The first thing Peregrine was going to do when she got out of this mess was find the moron who had whispered 'treasure' and pointed her in this direction, and then she was going to kill them. Peregrine did not often get angry, but when she did it was a beautiful sight, like a fireworks display or the eruption of a volcano. Luckily, she was utterly alone. Even Tsiry was elsewhere, moving amongst the treetops of this otherworldly place. Any other time she might be looking for trolls or gnomes or faeries, but at the moment she was... occupied. And by occupied she meant trapped. She was seeking buried treasure (naturally) amongst a tangled pile of wood rot. In her defense, the center of this tangle was oddly circular and free of debris, and almost certainly held treasure. She was an expert on such matters, after all, so she should know. Unfortunately for her she had wormed her way into a rather vexing position. One leg was tucked up underneath, braced against a log of middling size, while her other dangled, her toes just managing to brush the earth. Her front was pitched forward, awkwardly splayed amongst a tangle of branches and pinned beneath another log of middling size which had suddenly shifted. If she had had both legs beneath her perhaps she would have been able to lift it but for the moment... she was quite stuck. And her pride absolutely refused to call for help. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

no one can be just like me

Well, fuck. This entire place seemed to be pretty empty and useless so far. To be honest, Ricochet was starting to regret following her brother here. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, chasing adventure and catching it in her paws, getting that rush of adrenaline that she seemed to endlessly crave. But no. Of course not. Instead, she was wandering around a pretty boring piece of land with no one to talk to but herself. Not that she... did that. Not out loud anyway.

"Damn it, Ricky..." Okay, so maybe she did. But what else was she supposed to do in this quiet, creepy forest? The fog was licking at her heels, stirring irritation instead of fear inside her. She shook herself out as if to get rid of the clinging moisture and quickened her pace, just wanting to be out of here as soon as possible. Honestly, the brutish woman hadn't found one place she liked in this whole damned continent so far. Not a single one. First she had found the reeking tar pits, and once she had escaped those all she had found were endless plains, covered in a thin layer of snow that only served to make her feet cold. Like, really cold. God, she just wanted to complain to somebody. But there was no one around to listen. The woman was starting to think there was no one around at all.

But then, fortunately, she was proven wrong.

Up ahead, a scent caught her nose, and she followed it curiously. This whole forest seemed to be one big trap, so she started to think maybe she was imagining the smell of a fellow wolf. But no, there she was. Tangled up pretty awkwardly in rotting wood, a chocolatey brown woman who... well, Ricochet would have said more about her appearance, but all she could really see was her ass. Not that she was complaining. "Well, hello there," she said with a derisive snicker. "Any chance you could use some help? You do look a little, well, incapacitated at the moment... " The grin spread across the face of the masculine woman, her voice low and taunting as she circled the other woman like prey trapped in a cage. Her words may have made it sound like she wanted to offer help to the poor creature, but really the opposite was true. She wanted to play for a while, do her share of teasing before she even considered being a good samaritan.

The moment Peregrine heard the mocking words of a stranger, she retracted her wish to be rescued. Dying alone was better than the feel of her body flushing beneath her fur as a wave of embarrassment rolled through her. It was potent, bitter, and bore deep into a vein of her purest sarcasm. When she spoke, venom dripped from her tongue, yet the tone was so sickly sweet it was bound to give them both cavities. "Me? Nooo... I'm just, you know..." She tried to stretch, a pitiful attempt that only illustrated her inability to wedge out from beneath the log that had trapped her. "Hanging out." Her silver eyes were molten, orbs of pure mercury roiling in the low light. This forest was bullshit. If she could get this stranger to hoist up the log Peregrine was sure she'd be able to dart in, grab whatever was surely hidden within, and then bolt. Easy, right? She tried once more to wiggle free, doing her best to keep it subtle, though her success was doubtful. She was really stuck in there. Turning to the newcomer, she found a woman of unusual size. Her coat was dark, the color of coal and soot, her eyes a vivid contrast. Peregrine watched her through narrowed eyes, before suddenly chuckling as an idea came upon her. Her scowl became a sly grin. "Tell you what, help me get out of this and I'll make it worth your while,"she said, her voice just as falsely sweet but with a whole other tenor. Peregrine wasn't really sure what she had to offer but anything was better than dying alone in a creepy ass forest, if only this stranger wanted to play nice. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

