well they showed you a statue, told you to pray

@Tiberius - set immediately after their first thread. In Cherry Blossom Grove ^^

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It'd been a pleasant walk, especially after they got away from the threat of ice to fall on. The snow was cold on her paw pads, but it wasn't unbearable, and she could already feel herself getting used to it. It was especially easy to forget the discomfort when one had company, she found. 

River noted that the two of them did stand out quite a bit against the white landscape - Tiberius looking like a walking shadow, and River almost like a firebrand. Hunting would be a struggle for the two of them in this particular, but she assumed that there were at least some wolves who blended in well enough. And besides, she didn't need to blend that well to fish. 

The sun was starting to get a bit lower in the sky by the time they approached the foot of the mountain. Most likely the one Tiberius had referenced earlier, she assumed. It did smell like a pack land, and Tiberius' own scent clung to a lot of the landmarks they passed. The idea of being inside pack lands without knowing the other members was a little bit stressful, so she gravitated more toward the larger wolf's side as they went deeper into the territory. 

"You're sure this is alright?" she asked him, tilting her head to the side. Not only did she want to avoid an altercation, but she also didn't want to get him in trouble if he wasn't supposed to be doing this. She was so wrapped up in the thought that she almost missed the sweet, floral scent in the air as they got closer to their destination.
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The caverns had been left behind in favour of the blossoms and for that, Tiberius was somewhat thankful. He had offered her to join Shiroshika without thinking and though she had not declined -- quite the opposite -- he still felt awkward for it. Of course he had intended to broach the topic since learning she had wanted to stay in the Tundra but... well, his plans had gone to shit when his mouth ran away from his brain. As it often did, he thought dryly. Tiberius' paws crunched the snow beneath his pads as he led River to the promised blossoms.

He had no concerns of crossing their lands with the unclaimed stranger in toe; he protected the fucking lands day in and day out. So surely he had some goddamn right mind to escort someone through them -- especially one who was going to join their ranks, right? Like he cared what Reiko thought for the moment. Nah mate, he was past that point for now. Tiberius focused in on River; her scent and the sound of her paws crushing the snow alongside his own. She was a vivid little thing, full of cheek and sass. Tiberius found it easy to work with, though would he when she realised he was mostly all work and no play when he would return to being hyper vigilante of the borders? Especially with her as an added member. No, he thought coldly, she would find him less than fun then.

His attention was brought back to the moment as she inquired after the situation and he snorted, "ain't gotta worry, girl. Yah gonn' be joinin' anyway," he shrugged his thick shoulders, glancing down at her with a smirk settled on his marred lips. "Yah good, 'sides, ya wit' me. Ain't fuck all gonn''appen," he reassured gruffly, drawing his molten gaze away from her as he peered forward. There they were, he noted, the blossoms in all their wintery pink glory. A Grove of them, enchanting and whimsical, feeling every bit as intense yet calming-- such a strange contradiction -- as it always did when he visited. Which was so rarely, save for one of his patrol routes. Tiberius shuffled on his paws as he drew to a slow stop, motioning with his nose towards the Grove, "well," he rumbled, "tha Grove, lil' lady." Would it live up to any image she had conjured in her head?

He felt almost... self conscious as he waited with a baited breath to see River's reaction to the pink Grove. Would she think the build up worth it? His ears were pulled forth tentatively as he watched her, his paws shuffling against the snow in a subtle display of his nerves. He didn't get nervous, it wasn't something he goddamn did yet here he was, nervous as a wee pup waiting judgement.

Fuck. ^^

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River was unaware of his awkwardness and concerns. She had a few of her own - the concerns, at least, as Riv wasn't in the business of being awkward often. In her mind, it was only awkward if you made it that way. So there was nothing to be awkward about right now, at least in her mind. The invitation had been greatly appreciated. 

The concerns, on the other hand. Those were more real. 

