Rusałka

The silvery moonlight reflected on the mountain lake, and Moondancer stared at the reflections as if enchanted. The stars shone brightly and the night air was filled with the scent of herbs and spring flowers.

It was a beautiful night.

One that allowed her to forget for a moment the pain of abandonment.

She knew that she had always been different from her previous pack due to her gentle nature. The wolves there were too aggressive and self-centered for her sensitive personality to be found there. However, they took her in when she was wandering the forests, lost and lonely. That's why she thought that despite everything she would be fully accepted as she was.

That her nature will be respected and appreciated.

That didn't happen.

Even the gentlest wolves have their limits and they should not be violated.

However, lying on the shore of the lake, she still had hope that her former herd would finally find her.

Well, maybe it wasn't anyone she knew, but... someone found her.

A black wolf with burning eyes.

She didn't even hear him approach her, so she had every right to be scared. The intruder was polite enough to at least seem apologetic.

"Sorry."

He addressed her gently, as if he were a puppy. It calmed her down a bit, but she didn't let her guard down yet.

"It's rude to sneak up on someone like that," the black wolf smiled slightly.

"You're right, I shouldn't."

"Then why did you do it if you had no intention of attacking me?" she rather made the right conclusions. Otherwise she would have had to fight already if she wasn't even dead.

"You looked sad. I wanted to ask if you were okay," this definitely caught her off guard. She didn't even remember anyone from her last pack worrying about her well-being, and a newly met wolf approached her for that purpose?

This was unusual.

It was nice.

"Yes. It's sweet that you're worried about me, about a wolf you don't know, but I'm just waiting for my pack," she tried to imitate the other wolves in the pack with her body language to appear confident and uninterested. Even though she was charmed by the newcomer's intentions, she was still suspicious.

She's definitely not used to this kind of attention.

The black wolf looked a little surprised and even looked around. The look of confusion on his face was hilarious.

"They must be very far away, because there's no one here," he was right - what could she say? And she had no answer to that. "Are you sure... they'll come for you?"

The concern in his voice... she didn't understand herself, but it made her drop the façade.

She was tired of pretending that everything was okay.

"No," that short answer had a lot of bitterness in it. "They won't come for me, I know that."

The wolf didn't say anything. He calmly approached her and even though she was still suspicious, she allowed him to do so. He made eye contact with her and she saw nothing but compassion and warmth in his amber eyes.

Caring.

"You shouldn't be here alone. Maybe you'd like to come with me?"

"To your pack?"

"You could say that," he laughed softly. "For now, it's just me and my friend, who is the leader. But thanks to this, you can create a foundation for other wolves, as lonely as we are."

This proposal... was surprising. Pleasantly surprising.

Maybe this unknown wolf was actually right? Maybe she could contribute to creating a friendly place for someone? So that he doesn't feel abandoned and unwanted?

"What's your name?" she approached him without fear, and the black wolf didn't move away or break eye contact.

"Memento Mori."

"Memento Mori..." she repeated, and her companion looked pleased. She smiled at him. "I guess we're not so lonely anymore, are we?"

- the first pupsitter of Nawia -
The wolves of Navia love Rusałka for her caring nature. They know that they can come to her at any time and even though she has her hands full with the pack's puppies, she will still find a kind word of comfort or a warm reprimand for everyone if necessary. Her contribution to creating and maintaining a friendly atmosphere in the herd is appreciated by the other members and Moondancer finally feels like she has found her family. Especially since shortly after joining the still small herd, she became permanently involved with Memento Mori, the love of her life. And although everyone knows that she would not harm any creature (for no reason), woe to anyone who threatens the puppies in her care and her loved ones. Then even the Szeptucha's lair seems like a safe haven.

-> "Rusałka is excited to see you and says they've been waiting for you to come for your play date together. What? You don't remember discussing that, but you are touched to be included."
-> "Rusałka wags their tail and gives you a few chin licks in greeting. They're always so happy to see you!"
-> "Rusałka stares at you with excitement when they place a gift in front of you. They stay by your side for a while, apparently enjoying both your reaction and your presence."