no one can be just like me

Oh, this was going to be interesting. It was clear already that this woman was just as much of a sarcastic prick as Ricochet was. And that was saying something. She barked out a laugh at the sickly sweet response she was given. "Right, right," she said, playing along as she came to where the head of the trapped woman could be most easily seen. "In that case," she said in the same innocent tone, plopping down onto her haunches to show the woman she wasn't about to help any time soon. She grinned down at her.

She watched with a poorly concealed snicker as the poor woman tried to wiggle free again, to no avail of course. Still the larger woman made no move to help. Why would she, when this was so entertaining? Then she heard the woman say that she would make it worth her while if she helped her out. “Hmm,” Ricochet hummed, eyes still unabashedly combing over the woman before her. She really was quite easy on the eyes, she had to admit. "And what exactly do you have to offer a woman, sweetheart?"" she whispered as she leaned in, that wicked grin still planted on her face. It wasn’t going away any time soon, after all, not while this little lady was still trapped in the rotting wood. Ricochet began to decide that she would, in fact, help the woman. Probably. But what fun was there in doing it right away? Let her squirm a little longer. It was so damn fun to watch.

Part of Peregrine was pleasantly surprised to hear the woman serve her sass right back, bouncing off like water on a duck's wing. However she was still stuck and with the relaxed position the dark fae had assumed, Peregrine figured she might as well settle in for a moment. Her body went limp, drooping as she sighed. A stubborn one, huh? That was fine, she could deal with stubborn by being even more stubborn, right? She looked up again to find the woman's eyes roving over her, and when she opened her mouth a second time something clicked. "And what exactly do you have to offer a woman, sweetheart?" she asked. Sweetheart? If taunting captured prey was this woman's way of flirting, well, then she could go right ahead and... Alright, who was she kidding, Peregrine could roll with this. She looked up at the other woman and flashed her a mockery of a grin before batting her eyelashes so overtly it could only be a ploy. "Why, if you were to help me out I'll tell you my name. I can be quite an interesting person to know, you know." Peregrine hoped she would go for it, because outside of sexual favors she had nothing else to offer. They'd had dismal luck gathering anything at all and she couldn't hunt worth shit. Plus, she was more of a third date kind of wolf. (Then again this fae wasn't exactly difficult to look at. She had striking features, and Pere was having a tough time looking away from her eyes.) Where was Tsiry when she needed her. The lemur was far more diplomatic than she, after all, and some polite mannerisms might be helpful seeing as Peregrine planned to offer none of her own. "Talk" "You" Think

no one can be just like me

The woman relaxed further into her awkward position when she saw that Ricochet was making no move to rescue her yet. She narrowed her mismatched eyes a bit as she tried to decipher the look on her face as she reacted to the brutish woman and her flirting. She didn't seem all that put off. Was she... up for it? Seriously? That was fan-fucking-tastic. Ricochet flipped her tail behind her a bit, the teasing and slightly flirtatious grin still firmly in place. This woman before her was something new, something she wasn't used to. Something exciting.

Her name is what she was offering. Well, since the squirming was done, the dark woman really had no reason to decline anyway. Might as well get the female out of her rather sticky situation. She shrugged a bit and gave the chocolatey woman a nod, "I could go for that," she said, fighting back a wink. Now that would be going overboard. You could only throw so much gay at a woman at one time. She came closer and pawed at the log that was trapping her forelegs. If those were free, the woman would probably be able to get free. However, her pawing made the soft wood shift, pinching its victim a teensy bit tighter. Ricochet sucked in air dramatically through her teeth. "Whoops, my bad," pretending to grimace to hide the smirk that actually wanted to break through. Hey, she didn't do it on purpose. But that didn't mean she was really sorry about it.

