wolves in our own skin; any

[Dara]

Wolves in our own skin, we're savages; we act so primitive.

The forest here isn't so different from Echo Trails. Towering old trees and slender young ones, most of them bare of leaves and heavily laden with snow. Little clearings here and there, where I can see more of the sky than just glimpses of grey peeking through interlaced branches. I've come across a few frozen-over streams, the ice too thick to paw through and reach the bit of water still managing to flow beneath the surface. This latest one is the same, too long frozen to break through. That's something I like about home; we've got a nice river running through our herd land that still flows, and I'd much rather drink than munch on snow.

Still. I'm damn thirsty, so I scoop up a mouthful of the crunchy white and follow the stream. Maybe it'll flow into a nice little pond or a lake, or even a big river that's still liquid all the way up. And maybe I'll find someone to talk to along the way. I'd hate to go home and have to tell my dads I'd gone all the way to the Forest and all I'd done was wander around.

Wandering might be fine for my aunt, Daeryssa. My cousin Tycho seems to enjoy it too. Me, though? I don't really like being on my own, and experiences are more fun when you have someone to share them with. That's the whole point of being out and about even in this weather, after all! I could be curled up against dragon skin, keeping nice and cozy and listening to Grandma's stories. But we came all this way to Beqanna, and I'm damn well going to make some friends. Get to know people. Maybe even...I mean, someday maybe even find someone to love. If I'm lucky.

And brave. I've seen what love can do to people when it goes wrong. Still Dad is so much happier now that he has Papa back. Aunt Ryss is much happier too, now that she broke free of her self-imposed imprisonment and fell for Uncle Zuzu. So. Maybe it's worth the risk. I guess it doesn't matter at this point. I'm young yet, only about four in this body according to Grandma. There's plenty of time to worry about things like love later.

With a sigh, I walk on, searching for some sign of life. Snow begins falling gently, dainty flakes catching on my white hair and lashes, lingering on the platinum-pale roaning that frosts my almost black coat and making most of my body look even lighter than usual. Still I wander, finally coming to the end of the stream, where it empties into a lake. The water is no less frozen here, but something more determined or gifted than I am has carved out some of the ice and left a place to drink. It's already started to freeze again, crystals forming on the surface and turning water to slush. I'd take slush over snow any day, so I lower my head to drink deep, my thick forelock obscuring my vision a little, falling over one gold eye.

Do the rain dance like you're on fire.

[Willa]

"You only live once but if you do it right..."

She was acquainted with Dara's family. She had once upon a time thought of Quark as her second mom and all of her brood extended brothers and sisters. Strangelet had been her best friend, and they had had so much fun together. Learning the ways of the Jungle and watching in awe as Strange showed her some new thing. She had been a little jealous, being so plain next to her wonderful Strange but she had always shoved it down, shoved it away and talked herself out of it. She was absolutely perfect the way she was and didn't need anything to be changed....

Now, she wished her life would be as interesting as her younger life had been. She wished there was someone in her life that she could just be friends with that would stick around. Or that she wouldn't lose interest. Being alone was so horrible. Now she understood why her Da had returned back to his homeland, more and more often. There she had aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and so many family members that she could not even hardly name them all. And her Gran and Gramps were still kicking, so that was always fun. Quark's brood remind her of them.

Its with these random thoughts on her mind that she finds herself wandering through the Forest (again). The snow wasn't as thick here, as it was out amongst the Meadow where there was nothing to keep the snow from falling onto the ground. The interwoven branches of the Forest kept the snow above her, or most of it. She watches a rather large cloud of it fall with a small smile.

She moves, meanders really, with no real purpose or place to go. She doesn't really plan on seeing anyone, as the snow makes it difficult for a lot of horses or makes it so they don't want to leave their homes. It's quite a surprise when she sees Drow's daughter, not that she knows who it is, drinking from the lake. A pause of her movement and a small head tilt as she debates moving closer.

