Duskfire Glacier play on words
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#1
Joining 
Lane felt good. Or as good as could be expected, considering the recent disbandment of her former pack. Her trip across the Sunspire Mountains had been swift and productive; she'd managed to collect some ragweed and lamb's ear for her medkit. She chewed on a stalk of the latter as she traveled, enjoying the minty taste and the boost of energy it offered. Now that her paw was finally healed, it felt great to actually cover some ground. 

Once she was across the mountain range, her travel had taken her generally in the direction of the next largest landform on the horizon-- the rugged, snowy peaks of the taiga. She had a full medkit and an empty belly, which meant it was time to make a trade. The astute young medic expected to find a pack sheltering in the foothills of the cliffs, seeing as they would offer ample shelter to those who hunted on the taiga. 

What she had not expected was to climb all the way up to the shimmering glacier before detecting signs of pack life. Lane sniffed at the territory marker-- the first she had come across-- and then lifted her amber gaze to glance around. She settled her medkit at her feet, freeing her mouth to bark softly for any packwolf nearby. If no one appeared, she would howl, but only if she had to-- she wasn't big on large audiences full of strangers, and no doubt a howl would bring more curious eyes than she would enjoy.
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#2
She was out and on the hunt. For plants, that was. She did not feel inclined to go for an actual hunt that day.

So here, upon Duskfire’s borders, she would hear the soft summons. A bark. Quickly she changed directions until she found the woman there. Something at her paws. Curious.

Hello, She called out as she approached. A soft voice to announce her kind arrival. Can I help you? Warm question to the stranger.

It had been a bark after all and not a howl. An unusual way to ask for attention on borders.
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#3
Lane's soft summons was soon answered. The wisp of a wolf who joined her sported a gorgeous marbled coat and kind, viridian eyes. Lane felt rather plain by comparison, as her own appearance was unremarkable in every aspect. 

"Hello," Lane returned the stranger's greeting. She was relieved that no howl had been required, and further still that the packwolf who appeared seemed good-natured, even if she was a bit softspoken. 

"Am I addressing the pack's caregiver?" She inquired, catching a whiff of the stranger's herbal scent. "I was hoping to trade-- my neck is starting to hurt from lugging all of this around." Lane smiled amicably, nudging the stuffed medkit toward the stranger. She was welcome to open it up and sift through its contents. Lane was willing to part with whatever struck the stranger's fancy, as long as she offered something that would fill the waif's empty stomach.
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#4
Oh, how unusual all of this was!

Yet she found herself delighted by all of it just the same. One of them, yes. A slow wave of her tail behind her. Imaq too had seemed to be a caregiver, if Iana recalled correctly. Rye was interested as well, but she knew not if he toted around the title just yet.

It is impressive. She complimented, a nose delicately sniffing at the bundle. Why trade it? A tilt of her head out of curiosity. Simply because of a neck ache for (some reason) lugging such materials around? Not to mention the other unasked question — Trade for what?
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#5
Oh, so this pack had several caregivers, then? She tilted her head with interest. 

She was then distracted by the compliment, which she received with a congenial wave of her tail. "Thanks. There's a reason that spring is an herbalist's favorite season, right?" Lane couldn't be more relieved that winter had finally drawn to a close, and she was able to ply her trade once more. 

"Well.. it's how I make my living," she replied, answering the question that the stranger posed. A pack had taken her in for the winter-- she'd been lucky there-- but it seemed her luck had finally run out in that regard. Thanks to a meteor strike, Firefly Glen was no more. So Lane the Traveling Medic was who she would resume to be. 

"I'm a lot better at hunting herbs than I am at hunting prey," she explained. She shrugged. No one could be good at everything, right? She had just found a way to play to her strengths.
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#6
What a way to make a living. It made Iana's heart...ache, perhaps. An unusual sensation to the say the least. Yet the woman was young and she seemed to wander with her wares. What if, what if, what if....

I am familiar with such a way of skills. She was more inclined to sort through the herbs and prep dens than she was hunting or guarding. I must ask, is this how you want to live? Traveling for trade? No ill intent or pointed tones. Simple curiosity with a hint of concern. Perhaps she could summons @Wintersbane to assess the woman further. After all, Iana could only promise so much here on the borders.
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#7
The flow of the stranger's speech was every bit as light and delicate as her build. Lane found herself nodding, impressed by the woman's refined way of speaking and drawn in by her gracious self-possession. 

"It's how I was raised," Lane replied, a bit hesitatingly. Her brow knit with uncertainty. She hadn't given much thought to what she wanted for herself; this was the only life she knew. For the entirety of her brief tenure as a packwolf, she'd felt like a fish out water, floundering and fumbling with the expectations that were innately known by every other wolf around her and yet wholly unknown to herself. 