"Well, that's the plan," she reasoned, brows knitting together a bit in thought. She wanted to join, but what if she was screwing things up by trespassing? Or, well... not really trespassing, she guessed, because she was invited. There was just this underlying worry that she would instantly be turned away by not meeting the alphas at the borders - unless Tiberius was the alpha. She hadn't really asked about it just yet.

The very last concern on her mind would be whether or not Tiberius was fun after this - River didn't have to go on grand adventures to have a good time, anyway. "I'm more worried about if you're gonna get in trouble. Don't wanna cause any problems, you know? Gotta make a good first impression." 

Things would probably be okay, and she knew that. She'd just never done anything like this before - not that she could remember, at least. She was so wrapped up in those thoughts that she nearly forgot the original reason they'd decided to come up here. In fact, Riv had been a little distracted by their surroundings when they approached it, so she hadn't even seen the trees before Tiberius pointed them out. 

Her eyes widened immediately, taking in the pretty pink petals and the whiteness surrounding them. It was especially beautiful in the fiery afternoon light, bouncing off the pastel pink and glistening snow on the ground. A grin broke out on her face and she bounded forward a few steps, tilting her head back to look up into the branches - how could trees like this grow in such a cold climate?

"You didn't tell me the flowers were on trees!" she proclaimed, turning back to face him and letting her tail wag happily. "This is so beautiful! I can't believe you get to see these every day. It's incredible!" She looked back away, then, and placed her forepaws on the trunk to try and get a little closer to the blossoms. Some of the petals had fallen and decorated the snow, but she really wanted to see one of the full flowers up close. 

Unfortunately, she was too short, but she gave it a good try anyway.
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The lil'lady was nervous, he mused. She had been invited yet the worry still lined her that she was breaking some sort of law by entering a land she had been invited to. He quirked his lips to her, about to speak but her own lips had parted first and her concerns for him reached her ears. Well -- he hadn't expected some of her worry to he for him and how this would reflect on him. "Nah girl, i's gonn' be fine," he rumbled his reassurance. "Reiko ain't like tha'," unless she had changed more than he had realised but in that regard... he thought unlikely. The little Empress was a bleeding heart, something that often infuriated him but in this case, he would welcome it. He was unwilling for River's first impressions of Shiroshika to be one of rejection or negativity. "Yah will like 'er," he wouldn't taint the Empress to the lil'lady, his current situation with the blue-eyed wolf one to keep between them.

The titan watched her tentatively as she realised from his words that they had arrived and his molten gaze didn't falter from her features. Her eyes, so bright in their seafoam depths, widened as they laid sights on the blossoms trees. She grinned as she watched the way the blossoms were touched by the warm glow of the setting sun and he felt almost... proud as she displayed her delight so openly. A finger was basically pointed in his direction as she told him he had neglected to say that they had been on trees and Tiberius snorted as he shook his head, "figured yah could read m'mind," he teased quietly as she wagged her tail happily.

Beautiful, she said, and Tiberius flicked an ear, "well, yah gonn' be able ta aswell now." He pointed out before falling silent, watching as she ventured forward towards the blossoms, so happy and curious of the pretty pink petals. She lifted onto her haunches to place her forepaws upon the trunk, trying to get a better look though her small stature made it difficult for her to even see one of the low hanging branches. Quietly the titan pressed forward after her, his pads leaving prints near her own as he came up from behind her and pressed his nose-- almost hesitantly -- to her spine, "c'mon, try an' use m'back as a step, yeah?" He rumbled, lowering himself to his belly to offer his back as a step. Even just a little more might help her see them better and his body was not frail and weak-- he was certain he could hold her for a little while for her to sate her desires.^^

^^ [/Narrow]
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He was quick to reassure her that things would be okay - that Reiko wasn't like that. Reiko, who she could only assume was the alpha around here. Reiko, whose name felt strange and familiar to River's ears. Her brows drew together momentarily as she pulled the name apart in her head. She didn't know a Reiko, she didn't think. It was the language itself that the name was from that was so familiar to her - as familiar to her as the common tongue she used. "Reiko," she mused quietly, tipping her head to the side before shaking the concerns from her mind. She could think about it later. "Reiko is your leader, then?" At least his opinion of this wolf seemed high. That was a really good sign, especially if he thought that River would like her, as well. 

