Sleeping Dragon Simply to move through the sunlight

alls welcome! Some mild assumptions

She'd been accepted into the fold, signed onto the crew, and that was that.  Thuring had given her the overview, laid out the expectations, and pointed her to some wolf called Portia.  A healer?  She had yet to seek her out, and instead had found herself a nice little spot to nestle down and relax, for the first time able to do so without that voice in the back of her mind saying move, go, this place isn't yours.  Because now this place was, at least for the time being.

Rosalyn had never even considered specialization, yet here it seemed such a thing was a necessity.  And while she relaxed, she wondered if there was even any talent she could utilize for such a reason.  She was kinda a shit hunter, and not so slick in combat.  Things admitted only privately, but truths.  What could she do?

Perhaps if they needed a recruiter.  Vlad might have been a couple sticks short of a bundle but they guy had a tongue that could talk a bird into a snake nest.  She'd maybe been around enough to pick up a trick or two - but this pack was huge, from what she could tell.  Hardly hurting for eager sign-ons.  

Two months.  At least she'd have time to recover before they kicked her out for no talent, she thought with a hint of rueful amusement.  Or maybe she'd surprise herself.  She always did like a challenge.

She continued to think on it as she slowly stretched her aching shoulder, wincing as the stuff muscles creaked and protested.  She couldn't afford to let it stiffen completely and prevent her moving when she needed to, no matter how tempting.

Hey! :) Welcome to SD!

Freyja was finding herself more and more intrigued with the migrating patterns of the mountainside prey. Freyja had noticed that  warren had sprung up lower down on the mountain and she had decided to take the day to investigate their living situation.

Carefully, she made her way down the mountainside. Though she did everything in her power to prevent alarming the herd, there were still instances where she couldn’t prevent pebbles from tumbling in their general area.

She was still a far distance from the warren when she crossed paths with a wolf that she did not recognize. Putting the prey on the back burner, the Goufa turned her attention to the other and changed her course of direction. “Hey,” came her simple greeting as she paused at a comfortable distance, her tail waving support of her greeting.

Sometimes the future could be a rather uninspiring time, and this was exactly why Roz tended towards not dwelling on it.  Better to enjoy the present, which featured a delicious batch of sun on her back and a rather lovely view. Which was crossed, presently, by one of the locals she now called 'family'.

It looked for a moment that they would pass, which she wouldnt have minded.  Yet instead they rerouted; and again, she didn't mind.  Gotta introduce herself sometime.

"Hey," she replied, hoping the other wolf wouldn't mind if she remained down where she was.  No offense meant.  A younger girl.  She didn't realize there were children, though she supposed it made sense in a pack this large.

"Rosalyn, or Roz by those that know me best."  She assumed her name would be the first question asked.

The other was quick to return the greeting and introduce herself and to this Freyja took a step closer. “Nice to meet you, Rosalyn,” she said, deciding then that she did not know the other well enough to call her “Roz”. “I’m Freyja,” she then offered in turn with a smile.

“I’m the hunting apprentice here and I was just going to check out a warren that’s sprung up near our meeting area.” She hoped that this would provide some bulk to their growing cache. “You wanna come with me to check it out?”

"Freyja," she responded, liking the sound of it.  It had a bit of a taste of home, surprisingly enough, though she doubted it actually hailed back to her own roots.  "An apprentice hunter?  How responsible."  She said this with a slight smile, for the comparison between herself at that age and this girl couldn't be more stark.  She'd been in a very different place, that was for sure.

"I'm afraid I have a bit of a bum leg," she said, honestly regretful of that.  It had been a while since she'd hunted with another, and that was two offers in one week she'd had to turn down.  "But I can be quiet if you don't mind a tagalong?"  Might be fun to watch anyway, even if she couldn't do the chasing herself.

As Rosalyn mentioned her bummed leg Freyja looked over the newest member silently, quickly catching sight of her bummed leg. “How did it happen?” she asked curiously. She wasn’t sure if this wolf had been a member for long and she silently wondered if she had been injured when she had joined. Even if that happened to be the case, despite her inner judgement, the Fesiripa still could not doubt the Heda’s actions.

