A thermal hot spring surrounded by miles of open tundra and taiga. Located on a mostly barren island, the hot springs are known for their healing and magical waters. Warm geysers shoot out from cracks in the ice and rocky pools of warm water can be found here.
Larkspur released a deep, pleased breath as the water boiled around them, allowing their eyes to slip shut as the heat from the pools seeped into their muscles. In their initial search for Balthazar, the wolf had primarily taken their journey southward - riding the warm thermals as they hopped from forested area to forested area. They'd taken several days to rest once the hyena had been located, allowing the last of their lost feathers to grow back in (though from the way they itched, they wearily acknowledged a winter molt coming their way) before they returned to their determination of mapping out this new world. This time, they had elected to venture north - they'd already come across quite a few interesting places, from a massive sinkhole full of winding, twisting tunnels to a series of strangely stacked-looking rock formations with woodlands sitting atop them. They had followed the mountain-range, catching scent of a second one of those mega-pack scent boundaries when they tried to follow the forest. Not looking forward to having their wings ripped from their back for trespassing, they had opted to instead follow the rocky outline of mountains - and gods, were they glad they had or else they certainly would've missed the myriad of pools.
An aggravated hiss drew their attention and they turned their head in time to see Folke vacating the shallow pool it had been resting in, the reticulated python quickly slithering across the ground to begin wrapping its way around their neck again. The snake had been carefully deposited in a much cooler pool than the one Larkspur had chosen to rest in, allowing the smaller creature to avoid potentially overheating and dying from it. The reptile had been rather pleased with the warm water, having spent most of their journey hidden in Larkspur's long, thick fur with how cold it could get above the cloud-line so for it to have retreated...
Someone's here, the wolf deduced, cobalt eyes beginning to scan the area for whomever had spooked their companion.
What was it that drove her to place one paw in front of the other in a continuous exploration of the new world she'd landed in? She was not sure, everything about this experience was entirely new to her. Eve had once been driven by the instinct to govern, to create, to destroy. Now, she was urged by some primal desire to keep warm, to kill to eat, and to drink. She left the expanse of tundra behind, spotting a reflective surface amidst explosive streams of water and steam shooting from the earth. What could that be?
The pantheress was quick to arrive, her optics scanning the area. There was a mild discomfort as a geyser would erupt a few feet from her with no forewarning. Eve was taken aback as she watched the stream, feeling the pitter patter of droplets soaking into her gray fur. And then, from across the clearing a very loud hiss would sound, the beast turning her head and spotting a canine soaking in a large pool of steaming water. Her brow twitched as she padded forth without hesitation, stopping some five feet from the pool itself. The wolf was wore a pelt of vivid red-brown, cropped by bright blue markings upon their eyes. Most interesting was the pair of wings that cloaked them, along with the odd scaled creature that adorned its throat. Eve was silent as she took this sight in, tail absentmindedly flicking behind her muscular figure as though she had bore one her entire life."What is that ornament you wear on your throat?"she asked, her voice silky smooth and sultry. She had never seen such a creature, certainly not in the world she had presided over. As Eve's sable gaze met the cobalt one of the canine, she felt struck by their singular beauty, an odd thrill passing through her body.
Another, slightly softer hiss from Folke directed them to the source of the serpent's discomfort bringing to sight a panther of gray and white. Larkspur blinked in passing surprise - as far as they knew, mountain lions tended to reside in warmer temperatures but they supposed that anything goes in this strange world. And the lengthy fangs that were also foreign said that this was likely not one of the territorial felids that used roam their homelands. They spread their wings briefly, allowing the warm water to drizzle from their feathered forms before pressing them against their back, the familiar sensation of the limbs melding into the wolf's body earning a light, firm shake - an indicator of relaxation but also, they wouldn't be able to simply take off with wet-wings anyway. Best to let them begin the process of drying in the strange space in their back just in-case they needed to escape than to allow them to continue soaking.
