Totoka River foam on the waves

For weeks, now, Moorhen had been away from home, combing the shores for signs of the missing Seelholm. Each time she passed the Totaka River, she stood sentinel there for a day or so - partially to rest, and partially hoping to guard the island even while she was away from it. Not that any but the most enterprising would be able to reach it at this time; the sandbar had been washed away entirely by the toss of the waves. The ocean was a frothing mass of dark blues and greys, and not even Moorhen was keen to test her mettle against it.

The bone-banded raven laid high on the pebbly beach, fussily grooming her paws even as tiny, needle-like raindrops pelted her dark coat. It was clearly a mark of anxiety rather than a desire to be clean. Indeed, Moorhen had rarely been cleaner than when she spent days at the mouth of the river. Time away from the island had certainly been wearing on her.

the coast seemed a decent place to settle. in realism terms, it was close to water and foliage. it had enough cover. it was nearly perfect. she would have much preferred a deep dark cavern to store her precious supply of herbs. a supply that was going to grow come spring. fools oft went where they were not wanted, and she admitted that some would attempt to take some of her collection. this is why she lacked a proper 'base'. finding none that suited her. none that stood out. she could not carry any of her find with her. 

and so she was left to wander without them. she had enough confidence to know exactly what she used and how it was used. should the need ever arise, however, she was lacking on a cache. it was time to remedy such a thing. Huntington strolled near the nearest water source, attempting to find some herbs that grew well by such liquid. the frost had all but destroyed stock; she would find nothing here. at least not until spring. she resisted a sigh, lifting her gaze to spot another nearby. a few paces away, gnawing at themselves like a trapped coyote. 

she said nothing to the woman, shifting her body to partake in a few laps of the water. as far as she was concerned, they appeared busy. best not to natter them.

Moorhen paused her ministrations when she caught sight of an unfamiliar wolf. It was a mark of how frazzled she'd become that her first thought was What a strange-looking wolf, rather than INTRUDER ALERT! ALL SYSTEMS GO! In fact, for a moment, Moorhen simply watched her forage, feeling as though there were something she ought to be doing but -

The creamy fur along her spine began to bristle and quill as her usual prickliness began to resurface. Never mind the wolf's appearance - what was she looking for? Moorhen had been careful to keep her mission under wraps, lest unsavory characters hear there was a lost child in the area and come to check it out. But that didn't mean it was impossible that the woman had heard, and the stranger looked just thin enough to want to make a meal out of a child.

Moorhen stood, ears flickering restlessly atop her head as she observed the stranger, trying to discern her intentions through the fatigue-glazed filter over her eyes.

the other woman seemed a bit perturbed by her. Huntington glanced out of the corner of her eye at her display. the fur bristling, the restlessness she portrayed... mayhap it was not the skull-clad woman the other was unnerved about? perhaps it was something else entirely. yet that was not her business, and she cared less to even ask about such things. having her fill of the water's embrace, she raised her head to swirl it around and face the stranger properly.

"is something on your mind?" she asked bluntly, though not unkindly. a sort of false sweetness came to her lips, curling up with an effort to be pleasant. she looked as though was quite mad considering her less than savory features. or does one normally stare at others without warrant? she thought idly, waiting for the other woman's reply. or lack of one. who knew; maybe she would walk away and leave her be. Huntington could only hope.

It was not long before her own presence was noted. Moorhen bristled slightly at the tone the other woman took, but a moment later, wasn't sure why it had caused her to do so. She was just tired, she decided.

"What do you look for?" she asked, her voice rough from disuse. There was an edge of suspicion to her tone, but mostly, she sounded weary and uncertain. "I can hep," she amended, and while those who knew her might wonder where the sudden solicitiousness had come from, Moorhen didn't think the stranger would think it odd. Obviously, she had no idea how to interact with strangers, as she thought her plan to suss out whether or not the woman was trying to eat Thresher would go off without a hitch.

it seemed she struck some form of nerve with the other. oh well. there was little she could do if others accused and berated her. Huntington did not appear to be the virtue of trust. others easily saw her as some form of witch. how amusing that she inspired that much unrest in one she did not know for true. if she was in the mood, she would take advantage of the other's suspicion. ah, but that was fleeting at best.

"herbs" instead, she chose to reply as honestly as possible for herself. true, she was looking for ones not killed by the frost but that did not mean she required assistance. she leaned forward, eyes bulging against the deadpan expression she wore. "did you think I sought something else?" the skull-clad woman was curious if anything. what shook the other so badly that she questioned a stranger's motives?

Herbs. Moorhen let out a soft breath of relief, taking the woman at her word. It was uncharacteristic for the raven, but she was too tired to keep up her usual amount of skepticism. Even when the shewolf went on to question her, she could not work up enough worry to keep her from answering.

"Yes," she admitted, her ears flickering uncertainly. The woman's skull markings made her seem somewhat untrustworthy, but that didn't make much sense even to Moorhen's muddled mind. "For, um - stelpa​. A girl." Her gaze turned guarded, now, but the woman was small - smaller, perhaps, than Thresher herself. That didn't make it impossible for the woman to eat her, but slightly less likely. Still, Moorhen clammed up, unsure what more to say.

it seemed everyone was searching for someone. especially when they conversed with the likes of her. Huntington could not catch a break in that regard. whether they asked openly or merely suggested their path, she could not swing a proverbial dead cat without assaulting the notice of others. did she appear like one who easily sought others? no, she did not. her face and body were not one of, ah, trust. the others assumed things of her, like this woman.

"a girl" she repeated, seeing no such young woman in her travels. "I seek no children" she gave the other. whether this would bring her comfort or not, she did not care. "is this girl a member of your pack?" the scent of many was too much to guess otherwise. and seeing as she did not know the scent well... there was little harm in asking, correct?

At this point, Moorhen was too exhausted to know whether anything she said to the other woman was a bad idea. "Yes," she replied with a bob of her head. Another wolf might have gone on to express worry for the girl or to explain what had happened, but Moorhen simply stewed for a moment, not sure what else to say.

"I im Moorhen, of Undersea - ilann jule under sky’s light and sessong," she introduced, stumbling through the words in a rote but clumsy accent. "What do you - um. Naame?" Was she ever going to figure that one out? She was too tired to string words properly together, now, and it was showing in the slight sway of her lean figure. "You are skull," she blurted, unable to help commenting on the woman's odd markings. "I im rifbein. Rib."