(She is just outside the border of HH, with an intent to stick around for a while, but not permanently join yet)

The golden glade had been kind to her.

The towering trees, scattered streams, and sprawling woodland had offered enough familiarity that Kiva hadn’t felt entirely adrift since arriving in Mythris. It wasn’t home, not really, but every so often the breeze carried the scent of pine or damp earth just right, and for the briefest heartbeat she could almost pretend she’d simply wandered farther than intended.

Well, almost.

Curiosity had always been difficult to ignore. It had carried her across countless messenger routes back in Wind Haven, coaxed her over unfamiliar ridges and through forests she’d never seen before. Now it tugged at her paws once again. She’d already crossed paths with a few strangers in this peculiar land, each conversation answering one question while somehow leaving three more in its wake. So today, she wandered. No destination, no deadline, just wherever the trail decided to take her.

The dense woods of Golden Glade gradually loosened around her until sunlight spilled freely across the landscape ahead. Kiva slowed almost instinctively as the forest gave way to an endless meadow bursting with life. “Wow!” The word slipped free before she could think of anything more clever.

Fairmeadow Crossing stretched before her in broad waves of emerald and gold. Towering sunflowers nodded lazily in the summer breeze while wildflowers painted the earth in brilliant patches of color. Warm sunlight draped itself over everything, giving the fields an almost dreamlike glow that made the entire landscape feel softer somehow, peaceful and comfortable.

Like the sort of place one accidentally spent an entire afternoon. She could understand why, if she was being honest with herself. The breeze rolled through the grasses, carrying the sweet perfume of thousands of blossoms. Butterflies drifted aimlessly from flower to flower while bees hummed contentedly somewhere below the taller stalks.

And for a while, she simply walked with no urgency, no purpose beyond seeing what lay beyond the next rise.

The world had become very small these last few days—strangers, questions, trying to convince herself she wasn’t as lost as she felt. The meadow made it seem larger again. That was nice. Her gaze wandered across clusters of unfamiliar flowers before inevitably settling upon another patch of those strange blue blooms she’d begun seeing scattered throughout Mythris.

“They’re following me.” She narrowed her amber eyes dramatically. “I knew it,” the she-wolf spat out.

The flowers, predictably, offered no defense. Curiosity won anyway. She leaned down for another cautious sniff. Yep, just as she’d suspected. Sweet. Sharp. Almost spicy.

“Hmmmm,” Kiva straightened, “I still don’t trust you.” With one last suspicious glance over her shoulder and a huff, she continued on.

Eventually the sprawling fields surrendered once more to towering pines. Shade cooled the afternoon warmth almost immediately, replacing the perfume of flowers with damp earth, moss, and resin.

And then?

Something else reached her: Mint. Lavender. Chamomile. Yarrow. Her ears flicked forward.

Herbs.

Not scattered randomly through the forest, either. There were too many scents mingling together—strong enough to cut cleanly through the pine. Someone had once cultivated them. Without really thinking about it, Kiva followed the fragrance through the trees. The farther she walked, the clearer it became: a garden rested ahead. She couldn’t see it yet, but she could almost picture the overgrown herb beds from scent alone.

Then another smell drifted toward her: wolf. Several, in fact. Fresh.

Her pace slowed immediately. Amber eyes swept over the undergrowth before her nose confirmed what she’d already suspected: a scent border.

She stopped a respectful distance away. Old habits were hard to break.

Back in Wind Haven she’d crossed countless neighboring territories, but never without permission. You didn’t simply stroll across another pack’s borders because you happened to be curious. Well, that is, unless you enjoyed being chased. Kiva honestly rather preferred avoiding that whenever possible. She lingered where she stood, letting her gaze travel between the trees. Just beyond the scent line, she caught her first glimpse of the old inn nestled among the pines. Ivy climbed its weathered walls while herbs flourished in cheerful abandon around its foundation, their fragrance drifting lazily across the border with every passing breeze. It was beautiful. Whoever had once tended the gardens had known exactly what they were doing.

“Well,” she smiled to herself, “I suppose admiring from afar counts as respecting boundaries.”

Eh, mostly. She settled onto her haunches just outside the marked territory, allowing the breeze to carry the herbal scents toward her. Curiosity tugged insistently at the back of her mind, urging her to venture closer, to see what other forgotten plants might still be growing around the old inn.

Instead, she remained where she was. If someone lived here, she’d wait. If no one did, well, she could always come back another day after making sure the place truly was abandoned. Until then, the herbs, the birdsong, and the gentle whisper of the pines were more than enough company.

Kiva had nearly convinced herself the afternoon would pass in peaceful silence. The thought barely had time to settle before the forest answered otherwise. Her ears flicked first, catching the quick rhythm of approaching pawsteps long before she saw their owner. Whoever was coming wasn’t attempting to hide their approach. If anything, they were charging straight toward her with all the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they belonged. She remained seated.

A dark figure burst through the trees only moments later, bounding across the forest floor before coming to an abrupt halt a respectful distance away. Amber eyes blinked once as Kiva took him in. Oh. He was younger than she’d expected. Dark fur framed bright blue eyes that regarded her with unmistakable suspicion as he lifted himself to his full height, every inch of his posture declaring himself far larger than his size suggested. There was something almost endearing about the determination written across his face. Kiva felt the corners of her mouth threaten to curl upward before she quickly softened the expression into a warm smile. Laughing at someone trying so earnestly to protect their home didn’t seem particularly kind.

“Who’re ye?”

“My name’s Kiva,” she replied easily, dipping her head in greeting while making no move toward the border. “Just Kiva.” Her gaze drifted briefly toward the old inn nestled among the pines before returning to the young wolf standing before her.

