Aranya was fascinated by snakes. They were strange, and they writhed and wiggled and slid with such grace. She would be lying if she said she had not tried to move as they did when she was young, only to find that her gangly limbs and oversized paws frequently got in the way. Luckily, her brothers Kan and Birch had only mocked her for trying for a short while. Watching the pile of the reptiles before her, though, she couldn't help but remember. This strange land held as many wonders as the night sky had stars, and the fact that she could travel the length of the land and go from frigid cold to balmy and pleasant was definitely counted among them. Not that she minded of course; it was a wonderful change of pace. As it was, she currently sat a ways off from a large stone slab, home to a pawful of sunbathing snakes. If she had any skill in distinguishing a venomous snake from a tasty one, she might have made good on this opportunity. For now, though, she languished on a small mound nearby. She wondered, absently, if that blasted season up north would ever break. For all that she felt at home among pines and mountains, she was tired of snow and sleet and biting winds, of crisp days and brutal nights. She had grown used to wandering until sunset and collapsing where she stopped, only to wake the next morning and start again. In the north, you could do no such thing; to not have a den or a pack mate to share heat with was to freeze to death. So, she thought with a bit more obstinacy than usual, I believe I will stay here for quite some time. She could get used to snakes, she supposed. They made interesting companions, despite their inability to talk. She smiled, and gazed on. Speech, Thoughts,

She could hear the writhing mass of snakes from a mile away, with such large, sensitive ears. She bounded forwards quickly, long legs taking her to the pileup with blinding speed. Lifting her obsidian front paws from the ground at the last second the leapt into the air like a fox would and came down amidst the group of them. This was like a buffet of everything delicious one could eat, and the giantess was loving every millisecond. Dainty, ebony stained jaws began snapping up the dead bodies as the frightened serpents fled the group. She groaned, the snakes were absolutely delicious. She avoided the heads though, since laziness bid her to rather be safe than sorry. Looking up with a tail hanging from her black lips, she spotted a stranger of the lupine species. A sheepish grin bared bloodstained pearl daggers, and she swallowed the morsel dangling from her maw. Bounding towards the stranger, she stopped a few paces before her and smiled. "Hola Senorita, como es das?" She inquired, before clearing her throat and restarting the sentence. "I mean, hola Senorita, how are you?" She repeated with a giggle, her deep violet eyes staring straight into the icy optics of the stranger. Talk like this

Aranya's ears perked upwards with surprise as the biggest fox she had ever seen bounded into the middle of her serpentine conglomeration. She nearly jumped upwards in surprise, that any land could produce such creatures. To her mild horror, the gentle writhing mass she had been pleasantly observing for the better part of the morning was now being flung hither and thither as this unnatural beast tossed them asunder. Her jaw dropped, at the massacre she was witnessing. To make matters worse, when this creature was through, or at least she hoped she was through, she bared her blood red fangs and spoke some unholy language! Aranya was terrified! That clarification came soon after, but it did little to ease her fears. Her jaw worked without producing any sound for a long while before she finally stuttered out, "I- I- Uh, well I s-suppose." Aranya blinked several rapid blinks, but to her mild horror this apparition remained! Well, she supposed that sitting there and gawking would do neither her nor this abnormally large fox one whit of good, so she swallowed down her fear and forced out a few words. "P-pardon me, m'lady, but what in the twenty-two realms of the gods are you?" Polite, no. But she hoped the monster would forgive her, her wits had escaped her. As it was, she had not been flung asunder yet, so hope for friendship remained. Or at least a head start. Speech,Thoughts,

The stranger seemed terrified of her, for some odd reason. How could anyone be afraid of her? Then she remembered how odd and strange she looked compared to the compact, muscular forms of the lupines of this land. A stuttering inquiry came to her enormous, ivory lined auds, and the she knight smiled. "My apologies, Senorita. I am a Maned Wolf, from South America." She explained, wagging her short, ivory dipped tail. "I am sorry if I frightened you, the snakes are just so delicious! Have you ever eaten them? They're quite wonderful." She continued, babbling like a mere pup. After finding such a feast, she couldn't help but be elated, she had found a large mass of her favourite meal just laying there, ripe for the taking. She shoved her large ears forward, eager to converse with the stranger. Finally her manners caught up with her, and she parted her regal maw to introduce herself. "I am Araceli, who are you?" She asked quickly, tilting her delicate cranium to the side quizzically, her coarse ebony mane flopping over to the same side. Speech,

