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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:15 pm
Eel threaded through the trees, blending in with the shadows and keeping close to the trunks. Her belly was full but rather than sleep off her latest kill, she was wide awake. Too much energy to spare. Her nose was full of smells, catching the odd whiff of wolves that had passed by this way hours past. Her ears were perked, alert to every sound, each snap of twig or rustle in. It was a day of possibilities. She could feel it. She travelled quickly, keeping her presence as silent as possible. Eel only stopped when a stream intersected her path, then she dipped her head for a drink. A quick refreshment and a small snack in the form of a frog that took his leap one second too late. She crunched happily, the running water reminding her of home. Though since she didn’t plan on going back, it probably wasn’t home anymore. There was too much to see in world to remain with her family by the same river, hunting the same fish, seeing the same faces day in and day out.
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 7:24 am
 Swamp Crow was far from home, but she had been raised into a capable young wolf and so the distance from her pack bothered her little. The terrain had some familiarity to her birth place. The tall trees cast dark shadows over the landscape, making it easy for a wolf as dark as herself to blend in. There was comfort in the darkness, a sense of ease in knowing that none could find her if she wished it so. She kept to them as she moved through the forest, and silently marveled at how easier it was to move through the forest than the swamp she had been raised in.
It had been weeks since she left home, and perhaps it was too long to be away but she did not mind. Her mother would not worry for her, otherwise she would have never let Swamp Crow leave. The lone female lifted her nose into the air, catching a scent that was similar to her own. Another wolf, and though it was far more wise to avoid others in unfamiliar territory, Swamp Crow believed herself to be too clever to end up in actual trouble.
With determination she changed her course, following the scent that the wind carried until she reached a clearing. Across a stream was the other wolf, a dark female with just the slightest patches of white upon her toes and face. Swamp Crow wondered, for a moment, if she had been touched by the same spirits that inhabited her birthplace. She frowned, and nearly reconsidered approaching the lone female.
But, she was no coward, and so she silently crept forward to the stream, so that when Eel looked up from the water she would see Swamp Crow looking towards her.
"Do you belong here?" she asked.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 1:26 am
She looked up, and she saw the wolf. Eel nearly startled right out of her skin. She only just held back the reaction by biting down hard, her muscles stiffening and a tremor running down her spine. It was unlike her to let someone get that close without being noticed. Especially in an unknown land. It would be first and the last time she let someone sneak up on her, she promised herself. She breathed deep, took in the scent of the unfamiliar female. She seemed to be of the same age, dark-furred especially around face which made green eyes stand out bright and clear. Pretty. Clearly curious. There wasn’t any threat in her behaviour which meant Eel was safe for the moment. “I belong wherever I am,” Eel replied. She licked the last droplets of water from around her muzzle. "What about you?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 4:23 pm
Eel's answered resonated poorly with Swamp Crow. The wolf tilted her head to the side, her gaze discerning as she weighed the lone wolf's words. What arrogance, to believe that one belonged somewhere just because they happened to be there. For the moment, Swamp Crow was unsure how to take the stranger. They were relatively the same age, but Eel spoke with a confidence she either had or was very good at faking it if she did not.
"Ah, so these woods have claimed you, then?" she inquired slyly.
Swamp Crow remained on the other side of the stream, not daring to step over the cool waters and close the distance between them. Just because curiosity had drawn her to the other wolf, it did not mean that she had taken leave of her senses. "These woods hold no power over me, I am not from here and I do not intend to stay." While before she had attempted to tease the other, now she answered honestly.
Of course, she withheld the 'why' she was here. That information would not be so freely given. "I am Swamp Crow, child of Murky Waters and Midnight Crow. I do not imagine you would know such names, but I give them to you for your benefit regardless." There was power in a name, knowledge and history if one so chose to seek it out. Swamp Crow doubted Eel would find much use in the information, however.
