Come down, come down sweet reverence

Snow covered the upper ledges of the gulley but down at the base it was noticeably warmer and there was still green to be seen. At least winter's in the south were more bearable than those of the north. She remembered the fur lined booties in her pack and her words to Birna. A pang of guilt settled in her stomach as she realized she'd need to tell the leopard she wasn't going to join her in the north. Not that she wasn't interested in the idea of a nomadic lifestyle herding reindeer, but when it got down to it she just wasn't meant to live in that kind of cold weather long term and desire for freedom often pulled her away from responsibility. Besides, she had a real life treasure map. How could she resist?

Jynn paused at a small stream running through the base of the gulley and bent her head to take a drink while she waited for her companions to catch up.

Lia wasn’t sure if wondering unprotected lands so far from anyone she knew would ever be comfortable. She missed Briar, but knew that who she was did not fit into their wolf. Perhaps one day, she could be someone that belonged with them. But now, today, she was a wolf who belonged nowhere. Before Briar, she had never had anyone who fought to defend her before. Yet, even after such a short time, she felt herself missing that protection.

She was not built for winter, and after encountering snow, hadn’t gone any further North. In fact, her adventuring had mostly halted in light of the weather. She hunkered down in the gully, where prey was still ample and the grass still green. She avoided other wolves when they passed through, and managed to keep out of sight for the most part.

Today, however, she was dozing by the stream when the sound of a set of paw prints woke her. She opened her eyes, and looked up to find another wolf only a stride away, taking a sip of the stream. Lia pulled herself into a crouch, watching the stranger with cautious eyes. “Hello” She said, voice gentle despite her worries.


"Speech"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

An unexpected voice caused Jynn to jump back like a startled cat, her tail frizzing up with surprise. She had been so caught up in her thoughts she'd hadn't taken into full account her surroundings and a wave of embarrassment washed over her. "Oh! Hello there, sorry I didn't see you there. I hope I'm not intruding. It just seemed like a nice place to pass through." Jynn had of course checked to see if the territory had been claimed by a pack but she didn't like to stumble upon other loners, especially when they were sleeping or eating. That was often a sore spot she'd learned the hard way. And of course it was a very pretty woman she'd disturbed which only added to her embarrassment.