The Tufta

Wandering, wandering... these meadows seem to go on forever! Grass and trees and grass and grass... ooh, a rock! Everything looks the same, and everything looks different. Somehow you get the feeling you've been walking in circles for the past few hours.

Then you hear the sound of water. It's a magnetic sound, standing out in the quiet grass-swishing of the Meadows, and you find yourself drawn to it. Veering from the path, you follow your ears to the beginning of the real trees, parting branches with your hands, and eventually cross the path of a river. Visible not too far downstream is the source of the sound - rock-filled white water. A little upstream, though, the water is calm and the banks smooth - with a blue-speckled white creature lapping from the water. It - or she - looks up, sits down and nickers a greeting: "Saluvidae!"

DróDúl

"Traveler, huh?" She grins and gets up to trot over. "Thought so. I'm DróDúl, lead of Rushing Waters."
You blink, once, twice.
"I'm a Tufta," DróDúl says patiently. "Tu-f-ta? You know? With a tuft?"
She waves her tail at you, and indeed, there is a large blue tuft on the end. She brightens when you seem to comprehend a little.
"I'm lead queen of the Pack of Rushing Waters," she says. "We're the second human-friendly Tufta pack in the meadows - Spring Forest has since moved on. We foster out our kits to worthy humans.... wanna see if you're one of 'em?"