A wide ravine where a shallow, gentle river flows. Years of drought and silt deposits have built this area into a fertile delta. The river remains low and dry most of the year, staining its waters brown and creating muddy shores.
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Snapdragon had gotten very good at setting emotional reactions aside for later. It was a habit any lone wolf could only benefit from— succumbing to panic or frustration in the heat of the moment led to costly mistakes. It didn't feel very terribly about the possibility of its mother being dead. In all honesty, Snapdragon had come to understand that it was most likely, and indeed most favorable, if it were to outlive its mother. Being prone to elaborate forays of thought, it had already considered the grief that seemed inevitable. Of course, Snapdragon had never considered the inverse scenario, where it died before its mother, and became the thing to grieve... ah, there was another thought to consider. But later. Grief and mortality could be put on hold for some other, quieter time. These moments with its sibling were rare and precious, and not to be wasted.
"Unfortunate. But somehow I doubt our mother would be caught unaware by a flood, no matter how torrential... and I think we can safely assume that if we came to this world, it is also possible to return." Girding its metaphorical loins, Snapdragon cast about for a more palatable topic. "Have you been in this world very long, then? I've only been here about a season, myself, and all of that spent in Verdantis territory. Have you found any proper plateaus? The nearest equivalent I've seen is Cloud Bend, but gravity there is too cheeky for leisure flying." Snapdragon's wings buzzed, prickling with the winter chill that currently made flying less than leisurely no matter the location.
Larkspur wondered at times what it was like to be in Snapdragon's head while they observed the almost no-reaction about the state of their mother. They didn't judge, Larkspur perhaps had always been the more... emotional sibling, even if they kept the reactions to themselves. Still, it would be nice if they could find someone who wouldn't overreact, but would allow them to feel... comfortable in mourning. They passed their tongue across their muzzle, a subtle sign of distress given there was nothing to be lapped away though they allowed the conversational topic to flow on once more.
"Not long, though I think I've been here a bit longer than you," Larkspur said, trying to think about their time. 'Season' was an unreliable measurement for them given they'd traveled all the way to the north where the ground was coated in snow at all times and was presently, traveling farther south to where the air would be warm and humid according to their sparing associates. "I've found a sparing few place with good wind but so far, everywhere I've been has been forest or cliff-sides."
They gave a quick, harsh little shake to fluff out their fur against the cold, their feathers ruffling in distaste for being disturbed in such a manner.
"The northern-most part of your territory has better wind," Larkspur advised, thinking about the border scent. "Though it is cold, so you should venture carefully."
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Well, that was somewhat disappointing. Snapdragon had always been a fan of a good plateau— but a cliff would do almost as nicely. Throwing itself off into the void, only to catch itself on buzzing wings, was a rousing test of skill and strength. One might think that a tree could substitute, but only if one forgot about all the pesky branches getting in the way.
What Larkspur reported next was not exactly the hot goss Snapdragon had been angling for. Snapdragon quirked a brow. "Larkspur, I live in this territory. I've been to Whitewater." Snapdragon had very intentionally chosen to gather branches here at the Muddy River instead, where there was much less risk of having its haul or itself swept away in Whitewater's far more aggressive river rapids.
It might seem unusual for any other lone wolf to know about a pack's territory, but Snapdragon knew Larkspur well enough, even after so much time spent apart. Larkspur simply didn't worry that much about territories and borders and rules. In that, the siblings were much alike.
"You are right about the cold," Snapdragon allowed. "My only respite is in the deeper forests, and that is tenuous at best." It buzzed for a long moment, warming its delicate wings. It shook out its paws to shed drying mud, and gave Larkspur a second look-over. "Of course, you and your feathers are fine. You seem well, overall."
Then Snapdragon paused. Both brows quirked up this time. "Would you like to see something superb?"
"Well beloved seedling, there is a series of mountains not far from the northern-most part of your territory where the wind curls upward," Larkspur clarified, tossing their darkened muzzle in the direction of up-river. They remembered riding the thermals southward as they returned from their explorations in the snow-covered north of this world, the warm winds curling upward as if to encourage them to soar over the towering protrusions from the land in the wrong direction of their destination. "Though it is as I warned you - cold. The mountain's shadow blocks the sunlight."
Although, looking at their sibling's current form, they were tempted to extend the offer of letting Snapdragon ride on their back as had been attempted before in their youth. This time, they were a bit larger than their sibling and their wings were much stronger than when Larkspur was a pup. Would their sibling take offense to the offer of a flight as high as Larkspur preferred to fly? In the altitudes where they worried internally about their sibling's wings freezing over? They let the idea mull through their head while they listened to their sibling's lamenting about their current territory - understandably, Larkspur's wings were short enough to allow decent flight but they weren't a harpy. Weaving through such dense foliage in comparison to flying relatively freely in their old territory was always a bit annoying.
"Only due to outside help," they voiced when their sibling commented on their appearance, though proud of their feathers as they were, they straightened up a bit with satisfaction. "You know I struggle when I am too wet - I ruined most of my feathers from the river and escaping the land of fire and spent several months molting. Luckily I came across a large, friendly wolf by the name of Reed who assisted me until I could fly again. I am very grateful for their help."
They paused, cocking their head curiously - something superb?
"Certainly," they agreed, standing back up with open intrigue.
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Now that made more sense! Snapdragon nodded. It had assumed— and rightly so, evidently— that the altitude and season would make exploring those mountains a miserable task. It was a chore better saved for spring, or even summer. Certain herbs could likely be found there, but Snapdragon was not so desperately in need as to endure the aching of half-frozen wings.
Reed: Snapdragon would remember the name. It was a big world, yet sometimes felt very small. Should Snapdragon encounter Reed in the future, it would have to remember to offer some trifle or favor or somesuch. "I'm glad," it told Larkspur. "Both of us being pups again would be too much." It tried for the joke, even as it thought that perhaps it was not very funny.
Fortunately, it had a distraction ready at paw. Without further ado, Snapdragon ducked down, and pushed its nose into the cold mud of the riverbank. Dark-brown forepaws became roots, pale head and neck became a pale stem, and buzzing semitransparent wings turned opaque and still. Snapdragon-as-a-flower looked like a giant trumpet flower, instead of the snapdragon one might expect. Hanging heavily from the white stem, the brown body of the flower turned brilliant green and gold at the petal-tips.
Soft mud was a poor place to root in, though. In a moment, the flower fell over. Snapdragon emerged from the flower-shape tail-first, hindlegs kicking as the flower withered back into a wolf-shape. A significantly more muddy wolf-shape, shivering from the cold.
