Whitefish River with the strength of the returning tide

@Heloise

it was another crisp day, the air chilled despite the misleading bright light basking the lands in that weak spring sunlight that held little to no heat in it and was rather glarey. the pale woman was sitting by the edge of the river- dark eyes distracted as they rested nonchalantly on the ever-moving river waters. despite looking deep in thought all she was really wondering was what the hell did fish taste like? she couldn't imagine it being all too nice, whenever she thought of eating a fish all she could imagine was cold and slimy- not exactly appetizing thoughts. they looked so boring to catch too, all that sitting around not moving a muscle for the tiniest morsel of food ever. her forepaws slipped forward into a luxurious stretch, she personally much preferred the thrill of the stalk and chase of land animals. she was confident in believing they tasted much better too.

her pale form stood now, tail flicking quite restlessly from side to side. there was a lot of pent up energy burning within her and she really had no clue what to do with it, she was already full otherwise she'd hunt it out. she'd almost dare say she was bored but it seemed like such a sin to complain about such a thing after having to suffer a life where being able to be bored seemed like such a luxury. letting a soft huff slip from her jaws the young soldier would fall back on her haunches, long tail never ceasing its twitching.

scouting was always a past time of hers. a traveler by nature, she would settle only for brief moments before her muscles ached to wander again. it was wanderlust, but it was also having no place to settle. ever since her practice bouts with others, she felt restless. the spring weakness - what she called heat - would be over soon. until then, it was a matter of distracting herself from impure thoughts. spars were an excellent distraction.

pale gaze searched the horizon, trying to pluck someone out for a bout. the Teekons held a number of interesting people. some skilled in fighting. some skilled in other things. her gaze fell upon the bulk of a woman nearby. Heloise wandered closer, chuffing a greeting to her in case she was startling her by such an action. noticing the twitch of the woman's tail, she would smile softly. perhaps this woman would gift her an audience. perhaps a spar. yet she did not want to launch right into it.

it is not long before her presence is detected by another and a soft huff has tundra abandoning her sitting position to spin quickly around to face the wolf who had approached her. the form she observes is of a woman bearing a pelt similarly pale to hers although where tundra's orbs are a stark contrast to her coat with their glossy darkness, the other's icy gaze is similarly pale. she does also note the abundance of scars scattering her newfound company. despite there not seeming to be too much of a threat here as the wolf would likely have not made her presence known if she'd had malicious intentions- tundra's posture remains tensed and ready should a problem arise. "hello" is the simple word to slip softly from her jaws, tone neither hostile or friendly- simply stating a greeting where it seemed to be needed. the narrowed look she presses on the other expresses what doesn't need to be said; 'can i help you with something?' 

she isn't actually too bothered by the company though, in fact should the woman prove to be of any interest to her she might go as far as to appreciate it. she could do with something to break up what would otherwise be another rather dull day.

"hail and well met" she greeted the other with a dip of her head. Heloise would remark to keep the flow going; "a bit dreary today, though" the day was fine enough otherwise. it served a purpose. spring was not humid nor too cold. it was like autumn. she took the greeting as a sign to move closer, a pleasant enough smile on her face. she respected the other's personal territory though. she refused to move close enough for a warning snap. "have you been in the Teekons long?" she'd query gently. she learned from Siarut that not all enjoyed talking of their past here.

her own head would dip slightly when the fae returns her greeting politely. before silence can settle between the two she continues on briskly, offering tundra an easy topic to latch onto should she want to. despite how mundane the action would appear to most, since tundra almost never engaged in small talk- another wolf coming over simply for the sake of small talk was such a foreign concept to her and therefore instantly heightened her suspicions slightly. nevertheless this was carefully concealed between placid features as she'd take a moment to let her dark gaze scan the area. she supposed the other was quite right and so in turn voiced this. "indeed" then not wanting her stoic demanour to come off as particularly unfriendly she makes although minute, an effort to make her response more conversational in tone. "hopefully it will improve soon with summer...or if we say dull in a metaphorical sense that stands too- hopefully something of interest might occur" she shrugs, still watching the pale woman closely. 

however when she moves closer with a gentle smile- tundra allows her features to soften and a soft smile to grace her own lips although the unreadable glint in her gaze remained forever guarded and on alert. being a soldier really had that affect on you. "i guess it's been a while now, i mean some would see it as nothing but i didn't really plan on settling at all so it's long for me" she frowns thoughtfully for a few moments before murmuring "i believe i first came here at the close of last summer." she'd blink "what about you?" she wouldn't lie the scars aroused some curiosity within her but she would not question the matter for if it was the other way she'd certainly close up and find herself unable to let her mind attempt to retrieve such memories to hand out.

