3/11/2026, 12:42 AM
This world was.. big. Far larger than Willow would have ever thought possible. Some part of her still assumed, despite the rather curious conversations she'd had since her arrival, that this was all some kind of dream. How could she have walked into the woods, only to come out into an entirely new world? In her mind this place surely had to be like the edges of the farm that had once been her home- as a pup, they'd appeared endless, but as an adult she'd learned that the barriers reflected where her world began and ended. Yet, no matter how far she walked, it seemed impossible to find the edge of this place. Each moment the wolfdog expected that her paw might find nothing but darkness, sending her tumbling into water or sky or who knew what. Then again, anything would be better than continuing to freeze her dang paws off.
Instead, the road faded into grass, and the grass faded into highland. Nature rose to devour what the humans had once left behind, removing anything that bore familiarity and replacing it with a wilderness that Willowbelle had not experienced before; yet, some part of her seemed to embrace the change. She wondered if it was her nameless sire's blood in her, the wolf that her dam had never spoken to her daughter about. Maybe she could be a wild wolf.
The idea sent the wolfdog into hysterics, even as her trotting pace carried her through the carefully laid deer trails of the highlands. Her, a real wolf? She'd only met one of them at this point, but it was impossible to mistake how her lengthy coat and wagging tail could be anything more than half-baked. She'd barely spent a few night under the stars and already Willow was beginning to think she was some kind of natural born adventurer. No, she simply had to find the edge of this place, and cross it in the same way that she'd somehow managed to do to get here. It wasn't that this place wasn't beautiful, but she wasn't a wild creature. The scraps she'd managed to cobble together for her dinner were barely enough to keep her stomach from rumbling, even now, and Willow was very sure she was going to have to find something else by the time the sun came up tomorrow.
Most importantly, the tawny-pelted female knew she was going to need to find somewhere to rest tonight.
Willow's home amongst her flock had taught her quite a bit about sleeping outside. She may have been a sheepdog, but she was a wild sheepdog at that. This place was far colder than the winters of her own home, and sticking to the crowded trees and delipidated human structures had only barely kept her from freezing at night. Out here in the highlands, territory that was at least visibly familiar, she wouldn't have any trees or buildings to hide in. She either needed to find a den or a cave or-
Wait, what was that smell?
Before she even knew what she was doing, Willow's paws carried her towards a scent that seemed to beckon warmly. It reminded her of the delicious dinners the humans used to cook, the warm scent of hay in the barn, and the smoke of a warm fire to keep them toasty at night all rolled into one. It had been so long since the half breed had been anything but cold, the mere idea that there would be a warm place to rest was impossible to ignore. It wasn't as if Willow had bright instincts on the best of days, but neither one of her braincells had any inclination of working in that moment.
With her curious nose waving around in the air like a pup, the wolfdog followed the call of whatever drew her forward. Within moments a pale light appeared, unlike anything she'd seen before. The warmth it created spread through her blood like molasses, making her want to do nothing more than slowly sink to the ground and roll onto her back. She was so unawares that it took her a solid few seconds to even notice there was another figure there- a dark wolf cloaked in a muted odor of gunpowder and.. blood?
Willowbelle's mind was as fuzzy as her fur as the bitch slowly sank down to the ground, flopping a faint distance away from the stranger. He seemed... something. She didn't quite have the words for it, but she tilted her head quizzically at him none the less, giggling out a greeting that wasn't the thump of her body on the ground.
Instead, the road faded into grass, and the grass faded into highland. Nature rose to devour what the humans had once left behind, removing anything that bore familiarity and replacing it with a wilderness that Willowbelle had not experienced before; yet, some part of her seemed to embrace the change. She wondered if it was her nameless sire's blood in her, the wolf that her dam had never spoken to her daughter about. Maybe she could be a wild wolf.
The idea sent the wolfdog into hysterics, even as her trotting pace carried her through the carefully laid deer trails of the highlands. Her, a real wolf? She'd only met one of them at this point, but it was impossible to mistake how her lengthy coat and wagging tail could be anything more than half-baked. She'd barely spent a few night under the stars and already Willow was beginning to think she was some kind of natural born adventurer. No, she simply had to find the edge of this place, and cross it in the same way that she'd somehow managed to do to get here. It wasn't that this place wasn't beautiful, but she wasn't a wild creature. The scraps she'd managed to cobble together for her dinner were barely enough to keep her stomach from rumbling, even now, and Willow was very sure she was going to have to find something else by the time the sun came up tomorrow.
Most importantly, the tawny-pelted female knew she was going to need to find somewhere to rest tonight.
Willow's home amongst her flock had taught her quite a bit about sleeping outside. She may have been a sheepdog, but she was a wild sheepdog at that. This place was far colder than the winters of her own home, and sticking to the crowded trees and delipidated human structures had only barely kept her from freezing at night. Out here in the highlands, territory that was at least visibly familiar, she wouldn't have any trees or buildings to hide in. She either needed to find a den or a cave or-
Wait, what was that smell?
Before she even knew what she was doing, Willow's paws carried her towards a scent that seemed to beckon warmly. It reminded her of the delicious dinners the humans used to cook, the warm scent of hay in the barn, and the smoke of a warm fire to keep them toasty at night all rolled into one. It had been so long since the half breed had been anything but cold, the mere idea that there would be a warm place to rest was impossible to ignore. It wasn't as if Willow had bright instincts on the best of days, but neither one of her braincells had any inclination of working in that moment.
With her curious nose waving around in the air like a pup, the wolfdog followed the call of whatever drew her forward. Within moments a pale light appeared, unlike anything she'd seen before. The warmth it created spread through her blood like molasses, making her want to do nothing more than slowly sink to the ground and roll onto her back. She was so unawares that it took her a solid few seconds to even notice there was another figure there- a dark wolf cloaked in a muted odor of gunpowder and.. blood?
Willowbelle's mind was as fuzzy as her fur as the bitch slowly sank down to the ground, flopping a faint distance away from the stranger. He seemed... something. She didn't quite have the words for it, but she tilted her head quizzically at him none the less, giggling out a greeting that wasn't the thump of her body on the ground.
You smell like something the cat dragged in. Wait, no, you look like the cat smelled you and put you away... wait.. s'not right either... well shoot.Her tail wagged behind her, utterly unawares of the stranger's current frenzied state of mind, and the danger that she was putting herself in by being so near.