When she offered her company, Freyja nodded and smiled. “I would like that.” her tail wagged at her reply and beckoned to the land below them. “It’s a little of an incline-- will that be okay?” She did not want to risk further injury.

Ohhh yes Rosalyn, how did it happen?!  Somehow she doubted 'I was chasing a goat and let my stupid ass fall off a mountain' would win many brownie points seeing as these wolves literally lived on a mountain.  So she went with simple.  Lying wasn't much of her forte.  "I fell and landed on my shoulder.  Someone helped get it back in place, but it seems to have taken issue with the process.  Rather ungrateful really." She sniffed as though offended by her own leg's childishness, then smiled.  The memory of the moment wasn't exactly pleasant (having her shoulder jumped on and forced back into position - not the most fun she had ever had) but it would fade and seem a good joke in time.

"I think I can handle a bit of a climb, so long as it's not too steep.  And you don't mind a poor invalid slowing you down."  Pushing herself too much would undo any healing she'd managed so far and she didn't relish that thought much.

She frowned at the other’s misfortune. “That’s awful,” she remarked quietly, lowering her ears as she spoke. Sympathy was quickly swaying her earlier thoughts. “But I am glad that you are with us and healing.” She was pleased that the mountain pack was able to offer solace for the dark-furred wolf as she healed and hoped that she would be up and at it again soon.

Nodding to the others next words, Freyja offered a smile. “It won’t be too bad.” The ascent down the mountain was gentle from their current location, but Freyja wanted to be careful. “But, if it does happen to hurt you we can stop.” She looked at Rosalyn then, hoping that the other would agree with this.

Taking a step away from the Kru, Freyja beckoned for her to follow with a tilt of her head. “So, Rosalyn, where are you from?” She was curious to know more about the newest pack member.

She half suspected sarcasm, but there was nothing ingenuine about the way the girl spoke.  She really seemed glad to have Rosalyn's currently useless self with them.  An odd bird, this one, but Roz found herself warming up despite herself.  She was just so damn pleasant.  And she was never one to turn down a friend.

"Deal," she responded before following, knowing it likely would hurt but hoping not badly enough she couldn't ignore it.  A little pain was good, she figured, anyway.  Couldn't let it stiffen up and go weak on her either.

"Oh, here, there, everywhere.  I tend to go where the current takes me."  She hadn't had a real 'from' in a long time.  "Mostly stuck to coasts though.  Never thought I'd end up on a mountain.  You, though... you have been here long?"  She assumed so with the familiarity she seemed to have, but of course couldn't say for sure.

As she learned of the other’s lifestyle she couldn’t help but raise a brow. “How do you do that?” she asked bluntly, turning to the other as she lead the way. She could not imagine living the lifestyle of constant travel. Especially on a “coast”-- whatever that was.

When she asked how long she had been a member of the mountain pack the child could not help but smile. “My entire life,” she admitted. “I’m the first child of Gyda, a former leader of the pack, and Gavriel. Have you met my parents?”

Now that was a question she hadn't been asked before.  Normally her life was taken as an aside - it was more a cautionary tale than something to aspire to, much as she had enjoyed (most) of it.

"You just sorta do," she shrugged, not entirely positive how to explain it.  "It helps if you don't think too far ahead.  Just pick a direction and hope to whatever gods you may like there's food there."  And nothing larger than yourself willing to fight for it, of course.  

"Staying home isn't so bad.  Some do, some don't." She didn't want her to think she was here to judge, though she did wonder a bit at those who stuck around.  Then again, she and her family hasn't exactly been close towards the end.  "Can't say I've had the pleasure.  Former leader?  Sounds like a story there."  She paused curious, wondering if she'd share or hold back.

“You just sorta do.”

Her confusion deepened at this. What about Rosalyn’s parents? Her family? Did those factors not matter to the dark-furred Kru? “But what about your family and where you were born?” she asked in turn of the explanation. She did not particularly care if she was invading on details of the other’s life that might have been too personal. If this wolf was to be a member of the Heda’s pack, Freyja wanted to make sure that she would stay and not wander off to a better option-- which, honestly, did not exist in the Fesiripa’s mind.

