Dragoncrest Cliffs See, Winter comes to rule the varied year

@Chacal @Mireille @Val

She carried a fish in her jaws, but set it down to howl her presence to those in charge. The fish was to get in. She was old, and perhaps they would not like that, so she must prove she could still be of use. Now her limbs ached from standing in the cold water, waiting. But she had the catch, and that was more important. She could get warm once she was inside. If she made it inside.

these days, not many loners came to their camp. while the borders had a generous policy for affiliates, val rarely had to exercise stern border patrol.

a howl carried up through the winter winds. val turned to it curiously, coming upon a woman whose prime may have been a few winters behind her.

val’s attention shifted to the fish at her feet. with a friendly wave of his tail he spoke. hello. did you howl?

Yes, said Kheviel. She did not waste time. I am old and can no longer afford to roam alone, but the fish proves that I can still hunt. It is an offering. I'd like to join this... whatever pack this is, or I may die in the cold before the spring. She stood and waited.

val was an amicable man, but even he got bogged down by pleasantries. he appreciated this woman’s brevity.

down to brass tacks, then.

the fish is not necessary to gain entry here. but it is appreciated. he motioned for her to take the offering. you should know that this pack is called sapphique, and that this pack is a little different than most. his mouth twitched, for he had rareified air among the men of their clade. come - i will show you. i’m val. what did you say your name was?

She hesitated at his next words. You're not a cult, are you? The believers of some... bloodthirsty gods who require sacrifices? If that was so, she would take her fish and go elsewhere. She'd run into packs like those in the past and had no love for them. She did not give the man her name until he answered her--if he did.

the woman rightly hesitated.

val paused, allowing her the space she needed. he thought if anything, one ought to know what they were getting into.

no, not a cult. he shook his head, recalling ursus with a shiver down his spine. more like... a sisterhood. the things that are important to the outside world aren't so important here. he did not want to discourage her, so gave a slight smile.

there are no sacrifices or moon dances, no. just lots of women and children.

name pronun. KEV-ee-el

She breathed a short sigh of relief, nodded, and said, Fine, then. I will stay. I am Kheviel. Then she picked up her fish in her jaws and motioned to Val to lead her to wherever he was going to lead her. She followed on stiff limbs, her arthritis made worse from the freezing water she'd waded into to catch the fish. Perhaps a sea pack hadn't been the best idea... Even in the summer, the water here would be cold. But that was a problem for another time.

val wondered if age brought with it an impatience with the world. she seemed fine with his explanation, and he supposed it had been good enough -- but he wondered, was there any spark of curiosity?

or was wonder an exclusively childish thing?

she motioned to move. that's a pretty name. val replied, trying to give an encouraging smile. he kept his pace measured, noting the stiff way she moved. are you hurt, kheviel? i can show you where the rendezvous is, and then bring you to maleah. she is a good healer and should be able to help you.

Kheviel did not acknowledge his words about her name. Pretty or not, she wouldn't know and didn't care. At his question of whether she was hurt, though, she grunted, and, awkwardly, around the fish, said, Not injured. Have arthritis. Nothing you can do. The best a healer could give her that she knew of was something for the pain, and she'd rather not get high on poppy seeds. She'd endure the pain and keep a clear head.

do wolves know the word "arthritis"? idk. i assume whatever they "say" is some wolf-version of the words, anyways.

val wasn't aware of the woman's self-imposed restrictions on medication, but he was certain whatever ailed her, @Maleah could fix it. he'd been impressed with her know-how and diligence in learning -- besides, he'd noted that sometimes the healer had a sidekick in sobeille.

oh. well, maybe the beach will agree with you. i have heard that fish -- he motioned to the floppy thing in her jaw -- and blueberries are good for arthritis. hmm. well. on second thought, maybe not together.

they made short work of arriving at the rendezvous. val paused, taking in the grandoise of it all. the cliffs stones fell away to reveal an open area studded with roots of ancient trees. in the summer it was beautiful -- but right now, it just looked impossibly cold. this is the rendezvous. my den is over there if you need anything. he pointed to a small hollow carved in the crook of a fallen tree's arms. should we see maleah?

Well. On second thought, maybe not together.

Kheviel snorted in dry amusement, then took in her surroundings, unimpressed. She had roamed far and wide in her six years and had seen all that nature had to offer, and now nothing impressed her anymore. Perhaps this was sad; she did not care. She glanced at his den as he pointed it out, grunting in acknowledgement. At his question about going to see the healer, she grunted again, nodding her head, then put the fish down and said, Is there a cache I can drop this fish into first? My jaws ache.

in his musing val had forgotten his acquaintance carried food alongside her. he paused and looked her up and down, considering his words carefully. would you eat it? he didn't want to be rude, so hastily tacked on an explanation. the gesture is appreciated, but maybe you could leave it somewhere in one of these dens for you when you come back. you can always contribute to the cache later when you're not so tired. but -- if you insist, the cache is that way and we can drop it off as we go by.

val was at least semi-confident the other leaders would agree with him that taking food from a geriatric was rude. even if she'd offered it in the first place. maleah is this way. he began to trot towards glintwater, stopping mid-stride as he remembered that kheviel limped.

Kheviel eyed Val for a moment, then bent down where she stood and ripped into the fish, swallowing large chunks of it whole. If they really did not need it, then she would eat it herself. She was still standing there eating when the male turned to look back, seeing if she was following. She was not.

I'll find Maleah myself, she said, in between ripping the fish to pieces, her dark maw stained red with blood now. Then she plopped down onto her haunches and finished her meal.

fade here? <3

val stopped as he heard the tear of flesh behind him. good, the woman was eating. he thought she needed it more than most of sapphique - they were all sleek creatures, well-fed and good huntresses.

alright. val was more trusting than most, so it did not bother him that she would find the woman herself. after describing maleah in some detail, val turned back to the saltpine. he sent out a short howl informing the pack of their new addition, and then he resumed his patrols along the border.