Val’s ear flicked, scaring off an insect that had attempted to land close to her eyes. This was her third spring, her birthdate having recently past, and she was pretty sure it was unseasonably warm. Perhaps she did not have enough experience of the seasons to come to such a conclusion, but it seemed to be something she felt in her gut. The air smelt different, not bad, just different for this time of year, early. She was pretty sure the sweet floral scent should have only made its arrival much later.

She stood atop a slight rise in the land, surveying the area. In the distance a herd of some or another large prey animal grazed. She watched for a few seconds; she was pretty sure she had never tasted such large creatures, yet it did not bother her… much. Meat was meat, right? She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she shifted her gaze to the shallow creek. Her lips twitched, a semblance of a smile that was gone as quickly as it appeared. She walked slowly and steadily towards the creek. Not wanting to appear too eager for the drink of water that it promised.

The area was beautiful, flowers were beginning to bloom and the grass was long, the hills of flowers rolled, almost looking like a green ocean dotted with colour. It was by no means quiet, insects buzzed, birds tweeted and there was the sounds of smaller animals scurrying around in the grass.

*Added for Navigator points
Navigator 1/3

Oh, fly over me, evil angel;
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Atreyu had spent the morning watching the band of horses below her. Sitting high up on an outcropping of rocks, those holographic eyes flitted from one brown horse, to a darker red one, then down to a foal who looked a few months old. She wasn't a natural hunter, her coat was not made for blending in with her surroundings, but she was rather good at taking down horses. They had seemed bigger in her homeland, but the young foal would fill her belly nicely. It was while she watched the herd that she spied a dark wolf heading for a nearby creek.

Making her way off of the rocks without alarming the horses, Atreyu made to meet the stranger at the creek. The entire time, she kept an eye and an ear on the equines she planned to hunt. The pink-spotted woman made her way to greet the other, keeping a respectful distance away with a waving tail. In a lowered voice she spoke, not wanting to alarm the nearby band of horses, "Hello, I am Atreyu. I was wondering if you could help me?" Luckily her dire form was hidden by a small rise in the earth where the creek was nestled.

Word count: 204 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: It is soooo bad, I'm sorry XD Writing through writer's block.

ART BY BRIENASKYSONG

As her head dipped to lap at the cool water Val heard a voice. Her head slowly raised as she studied her surroundings, appearing outwardly calm yet underneath her thick fur her muscle were tense and ready for whatever would come. The voice was lowered, as if hiding away from something. Her eyes narrowed as it fell on the woman. Her colouring was strange and the fact that she was half hidden did not inspire Valkeyrie into any immediate form of trust. The body language that she could see appeared friendly, yet she had seen poison coated in honey before.

The most emotion that Val had shown was the slight narrowing of her eyes at the creature, despite the lack of outward emotion internally she was struggling. On one hand she wanted to immediately say yes, immediately offer to help the other as she had done so often in the past. Yet the more realistic side of her knew that helping strangers was not something worth doing. Her ears flicked as she came to a decision.
“It is a delight to meet you Atreyu” she responded gently, “I myself am unfortunately preoccupied at this current point and so I cannot offer any assistance”

As if to drive home the point she dipped her head and took a deep drink of water. Her eyes remaining steady on the creature and her body ready to bolt should it be needed. In that moment she likened herself to the prey animals she had just passed, eager to run from conflict. Yet at the end of the day what would conflict bring her but despair and pain?

The river bubbled quietly, a soothing sound that despite the tenseness of the situation made it seem calmer than what it was. With a glance at the water she noticed how shallow it was, she could clearly see the coarse dirt and rocks that lay at the bottom of the stream. She was sure that if she studied it for long enough she would see a small fish or two. The situation did not allow her to look away for long though and so her eyes quickly snapped back to the guest.

*Added for Navigator points
Navigator 2/3
Intellectual 1/3

Oh, fly over me, evil angel;
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Those holographic eyes peered over the top of the hill to make sure the herd of horses was still there. They were, and the little foal was starting to get comfortable enough to wander away from its mother, making for a perfect target. The darkly pelted woman she had asked for assistance had declined to help her, bringing a bit of shocked understanding to her face. "Are you hungry? I could probably bring down the foal by myself." Atreyu had found a new passion for herself, feeding others. There may be a bit of practice needed, but she had already shown a natural talent.

The other woman seemed ready to bolt at any moment, Atreyu not realizing how her size could affect others. She was still learning the wolves of this place, so far, everyone she had met was shorter than her. Sitting down on spotted haunches, the dire woman smiled gently at the other. "I am Atreyu, by the way, sorry for intruding..." Her apology was sincere, wanting the other to feel more at ease around her, Atreyu took one more look at the horses to make sure they were grazing peacefully, then back to the dark woman. "I hear horse is actually very good." Waving her tail, Atreyu gave the woman another smile, hoping she could coax the stranger into a meal at least.

Word count: 226 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART BY BRIENASKYSONG

The creature continued its seemingly friendly banter, something that in most would have inspired trust yet Val’s stance remained the same. Her struggle to trust Atreyu was not at all rooted in Atreyu and her size, but rather the emotional blackmail she endured when she was young. Her ears flicked at the offer of food, the subtle show of emotion akin to a distrustful chuckle. Who on Earth would offer free food? Of course if Val was better at communicating she probably could have just asked but instead she simply stared at the dire wolf with a steely gaze.

” Thank you for the offer” she said calmly dipping her head ever-so-slightly, she had been carefully schooled in these games. She knew the right lines to say. ”but I am still full from my breakfast earlier and it would be much of a waste.” she gave a wry smile, a practiced movement that did not reflect in her eyes. If she allowed the creature to hunt for her she would owe the creature a debt and she did not have any room for debts.

She did not mention that since having left her home pack she had rarely eaten, she did not mention how much weight she had lost. She did not mention how the ‘breakfast’ she had this morning was the sip of water she had just taken. She did not mention how it would not take much more to convince her to eat.

”I am Valkeyrie” she said by way of introduction. ” You are quite well built, from which line do you hail” she asked, attempting a not so subtle dig for information about the women. The creature’s size was impressive to Val and honestly she did feel somewhat jealous. If she were that large then perhaps she would not be as weak as she were.

Her eyes wondered the horizon after the mention of food, once again studying the tall creatures that were grazing amongst the multitude of flora in the distance. It was fascinating to see how they seemed to selectively eat the varying plants. Almost as if they knew what was poisonous and what was not. They seemed to avoid the blue and purple flowers yet eagerly ate the red and yellow. She made a mental note of that, if the horse were avoiding the blue and purple flowers of this area then she was sure it was something important to know.

*Added for Navigator points
Navigator 3/3 – Explored a new land (Algoma Prairie)
Intellect 2/3 – Met someone new (Altreyu)

Thank you for the offer... Atreyu knew exactly what came after those words, but she was not offended. It was the same thing she would have done to a giant stranger offering a free meal. The dire woman had seen the cruelties of the world first hand, though she managed to escape with her life, the genocide of her home pack had left her bereft and lonely in this world. Eager to make friends with the steely woman before her, Atreyu only offered a disappointed smile and nodded not wanting to press the other too hard and start a fight. "Maybe some other time, then." Noting that the woman's returned smile didn't quite reach her eyes, Atreyu wondered if she had made a mistake in approaching. She didn't want to put another out by just wanting some dinner and company.

The search for her siblings was beginning to look bleak, and she needed this distraction to help her to move forward with her life. She mourned her mother and father, all of her siblings and her pack mates still. The demon king had taken everything from her, but she had to keep moving forward. There was always hope that she would find maybe some remnant of Judila, of her family, but so far everything had left her with empty paws and an empty heart. Her grief was too deep to explore, so she decided she would ignore it until a year had passed, then she would let it loose.

The woman introduced herself as Valkeyrie and Atreyu smiled, waving her tail. "It's nice to meet you Valkeyrie." The dark woman went on to ask her about her line, Atreyu dipped her head graciously as she accepted her compliment and question. "I hail from the Morningstar line, we come from far away, a place called Judila...ours is a sad story..." Those silver-to-lavender holographic eyes nearly filled with tears before she beat the emotion back into place. "What about you?" She did not want to dwell on the fate of her family for too long, crying in front of strangers was not allowed.


"I talk" || 'I think'

table coding by bunni ♥ art by alo

The stranger seemed to become emotional when she spoke of her family. She did not hide any information, yet she did not seem overly keen on speaking about it. The show of emotion made Val feel something within herself. Perhaps it was because her own family made her feel a similar pang of sadness. A pang where she mourned what was supposed to be, the image a family was supposed to live up to, and not what it was.
Her interest was piqued, and it seemed a motherly instinct in her was awoken. She wanted to help this creature in attending to its emotions. A need to be a saviour, a destructive trait due to her upbringing. Something that most times she kept buried for she knew how destructive it could be.