“I hope I didn’t worry anyone. I caught the scent of the herb garden from farther down the trail and couldn’t help following it. It reminded me of home.” A quiet chuckle escaped her. “By the time I realized someone actually lived here, I had already wandered close enough to find your scent markers.” She glanced toward the invisible border beneath her paws with an easy smile.

“Old habits die hard. You don’t spend years traveling between territories without learning to respect a scent border.” Her tail rested comfortably behind her, posture loose and open. “So I figured the polite thing to do was wait and see if someone came along before getting any closer.” For a moment she simply looked around again, taking in the ivy climbing the weathered inn, the herbs flourishing beneath the windows, and the towering pines sheltering everything beneath their branches.

“It’s beautiful here,” she admitted, genuine admiration warming her voice. “Peaceful.” Her attention settled back on the young wolf, amusement flickering gently across her expression. “You made it out here awfully fast.” She tilted her head ever so slightly. “I take it this place is important to you?”

Kiva noticed the way his fur remained raised despite the conversation staying pleasant enough. She’d seen that sort of uncertainty before. It wasn’t anger. It was someone trying to decide whether the stranger in front of them was safe. His explanation drew a small smile across her muzzle.

“So that’s the reputation this place has?” she murmured. Her gaze wandered briefly past him, taking in the winding paths and the distant structures hidden beyond the trees before settling back on him. She nodded to herself.

”Well,” she drawled, “I suppose I can understand why travelers would stop. Good food and company are difficult things to pass up.”

At his question, one ear flicked thoughtfully.

“But you don’t?”

She gave an easy shrug. “I didn’t, no.” A quiet laugh escaped her.

“I sort of arrived here by accident. I woke up in a place I’d never seen before with no idea where I was, so most of my traveling has been guided by curiosity more than good planning.”

Her tail swept lazily through the grass behind her. “I’ve only been here a short while. I’ve learned the names of a few places, met a handful of wolves, and somehow managed not to get myself completely lost.” She paused just long enough to grin.

“Eh, I think.” The humor softened into something more genuine.

“So Highwayman Howff wasn’t a destination. It was simply the next interesting place my paws carried me.” Her amber eyes drifted back to Selkie, open and curious.

“Besides the food, drinks, and… things,” she echoed with a playful smile, “what’s it like living here? I haven’t had the chance to stay anywhere long enough to get to know a place yet.”

Kiva’s ears flicked forward so quickly they nearly disappeared into the fur atop her head. She stared at Selkie for a heartbeat before the corners of her mouth curled into an unmistakably delighted grin. No way!

“Pirates?”

The single word escaped with enough enthusiasm that it almost sounded like she’d forgotten every other part of the conversation. Her tail gave an eager sweep behind her, paws shifting beneath her as she leaned in ever so slightly, amber eyes bright with curiosity.

“Hold on. You’re telling me there are monsters, people getting whisked here from completely different worlds, and pirates?” She gave an incredulous laugh, shaking her head. “This place has a surprisingly high pirate-to-land ratio.”

She studied him for another moment, the amusement softening into something warmer as her posture relaxed. It was strangely comforting to know she wasn’t the only one who’d arrived here completely bewildered. Different circumstances perhaps, but the same impossible outcome.

“So neither of us actually belongs here.” She smiled to herself, giving a small nod before continuing to speak. “That makes me feel a little less ridiculous, honestly.” Her gaze drifted toward the inn before returning to him.

“I’ve never seen a pirate before. At least, not a real one.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Do they actually wear ridiculous hats, or is that just something people make up? And should I be worried about running into one, or are they the sort that mostly keep to themselves until someone has something shiny?”

She paused only long enough for another grin to spread across her muzzle. “Actually, don’t answer that last one yet. I think I like imagining a bunch of terrifying sea raiders stopping in the middle of a robbery because someone insulted the size of their hat.”

Kiva's ears twitched as the realization slowly settled over her. She had been waiting for the hint of a grin, some tell that he was playing along with her ridiculous mental image of pirates bickering over hats. It never came. She blinked once before a sheepish smile tugged at the corners of her muzzle. "Oh."

A quiet laugh escaped her, this one carrying more embarrassment than amusement. "So you were serious."

Looking back on it, monsters had probably been enough evidence that this world didn't operate by the same rules as her own. Pirates shouldn't have been the part that caught her off guard, yet somehow, they had. "I think my brain is still trying to catch up." She admitted softly, shaking her head. "Every time I learn something new about this place, it somehow raises twice as many questions."

At the mention of payment, her ears flicked forward again, her mouth letting out a quiet noise of genuine amusement.

"Oh, I wasn't planning on staying just yet." She glanced toward the inn before looking back to him. "I was honestly mostly curious. Though now I'm even more curious than I was five minutes ago." Her expression brightened once more, the brief embarrassment already giving way to the curiosity that seemed impossible to suppress.

"So there really is a pirate captain living here?" Her tail gave an easy sweep behind her, excitement bleeding into her frame. "I have to admit, that's probably the most interesting sentence I've heard since arriving in Mythris." She glanced down at herself as though genuinely taking inventory.

"As for something shiny," She lifted one paw, turning it this way and that before looking back up with a crooked grin. "I'm afraid I left my treasure hoard back in my own world. Unless your captain accepts interesting conversation as currency, I might be out of luck." Despite the joke, there was no mockery in her voice. If anything, her curiosity had only grown stronger.

"What are they actually like?" she asked. "Uh, the pirates, I mean. Are they the sort who make everyone nervous the moment they walk into a room, or are they just others who happen to steal treasures?" Maybe a stupid question, but ah well.