Delicate paws sifted through the earth, gently extracting the roots of various plants. It was Cam's intent to take these plants and start a garden closer to home. Well... to wherever they were holing up for now. Would anywhere ever be home again? It was hard to say. All that she knew now was Idris and Matija. Nothing else was familiar or important to her. It was a sobering thought, and so she worked harder to keep her mind distracted. The striped woman extracted hibiscus roots, various tubers, a couple of medicinal herbs. She'd never tried to transplant greenery before, so this would be an interesting experiment.

Since her caretakers were off doing... gods knew what... Bria felt as though she could breathe. The fae hummed a little song as she worked, taking a moment to rinse the mud from beneath her claws in one of the multiple pathways of water. Today seemed like a good day. What could possibly go wrong?

"Cambria"

Cam is involved in very adult, triggering situations. Viewer discretion is advised.

Idris and Matija can, and will, enter any thread that Cambria is in. By agreeing to RP with her, you agree to this.

The eastern climes were incredibly muggy and inhospitable to the crypt-born northerner. However, they were incredibly rich in plant life. Which he knew his father valued immensely, so he made a point to snoop about when he had the chance. Maybe bring something back for the old man if he was feeling generous. Today though, he caught an entirely different scent. A feminine aroma that led deeper and deeper into the mangrove, forcing him to weave through tight spaces and slog through bioluminescent waters in the hopes of satiating his own curiosity. Golden eyes scanned the undergrowth as he searched for the stranger, wondering who else might be inhabiting these regions in the spring months. When he did spot the dainty fae at the waters edge, she was settled with a collection of varied plants at her side. A low, curious rumble bubbled up in his chest as he pushed forth. Thick limbs propelled the brute easily through the waters, brightly hued pelage catching the odd glow of the waters with each stride. "Hey," he grunted, gaze drifting from the assemblage of flora and up to the striped damsel's features. "doing some gardening?" the words escaped with a hint of a smile toying at dark lips, though his expression remained largely stoic. He left distance between them, lingering in the marginally cooler water while he could. It didn't even reach his chest at this area of the mangrove, but it was better than nothing.

A voice sounded from behind and Cambria released an audible gasp. Ears tucked against her skull and she backed up quickly out of the water, continuing until her rump smacked into one of the many mangrove trees. Olive-hued eyes went wide as she looked upon a stranger. A big brute stood in the water. His coloring was... wow. And the tusks jutting up from his lower jaw? Was he even a wolf?

"H-hello..." Cambria stammered in soft, delicate vocals. He seemed friendly enough but the striped fae wasn't ready to let her guard down just yet. Within her slender rib cage, the woman's heart thundered. Gods... what if Matija and Idris found her out here with someone? A male, no less.

"Y-yes, gardening." She answered the man but her gaze scanned the horizon. Gods, she was so nervous. Her gaze went back to the man. "I'm sorry, but you should go. It's not safe here." She didn't know what her caretakers might do to this mesmerizing brute. She didn't know what they would do to her either.

"Cambria"

Cam is involved in very adult, triggering situations. Viewer discretion is advised.

Idris and Matija can, and will, enter any thread that Cambria is in. By agreeing to RP with her, you agree to this.

Almost immediately the strange damsel backpedalled, skittering out of the water and staring up at him with wide eyes that almost matched his own for hue. She greeted him nervously, an awkward stammer that matched her flighty gaze. She confirmed his idle curiosity, and immediately warned him away. A verdant brow arched in response, and he made a point to slowly scan his surroundings with a painfully apathetic gaze. Yep. The mangrove was quiet, brimming with the ambiance of insects and birds and very little else at the moment. It was her apology that caught his attention, more than anything. Though he paid it little heed beyond noting the oddity of an appeasement that would precede.. a threat? It seemed like a threat. He shook his coat out a little, yawning just a little. "Not safe, you say?" he rumbled, taking a half step closer to try and catch a better whiff of her scent. It wasn't entirely out of the question that he missed the markers of pack boundaries, the bodies of dozens whose own stink might mingle with her own aroma. There was the hint of masculine musk clinging to her own scent as an undercurrent, but it was nearly overwhelmed by the distinct, acrid tang of fear on her. "I don't think there's much to be worried about around here," he snorted, the tone of his vocals just shy of condescending. Mingled with the heavy accent, it was hard to tell what tone he was taking most of the time to begin with. "What makes you think I'm in danger, miss kitty?" he drawled. Heavy skull slung low between his shoulders as he dunked his muzzle beneath the briny water to cool his face for a moment. The cool golden gaze didn't break from her waifish form, ears perked for an answer that he suspected would be quite underwhelming.