She thought for a moment and then got down on her belly and wiggled herself beneath the log, which was a struggle considering her massive frame. But soon she had a shoulder wedged beneath the offending piece of wood, and she pushed herself upward again, lifting the wood fairly easily in order to free the woman trapped underneath. "Go ahead," she said with a slight grunt in her voice.

She'd expected the stranger to put up more of a fight, bargain, negotiate, something. When she accepted to easily, Peregrine became the smallest bit suspicious. She'd had enough of psychopaths lately but... Ah, screw it. There weren't any other 'kindly' strangers around to give her the assistance she clearly needed. "My hero," she drawled with a sly smile, watching her as she pressed in towards where Peregrine waited. She tested the offending log, and only succeeded in pushing it further into place. Peregrine let out a tiny grunt, and with sarcasm dripping from her ebon lips said, "Hey, don't worry about it, take your time." The woman began to wedge herself under the log. "After all, I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable." Her back spasmed as a muscle began to cramp. Miraculously, once the dark dame got her shoulder in place, it seemed almost an easy thing to lift the bough. Peregrine darted forward at her urging, limbs arching and tingling from poor circulation. She let out a shaky, relieved breath and at once dropped into a back arching, tail curling stretch. "Sweet, sweet freedom!" She turned on the stranger and swept her left forepaw out in front of herself, dipping low into a rather formal bow. "Your reward, as promised. I'm Peregrine Myre, it's very nice to meet you," she said, not quite a purr but something that hinted at a coy ulterior motive. Pere wanted to see how much bite was behind her flirtatious bark, because she wasn't about to be outdone by some she-titan, no siree. The treasure she'd hoped to find was utterly forgotten in light of her new, much more interesting quarry. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

It really didn't take much effort on the part of the gargantuan female to lift the log and set her poor little prisoner free. She felt the weight of the wood, sure, but it wasn't anything her formidable frame couldn't handle. In fact, Ricochet smirked a bit with pride as she just as easily laid the log back on the ground, shaking herself out a bit to get rid of the little bits and chips of rotting wood that had been loosened onto her ebony fur. Then she looked up again, catching the woman mid stretch. She simply raised a brow and watched, and then soon enough she had seemed to work the soreness out and she turned to address her rescuer. "Your reward, as promised. I'm Peregrine Myre, it's very nice to meet you," Ricochet chuckled deeply. Such a poised and lovely greeting from the girl whose first language seemed to be sarcasm. "Peregrine, huh? Like the bird?" she flicked an ear as she spoke, and then nodded. It was a pretty cool name, really. "Well, I suppose I could follow social convention and tell you my name, but I think we've set up a convention of our own here," she smirked a bit and looked at the woman named Peregrine. An interesting person to know, indeed. She hoped she would get to know her. That in itself seemed like it would be an adventure. "Names are rewards, so how about this: I'll give you my name if you show me the way out of this damned place. And if you're good, maybe I'll give you more than my name." The grin appeared again, spreading slowly as she swayed her tail confidently behind her. Man, this was fun. "You and me, we got a deal?" the dark woman asked, her dissimilar eyes twinkling with mischief. "Talk" "You" Think

