Jennifer
*"And you must be the one responsible for that little stoaway."*
The canine lord's voice resounded in the darkened corridor, his approach quiet as a shadow upon making himself seen no further than a dozen feet from Juna. Immediately, his presence would set Jace on edge; baring fangs and growling in the girl's arms despite the Lord seeming nowhere near hostile. His tone resounded more amused than irate and his countenance appeared as comely as a beastkin could be. He towered over Juna, broad of shoulders and wiry in frame underneath an embellished quilted tunic and matching britches, dyed a mixture of ermine and burgundy.

The right side of his face was shrouded behind a black leather eyepatch bearing the crow sigil of his house, but his left eye was a pitch-black pit over a blood-red iris, daunting even with a smile. "Another of my steward's guests, I presume. Fret not, your jackal was no cause of disturbance," He assured, the corners of his muzzle curving into a vague smile. "It is a pleasure to welcome an Oriate to my humble estate. I trust that my steward has already made your visit here comfortable, yes?" 
Ashnard offered a slight bow, inching a step closer upon doing so that caused Jace into snarling anew.

"Alas, your companion does not look too fond of me. Can't say that I blame him, either. Never been on the best of terms with my... Less developed kin."
Catherine
*Juna froze at the sound of the voice, her hold on Jace suddenly becoming more stiff at the approach of the man. Or maybe more of a beast actually? One thing was for certain, he was most definitely a Canifor, probably more animal-like than the other few Juna had seen. Not that she could say she's met too many. There was something off-putting about him, and yet she couldn't help but feel a lack of aggression from him. While Jace had remained snarling in her arms, Juna was at least able to relax a little more. At least as much as one can while trying to give off a good impression.*"You're... You're the lord here... Aren't you...?"*She asked. Juna could recall Mercy mentioning something about the Lord being a Canifor and despite the fact that Mercy couldn't recognize the exact same in Juna, she could see why.

As he went into a small bow, Juna considered doing a courtesy in return, since that was what she figured most would do in a moment like this. However, seeing as she had to hold her Jackal to prevent him from going after the Canifor, she would simply give a dip of her head. Her gaze kept lowered. It always typically did in the presence of another as she found it hard to look someone in the eyes or rather 'eye' it seemed with this Canifor.*

"Yes... I'm sorry about my Jackal... He is... Known to wander sometimes... And... He's typically like that around others he doesn't know... Mercy invited us here... But..."*Juna considered mentioning how the stewardess seemed more interested in Jace rather than her at the time of them meeting. Maybe that was why she invited her in the first place. Nonetheless, Juna hoped the gift she had brought earlier was enough to earn her stay for the meantime. Even if it was just a rabbit she had caught on the estate, it was probably the last bit of prey she would find before winter hit.* 