“My Mother was the Dróttning of the pack-- a position unobtainable to anybody else. She lead alongside our Heda.” A smirk riddled her features and her tone grew fond as she reflected on her Mother. Despite Freyja’s own desires in her quest for leadership she did not judge Gyda for stepping down in favor of raising the family. “She stepped down in favor of raising my siblings and I.” Her eyes shifted to the path before them momentarily so that she could make sure that the path was cleared for her injured packmate. “I think she is very much enjoying herself and her time out of the limelight.”

Family wolves always did seem to have a harder time getting it, understandably.  Rosalyn nodded, now knowing the confusion.  "Well, they shed a pretty tear or two, of course, for the loss of my fabulous self.  But they knew there were things I wanted to see, things I wouldn't if I stuck around."  It sounded so pretty, said like that.

So her mother had stepped down for family reasons too.  Obviously they were a close bunch here, and the pups seemed the darlings of their pack.  "I'm sure she is.  Stepping down can be hard, but so is leading."  She gave a side glance. "Would you believe I had a crew of my own? Seems like forever ago."

“But they knew there were things I wanted to see, things I wouldn't if I stuck around.”

Rosalyn’s comment caused Freyja’s judgemental tendencies to pause momentarily and reflect on what had been said. Perhaps there was more to be explored beyond Sleeping Dragon and even the Teekon Wilds, but Freyja wasn’t quite sure if she’d ever be up for that kind of adventure. But, with this said, she knew that not all wolves were like her. So instead of offering any words she simply nodded at the other’s words and didn’t dive further into that subject matter.

Instead, her attention focused on when Rosalyn mentioned having children of her own. “What happened to them?” Though her tone was not accusatory, she wondered what could have possibly caused the mother to part ways with her children.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't anticipated the question; usually it naturally followed.  "Well, it was like this.  We'd claimed this gorgeous piece of coast, well south of here of course, and things were good.  Good eats, good company, songs every night."  She smiled with satisfaction at the recalling.  

"But like anything good, someone else comes along and sees it, they probably want to have it for themselves.  Guess it wasn't worth the fight for most of them, though I surely tried."  She let a twinge of resentment enter her tone.  "Loyalty only goes so far with some wolves, sad to say.  And an intruding pack's a job for any to take on, let alone one captain without a crew.  Barely made it out with my neck, though I took a good number of the bastards down with me."

Sometimes when she told of this, she got a little more expansive, but she sensed Freyja hadn't the experience or the years to appreciate.  So she kept it tame.

Rosalyn’s story was one that Freyja felt deeply for. Though Freyja was far from being a leader, she knew that she had aspirations to do so. Offering the other a frown, she offered her condolences, “I’m sorry for your losses.” She would take the dark-haired Kru’s hardships as lessons that she would take with her in her own journey.

By the time that the story was done the pair had made it to the meeting area. Quickly, as Freyja’s eyes scanned the cleaning, she targeted in on the warren. “Have you ever seen a warren?” she asked quietly, turning to her companion.

She gave a heartfelt and grateful nod at Freyja's understanding, noting how serious her response was.  This kid was certainly on a maturity level beyond her years, and Roz wasn't sure how to read her as a result.  But they seemed to be getting along well enough.

"I haven't", she responded, "I've always been more of a 'happen upon' hunter."  She didn't tend to seek prey out in their homes, preferring to instead find it on the go.  "Anything I should know?"

When the other confessed that she hadn’t happened across a warren, Freyja nodded and smiled. “I just discovered this recently by myself,” she admitted. “I haven’t gotten to see Wildfire to ask about it, but all I know is that this is where rabbits live.” Her tone was quiet as she exchanged this information with the darker wolf.

“But, what I would say is that they tend to escape into the holes there,” she beckoned towards the warren’s entrance with a jerk of her muzzle. “So we should keep ‘em away from going back into the hole if one comes out.” She wasn’t sure how long it would take for a rabbit to show up, but she was fine with waiting if the Kru was.

"Reminds me of some caves a friend and I explored" - got lost in - "on the coast. But, y'know, smaller.  And made of dirt."  She eyed one thoughtfully.  "Wonder if rabbits ever get lost in there."  Probably not.  Rabbits 1, Rosalyn 0.

