Deepwood Weald Backbend 'til I touch my toes

aw :)

 

many years ago, or perhaps it simply felt a lengthy time to mira- her mother, her idol, had been struck down by fate. she had been an empty shell that a legend once inhabited. hydra was perhaps the only creature mira had ever come close to feeling a sense of 'love' for; without her, the serpetine girl's heart only grew colder. she had abandoned the mountain and the scarce remnants of her family and home. though never would she admit it to others, for a time she battled with suicidal thoughts, but after months of fighting them off they subsided. she always came out on top in battles, after all. 

she had been traveling when she stumbled across a land that was familiar in a distant way, and had realized that she had, after two years, circled home again. 'home' as it once was- but now, nothing of the people that made that place home remained, as far as she understood. the mountain did call to her as the grand shelter she should take, to find her place atop the world as she should've been- as she should've succeeded her mother, years later at an old-age death for hydra, not the tradgedy that was. despite the haunting memories of her mother's crumpled corpse, that dream of ruling the moonspear still persisted. and its purple silhouette was visible against the sky above all the land as the grandest peak of them all, the one she deserved.

for now, it could wait. she could be patient. 

her heat had begun, in the morning when she awoke she had felt suddenly aware of it. in the year prior it had come for the first time, and she had either fought off or murdered a couple poor bastards who had approached her with interest. she disliked muscular, smug males- she felt that they would attempt to tie her down, to domesticate her into a less fearsome version of herself, or boost their ego by climbing atop of her. she refused to succumb to their wishes or desires and instead bested them and spilled blood. she felt that she could do it again, and so did not hide away in fear, instead she continued through the forest, slightly aimless but sniffing along the earth for the potential of a hunt. 

There were a few things Haizel knew for certain: flowers were fascinating to the point he'd dedicated his life to learning all he could about them and their various uses and care, and he was extremely lost. All turned around; where was Akashingo and kind queen Toula? Their scents were lost to his nose, and he felt alone. 

He'd gone out to sniff for good flower-planting dirt or maybe even herbs for the garden but... his paws seemed to have wandered far from where his sleeping quarters had been. The doe-pelted male with silts for legs had not visited this area before, and he seemed to have gone farther than where he should've. Oh, she wasn't going to take that well, was she?

But then a scent came to his nose, one of a wolf! Maybe she could help him figure out which way to go to get back home?

Well well well. Wasn't this intriguing? Saviguk had branched out on his own to do some scouting. To re-acquaint himself from the wilderness from which he had long been absent. There was much he expected to find in the revitalized land, rich with summer life.

Another red blooded Ostrega was not one of them. And certainly not one in heat. Any other male would have been pulled in on an invisible line towards that scent. But he hesitated. Anna would disapprove. Women were to be cherished. Their favor earned, not only from themselves, but from their family, blessings and all. Something in that scent was also a little too familiar, sending warning bells off in his head. That to proceed would taint their unspoiled, pedigree. 

Dark, like him. But more so, of shadows. Lacking any light of the sandy mantle around his ruff. Her very step and figure. It reminded him of only one. His dear Aunt. Hydra. 

When he was away, pulled into a vivid sleep in an otherworldly dream, his connection to her was strongest. She had been like a mother to him. A fierce Queen of the Mountain and an idol. Revered, with a special place in his gold sun heart. 

Now he had returned, re-awoken again. She was nowhere to be found. But many who were connected, still lived. His mother and her expanded family. His sister, alive and well. The great mountain, thriving. He took a cautious, respectful approach. Another male appeared in the area, someone he did not know. He tensed, eyeing him warily. He kept back, but did issue a soft, masculine call.

an ear twitched and in an instant she felt that there was someone or something nearby. without hesitantation she turned on her foot to see what it was following her. 

just behind her, a wolf had been not far off. he was thin, yet much taller than her. that combined with the fact that he was male and she was in heat, made her irritated. she stood her ground wordlessly, top lip curling slightly in a silent baring of her teeth, a warning that she was far from friendly. what did he want? 

it was then she noticed too, from his soft chuff, an unusually familiar face. he stood off to the other side. dark pelted like herself, but not one of her siblings, and yet something about him... and his scent... in trying to place him, her bared teeth faltered and her attention was temporarily stolen, her uncle's face becoming clearer in her mind's eye. 

Hi! he barked happily, tongue lolling across his teeth and bouncing in time to a pant. He seemed to be oblivious to her aggressive stance, a softness in yellow eyes that didn't waiver. Haizel's head tilted to one side, trying to figure out what her scent was. She smelled sweet, but he thought she'd rolled in honeysuckles or another sweet-smelling plant. Lavender? Roses? 

He couldn't place it, but that didn't stop him from wagging his tail. Can you help me? I seemed to have lost my way home... I know I shouldn't, but that bunny just looked so cute, and I wanted to say hi, and long story short... I don't recognize any of this- the flowers sure are pretty though. Do you know what kind they are?

He was received with a curl of a lip and a flash of teeth. Not one to instigate a confrontation when it wasn't called for, the dark Ostrega turned his head to the side. To avoid her stare head on. He even took a measured step back, showing he would give ground if that was what would placate her. 

The other male was chipper and excited. Maybe a little too much, if you asked Saviguk. Even oblivious to her hostile air and the fragrance of her heat. He was a lost soul, innocently seeking directions back from where he came. Savi pursed his lips not unkindly, tail cutting at the air once. 

He cleared his throat. "Try back pedaling. Retrace your steps as best as you can, if you can remember. If the trail you took is still relatively fresh, try looking for clues. Your own scent. Paw prints or small tufts of your fur snagged on sticks and branches."

He gave his two cents worth of best advice. The flowers, he couldn't care less about. Getting home should be more important.

sorry for the extended wait yall D: still getting back into the rp rhythm

the warm male was undeterred by her temporary show of teeth, and surprising even her, greeted her in a rather chipper tone, asking for... directions? did mira look like a tour guide to this fellow? actually, his rambling over flowers and bunnies was a tad sweetly pathetic, in a way that could've made her think bless his heart. and reminded her of her joyful younger sister mintaka, who she had not seen in years. yet it didn't make her any fonder of him, with his tail wagging obliviously.

um, uh. she croaked out awkwardly, voice raspy from extended disuse and not quite sure what to say to all that chatter about flowers. thankfully the darker male cut in- offering haizel tips to retrace his trail. things she thought didn't really need to be spelled out, but perhaps this stranger required it. 

yeah, that, she offered uselessly with a firm nod with agreement towards saviguk. frankly part of her was hoping haizel would scatter just like that so she could try to nail down the memory of the black-furred male through conversation, although she wasn't quite sure she'd be so lucky. and for the moment her guard went down, not being aggressive to either.