Witch's Marsh a dancing dream of all eternity

@Ibis 

Much of Maiira’s life lately had been constant travel, mostly trying to outrun—or outsmart—whatever was going on with the Earth. The Mother was angry, or perhaps dying—a terrifying thought—and there were upheavals everywhere. Maiira thought the timing of all of this couldn’t have been more perfect, considering that Samhain had just ended a week ago. Perhaps the Mother would calm down again soon? She hoped, anyway. Maiira loved a good scare and a good shake up, probably more than your average person, but when it was happening continuously it could be exhausting. She’d be happy to settle down soon.

She wandered the marsh happily, leaping lightly over pools of water and listening to the night sounds of crickets and frogs. There was a faint smell of other wolves around, like a small group of them, and she wondered if she was trespassing. A wicked grin tore at her face, fangs gleaming in the night. She tilted her head back and let out the yipping howl of a coyote. Let some angry cousin wolf come and tell her to leave. She was feeling feisty tonight.

Tagging for reference, don't have to join if you don't wanna!

The sound of yipping roused her from an uneasy sleep among some damp roots, and as she pulled herself away from the warm spot left by her body, she was actually glad to have the distraction. Her dreams had only just started; it was the kind of incongruity one falls in to when they're half in reality and half drifting, the body and mind trying to shut down for the night. Ibis had thought she'd been nesting next to her brother — but when she'd turned in the dream, she was met with an empty void, a yawning cavern like the inside of an old tree. A voice had carried to here but she couldn't make it out — and that had transitioned to the sharp yowling notes of a wayward coyote, or something very much like one.

Her first thought wasn't pest control; she was curious, enthralled even, and as she shook the sleep from her nimble body she made her way towards the origin. It moved quickly away from her and through a section of the territory layered with thin ponds. Try as she might to be subtle — the marsh was very different in the near-total darkness of the late night. It was almost like she hadn't woken from her dream and was trailing across the void now.

Eventually she had to stop and recount her steps, double-back and try again. Her light steps soon turned sluggish from all the water, her legs too cold and her body trembling uselessly. She thought of Okeanos with a frown, wishing he were home with her to get her warm again (a selfish thing she overlooked for now); then she remembered @Kukulkan, and turned to try to seek him out. The next best thing - and the burliest wolf she knew aside from her brother. However as she turned she caught a flash of gold in the dark -- !

A pair of reflective eyes glimmered just above the water, while Ibis dumbly called out in her surprise: H-hello? I can see you there!

Shitty small post is shitty and small but like I said, Wolf isn't my highest priority rn.

Maiira, too, saw a pair of reflective eyes looking at her from out of the dark. “Hello there, friend,” she called, rather more softly than normal due to the time of night. The stuttering of the voice had suggested to her that this wolf didn’t have it out for her, so she relaxed her stance a bit. “What is a wolf like you doing in such a… witchy place so late at night, hmm?” Her voice purred with an almost seductive tone, though seduction was the last thing on her mind. It was simply the way she spoke, with a teasing air. She stepped closer, one foot sinking into the muck, and she quickly yanked it out again and shook it. “Eugh,” she muttered. She supposed even witches didn’t always like swamps.

Her shout was met with a brief silence, then a foreign voice. It wasn't terrible on the ears, that voice. It had a twang to it, and somehow reminded Ibis of her friend Ereshkigal, but only vaguely. The thought of her friend came and went in a flash — more importantly, the figure didn't seem bothered by little Ibis at all. She didn't know how she felt about that thought.

The stranger moved, murmured something... And Ibis looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the interloper, but she was clearly alone. Was this a safe time to be making new friends? What if this stranger meant her ill? Surely if that were the case they'd have taken advantage of the dark rather than say hello — Ibis had never been a guardian and wasn't ready for all these questions and doubts to surface. It was bad timing, for sure.

The stranger's commentary though, that stuck with her. She huffs softly to herself and calls over the mud, I live here. Me, my friends... The marsh is ours. You, um, like it? She should've chased the potential pest out of the area but didn't think of it, and when faced with the big question 'What do I do now?' Ibis opted for... an olive branch, of sorts.

Maiira listened to the young girl—at least, she assumed it was a young girl, though it was hard to tell in the dark. A group of wolves here. So, a pack, then? She grimaced to herself, glancing away. Packs were not things Maiira was familiar with so much. She had lived with her mother and siblings as a small unit growing up, but they had avoided associating with wolves or wolf packs for fear of being chased away or killed. Such things had happened many times, for wolves and coyotes did not mix—except, apparently, to occasionally mate. That sort of bias left a bad taste in Maiira’s mouth.

“Does Maiira like it…?” she mused, trying to forget her own bias towards wolves. “She supposes so. It is quite a magical place, yes?” She glanced around at the dark trees, casting somewhat sinister shadows in the night. “It is not a place Maiira would think wolves would like. What brought this one here, she wonders.” The coywolf looked back at the girl, inviting her to answer the question.

She did not know what to expect from this creature; a part of her thought that maybe her presence would drive them off, or maybe they would attack her, seeing her as competition. Rather than any negative reaction there came words - off-kilter but pleasing too, in their difference. Their cadence was understandable but curious, and very much unlike what Ibis was used to. While she could not help but compare the creature physically to a fox or some other pest, there was a clear intelligence in them. A different form of life from the pure wolf. That didn't mean they couldn't get along, though—as the stranger proved just by being present.

The fact that the stranger seemed to like the swamp was endearing. They spoke of themselves in third-person and that was a bit unnerving, but at least Ibis wouldn't have to ask for a name. Maiira—beautiful. Ibis wondered what it meant, but shelved that thought when the slim creature turned the conversation back upon her. The question isn't a complicated one.

I live here. At first it was just me and my brother, but I've made some friends... And we hope to outlive the winter here. But even now there was some stirring of doubt within the small band; the marsh was too cold and wet, and the more bellies they collected would require better hunting, which the marsh could not support.

Maiira listened to the girl’s short explanation. There was a small group here, it seemed… And they hoped to survive the winter here. Maiira shook her head, glancing around again. “Perhaps for a half-breed like Maiira, surviving out here would not be too difficult. Maiira can eat a few lizards, a small fish or two swimming in the waters, and get by. But wolves need much more. This one hopes you do not have too many here.” Little did the coywolf know that such thoughts were also going through the girl’s mind.