Mudminnow River where alph, the sacred river ran

@Treason? Rolled failure in discord tabletop

maybe the muck is worth it, if she can catch a fish. even so, tasha still detests getting her feet dirty.

blood is a fine fragrance, but mud is not. she wears the crimson proud, but dirt only serves to highlight the brown hues in her pelt, and it smells, too. not the rich, iron-tang of blood; it is earthy, like worms after rain. she despises it.

still, she sits on the banks and waits for a fish. when a prime specimen finally comes, she shoves her head under the water and comes up with her jaws empty.

so perhaps the muck isn't worth it, if her luck is poor today. but her stomach is empty; she cannot afford to go back to her chosen rendezvous point without prey. so she crouches and waits, emerald gaze skimming the surface of the water, trying to remain still for as long as she can.

Another day, another bit of adventure where she was taking the time to see what resources were around their new territory.  Thinking of her fishing escapade earlier in the year, Treason tracked the course of the creek up towards where it broadened into something more impressive.  Something where larger fish might hide and deer might stop rather than swim.  The farther she went, the less easy of a fishing spot it seemed to be.  Water visibility dropped considerably.

Ah well.  She cut a corner of the river, skipping part of a curve so that she wouldn't have to walk as far, hoping that maybe there the water would be clear.   As soon as she cleared the riverside foliage, she spotted a drenched woman in the water.  Seemed like she was fishing, so Treason stopped and watched and waited, curious to see if she'd manage to grab something.

oh lovely, this mud-splattered shitshow has an audience. trying to compose herself, she blinks slowly at the pale woman, emerald gaze glowing despite the muck. you have come at a bad time, she jokes, her voice rueful. you should come back when i have something to show for my efforts. she shakes the droplets from her ruff and begins to pace toward the other, nostrils flaring.

ah, this one has friends. she is more intrigued than unnerved at the prospect, and flashes a smile her way--just an innocent girl in the mud. you look in fine health, tasha remarks, dipping her muzzle toward the woman's burly figure. it will serve you well, when the winter comes. who are you?

Not even going to try then? She sounded almost disappointed that she didn't have a chance to see another possible failure, but it was not a particularly emotional statement either.  Like it would have amused her, but it really wasn't much of a loss.  The other woman already looked as though she'd failed at least once, if not more.

It seemed like perhaps the other maybe had a few compatriots as well?  Eh.  Maybe.  Not a scent grouping she was familiar with, so whether it was a new pack or just a group of rogues, who knew.  Her words were phrased in a way she kind of appreciated, but at the same time, far more wordy than Treason herself would have shared with a stranger.  She was just not the most chatty wolf, all around.  Treason.  Of -- there was a slight pause as she started to say Sunspire and had to correct herself in advance, Lost Creek Hollow.  She didn't give her rank or any other information, instead inquiring in her typically blunt way. Who are you?

it is difficult to perform for an audience, she says, grinning. well. . .at least some tasks are. the woman's name almost makes her laugh out loud, and she stops herself in time, though her ears push far forward at the sound of it. treason. her parents must have hated her--or loved treason. either way, what a peculiar moniker! perhaps one day she would tell tasha the story, if they became well enough acquainted.

my name is tashkent-luk, the princess responds, dipping her head in a graceful bow. just 'tashkent' will do. i come from khorasan, originally--now, i wander. it wasn't far from the truth, save that her wandering consisted of scheming as well as sight-seeing. the scenic route had its perks. nothing like sampling the real estate before you bought.

where is lost creek hollow from here?

There were reasons she had the name she did, and one of them was a desire to cut a few corners when judging those she came across.  The reactions to her name gave her a reasonable idea of what to expect.  There were the horrified sheep, those who asked questions, and the ones who pretended there was nothing wrong, but those who seemed amused were far more rare.  The slight change of Treason's expression, now more critical, might have been interpreted to be at her reaction but that wasn't her intent.  No, Treason was wondering just who then she was dealing with.  To her, it meant something was off, that this person was not normal, and that perhaps she should play her cards a bit closer to her chest.  Maybe this Tashkent chick was just weird like Aerasha, but that one was far more obvious about missing a few pieces.  Time would tell.

The names she spoke were, of course, very unfamiliar to her.  They didn't sound like any she'd heard in her travels, but Treason wasn't the most worldly of wolves -- she had only gone so far between her birth pack and here in the Wilds.  Perhaps that explained the way she spoke?  Tashkent, she confirmed.  Weird name.   South.  Along a branch of this river.  It wasn't too far, not that she was saying.  Did you come from farther that way? She indicated farther west-ish, Does the water clear?  That had been part of her quest, after all.  At the very least this wolf could be useful.  Maybe.

tasha shakes her head, inclining it in the rough direction of khorasan. i come from the east, bagadur, she replies, looking rueful. i do not know at all about the river. perhaps it does. hopefully, for the fishes' sake, not to mention ours, she adds with a smirk, a quiet burst of laughter.

she takes an idle inhale, letting it go slowly through pursed lips. i have much to learn about this land, tashkent says, wonder in her tone. have you been here long, treason? you and your family? she gestures with an arc of her nose at the landscape. this i am familiar with, but the mountains, the forests. . .those are different from everything i have ever known.

She did seem slightly unstable, or perhaps that was just how it seemed to the stoic soldier.  Mostly it was the laughter, but that was probably because Treason barely ever did so -- so few things in life were genuinely amusing.  More often than not it was just disappointing.