Again the vexing creature did something less than helpful, but still Peregrine found herself chuckling. Alright fine, she had a point, and besides she had nothing better to do with her day. She had met a lot of colorful personalities since coming to these strange lands, but this was the first she'd met that seemed as unruffled by acerbic nature as Peregrine was of hers. The dark dame claimed that names would be rewards, and that Peregrine would be gifted with hers only after guiding the duo out of this damned forest. The possibility of earning something even greater (the implication caused her to flush yet again) was a cherry on top. Peregrine allowed her silver eyes to fill with mirth while she pretended to consider her offer. "Well... I suppose, but don't you go thinking I make deals with just anyone." She gave her a wink before turning on her heel and striking off the way she'd come, tail flourish and all. If the tip of it just happened to flick against the tip of the stranger's snout, all the better. The forest around them was unnaturally dark, and unusually gnarled. The dark roots that surrounded them seemed to absorb all manner of sound, opting instead to judge them in near complete silence. It was unnerving at best, and positively off-putting the rest of the time, so Peregrine was glad to find herself in company. She knew Tsiry, wherever she had gone to, was more than capable of both taking care of herself and finding her way back again so Pere wasn't overly worried about her. Not long after she started walked, eager to fill this ungodly silence (and maybe to find out more about this intriguing woman), she called back over her shoulder, "So. Come here often?" The line was weak. So weak, in fact, that she strained not to laugh at her own mockery of comedy. After all, she still had to find out the woman's limits, what buttons to push to illicit what reactions, the whole deal, and if their encounter so far was any indication Peregrine guessed that she had a lot of work ahead of her. "Talk" "You" Think

After the deal had been proposed, the Peregrine woman seemed to think for a moment. Or perhaps she was still a bit ruffled from the flirting. Ricochet loved to imagine it was the latter. She decided it would be her goal to see if she could entirely fluster this headstrong woman someday, sweep her off her feet as it were. Or paws, technically. That in itself could be a challenge, but challenges were something Ricochet was proud to say she never backed away from. At last Peregrine agreed to the deal and confidently pranced off in the direction she must have known would lead them away from these woods, throwing in a wink and a flick of the tail for good measure. Ricochet blinked, her nose twitching once from the sudden brush of fur. Oh, yeah, this girl was definitely up for it. Unless she was just being a tease, of course. And that wouldn't be very nice. Ricochet followed the smaller woman through the woods, quickly becoming unsettled by the silence they were returned to. But fortunately, it didn't last very long, and soon Peregrine was talking again. But... what? Did she hear her right? Ricochet raised one brow, wanting to laugh but not wanting to give the woman the satisfaction. That indeed was a very weak line. But the dark woman was still pleased that she was flirting with her, so she let a smirk crack open, again revealing her sharp pearly whites. “Good one,” she said in a flat voice, sarcasm painfully clear in her tone. "No, I don't, if you were truly wondering. And how about you? Do you make a habit of coming to creepy ass forests and getting stuck in rotting wood?” The smirk remained. Her joke was better, at least she thought so. But that was probably because it was at the expense of the poor little Peregrine. Who, by the way, looked even better from behind when she didn't have her ass caught in some awkward positioning. Put simply, Ricochet didn't mind following close behind. "I have to ask, sweetheart, because my curiosity is just killing me," she said dramatically, her low voice still purposefully flat with sarcasm. "What makes you such an interesting person to know?" She raised a brow again. Her words may have been dripping with sarcasm, but she was genuinely curious about this girl. Her bicolored eyes were bright with interest as she awaited a response. "I just figured I should know what I'm in for if I'm going to, you know, know you," she chuckled. "Talk" "You" Think

The stranger seemed just as unimpressed with Peregrine's undeniable charm as Tsiry usually was. She cracked a smile and thought privately to herself, I knew there was something noteworthy here. I am an excellent judge of character after all. Still, she answered her all the same. The dark dame's willingness to play her little game was both surprising and fascinating to Peregrine. There were a rare few souls who gave so few shits about their situation that they were willing to just roll on along with whatever life gave them, and she was pleased to find that trait in this woman. Peregrine listened to her less-than-gently poised questions with a look of growing amusement. "Well, I certainly prefer it to moonlit nights, firelit dinners, long walks on the beach..." She thought for a moment. "Well. Maybe not that dinner part." She cast a look over her shoulder and caught the other lass giving her hindquarters an appreciative amount of her attention. She swished her tail once again. "If you really must know, I spend my days roving the earth passing around wealth and riches you couldn't believe." An exaggeration, perhaps. "I've seen gems and materials and plenty of other goodies too. Don't even get me started on the wolves," she said with another pointed glance over her shoulder. The wolves she'd met indeed. Ricochet being of keen interest among them. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

