Shadowwyn Moor Einn

The sun was setting before her eyes behind mountain spires as she ventured west. Noon had been spent dozing, afternoon wasted on searching for a fresh scent. A fruitless endeavor.

Weary paws wandered but they were not carried by the wind. Moonlit eyes had settled on the distant mountain range some time ago. Slowly but surely, the mountain wolf drew nearer.

She caught herself from the narrowing tunnel vision.

Swarthy paws slowed to a stop. Her shadowed head lifted to take in the sprawling land around her: bleak and barren, lit only the few autumn leaves of distant copses. Overturned trees lay amok across the yellowed, wiry lawn. Arnarkla's eyes narrowed into scrutinizing swords as she theorized the cause of such mindlessness.

Sparring bison came to mind. A blind rampage. Their stamping hooves and steam billowing from flared nostrils. Skulls of boulders clashing against one another backlit by a rising sun.

she roamed and roamed as if some restless spirit possessed her.

in truth, it was nothing nearly as grave. instead she held only curiosity to see everything before she settled. the cooling temperatures would eventually force her into it.

yet for all her seeing and curiosity, she nearly missed the small dark thing. as if her own shadow had sprung to life.

bracken did the polite thing and halted, tail offering a tentative wave. while the rest of her body stayed steady in case she needed to spring away.

Lost in her imagination as she was, it took a beat for the lupine scent to be registered. Inky nose wiggled, salmon tongue darted out to moisten it, and then her silvern eyes fluttered, stirred from the trance of fantasy. They settled upon the stranger. Black and tawny, like a burnt timber. The scent was feminine and her eyes could see plainly that it was a tall she-wolf.

Her gaze flicked to the waving tail and her tensing muscles softened a bit.

It seemed they both partial to wariness.

Unsure of the tongue the stranger spoke, Arnarkla offered her own neutral wave of her tail and let out a boofing chuff in greeting.

she was greeted in the same manner she gave.

no words, no fumbling through things like a stranger.

bracken thought she might very much like this little shadow. especially when she chuffed her greeting! without thought, her tail waved a bit more steadily now. it felt easier and it felt familiar. this was the first interaction she had that inspired true confidence from the very start.

a deep rumble of greeting warmth was her own vocalization.

a little shuffle of her giant paws against the soft earth, perhaps borderline playful.

Rumbling like a coltish drum came from the stranger. She could almost feel the excitement reach her across the span of distance between them like a foamy wave. Regrettably, a conversation could only go so far through such feral means, and she could tell by scent that the charred wolf was familiar with the area: she smelt of the land.

Nevertheless, she found herself entertained. Her head tilted more to the right, encroaching on a forty-five degree angle, to show her curious intrigue, tail still waving.

The mountain wolf wondered: was the fellow dispersal merely playful or actually mute?

Was Arnarkla, herself, mute? She witnessed many moons but could the moons recall the sound of her voice?

curiosity was just as good as anything else.

her shuffling ceased, but the light within her deep gaze did not die out. where was this one headed? bracken wondered but did not have the energy in her to try and figure it out.

if no words were needed, it was all the better.

she snorted as if she were a great bison. then rounded herself as if she meant to march back to where she had come from. she would walk off a yard or two, path fixed for the mountains she had crossed.

then looked back over her shoulder and cocked her own head now.

Moonlit eyes watched, unwavering. Left ear flicked at the snort. The stranger turned and took a few westward steps before regarding the mountain wolf once more.

Her gaze shifted, then, to the mountains that towered in the distance. A couple days' worth of travel, if she took her time, and that was all she truly had.

A ghost of a smile flitted across her haunting eyes before she began to pad after the charred wolf. Intrigue continued to show in her perked ears. A wisp of caution still swirled in her gut.

bracken meant to continue this little dance of theirs.

her giant form would act as a guiding post. however the post would continue to shift further and further. then a look, to make sure she might still have the smaller woman as her shadow.

how far would they make it like this?

she hoped hours, if not days, but knew that was too much stock in a stranger. she should have just appreciated what they had for the time being.

Rather than putting energy into catching up, Arnarkla mirrored the charred wolf's pace. Watching her now, she began to realize how much larger the stranger was. Certainly one of the tallest wolves she had met.

She considered the possible advantages and disadvantages.

Seamless intimidation, more strength from more weight. Easier access to the throat and underbelly.

She wondered: did the mountains call for the giantess, too? A question for another time. At the moment, she sought not to be the one to shatter the silence.

fade? <3

then neither one of them might end up breaking this warm silence.

bracken was content to walk until she could no more. towards the mountain, maybe brushing along its edges for easier paths to go up.

these things would be done with or without her company.

company that she very much enjoyed until the last minute.