`` Earth Skills [OPEN]

[Keziah]

Keziah had been on Anikira for several weeks now. The feeling of loneliness, foreign-ness, of not belonging, had not subsided. Of course, she also hadn't made much of an effort to seek out other wolves. Her main focus had been getting a bearing on where she was at, where the prey was, who the packs were, what they were about. She had discovered from word of mouth through the grapevine that some were more friendly and hospitable than others and that they currently occupied all of the prime hunting grounds for this season. As unfortunate as that was for her, she had found decent hunting grounds and a clean water supply here in Xisyn. She doubted if this land would ever sustain a pack based on her current observations of the terrain and the prey and the fact that there hadn't been one established already, but it would suit her purposes for now.

She sat by the water, watching the little fish and creatures swim around. There was something relaxing and peaceful about this little strip of water in the midst of all the rocks and boulders that covered this area. Her heart felt heavy with homesickness. Maybe in privacy, she could allow herself to experience such an emotion. Back home, there was no time or place for sadness, but here while she was separated from her family, she could miss them without fear of being accused of weakness. Her brain swam with thoughts of home as her eyes watched little minnows swim in the stream. Her mind wandered to Thetis, her former beta who had been tortured by a neighboring, rival pack in order to get information on the Commander. She had been beautiful, strong, a warrior, a leader. It was funny how even when Keziah had buried her and grieved her death that she still seeped into her mind and caused her to feel melancholy.

These were thoughts she didn't want to dwell on. Missing one's home and missing the dead were not the same. The dead were gone and no amount of sadness would ever bring them back. Or that's what Keziah told herself whenever these feelings came back to her. She pushed them away, she didn't want to feel that kind of sadness anymore. In fact, she didn't want to feel any sadness anymore. She decided that she was done sulking. She stood up and lapped up some of the water before heading off along the bank. She wasn't sure what she would find, if anything at all, but anything would be better than sitting on her ass and dwelling on the past.

---

Muse: pretty low. new characters are difficult and starters are the enemy but I tried to leave it as open as possible for others to drop in. My muse will pick up as the thread gets moving.
Notes: Have fun xD
Words: 439

[Journey]

The day had started with a plan, but Journey had clearly not followed it; as the light-coated wolf passed over the border from Aveline into Xisyn, she noticed a distinct change in atmosphere. Perhaps it was in her mind, but the barren lands of the south seemed even harsher on this side of the border, as though warning her to keep her distance, to go back to her new home. But she pressed on, some strange force telling her to explore while she had the chance.

Ananke was calm, quiet, almost boring, but it was home, and she would certainly return. Journey simply wanted to see what there was around her new lands, scope out potential threats outside the border before they came inside. As a warrior, she would be protecting the pack, and while she had explored all there was inside of Aveline, she still needed to inspect the borders and beyond before she could truly feel comfortable where she was. And so she pressed on, losing the scent of her new packmates and trading them for the harsh new scents of a land undiscovered.

There was not much here, even as she followed the river along. Xisyn was much more barren than Aveline, which at least included trees and prey, instead of simply scrub brush and scattered patches of long grasses. Journey knew she could not spend much time here--in fact, she likely would be gone before nightfall, for a land so desolate could not possibly hold the type of danger that Ananke would need protection from. The potential was there, just unlikely.

As the river wound gently to and fro, Journey spotted, in the distance, the white outline of another creature, instantly setting her own light form into an alert state. Though she outwardly showed no signs of aggression, there was a subtle change in her casual walk, turning it predatory and smooth. Her bright green eyes no longer swept the landscape but locked instead on the stranger, the potential threat, and her nostrils flared as she attempted to scent someone who was still a fair distance out from her. The lack of wind meant that she accomplished nothing, but it had been worth a try.

The two continued to stride toward each other, and Journey began to slow when the features of the other wolf came into view. She had very distinctive markings upon her face, ones that gave the larger wolf pause. The stranger was also quite petite, much smaller than Journey had been expecting, though she did not for a second begin to lower her guard. Size meant nothing, for the female had met plenty of small wolves just as skilled as she.

Within shouting distance at last, Journey stilled her large paws and stood tall, several yards from the other wolf. She twitched her bushy tail once, then let it lie still behind her. With her legs straight and her head lifted proudly, she looked across the ground at the stranger. She took a moment, then spoke in a deep but still feminine voice. "Greetings, stranger," she called, her tone flat but not threatening. "What an odd place to be wandering."

Words || 534
Tags || Keziah
Notes || Hope this is all okay for you! Let me know if you need me to add a little dialogue so it's easier to reply, or if you want me to change anything. x)

[Keziah]

Keziah had been trained as a warrior. Learning to fight and to defend had been integrated into her development from the time she could walk. However, as a female, she had been taken from her training as a two year old and transitioned to training for more administrative roles, giving her ample experience in both fighting and politics. Back home, those were two crucial skills if one wanted to survive. She assumed that this was the same everywhere but the longer she stayed on Anikira, the more she realized how different she was to the natives. During her few weeks, she had gotten some strange stares from other wolves without packs for her markings. Back home, there hadn't been much credence given to markings or attractiveness (though it certainly didn't hurt) but it seemed as though it played a larger role here.

Ever vigilant (her training had made sure of that), she spotted a likewise figure in the distance. Another wolf. So far, the wolves she had come across had been reasonably peaceful and hoped that she could continue that streak of good luck with this new on-comer. The other figure was too far to pick up the scent of a pack or any other information that might be useful and the wind hadn't been any help. She would have to go in blind. How many times had she followed the Commander into a meeting with a neighbor and been nose-blind? She could handle this.

Coming closer to the stranger, Keziah noticed their size and stance. The opposing wolf was considerably larger than herself which Keziah wouldn't take lightly. However, she had seen many large wolves who fight like pups - no skill, all rage, and were easy to beat. It was near impossible to gauge a wolf's skill in fighting based on size.

Keziah's brows furrowed with slight confusion as the other wolf stopped in her tracks several yards away. Was this the custom? To yell at one another from this far away? What strange wolves lived here. She had grown used to conversations being more... intimate. Where one could speak at a reasonable volume and not worry about anyone overhearing what was being said. But she supposed if this was how meetings were done here, she would comply. Keziah also stood tall but relaxed. Nothing had happened yet that would warrant stiff, aggressive behavior. The other wolf seemed proud... of something. She wasn't sure exactly what it was but whatever it was, it wasn't important enough to be thinking about right now.

"Greetings," she returned "Indeed it is." She took a quick scan of the rocks and desolation that surrounded them before continuing, "Is it your home?" Perhaps she'd be able to tell if they were closer and could pick up the scent that the other she-wolf had residence here, but alas.

Keziah preferred to stay diplomatic when first meeting someone. It was always safe to keep a cool, rational distance between one's self and another individual. She was of course suspicious and cautious of the stranger but had no desire to start a fight with her. The other she-wolf seemed non-aggressive so Keziah presumed that this conversation would go without a hitch and they would both be on their way soon enough.

---

Journey

[Journey]

When she was met not with immediate hostility but instead a polite and formal response, Journey became less concerned with the potential danger that this female posed. She did not for a second underestimate her, but the fact that she was not attacked or berated upon first meeting was a good sign. The stranger seemed concerned about the distance between the two, which Journey now realized was quite large; after the initial words had been exchanged, the larger female set her feet against the ground and began to move closer, cautiously.

She got within leaping distance and stopped again, unwilling to come any closer until she learned more about this female. At this distance, she and Journey would be able to scent each other and clearly see facial expressions and, if necessary, the tensing of muscles and other displays. It would be difficult for either female to prepare to attack without the other knowing, and Journey was satisfied with that.

The smaller female spoke few words, and Journey found herself satisfied with that. She had never been big on long, drawn-out greetings and conversations, and any wolf that clearly did not spend time beating around the bush was in better standing than most. Now that they were closer, Journey could see that the markings around the other wolf's eyes trailed down like tears along her face, making them all the more interesting.

"I live not far from here," Journey revealed, tilting her head slightly the the side as she spoke. "In a land much more inhabitable. This one, it seems, holds very little in the way of life." She paused then, as though to glance around, but could not pull her eyes from the dark-rimmed orbs of the female before her. It would have been unwise to look away regardless, but it helped to have something to keep her attention.