”I hail from a line of no consequence, filled with creatures who do not deserve a name” she said simply, as calm as she tried to keep her voice she could not and the pain she had endured for years leaked out subtle in her words. Barely there, but still there.

”Why do you seem so heartbroken when you bring up your line? she asked, her voice taking on a gentle tone.

Intellect 3/3 – Met someone new (Altreyu)

Atreyu could not give up hope that some of Judila survived, if she did then so could others. The fact that she had not found any of them yet was a little discouraging, but there would always be hope that some of them lived. She mourned them only because she had not found them yet and it was better to adhere to custom as best she could. Cudros would guide them home, and she would remember the ones who were lost forever. 'Why do you sound so heartbroken...' Valkeyrie asked, and Atreyu had to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Because I am not sure if anyone survived..." The mournful tones in her voice as she finally spoke the truth aloud finally shone through. "There was so much killing..." Her holographic silver-to-lavender gaze seemed so far away as she spoke through the lump in her throat, it was all she could get out before falling awkwardly silent. She had almost cried to a stranger, how very unlike her. No, these feelings were best kept to herself. "I'm sorry, that's such a heavy topic for first meetings." She tried to give a smile, but it didn't quite reach those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

Valkeyrie’s heart once again felt a pang for the girl’s sadness. Her normally neutral face took on a caring tone. ”It can be difficult to be separated from those we love” she said, her voice gentle as she said it. ”If it is meant to be, they will return to you, otherwise a new path will be forged” she continued, not wanting to appear abrasive but also wanting to offer the female reassurance that everything would be fine without coming across as too cliché.

”Such a traumatic event can leave scars that none can see, sometimes heavy topics are important to discuss. Lest they fester and cause disease” she spoke softly, gently prying into the girl’s psyche, strangely concerned with how she was coping with the emotions that may be left after such an event. While she was also curious as to what happened to cause the event, Atreyu’s emotional state seemed to be somewhat more pressing. Valkeyrie could only hope her stoic and calm presence was somewhat calming for the woman and gave her somewhat of a safe space.

Atreyu did not want to burden the other with her past, and while she did settle herself with the very real possibility that her family was gone, she refused to believe it. They had to be out there somewhere, she couldn't be the only one. The stranger had gone from abrasive and defensive to warm and Atreyu could tell she was trying to offer comfort. There would only ever be one comfort for Atreyu, and that would be to find her family, or at least one of them. "Thank you, that means a lot to me." Just that Valkeyrie had tried to give her solace was enough for Atreyu. No, she didn't fully trust her, but what kind of harm would telling a stranger her story really do? Atreyu was secure in her knowledge that none of it was her fault.

"It was mine and my siblings' birthday celebration. My father trusted the wrong wolves, and everything went south from there...So much screaming..." Again, Atreyu seemed to lose the focus in her eyes and go blank, save for the tears that welled in those holographic pools. Sniffling a little, Atreyu forced herself to blink back to reality and searched the steely gaze of Valkeyrie to see if she was alright. Her story was not a pretty one, and it wasn't for the faint of heart.

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

Valkeyrie sat on her haunches as Atreyu began to tell her story. She seemed hesitant to speak and she didn’t blame the female. Valkeyrie herself was a pool of hesitation that seemed to rarely take any steps forward. The only reason she showed any form of emotion now was because the emotion was not hers to own. The kindness and compassion that rippled through her body with appropriate head nods and responses did not give away any of her own emotions or feelings. Rather it simply gave support to the hurting girl. ”There is a certain type of pain that comes from being hurt by those that you gave your trust” she responded to Atreyu sympathetically, motioning with her head that the girl should carry on. Valkeyrie was calm in the moment, seemingly unaffected by the gruesome undertones that the story was hinting at.

Skill claim: Met a new Character

Skill Claim: Explored a new land

Atreyu nodded as the woman spoke, agreeing with the darkly pelted woman. There had been too many toothy grins in that pack for her father to have ever trusted the lot of them. Atreyu could see it, but because they were a neighboring pack, Vicktor had not listened. He wished for peace with everyone, and Atreyu now knew that it was not always possible to achieve such a thing. She had learned from her father's mistake, and it was a lesson that would haunt her for a lifetime. With her ears turned slightly back, Atreyu decided that she could tell the stranger the rest of her harrowing tale.