"Sounds like a plan.  So we just... wait?"  This was why her brand of hunting was more proactive and based on chance.  Patience wasn't a strong suit, but she didn't mind hanging here with her packmate a while.  It was better with company.

Caves on the coast? Such a description intrigued Freyja and she cupped her ears forward at the mention. “Did they have tunnels like the warrens do?” She could not imagine living in the dark as the rabbits did, but, where would they go safely if they dwelled on land? Freyja was uncertain of the answer. Turning to the topic of questions, Freyja shrugged. “I assume it’s much like us and our parklands,” she concluded quickly. “I’m sure they wonder whether or not we get lost with so much land…” Or did they even have complex thoughts like that?

Looking from the Kru to the entrance, Freyja shrugged. “I’m not sure I want to hunt here just yet. If we were to strike, we might cause them to run off.” She turned back to her injured packmate. “I just want to observe for now and report back to Wildfire.”

"A network of them, but only one woman knew how to travel them.  She coulda been part rabbit..." Rosalyn stopped to consider ... " or maybe part rat.  Prolly more likely."  Not as much as Rat had been though.  Now that was one freaky wolf she wouldn't miss.

She'd never really thought of a rabbit's perspective, though she enjoyed the image that presented itself on thinking of their confusion in wide spaces.  It sure as hell made their running about aimlessly more sensible, but she had always credited that to their stupidity moreso.  All quick, no brain.

That's the fun of it, but alright, she thought, bemused at Freyja's apparent patience and devotion to her teachings.  What kid didn't want to raise some hell and scare a few rabbits shitless in their own holes?  "Wildfire have a special interest in rabbit habits, then?"

Freyja perked to the mention of the wolf who could have been mixed with a rodent and quickly her head fell heavily to the side. She could not imagine was such a creature would look like. Would it be as small and fleeting as the food they feasted on? Or as strong and mighty as her fellow wolf? Her imagination ran rampant in that moment, distracting her from the task at hand. “Is… that even possible?” she asked finally, attempting to wrap her head around the very concept of it all.

As the pair settled and the topic at hand changed, Freyja turned from the warren and towards the Kru with a smile. “Wildfire is my mentor,” she answered softly, her tail wagging gently as a sense of fondness overcame her. Freyja loved her red-haired mentor dearly and thought the world of her. “So, I am trying to gather as much information about all the prey in our territory. I don’t think that this warren is very old because she hasn’t mentioned it.”

"If it was, then she was a prime suspect," Rosalyn replied, enjoying the comparison.  Even if Freyja had no idea who the hell she was talking about, it gave her a certain satisfaction regardless.

Ok, that made a lot more sense than a weird sort of obsession with rabbits.  Not that good was the worst obsession to have, of course!  Made more sense than others.  She hadn't even considered mentoring - and then wondered if it was a pup-exclusive thing.  Pride aside, Roz didn't doubt a little mentoring would go astray with her either.  Something to keep in mind.  "So, homework then.  Of sorts.  And you like this? Just watching prey?"

Freyja blinked in turn of Rosalyn’s response as her mind ran rampant for a few moments more. When the thought no longer entertained, she turned back to the warren and watched.

Homework. Her ears perked at the word and she tilted her head. “Home… work?” she repeated hesitantly, not finding the word her in personal arsenal of vocabulary. Shaking her head, she smiled. “No, it is just my duty to the Heda and the wolves of Sleeping Dragon,” and perhaps ensure that her pack was taken care of was her definition of fun.

Holy shit.  She'd half-expected to get some enlightening, enthusiastic response as to why this was so fascinating, but instead was treated to more 'duty and honor'.  Either this girl was actually a saint or someone had done a number on her to shove all this crap so far down her throat.  No offense, of course.  Honor being a wonderful thing and all that shiz, she was sure.  But damn this kid needed a lesson in fun.

"Ah.  Makes.... sense?" She shook her head.  "Actually, no, not at all.  But whatever floats your boat.  I've never been one for doing anything for long, especially anything I didn't want to."  Perhaps that spoke badly of her, but she'd be honest regardless.

"Y'know, when I was a kid, we didn't used to watch rabbits.  But we would try to race them.  Sometimes."  She wondered if Freyja ever just did anything for enjoyment, or if the idea of a wasted hunting opportunity would not sit well.