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 11:50 pm
The idea that anything, let alone the woods, could claim her was laughable. But Eel didn’t laugh, she just watched instead as the other wolf moved closer. It was a clever distance. If Eel was the type to suddenly attack, there would be time for escape. And vice versa. This way they could both assuage their curiosity without danger. Eel could have said, ‘I don’t plan on staying either’ but she wasn’t in the business of giving anyone information about her plans. Not even her family. She’d never said goodbye. She figured they were used to her disappearances and had expected her never to return one day. “Well, good for you.” She sat down next to the muddy stream bed, just to show off how unconcerned she was over their exchange. “Though I’m not sure how the woods would hold power over anyone.” It was the names that made her chuckle, a soft ‘huff huff’ in the back of her throat. How curious. Eel had never taken lineage into her consideration. They weren’t names she knew and they meant nothing to her. The only one that mattered was Swamp Crow because she was standing before her. “That’s cute,” she said, grinning. “Don’t see how that benefits me but thanks... I guess?” She was tempted to not give her name at all, just for that extra edge. But that was boring so she said simply, “Eel. That’s my name.” Plain and simple.
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:20 pm
"I would not underestimate them so much," Swamp Crow warned, though the smile upon her maw implied the wolf knew more than what she spoke of. Even if it was a bluff, it was a harmless one. Her gaze lifted then towards the tops of the trees, though she could not see where they ended... somewhere she would never reach. That was a limitation that she would not surpass. "There is power here, either you know it or you know not to linger long."
The other wolf tried to slight her, and someone with a shorter temper would have taken insult to Eel's dismissive attitude and demeaning tone. Swamp Crow simply would not let Eel best her. "It doesn't," she agreed, "Not yet at least." It was difficult to say what mattered, or what would matter. Swamp Crow was, admittedly, interested to see if her heritage ever became important.
Swamp Crow grimaced at the name involuntarily, "ugh. Why would your parents name you that?" Those creatures were... horrifying, shaped like snakes but slimier and smellier. An unfortunate name for an unfortunate wolf, she supposed. "You are old enough that you could change your name now, call yourself whatever you like. You don't have to be Eel." It was advice... but Swamp Crow had not the sensitivity to deliver it properly.
In fact, she was being downright rude.
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2019 3:41 am
This Swamp Crow sure liked to talk a lot of nonsense. Vague mystical mumbo jumbo. Sometimes a forest was just a forest and that was all there was to it. Eel yawned, quite obviously. Her tail thumped once in amusement. “We’ll see about that,” Eel said, clearly not buying into whatever Swamp Crow was trying to sell in regards to her lineage. The reaction to her name was a surprise. She’d never thought about it in a negative light and her mother certainly hadn’t given it to her with bad intent. Eel’s head cocked to the side thoughtfully. She could see the point Swamp Crow was making, however... “Your name isn’t that great, you know?” Eel bit back, quick to attack. “Swamps aren’t exactly nice and crows are shifty, put them together and you’ve got a nasty swamp bird. Eels however are difficult to catch, slippery. They’re hard to find and they’ll wriggle out of the strongest grasp. It suits me. I’ll keep my name but maybe you should change yours?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2019 8:48 am
"...You're really talking about the merits of eels?" Swamp Crow laughed incredulously, the sound resonating through the forest. Subtlety had been tossed out the window as she realized that she wasn't sure if she liked this wolf at all. They were both too young and too stubborn - Swamp Crow couldn't back down from the challenge that Eel was practically throwing into her face. "Have you ever eaten one? Disgusting." She did not bother to repress the shiver that traveled down her spine.
"Crows, on the other hand, are some of the most intelligent birds. While eels lurk in the mud and water, crows take to the skies." She spoke of the birds with no small amount of awe. In ways she was jealous of what they could achieve - no other animal could claim the skies as they had. "I can admit that swamp, perhaps, is not the most appealing of names. But to try to insult a crow is a laughable offense."
She wasn't about to tell Eel that she was named Swamp Crow because she lived in a swamp. Swamp Crow did not want this wolf knowing where she came from, not that she thought Eel would be brave enough to traverse the dangers of a swamp to find her. "It seems, Eel, like we disagree quite a bit."