no one can be just like me

She seriously loved that her teasing was amusing to the Peregrine woman. Finally someone with a similar sense of humor. That was rare, and usually she was left disappointed when a joke fell flat or worse, offended somebody. She didn't feel bad for offending them, of course. She just resented the fact that nobody seemed to get the joke. But this girl. This girl was on the same wavelength as she was, and she was really, really enjoying it. Her response about moonlit nights and firelit dinners was enough to rouse a genuine laugh from the dark woman. And her laugh was quite pleasant to listen to really; it was one of the only times her voice seemed to approach the average female range. Any other time, it settled into a lower and gruffer tone that was closer to baritone than alto. She sighed happily as she came down from her little burst of laughter. "Aww, damn," she chuckled. "Guess I'll have to cross those off my list of ideas, huh?"

After this Ricochet listened closely to hear the kinds of interesting things Peregrine did. It sounded like she did a lot of traveling and exploring, dealing in wealth and riches beyond the average imagination. Of course, it kind of sounded like a load of shit, but Ricochet really wanted to believe it. It sounded exciting. Exciting was what she craved. She picked up the pace so that she was walking side by side with the woman, and met her eyes with an almost hopeful smile. "You serious?" she asked, tail swaying eagerly as her eyes shone with interest again. But she didn't want to look like a sucker, either, so she reined in her enthusiasm a bit. Even if Peregrine was serious about the kind of adventure her life entailed, what made the brute thing she'd want her tagging along?

"That sounds pretty cool," she admitted, throwing in a casual shrug to protect her pride. But, wow. Peregrine had just won herself a compliment. Those were pretty damn hard to come by.

The dark damsel was anything but boring. Distance seemed to pass quickly for them, and Peregrine was almost certain that would be at the edge of this forbidding place soon. She could smell bits of Tsiry's scent on the wind, who had claimed she would linger in the fringes because "Only a gods-cursed fool would risk themselves in place that so clearly says 'Stay Out!'" She waited there (hopefully) guarding her bag and waiting for Peregrine's return... Emphasis on 'hopefully.' In the meantime they delved further into her way of life. Her simple explanation was met with a just as serious, "You serious?" Peregrine smiled, laughing lightly under her breath. "As rabies," she replied with a wink. "I've got some contacts in other lands, but for some reason this realm seems practically untapped. I'm planning on changing that." Again she looked back. Part of her wanted to see what the woman made of her occupation and part of her just liked studying the subtle yet graceful markings on her face, even for so brief as a breath or two. "It's always something new," she claimed. "I also tend to get in over my head. I've got a friend who helps me navigate, but other than that it's mostly luck. What do you do?" She wondered if she would have an answer at all. So many rogues just wandered without purpose, and Pere found that more than a little bit depressing. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

no one can be just like me

The fact that Peregrine was, in fact, serious about what she did made an even brighter smile come to the face of the dark dame. She wanted that. She wanted to go on adventures and find new places and new things. She was tired of living a boring life; she wanted to go down in history. And what Peregrine did, meeting wolves everywhere and spreading her trade? That had to go down in history somehow. And that could bring her a more positive kind of fame, as opposed to the infamy Ricochet had considered earning by picking fights and generally raising hell.

But, considering that had been her only known option thus far, it was also her only available response when Peregrine asked what sort of thing she did. Ricochet laughed and gave her a crooked smile as she replied, "Oh, you know, mess around and raise hell," she said, her words echoing her thoughts as her bicolored eyes glinted with mischief. “I’m always trying to find something fun and exciting to do. Ends up getting my ass in trouble, most of the time.” Like Peregrine, for example. She was something fun and exciting to, well, do. And already Ricochet could tell she had gotten herself into some deep shit this time. She grinned.