Finally Willa does. She is approaching from Dara's right shoulder and her black coat is obvious against the white and brown of the background. A soft breath, a huff of air to announce her presence. She smiles slightly, the corners of her lips turning up ever so slightly. "Hello there." She says and then falls quiet again, her brown eyes watchful and curious.

"Once is enough."

Willa

[Dara]

Wolves in our own skin, we're savages; we act so primitive.

The water is lovely, cold and clear and just what I needed. Thank goodness for whatever mysterious creature left such a conveniently placed hole in the ice and made it easy to get to. Footsteps and a soft exhalation clue me into the approach of a stranger. Her voice is gentle, with a hint of an accent even two words in, and my lips curve into a smile. She sounds sweet. And maybe kind of adorable. It's admittedly hard to tell going just by voice though, so my best bet for finding out is to turn around and look.

I raise my head from the water, backing away from the hole in the ice and maneuvering myself back around to take a look. Though I could, in retrospect, just have taken a peek over my shoulder, this seems more polite. More welcoming, yeah? “Hello there yourself,” I reply, stepping a little closer and looking her over. I was right; she's cute, a very pretty face, lovely arching neck, clean lines and gentle curves not quite hidden by her thick winter coat. And I like the sparkle of curiosity in her eyes.

“My name's Dara,” I tell her, answering her little smile with a huge, unrestrained grin of my own. The look in her eyes makes me think she might be fun to get into a little trouble with. New partner in crime? Yes please. I close the distance between us to something a little more amenable to a nice conversation with a stranger. “I'm from Echo Trails, live there with my dads and my grandma, and my aunt and uncle and cousin.”

And I hear there are some baby sisters on the way too, which is really damn exciting. I've always wanted to be a big sister, and now that my dads are finally back together it seems like a whole lot of my dreams are coming true. One big happy family. It was nice, with Dad and Grandma when I was little. But I always wondered what it would be like, always hoped I'd find out.

There were even a couple of times I thought maybe a guy Dad was seeing would be good enough, would stick for real, and I'd have a chance at a big family again. But I could see in Dad's eyes it was never...he loved, but never as hard, never as completely, never as much as he'd loved Papa. So it never lasted. But now? Now I've got my Papa back, and we've got three new sisters due to make an entrance soon. I can't fucking wait.

“What about you? What's your name? Where're you from?”

Do the rain dance like you're on fire.

[Willa]

"You only live once but if you do it right..."

The questions in her eyes match my curiosity that I feel about her and I cannot help but laugh a little when she voices them all. I smile, settling in for some easy conversation underneath the thick boughs of the forest. "My name is Willa." I begin with the easiest question of the lot. There is a bit of sadness in my smile now as I continue with my short story. "I live here...or the Meadow. My Da is currently visiting other family members far from this place. It's always a journey. Fun the first few times but after that....It's always best when you are just there ya ken?"

I did miss that side of the family, all the aunts and cousins and uncles. And cousins, did I mention them before? There is a whole slew of them on Da's side and every time we go back there is a new fuzzy face that I have to remember. It's fun watching them grow up. We try to make the trip every year but this year Da had decided to stay longer and I had returned on my own. It was the weirdest thing making that same trip by myself.

I shrug a little. "I am glad you are out and about this brisk day. I was rather bored by myself." I say with a smile and turn to look around us. "The weather makes most want to stay holed up in their homes." Noting how the Forest seems more sparsely populated than usual and turn back to her. Back to Dara.

I wouldn't know much about siblings, Da and Mam had decided I was enough and once I was big enough Mam had faded away a little. Being mute made her one quiet lassie even when she didn't make enough noise to scare an elephant (on purpose of course). But I still saw her now and again, she always would check in in that quiet way of hers to make sure I was well. It made me smile a little. I had two parents that tried to do their best with me in their own ways. "So Dara-girl, what do you want to do?" Let's just skip straight to being fast friends and getting into trouble shall we?

"Once is enough."

Willa