Blackfoot

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She found herself alone, as always. It was both a joy and also a bane. How long had she been wandering with no interaction? How often had she seen others wolves, only to turn away with the images of her mother in her mind. Moreover, not only did she see her mother but she could also hear her. Those words that whispered in her ears like venom, no one would ever want to talk to you. You have nobody. Only me. She shook her head, as if she'd actually felt the breath from the red woman's lungs.

She stopped at the side of a large pool, her paws just barely caressing the water. Sunlight dappled the waters with percolating light and shadows from the trees above. The quiet sighing of the wind was really the only thing whispering to her and she let out a sigh, closing her eyes briefly. She was here, she was away from the witch. She could focus on her own life.

She'd wandered here. A place that she'd come to before, many times. There was a particular trail here. One that lead to a place of water where she'd oft come for a bit of relaxation. To clear her head. To think of her life.

And what life was that? She had no idea. All she knew was wandering, hunting, swimming. The latter she did now, slipping into the waves. It was one of the few things she enjoyed in life. Swimming. She went round and round until she finally stopped a yard or two from the shoreline, where she tread the water. Her impassive, stoic face drifting into something that was gently content.

"Dialogue"

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You gotta be so cold to make it in this world

One with the shadows of the wraith's woods, the dark earthen male stalks a black rabbit. His bright piercing blue eyes gleam in the darkness like two moons reflecting the last modicum of light in the stark shades. Before him, the little ebony creature is unsettled and lifts its nose toward sounds coming from the pool of water around a corner.

Eltrys is also distracted and flicks his ears forward as he hears the sound of swimming. His subtle movement spooks the lupine and it bolts for nearby underbrush. He sighs, he'll get that bunny sooner or later.

He pads toward the water and lingers behind the brush to spy upon the swimmer for just a moment. He blinks as he sees a woman enjoying her swim and seems content in it. He felt his mouth go dry and realized he had been salivating over the rabbit earlier and hadn't had a good drink in a while.

Casually he breaks from the underbrush and approaches the water. He gives a cordial nod to the other, not intending to interrupt her swim, and dips his head down to lap.

He lifts his muzzle from the water and stands at the shore, " You must be enjoying it, you look tranquil." He remarks with a swish of his dark tail. The girl has a ripped ear, he wonders how recent it must be.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Blackfoot

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Seemed as if she wasn't the only one here today. A fact left her one part annoyed and one part intrigued. The annoyance lessened when the other, a large male, seemed to only be interested in the water after giving her a nod. A nod that she responded to in kind. She was one that generally enjoyed peace and quiet along with the sounds of nature. So, to have him give her a bit of silence, it was appreciated.

Of course, silence couldn't last forever and a bit later she heard his voice breaking it. She didn't respond immediately at first. She was thinking about all the ways that her mother might make a snide comment about her enjoying swimming. She wondered if he was queueing up something rude to say in response to her words and her tranquility. "Always do." Although, probably not. She knew her mother was a special case. She'd seen others' interactions and there was always a lack of bullying and general assholery.

Would this guy be pleasant through and through? She found herself unsure of what to do next. If someone wasn't rude... how did conversations generally go? Her face was a mask of impassivity, hiding the general awkwardness she felt underneath while she fished for what do say next. "Visit here. On occasion." It wasn't exactly clear if she was asking him if he did or if she was saying that she did and it wasn't until she spoke again that it was clarified that she meant herself. "Always is nice." And then she fell silent while she studied him, looking at his bulky form and the smell of pack coming from his coat.

She remembered her mother warning her of packs, how they would all betray you, how they would rip you apart for even looking at them funny. She forced that to the back of her mind, knowing that the woman was prone to exaggerations. Especially when she thought it would scare her daughter and keep her from misbehaving.

"Dialogue"

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You gotta be so cold to make it in this world

The other woman seemed off-put by his vocal interruption. Made sense, it was always nice to enjoy a little solitude in a quiet place. He made it his duty to get to know anyone that came close to Polaris borders though.

He had come across her scent before on a few of his hunting excursions and it was nice to put a face to a scent finally, it would be even better if he could get her name. Would make conversations later easier if they ran into each other again.

"I'm Eltrys, I never thought about swimming in the lake. Is it very cold?" He said as he took a few steps into the water. It was a pleasant sort of cool, a welcome relief to the hot Auster son. Very different from the ice-cold and crystal-clear waters of the caves he was raised in.

Blackfoot

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Eltrys. She stored that away for later, just in case she saw him again which wasn't unlikely since she knew he was here on occasion. It was only today that they'd managed to run into each other. "Blackfoot." She responded a beat later. Deciding that there was no harm in giving out her name. Wasn't as if she was some well-known wolf of the lands. Nor did she ever really plan to be.

"Cold enough." She responded in her short way although she wasn't disliking his presence. He wasn't overbearing and didn't seem unfriendly thus far. "In a good way." Conversation did not come easily to her, and she found herself unsure of what to say next.

Should she say anything at all? She could honestly just leave and be done with the whole interaction. She could go hunt or anything else... but... she didn't really want to. Part of her yearned for company and this large brown fellow didn't seem bad for that. "Never swam here?" That seemed like a safe thing to ask. Although part of her wondered if he'd take offense to the question. Paranoia, most likely. Although, she braced herself for the possibility of him suddenly turning on her. She made sure to keep her distance as she paddled in the water. Eyes on him as he hesitantly stepped into the water.

"Dialogue"

---

You gotta be so cold to make it in this world

She was responding in short bursts, he didn't mind. She was probably feeling awkward and exposed. He noted that she kept her distance, and was comfortable letting her.

She gave him her name and he crinkled his eyes kindly at her. "Nice to meet you Blackfoot." He replied warmly, slowly wading into the cool waters. Small lake fish darted about his feet and escaped his shadow. He was distracted by how the fish moved beneath him, he also had yet to try fishing.

She grabbed his attention by asking him about never swimming here, "Nope, Can't say that I have. Never crossed my mind to." He replied and then tried his best to keep himself afloat. It had been a long time since he had swam. With one or two strokes in the water, the lessons and experience returned to him quickly, and he clumsily paddled around in a circle, of course giving her space.

He chuckled as he found the bottom again with unsteady paws, "Seems I'm quite out of practice!" He was done making a fool of himself, and it seemed she would rather not have company for long, so he pulled himself out of the water. Dripping wet he shook his soggy thick coat splattering water about him in a wide arc.
"I hope we meet again, Blackfoot, maybe next time you can give me a few pointers." His stomach had rumbled and it was time for him to find some lunch. With that, he nodded her a farewell and disappeared into the forest.

-Exit Eltrys-

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION