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 not made much of a splash upon arriving in Verdantis. Some spot of bother had been going on, which had required Quinnat's attention, and now Quinnat seemed to have all but vanished. Snapdragon wasn't terribly bothered. It was still afforded protection by the pack, and that was what really counted for a young wolf like itself.
That was the trouble, really. Snapdragon appeared to be a young wolf, again. Others had gone back to treating it like a young wolf, as well. Snapdragon was not too proud to admit that it was annoying. Despite appearances, it hadn't been born yesterday— only reborn!
So, aside from hunting where it absolutely required the assistance of a wolf who was physically an adult as well as mentally, Snapdragon had fallen into the habit of avoiding the other members of Verdantis. This was no hardship for one who had so long been a wandering vagrant. Indeed, Snapdragon was able to devote even more time to study and experimentation, now that it didn't need to spend as much time on survival!
It was doing a bit of study now, actually. The happy buzzing of an aspiring herbalist filled the air. It fluttered here and there, touching down on stones or muddy patches for just a moment or two, scanning the ground. Here and there it selected a particular sort of branch and brought it to a steadily-growing pile, on a drier patch of riverbank. Occasionally it also collected a particular sort of stone: nearly too large for Snapdragon's mouth, and quite flat.
Larkspur drank languidly from the river, keeping their ears pricked just for anyone passing through the forest. They didn't want anyone to think they were intentionally intruding upon the territory, especially before they were properly able to think things through. Admittedly, the chocolate furred wolf had grown used to being a free-spirited nomad and wasn't exactly interested in moving back into a heavy rule-enforced environment, especially not when they could serve as a healer in Balthazar's cove if they wanted. But Reed was also a member of this kingdom - apparently anyway, it was mentioned in passing. Part of the reason they were so interested was the way Reed still seemed as free as a nomad and they wanted to inquire if that was permitted for any member of if it was an allowance made while Reed sought her missing friend.
They stretched, careful not to dislodge the now familiar weight of Folke wrapped around their neck while the snake slept and spread their wings. They were on the tail-end of growing in their winter plumage, the downy-feathering keeping them nice and warm. It was nice to finally have a full set of feathers again, threaded and laced through her limbs and down her back without gaps or scabs and much to their joy, the oil naturally produced by their body was coating their wings again. It was nice to no longer have itchy spots.
The chocolate furred wolf was ready to take off when something caught their eye, a familiar glint of iridescent yellow-green that had them reflexively turning to look. For a brief moment they paused, staring in delayed confusion. Surely... after all this time actively looking, just stumbling across it...
"...Snapdragon?" they probed cautiously. It's possible it's another wolf, it's possible someone just has a similar pattern. But it was the yellow blossoms sprouting from the wolf's pelt that kept their hopes high. "Is that you?"
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
It had been so focused on gathering the correct branches that it had completely missed another wolf's approach. An unexpected sound brought Snapdragon's head up, a fallen branch still clutched in its teeth. Its ears perked; its tail wagged. Could it be? It dropped the branch and looked to the source of the noise.
"Larkspur!" it said, surprised and delighted. Unlike itself, Larkspur had not been transmuted into their younger body, and there was no mistaking that almost wooden coat pattern, or those feathered wings. Although, the snake was new...
Whitewater was to the north, and Cloud Bend to the northeast. Snapdragon had wandered to the edge of Verdantis territory. It could be argued that Larkspur was still outside the pack's border; perhaps it should stay that way. Quinnat had been well-established in Verdantis, able to invite a stranger like Snapdragon without issue. Snapdragon did not have such sway, and while Verdantis almost certainly wouldn't attack Snapdragon's littermate... well, better safe than sorry was the motto Snapdragon lived by.
So Snapdragon buzzed its wings and made a beeline across the muddy river, to get to Larkspur on the other side. The air was cold enough to sting, but the water was definitely colder. "This may be the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other," it observed. "But I see you are healthy, and more complete than myself." It descended gradually and landed on a dry patch. It looked up at its taller littermate— even taller than usual, given Snapdragon's current apparent age.
Larkspur gave a joyful sort of laugh at the confirmation - it wasn't often wagged their tail anymore since reaching adulthood (most things just didn't inspire quite that much joy anymore) but watching their sibling land at their side was a valid enough reason to start again. There was still lingering bewilderment at their sibling's lesser size given they were from the same litter but strange things happened in this new world all the time. Who knows, perhaps some strange phenomena happened to their siblings during the flood.
"I think you're right," Larkspur agreed, letting the months shuffle through their head. The fact that the air was already frigid and the ground hard and coated in frost and yet they were only seeing the other wolf for the first time since the warm season? Unfathomable. Usually they crossed paths a few times when Larkspur returned to their birth territory to lurk around and say hello to their mother. "And how did your newfound state come to be? Is the water here that strange?"
---
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Snapdragon's own tail started wagging too, no longer needed as a counterweight in flight. However, Snapdragon had long held a certain habit of fluttering its wings when especially pleased or satisfied. It did so now, intermittently: just the occasional brief buzz of contentment.
The wing-buzzing and tail-wagging both stopped dead at Larkspur's question, though. Ah. Hmm. Snapdragon hadn't really come to much grief over the whole reborn-as-a-flower ordeal. It had been too dead to mind being dead, and then it hadn't been dead anymore, so... why fret? Of course it was taking steps to avoid meeting the same unfortunate fate a second time— joining Verdantis, mainly. But Snapdragon wasn't sure what Larkspur's reaction would be.