As males were wont to do, the tusked brute assured her that everything would be fine and that there was nothing to worry about. His tone didn't phase her. Was there ever a time when she wasn't being spoken to in a condescending manner? It was the norm for Cambria. The woman fidgeted a bit, digging her toes into the sandy loam beneath them. How could she even begin to explain?

The brute asked straight out about the danger and Bria's mouth hung open for a moment. So many things went flying through her mind. Did she tell the tusked brute about Idris and Mati? Would they want anyone to know where they were? Would she be punished if she mentioned them? The striped fae's stomach was in knots and she felt as though she may very well throw up.

"M-my c-caretakers..." she stammered again. The woman's slender frame shook with nerves and her olive gaze once again scanned her surroundings. "They don't like me talking to strangers." It was as close to the truth as she could manage.

"Cambria"

Cam is involved in very adult, triggering situations. Viewer discretion is advised.

Idris and Matija can, and will, enter any thread that Cambria is in. By agreeing to RP with her, you agree to this.

Gods above, this one was twitchy. She gawped at him for a moment before answering, admitting that she had caretakers of sorts, and that they weren't keen on her talking to strangers. He snorted again, lip curling with a hint of disdain as he looked about once again. When his attention returned to the diminutive femme, she was trembling where she stood. He drew another step closer, paws thoroughly caked in mud by now and stirring the waters in the least graceful way possible. "What's their problem, you their little toy that they don't like to share?" he drawled as he eyed her carefully for a moment or two, glimmering gaze narrowed as he scrutinized her. Sure, she was pretty in the way glassware was pretty- he could see it. Breakable, meant to be looked at with the eyes only. "I can't say I don't understand their motives, but so far no one has come to stop me." he grunted, and this time the wry smile was unmistakable. He shrugged heavily, swung his massive skull to one side and watched the way the frogs on the shore made the glowing waters flicker and whorl. "So what's the harm in a little chit-chat, little kitty?" the massive brute couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. He welcomed challenge, violence. His heritage was steeped in brutality, and his youth well spent in bloody brawls. Why not amuse himself with the potential for getting into a fight? "My old man is a big fan of the flowers and whatnot, but I could never get the hang of it all. What are you gonna use these ones for?" the cosmic titan took another half step closer, feeling the water recede yet more from his thick limbs. He took the chance, and flopped gracelessly onto his belly. Illuminated himself in a grand splash of briny, glowing water, and crossed his forelegs out in front of himself under the surface. The slimy, muddy floor shifted under his bulk as he got comfortable.

The brute's question brought a little gasp from Cambria. He was so forward and was blatantly digging for answers and it made her stomach squelch again. Breathe, she reminded herself. Don't forget to breathe. The earthen fae drew in a shuddering breath and gave her head a shake. "I don't know..." Was she their toy? They'd kept her sheltered enough that she surely could be. What other reason did they have for keeping her around?

Taking a step closer brought a small squeak from Cambria and she somehow pressed herself even tighter to the tree at her back. Suddenly the brute splashed down in the water, his words goading her again. There was something about his tone, his mannerisms, that made the former princess think for the very first time that there were other beasts in the world that might want to harm her. That was all that she needed. "I don't want to get hurt," she whispered softly, eyes downcast. "And I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Snapping her out of her terror, the brute asked a question about the plants that she had collected. Cambria's eyes widened for a moment and she looked towards the pile of slowly withering greenery that was closer to the tusked giant than it was to her. "The flowers are for tea and dye. The herbs are for medicinal purposes." It felt so strange to talk about something as mundane as plants and their uses when they could both be waylaid by Idris and Matija at any moment.

