Wapun Meadow ethereal

It was some time since the spirit had awakened from her slumbers. She did not remember much -- did not remember when she had last been here. Not here, not the forest, but here; the real world, the world that the wolves deemed important, the word of touches and pain and emotion, for most. It was not her world, but a part of her in the form of this mortal husk lived in it nonetheless. In the forest she had stayed for some time now, minding her own business. But the spirits were restless and therefore the pale wolf grew restless, too. Averna, they had one dubbed her, but these days she did not need a name but what the spirits called her -- and their speech was not as straight-forward and clear as the speech of wolf.

The loneliness had never bothered her before, but it was when the spirits fell silent and guided a path away from the Blackfeather Woods, whispering only in certain places, that the priestess decided to leave. One last offering was brought upon the long forgotten altar she used to tend to with the caretaker. She should go. The caretaker understood, that much the spirit was sure of. She had never come to understand whether she was a spirit herself -- a ghost, as some had called her -- or if she was simply the whisperer of spirits, the priest who told the foolish mortals with their ears and eyes shut tightly what the spirits wished.

It mattered little, she did suppose.

The spirits carried her to a field, and there she simply stood. Darkness surrounded her, but the stark whiteness of the snow matched the stark whiteness of the priest's pelt so she did not stand out overly much. She sniffed the air and listened to their spirits. East, they said, though the pale priest did not know nor understand why just yet.

relevant to the interest of @Astara or @Kiwi perhaps?

Oh you know it!! *yelling*

The girl that Kiwi had dubbed 'ghost girl' didn't cross her mind much anymore, but that didn't mean she wasn't instantly recognizable.  At first, Kiwi's approach carried the same measured confidence she gave all strangers. When she caught those eyes, though, her lips turned into a smile.

Hey there, ghost girl, Kiwi flicked her tail and stopped her saunter a measure off.  Been a while.  She didn't really even remember what they'd spoken about last... only that it left an impression on her.  Things had changed since then.  Kiwi had a forming pack and a claim, and her business here was scouting for members.  Averna was both less and more interesting now for a variety of reasons.

Rough was the distraction that took her from the world of spirits. Where everything had been alive, whispering from all sides all sorts of sweet words, where the world had been colourful all the way towards the east, it all fell flat and silent the second that she heard the voice. The priest turned her head towards the cause of the disturbance, only to see a vaguely familiar face. It had been a long time since she had been called from her slumber, and even throughout this journey it did not happen. In front of her stood the brown wolf who was similar to her own stature; small but less fragile. Striking green eyes looked at her and ethereal white eyes stared back with an emptiness akin to the state she had been in for many months now.

Powergirl.

The priest remembered the name and as she tasted it upon her tongue it felt as though it was a name from a previous life, a previous wolf. Her voice was rough and gravelly from disuse, her throat hoarse and her body not used to this much use. Powergirl had once been a great investment of interest. But since then the priest had had others to share her life with; some of them to be ended prematurely, some to be discarded. None had held the same investment of interest that Powergirl once had and there was a short spark of interest there on the priest's side -- on the ghost's side -- but soon it simmered down towards her purpose: the spirits.

She licked her lips and turned back east, where her spirits beckoned her. The distraction had paused their whispers but even now a few of them were starting to tug at her again, whispering soft words in foreign languages in her ears. Who was she, carrier of this mortal husk, to disobey them? She nodded towards Powergirl and turned towards the east, looking out over the hollow with white ears pressed towards it -- what lie there that her spirits wished her to see so badly?

That's right, that was the name she'd given her.  Kiwi liked the sound of it... power was all she wanted.  She regarded her for a minute, considering her words with uncharacteristic reserve.  She needed recruits, and she wanted ghost girl to join her.  Something about the woman struck her as otherworldly and strange, and that power could serve her well if it was loyal to her own devices.  Kiwi was beginning to learn that confidence was good... but cunning, too, was important.

Are you looking for something?  she finally asked, nothing but honest interest in her searching green gaze.

What Powergirl was doing here was a mystery to the priest, but not one that she necessarily needed solving. She was fairly certain that last time they had met it was in a different place, but the layout of the lands was a foreign thing to the priest. She only relied on the paths of the spirits and although any wolf travelling alongside her might think her excellent at routing for she seemed to always find her way, the priest herself would not look at landmarks or stars or any place. She simply went where the spirits brought her, followed their trails, whispered quietly to them.