“Look, when I left home, it was to try and find a little adventure. And, honestly, I think I may have found it.” Pushing it a little? Maybe. But it was worth the risk. The worst she could do was say no and tell her to piss off, so why not just ask? “Any chance I could tag along, check your lifestyle out for myself? And you can call me Ricochet, by the way,” she said, finally giving Peregrine her name. She'd earned it. Already she could see the light growing brighter as the trees thinned out and the pair neared the edge of the woods. They were almost out of this creepy place, thanks to Peregrine. And so, she'd given the little lady her reward at last.

To say Peregrine was satisfied with her day's adventure would be an understatement, despite the way it started. At this point she was fairly certain they would come to the edge of the forest, and Tsiry's scent was growing stronger. The trees began to dwindle in size, turning from gnarled monsters into only somewhat knobby goblins. Breaks started to show through the trees, but the winter sun was still far too weak to have much of an impact. "Oh don't worry. Trouble and I are old friends, I'll put in a good word for you," she threw over her shoulder with a laugh. With a little more inflection she added on, "Your ass is safe with me." Which was a blatant lie, because obviously two trouble-prone wolves did not a safe party make. But... Ssshh.... The woman claimed she was looking for an adventure, and if she meant she'd found it in Peregrine well... Hell, she was absolutely right. She asked to tag along. Peregrine slowed her trot to a slow walk and then a stop, building up the moment. She looked back over her shoulder in an attempt to catch and hold the other woman's gaze. "Well... I don't knooww, the work I do is pretty dangerous. Think you'd be up for it?" She sent her another wink, slyer this time, then said, "Because I'd love to have ya, Ricochet." Up ahead in the trees, from the corner of her eye, she saw an orange blur darting from branch to branch. Strapped tightly to her back was the satchel, still unfortunately empty, which happened to be just about as big as she was. She had pulled the buckle strap as far as it would budge to keep it from flapping against her as she moved through the trees. Peregrine had worried about losing it so she'd stashed it beneath the roots of an old sentinel tree. Apparently Tsiry had other ideas. "Well, well, look who decided to show up!" Peregrine called out to her. Tsiry scoffed, sliding gracefully down a tree trunk and coming to rest at Peregrine's feet. She reached out to boop the creature affectionately with her nose but Tsiry pulled back with a 'Tsk' and a swat at her muzzle. Peregrine laughed. "You told me to wait, you insufferable creature. And what's this?" Tsiry asked, pointing over her shoulder to Ricochet. "Why do you keep dragging women all over the continent?" Peregrine laughed nervously and eyed Ricochet with a raised brow. "I'm not sure if that's not quite as bad as it sounds, or if it's exactly how it sounds." Hey, she'd own it! She appreciated fine company. As it stood, if Peregrine, Ricochet, Solveiga, and Magpie ever got together they'd be a force to be reckoned with. She she'd still been eyeing their hindquarters all the while. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

The two women continued to walk side by side to the edge of the forest, the trees getting smaller and the weak winter sunlight fighting to permeate the fog and the shadows. But the creepiness and gloom had been gone for some time now, thanks to the company of the chocolatey dame beside her. Ricochet looked back into the silvery eyes of the woman, smirking at her words. Trouble was her old friend. Ricochet didn't doubt that for a minute. However, she definitely had doubts about the part where her ass was supposedly safe with Peregrine. That was far from the truth, and she knew it. "I'm not too worried about the safety of my ass," the masculine woman chuckled. "I think I'd be more worried about yours, sweetheart. You have such a pretty little ass, wouldn't want it getting hurt, would we?" At this Ricochet grinned teasingly and bumped their hips together, tail flipping lightly to swipe at one of her hind legs. Revenge for the tail to the nose stunt Peregrine had pulled earlier. For a moment they continued to walk, until Ricochet asked about tagging along. After this the smaller woman slowed dramatically and the brute had to do the same to try and match her stride. But then they stopped completely. "What?" she asked bluntly, until she figured out that she was being teased by Peregrine again. She made point of looking unimpressed, raising a brow to show that she wasn't amused. Dangerous? The worst thing that probably ever happened was... well, getting your ass stuck under a log. But Ricochet could handle that. She was tough, she could handle just about anything. When at last the coy teasing was over, Peregrine said yes. She would love to have Ricochet along. The large woman smiled and started to say something, but then another creature appeared, something small that was swinging through the trees. Was it some kind of monkey? No, what the hell would a monkey be doing here? She narrowed her mismatched eyes and listened with mild surprise as the creature spoke in a canine tongue, sliding down the nearest tree to rest at their feet. The brutish woman watched in genuine surprise as Peregrine interacted with it, pawing at it playfully and taking part in what seemed to be a healthy dose of banter. But Ricochet was confused as fuck at this point. The face she was making probably made that clear, brow furrowed and mouth slightly twisted in what seemed to be a mix of a frown and a disgusted grimace. What is this? Ricochet had been reduced to this now? She curled her lip a bit, already not fond of the creature. Though of course she would never, ever admit that her feelings had something to do with the fact that the monkey thing was standing between her and Peregrine. And it didn't smell good either. "The woman has a name, monkey," she grumbled, looking down at the tiny creature. One of her paws was probably bigger than its whole head. "And for the record," she said, looking to Peregrine with a lopsided smirk, "I don't mind at all. You can feel free to drag me wherever you want." This, of course, came with a flirtatious wink. Cherry on top. See what Peregrine and her little monkey thought of that. "Talk" "You" Think