A Maned Wolf? What sort of wolf was a Maned Wolf? For all intents and purposes this female before her appeared to be little more than a lither, lanky fox! But who was Aranya to say any better? She had never been to this 'South America,' she didn't even know what it was. A pack, a place, what? She supposed it didn't matter, the not-fox-wolf was smiling and friendly, as far as Aranya could tell. And a friend was a friend, no matter what accent they spoke in. It occurred to Aranya that this wolf had probably seen lands and plants and birds and rocks she herself could not even fathom. The stories she would know! Aranya's demeanor changed rapidly. She stood with a smile and a wag and bounded forward. She reached her nose out in greeting, though she had to really reach to compensate for the not-fox-wolf's long legs. "I'm Aranya! A timber wolf, although I'm sure you've met more of my kind than I have of yours. You said you're from South America? What's that? Is that a pack? I was born in a back lands and lands away from this place, all pine trees and tundras. Not warm, like this." She broke her rambling off, remembering that the female had asked her a question. "Oh! Snakes! I'm no good at telling with would kill me. But I met a wolf once who kept a python wrapped around his neck, that would strangle his enemies. Have you seen any snakes like that?" Aranya now found this stranger, this Araceli, fascinating and she was not about to let this opportunity escape her. Speech,Thoughts,

A sudden flood of speech to the she knights sensitive auds signified a quick change in demeanor from the stranger. Her replies would come from her regal maw as quickly as she could muster with her limited English. "South America is a land mass far from here, it took a lot of swimming and island hopping to reach this place from there." She said with a chuckle, and continued to take in the torrent of words. She spoke of an enormous sake that a male kept wrapped around his neck, and the giantess' mouth began to water at the thought of such a meal it would provide. She gave a short, barking laugh before replying as the woman quickly ended her speech with a question. "I have not, but I assure you if I found a snake like that I would enjoy it more as a meal than a companion." She confessed, grinning broadly. Her short tail wagged rapidly on her hocks, and she was quite enjoying the conversation she was having with this dame called Aranya.






talk, think

Aranya drank in this information with gusto, lapping up every syllable. She did not know them yet, but she could sense the knowledge this femme carried within her. Aranya grinned, her tail wagging, not disappointed int he least the this woman had never seen such a snake. In all honesty, the brute's snake had scared her. It was impressive that Araceli could view such a creature as a meal. Aranya considered that Araceli must be much braver than she. She wondered if she could fight as well as she could kill snakes. If so she would be a formidable wolf to call an ally. "I like you!" Aranya boldly declared. "Will you tell me more stories from South America? Are there birds there as strange as you are?" Aranya wasn't sure how she would repay the female, but she would. Somehow. She supposed she would ask the stars if the night was clear. Aranya sat down and curled her tail over her paws. Her thick winter coat was hot in the radiant sunlight, but right now she didn't mind in the slightest! The weather was nice, the company better, and it was only midday! The possibilities seemed endless, spreading out before her like a vast delta. Aranya looked towards the rock where snakes had once been. In an instant, it seemed like a life time had passed. This was a whole new moment, who she was several seconds ago no longer existed! At least to some degree, anyways. Ah yes, a good day indeed. Speech,Thoughts,

A compliment met the she knight's large, rounded ears, and she grinned. The pale she wolf inquired about more stories of the giantess' homeland, and the she knight was obliged to provide some. She smiled, seating herself as the she wolf had, except her short tail lay out to the side of her lanky frame, it's ivory tones contrasting greatly to the land around her. She thought for a few seconds, and stood once more, long ebony legs taking her back to the remaining carcasses of the serpents she had slain. Plucking up what remained, she carried them back over to where she was sitting, and dropped them between herself and Aranya. The gesture meant that the pale woman could take some if she wished, or simply listen while the maned she wolf munched on them during her stories. "Well, my home was quite a hot place, much like these lands. It could be seen as exotic, but it depends on who you are. I see this place as foreign and strange, despite what the wolves who live here think of it. There were strange animals, I guess you could say. Colourful birds, hard shelled mammals, and many predators that hunted the deer like creatures there. My kind, however, prey upon smaller creatures and eat fruits, so there isn't as much competition over food." She told the she wolf, lowering her cranium to the pile of snakes and snapping up a few bites of one. Lifting her dark purple optics to look at her companion, she began again. "There are mountains, deserts, rainforests in some places, and wonderful beaches in other places. We have mountainous areas, valleys, and grasslands that stretch farther than the eye can see." She explained, her voice taking on a faraway tone easily recognizable as remembrance and pride. She leaned forwards to snack on some more of her snakes, occasionally glancing up at her newfound friend. She waited for a response, or encouragement to continue. She didn't really know what else to say, however, but she could decide on what to say when it came down to it. Talk like this

