P a r a n o r m a
A slender white fae cautiously entered the seemingly unoccupied terra, head lifted high to make sure no other scent was carried on the winds. Tail and head now held low, she silently slunk over to a bare patch of rocky mud, her sparkling, forest green optics shining with worry.
The fae was a mess. Her pure, ghostly pelt was dirt-caked and thatched with briars and twigs. Her paws were soaked in mud, and her fur 'pon her muzzle was now faded from lack of care.
Paranorma was her dubbance. One who stayed to the shadows, away from the rest of the world. A cautious, silent wolf, with no violent intentions, nor any enemies-or friends. This one was lone, and lone for a reason. Until she met another whom she could trust, this fae would never let her spirit be broken again.
Her eyes strayed to the other areas of the marshes. It was places like this she normally called home. Lank, dirty, and dark, her residence always went unnoticed. Her ears perked, she rested her head, the fae's thoughts straying to that of the lonely.
Dima
The young reptilian was basking in the dying heat of the season, trying to warm his battered body and digest the meal he had captured a while ago. A few peices of the long-dead moose carcass clung inbetween the dagger-like teeth in his gapping jaws. He was in remarkably good health, much in thanks to his 'guardian', Galar. But his body bore tribute to the hard life that his species lives. His tail was missing half of its length; a front limb was completely missing, several toes on his hind leg were gone, and his body was littered with scars from the deadly teeth of his kind. But he had healed beautifully from this injuries where mammals would have simply died. And now, growing fat off of good food, the alligator had grown to a length of three feet, which would have been four feet if it weren't for half of his tail being bitten off.
Dima rested lazily on a beached log. A small bird was flittering closer and closer to him, hopping about on the log and tempting her fate. She was just about to come forward and snatch a bit of rotten flesh from his jaws when the young gator awoke. He had heard something. In a snap, his speckled orbs were open and his jaws slowly came to a shut, to the great disapointment of the scavenging little bird.
The gator had learned enough not to trust many creatures. Galar had to kill a dog recently, though it was an accident, in order to save him and his sister, Akili. Now the gator's head moved slowly, following the movements of Paranorma. Unlike Galar or Akili, he wasn't so keen on meeting wolves or befriending them. But at the same time, he didn't mind talking with them. So now, he remaind silent, wondering if the fae would notice his faint movements of the head and jaws.
Paranorma
The ghostly-hued hauntress' figure had begun to relax. Though she knew quite well that there could be many lurking creatures in the swamp, her four days of straight traveling had truly made her weary.
Just as her emerald optics had begun to slowly close, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Her head shot up, and she glanced in the direction of Dima, spotting him immediately. She jumped to her feet, her ears back, body tensed, and tail tucked low. Her position was not defensive, but submissive. "Does this place belong to you?" She asked quietly, her voice hollow and soft. She had not meant to tresspass...
Dima
Dima had seen enough wolves to understand, vaugly, their signs of submission. Relieved that she apparently didn't want to attack him, he was encouraged to respond. "Me? Nah.... I've got no land for myself yet. This is Galar's territory. Er... he's a wolf-friendly gator, if you haven't heard of him yet." The young reptile pointed out. "And he won't mind you being around; though..." Dima grunted, "
Paranorma
Paranorma stayed in her tense, wary position,nodding slowly at the alligator's comments, her ears coming forward. She continued to stand in her low position, however. "I see." She said in a wary, nerved tone. She, however, made an odd expression after a moment, inquiring with a questionable tone. "A-wolf...friendly gator?" She asked him quietly, though her tone had turned slightly more interested. She had never heard of such a thing.
Dima
Dima gave a hint of a grin, as Galar had always done, by leaving his jaws agape just enough to show all his glistening ivories. "That's right. I'm one of them, along with my sister, Akili." The alligator pointed out, "But don't be fooled, this place is swarming with gators that would gladly take you as lunch." Lurching off the log, the gator made his way nearer to Paranorma. But she needn't be frightened of the creature, for at his size, he could only tear the sking on a creature as large as an adult wolf. Now a rabbit or squirrel... they were a different story.
Paranorma
Paranorma nodded again slowly as he spoke of his sister, and she lifted herself off the ground a bit, her tail tucked low, but her auds held forward. She lisetned to his last comment, slowly relaxing back to rest on her haunches. Her emerald optics were a bit less fearful as he came towards her. She was more anxious than anything else. Sure, if the alligator attacked her, she'd have a hard time fighting all that armour and those teeth, but this alligator did not seem to want to harm her. She was still very untrusting, but she managed to speak up.
"So..." She growled slowly, as if deep in thought. "Do you....'wolf-friendly' gators...know a lot of wolves...?" She asked, her voice holding a slight tone of uncertainty. She shifted uneasily on her front pads, her talons digging deep intot the soft sod. It may have seemed, to one that knew little about her, that she was avoiding wolves because she was on bad terms with a few inparticular. However, there was no truth to this. She avoided /all/ wolves. Why? Well...because she could.
Dima
Dima tilted his head a bit to the side, "Well..." His voice carried out at length as he thought, "Personally, I don't know that many. Starlit Eyes, Flurry... Spark, Eclipse... ahhh..." The reptile trailed off, unable to account for any others. He shook his head, "I could tell you though, Galar knows a lot. Star Gazer.. but she's been dead for years and years before I was hatched. Shadow... one of his best friends, but he hasn't seen her for years as well. Storm Alarm.... she died of the mad disease here... hhmm, lemme think... Well, Starlit of course, and her friends. Dark Star... haven't seen him in a bit. Oh, my sister chatted with a wolf... er, I don't remember her name. Started with an 'S' I belive, but... ah, she tells me about so many I can't keep track." Dima explained, talking far more than he was use to.
Paranorma
Paranorma nodded slowly, deep in thought. She was, however, not trying to recall if she knew any of those names, but instead, guessing how possible it would be for any of those wolves to appear whilst she was residing here. She shook her ghostly crania, as if physical movement could help clear her thoughts. She finally replied. "I suppose I might have heard those names before..." She said, trying to think through the list of names again. She had, without noticing, become fully relaxed. Her crania was lifted up as a wolf's should, and she sat comfortably upon her haunches. Her bright green optics shined with mostly interest on the reptile now, but a flicker of fear still came and went.
Dima
"Really? He's also got a deer friend; or, he had a deer friend." Dima went on, finding that he was enjoying this little conversation. Maybe it was because Akili wasn't here to pester him, and maybe because of Paranorma's actions. He felt safe. "I hear some cougar or wolf.... something like that... had eaten his friend and her baby. Did you ever know an Icelit?" He really doubted this, for she was a deer.
Paranorma
Paranorma shook her head slowly. "I don't believe I have....heard of an 'Icelit'." She replied, looking to the alligator with a less fearful expression. He seemed very much different from most creatures she had met...she might actually...dare she say...'be-friend' this alligator! She grinned wolfishly, exposing her ivories. "I have not spoken to another creature for a very long time." She commented, lying down upon the spongey sod. "Though I would have to say, you are the most intruiging reptile I have ever ment." She pointed out, her tail flicking slightly.
Dima
"A good thing, I guess." Dima replied in a matter-of-fact tone to her first response. His darkly-toned, broad head was turned to Paranorma, picking up her words and expressions. He was struggling to understand the various ways that wolves use their bodies to communicate. "Thanks." The gator replied, flashing a small alligator grin, which was hard to see unless one knew how to see it, "And I could say about the same for you, though you are lupine."