A shame, Larkspur mused. The water was beginning to feel nice. Though it doesn't seem hostile.
The thought was confirmed when, without a snarl or even a glower, the creature merely asked about the snake attempting to peer out from their damp chocolate pelt.
"...this is Folke," the wolf said, tilting their head slightly. The snake flickered its tongue a few times, as its name was said, obviously trying to take in the scent of what it had deemed 'a potential threat.' Larkspur chuckled and sent a wave of soothing feeling to the serpent, reassuring it that the wolf would protect it from the big-scar-cat if they must. "Are these your lands?"
Though they hadn't smelled any scent-markers when they landed, it was always good to check. There was an abundance of water to wash away and territory boundaries.
Eve watched as the wolf responded to her approach with a ready stretch of the wings, perhaps to prepare for a swift exit should she decide to make a meal of them. No, such a thought did not feel right at all. The wolf introduced the creature as 'Folke', though if that were simply a moniker or the title of its species, Eve did not know. "Folke."she repeated softly, drawing her salmon tongue over the long canines that showed from beneath her lips. The wolf seemed relaxed yet, asking her if these lands were hers. The panther walked a bit further forward, close enough to feel the steam coming off from the water's surface. It sent a shiver down her spine.
"No, certainly not," she replied absentmindedly as she reached a paw out to feel the warm liquid. The lands she and her sisters had formed together were much more impressive than a barren wasteland of ice and snow. She blinked up at the winged wolf. "Are you and your Folke of this world, wolf? Or are you newcomers as well?" Eve's curiosity had managed to take control as she tipped her chin and asked the question. She knew so little of the place she would now call home that she had the urge to soak up all the information possible. She was relatively sure that her mannerisms and speech may make her appear alien or simply strange to those raised in the customs of the living, but she had no room for shame. Ever so cautiously, the feline would slip into the waters, taking care to stay a good distance from the stranger. She had no wish for them to depart in a flurry of feathers and water quite yet. "My name is Eve." she would add, her haunches folding as she sat down in the pool. The water was near hot, but it was a pleasant sensation amidst the unforgiving chill in the air. Eve hoped there was more to this place than frozen land.
Truth, whispered the part of them that had begun to simply know as of late. How enjoyable, to know the feline so far spoke only with honesty. Then Larkspur was likely right that no one - feline nor wolf - held claim to these blissful hotsprings nor the chilly land that surrounded it. They took that confirmation as invitation to continue relaxing, unbothered by the new presence - they had met quite a few new faces since they surfaced here, what was one more to their repotore?
"Folke is from this world but I am not," Larkspur informed - ah, another newcomer. They wondered how this particular unfortunate soul had ended up here. They'd come to believe that this particularly place was a sort of... in-between realms, so to speak. After all, what else would explain a place that one could get to through drowning (and potentially dying?), falling through a well or even merely drifting to sleep and awakening in a land of fog, of fire or heat and unfamiliar trees? "A flood washed me away and I awoke here. What brought you, Eve?"
They name tasted... short, on their tongue. Not bad, merely undescriptive - it was an interesting difference they had come to recognize. Most of the names that Larkspur knew were of two or three syllables, often relating back to their home but in this new world... in this new world, names were short, offered little to nothing of an explanation about the creature they were mantled upon and did very little to introduce them.
The wolf, without offering a cognomen of their own, explained that they were from elsewhere, though Folke was not. Eve wondered to herself if all were given names. Perhaps in some worlds creatures slunk about without cultural titles and tags to their identity. It only served to pique her curiosity more. The wolf had been washed away by the force of water, sent adrift into another reality. And here they were, soaking blissfully in the same element. At the question of Eve's arrival, the cat flicked her ear's back. Such an uncomfortable subject. Could the canine even fathom it? She unsheathed her claws beneath the water, pressing them into the softened bottom of the pool. "My Lorde-Father stripped me of my immortality and power and cast me down to another world. I, too, awoke here, but with a body and blood flowing through my veins for the first time." She glanced up at the wolf to gauge their response, wondering if they would take it as the truth or a lie. Regardless of that outcome, Eve was forced to deal with the consequences of her so-called crimes, perhaps for the few short years mortals were allotted. And then what? She would be sent to whatever form of Hell this world had? Or would her father reach down and take her back? Who knew.
