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Lumiera [break]
Leader of Sawtooth

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The road. It was not a place that Lumiera tended to visit often. In truth, it made her rather uncomfortable. The rough stone-like surface that threatened to burn her paw-pads in summer, the occasional growls and rumbles of those strange speeding monsters with their blinding reflective coats, and the smell. That was always the worst. That overwhelming putrid scent would wash over her in waves. Enhanced by summer heat, it was almost enough to put Lumiera off the only reason she ever came to this place. Almost.
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It was a shame the only way to reach her favorite place was by crossing her most hated. But in Lumiera's eyes, the beach had always been worth it. With its warm pale sands and lapping waves, it brought a feeling of serenity to the wolfdog. Tranquil, beautiful, and with more than its fair share of fun. Barring a cosy night with a full belly surrounded by family and friends, what could be better?
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Not even winter could ruin the beach entirely.
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And so despite the cold, Lumiera had found herself settled on the barely sun-warmed on the verge of her familiar haunt, eyes tracking the waves as she let her mind track drift with the ebb and flow. With her deputy in charge and the pack knowing where she could be found, Lumiera had allowed herself to slip into the tranquility. Yet it would seem this peace was destined to be shattered.
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Breaking the relative silence was an unfamiliar voice, rough and perhaps vaguely irritated. Snapped back to attention, Lumiera's ears pricked and swiveled to locate the source as the voice went on, gaze darting away from the ocean. They did not sound the friendly sort - but then again, perhaps they were just wary. That seemed a common trait beyond Sawtooth's borders. Following a soft hum to herself in thought the wolfdog let her voice ring back, light and calm, toward the stranger.
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"No need for that," she called. Rising to her paws, Lumiera slipped out from her wind-sheltered spot among the rocks, fur fluffing against the unwelcome chill as she shook the sand from her fur. Although the other's scent blew away from her, her nose lending little more to her senses than a salty ocean tang, it did not take Lumiera long to spy the roadside dog. A patched brown-faced dog, young and unfamiliar, but certainly without the look of a pet. Was she from one of the other packs, then? That seemed likely.
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Tail swaying behind her, Lumiera trotted back toward the road, pausing still a few strides away from the edge to avoid the worst of the smell. Away from her sheltered spot in the sand, the winter chill bit at her ears, and they twitched reflexively.
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"I'm Lumiera, although I suppose you may know that already." Two months. That was long enough for everyone to know who she was, right? Considering all the doubt and whispers around her capabilities - which part of her could not help but agree with - she was certainly a recognizable leader despite her...newness. Unless this stranger wasn't of a pack. If only Lumiera wasn't upwind, her senses clogged with sea salt and the acrid scent of the road. Oh well, that was fine. "And who might you be?"

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Notes:

Eventually, the stranger revealed herself, and at that moment, Jersey recognized the wolf-ish creature. She remembered seeing her at the gathering in December. Jersey couldn't exactly remember her name, though, but remembered that she was the leader of Sawtooth.

"I'm Lumiera, although I suppose you may know that already."

Lumiera, that's her name!

Instantly, a bell was rung. Jersey felt slightly nervous knowing she was face-to-face with another pack leader, but she didn't want to show that. Although she tended to oppose authority sometimes, Jersey was nervous towards authority at the same time. She figured it was because of her father, as he was like authority, and he was incredibly cruel. She hated thinking about Calcifer.

"And who might you be?"

"Jersey." The Canaan mix responded bluntly. "Now that I can see you, I recognize you. Sawtooth leader, correct? I recall seeing you at the most recent gathering. I just couldn't remember your name, though."

Jersey's attention was then turned to a dead raccoon next to her on the ground. She laid down by it and started to take some bites out of it. 

Clearly hasn't been dead for that long. Tastes pretty good, too. One of these days I should bring some roadkill back home.

"Anyways," Jersey continued, swallowing some meat. "I'm from Heaven's Peak. Erm...out of curiosity...what brings you here?"

Considering Lumiera was here, Jersey figured she'd might as well strike a conversation with her, which was typical for her, considering how social she was.

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Lumiera [break]
Leader of Sawtooth

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As recognition lit in the other's eyes, something of a mingled relief and uncertainty rippled through Lumiera. She was never certain if that recognition was a good thing. For some, it just meant a more respectful greeting or condolences for the loss of her predecessor and youthful ascension. For others, it meant judgment and skepticism. It was hard to predict what receival she would get.
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'They don't mean it cruelly, though,' she assured herself. Some called that denial; she could only hope it was optimism. 'They're just concerned. It's only natural.' That hope made it easier for Lumiera to dismiss the feeling, keeping her eyes warm and countenance light.
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Although the sway of her tail had stilled, there was nothing but calm friendliness to the wolfdog as she gave a slight nod of her head, committing the new name to memory. The dog's tone was blunt, but Lumiera remained unruffled.
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"I am," Lumiera confirmed. "It has only been two gatherings though, so I suppose it will take some time for everyone to get used to the change." There was no judgment there, no offense to her name being forgotten. It wasn't Jersey's fault - Lumiera was more well known by her situation and inexperience than by her name. Sawtooth's leader. That was all they needed to know, she supposed. There was only one after all.
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Even as Lumiera spoke, the other canine's attention was already shifting. To her veiled discomfort, Lumiera watched as Jersey began eating a battered raccoon that had clearly been killed by a passing monster. Even if it was still somewhat fresh, to eat anything off this road turned the wolfdog's stomach. But she said nothing. If that was what Jersey wanted to eat, or Heaven's Peak was so hard-pressed for food that it became necessary, it was not Lumiera's place to comment. She did not need Ghost thinking she was imposing on his packmates.
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Keeping herself as composed as she could while trying not to wrinkle her nose at the other's actions, the wolfdog considered the question honestly. There was no need for lies, especially not over something so trivial and harmless as her purpose beyond the border.
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"I like to come to the beach," she offered, inclining her head briefly toward the lapping waves. "It's soothing. Though it's a shame I have to cross the road to get here, and I can't really enjoy the water in winter..." Trailing off, the wolfdog studied the other once more. "I suppose you came here for...that?" Lumiera's gaze flitted again to the raccoon her companion was making her way through.

