For once in her travels, she ditched the form of the river and followed its course to the east, dashing across the riverbank until her muscles ached and screamed for reprieve... And then she kept going, ignoring the jolts of pain with each stride, running faster even as the waters themselves slowed. The elevated, tumbling pools she came across were nothing short of wondrous, sparkling where the midday sun touched the waters. Not that she could appreciate it, in that moment.

Mal collapsed and tumbled into a heap at the top of the falls, legs in the air, her chest rising rapidly as she fought to catch her breath. Goodness. She’d run and hunted and run some more and she still couldn’t get this constant thrum out of her system, electric beneath her skin. Knowing was only half the battle, she supposed. And it had helped her, figuring out a few ways she could channel this new energy and not randomly snap at her pack mates or companion. Mala winced, thinking back over her behavior the past week. Yeah.... she was adjusting, still, but that was okay. This mess would be over before she knew it.

...At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. Even without the other symptoms, there was still the telltale scent of her heat that clung embarrassingly to her fur, and all of her feelings. Ew.

The falls just behind Abaven’s beach were beautiful. Especially now, with the taste of spring in the air, and the flowers that sprung upwards by the thundering falls. The scent of newlife and misting spring water added to the general pleasantness. It was a place quiet of wolves, where the timid girl could creep away to, and sing. The sound of her voice was too soft to hear above the splashing. She did not feel afraid when she was here. She wasn’t expecting a small, tawny wolf to have taken her place at the top of the falls. She debated fading away into the background before her presence was noted. Before she could contemplate such an action, she would notice the strangeness of the wolf. Paws in the air, chest breathing rapidly. Was she having a stroke? Too much of her mother in her, Motif could not walk away, not until she knew this wolf would be okay. She pushed past the foliage and into full view, her own breath catching, just a little. The broken pieces of Motif had been placed back together, but fragile, like broken glass. Once shattered, the structure was no longer sound. She was close enough now, that the scent of heat was overpowering, and Motif understood then the girls distress. Motif herself had been through it, only recently. She wasn’t having a stroke. “Miss, are you okay?” "Motif"

Jeez, she had to start paying more attention to her surroundings. Just because she was she was going though it, didn't mean she could be careless! With that, Malalia opened a single eye at the upside down image of a very large, darkly-furred female. "Ahhhh... let me just..." The young woman swung her legs over and out, scrambling to get to her paws. Once up, the corner of her lip tugged in a rueful smile, one ear flattened at the title. "It's just Malalia. Or Mala, if ya want less of a mouthful."

With that, she padded a little closer to the woman, curious. A polite cursory sniff told her that the woman was from the nearby pack. "I'm... I'm okay," she chuffed, plopping her rump on the ground with a worn out sigh, tail flipping over irritably. "Mother Nature is just kicking my ass today, that's all." And every day, for the foreseeable future, until this damned thing was over. What luck. What a prize it was, womanhood. She hated it. "I kind of just.... ran all the way here?"


"Speech"

Motif flinched when the girl scrambled to her feet, she couldn’t help herself, quick movement from strangers was not going to sit easily with her for a long time. She held still when the stranger - Mala, as she introduced herself, came closer. It was either tense, or run, and Motif was trying very hard not to give into that weakness. She was glad when Mala seated herself and stopped fussing near her, it was making it awfully hard not to stumble or rush away. She knew, she knew not every wolf was like Valkyrie the slaver, but man was it hard to convince herself sometimes. She offered a weak, but understanding smile. “I know what you mean, I had my first just last season.” Her dad’s new partner had given her and her sisters ‘the talk.’ It had been hard on the heart, awkward and embarrassing, but bless Samara, she had done her best. "Oh, I-I'm Motif, by the way" "Motif"

She didn't miss the way the woman tensed up, and hid a small frown at the reaction. What? Malalia was pretty darn small, and she hardly posed a threat to anyone. But, it was noted, and she'd try to be a little less twitchy. It was going to be very, very, very hard to do so, but hey, she'd make an effort.

Still, the Reaper could help but widen her eyes at the woman's admission. "Really??? Jeez, kudos for surviving that," she laughed, the sound just a little bit painful as an unexpected cramp rippled through her gut. She swallowed thickly, tilting her head slightly. "How, uh, how did you survive it, if you don't mind me asking? I just... I feel so out of it," she admitted, her words for once a murmur. She was restless, all the damn time, caught between excitement and exhaustion. It felt like claws were stabbing her belly. And that was just scratching the surface.

"It's nice to meet you, Motif. Sorry you had to run into me like this, heh."


"Speech"

Motif smiled kindly, despite her uncertainties. Mala seemed a nice sort, and Motif didn’t want her to think her flinching had anything to do with her. it was just the bad memories, the instincts that had become second nature to her. “Thanks, it was… it was an awkward time” she admitted, she would be the first to say she was glad Winter was over, and for more then one reason. “My pack has a beach territory, I spent a lot of time there, listening to the waves, or soaking up the cool water. There's also hot pools not far from here, they help, too. Plus lavender” her mother had always had lavender in the den. The scent reminded her of Shaye. “cuddling heated stones, and long runs. Those are all the things that got me through” "Motif"

Oh, she bet it was. Mal was barely scraping though herself, and she'd only recently begun her heat. She gave an empathetic smile to the woman, tail swishing behind her. There was a kind of comfort in knowing another she-wolf, close to her age, had been going though it, too. Not a single wolf in the pack was close to her age, or else no one she really knew well. And Motif had survived it, managing to actually come out sweet and kind and normal. Aurielle had told her she wouldn't be feeling like she was all the time, but it was a comfort to see more and more wolves simply going about their lives.

She listened, head dipped to one side. "We have a beach territory, too, but never thought of going there. I'm kind of surprised you manage to sit still for that! Mostly I just wanna run until I can't anymore." Maybe it was different for everyone, how the heat affected them? Not that listening to the waves wasn't enjoyable. But it was decidedly more of a sit-and-lay-back kind of activity, and she wasn't in a sitting-and-laying-back mood, as of late.

There were other questions she wanted to ask, though a flash of embarrassment left her shoving them to the back of her mind. She cleared her throat, rising to her paws. Anyway.... "So ah, what brought you out to the falls?"


"Speech"