This place was stunning. River was immediately enchanted, eager to see more. A soft snort of laughter escaped her at his teasing, and she rolled her eyes before glancing back at him. "My mistake. Apparently I'd forgotten that I have the ability to read minds - you'll have to forgive me," she responded with a grin, before turning her attention back to the sakura blossoms. 

Sakura. She didn't know she knew that word, either.

Tiberius' deep voice rumbled behind her, assuring her that she'd be able to see them daily from now on. It made something in her chest warm up, both excited and anticipatory. That solely hinged on whether Reiko liked her or not, but she really enjoyed the idea nonetheless. 

A cold nose pressed against her back, and River startled slightly before dropping down onto four paws again. There was a tingling feeling against her spine, right where he'd touched, but she had little time to dwell on it. The man brought himself to his belly before her, and her eyes widened at the offer. For a moment, she wanted to argue - what if she hurt him? - but she realized that that was probably a ridiculous idea. Tiberius was massive, and she'd already learned that the dark wolf didn't say things he didn't mean. River offered him a small smile, her tail still swaying behind her. "Alright," she agreed before carefully climbing onto his back. 

It was far easier to reach the blossoms on the lower branches this way, if she pressed her forepaws to the trunk and stretched her muzzle upward. She had no desire to pluck any of the blossoms, but the feeling of the petals against her muzzle and the sweet scent felt comforting. Using Tiberius as a step-stool would be short lived, though, as she didn't want him to carry her weight for longer than absolutely necessary, so after just a few moments of appreciating the blossoms, she slowly stepped down. And once all four paws were on the ground, she touched her nose to the base of his ear, appreciative. "Thank you."
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He nodded sharply in answer to her question, his own voice dead on his lips. Tiberius didn't want to expand the conversation of Reiko, not in the mood to do anything regarding Reiko for more than necessary. He knew that the Empress would have no issues with River joining their ranks, for despite it all, he had faith she would trust him enough as a Samurai to think he would not bring someone he thought was dangerous. He had better judgement than Reiko, he thought, given her perchance for allowing anyone into the ranks. River would do no harm to Shiroshika, she was a bouncy little lady with an adventurous soul. At the very least she would bring some fresh air for them to breathe. He would look forward to knowing that she was in their ranks, hopefully not looking to add to his stress by taking disappearing trips.

The titan could not help but rumble a chuckle, rolling his molten gaze in a dramatic manner. "Gotta git back ta yah on tha'," he drawled teasingly to her sassy comment of forgiveness. The stress of life had been put on the back burner for today, the girl bringing ease to his tense shoulder blades.

He hadn't meant to startle her though he supposed he should have seen it coming, he'd not told her off his plan after all. Tiberius had settled on his belly and turned his head over his shoulder, watching as she took a moment to swallow his words. Concern seemed to wash over her features as her eyes widened and he twisted his lips in amused tilt. River didn't take too much longer to go along with his plan, likely coming to the conclusion that he could take it. It wasn't as if she was a giant load, was it?

The touch of her pads were flush against his back, his belly pressing into the snow and he watched her from his tilted position as she reached for the petals. He had helped her do as she wished and his smirk turned to a smile in secret, appreciating the moment. When she moved, his schooled themselves to flicker with amusement as she stepped down and off his back. He hadn't expected it, the appreciative touch to the base of his ears. The titan's ear twitched as she issued her thanks and he shuffled on his stomach with a shrug of his shoulders, "ain't nothin'" he rumbled, almost embarrassed at the attention, the thanks of her.