Upon the question whether she was looking for something, she simple answered with the facts. Yes. It mattered little what she was looking for, and when questioned she would not know how to answer; the truth of the matter was that she did not know. She only knew that the spirits wanted her to be somewhere, and the pull was too string to resist. Perhaps a Powergirl of the past would have been able to withhold the priest in other times, but currently the pull was too strong and the priest was too little physically aware to head any of Averna's calls.

Quiet.  The single word frustrated Kiwi  but she did not respond immediately.  Averna still intrigued her, and she didn't want to ruin a chance.

How to convince her?

She did not seem keen on company, nor lonely.  Kiwi's keen gaze studied her, searching for some weakness, some hint.  She found nothing in that distant look she could use.  So she resorted to her own best guess.

You won't find it alone, she said, sounding sure even if she couldn't know.  Even a response to such a statement she could use, maybe, and turn her this way.  She just needed something to start with.

The priest chuckled when her companion said that she would not find what she was looking for alone. There was some interest in the determination that the girl showed, though it was what the priest was used to from her. Her lips remained curved upwards in a sassy smile as she replied: I am not alone. A priest is never alone. The words sounded strange on her tongue, as if she was speaking a foreign language of some sort the whole time. A different language than that which she was used to conversing in, now. She looked east the whole time, in the direction the spirits tugged her, torn between her mortal paws and her spirit paws.

Then the priest turned her head quite curtly back towards her mortal companion. Why? she asked, the words carrying curiosity more than a need to know.

Last time they'd spoken, Kiwi had sensed something about the other girl she liked, a kind of spark.  Currently, however, she was getting none of that.  Had she imagined it?

Instead, she spoke in riddles, and ones that made no sense.  She was alone.  Unless she was one of those wolves who believed in ghosts or something.  Kiwi scoffed internally.  What good could wolves who couldn't be seen nor heard do?

Because wolves need a purpose, and lone wolves don't have one.  She answered with utmost confidence, as if it were the simplest fact.  Without a home to protect, what are you even worth?  It was apparent, yes?

The words unleashed something in the priest, a sense of grounding of some sort. The haze before her eyes lifted and she stared at the girl in front of her, her eyes suddenly a lot sharper. She smirked, a lopsided grin that silently conveyed a message; I don't need your approval to know my own worth. Hadn't she already said that she was never alone? Always so pushy, said the priest, a playful spark in her pale eyes. And where is this home? By your side? There was a spark in her eyes that conveyed challenge -- did the almighty Powergirl need another by her side? The priest was pretty sure that she herself did not, bar perhaps her other half that had been torn from her side many moons again. And if she already did not then a creature as proud as Powergirl, well... She quirked an eyebrow and added challengingly: Lonely?

Kiwi wasn't sure how to take the challenge, but chose to smile, waving it off.  She was glad to see some recognition, and some reaction. But her haughtier side rebelled.  Who was this ghost to question her?

If you like.  Im more than enough alone, she said, flexing her paws against the ground as she met Averna's gaze.  But smart enough to want more.  I'm not lonely. I just know I'm worth more consideration than my own.  Now it was her turn to toss the challenge back.

She deserved to lead.  She more than anyone could hold a claim and build an empire worth serving.  What did Averna have that came even close to such glory?

The bait was easily taken and the priest smirked as Powergirl met her gaze, her stark icy white eyes staring right back at her with a new, fiery spark within them. When Powergirl finished speaking the priest came just a bit closer to Powergirl and said, her voice filled with jest: Defensive! She then turned away halfway and said: I will keep offer in mind. As she turned and walked away, the priest waved her tail past Powergirl's face and, after a quick playful glance over her shoulder, she turned further east, ready for the spirits to take her back to their world and show her her fate.

if Kiwi doesn't do anything you can archive, but if she would react then we can continue this!

Nope!! whooop, keyboard freakout, this got posted a little prematurely haha

If it were anyone else, Kiwi might have pushed harder.  But something about ghost girl made her pause, and rather than taking offense, she simply watched as Averna came in, said her final piece, and left.  As she walked away, Kiwi let a small smile cross her face.  Keeping it in mind was more a victory than most... and it was one she would take.

Eventually, they'd come to realize what she offered was a dream worth taking.  Whatever she was chasing would fail to be enough, and in the end, she'd come around.  Until then, Kiwi could be patient.

There were other avenues worth chasing.