((Oh my... I have so much to reply to, and as I write this, more keeps coming in! And, you guys forgot Benathorn's post! I'll try to tie it in as well...))
Baruch Spinoza wrote:Fear cannot
be without
hope nor
hope without
fear.
Nada nods gratefully to Periculum, though there is no small amount of relief in her at his acceptance as well. There is something in his words that tickles her curiosity, and natters at the edge of her mind, but it lingers just out of reach.
Strong of heart... Now what would make him say something like that? "Thank you very much for you kind words, Periculum. I'm excited to meet Ransom, and the rest of the pack. My poor sore pads and I are very grateful for your kindness." She dips her head a bit, respectful once more before he turns to leave.
It is then that she finally catches sight of Verity, rising up from her hiding place. Nada can't help but look on with a bit of admiration, as the lean wolf had been able to hide so completely despite the disadvantage of her white pelt. As a matter of fact, that white pelt is so striking and in her mind it is so remarkable that she at first assumes the feas are sisters, but as Verity approaches, Nada realizes that she is much older, perhaps twice her own age.
Fascinating! I wonder if such snowy coats are common here? Does it snow a lot here? I would have thought such a bright pelt would make it difficult to hunt, but that is obviously not the case. Keeping all her questions to herself at the moment, she files them away to be more closely examined later when she has time to think. Though the newcomer does not speak at first, Nada still smiles warmly too her as she approaches before listening to Legacy's introduction.
"Verity... Another lovely name. Mean's truth, does it not?" Taking a moment then to look over the pair of white wolves in front of her, Nada can't help but say more.
"Truth and Legacy, what a pair the two of you make! Shining pelts in a dark forest... Both carrying names of things we can't forget. Thank you both as well for your warm welcome!"Nada then nods in agreement as Legacy mentions her weariness and gladly turns to follow after her as she moves into the trees. Though she aches and dearly wishes to do nothing more than lay in the sun and lick her abused pads, Nada easily falls in step with the others, her legs having moved for so long follow the earth without a second thought and she once again finds her mind drifting into thoughts of what the others, including Ransom will be like.
Will he be of such a light pelt as Legacy and Verity? And just what are the dens like? I doubt it would be a willow stand like back home, not with so many trees... They have only travelled for about a quarter of a mile when the sound of a distant howl tears through Nada's ears, causing her to stumble. She comes to a stop then, her blood running cold and fear rising up in her chest threatening to choke her.
What on earth was that? The sound had been chilling, almost otherworldly in it's nature and yet... And yet it was seductive. As thought it was for her, and her alone. Something inside her rises up, kicking and pulling her to follow that sound to it's source. Some deep seated conviction that tries to force her to go, as thought it is what she was meant to do.
Staring fixedly off in the direction of the call, she takes one step in that direction and then stops again to glance behind. Her new friends and the promise of rest and comfort are disappearing into the trees, and if it weren't for their bright coats they might have been lost already.
To follow Truth and Destiny... The part of her that was a young pup, born in a thicket to this world along, who had a brother that was lost and who's feet have traveled so many miles rallies up inside her then. Swatting away the foreign urge that threatens to overwhelm her.
No... NO. I'm NOT going. I just got here, and I'm not going back out into the unknown already! She shakes her fur, cradling the childish thoughts and letting them soothe her as the other half of her fights back, urging her to call back. Unlike the sin who beckons, Nadezhda is her own master and it is her choice as to meet her fate. Not fully aware of just what she has become; how the hidden strengths in her have met, risen to combat this dark hand that creeps over the earth; Nada knows beyond a doubt that some day she must meet the challenge that calls to her. But today will not be that day.
Though the desire is strong, the wolf in her finally prevails, and Nada turns and bolts after the others. Easily catching up to them as they have set an easy pace, she soon finds herself once again loping next to them. The howl has disturbed her to the core, and she is now quiet, her ears back and tail low behind her as they enter camp. She takes notice of how the pack has chosen their shelter carefully, and there are dens dug into the soft earth, with trees or heavy rocks above them to keep out the rain. Perhaps this posture is a happy coincidence, as the first two wolves they come across seem to be the unlikely pairing of alpha and omega. As Nada looks in on the intimidating she-wolf who seems to be intent on tormenting a male who holds the posture of an omega, she has no doubt that the fea could easily be an alpha in her own right and one would be wise to show respect.
Oh my... That's not Ransom's mate is it? She is not one to reckoned with. She looks over each of them in turn as Legacy scolds them, seeming to take no more heed of the large female than she would any other wolf, before disappearing into a den.
Not having been formerly introduced to the two, Nada stands a bit uneasily, shifting her weight from one paw to another as she waits for Legacy to reappear. However, it seems as though neither one are intent on taking it upon themselves to investigate her presence further, and she lets out a quiet sigh of relief as the two return to tormenting one another.
