say you'll never let me go
This place was like none Solveiga had ever seen before. The rocks here were all sorts of warm, vibrant colors, and they dipped and curved like waves on the ocean. It was beautiful. Her spirits had been lifted a bit lately, after meeting the lively Seraphiel and perhaps even making a friend. She was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could do this. Maybe she could be independent. Still, she traveled on, not in search of anything in particular. She just wanted to keep moving, discovering new places, as she had done when her brother was still around to guide her. But now it was up to her where she went next. Some days that worried her, but today it worked out to her advantage. She had found this beautiful place.
The little wolf made a bit of a game of hopping from rock to rock, acting like she couldn't touch the ground. It was a game she and her brother used to play, but it was fun enough alone, until she landed on a more wobbly rock and jumped off of it onto the ground before it could fall and take her with it. She sighed and stretched a little, deciding that her games were over and she should focus on finding some water in this place. There wasn't much, as the landscape itself was mostly dry rock. But she found a little trickle leaking from a larger stream or spring somewhere and bent her head to drink. As she did, she let her mind wander. She had tried not to think about her brother these past few days, and doing so had improved her mood. But he was family. He was the thing she loved most in the world. And so, it was impossible to keep her mind off of him for long. She pulled her head away from the little trickle of water, looking around to see that she was safe before settling into her haunches for a moment. She was coping well enough without him, but what was she supposed to be doing, in the long run? She had yet to figure that out.
Her charcoal dipped paws padded aimlessly across the red-hued rocks and sand, her eyes trailing over one wavy rock formation to the next. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually had a destination in mind. She hadn't seen her sister since her one run in with her in southern alacritis and wasn't entirely sure where she would find her now, if she even wanted to. She loved her sister, but Ara had her own mate and kids and stuff now... She just wasn't sure if she wanted to intrude on all of that. She hummed thoughtfully to herself as she walked and began to wonder if there would ever be a day that she would have a reason to stay in one place again or have a purpose to get up and do something other than just to survive again. She swallowed and realized how dry her mouth had gotten. She wasn't entirely surprised since it was summer and she was standing in the middle of the desert pretty much, but it was still a little bit of a problem since there didn't seem to be much water of any kind around here. She walked a little further before the soft trickling of water caught her attention. Her tattered ears perked at the sound and she picked up her pace a little, heading toward it eagerly. When she got closer though, she realized someone else had already found this lone water source. She hesitated for a moment, but she wasn't sure when she might find another source of water so she continued on. She made sure to come toward the other woman from the side so it wouldn't seem like she was sneaking up behind her. "Is there enough for the both of us?" she asked when she got closer, trying her best to be polite even though it wasn't her strongest trait. |
Solveiga sighed a bit as she let her eyes move over the dry, ruddy landscape. It was beautiful here, no doubt, but she did not plan to stay long. Seeing as this was the only water source she could find, it did not seem very inhabitable. She had not even seen any hares scampering around, much less another wolf.
But it would seem that as soon as the thought crossed her mind, it would be proven wrong. She flinched just slightly as a voice met her ears and she turned to face the stranger, her tail tucking slightly as was usual for her. Her baby blue eyes looked over the other woman, interested by the fact that she did not seem to be much larger than Solveiga. This was rare, honestly. Most wolves towered far above her. However, despite her slightly diminutive stature, this wolf had her share of scars, and held herself in a way that suggested she was quite strong. Solveiga perked her ears with curiosity. She was not scared of this stranger. She respected her.
"Of course," she said, "Go right ahead." Her voice was as soft as ever, but still welcoming and friendly. Something about this other woman had her interest piqued. She stepped away from the trickle of water to give the woman room, but her eyes stayed on her form, looking it over in an innocent way. Yes, she looked strong. Independent. Solveiga wished she could be like that.
Jendai watched the woman curiously as she immediately reacted in a fearful way at the sound of her voice, her tail tucking under her and everything. Her eyes met the pale blue eyes of the woman and she watched the shift in her expression. Her gaze lingered on the pale woman for a moment longer before shifting to the trickle of water. She lapped up several mouthfuls, feeling the relief immediately. She knew she shouldn't stay in this area for too much longer, but as she turned back toward the sand colored woman her curiosity wouldn't just let her leave just yet. Her pale sandy color reminded her a but of her father's coloring if it had been muted down considerably. She was pretty sure this was the only wolf she had ever met that was her same height as well. Maybe that's what interested her so much. For once she could speak to someone without looking up at them. "What's your name?" she asked curiously, her vibrant gaze coming back to find her pale blues again. Being able to look someone right in the eyes... that was something new to her as well. It was interesting how they could be so similar in build and yet completely different in every other regard. Tan and gray, pale blue and right green, soft and harsh. |
She was quiet as the stranger had her share of water from the little stream. Her own tail relaxed a bit as the other woman drank, coming out from between her hind legs. But then those bright green eyes found her again and she flinched lightly as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. Like a pup straying too close to the boundaries laid out for her. Then she realized what it was: she'd been staring. Was that okay? Would the stranger be upset?
She certainly did not seem to be upset, which was a relief. She looked over Solveiga for a moment and then asked for her name. "Um," she said at first, swallowing hard. Her brother was the one who usually handled greetings and such. But things were different now and she needed to adjust. If she wanted to be independent the least she could do was speak for herself, introduce herself to this intriguing stranger. "My name is Solveiga... what, um, what is yours?" The sand colored woman asked almost cautiously. She figuratively tiptoed around everyone, it was nothing personal. She did not feel personally threatened by this other woman. However, she didn't want to say the wrong thing and get on her bad side either. So she played it safe as always, the little voice in the back of her mind wishing that she could feel safe around someone again, feel comfortable enough to not tiptoe around them.
It seemed that perhaps their opposites didn't stop at appearances. Jendai's personality had always been big for her size. It had gotten her in trouble on too many occasions and had been something for her to grapple with since she was young. It wasn't until recently that she really had been able to control her flares of anger. She was pretty sure she had fighting to thank for that. Having an outlet helped a lot, or at least that's what she told herself. As she listened to and watched this woman speak it seemed like she was the exact opposite. She was so soft spoken and hesitant that it took some effort to listen and catch all of her words. Jendai had never seen a wolf so hesitant to speak before. She couldn't help but wonder if she was naturally quiet and shy in the same way that she was brash and outspoken or if something had happened to make her that way. "I'm Jendai," she replied easily, settling down on her haunches. Wouid sitting make her new acquaintance more comfortable? She honestly didn't know. Comforting had never been a strong point of hers. |
"Where are you from?" she asked carefully, knowing that some wolves did not like to be asked personal questions, but it was harmless enough and frankly Solveiga did not know what else to ask. Her favorite color? Where those scars were from? No, she certainly couldn't ask that. Not when she knew so little about this other woman. Solveiga shook out her fur a little bit and tried to make herself more comfortable. This was a learning process. She needed to know how to hold a conversation.
Jendai blinked with surprise as the other woman complimented her name. She wasn't used to receiving complements, even if they were simple ones such as that. "Oh... thank you," she replied, suddenly feeling a twinge of awkwardness. The silence that settled over them then didn't help. Should she have complimented Solveiga's name as well? Admittedly she liked Solveiga much more than Jendai. Not that she disliked her name at all, she felt like it suited her fine, but Solveiga sounded nice. It suited the pale woman in front of her she thought. Thankfully she would break the silence again, asking where she was from. She pondered it for a brief moment. How did she answer that? She hadn't lived in one place in several years now, but part of her still considered the range her home. It had been her last home at least. "Well, I was born in a place called The Range. It's in the South. That was the last place I lived I guess, but that was a long, long time ago. I've been wandering around on my own since then," she finally told her, deciding that was a good enough answer. She paused for a moment, hoping the woman was satisfied with that. "What about you? Are you from around here?" |
But she supposed it was an important piece of her story to tell. "He left a couple of months ago, to travel alone. So now I'm wandering on my own, much like you..." Solveiga looked down, scratching at a bit of desert stone with her paw. It was a tough thing to admit. But perhaps it made these two dissimilar women a bit more similar. Either way, that was more talking than Solveiga had done in a long time, so now she fell silent and left the conversation up to her new acquaintance.
Jendai listened as the woman began to explain a bit about her past. She was genuinely curious and willingly listened as Solvegia spoke of the island she was born on and how she and her brother had traveled together since then. She had never really heard anyone talk about how they were raised or where they were from so it was interesting to listen to and compare to her own life. When she had left home it had been entirely on her own. Her siblings had all split off on their own in a way. She wondered what it would have been like to have Ara or Folan come with her. She was sure that neither of them would have let her fight like she had. Perhaps it was for the best that she went off on her own for that time. Solvegia pulled Jendai's attention back to her when she spoke again, mentioning how her brother had left a while ago, leaving her alone. Jendai frowned a little at that. Solvegia was quite obviously not a fighter in any sense of the term. If she was her sibling she wouldn't have dreamed about leaving her completely alone. Jendai had seen how harsh the world could be, she couldn't imagine someone so gentle and soft spoken being on their own. Of course, if Solvegia had chosen to leave on her own accord like she had that was a different story, but she didn't get the sense that was the case. "Well, two birds of a feather and all that, huh?" she commented with a soft chuckle. She paused for a moment before adding, "If you needed someone to wander with I wouldn't mind the company." Normally she wasn't one for companionship of any kind, but she felt kind of bad that someone that seemed so gentle was out on her own like this. Besides, it wasn't a lie. She did get lonely at times and so far she was enjoying Solvegia's company. |
Then Jendai said something a bit more unexpected. The two of them could travel together. Solveiga perked her ears a bit in surprise and her baby blue eyes widened. "Really? Well, I..." she trailed off, looking down again as she thought. Big decisions like this were usually up to her brother. But she needed to move on from him now and live a life of her own. This was her decision to make. "I would like that. If you're sure you want to?" She didn't want to be a burden to Jendai like she had been to her brother. But she would like the company too.
Jendai was glad when Solvegia agreed to be her traveling companion, partially for her own selfish reason of wanting someone to spend time with. She wasn't a social wolf to begin with, but being alone for so long since she returned to these lands were wearing on her. She was also happy to be able to offer this woman some small bit of protection. While she would never assume her new friend was weak by any means, she could just tell that she was a sweet woman that would get run over if put into the paws of someone that didn't have the best intentions. Jendai smiled, her own tail wagging behind her. "Yeah, I'm sure I want to. I haven't had anyone with me in a long time. I think the last time I lived with someone was when I was in a pack as a child with my parents and siblings. I'm glad to have some company." She stood up then, giving her fur a quick shake. "How about we get out of this desert now though? Maybe find somewhere with a bit more water?" |
When the other woman stood, Solveiga did too. She smiled, a brighter smile than she had given anyone in a long time. "Yeah," she agreed with another wag of her tail, turning and starting to walk east with a glance over her shoulder at her new companion. "Let's go. I think I remember there being a river this way."
-exit Solveiga-