Pretty little ass, hmm? Suspicions totally confirmed, as if they hadn't been already. All the same Peregrine let a laugh bubble up from her gut. Truthfully Ricochet had a point, Peregrine did get herself into trouble. A lot. A mix of poor judgement and worse luck had left her stranded downstream more often than once. The fact that she seemed less than pleased with Tsiry and the way she was being treated just tickled her pink. Her head tilted back and she let out a chorus of ringing laughter. "Oh no, don't get too upset. She's more than earned her ire, and you'll learn too if you mean to call me companion," she tossed out with yet another wink. This one had something mischievous in it, (only flirting a tiny bit,) and wholeheartedly a warning. Tsiry just rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she was just as bound to Peregrine as Ricky now was. The girl had a purpose, that was plain and simple. Tsiry wanted to see the world and Peregrine offered a modicum of protection, not to mention convenient transportation and occasionally stimulating conversation. If this new dark coated canine meant to come along... Tsiry eyed her from top to bottom and up again. Fine. She was large and seemed strong, but she absolutely did not like the way she was looking at her hired meat-turned-friend. Peregrine would introduce them with a unusually polite cough. Tsiry eyed her, looking for that sarcastic glint she was all too familiar with. "Ricochet, this is Tsiry Cosoi, my guide and assistant. She's a lemur!" Tsiry clambered up her back, just to tweak her ear. "I am no one's assistant. You are meant to defend me during my travels, and I teach you while we go. That was the deal." Peregrine just cackled, pleased to have riled the prosimian, and Tsiry knew at once that had been her goal all along. Peregrine looked back to Ricochet and lifted a brow while Tsiry fumed. Was she really ready to sign on with them? Most wolves who had met Peregrine in the past preferred her in small doses, after all, a trait she'd long embraced. The word 'intolerable' had been tossed around once or twice, not that she minded. Seeing how long Ricochet lasted would be a fun way to pass the time, she justified. Suuurrree... "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

It was all Ricochet could do not to keep staring at the strange monkey creature. But eventually she pulled her confused stare away and placed it on Peregrine instead, watching as the woman laughed and explained that she had "earned her ire" and Ricochet would do the same if she planned to call her a companion. At this the dark woman cracked a smile, a chuckle managing to slip through as she received the flirtatious and cautioning wink. "Challenge accepted," she said. "I mean, I survived this long, didn't I?" She was in no way afraid of this woman or her antics. Anything she could do Ricochet could easily return. What a beautiful tug of war this relationship would be. After this, Ricochet chuckled softly again and looked back down at the creature still sitting at her feet. She didn't quite seem to approve of the beastly woman at first. Her eyes scanned the monstrous form up and down, admirably showing little fear. In the end, a look of acquiescence came into her beady little eyes. Ricochet smirked and batted her eyes in an innocent and nearly feminine way. "So lovely to meet you, Tsiry," she purred, the sweetness in her tone totally artificial, of course. The smirk faded a bit as the monkey, or lemur as it seemed to be called, crawled up onto Peregrine and twisted her ear. Tsiry corrected the woman, saying she was no assistant. Maybe not, but she looked like a decent snack, Ricochet thought as her deadly smirk returned. "You? Teach her?" she snickered, unable to help herself. "How can you fit anything at all in that puny head of yours?" the ebony woman asked, reaching a paw to poke it in the general direction of her head. Hopefully if the lemur thing bit her, she wouldn't get rabies. That would suck big time. "Talk" "You" Think