if the woman did not want to speak to her, Heloise was not offended. it was odd for someone to come right up to you, after all, and speak as if you were old acquaintances. she would listen as the other spoke, giving a slight chuckle at her words. "I do not know" she'd confess "my coat is quite thick; I enjoy the breeze." spring was like autumn. both were a bit overcast yet did a wonderful job of creating some good weather. it was not too hot. not too cold. just right, in her opinion. 

as for her coming to the Teekons? "I have just arrived a few weeks prior" Heloise would tell the woman, taking it as a sign she was welcomed to join her. the pale woman's rear would recline upon the earth. "the Teekons are full of potential." she'd remark, though a personal potential was in the air right now. she had no dreams or hopes to add to the people here. she was merely cruising along on the highway until a good sign called her to it.

"have you at least settled well here?" she was always interested in hearing an opinion of this place.

ah so she too was one of the seemingly few that didn't rejoice summer. perhaps it was an arctic wolf thing? would make sense, not that she'd have gotten to spend enough time around family to even know. although the thought sounded bitter she had gotten so used to coming to terms with it that it simply sounded as a hollow fact to her, her life had been shit but it had been hers and nothing could be done to change that. "mm same" she'd murmur about her pelt's being thick. "i'd actually take winter over summer but it usually proves to be an unpopular opinion" 

so the woman was new around here, she had no doubt she'd likely find her place among them. from what she'd gathered they were vast and filled to the brim with every kind of character and pack you could think of. yet she'd remained around here this whole time...she mentally shakes herself, wasn't going to go back down that rabbit hole in the presence of another. although her company seemed comfortable enough to sit, tundra would remain standing- ears perked atop her skull. nevertheless her posture was not as tense before and although her gaze would remain permanently guarded it would appear to soften somewhat and no longer seem so piercing. "indeed they are" was all she'd say in simple agreement, feeling her gaze instinctively shift in the direction she knew her- the woods were. 

the next question thrown her way was how she was finding the wilds and tundra instantly felt a bit guilty for her lack of ability to carry the conversation- small talk just really was not her thing. as for the question, it had so many possible answers but she supposed she could round it up to no, not really. but that was her fault it had nothing to do with the place itself and she wasn't going to get all deep with a stranger. "yes they're quite perfect" the white lie was easy when you had no initial emotion to cover up and she'd push an easy smile onto her features to accompany it. shifting her position slightly the ex soldier would stretch her restless limbs slightly and then blink as an idea came to mind. "i hope you don't mind me asking miss but would you be a fighter by any chance?" the idea of sparring hadn't come to mind since she'd escaped to here but living in such peaceful conditions for such a time had left her not getting to do anything and she wanted to remain sharp. nevertheless the question was posed in a gentle manner as she knew better than anyone that scars did not necessarily make you a fighter and a dull pang would echo somewhere at the faintest hint of a memory. however it seemed so far away and it was all too easy to ignore.

the other was not one for talking, and Heloise did not mind. she was usually one to be quiet and speak only the necessary subjects. it was refreshing to be able to carry the conversation by herself. a sort of change of pace. the experience was the spice of life, after all. "I am a fighter" she would reply easily enough. her muscles flexed beneath her coat, anticipating the answer the other woman would give. she had come here, approached the woman, for a spar. but politeness reigned her in. she had enjoyed their conversation too much to be rude and ask for a fight. "why?" she was not rude further, merely a question posed to the other's query.

she would blink, undeniably pleased to hear that she was in fact in the company of another fighter. when asked why she wanted to know- tundra would tilt her head to the side ever so slightly. dark eyes would watch the pale woman closely as she murmured. "i used to spar and fight all the time..things have been rather quiet for me upon arriving here and i wouldn't like to become lazy so if you would be interested i thought i'd propose a spar?" she wouldn't add in that more than not wanting to become lazy- somewhere deep down she longed for the thrill of the fight. although of course a spar could not compare in such a way it was still something. yet the slight increase to her heartbeat at the mere thought of getting to fight concerned and irritated the fae somewhat. she'd spent her entire life trying to escape her past so it seemed so utterly wrong now that she'd made it out to...miss it? not only that but it was selfish, selfish to those that had lost their lives to it and those who were unable to get away. yet part of her would remain forever chained to that life, perhaps she hadn't fully escaped it after all.