[Archived] Christening

[Valentina]

She'd wandered up into this accursed valley, but for what? Valentina had seen the break in the hills, the gentle, grass-lined slope, and she could've sworn she'd struck gold, but so far, she hadn't been so fortunate.

What she'd found so far wasn't much, honestly. A few herds of deer and a great body of water. Maybe it meant she wouldn't go hungry this winter. With the cold weather moving in, she wouldn't dare risk trekking back back the mountains until at least springtime, so she supposed she was stuck.

Ah, well, she'd make the best of it. Valentina squatted by the stream to lap up a few drinks of water and, for no real purpose aside from entertainment, she waded into the shallows and pissed.

There. Now this stream and the whole body of water it led into was hers. Christened.

[Mauti]

Mauti's flanks heaved with exhaustion as she finally transitioned into a trot, her eyes casting themselves out over the body of water she'd found herself by. It was quiet enough, she supposed, but she hadn't noticed the presence of another wolf until she'd already stopped at the lake's edge, crouching to quench her thirst.

The other form, dark like her but much thicker, waded into the gentle lapping waves some ways down the bank. Mauti watched them as she drank, her gaze cold in an attempt to ward them off should they notice her.

She was only grabbing a drink. Then she'd continue running.

[Valentina]

When she finished, Val straightened up and cast a glance toward the sound in the distance. Another wolf, it seemed. Her lucky day.

With a smirk on her lips and a spring in her step, she boofed at the woman and trotted through the waves toward her.

"Hellooo," she greeted, voice tentative but a hint playful.

[Mauti]

Eye contact.

Mauti exhaled through her nose, the contempt written clearly in the way she eyed the approaching stranger. But she didn't pause in her drinking, only watched from beneath her lashes; went so far as to keep drinking, even after the other wolf had addressed her.

When she finally felt at least remotely quenched, she lifted her chin from the surface of the lake, staring openly at the other woman while she rasped her tongue along the length of her damp lips.

Then, simply: "What do you want?"

[Valentina]

What a bummer. It seemed like this one didn't care much for seeming friendly.

"Nothing serious," she drawled lightly, stalking closer. "Just some company to keep me occupied, perhaps."

She narrowed her eyes, stuck her nose up haughtily, and eyed the stranger like a bug. "Unless that's too hard for you?"

[Mauti]

The other woman moved closer, her words dripping like the water droplets that rolled off Mauti's chin. Instinctively, she rose from her crouched position; she was the smaller of the two, and the sheer lack of color in this one's eyes was at least a little bit unsettling. Still, that didn't deter Mauti from being an ass. "It might be," she challenged, her tail flicking unconsciously by her hocks.

"What's in it for me?"

[Valentina]

Valentina narrowed her eyes, looking at the woman directly now, and with unbridled frustration.

What's in it for me?

Another step forward. She shook the droplets off her paw in midair despite knowing she'd plunge it right back into the water a moment later. "This could have been the beginning of a beautiful friendship for the both of us," she sniffed. "But now, what's in it for you is simple: prove yourself worth something to me other than becoming a punching bag."

[Mauti]

Another step forward, this time a single one punctuated by the subtle dislodgement of water that clung to her toes. Mauti glanced at the motion momentarily, then let her gaze rise back up, narrowed to the same degree. Her instincts told her that she was in danger, that she shouldn't let this stranger get close — but her stubbornness and exhaustion forbid her from acting upon it so soon.

She stood her ground the best she could given the uneven earth that her paws sunk ever so slightly into. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not interested in threats," she said. "Or friends, for that matter."

A pause. This wolf could easily lunge for her, she reminded herself, and the muddy bank that rose steeply at her back wouldn't do much to lend her an escape route. Besides that, this valley she'd fled to was completely unfamiliar, and, well, strength in numbers was an important concept, right? She cleared her throat. "But.. I guess I could follow you around for a bit. Keep you company, so long as you don't talk."

An impassive face followed her words — she was serious.

[Valentina]

She'd gotten what she'd wanted, bullied the girl right into an agreement, but it clearly wasn't what she wanted.

"That's a shame," she said, feigning regret. Her body language, once postured and vaguely threatening, now deflated back to normal. "I enjoy talking."

She turned to walk away, to splash out of the water and plod through the trees.

[Mauti]

It was a shame, she said, and moments later she turned to leave, departing from the water and up the bank to disappear into the trees. Mauti's eyes followed her in silence, the rest of her frozen in some mild form of confusion. Did she leave purely because Mauti didn't want to hear her talk?

Or was she expected to follow?

A few heartbeats passed and then Mauti remembered, simply, that she didn't care. She glanced down at the water's edge that reached for the very tips of her toes, then suddenly turned to go the opposite direction that the stranger had gone. What a weird wolf, she thought to herself.

// exit unless stopped / spoken to!