"And.. it does have its advantages. The way medicine is practiced in different places.. it's really different. More different than I ever expected. Of course the herbs change depending on the region, but also the techniques themselves can be pretty unique. I learn something new wherever I go." She shared a small half-smile. Perhaps they could find something to teach one another? Lane found herself eager to spend more time in the warm company of her new acquaintance. 

Lane was aware that she had not answered the woman's question exactly. As sweet-natured as the woman seemed, Lane was still hesitant to admit to her ambivalence toward her own current lifestyle. Although she knew it was a common practice for wolves to come to borderlands such as these to solicit admission to a pack, Lane herself hadn't come to this border to beg these wolves to change her circumstances. Lane was too proud for that.
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#8
Iana could not imagine such a life. Not in a bad way, but she simply could not wrap her head around being raised in a traveling way. She had been born to the sister pack of her home. An established empire of sorts.

What have you learned here? Have you had the chance to learn here? A little tilt of her head, smile small but warm. A kind sway of her tail behind her. She was deeply intrigued by this woman and her ways.
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#9
Lane's smile broadened, and her kind regard for the woman shone clearly in her expression. 

"Not yet," she answered, "I only just got across those mountains." She nodded toward the Sunspires. 

"But.. I'm hopeful." She arched a brow, wondering if her companion would take the hint. Maybe Lane should be more straightforward? Innuendo was not really in her nature anyway. 

"I could stay for a little while, if your leader is agreeable to that." For all Lane knew, she was already speaking to the leader. The woman seemed to be the right age and disposition for the role, in Lane's opinion. 

A pack boasting multiple caregivers seemed like a great place to touch down for a little while. They could all learn from one another, and with any luck they would all be as friendly as her current companion.
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#10
So new! So exciting!

She could practically feel her heart flutter out of her chest. The woman's next tempting words only amplified such a sensation. Her following sentence made it clear that she would not be against...staying. Iana took some pride in this, of course. She had been the one to greet the woman here and had hopefully played a role in her decision.

Well... She trailed off with a playful smile that faded away so she could speak further. I do not have last say, but my leader is a good man. I believe he would hear this out. She could not make promises, but Rye had not been turned away when Iana had brought him in. So why would this woman?

Oh, we haven't even exchanged names yet. Soft laughter. I am Iana, this is Duskfire Glacier.
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#11
Not only had Iana's warm reception played a role in Lane's decision; it was the sole deciding factor. 

"I'm Lane," she returned, joining in Iana's laughter with a soft chuckle herself. They had gotten a bit carried away with conversation, hadn't they? 

Duskfire Glacier.

It was a pretty name, especially for a hunk of ice. Lane assumed that the glacier was more than met the eye, if it was home to individuals such as Iana. She was interested to learn what secrets lay within. 

"Have you been here long?" Lane asked, just as curious about her new acquaintance as she was about the glacier itself. It hadn't been but a few moons since she was last up this way, and she hadn't detected any trace of the Duskfire wolves at that time.
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#12
Lane.

Such a simple but wonderful name. She wondered what inspired it, if it was for something or if it had nearly been something mumbled upon birth and tacked onto the woman from there on out.

A bit. One of the first here. She could not recall how long it had been. The land had certainly still been cold and covered more densely in the snow that scattered about. However she was certain that it had not been a whole season even yet.

Where did you come from?
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#13
One of the first here.

It wasn't the kind of answer she had intended to elicit-- she'd been expecting Iana to reply with some length of time. Lane tilted her head in curiosity. Was she saying she was one of the first in the pack to settle here? What made her choose here, of all places? 

"Ah-- Firefly Glen, most recently. It was on the other side of the mountain range. It's gone now. It was destroyed by a-- um.. by a falling star." Lane swallowed heavily. She knew how crazy it sounded, but that was the best way that the Glen refugees had found to describe what had happened. Her brow furrowed, and her expression clouded. It hadn't been an easy winter.
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#14
I can start something new if you'd like to wrap this up? :D

Most of it meant nothing to her. Yet...yet one thing stuck out to her.

"It was destroyed by a-- um.. by a falling star."

A meteor and a landslide? She tacks on in a question, wondering if that rang true to Lane. I...I have heard this. From my leader. A thick swallow of some heartache for both Wintersbane and this new woman that had found them.

Come, you should talk to him. I will vouch for your presence. In case anyone tried to stop them along the way.
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#15
Perfect!

Lane nodded, committing the unfamiliar word to memory. Meaty-rrr. Meteor. Knowing that there was a name for it made her feel a little better. If someone had named such a thing, that at least proved that it was possible and in effect, not made-up. 

Iana didn't seem altogether surprised by the news. Lane should have expected that, probably.. big news did typically have a way of getting around, even to locations as remote as this place. It sounded like Iana's leader was the present authority on all things meteor related, which piqued Lane's curiosity. 

"Lead the way," Lane agreed with a her characteristic flickering smile. She would allow Iana to guide her into the territory. Her appraising gaze would sweep over every sight, memorizing the territory and mentally noting any curiosities she might want to explore later.