Araceli painted a beautiful picture within Aranya's mind. She was certain she would dream of this mystical place tonight, building it up even more wonderfully still. She pictured ruins covered with fines, steaming swamps, exotic calls of mammals and birds of all kinds. The smells, a heady humidity she could barely fathom. This southern life sounds wonderful, she thought with a blissful grin. A thought struck her suddenly. "It all sounds lovely," she said quietly, with a head cocked to the side. "I don't think I could bear to leave a place like that. It sounds magical." She supposed, of course, that to a wolf like Araceli her homeland would seem foreign and interesting as well. Perhaps not as colorful and diverse, but certainly new. It was chilly, even in the height of summer. A mixture of rolling tundras, ancient stands of conifers, and mountains that scraped the sky like giant, ragged teeth. It was a harsh land, unforgiving, brutal at times. But equally as fascinating. Aranya had left her home, after all, why couldn't Araceli have done the same? She had left a loving family, two brothers that thought she was their whole world. It was bittersweet, that she had traded something so comfortingly familiar with something so achingly intriguing. Of course, looking at this not-fox-wolf, she supposed it was entirely worth it. Speech,Thoughts,

The dame seemed awed by her stories, and thankfully did not ask for more. A compliment was paid to the lands she hailed from, and she smiled, murmuring thanks. Once more the dame spoke, and she projected her internal musings. A grin played at the giantess' lips, and her large ivory lined audits flicked. "It is, and always will be. It was not that difficult to leave, I had nothing to stay for, really." She admitted with a shrug of her petite shoulders. Shaking her cranium, her coarse ebony mane flopped back and forth until it settled once more as she resumed her original pose. She looked to the dame and cocked her dainty tiara to the side, parting her obsidian stained maw and letting her voice fall from dark lips. "Why did you leave your home?" She asked the pale furred woman, curious as to why one could leave such an intriguing land. Lowering her cranium, she snapped up some more of her snakes, and chewed on them slowly while she waited. Speech,

Aranya could not fathom leaving such a place, but she supposed that was Araceli's prerogative. Perhaps one day Aranya too could swim and island hop and find this land her companion spoke so highly of. But for now, she was here, and a question had been posed to her. Why had she left home? It was a query worth ruminating over. It was a many layered issue, and not one easily summed up. "Well," she said finally. "In a way it was just time, but there was more to it than that. My parents were loners, and even though our land was undesirable, there were packs all around that harassed us." She remembered her father stumbling back to the den one night, bleeding heavily. Her mother, carrying a new litter of brothers and sisters, attacked in the night, losing the litter. Her brothers learning how to fight. She shook herself out of her memories with a little jolt, and plastered a smile onto her lips. "We couldn't stick together, no pack lets five wolves wandering through their lands. So we split up. I'd like to meet them again some day, though." She finished her story with a happy shrug, as if it was not quite so bitter sweet. Whether Araceli believed her or not remained to be seen. Perhaps if the gods were kind her brothers would return to her. She would sell an eye to smell her mother's fur again, never mind the adventures she had had since leaving. Were they worth it? Aranya wasn't sure, but she did know she was very different know. Long moons wandering the land could do that, she thought dryly. Speech,Thoughts,

The dame spoke of a harsh past, with a family that seemed to remain altogether happy despite it. When the woman spoke, her eyes seemed haunted, her conscience clouded by memories. A sharp jerk of her cranium startled the giantess with it's abruptness, but she did not show it. A soft curving of the lips revealed the tips of her formidable canines, a glint of pearl against ebony. Short banner would beat upon the ground, raising a small cloud of dust which stained the pure ivory tinting slightly. The fiery furred woman would speak, her voice soft and content. "I hope that you do as well. I never met my real parents." She responded, her voice but a murmur. Violet gaze would fall to the terra, large alabaster lined ears flickering a few times independently. Tea cupped paws would flex, claws digging into the dirt as she remembered the stories her adoptive mother had told her about her parents' demise. Speech,