Ricochet seemed confident, but Peregrine would would out until she dragged the woman up the side of a fjord or into a lava pit or some other such shit. It had happened before! Peregrine was convinced that the larger woman had no idea what she'd just signed up for. Whether that was true or not did not matter to her, of course. Peregrine was more than happy to drag Ricochet along for the entertainment value alone; at this point she was really just hoping for the best. She was wary of putting too much trust into anything at all, let alone a veritable stranger (never mind how intriguing this stranger had so far proved.) Tsiry made to jump from her shoulders when Ricochet teased her, but the brown woman felt her tense before she leaped. Quickly Peregrine lurched to the side, taking the ground out from beneath her smaller friend's feet. She collapsed into it, growling all the while. "Whoa there, feisty pants. Lead by example, right?" Tsiry glared. Peregrine sent Tsiry a dry glance and said, "You can settle this after we've cleared the forest. If I have to bury a carcass I don't wanna deal with all these damn roots." To that the lemur fell quiet, but her distaste for their newest addition did not. In her mind the litany of insults raged on, but on the outside she simply hunkered down on Peregrine's back, fists woven deep into her mane and satchel still strapped tight. She turned back to Ricochet and asked, "How are you at hunting, out of curiosity?" She worried against telling Ricochet the true depths of her disparity. She was not like other wolves, she just could not grasp the art. This, she decided, would be crucial. Quietly, her stomach growled. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

Well, the dark dame had certainly learned one thing. The lemur had an exceptionally short fuse. And that was a fucking delightful discovery, because it meant a lot of angry fluffiness in the future. Ricochet was going to love this. The whole little interaction was made even more enjoyable by the fact that Peregrine promptly dropped the fuming creature onto the ground, scolding her in the process. Ricochet gave her new little enemy an teasing smirk, like a child getting a sibling in trouble and then rubbing it in. Tsiry glared, of course. Furiously. After a while the heat between the two died down and the lemur clambered back up onto Peregrine, resting between her shoulders. Ricochet then began diligently ignoring the creature. Relentlessly annoying her wasn't worth the energy spent. She would settle for occasionally annoying her. Meanwhile, the pretty little lady was asking a question. Mismatched eyes met silver ones, and she pursed her lips a bit. "I'm good," she replied. "Alone I could probably take down a small deer. With a partner, something bigger." She shrugged a bit, honestly she was more a fighter than a hunter but it was, in essence, the same thing. Sometimes prey fought back, after all. And those hunts were definitely the most fun, because they generated the most adrenaline in her veins. That rush that she always seemed to be seeking in one way or another. "Why do you ask, sweetheart? Want me to take you out on our first dinner date?" She grinned and flipped her tail flirtatiously behind her, and then narrowed her eyes a bit at Tsiry. She seriously hoped this monkey wouldn't get in the way of her flirting. But she supposed, if she wanted to travel with Peregrine and experience her lifestyle firsthand, that would include tolerating annoying pets. Or, at the very least, she would have to restrain from eating them. She snapped her teeth lightly at the lemur and chuckled as she strode past Peregrine, ebony tail licking at her side as she passed. "Come on, Peregrine," she said brightly. "Follow me and I'll get you that firelit dinner you've been dying for," Ricochet teased. "Talk" "You" Think