"How did you come to meet this Folke? Why does it seem to adore you so?" She eyed the creature as if clung to the wolf as though they had birthed it themselves. Such an odd pairing had to come with a unique story. It had been rare for Eve to encounter two animals of different species depending upon one another in her own world. It was, perhaps due to her own meddling, strictly divided. Often so intensely that they killed one another on sight.
...truth? Larkspur mentally startled for a moment, manifesting as a brief flick of their left ear. They didn't know what to make of that statement - though their own knowledge of what was a lie never seemed supernatural, Larkspur's own instincts were rarely wrong about when they were being lied to. And in this case, they sensed not a hint of dishonesty - this feline truly believed herself to have once been immortal, and for it to then have been lost to her.
"...this must be an uncomfortable adjustment for you," Larkspur decided to say. Whoever this cat had been before, she seemed to be believe she was mortal-enough now - and mortals could do rather strange, fantastical things in this world. Gods, even if their own world, there were some individuals with inventive and creative minds so powerful the chocolate wolf would think the gods themselves could easily grow jealous. Maybe that was what had happened to their old world even - the jealousy of an enraged immortal spurring a furious storm, intending to destroy or at least remove those who could craft what they even with all their power could not? "How are you faring then, with your new... self?"
Did it hurt to go from goddess and divine to mortal and vulnerable? They figured it might, that it must.
"Mm... my bond to Folke is something unique," the striped wolf explained to her. "It fell from the trees itself when I was hunting landing near-atop my head. I suspect it had been carried off by a predatory bird of some sort - when I processed what happened, I gave it food and a bond was forged between us, a bond that grows ever stronger. It's been at my side ever since."
The feline watched the wolf pointedly, wondering whether or not they would believe her retelling. Eve by no means knew how to read the subtle body language of the Animalia of this world, so as the stranger contemplated what she had said, she was left clueless. Her ears perked as they attempted to empathize, eliciting a small pull at the corners of her jaws, the beginnings of an amused smile. "That is one way to say it." she answered, her long tail flicking at the surface of the water and sending droplets flying. All Eve had done since her incarnation was analyze the form she had been given, studying the way it moved, breathed, functioned. She was not unfamiliar with felines, and thus had a basic understanding of how to walk, eat, and sleep, but the hardest part was understanding the desires that her body had day after day. Eve had wanted for nothing physical when she was a goddess. All she needed do was think of what she wanted to do with the mortal world and it would occur in just that way. Every action she took was out of pure want, never need. And now, not only could she rarely do just what she pleased, but she was governed by the biological necessities of her anatomy. "Fine, though I find it difficult to put certain things into practice. Hunting primarily. I am sure I've existed for a thousand years or more and yet I am as helpless as a kitten now." she explained, a humorous note in her voice. "But the feline is quite a beautiful animal, would you not agree?" she asked, tilting her head a bit as she waited for an answer. There was beauty to be found in the wolf before her, yet canines were much less elegant, much less agile. Eve was glad her father had possessed enough mercy to not strike her down as a panting, inflexible beast. Perhaps that was too harsh a judgement. After all, this wolf had the glorious wings of a bird and an aura of class thus far in their interaction.
The stranger's explanation of their meeting Folke and forming a bond was interesting. She wondered if the slithering creature had the same emotional intelligence as the pair of them, or if it just saw an opportunity for food and protection. Regardless, it seemed the wolf had grown a deep fondness for it, so Eve would keep that notion to herself. "I must admit I have never seen such a thing. My domain...Or I suppose, my former domain, Phesemos, possessed only creatures with limbs and fur or hair. As such, Folke is quite a curious thing to see." She watched Folke again for a moment before becoming distracted by a flurry of birds that passed overhead. "What was it like? The place you were washed away from?" her ears perked as she met the wolf's gaze again.