Aranya's ears pinned back at the sadness in Araceli's voice and her own sympathy rose up into her throat. She couldn't even imagine such a feeling, not knowing your roots. Aranya didn't think she could ever forget the layout of their den, the glow of her father's eyes. She missed them terribly. Would it be easier to not know, or too painful to wonder? In all honesty she didn't want to think about it. Instead, Aranya frowned and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. Have you found happiness here in this land?" While she truly was concerned for this fae's well-being, her question had a second shadow. Aranya was not sure that she herself was happy here. But how could she know for certain? It had been so long since she had done anything but wander, any other life seemed foreign and frightening now. Aranya stood up briefly and shook out her fur, trying to get air under it. She was still equipped for winter, and the sun here was practically boiling her. This was not a complaint, of course, merely a statement. It was practically summer here, and she wondered what it would be like when the season changed. Aranya was a northern wolf; snow and ice and wind ran through her veins as much as ice did. How different she was from this wolf before her. For her own species, Aranya could be called lanky and gaunt. Compared to Araceli? She was as stocky as her father had been, more block than body. Araceli was unusual of course, but Aranya envied her exotic beauty, and wondered if there were stranger wolves yet. Speech,Thoughts,

The fire furred she knight could see the dismay on her companions face as she heard her previous statement, and shook her head in a manner that conveyed that the fact did not matter to her, it was the past. While the past could hurt, one could learn from it. And that she had, she had made it her duty to avoid those of dark hearts, and strived to do good. When Aranya asked if she had found happiness here, the giantess paused for a moment to mull over the inquiry. In truth, she didn't know if she had, life was simply about living, emotions played very little part in the course of it. "I guess you could say so, there's nothing I have found yet to really base my opinions off of." She replied with a shrug of her petite shoulders, her answer speaking of her mentality on the question. She took another serpent in her dainty, obsidian stained jaws, and easily devoured the scaled beast. Looking to her newfound friend, she pushed a smaller one forward. "Would you like to try snake? It's quite good." She murmured, smiling. She was being polite, though honestly snake was quite delicious, in her opinion. Her only encounters with meat from large game had been chance findings of carcasses, just before the scavengers arrived to strip the flesh from the beast. "Speech"

Aranya nodded slowly as Araceli explained her feelings, as she herself felt much the same. Who could really know happiness until they were unhappy? Aranya supposed that because she did not know, things could be much worse. Hells, she could be dead! But instead she was breathing good air, laying under a hot sun, in good company. Oh yes, things could be much worse. Eventually Araceli smiled and proffered her one of the scaled, deceased creatures. Aranya had her misgivings, of course. It didn't smell like meat she was used to. It was hardly more than a mouthful, after all! She looked warily at Araceli and raised a brow. "Is it... really, that good?" Araceli had seemed rather boisterous before. Aranya leaned forward and gave the meat a cautious sniff. It did not smell like good, fresh deer blood. It was more pungent, and had only traces of earth smell. Aranya supposed it was because snakes eat meat, like wolves, not plants and barks like deer. She had once come across a dead bobcat being torn apart by a mob of ravens, and it had smelled somewhat similar. Was it right to eat another meat-eater? Were they kindred in any way? But it would certainly be a cultural experience and who knows, maybe she would enjoy the taste! It would be all the more reason to stay in this region. She could not remember seeing a snake up north since arriving in Alacritis. It was worth a shot. Aranya reached forward an poked an exposed bit of flesh with the tip of her tongue. It had a... strong taste, saltier than the meat she was used to. More flavorful in a way, but it could have been called too strong of a taste. It was unfamiliar and would take some getting used to. Only one way to do that! she thought with a certain sort of determination. With a quick lunge, before she could change her mind, she snapped forwards, clamping the snake between her jaws, snapping, snapping, snapping until it was all gone. The burst of flavors filled her mouth, dizzying for a moment, but then the small bit of meat was all gone. She sat there for a moment with a perplexed look on her face, not entirely sure what to make of it. Finally, "...Well. That was... New?" She licked her lips and chuckled. Speech,Thoughts,

The pale she wolf seemed wary of her offering, unsure whether or not to take it. The giantess did not mind, snake was an acquired taste, the scales often deterred most, but their crunchiness added to the delectable food's appeal. Suddenly the dame lunged forward and noisily snapped up the tiny serpent, her face screwing up as she processed the unique taste. The fiery pelted dame had to remove her ebony paw quickly for fear of having it accidentally removed in the process of her newfound friend accidentally overestimating the trajectory of her bite. Her following comment brought a high, lilting giggle from her lips. "It's really an acquired taste, but it's my favourite. No matter where you go, snakes taste the same." She said, smiling. It was true, snakes were the least variant food she ate. Short ivory banner would beat upon the terra, and she finished off the last of her kills. Licking her lips happily, violet gaze would fix upon Aranya as a smile parted her bloodied lips. "On the bright side, you have found something you can eat in a worst case scenario." She added with a chuckle, her tail wagging again upon the dirt patch she rested in. Gazing calmly at the fae, she waited for what may come next.






