The roar of the falls drew in prey animals needing a watering hole - and also those who preyed upon them. Whorl, no great hunter by any stretch of the imagination, knew this would be a prime locale for a few easy kills. His ears stood tall and his semi-prehensile tail made serpentine movements as he crept along the lakeside, legs bent to hold him low to the springy ground. The crashing of water would cover his footfalls well, he thought.
Maybe Whorl had underestimated the intelligence of those he aimed to hunt. There was nothing but birds strutting at this part of the lake’s edge - yet laying out on something that seemed too insignificant to call an island, was a pair of capybaras. A grin turned up the corners of the canine’s lips as he observed them sunning themselves. Whorl knew that capybaras were strong swimmers and he was a decidedly terrestrial creature - but there was more than one way to approach things.
Whorl backed away from the edge of the water, his head low, until he felt his hind paws bump against a thick tree root. The small wolf turned and tilted back his head to assess the tree towering over him.
As much as Sage hated to admit it, life moved on in this new world she found herself starting to call home. The ache of missing her family lessened each day little by little, and it had taken her less time than she had anticipated to grow used to their absence. Maybe it was because she wasn't completely alone. She had her brother, and she had met several others throughout the lands. She had learned that there was some Kingdom in place that despite the title, basically let others do as they pleased within the Realm.
Sage also learned that she enjoyed exploring outside of her family's old territory. She learned that there was a huge open world out there to see, and she learned that she didn't have to be so scared of exploring it. She learned that she liked the idea of the entire Realm being under the rule of one set of wolves. It eliminated petty bickering and battles over who gets to pee where and who gets what rock to enjoy. It granted her freedoms like she'd never had before and Sage learned that she loved being free, to answer to herself and do as she pleased.
With her wings stretched wide, she was once more flying over the jungle, her pastel eyes searching for a nice spot to settle down and recover from her journey before she went about filling her various bags she had draped around her neck and over her sides. She heard what sounded like a waterfall and angled her flight towards that direction. The jungle of her homelands had been largely off-limits to her for most of her life. So, now that she had access to one, she took full advantage of it, finding herself down in the south at least once a moon rotation. She hadn't rested at the waterfall yet, however, and the idea of falling asleep to the lull enticed her into beating her wings faster.
With her burst of excitement at both the possibilities starting and her journey ending, Sage was not delicate with her descent through the jungle canopy nor with her landing. As large as she was, when she impacted the ground it was with a solid thud. Her tail splashed as it landed partially within the waters, she herself having landed close to the edge where little-known-to-her, another wolf had just been lurking about. The birds silenced at her arrival, and whatever other animals had been in the area had scattered at her presence. At such a realization, Sage frowned. "Oh" she spoke softly as she stretched her wings full-span, then tucked them up beside her comfortably. She stepped forward and turned to look at her half-wet tail, then sat to start grooming it with a sudden brush that had been pulled from seemingly nowhere. "I guess I misjudged my footing." she muttered, taking brush in paw and working the wet fur clean of debris and tangles. "I hope no one saw that."
A branch reached out over the water’s edge; the tree it belonged to was large enough that that limb could gain Whorl a good few feet of distance on the sunbathing rodents. He could manoeuvre with far more ease in the treetops than in water. All he needed to do was reach it and slink along it…
There was a disturbance above, a large, winged shape encroaching on the space in the jungle canopy. Whorl watched from the base of the tree, assessing the stranger’s angle of descent. He’d never flown himself, nor had he envied the ability. That wouldn’t stop him huffing as he felt the impact of the mammoth wolf uniting with the ground. His eyes narrowed.
For such stout and blocky creatures, the capybaras slipped into the waters with surprising elegance. Whorl had been expecting some sort of belly-flop and a splash that would touch the cliffs above but - while he had little hope of seeing them beneath the surface - they didn’t leave much of a wake.
“Well I hate to dash your hopes, sweetie...” The quilled male stood to his full height, which might as well have been seven inches. “I saw the whole thing.” The tip of his semi-prehensile tail flicked. “Great entertainment.” Whorl turned his head to survey the water. It had been deserted with urgency when the much larger canine had touched down. A pout slid down Whorl’s narrow muzzle and his brows shifted, his lips drooping in a caricature of disappointment. “Even if my lunch has disappeared.” He clicked his tongue as if reprimanding the stranger.
Her hope had been shattered as someone made it very clear that they had seen her less than graceful landing. Sage turned to look upon the canid who called her sweetie and turned to see a smaller, leaner wolf. He immediately reminded her of the jungle its self with his colorations, and she especially eyed his tail which was anything but wolf-like. He was certainly a unique wolf, she summarized, as she noted what seemed to be some sort of stiff fur or quills running along his back. 'Keep away' it told her instinctually. She'd been stuck in the face by a porcupine more than she'd like to admit. It came with the nature of searching the rocky terrain and foliage for gems and minerals to find.
At the mention of being great entertainment, Sage's long tail thumped gently against the ground in the form of a wag. She wrestled it for a moment with the brush before giving up and stashing it away into her bag hanging over her flanks. She smiled sweetly until the other wolf pouted, in which she leaned forward to see what was wrong. His lunch had disappeared? "Oh! I'm so sorry!" she suddenly started apologizing, "Forgive me. I didn't know anyone else was here, let alone someone hunting. You have fantastic camouflage, by the way. Absolutely wonderful. Your palette would make a lovely picture, I think. Perhaps I could work them into my jewelry together." As she apologized and complimented and yammered on, she dug into the other side of the saddle-bag that rested on her haunch. From it she pulled a woven bag. She quickly worked it with her teeth to loosen the opening, then gently tossed it to the stranger. "It's not much, I'm afraid. I didn't bring many rations with me. Hopefully it will suffice for now? Or, I uh. I could help you find something else? I'm so terribly sorry." It suddenly struck her that she didn't introduce herself. "My name is Sage Valor by the way. I live in the north." Live, like this was her home now. It mind as well be.. "Please, tell me what I can do to make the situation right again."