"Things went smoothly at first, and for a while it seemed as though my father had made friends with the leader of a neighboring pack. They struck not long after arriving at the birthday party..." Atreyu swallowed hard as she remembered that first confusing screech of pain. When had the signal been given by the demonic king? Then another scream, and another. Soon she was surrounded by them, too shocked to move. "There were so many screams, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, seeing. They didn't care that they were slaughtering children, women, the elderly...They didn't care who it was...We could only fight for so long before we were forced to flee or die. So I ran, trying to keep what remained of my family together, trying to keep anyone with me really. Alas, I have lost in that as well. I have been searching for them for almost a year now." Her eyes were once again far away as she told her tale. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she choked out the words.

Holographic silver-to-lavender then came to land on Valkeyrie, sad and full of pain, but there was a steely sort of hope in that metallic gaze. Perhaps there was something she could do here. "I seek to rebuild as soon as I find them." It was a simple statement, but she would have her time, even if it was early. "Perhaps, if I do, you could seek me out?" It may have been a first meeting, but Valkeyrie did not seem like the type to be concealing a darker nature. There were no signs of such a thing in her eyes, nor body language. Atreyu had been watching her closely just as Valkeyrie had been watching her. Always wary now, Atreyu had to be, she never knew if the demon king's forces were still hunting for them or not.

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

Valkeyrie’s face showed an appropriate level of compassion towards the young girl as she told her story. It sounded horrific, a scenario she would not wish upon any. She stood and walked closer to the girl, leaning her body against her in the semblance of hug. Hoping the physical comfort would make her feel somewhat better. ”I’m so sorry that happened to you” she said softly, her voice filled with compassion. She supposed from afar it would look quite funny, this small black wolf trying to comfort a giant. Quite frankly she wasn’t sure what else to say. What do you say to someone who has lost everything? She almost chuckled at this thought, she herself had walked away from everything. She felt a pang of guilt for her own actions, she had walked away from her family and abandoned them yet here stood someone who had theirs ripped away. Why was she not as sad as Atreyu? Why didn’t leaving her family make her feel like this? She momentarily considered telling the woman her own story yet then she decided against it. No, what would she think? Atreyu would think that Valkeyrie was an ungrateful monster, that’s what she would think. With that in mind she decided to keep silent about her own past, telling others would not serve her well. Once the girl had calmed Valkeyrie stepped away and she smiled sadly at the Atreyu, the woman’s eyes were now filled with hope and that made Valkeyrie rather curious. She did not expect the offer that followed. Without thinking she took a small step back, ”I-I can’t” she said, doubling the word to hide her stuttering. Internally she cursed herself at the panic that she had felt at that request and what it implied. ”I can’t belong to anyone again” she said, her voice taking on an unnecessarily stern tone. A tone that was clear to see came from panic more than anything else. She had surprised herself at how harsh the words had come out. ”Sorry” she added, her voice now gentler as her ears fell flat to her head. ”Why don’t we grab that meal you spoke of?” she said, changing the subject and motioning towards the creatures. The youngling that Ateyu had been eyeing earlier seemed to have wondered off from the herd. Far too comfortable with the Wolves’ presence to remain as cautious as it should have been.

Atreyu felt the woman's wish to comfort her through the gentle press of her shoulder. When Atreyu asked her question, however, Valkeyrie pulled away from her and responded with a stern kind of panic. "I understand, fear not, I won't pressure you. But, it would be a home, not a prison. You wouldn't belong to anyone." At the change of subject, Atreyu gladly obliged. Her stomach rumbled hungrily and she gave a shy smirk to the darker woman.

Looking over the small hill at the herd of horses, Atreyu spies the foal wandering just a bit too far away. Its youthful innocence leading it away from the protection of the band and closer to the wolves. "You go right? We could flank it, and try to run it back toward this way." She wouldn't pressure anyone to join her, she was not a tyrant. Atreyu wanted wolves with her by choice, they would have to be. She intended to stop evil in its tracks.

"Atreyu Morningstar"

CODE BY SIN

Valkeyrie was grateful for Atreyu’s understanding of her reaction, her words assuring her it would be a home made her cock her head to the side. There was a difference? The only home she had ever known had been a prison and so she could not imagine a home being anything different. She was glad that the topic changed although Atreyu had given her something to think on.

She nodded in response to Atreyu’s plan, her body returning to its calm and emotionless state as she stared at the foal for a few moments. She was deciding how to approach.
She would crawl through the long grass, that was for sure. She was sure that the scent of the flowers would hide her own scent, but she was not sure if it would be enough. It was still early in Spring and so the flowers were not fully in bloom just yet, but judging from the amount that were already blooming she could not wait to see the prairie in summer.

