The woman had spent a lot of time exploring the packlands but she had not sought out a place to call her own, instead she'd decided to find a place to put up a hammock and just move to another location when she grew tired of the scenery she woke up to. She'd taken down the hammock once more and had been exploring close to the quarry, trying to find two strong trees close enough together to string up her bed before dark closed in around her. She didn't mind working in the dark but she didn't feel like involving herself in an accident and finding herself swimming in the bottom of a quarry lake.
She thought that she'd found the perfect place and had tied up one end but found herself trying to climb up the second tree to get the rope through the arm of the tree. She was growing frustrated at finding out that she was not a very good climber and instead tried to toss the rope over the arm of the tree. She had tried over and over again and yet still couldn't catch it in the exact spot she needed it. Finally she growled in frustration and gave up, plotting her rump down on the ground and just glaring at the tree she couldn't climb. She really really needed to practice climbing obviously, though she couldn't remember a time when she'd needed to know how.
It was a nice enough day. The weather was far, although it was a bit cooler than it had been the previous week. That suited the wolfess just fine as she walked about, shifted on her two leg form for the first time in weeks. She had finally worked up the nerve to shift, letting her muscles stretch and pull. She found that her body did not protest when she moved anymore, and she only experienced a little tightness and minor discomfort in her shoulder where Brennt had sunk his teeth in deep. She was glad she had found the courage to change, no longer letting what had happened at the borders weeks ago define how she would live her life. She was growing past the experience, and was glad to leave it behind.
At the moment, the Locum was familiarizing herself with more of the pack land. She spent enough time in it that she was vaguely familiar with the farthest reaches of the pack lands, though the islands were still a mystery to her. She was glad to feel useful again, to be able to keep her mind busy with business. It was a relief that she wasn't a burden to Phoenix Valley, and she strived to make herself an asset. She wanted to prove her worth more to herself than to anyone else. She had struggled with that recently.
The wolfess started when she saw a rope shoot out from the branch of a tree, drawing her attention upward. She stopped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth for a moment as she pondered the sight that greeted lime green eyes. Her eyes dropped down to the ground, where she saw a dark colored wolfess sitting on the ground in frustration. Drawing near, the Locum cleared her throat to make herself known. "Hello there," she said, a bit uncertainly. "Is there something I can help you with?
Miriette hadn't expected another to fall upon her in the hour before twilight settled in but when she heard the voice behind her she turned quickly and let out a surprised sound. "Oh!" she exclaimed as her wide silvery orbs caught sight of the other woman. Quickly she gathered herself together and stood up to meet the woman face to face. She lowered her eyes like a good packmate was suppose to and she felt suddenly embarrassed. "Yous scare me" she said as she pulled her hair behind her ear and realized that the woman had asked her a question.
She really wasn't doing so well with her first encounter with another packmate but it didn't bother her as much as she believed it would, she just didn't like the fact that she was doing such a grand job at embarrassing herself. When her eyes rose up to met the other woman's she smiled bitterly as she gestured towards the tree before her and the rope that dangled in her hands. "I cannot climb" she whined as her eyes trailed back up to the tree that seemed to be keeping her night from being as restful as she wished it would.
Her ears pinned back against her skull as she realized she hadn't even informed the woman of who she was. She shook her head again as she gave that vital information. "I'm Miriette.". She was learning quickly that this word didn't seem to be able to understand her native French so well, though it was hard to get the words right in English to her..
OK. I just watched Mulan last night, which is why my reply is the way it is XD
Geneva's brow furrowed briefly as she heard the girl speak for the first time. Her voice was accented, although the accent didn't disguise her words. She was able to understand the dark colored female well enough. However, the Locum experienced a twinge of recognition upon hearing Miriette speak, which was something she wouldn't have expected. She knew for certain that she had never met the girl before; Geneva would have remembered such an encounter. She searched the corners of her mind before smiling in understanding. Miriette had an accent that was somewhat similar to Honore's.
The girl seemed troubled and embarrassed. Geneva remembered a time, not so long ago, when she had felt the same way. She felt as though she had fumbled with her words, and would have rather avoided any contact possible. But she had been lucky in her experiences with pack life. She had been gifted with meeting interesting individuals and making fast friends. The gray woman saw an opportunity to replicate such kindness.
"It is nice to meet you Miriette. My name is Geneva, the Locum of this pack. If you need help with anything, please ask me." Geneva was naturally soft spoken, but she worked to add some volume to her usually thin voice. She wanted this newcomer to feel welcome. She was certainly welcome here, as far as Geneva was concerned. She had no sense of smell to speak of, and couldn't discern who Miriette had already met from scent. But it seemed as though this girl was still getting comfortable with the pack land. Geneva could help if she could.
Her lime green eyes wandered to rest on the rope dangling in the dark girl's hands. She stared at it ponderously for a moment before her eyes trailed back to the tree before them. "May I?" she asked, approaching the girl and resting her own hands on the length of rope. She waited for a moment, then took it into her hands and walked to stand at the base of the tree. After a moment's deliberation, she tossed one end of the rope around the trunk of the tree and caught it in her free hand. After she had created a semi circle of rope around the tree, she held both ends. Her ears flicked back briefly and then she braced her foot against the trunk of the tree before she took another step with her other foot.
She repeated the process until she had moved perhaps three feet off of the ground. Then she climbed down gingerly, carefully, mindful of the fact that she had been injured only a short time before. It was not an experience she wished to repeat any time soon. When her feet returned to the ground, she unwrapped the trunk of the tree and pressed the length of rope into Miriette's hands. "Maybe you can try this."
The girl stayed seated on the soft grasses as she glared at the unfinished bed for a moment longer as the other woman began to speak up. Turning her face towards the lady she tried to smile but through the frustration of the whole event she was only able to manage a lopsided half hearted attempt. She repeated the woman's name softly as she nodded. "Geneva.." She wasn't about to ask the lady for help on fixing the problem at hand. It was her fault that she had given up on getting the hammock properly hung, she shouldn't have to rely on others to fix her problems.
When the greyscale woman asked to see her rope she handed it over quietly, not wanting to argue with the lady either. She sighed softly and watched Geneva curiously as she settled into trying to climb the tree with the rope. Her ears pressed back against her skull at the strange manner of the woman yet she didn't say anything, only watched and waited until her fellow packmate was finished demonstrating how she climbed the tree.
Miriette fiddled with a braid in her hair as she grumbled as she was asked if she would like to try it. "Perhaps throw rock be better?" She really didn't want to make a fool of herself trying to climb the tree and she knew that's just what she was probably going to do.
Geneva grinned sheepishly, feeling slightly embarrassed when Miriette dubiously watched her, then seemed to reject her unorthodox method. But internally she was proud that she had even had the courage to try. Months before, she would have been paralyzed by self doubt. Now she felt comfortable within her own skin. She had found confidence in herself, and the courage to try new things. She wasn't climbing mountains and reaching new heights everyday. It was a much slower process than that. But every day, every single little thing counted to her. It meant that she was progressing, trying, and that was all that really mattered.
"Maybe throwing a rock would be better," Geneva conceded, her lime green eyes moving to rest on the tree trunk once more. She had never really considered climbing trees before. She much preferred the open air and being on the ground. She enjoyed swimming and would submerge her head from time to time, just to try it. However, she didn't think she would like being very far off the ground. Her mind returned momentarily to the day Addison had been so high up on at the Quarry, and she had had to venture across the rocks to save her. The height had been dizzying, turning her stomach.
"What were you trying to do, if you don't mind me asking?" Geneva knew that the rope had been meant to hang something, or perhaps even climb. But she couldn't quite guess what Miriette had been trying to do. She smiled at the girl, not trying to make her embarrassed. But she had never really considered doing anything like that before.
Miriette wouldn't admit it but she was lazy when it came to finding a solution and she would go with the simplest answer everytime. She hated to spend her time obsessing over something that may or may not get her anywhere. She was lucky for now though that it didn't matter. If she couldn't get the hammock up she'd just sleep on the grass, it was nice and cool outside anyways. She shook her head at the whole notion and sighed.
When Geneva spoke up again and admitted that throwing a rock probably would have been better she grinned and shook her head. "Just find rock now.." She didn't think that tying a rock to the rope and throwing it would be better but it would have been worth a try. She leaned back and looked into the tree with a doubtful look as she decided to just give up for now as she turned to face the greyscaled lady who at the time was asking her a question.
She shook her head and waved off what she'd been asked as she tried to respond. "I was making home.." She glanced towards the material that made up the hammock as she explained. She didn't know why Geneva seemed to be so interested in what she was up to, it was just a hammock. She wondered if hammocks weren't normal around here, but whatever it was it didn't really matter.
Making a home? Geneva followed Miriette's gesture and saw the bundle of material on the ground. She cocked her head to the side, very curiously regarding it. How in the world would that thing provide adequate shelter? She was about to open her mouth to ask, but decided against it, not wanting Miriette to grow weary of her presence. Instead she was just quiet for a moment, blinking slowly as she considered the possibilities. There didn't seem to be enough material to create a structure to keep out the elements, so Geneva could only assume that Miriette's "home" was meant to be portable.
