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365 → Hopefully this works for you; lemme know if you need any changes! Arte's in her optime form. She's not too far from the borders, maybe a mile or so.
She'd known for some time now that she wouldn't be able to live off of her mother's prestige forever, but hadn't done anything about it until recently. Despite her hatred for any other form than her tall, able-bodied optime form, she'd left note with her mother's slave to tell her that Arte was, as she'd put it, 'going to start her preparations for the future, and made ready for her trip. This included finding things she might need, and switching to her secui form for travel purposes. The night before she'd gone to Salsola's storage facility and found some cured fish as well as some smoked meat in case she got hungry or ran into someone she could bribe.
If she'd learned anything from the secretive community that she'd been raised in, it was that there was always a way to get something if you looked in the right places. Putting everything in her crudely made satchel, the dust colored girl set off before the sun had risen. With the satchel looped around her thick neck, it barely moved around her muscled neck as she set off from the pack's borders. All in all, it took her hours. Careful to wade through water and thick brush when the opportunity presented itself, she disguised her scent as best she could. Ultimately, it'd be nearly impossible to just guess at her origins. By the time she stopped just outside the borders of the pack she intended to gather information from, the sun had been up for a while and her young, inexperienced body was vaguely tired. Artemisia refused to be unprepared, though, and so shifted to her preferred form and rummaged around her knapsack for a knife, which she settled under a crook in her knee, and extracted a piece of dried meat.
Youthfulness hadn't kept information from her, and she knew very well from various accounts that Ichika no Ho-En had caused Salsola some problems as of late. It was cause and effect, she understood, but her desire to be useful had overpowered her feelings of nonchalance over the subject. If they were to do something about this vague hostility, they would need the proper information.
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Word Count :: 374
out of character text
The harder it was to move, the more Kiara desired to exercise. Although she would rest throughout the day, if the young mother stayed in one place too long she became restless. Her back and ankles hurt whenever she walked, but in many way the aches and pains were preferable to a stagnant state. Kiara spent her days taking walks around Ichika, especially within Wentowrth Valley. Her most recent trip had started the day before. The young mother didn't like being away from her den so long, but she didn't like being confined to the forest either. So Kiara had gotten up early the previous morning and had slowly made her way around Ichika.
Kiara moved casually through the forests along well worn trails. Saluce and X'yin often patrolled the boarder and had left a distinct trail that circled around Ichika. The beaten path was easier to travel along and allowed the arctic wolf to go easy on her bulging body. All around her were shoots of spring grass that lined the trails and the buds on the trees had begun to blossom. The sweet smell of...canine?
Confused, the snow wolf raised her muzzle to the sky and sucked in air. With it came the smell of spring, Ichika, and a stranger. Kiara scented the air again, the redolence of canine was muddled, but it was there. Kiara turned and headed towards the origin of the scent, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. The mother-to-be moved slowly through the underbrush and it took her almost twenty minutes to reach the owner.
Sitting in front of the white woman was a dark brown luperci. Her tall and lanky optime form blended into its surroundings and the muddled scent hovering over the female made it impossible for Kiara to identify her. She didn't have the musky stench of a loner, but she didn't have a pack smell either. The arctic wolf approached cautiously, but her smile and wagging tail were in full force. "Namaste. I'm Kiara. Beautiful day, isn't it?" Sapphire eyes looked over the stranger before they rested on the dried meat in the brown female's hands. Kiara was starving, despite the fact that she had gorged herself only a few days ago.
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359 → Slow like a tortoise, sorry!
Salsola was home to the arcane, the discreet, and the dangerous. Never in her life had she strayed far enough from home to meet someone so cheerful as the pale woman who appeared before her, more like a midday ghost to her than anything else. The initial greeting, namaste was a foreign term to her, but it wasn't spit or snarled, so she thought little of it. It wasn't with surprise that she looked up from the grass, though, but with a thoughtful look. It was a nice day, wasn't it? There was sun and a few scattered clouds, and it was seasonably warm, but she hadn't given it much thought until now. The weather was of little consequence to her unless it would impede her goals. I do believe you're right,
At last she finally agreed with the idea and gestured in front of her, remembering the simplest of her manners by inviting the other canine to sit with her, before taking a small bite of the cured meat. Shuffling her foot closer to her rump, the haphazard grip her bent knee with which she hid the knife tightened; if it slipped, the pretty woman before her would have reason to be afraid, or at least suspicious. She was quite obviously pregnant, but Artemisia could care less about her condition. Children mattered very little to her unless they were the future of The Family, and this woman would probably never see the border of Salsola, let alone join their ranks. Still, she was mindful to the needs of an expectant mother eating for more than herself. Reaching for the knapsack she'd brought with her, she retrieved two additional strips of meat before hesitating. Sit, eat with me... If you want, of course. Her ravenous gaze hadn't gone unnoticed by the Salsolan.
Reclining slightly, the teenager settled her dominant left hand above her knee and took another careful bite, never taking her eyes from the stranger. Only when it felt appropriate to begin introductions did she introduce the idea of actual conversation, beyond the simplest of pleasantries. Still, her tone remained courteous and offhanded. Are you from around here?
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Word Count :: 364
Rambly, sorry
Ichika no Ho-en had a very strange greeting, and it's meaning was lost on the white wolf. Kiara knew it was supposed to be polite and it was a tradition of her pack, but why they said the foreign word or what it meant were a complete mystery to her. Even so, she always felt obligated to repeat the odd greeting. It was a trademark of the pack, and she knew it couldn't possibly mean anything bad. So, she always said the greeting with a cheerful smile and the occasional polite bow.