Well, unpleasant news was just another part of life, and Snapdragon had never been a fan of mincing words or obfuscating truth. "I regrew from a flower. A pleasant fellow called Quinnat offered to let me stay in Verdantis, while I grow up again." Snapdragon buzzed off the ground, hovered for a few seconds, and landed again. "I'm afraid I lost those feathers you gave me. I apologize."
...regrew from a flower? Larkspur wasn't really thrilled with the implications of that sentiment and it showed from the way their wings rippled faintly. They moved forward, rubbing their muzzle against their sibling's lightly but elected to make no verbal comment on the matter - the emotions radiating from Snapdragon lacked the sharpened teeth that terror and pain possessed, communicating a vibe more akin to 'passive confusion' so the situation couldn't have been too horrific.
"Don't worry about it," Larkspur reassured. All it took was a little ruffling from still delicate limbs for some of the trapped feathers that had already detached from shedding to dance to the ground at their paws. Mostly inner-wing feathers from the delicate underside given their primaries had already regrown - were among the first to do so even - but that was fun as well, they could pass over the feathers when they molted in their fresher, more vibrant colors in the spring.
They used their paw to push the lightly curled feathers toward their sibling.
"Here's a replacement," they said lightly, tilting their head curiously toward the far bank where their sibling had come from. A 'Quinnat' had brought them into the fold, huh? Well, it would make getting information on this new kingdom that much easier they supposed. "What's it like? Being in a pack again?"
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Snapdragon returned the nuzzle automatically. It was relieved that Larkspur didn't seem terribly alarmed at the news. And then the matter was firmly set aside, in favor of buzzing up and down, side-to-side, already thinking of what could be done with four nice, soft feathers. "These will do nicely; thank you," it said, and then to itself more than Larkspur it muttered, "If I shred the bark very thin, then... or perhaps, in the rope as I twist it...?"
Larkspur's question jarred Snapdragon out of its crafty thoughts. It blinked. Being in a pack was like... being in a pack. But Larkspur probably wanted an answer with more substance, so Snapdragon replied, "Ordinary enough. Mercedes was the Monarch when I first arrived— that's how they call the leader of Verdantis— but now Gabriel is in charge. I overheard that someone from Duskorna trespassed recently, but nothing worse. Someone helps me with hunting, for obvious reasons," Snapdragon flicked its wings and waved a paw in the vague direction of itself, "But I'm usually left alone." Snapdragon frowned. "I could be more helpful."
Larkspur's tail swished with gentle satisfaction at their sibling still cared to have their feathers in their... well they suppose it wasn't really fur anymore. Honestly, it had felt more like they'd brushed their muzzle across a moss coated log - an element of softness was involved yes, but there was a firm and unyielding form beneath it. They tilted their head again, listening to the admittedly sparse information granted to them by their sibling and felt a flash of fond exasperation - they'd forgotten how little their sibling cared for thinking too hard about social dynamics.
"I wonder if it's worth my freedom," they said by-way of explanation as to intent of their questioning. Though Larkspur had been the sibling to return home as a visitor the most, they had also never found themselves the slightest bit bothered by the concept of journeying alone. They had in-fact, grown to enjoy such a concept and had politely turned down ever subsequent offering of their mother to welcome them back into the pack. It almost felt... wrong, to be considering giving up with roaming nature, settling down into a set territory.
Drawing back to the conversation at paw they offered a rather sympathetic expression to Snapdragon's... new state. Well, new old state.
"Perhaps you could start just... performing your services rather than asking to assist," Larkspur suggested, looking at the wolf's size. They're sure Snapdragon's new pack meant well, not involving someone with the body of a yearling to perform tasks usually reserved for older wolves but they hadn't known Snapdragon before it was trapped in this smaller form. Maybe, if Snapdragon wanted a larger say in participation, the best it could do was merely perform the task and wait for someone to notice that it had been performed with skill.
◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊
Snapdragon considered Larkspur's words. Snapdragon's own freedom was limited by being (physically) too young to survive easily without a pack. It was simple logic. However, now Snapdragon actually put some thought to the future. It had assumed it would resume its wandering ways once it had grown up again, but said growth seemed far slower this time around. How much longer would it require the assistance of others? And when it no longer did... it was nice to have help with the mundane facets of survival. It left more time for contemplation and experimentation. And living on a claimed territory made it far easier to store items for later use.
"I find it rather difficult to restrain myself," was Snapdragon's dry reply. "No one asked me to collect bark for cordage, and yet..." It gestured across the river, towards the pile of branches that were forlornly awaiting its return. "But I'm not certain the services I choose to perform are useful to the rest of the pack. It's not straightforward, as it was at the Plateau, without mother assigning chores. Speaking of, have you any news from home?"
Larkspur flicked their ear, allowing the subject to shift away seamlessly. It's alright, the chocolate wolf would ask Reed or linger along the border for more detailed information about what it was like to live in that pack from someone else. Besides, they would probably want to prod at the other widely known pack in the area given how much closer it was to the bay where Balthazar stayed and get a general idea of what the rules and daily life were like.
"Ah..." Larkspur murmured, attempting to suppress the discomfort and pulsing sensation of grief in their chest. They shook their head, drawing their cobalt gaze up to a spot just beyond their sibling's face as they rolled the idea through their head. "I'm afraid I don't. I never made it home. There was a flood and I was dragged under - when I awoke, I was in this world. As far as I know, the plateau doesn't even exist here."