The gray wolfess had never really considered living outside to be an option. She liked to be surrounded by walls. Being under the open sky when she was unaware made her feel ill at ease. She could do it, if she had to though. Geneva had grown up mostly living indoors and felt comfortable that way. In fact, she felt most comfortable within human made buildings. She trusted their stability and they represented safety to her.
"Have you been here long?" Geneva asked lamely, trying to keep the conversation going. "If you need some help finding something you need, like food or someone else, I can try to help you."
Miriette hadn't even stopped to think how silly she sounded talking about making a home and yet only carrying around a few pieces of rope and the hammock. She flicked her ears back as she watched the woman gaze about as she tried to take in the black lady's words. She wasn't for certain if she'd just made a fool of herself or if Geneva was deciding on if it actually made any sense after all. She flicked her eyes back to the hammock a moment before she decided to find a stick and attempt to get the rope looped over the branch.
She had crouched down near the edge of the trees and had found a rather large and thick sturdy limb that must have fallen during a winter storm. She turned to face the woman as she questioned her. "What? Oh.. no. Nots long at all." She hadn't been there too long, long enough but still she was probably one of the newest members in the lands. She frowned slightly as she stood back up again and began to tie a knot around the limb before glancing up to the branch she'd been trying to get the rope looped over. Creating a slipknot in the rope she tried tossing the limb over the branch as she went on. "I don't know what needs yet.." she said rather quickly before she stopped and looked back to the lady leaving the rope hanging as she added. "But thank yous still.."
The gray wolfes took a small step back, watching her pack mate intently as she seemed to search on the ground. Her eyebrows rose in silent questioning as the girl picked up a thick branch. What in the world would the femme want to do with that? Hadn't she mentioned a stone only moments before? Her questions were cleared up as the woman fashioned a knot around the limb and threw it over the branch she had been pondering earlier.
She smiled, impressed by the young wolfss' ingenuity. Although, Geneva supposed, Miriette had to be resourceful and practical if she preferred to live out in the elements. She admired the girl's ability to think on her feet and to adapt and develop skills. She had eliminated a problem that had obviously been bothering her only moments before. It was heartening to see that the girl didn't give up easily. That was a quality she wished all members of the pack to possess.
Geneva nodded, keeping her voice neutral when she spoke again. She didn't want to come on too strong and scare the girl away. She wanted her to see her as available and accessible, but not forceful. "I live in the ranch, that way," she said, pointing in the direction of the wooden structure. Now if Mirietee needed her, she most likely could find her. Although the gray wolfess patrolled with some regularity, she was also found of reading indoors.
Miriette was happy when the stick came titer-tattering down the other side of the branch and within reach. Smiling to herself as she removed the rope from the limb she began to tie a decent knot for her hammock to finally rest like it should. She tested the hammock, leaning back in it as she let her paws dangle in the grass as her silvery grey orbs glanced up to the other woman as she began to speak of where she resided. There was a lot she would have to learn about the world these wolves seemed to live in, it was so different than what she was use to.
The dark hued girl raised a brow as she questioned the lady. "Why would you live there?" she asked. She knew that often wolves had started to take to living in houses and building but she hardly could even understand why they wanted to live in dens and caves except when weather was bad. She knew that the hammock she nested in was made by the humans but she'd learned how to construct her own over time and believed that she probably could have made one by herself even if she hadn't discovered the human version first. She was that stubborn.
"Well," Geneva said ponderously, well aware of the curiosity on Miriette's face. "I never knew any different. I grew up living in buildings." Geneva had grown up far from here, in a place quite different. She cast her eyes around their surroundings. There were trees, flowers, and sweet grasses all over. Where she had lived as a child, the only green she had known was the weeds that grew up from the cracks in the cement. Here, there was natural all around. She had seen many ruins in her reluctant travels on her way here that had been taken over by nature. Trees twisted to reclaim the heights, overrunning buildings with their branches. In fact, only a short distance from here, the city of Halifax was quite similar, a surreal marriage of life and death, nature and buildings.
Her lime green eyes wondered back to ponder the black female. "I feel safe there," she concluded. She didn't distrust nature, not exactly. As a wild being, she felt some sort of connection to the peace of their surroundings. But she couldn't help distrusting the shadows that crept within the green and brown. The stillness of the air could be deceptive. When she was behind four, solid walls, enclosed within that comfort, she felt safe enough to let her guard down.
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