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 6:32 pm
Now Eel was annoyed. Her ears flicked back and green eyes narrowed. But there was also enjoyment to be had in a vicious retort. “You think too highly of crows. They’re scraggly scavengers, cawing up in the trees, flapping about. They make a big racket. Birds are ridiculous creatures. There’s nothing exciting about being up there.” Her head jerked skyward and her nose wrinkled in disgust. In truth she didn’t hate crows or birds at all, not until right now, when trying to outmatch Swamp Crow’s repulsion. “It seems like we do,” Eel agreed with a nasty smile that was all tooth. “Apparently a swampy bird and an eel don’t get along. Probably because scraggly birds like yourself are very rude.” So what happened now? One of them should just walk away. This conversation could only lead to more insults but Eel wasn’t going to be the one to back down first.
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:09 pm
The growl, soft and low in the back of her throat betrayed her. She had wanted to keep her growing irritation with the other female hidden, but the insults to her namesake were hard to ignore. Of course, she could choose in the moment to forget she had done exactly the same thing to Eel. But, when one wanted to be right in a situation they had to ignore what was done wrong. "Say what you will, but you find creatures that cling to the water and mud, trapped to one terrain, so much better?
What a lack of imagination," she chastised with a roll of her eyes. Things were starting to get out of hand - if her mother had witnessed the way Swamp Crow behaved, there surely would have been a price to pay. It was Swamp Crow's first real outing outside of her home territory alone, and already she had made trouble for herself.
A dilemma struck when the young female realized that she did not want to be the first one to leave. Eel surely would take it as Swamp Crow backing down from a potential fight, and she refused to have such an insult to her character happen. Instead of turning tail to leave the volatile conversation, Swamp Crow instead stepped through the stream, crossing over the watery line between them. "I find an eel's conversation to be rather unappetizing myself. Stick to the dirt, Eel - I will reach for the skies instead." She promised the other wolf, continuing her path forward. She would not retreat from Eel in a cowardly manner.
But, she also didn't see the point in hanging around with such an annoying wolf.
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 6:09 am
Swamp Crow growled and it made Eel’s day. With that sounds she was up on her paws, her tail raised, doing a little wriggle of victory. She would have bounced on the spot if she still didn’t have a battle to fight. A rather foolish battle, she would admit to herself, but still, this silly wolf had started it and she refused to back down. “Trapped in mud and water? Nonsense. The eel is a master of its domain. Better to be that then just another feather ball feeding off leftovers and filling the air with useless noise.” Eel was quite proud of herself for her reasoning. In her opinion, she was definitely coming out on top in this argument. But the dilemma remained that something had to give or else they’d be there all day. And when Swamp Crow made her move, Eel was begrudgingly impressed. It was a neat solution. You weren’t walking away if you were walking forward, passing Eel by as if she didn’t even matter. She was presuming that Eel would not make things physical, and she was right. Eel didn’t budge from where she stood, meeting Swamp Crow approach unflinching. Swamp Crow could by but Eel wasn't budging. “Enjoy flapping around,” Eel taunted. “You’re just as loud and annoying as your namesake. Good riddance.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:37 pm
"Then crawl to the depths so that I may never have to hear your voice again," Swamp Crow answered irritably. She looked back over her shoulder and to the creek behind her, gauging if it was deep enough to shove Eel's head into. Not quite deep enough, so she would allow that fanciful thought to be just that. Swamp Crow convinced herself she had more important things to do with her time, after all she was not out of her own pack lands for no reason.
"And you're just as appalling as your own namesake. Congratulations, have a nice life." Swamp Crow would not allow herself to be baited further, mostly because she had no real desire to take on Eel in a fight. Not that she wouldn't win, because of course she would, but it was just too troublesome.
With her course set there was no reason to stray from it, and so Swamp Crow continued forward into the forest where she quickly disappeared from view.Ruriska LOL, I don't think they're going to be bffs. But I think this is a good wrap if you agree? <3
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