Open for anyone! 8D Dated for the 11th, at the Ruins--left it a bit vague so it can lead to anywhere.

Harrow was not the best hunter, but she was a good scrounger. Her hands brushed over the furs and pelts she had collected from the storage, some the course of the deer and others the plush of the rabbit. It was a rather odd and jumbled mix of colors and textures, as if a large hybrid of all the species was curled up in the dip in the ground where the woman slept. But, as she smoothed a patch of rodent fur, no creature stirred underneath her touch. All the pelts had imperfections on them--scars, she thought, still thinking of a beast--and knew that they would have otherwise been unused by others. What a waste, she thought, as she continued to fiddled with the pelts. They were still useful despite their somewhat unsightly appearance in certain places.

She rose from the hollowed ground and began to step towards the entrance, strong light peeling into the doorless building. A particular patch of fur suddenly opened its eyes, and a feline emerged from sea of furs, and followed closely at her side, pressing her flank against her ankle every so often. The dark woman faintly grinned down at Omitl, and once she sat down on the steps that lead into her house, she rubbed the lynx behind an ear, and a purr rumbled in response to the treatment. "Very good day," the cat murmured through a purr, shifting herself so that she could lay across the girl's legs. Harrow merely nodded, and looked out at the sky. It was a rather nice day indeed, the slight chill in the air and the gentle, nipping breeze. The sun was clear and warm, though, and it was rather pleasant, how it was both cool and heated, making a perfect balance.

Her hand moved over Omi's head absentmindedly as she thought. It had only been a few days since she had met her mother for the first time for--the time escaped her, but it was for too long. She was taken back into Salsola, and while her lowly rank stirred feelings within the proud girl, she was ultimately thankful for the mercy shown to her, especially from Eris. She vaguely remembered being damp and haggard that day, but what she remembered most was her mother's appearance. She did not say anything when she entered the house she was under to get away from the rain, but the silent hug said enough. The scene kept replaying in her mind, and she curled Omitl closer to her, her arms wrapping around the cat as if she was the stuffed rabbit. Rosemary was resting in a cubby in a wall, still needing a wash ever since she dropped her in mud. The lynx just took it in stride, and tried to go back to her nap. Harrow was just so happy to be back--with her mother, in Salsola--she didn't know what to do.

eee a Gale! 8D

Others frequently passed through, mostly the ones that lived out here, so she would usually ignore their presence when they would brush past her house. They minded their own business, too, so it all ended up okay that she was apart of the path that was traveled often. Even then she heard footsteps--more than one pair, she noted, but she did not look up to see who, since their faint scent did not tell that they were her family. Thus, she ignored them, even when they had stopped, and continued to stroke Omi, who went back to sleep already. Lazy creature, she thought teasingly.

Finally, the lingering people caught her attention, she looked up in time to see a male bow to her. She also saw that he was followed by a small girl, one that looked just like him, perhaps a shade lighter, and eyes a green instead of a blue. When the man rose, shiny gold alerted her. Slave, she thought absentmindedly. Perhaps she would have went on to ignore him--if she was ranked higher than she was then. Now, there was only a thin title that kept her from being treated like a slave, and--she felt odd. She felt indifferent about the ring that hung from his nose. Huh. Maybe it was for the fact that they were both in the outer rings that she felt indifferent, instead of above him. Or maybe she hadn't seen a slave in a long while. In due time, maybe she would feel superior once more when her title was given back, whenever that would be. Whatever the case, she just felt normal at that moment.

"My name's not Domina." She wasn't cutting in tone, but quiet like she would speak to any stranger. "And, this isn't a cat. Omitl is a lynx. But, yeah, she's pretty, I guess. My name's Harrow." She went silent again, and stared at the man and girl with vivid eyes. She was waiting for a response.

BUT I LOVES THE SHORT POSTS. <3

She watched him as he seemed to be puzzled over something, but she didn't pay much attention to his momentary confusion. She looked at the small girl as she looked over the lynx, and she felt a stirring beside her, and she saw the cat's eyes open and peer at the light wolf. They were somewhat sharp, her nap being disturbed by the sudden appearance of the slaves, but they seem to soften as they gazed at the girl. She gave a lazy, rumbling purr, and continued to watch her, her stumped tail flicking often behind her. Harrow stole a glance at Omitl, and guessed she must have liked the pair, or else she would have hobbled off somewhere else to return to her sleep.

The accented voice spoke again, and when he asked if the lynx was a pet, she had tried to answer calmly. But, Omi beat her to the punch. "No pet," she purred, though there was a hit of annoyance in her tone at the assumption. "I am no pet to her. She is my friend. I am, ah, companion. I chose to be by her." The dark girl nodded in agreement to what she said, and was silent as the cat continued, "Sit, if not busy. Talk we should. Scoot over." Harrow complied with Omitl, and made enough room on the stone steps for all four of them to have a bit of space. The she-cat looked back at the slave girl, and she purred once more. "What is name?"

As Omitl focused on something else for once, she looked over at Gale. A quietness overcame her, but she broke it before it can fully form. "How're you doing...?" He wasn't obligated to answer, she guessed, but then again it could have been a demand she was asking. Either way, she as curious.

The lynx seemed amused at the sun-kissed wolves' reactions, and it remedied any ill thoughts towards the man and the small girl. Harrow herself was not sure what she was up to, the creature being that of her own laws and regulations that barely went along with Salsola customs. But, she was smart, indeed; she never did anything that went against their culture, but some things may be questioned, like how she requested the slaves' company for nothing other than to talk. But, the dark-hued woman did not care much, and decided to go along with the lynx.

"Eeevette," the she-cat repeated, her purr accenting the girl's title. "What a pretty name. Mine is Omitl." Green-yellow, silted eyes watched the pup with interest as she sprawled over the male slave, and a mrroew that was akin to laughter at the question. "I am from here. I was born in city, south here, but this is my home since I was kitten. Where are you from, Eeevette?"

Harrow kept her attention on the man as the other two had their conversation, and nodded at his statement of being well, considering. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to be a slave; no images came to her. It was simply unimaginable, for a girl being raised as above others, to be pharisaic, to think like that. "Yes. I was born here. Eris is my mother, and Larkspur is my father." She refused to refer as father as dead. "Something happened, but now I'm back. I don't think you were around when I was." She was silent, unsure of what to say, and started to fiddle with the bone necklace around her neck, she herself not minding the quiet that much.

​Small, gleaming teeth flashed at the girl's attempt to say her name. "Omi is good, too." Harrow was glad that Omitl seemed to be enjoying herself. She could not but help but feel comfortable in their prescene as well. Not comparable to the ranked wolves' company, but endearing in its own way.

​"England?" Harrow questioned curiously. It sounded very familiar--didn't Sirius go there? Or was it a place called London? Either or, she supposed. Both were far away places, and before her time, anyway. She listened as Yvette stated they came across by boat, and the darkly-hued woman's vague interest piqued. "You had to travel across great water, did you?" Their strange tongue-tone whenever they spoke proved that much. "What is England like?" Not she'll ever go there--Salsola was home enough. But, curiosity egged her on.

​He had been here for two moons, two months. Yes, she was not there when he had arrived, certainly. "Time has been hazy for me as well. Maybe it will get better soon enough." She had begun to stroke the lynx's head, who was quiet as she listened to their conversation, and her fingers slowed as the slave questioned her. Omitl gave the slightilest push with her head against her hand, encouragement. "Family is important, Gale," she said simply. "I did not leave here on my own accord. I returned, though, because of family. Family is the most important thing in Salsola, most important thing in the world.

​"Yvette--she is your family, right? If you were ever separated from her, you'd return to her, right?" It was sensible enough to Harrow, and she felt no doubt about what his answer would be. "I may have left, but the most important thing is, I am back. And I won't leave." She went back to stroking the feline's head at her regular pace.

Harrow blinked as the man squinted his face at what must have been the memory of England. "Eh..." Rain was not too terrible--but then again it only rained occasionally, not constantly like the sun man was describing it out to be. "All it does here is fog and mist a lot. It's rare to have a clear day here, too, but it's usually dry." Salsola was especially affected by such weather because of their coastal claim, but Harrow found comfort in the haze. Elusive and secretive was the pack, and the cover was favored. "I guess you didn't come from somewhere that didn't rain a lot. Or you just don't like rain in general," she commented off-handedly, knowing by the way he referred to this England that he was not raised there. But, she did not press for an answer, just merely observed the fact.

Again, with the odd words. Not knowing what he was saying made her annoyed to a degree, but the words sounded familiar enough--she thought she heard something like family and vital--so she did not point it out for him to elaborate. She watched as he patted the girl, and looked up when he had agreed that he would not leave her. The next piece of information didn't phase her much, but by the way he had reacted at his own words caused her to look the other way, as if turning away from something embarrassing she did not want to witness. Loose lips, she thought in the back of her mind. Maybe it was something personal he did not want to share, but she did not over think it. Secrets were precious things.

She looked back to Gale as he spoke once more, obviously changing the subject. Childish curiosity wanted to pry at what he had said, but decided to let it slide, for now. "Everything is good, considering. But not the same." No, change was inevitable, but the longer she took to truly face it, the better it felt. She wanted to lightly comment that she could not wait to regain her family rank, but decided that such frivolous talk would not benefit a conversation with a slave. "And you?" She pretended for a moment he was not in his position, and it helped her talk to him without getting awkward, to act like he was another of the ranked.