The stranger's answer to the question of her age made Ida pause, and a strange, thoughtful expression flitted across her features then. All this talk of different worlds and hopping realities had made her head spin, but she had evaded death as well? She almost wanted to refute the claim outright--call bullshit as she saw it just as she always had, but she thought again then of the echoing crack her skull had made when it collided with the stone. She thought of the pain so sharp and so blinding it had sent her weightless, and a phantom pain twinged at the back of her head as she imagined what the inside of it must have looked like as it split across the earth.
"Huh," Ida muttered, realization dawning upon her then. Another chuckle escaped her, and she shook her head with giddy disbelief. "After yuh did, ah guess. Didn't think it possible, but," a grin split her blocky muzzle, "'ere we both are, huh."
It was almost hard to parse what the other dame was speaking of now that she'd come to such a revelation. She had been dead, hadn't she? And yet here she stood now, paws firm against the crumbling soil and the wind cold and sharp in her lungs. If she were any younger, hell, maybe she would have started to frolic then and there. She managed to contain herself however, and pushed the excited buzzing in the back of her throat down until it tickled at her claws. She listened to the stranger's explanation on the matter of souls and wills, and let out a low, thoughtful rumble in response.
"Sounds how uh soul was 'xplained to me as uh whelp. 'n if it got impure yuh'd be sucked down tuh th' fiery pits," truthfully, that had been Ida's first reason into convincing herself this wasn't the afterlife; she thought for a damn fact it wouldn't be nowhere near snowy and cold where she'd end up. Take that, God, she thought with a pang of satisfaction. Still though, there was a name the other wolf had mentioned that Ida did not recognize.
"Is Tsillah th' name for God 'ere? Or'sit one of yer beasts?" Ida thought again of the moose and decided then that yes, she could totally believe such a creature could eat someone's soul. She lost her hold on that thought as the other dame spoke again, and a second startling realization was slammed into her.
Leader of Dusknora. Huh.
"Damn, n' even you get orders?" Ida blurted, amusement mingling with the surprise which had flashed across her gaze. She paused for a moment, almost unsure of what to say next before another chuckle escaped her lungs, shaking her head again in amused disbelief. "'n yuh were just holdin' that in. Yer somethin' else, Enya."
Ida had never met a pack leader that hadn't started off the conversation with a proclamation of their power, something that never sat well with the great dog and her many issues with authority. This felt different--she really, really was in another world now, wasn't she? She flicked a tattered ear at the monarch's offer, and surprised herself with the temptation she felt. She'd certainly had her fair share of pack living (and her share of exiles), but she supposed she'd never started one or met a leader quite like this. She couldn't settle, not yet, but let out another low hum as she looked east and listened to the monarch speak of beasts and bones.
"Ah'll consider it," she finally decided, but her thoughts were pivoting back further north. She curled her dull claws into the soil and felt the sting of raw flesh where pine wood had scraped along her paws, and decided that yes, she much rather preferred taking her frustrations out in a proper battle, especially with some supposed beast. What else could be out there besides what she'd seen already? Besides, maybe she wanted to see this leader of Dusknora in action--so far, she was impressed. "Hell yeah," she answered, and arched her humped back in a deep stretch to soothe her exerted muscles. "Yuh ever been tuh th' geysers up north? Found somethin' real nasty there n' buried it further n' the woods there. Some sort'uh shapeshifter."
"Huh," Ida muttered, realization dawning upon her then. Another chuckle escaped her, and she shook her head with giddy disbelief. "After yuh did, ah guess. Didn't think it possible, but," a grin split her blocky muzzle, "'ere we both are, huh."
It was almost hard to parse what the other dame was speaking of now that she'd come to such a revelation. She had been dead, hadn't she? And yet here she stood now, paws firm against the crumbling soil and the wind cold and sharp in her lungs. If she were any younger, hell, maybe she would have started to frolic then and there. She managed to contain herself however, and pushed the excited buzzing in the back of her throat down until it tickled at her claws. She listened to the stranger's explanation on the matter of souls and wills, and let out a low, thoughtful rumble in response.
"Sounds how uh soul was 'xplained to me as uh whelp. 'n if it got impure yuh'd be sucked down tuh th' fiery pits," truthfully, that had been Ida's first reason into convincing herself this wasn't the afterlife; she thought for a damn fact it wouldn't be nowhere near snowy and cold where she'd end up. Take that, God, she thought with a pang of satisfaction. Still though, there was a name the other wolf had mentioned that Ida did not recognize.
"Is Tsillah th' name for God 'ere? Or'sit one of yer beasts?" Ida thought again of the moose and decided then that yes, she could totally believe such a creature could eat someone's soul. She lost her hold on that thought as the other dame spoke again, and a second startling realization was slammed into her.
Leader of Dusknora. Huh.
"Damn, n' even you get orders?" Ida blurted, amusement mingling with the surprise which had flashed across her gaze. She paused for a moment, almost unsure of what to say next before another chuckle escaped her lungs, shaking her head again in amused disbelief. "'n yuh were just holdin' that in. Yer somethin' else, Enya."
Ida had never met a pack leader that hadn't started off the conversation with a proclamation of their power, something that never sat well with the great dog and her many issues with authority. This felt different--she really, really was in another world now, wasn't she? She flicked a tattered ear at the monarch's offer, and surprised herself with the temptation she felt. She'd certainly had her fair share of pack living (and her share of exiles), but she supposed she'd never started one or met a leader quite like this. She couldn't settle, not yet, but let out another low hum as she looked east and listened to the monarch speak of beasts and bones.
"Ah'll consider it," she finally decided, but her thoughts were pivoting back further north. She curled her dull claws into the soil and felt the sting of raw flesh where pine wood had scraped along her paws, and decided that yes, she much rather preferred taking her frustrations out in a proper battle, especially with some supposed beast. What else could be out there besides what she'd seen already? Besides, maybe she wanted to see this leader of Dusknora in action--so far, she was impressed. "Hell yeah," she answered, and arched her humped back in a deep stretch to soothe her exerted muscles. "Yuh ever been tuh th' geysers up north? Found somethin' real nasty there n' buried it further n' the woods there. Some sort'uh shapeshifter."