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.

skill: vagabond

All burning sun and twilight, the pheonix strides. Her long legs carrying her past the yawning expanse of rolling golden sands and into lush earth of emerald greens. The wandering priestess had not yet ventured the great palace walls of water, fern and moss, only admiring at some great distance. Beyond the hot and expansive wastes of the canyon and dunes, it was a little slice of paradise to behold.

She came now in order to delve into its chambers, explore into some of its secrets and precisely, to hunt for runes at her god's bidding.

Pheonix had not of course accounted for this territory to actually belong to someone. There was but three in a vast land. A land of much water and mist. Still, Pheonix Rising did smell it. Someone lived here even if they hardly yet held the numbers to support this claim.

The priestess errored on caution and so skirted around the outskirts of the territory, seeking out any signs of the familiar blue glow or humms which had guided her paths before.

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.

skill: vagabond

Hazy was the light of the new morning day. With the coolness of the waters, likely fed from the seas from somewhere, and then the heat of the desert and southern region in general, this land was likely to hold a misty air all year round. She imagined coldness in the nights and winter. The wet air likely causing wolves fur to be consistently covered in a frost like blades of grass at first light.

Now, in the height of summer, the mist resting on her dark backside was a well welcomed one. Every so often the priestess would pause in her searching to lick dew from her muzzle and her forelegs to quench her thirst after her run here from the golden sands.

Eventually, it would be a distant woof which made her pause, snapping the willowy woman's attention into the direction of a woman colored in snow, blonde and golden hues. She was extremely short, but quiet heavily built - like a bulldog, if Pheonix knew what that was.

Oh, أهلاً. (hello) And then she corrected in common. Hello. This was the wolf's scent she had been smelling lingering around this area. This must be the one who called these palms and waterways home. A wise placement. A place one might build an empire from wandering souls looking for water and shade after crossing miles of sand and saltwater on either side.

Warm day to you. I am the one called Phoeonix Rising. The priestess lowers head head to linger between her forelegs a moment in respectful greeting before lifting once more to look at the little rounded yellow snowball.

Rune Discovery : 「 Failure 」 

---

Serendipitous though your chance encounter may seem, there is little to your surroundings to suggest anything else worthwhile (minus a refreshing dip in the falls). The air feels thick and heavy, but no trace of the electric crackle you've come to associate with runes is detectable; you are well and truly at a dead end, although there are worse places to wind up.

A small puddle of water glitters enticingly nearby, separate from the rest of the falls. It looks delicious - crystal clear and free of dirt or debris - but something seems peculiar about it.

It appears so refreshing you feel quite inclined to take a drink, yet something about the pool gnaws at you, an unspoken feeling that danger could be much closer than you think.

-Optional- Parasite Encounter: Dare You Sip From the Ominous Yet Beautifully Filtered-Looking Puddle

---

You have several options as a player when confronted with infection.

You may either
1. Choose to automatically fail in repelling the spores, becoming infected
2. Roll for infection (1d100 - 50 and under fails, 51 and over succeeds in repelling the parasite)
3. Choose to repel them, but suffer a crippling migraine and muscle weakness for two in-game weeks

You may roll, or you may request staff to do so.

This keeps things fair enough where players can still have some autonomy while also ensuring they participate in plot developments! Symptoms do not manifest immediately, and may take up to three days to begin.

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.

---

Going with option #3!

Apple, she introduced herself as, and Duchess of this growing empire. So where then was the Queen, Pheonix would be left to wonder. Likely so nestled deeply within the safety of their young kingdom, she imagined, not realizing the title of "Dutchess" was meant to be a title of leader in this realm.

It is an absolutely stunning respite to be greeted by. I'm sure it will call many to your doorsteps. Not all which crossed the desert knew how to survive the land well. Hell, even those who did found themselves to circum to the heat or dehydration. The woman before her clutched a shelter of green and blue worth holding onto.

Pheonix eyes danced around the area here, her attention captured deeply by a certain small pool of water off from its main source. Waters to clear, appearing so refreshing. Her reflection in the pool seen clear as day and she takes a drink without much further thought. Cool and absolutely satisfying, she quivered in happy delight by its taste.

Would you tell me of this empire you build? Pheonix had not found a hint that a rune had been here, yet perhaps she would come to find her time had not been in vain.