6th of Spring, 518 AV
It had been several days since Nieve had agreed to host Sinaetri, and they had been...interesting, to say the least. The Verusk and the Kelvic could not be more opposite in personality if they made a conscious effort about it. The one trait they seemed to have in common was that they both could be exceptionally stubborn when they felt like it.
It was dawn; Sinaetri sat crossed-legged in the sand, less than a foot from where the ocean swept up onto the land. She was dressed in her undershirt, her pant legs rolled up to her knees and her feet bare, her dark hair held up in a high ponytail. The rising sun glittered off her scales, refracting light onto the sand. Her eyes were closed, her hands resting loosely in her lap and her breathing steady but shallow as she meditated. It was the picture of serenity.
Or at least, it would be, if it weren't for the yowlwing pouncing around her in a flurry of motion. Nieve growled low in her throat, dropping onto her haunches and leaping at one of the glittering spots of light in the sand that was being reflected off of Sinaetri.
Sand flew up from the small cat's paws as she pounced, batting at her own paws as the spot of light reflected onto her fur. She flipped down into the sand, spreading her wings wide and rolling on her back before rising to her paws again, shaking sand loose from her fur and feathers.
A gentle breeze swept by, and the motion of Sinaetri's dark hair swaying side to side caught Nieve's eyes. She bared her sharp teeth in a delighted feline grin, settling herself low to the ground. She stalked forward, creeping inch by inch, then exploded upwards, paws aiming for the thick length of hair that hung down the Verusk's back.
Unknown to Evie, Sinaetri had been using her mark of Wysar to track the yowlwing within a small aura field since she'd interrupted her meditation. A part of the Verusk was irritated to have her morning meditation session interrupted, but a deeper part of her that she would never admit to was amused.
Sinaetri felt it when Nieve's attention shifted, and she'd been tensed, ready for the Kelvic to spring. The Verusk moved the second she felt Nieve's intention to pounce solidify. In a flurry of wings, Evie suddenly found herself trapped in the scaled woman's arms. She let out a yowl of displeasure, squirming and hissing. Sinaetri blew out a breath, the closest Nieve had heard her come to laughing so far, and scratched the top of the cat's head with a long nail.
Nieve glared up through slitted eyes, but she stopped squirming, allowing herself to be scratched. One could almost see the pout on her face. Almost against her will, however, she relaxed when Sinaetri's fingers moved down to scratch at the scruff of her neck just below her chin. A loud purring noise erupted from the yowlwing, who stretched out, now content to rest in the Verusk's arms, though her gaze still silently voiced her displeasure.