The stranger before her looked up from the grass as Kiara greeted her. She looked around for a moment and eventually agreed with Kiara's sentiment. The pregnat female's smile radiated at the strangers agreement. It was a beautiful spring day. The stranger gestured to the space in front of her and Kiara gratefully took up the invitation. Her back and ankles were starting to bother her. The ignorant female sat, unsuspecting, of the stranger. She didn't realize the wolf before her was from Salsola, or that a knife was hidden from her view. Kiara would bolt if the knife ever slipped from the females grasp.
Food was removed from the stranger's knapsack and Kiara eyed it ravenously. She was always hungry, and any little bit would be a great help. Two strips of meat were offered to Kiara and she greedily snapped them up and wolfed them down in only a few bites. Unlike the luperci, the uninfected wolf saw little reason to save food and would always gobbled down any food within her reach. A decent meal was rare in the arctic, and the harsh conditions had taught Kiara to eat whenever food was available.
The pregnant female was so focused on the dried meat before her that she failed to notice the luperci female was observing her. With her quick meal finished, she heartily exclaimed, "Thank you for the food!" Kiara's ever present smile and wagging tail showed off her happy demeanor as she licked her lips. The question posed made Kiara focus on the stranger before her. "Yes, I'm from Ichika no Ho-en. Are you new to the area?"
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576 → This is a bit awkward, and I rambled like a mofo. <__>
How strange that the Ichika no Ho-en wolves would take a Buddhist saying and slander it, given that they would attack Salsola and attempt to take their livestock. She knew nothing of Buddhism, of course, but would likely take this strange greeting back to her King anyway and ask him if he knew what it meant. Maybe nothing to him, but maybe everything to her. Only time would tell.
Continuing to appraise the white woman, she noted with little surprise that the woman radiated warmth and welcoming. She was pregnant after all, wasn't she? They said women glowed when they were in such a predicament (which was what the girl saw it as, nothing more than an inconvenience), and now she thought she understood the meaning behind those words.
Thanks quickly bubbled from her unlikely companion, and Artemisia's smile grew to hold a genuine air of approval, and maybe even kindness. Though she was carrying the future blood of her enemies, she would do nothing to prevent their safe journey into the world. The mother and her children were of little consequence to her, and right now, they were absolutely defenseless. However odd she may be, she had no intention of taking a life that couldn't protect itself. That blood would be meaningless, hollow. A victory undeserved, hardly worth boasting about.
Now she allowed herself another glance at their surroundings, seemingly to observe the weather and warmth, to bask in it, but more to ensure her own safety. At last she nodded and took another bite of her own strip before setting it aside and moved her ochre gaze upon this stranger once more. You're welcome, Unsure how to respond to the woman's question of whether she'd recently traveled to the vicinity, it took her a moment—which she substituted with another bite of food, to buy her the necessary time—before she answered. I guess so. I'm new to the world as a whole, really, so... She drifted off, surprised by her own truthfulness. There was an element of honesty in every great lie, she supposed. That's what made them so believable. If my being here is a problem, by all means, tell me. I just stopped to eat and catch my breath.
Moving now to the real object of her interest, and her entire reason for being at their doorstep, she trundled the name of the pack over in her mind with anticipation. If she returned with valuable information she would be rewarded for it, yes, but she cared little for that. She wanted to make her parents proud, that was all. Validation was all she wanted in life. Maybe it was backwards, to live entirely for the happiness of others, but she didn't care. Clearing her throat, she smiled in an almost bashful manner. So often it was that her mind ran away with itself. She was just a passenger to it. Ichika no Ho-en, that's the pack here? Pretty name, It was, truly. Your pack must be very strong, I think, to support a mother. Her voice oozed, much like her King's; in the time since he'd found her wandering the ruins she'd spent a few hours a week with him, and had begun to pick up the mannerisms in him that inspired such obedience in others.
Of course, she wanted this woman to think it was her own idea to tell her what really lay within the heartland of her pack.
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Word Count :: 364
Rambly post galore
Good food, beautiful weather, and cheerful company. What more could Kiara ask for that day? Her simple exploration had turned into a happy conversation with a stranger. The young wolf loved to meet new canines, and she enjoyed hanging out with others. There was no suspicion in Kiara's mind, and the warm smile from her companion only increased her sense of contentment and safety. Although if she knew the origins of the brown female, or even what the stranger held hidden behind her knee, the uninfected wolf would have bolted.
So she was right. The young female was in fact new to the area, or "the world" as she had put it. Kiara nodded, she understood the feeling. After leaving the safety and comfort of her home in the arctic, Kiara had been shocked to find out that the two legged wolves of legend actually existed. In fact, there were many things that were still strange and new to the white female. She was about to share her own experience when the stranger wondered if her presence was a problem. "Oh, no! Not at all. I was just curious to see who was near our boarders. Visitors are always welcome in Ichika so long as they are accompanied by a pack member. But, this is neutral territory so...your fine." Embarrassed, she looked away. She had been rambling, but Kiara didn't want the brown female to feel put off.
The questions about her pack, made white ears flick forward. Kiara's tail began to wag in full force. She loved to brag about Ichika, and enjoyed talking about how wonderful she found the pack. The pregnant female was proud of her pack, and she made sure that anyone who asked would know about it.
"Yup! It is a nice name, but I had a hard time learning it. Although, I wouldn't really call the pack strong. We are big, but strong...well it just doesn't fit. Ichika is a peace pack, we aren't allowed to fight. So...large maybe. Strong, no. But, the country is beautiful and the valley behind the mountains is like paradise. The only thing missing are the fields of lunar flowers.
Although, the pack does try to support me. Getting food is tough without those um...what are they called? Rems? You know, the forepaws of the luperci...Um, Arms! That's right, arms."
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