Sleepy Fox Hollow and it's too late; the damage is done

for Diaspora members! preferably someone she hasn't met yet. set tomorrow (Dec. 7) at midday

She had stumbled (literally) upon something wonderful during her absent meandering of the territory. It was beautiful enough, sure. . .but it wasn't home. Nothing would replace home, not even a mountain vista, or the vast expanse of ocean. Dark and dank as it was, the forest was where she belonged.

But she could make do with this.

While clambering over some rocks that had presumably been dislodged during a quake, Maegi found a small growth of yarrow. She exclaimed softly over the white-yellow flowers and greenery, kept warm here with just enough sunlight filtering through the cracks to survive.

With haste, she began to pluck it gently, gathering her treasure into a small pile. She would need to find a good cache for this, and other findings, soon. But at least, now, there was an antidote for whatever poisons could be found within the hollow. Something by which she could make herself of use, here.

Nyx watched the rugged stranger quietly, observing with a curious yellow stare as she plucked little white flowers between careful teeth. She delicately scraped the plants into a neat little bundle before her and, eager to know why she displayed such enthusiasm in such an act.

"What's this?" Nyx asked when she drew near, though not unkindly. She herself never had patience for teachings in the creation of potions that could heal or bring harm, but there was a desire in her to show interest in Diaspora's latest arrivals. With their numbers having dipped considerably over recent months, it seemed only appropriate to make newcomers feel less like strangers if they wanted to pad their ranks.

The question brought her gaze from the flowers to light upon a woman standing not so far away. She was wreathed in Diaspora scent (obviously), cloaked in a pelt of golds and creams. Maegi met her hawkish eyes, the ghost of a smile on her lips as she responded, It's yarrow.

She nosed gently at the little pile. If someone gets poisoned, eating this plant will make them throw it back up, Maegi continued. She felt a pang, thinking of Astara, the time the foolish girl had haphazardly snacked and the elder Melonii had to intervene. God, she missed the little shadow. It can save their life if given in time.

Slowly, she rose to her paws, giving the other wolf a brief look-over. I'm Maegi, she introduced herself. Newly come to Diaspora with my mate and a child I found, lost.

Yarrow, she told her, and her vivid eyes looked down at the plants as the newcomer explained its purpose: for reversing the affects of poisoning. Nyx bit back a laugh, amused. Her own scrawny form was proof enough of her own sickness, which she'd suffered for weeks following consumption of toxic meat. If only this would had come sooner.

The tawny wolfess remained quiet, blinking up to look upon Maegi's rugged features when she offered an introduction. Nyx mustered the ghost of a smile then, and a soft sweep of her tail. "I hope you feel welcome here," she said. "My name is Nyx. Did you travel far to get here?"

The name brought a sense of surprise, a wry expression over her face. My brother's mate is named Nyx, Maegi remarked, cold nostalgia blooming within her as she thought of her erstwhile friend, once like a mother figure to her. I don't think I've ever known two wolves with the same name before, she added in vague wonderment.

She shook her head at new-Nyx's question, lifting her muzzle to point toward the south. We came from the prairie. . .a place called Blackfeather Woods. Something akin to a grimace pulled at her lips. You may have heard of us before. Likely nothing good, if so.

Maegi had wanted to change that reputation for the better. Instead, she left the forest empty, trees down and fresh rifts within Mephala's Web. The quakes hadn't been her fault, of course, but her failure in leadership had been. Perhaps, though, that no legacy at all was preferable to a bad one.

Maegi offered some small insight into her own life, announcing that Nyx shared her name with a wolfess bound to her by mateship. Curious, the tawny Ostrega pricked a velvet lobe and canted her muzzle slightly, toxic eyes aglimmer with quiet expectation of further comment. One came, but it was simply a voiced realisation that she'd never known two wolves of the same moniker.

The same then occurred to Nyx who, fast approaching her fifth unfortunate year on this earth, could not recall a time she'd been acquainted with anyone whose name reminded her of another's. "I hope we are well met, then," she said with an amused smile, entirely unaware of the betrayal she felt by such a relation.

"I have not," the agouti she-wolf answered of the Blackfeather Woods, the warmth of her expression faded as curiosity deepened; "why is that?

No recognition, for once. It seemed more often than not that Maegi came across wolves all too familiar with her family's dark past. She didn't know whether this was a blessing or curse; the latter, really, since she'd been stupid enough to bring it up in the first place and now couldn't dance around the subject. 

Its past leaders were cruel, she explained, her voice suddenly quieter, less convivial. They did bad things, and made many enemies. She nodded toward the yarrow. I only know about poisons because my father did. He used them to do harm.

Maegi shrugged, sighing. They earned the forest quite a reputation. I tried to change it for the better, but then the quakes came.

And with the quakes came death. Maegi didn't want to stray down that road any further, and so she pivoted, fixing the woman with an inquisitive stare. And you, Nyx? How long have you been with Diaspora?