Tiberius lifted himself back from his belly to standing and shook off the snow from his belly as he realised then how close they were standing. Clearing his throat he tilted his chin down to her without stepping back, "Yah wanna see about joinin' now, lil' lady?" He murmured, his tongue slipping out from behind his teeth and rolled across his disfigured face as he shuffled awkwardly on his paws. His ear still burned from her touch. ^^

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Standing on someone was awkward, even if they were almost twice your size and it was probably little more than an inconvenience for them. Riv decided then and there not to make a habit out of it, though it was very kind of the man to offer her the boost for the moment, and she had desperately needed to be closer to the sakura trees. The blossoms were familiar in a way that made her long for a home that she wasn't sure existed. There were images in her head, and though the grove here was stunning, the pictures that had sprung to mind were in a much greener landscape. 

This place had not been her home in the past... but that didn't mean it couldn't make for a good one in the future. 

Tiberius looked a bit awkward after he'd stood back up. His paws shuffled in the snow, and River wondered what that could mean. Was he nervous? She decided not to ask about it, because that would surely make things even more awkward, and she didn't want that to happen. If he felt uncomfortable about something, she didn't want to make it worse by pushing the subject - even she had limits to her teasing. 

The two of them were a little close, she noticed, but figured that that couldn't be the source of his nervousness. Besides, it felt kinda nice to be near him, and she didn't feel like moving away. It was a weird sensation, but definitely not a bad one. 

Her eyes darted down to the movement of his tongue before flicking back up to his. There were scars on his muzzle - she'd noticed them before, of course, but it hadn't really mattered to her at the time. In her opinion, scars didn't take away from someone's appearance, and so the only fleeting thought she'd had about them was, That must've hurt. Later on, she might ask where he got them, but for now there was no need to dwell on them. 

"Yeah, I do," she said softly in return, subconsciously matching his murmured tone, before she raised her voice to its usual volume. "I want to be the one to call for her. Can't have you do all the work for me." A small smile formed on her maw before she took a deep breath and tilted her head back to howl for @Reiko.
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He hadn't doubted that she was brave, given the fact she had invited a wolf who looked like him on an adventure without even knowing him. It took guts to put yourself out there-- some may argue that it was stupid, too, endangering yourself like that... but for her, it had worked out. So when the little lady told him that she wanted to do it as to not have him do all the work, his lip tilted in a half smirk as he dipped his head, acquiescing to her. He lifted his gaze from her and chose to watch the snow, waiting to see if Reiko would come to the unknown call.

She would, he knew. Hopefully she had put two and two together with the mingled scent of him and the stranger and it would require very little time of his to be in her presence. She would know by the mingled scents that he was there and it was safe, because he'd not let someone call her into danger. He almost tensed as he saw her petite form materialise from a distance but instead he simply exhaled softly through his nose. She looked cautious and Tiberius thought good, she was learning. Looking at the bigger picture despite knowing he was there -- her blue eyes landed on him and he felt his paws curl in the snow -- and acting like an adult.

Snidely he had thought the last word and perhaps childishly, but he couldn't help it. He was still drifting through the emotions. Tiberius remained silent though he dipped his head in a show of respect for her approach and cast his molten gaze to River. A question sat in his eyes as he wondered if she wanted to do her introductions herself or if she wanted him to jump in. She was no mind reader, he thought in amusement to her earlier words and she didn't know him well enough yet to put two and two together to assume anything. He dipped his mouth to her ear, speaking lowly and softly for only her to hear, "yah wanna take point on this bit, darlin'? Am 'ere, yah good." The titan reassured her, knowing she had been worried about this trip to begin with. He pulled away slightly as the fur of her ear tickled his nose and he kept his molten gaze upon her in question. He would be happy to do it either way and if Reiko required him to speak up and assure her of River's innocence, then he would.

The titan wasn't gonna step on toes, though and talk for the girl if she wanted to do shit herself. Not this time, anyway. Other times... he may not be so well behaved. Not his fault, though, of course.^^

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The leader was quick to respond, and River was almost taken aback by how beautiful the female was. Older than she by a couple of years, but still smaller and dainty in ways that River’s more lean physique didn’t allow, regardless of them being similar in size.