The Wilds?  Yes.  A different part, though.  Her family?  They were way the hell far away.  Thankfully.  She didn't need the competition.  But she was fine with leaving details out in this situation.  After that bit of suspicion, she wasn't going to take chances, it was best if Tashkent assumed that they were all her kin, cold and massive beasts, rather than the mixed bag that was back at the Hollow.

Regarding the landscape, for a moment Treason took a quick look around.  The distant elements seemed quite ordinary to her.  She supposed maybe they weren't everywhere, but she'd yet to see a place where that was the case.  But those are common.  What replaced them where you came from?  The world itself seemed pretty predictable, at least.  Maybe it was just a different kind of trees and the mountains were less pointy or something.

hmmmm. treason is cagey and closed off, not at all like the women of tashkent's family. but perhaps that's just as well. she always has felt in competition with all of those temptresses; blunt honesty--well, somewhat honesty--is refreshing. she shakes her head, again gesturing to the flatlands around them.

"no mountains," she explains. "far away--in lands we once had conquered but lost them, with time. but not home. home is empty plains, some hills but not steep. broad rivers, long grasses." tasha looks undeniably pleased at the prospect of a new environment. "very few trees, no mountains. this is quite different."

she tilts her head, regarding treason in an almost unnerving fashion with her sea-green gaze. "can i come visit, call upon your pack?" tasha asks. "i am in desperate need of friends here--or, at the very least, allies." treason may not be the most friendly of allies, but she is certainly strong. strength, in the end, is more important than friendship.

She pondered the world that she was describing.  Was the rest the same?  The weather, the coming snow.  If not, you'd best prepare.  If it were the same, then at least she'd know what to expect, what the timeline was like leading up to the colder days.  Treason, though, didn't expect that she'd ever wander far enough for the world to be much different to what it was here.

We'll just say that with all the dampness she wasn't able to get a good sense of how big of a group she had.  It was probably pretty accurate after splashing around in the water, at least.  But maybe she just had a friend or something.  Tashkent's words gave mixed messages.  Friends said she was alone, allies said she was not.  A single wolf would not need allies, but maybe that was some weird word choice thing -- something to do with her accent.  Sometimes, it was better to play dumb and ask the stupid questions, How so?  Do you mean you need a pack or what more specifically is it that you seek?  Though she wasn't the ambassador, she was certainly wise enough to not make promises that wouldn't be kept, for she, as the devil she was, was the sort who was keen to take advantage of the ill-advised ones.

ooh, the snow. tashkent loves the snow. so crisp, so pale. the way the sun bounces off a fresh layer. . .simply sublime. the warrioress's warning goes right over her head as she begins to daydream of snow, only brought back to reality when the second two queries come.

she laughs, a deep, gurgling sound. i need no pack, treason, tasha croons, grinning. family is everything to me. they are mine, and i am theirs. that is the only pack i need. she tilts her head, ears swiveling forward. but i do need friends, bagadur. will you be my friend? she asks sweetly, blinking once or twice as she stares at the burly woman.

not much of a conversationalist, but that isn't what tashkent wants her for, anyway.

She shared aspects with that Easthollow woman, in a way.  Was she even paying attention to what had been said, that the world was gonna turn into a giant ice cube?  Questionable at best.  And they both spoke like children and though Treason kind of wanted to end the whole thing by bluntly stating that fact, she couldn't help but feel like no, she needed more information. She needed to know what was going on so she could make decisions that protected what was hers.

The more Tashkent had spoken, the less Treason was willing to trust, even as bits became more clear.  There were more of them, her family. And though apparently they didn't feel like mingling with those that might be "outsiders" for some reason Treason herself was of interest.  Why?  She kept her tone even as best she could, but she probably did sound a little impatient, What is it you're wanting?  At least it was pretty typical of Treason to not be particularly interested in that kind of game -- one without tooth, without edge.  Get to the point.

tashkent's eyes widen, her lips rounding in a silent 'o.' my, you are persistent, the girl giggles, smiling broadly. a woman of my own heart. i mean it when i say that i am looking for friendship, treason. there is an infinitesimal stress on the name that she doubts the warrioress will miss. but if you do not trust me enough for that, i shall have to settle for your acquaintance, instead.

she casts a glance toward the horizon, growing bored with this circular conversation. i must make my way back to my family, now, tasha says, looking rueful. i wish you and your pack good health. lost creek hollow. i will pay a visit, sometime.

should the woman deign to stop her, she will stop, but until that moment of truth, she begins to sashay away, swinging her tail to and fro, giving treason one more peek back over her shoulder. goodbye, bagadur, she calls softly.

It was in her nature to not trust, as Treason herself came with enough underlying plans to suspect that those being forthright were anything but.  And with this woman being a strange one with this kind of twisted child-like attitude, Treason would take no chances.  If Tashkent wasn't going to be willing to buy trust with what Treason assumed was some sort of actual truth, it just wasn't gonna happen.  She was not desperate enough, nor was the pack.

Very well. Goodbye.  If she chose to leave, that was her decision.  Treason figured it would be best to end her journey here.  If Tashkent's family lay ahead, the Creek wolf wasn't going to take a chance of walking in to them.  It was better to return home.  And so she did, slightly wary for the first few minutes in case she was followed, but eventually returning to familiar lands.  Unless of course something stopped her but hey, who freaking knows.