"She has been very welcoming-"*Juna would say to answer his question, knowing full well the rant Mercy had earlier of being the only stewardess tending to the place. Maybe the compliment of her will do her good.*"But I'm not actually a-"*The Canifor paused, considering whether or not it was best to correct the Lord. Was there really a point to it by now? It seemed everyone on this estate didn't see her as a Canifor anyways. Perhaps she should just not argue it and let it be.*
Marnie
```RP Paused (To be continued...)```
Amber
*Travelling, hunting, feeding. These were three habitual tasks she had carried out for the past 200 or so years, but now there is a fourth. Caretaking. Swaddled between her bushy tail was a tiny giggling bundle of fur, her beautiful son Yuzu, a source of great joy as well as stress for Mizu. But she expected as much for such things are to be expected when becoming a mother. She had been keeping him well fed with the blood of mighty warriors that had crossed her path, but wasn't having much luck so far in the woods. She didn't want to resort to animal blood for her child, wanting only the best for him, but unless she came across another traveler she would have no choice.*

*As if on cue Yuzu's belly would grumble and his face would twist in distress and starting letting out weak cries*

"Shhh, shhhh. Don't cry sweetie, mommy will find some food for you soon." *She would say to sooth Yuzu while rocking him back and forth in her tail. Once he had calmed down, she would continue scanning the area for any sources of blood with her eyes and nose*
Catherine
*Juna wandered through the forest, her ears lowered in defeat as she tried to retrace her steps back to town. It had only been a day since she's left, but even now everything looked the same to her. Luck hadn't seem to be on her side lately, with fall coming close to its end, prey seemed more and more scarce. Part of Juna wished she had gotten the time to explore the forest sooner, that she would have dropped of the egg before all this time had passed, but this was the consequence.

She had been walking in silence for quite some time, only being accompanied by the occasional chirping of a bird which at least left her some hope of animals being around even if she couldn't find them. With each surge of a chilly breeze, the Canifor found herself having to pull her gifted shawl tighter around her. Maybe she should have taken the extra clothes her friend had given her before setting out.

Suddenly she would hear a quiet cry, her ears raising to allow it to travel more easily to her. Crying? It didn't sound like that of an animal, but Juna could never be too sure with these strange woods. She found herself drawing towards it, following the sound with her fingers nervously running along the string of her bow that sat strung across her torso. Eventually she would spot her, some sort of Oriate it seemed just beyond the overgrowth. Oh, it was simply a mother and her child. Juna had let out a sigh of relief, realizing she was holding in a breath the whole time.*

*The Canifor kept her distance from the two, using what camouflage she had to allow her to be less noticeable while she watched them. The Woman seemed to stand out a bit to her, quite an oddity to see someone wandering out in the woods, with a child, a very young one anyways. She seemed a bit distressed. Maybe she was lost, or nervous, or maybe looking for something. Juna wasn't quite sure, nor was she one to delve into another's business, but still she couldn't help but speak out to her.*"Hello..."*It came out softly as her voice tended to be, perhaps out of shyness or politeness to the woman.*
Amber
*Like a predator, Mizu's head would quickly turn toward the voice. Her piercing eyes would glow a deep crimson as she looked over Juna, after which she would smile.*

"Hello there~ Fancy meeting anyone out here in the woods during this time of year. Are you from around here? If so, thank goodness you've come" *She would say ever so delightfully while motioning to her tail. There one would see a baby Okamimi making a fussy face, or at least at first glance. Looking closely at the baby's gum's, 2 protruding fangs could be seen.*

"I am a traveler, and the season has been harsh on me and my child. Could you perhaps offer something to eat? I assure you we won't need much~" 

*It was a playful tone, but a sense of unease could be felt as Mizu slowly walked towards Juna with the glare of a hunter*
Catherine
*Juna froze as the woman suddenly turned to her with an oddly rejuvenated sense of joy to her. Maybe the Canifor didn't expect a random woman to seem so happy at the sight of her, especially after she had seemed to be bearing the weight of calming a fussy child just before. At first glance she had just seemed like a regular woman roaming the forest, though there was something about her that caused an uncanny feeling to the Canifor. A feeling similar to the stewardess, the horse rider, maybe even that of the knight from so long ago.

Juna wasn't one to stare at someone for too long, not even getting a good look at the lady before she'd drop her gaze once more.*"No... I'm... Not from around here..."*She'd answer. At Mizu's question of if she could provide them with anything eat, the Canifor's ears would lower once more.*"Sorry I don't have any-"

*The Canifor would glance up, cutting herself off for only a moment as she watched the woman walk closer to her which she in return would end up moving a few steps back almost in similar rate to Mizu. Each step forward, another step back.*"...Any... Food... I'm sorry..."*She'd eventually managed to finish. Thinking back to it, maybe she should have taken the food with her that her friend insisted on her keeping while she was out.*"But- I'm sure there's a town around here... Somewhere..."*Juna had to admit she wasn't quite sure herself, having gotten turned around quite a bit. Of course she could probably find what she was looking for with a high enough vantage point, but after the traitorous tree from earlier, Juna wasn't quite ready to relive the experience.*