"Well I've never experienced the might of a god as anything more than an unfortunate bystander," the wolf said, though in good humor. They weren't exactly what you'd call a 'devoted follower' of any divines, only offering the occasional appeasement gift or burnt some aromatics when they had extras or were feeling grateful. With all of the power and intensity that mortals expressed, Larkspur wasn't entirely sure that what they considered to be gods were naught but mortals who managed to grasp onto some unfathomable concept the rest of them struggled with. "So I can only imagine it would be a quite emotional upheaval. Though I could be wrong - I know some gods have a 'mortal form' they take when they're in the mood to mingle."
They believe it was mostly war-gods that did this if they remembered correctly - it was always easier to expand their domain if they could descend to earth and pick on the mortals themselves.
"Understandable - hunting is a hard-earned skill. Can't imagine it'd be fun being forced to start learning far beyond the usual age," Larkspur conceded. Though she supposes the allegedly ex-goddess could've had a worse start to life - at least her 'Lord-Father' was kind enough to grant her a hunter's form rather than a prey's form. The only thing Larkspur thinks would be worse than being forced to learn the basics to hunting as an adult would be being forced to learn the basics of not being hunted. They tilted their head, conceding to the felid's next point. "Cats have always held an impressive sort of grace - and the larger ones are rarely prey of anything."
Larkspur listened curiously to the description, thinking of the wide array of creatures and critters that they were used to experiencing - that they had noted was carried over into his new realm. They hadn't quite considered the possibility of a world without limbless beings or scaled ones.
"Fascinating," they said honestly. "Does 'domain' refer to your homeworld as a whole, or merely what you presided over? I find the idea of a world without fish or amphibians somewhat shocking - it's half of my diet when I'm near the coast."
The chocolate furred wolf shifted in the water, twisting allow themself to sink deeper in while they unfurled the green buds hidden among their pelt. They released a soft, pleased breath into the warm waters at the soothing sensation, blinking slowly while Folke took the opportunity to quickly retreat back to its smaller, friendlier pool. They came the closest a wolf could to outright purring at the feeling of steamy water washing across the few remaining sore spots - they had a good feeling that they'd be fully healed by the end of this moon-cycle. Especially if they returned to these pools.
"Ah..." Larkspur hummed, deep cobalt eyes flicking to the sky in recollection. "It was... peaceful. I lived in the thick of the trees with my birth pack until I was old enough to set out on my own. Sure, sometimes packs would invade, overthrow or war with each other but the boundaries back home had been established for so long hardly anyone considered bending them. I learned most creatures were kind - as a rogue wolf, I received a lot of altruistic gifts and cultivated a few of my own. Can't say how different it is to here, I've mostly roamed on my lonesome here as well - though the few souls I've met have been pleasant."
An odd mist begins to thicken the air as the winged wolf tells their story. It creeps out as if from nowhere, forming in their peripherals and disappearing when directly viewed, only to come back into the corners of their eyes just as fast. Eventually the mist surrounds the hot springs in which they dwell, obscuring the view of anything beyond. Unlike the warmth that permeates from the water, this one brings with it a chill, a chill that doesn't go away even when submerged in water, and seems to bring with it a foretelling of something ominous, something impending...
Then, suddenly, the ghostly figure of a being barely there appears startlingly close to Larkspur. Its shape is tall but unreadable, an amalgamation of misty tendrils and long, flowing wisps. Two of the wispy tendrils seem to extend out even closer towards Larkspur, a slow and drowsy movement, yet when it speaks they can clearly make out the trailing, feminine voice of whatever this apparition is.
"Can I get a huuuug?"
---
Trick or treat! Larkspur can choose to ignore or refuse to hug the apparition, but it might not take kindly to that. Surely giving a hug wouldn't hurt anybody? But... can it even take hugs?