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sylver [break]
Notes:

Although her actions suggested otherwise, Jersey listened to the wolfdog leader as she spoke, explaining how she would come here for the beach not too far away. Jersey was aware of that beach, but she never bothered to visit much. When she did, it was only when the weather outside was nice. Considering it was winter, Jersey had no plans to visit the beach. It was too cold for her liking.

Jersey took a couple more bites from the deceased raccoon before looking up to make eye contact with Lumiera, her maw painted with crimson blood.

"Hm, I see." She said. "The beach is a fairly nice place, in all honesty. I don't visit it much, but sometimes I do...only when it's nice outside. Considering how shit the weather is during the winter, I haven't been visiting it. I only like going during the spring and summer seasons."

Jersey was about to continue chewing on the raccoon carcass until Lumiera spoke again.

"I suppose you came here for...that?"

Jersey gave Lumiera an expression that suggested slight uncertainty. Then, she glanced back at the raccoon corpse.

"Ehhh...not necessarily." Jersey responded. "I pretty much just like to come to this road and go for walks. When I'm hungry, the roadkill here proves useful. I usually just go for walks on this road because I enjoy how quiet it tends to be. I also appreciate the emptiness, and slightly eerie vibes. Basically, I just enjoy places like these. Helps me to gather my thoughts. Oddly, I find comfort in places that are eerie and quiet."

Jersey didn't really care if anything she said sounded strange. She was too comfortable with herself to care.

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Lumiera [break]
Leader of Sawtooth

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As the conversation went on and her companion slowly ate her admittedly sizeable meal, Lumiera found herself resisting fidgeting on her paws. The pale wolfdog had never been much for standing still. She preferred to be in motion, her energy carrying her onward through her day. Sitting was a bearable alternative, but standing for long periods of time made her uncomfortable. With Jersey lying down, it only felt weirder. So Lumiera gave in to her instincts to relax a little, voiding the temptation to pace.
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With head level and tail relaxed at her hocks to keep her posture non-threatening, Lumiera listened for any roaring, before crossing toward the other canine. She stopped a few strides away, keeping a little distance between them as she sat on the sand-mingled grass.
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Meeting Jersey's eyes again with pricked ears, Lumiera nodded. "It is much nicer in the warmer months," she agreed, gaze drifting back toward the beach. "But I like to come here to the sheltered spots when the sky is clear enough to warm the sands, at least this early in the season before the cold gets too bad."
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Looking back to Jersey, Lumiera observed her for a moment in the silence that lapsed between them. The dog looked a little uncertain, and she could not help but wonder if perhaps she may have worded that poorly. Had she sounded judgemental? Lumiera certainly never meant to. It just seemed...strange, to want to eat roadkill.
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Did she have any room to judge what was strange?
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Dismissing the thought, Lumiera considered Jersey's answer. Truthfully, the wolfdog did not see the allure. But everyone had different tastes, didn't they? It would be rather boring if they were all the same. "I suppose the quiet is nice when the shiny beasts aren't around," she conceded. "Although the smell is a bit much for me. I'm not sure how those furless creatures stand being so close to them. Maybe they can't smell very well?"

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Notes:

Jersey was glad to see that Lumiera appeared to understand her viewpoint on why she only visited the beach during warmer times. As Lumiera explained her opinion, Jersey could understand.

"Yeah, makes sense. Thankfully it's not too cold...yet."

Jersey figured that one of these days she would have to visit the beach again. After all, considering it was early winter, the weather wasn't completely unbearable, but Jersey just felt it was more appropriate to visit such a place during warmer months. Visiting a beach during winter just didn't make that much sense to Jersey personally.

Jersey listened as the older wolfdog then brought up the "shiny beasts" that would show up. Jersey hated them. The smell and the overall appearance was just too much. She silently agreed with Lumiera on her statement of how the smell was too much, and that she didn't understand how the furless creatures could be so close to them without a problem.

"The smell is too much for me as well...and the appearance." Jersey said. "I'm constantly afraid of getting killed by them. I don't understand how they're able to be so fast as well. I can just be walking, and suddenly one of those huge shiny beasts just comes blazing through at a speed that I can't understand. No wonder why there's so much dead, mangled animals by this road."

Jersey finished the rest of the dead raccoon before continuing.

"Maybe they can't smell very well?"

Jersey laughed a little. "Yeah, probably. They could easily just be used to the smell too, who knows. There's a whole area full of shiny beasts and the tall, furless creatures. I guarantee they're used to the smell of them by now, especially if they've been living there for a while."

It had to be true, which was speaking from Jersey's experience. For example, she had gotten used to the smell of rotting animals from hanging by the road for so long and eating roadkill.

Me getting along with a Sawtooth. Well, that's something I didn't expect.

Jersey then rose to her paws, although just sitting down instead of laying down.

"It's like me with these dead animals. After a while, I've gotten used to the smell, so the furless creatures could easily just be used to the shiny beast smell. Although the smell is a bit much, I kinda like it, so maybe they like the smell too. Who knows."