"Cambria"

Cam is involved in very adult, triggering situations. Viewer discretion is advised.

Idris and Matija can, and will, enter any thread that Cambria is in. By agreeing to RP with her, you agree to this.

Perhaps giving the girl a longer leash hadn't been such a great idea. The moment the wind shifted, bringing her scent to him and an unknown male sent his fur bristling. While keeping her in sight had been ideal, it was difficult when he and Matija had other things to do. She appeared keen to stick close by so Idris thought trusting her for a bit was okay. Obviously not. Dropping what he was doing, Idris stormed through the brush, fur snagging on thorns and paws splashing through mud and shallow streams. As soon as he saw the young brute lying on the ground far too close to Cambria for his liking, he lets loose a rumbling growl to alert both of them to his presence. Stalking forward, head lowered, lips pulled up and ears flattened, he only has eyes for the stranger. Putting himself firmly in front of Cambria, Idris turns to the boy who was looking awfully comfortable for someone who shouldn't be near what wasn't his. "It's only polite to listen when a lady tells you to get lost," Idris sneers, his pale grey eyes alit with a rage that grew by the minute. Alone, without Matija, he would take the gentler route. Ask the man to leave, drag Cambria back to their camp. The boy wouldn't like it if things had to get... violent. Idris Ashcroft

table coding by bunni ♥

The timidity was positively endearing. He stayed mute while she slowly untied her tongue, admitted that she wanted him to leave. Not only because she did not welcome his presence, but because there was a chance that he would be hurt- something she supposedly didn't want for him. He loosed a pleased grumble, eyes crinkling at the corners in some sort of fond expression he directed her way. "That's sweet," he rumbled. Sunfire eyes were cast about once more, and returned to the demure fae with the downcast gaze and hunched shoulders. "but I wouldn't waste the energy worrying about me. If I get my shit rocked, that's my own problem." the borealis painted giant chuckled, more to himself than anything else. Any fight was welcome, really. There was a moment where he could see a spark of light behind her eyes, carefully placed words drawing his attention back to the plants on the shoreline. The flowers were for dyes, and he wondered for a moment what she intended to dye with those pigments. The herbs were, as expected, intended for remedies of all sorts. He nodded his head slowly, a low hum of understanding escaping him. "I admit, I've never considered using dyes made from plants. One more thing I should pick the old man's brain about, when I see him next." the giant maintained his good humour, flexing his forepaws just to feel the mud squelch between his toes under the water. Of course, someone had to ruin the fun. Someone always ruined his fun. Usually it was his sisters, of course. This time, it was a large, cranky male. The way he broke through the foliage, hackles bristling and lips peeled back over his teeth- it immediately killed the sparkle of bemusement in his eyes. The careful coiling of burgeoning musculature pulled the behemoth from the glowing waters, rising to his full height. Skull lowered between his shoulders, matching the threatening posture of the stranger. His own inky lips pulled back to reveal fangs, and nestled among them the curved tusks that jutted from his lower jaw. Emerald tipped ears lowered, not quite flat, but certainly an expression of displeasure. The pale brute used his own body as a blockade between him and the petite damsel, and though he did not lash out, the tone of his voice left no question of the threat he intended to pose. "I don't recall asking your opinion." he retorted coldly, brilliant pelage dripping with briny water and lit from beneath by the swirling phytoplankton. Was this the one who was going to hurt him if he didn't leave the lady alone? That might be interesting. "And I certainly don't recall who it was that gave you any authority over me." the giant added, taking a half step closer. It was a dare. A plain, simple jab at the facade of the strange male, to see if he would crumble. Would he continue this battle of wits? Or would he give in, and they could beat the shit out of each other like the gods intended?