The going was slow, but Apple liked it that way. They'd taken their time getting here, exploring, and now that they'd found it, everything about the falls seemed a good place to settle in; so they were. It was only the three of them so far, but Apple didn't mind that, either; soon, the budding kingdom would need more members, absolutely, but there was nothing wrong with a small group setting up the borders and figuring out the specifics and quirks of their chosen territory before sharing it with others.

Also.... they hadn't seen many visitors.

But Apple was finding heart again, and that felt more important than moving quickly. Strengthening the bonds between herself and Apricot, between herself and Honoka, that was more important that filling their territory with strangers just for the sake of it. Just like the great Islanzadi, they would start slow and build into a fiery inferno from a carefully laid bed of coals.

The golden Duchess strolled casually along the edges of their home, stopping frequently to mark; it was so, so much harder setting up a proper boundary than tending to an existing one! Still, it wasn't her first time, thank goodness. Oma Petra, she'd prepared Apple and her siblings for this part already and she didn't even know it -- she doubted her grandmother or her brother had any idea they'd one day be searching for somewhere plentiful and defendable, would need to know the best kind of places and surfaces to mark to create an invisible boundary most sane creatures knew they shouldn't pass.
But here Apple was, confident in her ability. Leading a pack was entirely different game... but for now, the Dusk wasn't minding the setup phase.

It was so early, the sun had yet to rise. It was better to get the more tedious jobs out of the way before it got too hot; it wasn't at baking-in-the-oven hot as the proper desert was here, but many middays grew uncomfortable and with her wheezing breaths on a good day.... well, it was better not to risk it. Especially best not show weakness at all, if she could help it, drawing short, even breaths that kept the gentle rattle from reaching her throat. The warm morning air stirred her unruly coat and kept the heat from being stifling, and Apple followed the curve of their new boundary with a cheerful faithfulness she couldn't remember working by in a long, long time.

The quietest of hums rose and fell in soft lilts as she sang to herself under her breath, "whistling as she worked" so to speak.

Apple ambled contentedly along the weak barrier, enjoying the fine mist kicked up by the constant cascade of the falls; it helped keep much of the heat at bay, and otherwise, just plain felt nice. Fresh air ruffling her fur and the elements against her skin, it reminded her that she was free again. It reminded her she was alive, and when droplets pooled on the silvery scars crisscrossing her shoulders, she was reminded she was a survivor. A lot of her last weeks had been fully embracing that, in trying to regrasp who she was, in building herself up as much as she was the new kingdom.

And yet at the foreign scent of a stranger, harsh against her senses in a way she couldn't explain, still made her spine straighten and her steps freeze. She fought the urge to hunker down and curl into herself, to hide, clenching her jaw and forcing herself to stand still. One deep breath, two -- she exhaled with a nearly silent hiss, ice running through her veins as she desperately wished Honoka or Apricot were with her, or even knew where she was. The Duchess chewed on her cheek for a moment, contemplating calling for help, but after a moment the ginger-kissed woman got a hold on her panic.
She was okay. Her family had raised and trained a capable Dusk, and she was not as vulnerable as her anxieties kept wailing in her ears.

It was several long moments until the golden Dusk caught sight of movement gliding along the border; a tall figure, slim and graceful, who seemed dark as the sky above aside from haunches that glowed in the dying starlight not unlike Apple's own firey streaks. Just one lone figure, one who seemed to be taking note of half-assed borders they could easily ignore, who almost seemed... searching. Apple took another deep breath, this one a little less tense as she talked herself down and plucked away the red flags her mind kept flashing.

Apple lifted her chin, ears high and tail offering a gentle wag even with her hips. After a brief, almost self-preparing nervous lick of her lips, she offered a soft chuff into the shadowy morning air.

As her note of greeting rang between them, Apple thought she might wilt and die right there on the spot like some poor neglected flower bending beneath its own weight. She wanted to ask herself when things had gotten so complicated, but the truth was, she already knew. She'd never forget the smell of bear, the gristly hair of a boar, or the impossibly sharp claws of a lynx. She'd never forget the fear they impressed on her, the hopelessness they'd replaced her spark with, the distrust of not just them, but everyone that had been planted within such a sweet, happy soul.

Apple met the ringed eyes of the stranger with trepidation, but offered a faint smile upon greeting. The greeting was thick and foreign and interesting, and the Duchess' smile widened in genuine interest.

Warm day to you, she returned with a dip of her own head (neither so deep or for so long), the strange words sounding fierce and kind alike. Phoenix Rising was her name, and what a name!

I'm Apple Islanzadi Dusk, she returned, Duchess of the budding Dusk Kingdom.

She lifted a paw to motion towards the Falls, eyes glimmering with pride. This was the first time anyone had really acknowledged that there was something growing here, and it was the first time she'd spoken the words aloud to a stranger.