talk, think

Aranya tried to lick the taste out of her mouth, but it was to no avail. Getting used to was more unpleasant than she had anticipated. Instead she sighed and hoped that a distraction might otherwise occupy her, and thought of what else could be said. Their simple conversation and the silences in between were all very comfortable. Aranya looked towards the horizon, the flat line, the waiving grasses interrupted by chunks of stone that the winds and rain had washed into existence. It was a lovely view, but she felt so vulnerable without mountains and trees looking down upon her. To the fae beside her she asked, "So where do you go after this?" As for Aranya, she didn't know. She would more than likely venture northward again, or at least try to find some line, some median between the moon and the sun. The terrain between there and where she was now was as blurred as the line back to the first den she knew. Her desire for it was no less, nor any more, only a vague existence in the back of her mind. One day it might become a goal to strive for, but at this moment in time it was only a possibility of what could be. Her life was as vast as the night sky, and every star was a pinprick of opportunity. Speech,Thoughts,

A question met her large auds, and once more the giantess shrugged. She was an adventurous soul, a knight in a woman's body, Robin Hood's soul looking out from the violet eyes of a fox on stilts. "Once winter is over, I will roam these lands until fall, and then return here. I am not meant to live in cold weather." Was all she said, knowing full well that she would enjoy all of the travelling. She never knew where she was going, she simply went off and let her ebony feet take her where they wished. She was getting bored of the same places over and over, but she never got tired of the wolves. So unique, every one different, none the same in body or mind. What other interesting creatures lived here? She would no doubt investigate, and she would enjoy meeting every native of these lands. Then she redirected the inquiry at her companion, tilting her tiara to the side and smiling slightly. "What about you? Where shall you go?" She asked, quite curious to discover her newfound friend's plans for the future. Talk like this

Somehow, Aranya couldn't picture Araceli roaming the rugged, mountainous terrain she was so used to calling home. She pictured her in dense jungles, on beaches, and arid plains. She mulled over it for a moment, trying to place the large foxish fae at the mouth of her birth den, even in summer. She couldn't do it. "Well," she said finally. "Wherever you go, I wish you well." How odd to think that their meeting had been pure chance. Some whim of the gods had brought them together, and whether it meant aught or not she could not foresee. Not yet at any rate, and possibly she never would. This brief whisper of time would soon be washed away by infinite others, and to all but themselves, this moment will have never existed. Even as their memories would fade, so too would this chance arrangement. Aranya broke herself from her revelry and smiled. "I too will go north. I've found many beautiful places among the peaks, and I would like to settle eventually. Either this coming year or the next." The horizon beckoned, even now. She tilted her head and laughed, saying, "If I come across your trail this summer I will have to track you down. I'll warn you now, I'll be after more tales of your adventures." She caught sight of a small flock of songbirds as they flew overhead. She listened to their songs and thought to herself, Cerulean warblers... Perhaps spring is not so far off after all. Speech,Thoughts,

The pale lupine wished her well on her future adventures, and a smile broke over the fox like woman's face. A murmured thanks was all she replied with, while her large audits captured more speech from the damsel. Aranya expressed her plans to venture north in search of the sky, and a home there. Araceli would wag her little tail and continue to grin. "Enjoy the mountains, for I never shall. Where it is cold is not my place, I belong in the heat." She replied, her voice weaving calmly through the air between them to meet the auds of her companion. Once more would her attention be captured by the she wolf's voice, as she bade her warnings of the approaching summer. A giggle would bubble up from the giantess' chest, and escape her dark lips to envelope the pair in joy. "I will live in constant fear of that day." She replied, her voice sarcastic but warm and kind. She enjoyed the company of her newfound friend, and hoped they would meet many times in the future. Long legs would lift the unusual creature to her tea cupped ebony paws, dark violet gaze lowering to rest upon the features of the woman, memorizing them for future reference. "Let us go now to have many more adventures. Until we meet again, I bid you farewell." She murmured, smiling broadly. Turning on her heels, she made her way out into the tall grasses of the plains, delicate cranium high above the reedy stalks. Her fiery pelt could not be missed, yet she still managed to blend in and soon became invisible. A she knight in shining armour, of to find others in need, and friends ready to be made. Overhead, the songbirds sang of the coming season change, even though there was still a while yet. .:Exit--Araceli Iris:. Speech,