"Those eye markings. Are they natural?" she asked next, quirking an eyebrow. It would have been polite for her to introduce herself before asking such a probing question, but then again, these were two wolves in a neutral territory; no rules were in place that said she had to reveal her name, and she felt no need to do so quite yet.

Words || 381
Tags || Keziah
Notes || Wahh I feel like this was awful I'm so sorry

[Keziah]

Keziah was unsure about why the other female had decided to close the distance between the two of them so suddenly, but she was admittedly more comfortable at this distance than the previous one. It felt a little more natural and not quite as strange. Was this also customary? To stand at an obnoxious distance at first but then move closer? That hadn't been the case with the other lone wolves she'd come across. But she didn't put much more thought into it than that. The other female moved cautiously closer, something that Keziah appreciated. Respectful caution was something any wolf with a brain would offer strangers.

Keziah's eyes followed the direction of the other female's head tilted in the direction of her home. She wasn't too surprised that the other femme didn't live here. The land wasn't very hospitable. Keziah only planned to stay until the season shifted over and the herds of prey moved elsewhere. As a wolf without a pack, she didn't have much choice expect to move with her food source. She couldn't afford to loiter around. The other female said that her home was more hospitable than the land here, "I don't doubt it," she said with a nod as she again, looked at the rocks and lifelessness surrounding them. It wasn't that the land here didn't have sufficient food or water, it just looked dead. There wasn't much green and everything was covered in rocks and cacti. It didn't seem very home-y to say the least.

The other female asked about her markings, a question she wasn't bothered by and shouldn't have been surprised by. She tried not to take offense to the probing question, it was only natural for strangers to be curious. Perhaps her markings were more extreme than the other female was used to seeing. "Yes, they are natural," she spoke with an explanatory tone. The idea that the other female thought that markings could be unnatural was also interesting. The more that Keziah looked at the other female's face, she could see the similarities that hadn't been apparent at first. The other female also had darker coloring around the eyes and down the nose, albeit not as noticeable as Keziah's markings were. "Are your markings natural?" she asked with genuine curiosity and a slight tilt of the head. She didn't understand how markings could be anything but natural but perhaps that was just one more thing that differentiated Anikira from her home. Maybe markings could be placed after birth by a shamanistic advance that hadn't reached her home yet.

Journey

[Journey]

It became immediately clear that the female before her was not going to make much conversation, but that suited Journey fine for the most part. She was not a huge talker, never had been; Sunny, her lost love, had been the one who charmed loners and pack wolves alike, and Journey had mostly kept her mouth shut unless her input was deemed necessary. Here and now, however, there was no Sunny to initiate more conversation, and as it was her duty to protect Ananke--despite being outside of the borders--she decided to make a bigger effort to get this wolf talking.

"My markings are natural as well," she responded with a kinder note to her voice, though her facial expression did not change. Her body language altered dramatically, however, when she took a chance and settled her rump to the ground, relaxing before the stranger but not letting her guard down. "I ask because, in the past, I have seen wolves paint masks on their faces with different flowers, or mud. Some did it to appear fierce, and others because they were vain. I never really understood, but it seemed to matter to them." Delicately she shrugged, her tail curling around her hind leg as she did so.

The female took another moment to inspect her companion, unsure what to say. There was not much she felt the need to know, but name and history seemed like good places to start. As with any situation, though, she knew she must first give in order to get, and despite the fact that she would rather not, the warrior chose to reveal some of herself. "My name is Journey," she started, "I am a warrior of Ananke, a new pack created not far from here. Before I joined them, I was alone for a few years."

The words came easily, even though Journey had never been one to speak of herself much. With her new pack mates she had become accustomed to the short spiel, and thankfully was able to reveal the same to this stranger without much trouble. She could hope that the light-hued wolf before her would simply offer up her own information, but it would be much easier to ask. "What may I call you, stranger? Where do you hail from?" Journey asked, one question right after the other. They were short and direct, but not at all unkind compared to the she-wolf's usual manner.

Words || 420
Tags || Keziah
Notes || Trying to get more going here. xD Do you have plans with Keziah at all yet? She could definitely join Ananke if you wanted. (: