta made the slow moves to turn around in the thick of it to head back for some form of respite.

Lagertha followed after Menta, washing off the thick mire in the water. It was a relief to have the mud off, Lag didn't mind mud but this mud was horribly stinky. Lagertha turned to the creamy female with an apologetic look on her face.

"I am sorry for how ve ended our last meeting, Heda is in charge of my pack and me as a result. She felt you were too close and so I had to follow orders," she tried to explain with a small shrug.

Some of the water washed away the brown from the Italian's coat, but Menta supposed she had been standing fruitlessly for far too long - mud had dried to bits of her fur and had a strong hold all down her large frame. Menta prided herself on not being a vain wolf - if that was a thing one could be proud of - but still sighed internally at the thought of how much effort she felt she would need to put in to at least look quasi-presentable.

Later. That could all be done later with a stop at some water hole on the way home. At least she was farther away from the stench and with good company. I understand, Menta said in what she hoped was a sympathetic manner, her face turned towards Lagertha with a cracked smile. Sometimes we follow what we don't necessarily agree with. It made perfect sense to her wolf-brain, following a leader was absolute and questions - if they were allowed at all - could come after obeying.

Lagertha cracked a grin, happy she could remain on good terms with this wolf. She wasn't sure if they could be considered friends but she was at least an acquaintance. Menta was understanding of her position, no matter how low it was in the pack, that she had to follow Heda's decisions.

"Good. I am glad ve could remain friendly," Lag told her honestly, splashing a bit of water about with a paw. It wasn't the saltwater she had grown up swimming in on the banks of Kattegat but it was something.

Menta gave Lagertha a smile and a wag of the tail at her remark. Friendly and friends, she agreed, pushing the latter as a proposition. She rather liked the grey wolf beside her and watched as she splashed a little bit of the more clear water around.

A good idea, she thought, and splashed a bit of it up on her legs to try to disperse some of this stuck mud. It still had some of that residual stench that had clogged her nose in the middle of the muck, but at least it came up clear and hopefully with the ability to wash some of this mess away. 

Where does your accent come from? she asked now, pinpointing the curiosity she had held since they had first met. It's lovely, Menta added on in a rush, realizing that the rather direct question could come as both rude and insulting if seen in the wrong light. 

The woman inquired on Lagertha's accent and the Viking blinked in surprise, not offended but not anticipating the question. Menta rushed to add on a compliment, probably afraid she had offended the Shield-maiden. 

"I am a Viking, is a vord for varrior vhere I come from. Ve lived by the sea in a place called Kattegat. My accent is normal there," Lag explained, wondering if Menta would want a more in depth explanation to her culture.

Menta shook her head for a moment, not quite understanding Lagertha's "Viking" until she said.. varrior? Oh, warrior - il guerriera stood before her, although she certainly wasn't acting like anything of the sort currently. That made even more sense of why she had to follow orders - warriors simply obeyed, they did not make up their own rules or terms by which to live. Kattegat also meant nothing to the cream wolf, but she turned her shaking head into a nodding one to acknowledge Lagertha's words.

The cream wolf wondered sometimes if she had an accent - to this female, undoubtedly - that sounded foreign to wolves in this area, although she did note that many had come from places far away themselves. It seemed that this region, and even her own pack, was a collection of diversity. Menta didn't mind it, having never being particularly xenophobic - but it did rise her curiosity to levels that were probably rude. Why did you leave? she asked now, ignorant at the potential for sore feelings and offense.

Lagertha wasn't easily offended, not with words. Kattegat was a harsh place to grow up with no room for weaklings. The Shield-maiden may have seemed soft for her kindness, but her heart was not so easily wounded. 

"I vas not good enough. They vished for me to marry a man I did not vant and so I left," she explained easily. She hadn't been a good enough daughter, not obedient enough for them.

sorry for the delay!

It seemed like a simple enough explanation, but it surprised Menta - who were these people who wanted to force relationships? Her home pack, she supposed, had been more egalitarian - matriarchal by comparison, even, with everyone knowing that her mother was more at the helm than her father even as both shared an Alpha title. Sounds more like you were too good for them, the cream insisted with a turned smile.

Her splashing on her legs was doing little more for the stuck mud bits, and Menta gave a small defeated sigh. Maybe if she had been a darker wolf it wouldn't have looked so obnoxiously disheveled but luck and genetics had given her light fur - and so, wrinkling her nose in slight distate, Menta stopped her attempts.  I should go and find a more clean water source to get myself a little more presentable before getting home, she told her new friend, eager to get this stench off of her but disappointed it undoubtedly meant parting ways.

If you're ever near Ryūjin in the Sunspire Mountains, will you give me a howl? The Italian looked over to Lagertha hopefully and wagged her tail in what she hoped was an earnest encouraging fashion. She rarely invited anyone close to her new home - only Banner until now, in fact - and she hoped the grey would take her up on it.

Lagertha smiled, somewhat shyly at the compliment, glancing down to her legs as she too splashed them. Some bits stuck to her like glue but Laggy didn't care, she had none to impress. 

"I vill. I hope we meet again someday. Farewell Menta," with a friendly smile and a tip of her head, Lagertha moved from the water and started towards home.