With a deep breath she crouched down, moving in between the foal and the herd in a wide circle. She crawled slowly until she was behind the foal but was still blocking the youngling from the herd. She zig-zagged behind the foal so that it ran straight.

Atreyu moved when Valkeyrie did, making her way to uphold her side of the plan, though she saw the darker woman's wide circle and stopped. Dropping into the long grass, Atreyu hoped to hide her body the best she could, and waited. Valkeyrie got the foal to run toward her and Atreyu had to fight herself not to spring forward and scare the foal back toward the herd. She didn't want to miss lunch! As the foal got closer to her, Atreyu readied herself to spring out of the grass and toward the young horse, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

It didn't take long, and Atreyu wiggled her butt like a cat before springing up at the foal's shoulder as it passed her. The mother noticed the commotion, though she was delayed on her response to the predators after her child. Atreyu kept her focus on the foal for now, the mother catching up to them slow enough that they could take the foal down before she got there. The spotted dire wolf just needed the foal slowed down a bit. She aimed a bite for the shoulder, hoping the weight of her would slow the small horse down enough for Valkeyrie to help take it down.

"Atreyu Morningstar"

CODE BY SIN

Valkeyrie raced through the grass, the foal speeding up with every gallop. The various plants smacked her as she ran through them, some flower petals broke off and got caught in her fur as she did so. Her eyes, while on the foal, were also on Atreyu's position. The moment she saw the dire wolf leap up she too leapt. Landing on the rear of the prey animal. The creature let out a scream, collapsing beneath the combined weight of the two wolves. Its legs were bent at a funny angle and had clearly been broken from the weight. She felt guilty that the creature was suffering and as she was about to leap forward to end its suffering something struck her from behind and her vision went black for a moment.

She stumbled backwards, trying to catch herself when another blow hit her middle. She yelped, her vision clearing as she came face to face with the angry mother. She only hoped that Atreyu had ended the foal's suffering while the mother's attention was on her. The adrenaline numbed the pain and with a burst of speed she lured the mother away. Dashing into the distance, continuously glancing over her shoulder. When the mother seemed to lose interest she would backtrack, nip at her hooves and lure her away once more.

She continued this until the deer stopped, panting from exhaustion as it stood. Glaring at Valkeyrie angrily, Val gave her an apologetic look before making her way back to Atreyu. She too was tired now, but she was also hungry. Her fur was covered in a variety of petals, grasses and seeds. As she strolled she glanced between her fur and the plants around her. Studying what was stuck and seeing if she could match it with plants. The flower petals were easy and she quickly spotted where they matched. The rest was not as easy. Some of the seeds seemed to be clinging with dear life to her fur, it was interesting and she dreaded having to comb them out later. They looked rather spiky.

When the scent of blood caught her nostrils she wagged her tail, Atreyu and dinner were close.

As the foal went down, Atreyu quickly shifted her position to the throat of the baby horse. Its screams were more than she could handle, as it's two back legs had buckled and broken beneath it under the combined weight of herself and Valkeyrie. The screams must have been too much for the mother to handle as well, because she came in with a flurry of hooves and teeth. Valkeyrie took the brunt of the assault, then did her best to distract the mother so that Atreyu could get the kill. Pinning the foal's neck beneath her massive paw, Atreyu pulled out her knife and ended the babe with a blow to the neck. Holographic eyes scanned worriedly around, looking for any sign of the dark woman, hoping she wasn't under the horse.

It wasn't long before the dark grey form of Valkeyrie showed up in the tall grass. She had all manner of plant life in her pelt and she looked a bit dazed but seemed otherwise okay. "Valkeyrie!" Atreyu called to the woman, hoping to get her attention. With the foal lying still and the mother nowhere to be seen, Atreyu came to Valkeyrie's side, looking to help her. "Tell me what hurts, I am a healer, I could help." She was a better healer than she was a hunter, "Sit down, you look dizzy." She worried over Valkeyrie for a moment, ensuring she sat down before moving back to the foal.

Cutting a few chunks of meat from the flank of the young horse, Atreyu moves between their kill and Valkeyrie. Then she made to look for wood, though there were only some shrub branches and sticks to use it would still work. Stacking them all up into a teepee, Atreyu quickly lit a fire, she was careful to clear the area of grass before doing so. Pulling a few seasonings from her satchel, Atreyu prepared the meat for cooking, cutting the meat down into smaller chunks and setting them on a skewer stick before putting them over the fire. While those cooked, she went to check over Valkeyrie, making sure there were no other wounds on the woman aside from the dazed appearance of her.

"Atreyu Morningstar"

CODE BY SIN