River shook her head at Tiberius’ offer, more than willing to speak up for herself. Though it was nice to know that she had someone there just in case she needed them - even if there wasn’t much danger in this situation.

The girl dipped her head down respectfully, offering the woman a smile and a wag of her tail. Reiko Izuka. The way she spoke her name, that accent, made the words even more familiar than when Tiberius said it.

”Hello, ma’am,” she responded, trying to emulate the more proper way that Reiko spoke. It didn’t feel as natural as she’d hoped. ”My name is River - I met Tiberius earlier today, and he mentioned that he was part of a pack. And I’ve been looking for a place to stay, so I was hoping that you’d maybe have some use for me here?” She glanced up at the woman, her head still lowered just a bit. ”I can fish or scout, and I’m really fast. I won’t cause any trouble.”

Belatedly, she realized she hadn’t mentioned why she was already in the territory. Warmth rose to her cheeks. ”Oh, uh, your cherry blossom trees are beautiful,” she complimented, looking back up at them before glancing at Reiko once more.
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He watched River in both amusement and pride as she took the reins as she said she would, her earlier words of her not being a lady recalling in his mind and he snorted lightly as he watched and listened to her act every bit of a lady as she could for Reiko. He drew his lips in as to not give away his amusement, thinning them against his teeth as he stood there, stoic and listening to the two women speak. It was strange, his dynamic with Reiko -- he had always said something to her when in her company, ordinarily something playful but yet now, he could not.

The titan appeared before her in silence, paying his attention to River as she spoke of her usages and he felt his brow falter at the way she felt she had to sell herself to the Empress. Reiko replied how Tiberius had thought she would, accepting River in all of her sweet nature -- only he knew of the cheek she held currently, he thought wickedly -- and upon Reiko's words of the blossoms, he blinked at her.

Inspiring were the blossoms and Tiberius tore his molten gaze from her as he looked back to River, "i's told yah it be alrigh'," he murmured as he rolled his shoulders and turned to Reiko, dipping his chin in appreciation for the way she handled River. "Empress," Tiberius stated, voice void of emotion as he stepped away from River. "I's gonn' go secure tha border fer now, lil' lady. Enjoy tha blossoms more if yah want, yeah? Find me if yah want a grand tour," he rumbled his tease to her before he bowed his head to her, nudging his black nose against her shoulder, he had given her the opportunity to stay and talk more with Reiko, or...

He had squeezed in the offer of more of his company in the form of a grand tour, if she so wished. Tiberius bowed away from the women and turned in the snow, his thick paws sounding in a crunch! with every step. ^^

he exit alone or with river, up to pan!!
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Relief swamped over the girl as Reiko accepted them unquestioningly. Perhaps the woman really just trusted Tiberius enough to know he wasn't going to bring someone bad to the borders. It made River feel a lot better about her decision. Surely this pack was filled with kind wolves and there was no way things would totally fall apart within the next few days... right?

"Thank you. I'll do my best," she told the empress, a genuine smile formed on her maw. She looked back up at the trees, then to the other woman again. "Isn't it kind of reassuring, though? To know that they'll always be there, no matter what happens." Sure, temporary beauty was wonderful, but River quite liked the thought of the stability that it offered.

It was a difficult decision, to go with Tiberius or to stay, but River decided having a tour guide would be best. And, also, she kind of selfishly wasn't ready to have him leave just yet. The girl felt the same odd warmth where his nose had touched on her shoulder, in spite of the cold, but again she ignored it. 

"Thank you again," she added to the empress, and found herself eager to prove her loyalty and skills to the pack. This would be so much better than being alone, and she'd lived in solitude for so long. It was time for it to end.

Her paws crunched on the snow as she hurried to catch up to Tiberius.

fade unless Noki wants to add another
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