Dawnlark Plains trying for years to flee

for @Grayday, whenever you have time :3 set for tomorrow, late morning/early afternoon. tagging @Nathaniel for visibility

blacktail deer plateau.
mona had heard the name from casmir, from rowan, from the caldera wolf, and now she was here. unsurprised to see that a new pack had claimed such a fine territory, which led down into the thin ribbon of a river in the distance. mona was whipped by cold winds as she picked her way carefully along the edge of the woodland, looking down into the flatlands that hung dangerously far below.
the borders were fading; mona frowned. wolves had lived here, but as she gingerly picked her way into the territory, mona realized they had gone. she stood alone in a land that had once been walked by her father; the girl gazed skyward almost dizzily and then lowered her muzzle and found determination in her breast.
if they had gone, she could follow; whowever lived here surely knew something about the gentle druid, and so the little scout followed their tracks for several hours, losing her way more than once before she came across a rather desolate-looking stretch of land. and here she called for the leaders, thrumming with exhaustion and some sort of odd, mad stubbornness.

They had only declared this new land a few days prior so to hear a call for the packs leaders was both a relief and a shock. It was surprising to hear that someone wanted to see them, but it was good to know what border work Pema was able to acomplish within these past few day had payed off. She rushed to the border to see a unknown red stranger waiting for thier presence. 

"Hello there. And what might bring you to our borders?" she asked in a pleasant tone, though she didn't give the girl much information to go off of. It wasn't anything against the girl, but with what the pack had had to deal with the pack couple months you couldn't be to sure how much information to give up to a stranger. 

Taking another look at the girl she was a dark mass around her neck, that didn't look to be naturally apart of her. Pema said nothing about it for now.

mona was pleasantly surprised to see that her travels had not been in vain — she was promptly greeted by a sturdy-looking she-wolf draped in cinnamon and poppyseed coloration.
"hello," the nuro greeted, sweeping back her ears and crouching somewhat, to offer respectful obeisance to the leader's stance. "you ... you used to live at blacktail deer plateau. i uh, i tracked you here because ... i ... had a question."
now that she said it aloud, the girl realized what an incredibly foolish and crazed thing she had done, and quickly fell silent.

Grayday was still learning to navigate the new landscape. It was easier in that there were no trees to run into here, but more difficult because the ground was not quite as flat. He could still sort of see the outlines of trees, in the right light. There was no way he could see a pothole underneath the snow.

So it was with a bloody nose and scraped cheek that he arrived on the scent, bumping his nose against Pema's flank in a gesture that was partway in greeting, but mostly to help him establish where the hell everything was. At least the stranger had her back to the sun, and Grayday could see that she was a slimmer shewolf, perhaps somewhere near Sunny and Dawn's age. Naturally, this earned the girl a bit of leeway where Grayday was concerned.

"Ask away," he offered, shooting Pema a look that might once had been curiosity; the longer he went without seeing expression on the faces of others, the worse he got at manipulating his own features. "I can't promise we'll answer, but I can't think of a reason why we wouldn't."

She was happy to see that this visitor was polite and respected their borders and Pema's position. She didn't give a name, but it wasn't as though Pema could have expected one when she didn't ask for one. It was a bit worrying that this female was able to follow their trail to their new home, but it made sence, seeing as how a large group of wolves was bound to leave a scent. Especially when one of those wolves was pregnant and marking rather often. The pack didn't have any direct enimies, so for the short time when the pack's trial was still prevalent it wouldn't matter much.

She had a question, one she didn't get a chance to answer before Day entered the scene. She gave him a smile, though she wasn't sure how much of her expression he would be able to see. She didn't mind him grazing against her, and gave him a gental nuzzle as he passed. If he wouldn't see her expression maybe he could feel her kindness. She looked to the female and nodded, expressing her similar opinion to Day's.

the she-wolf seemed poised to speak, and mona prepared to answer, before a well-formed man the color of rain joined them. it was not his build, nor his dominant stance, that drew the girl's eye — she gave a small, worried squeak before she could help herself. "oh! your nose —!" shame tugged her features into a horrified expression; the girl glanced between the pair of leaders, wishing she could sink into herself.
the man not only had a bloody nose, but was missing an eye. wondering desperately what had happened, mona tried to gather her wits. "uh, i'm mona. mayfair. mayfair ... i'm lasher's daughter?" the girl went on, hoping her ramble would bring some sort of recognition from the two. "i'm just ... wanting to know about ... him." awkward.

"I tripped - don't worry about it," he said, not worried about it much himself. To appease the medic beside him, he leaned down to sift his nose through the snow, dulling the ache somewhat. His ears, though, were pricked attentively toward the stranger - Mona. Mona Mayfair.

Slowly, Grayday shook his head. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Never met anyone by the name of Lasher," he said, feeling bad that he couldn't answer her questions about him. "Pema?" he asked, hoping the other woman might have an idea.

The girl was very reactive to Day's bloody nose. Pema glanced over at him and saw the blood comming from his nose, but wasn't too conserned with it. If it was bothering him she could look at it later, but it didn't look to be immediatly threatening.

She listened to the name the girl gave and like Day, Pema was unable to recognize the name. She took another moment to really think if she had even simply heard the name prior to today, but came up empty. She shook her head, "Sorry, I haven't heard the name until today." 

The girl had followed thier scent all the way here, Pema wondered if there was a reason that she might think someone from this pack might know that name. "Is there a reason you came here looking for your father?" she asked.

disappointment galled mona as the man spoke; it rested bitter on her tongue, and for a moment the mayfair did not react to either of the wolves. however, a mannerliness had been impressed upon the girl from the time she could speak; she had been raised by rowan mayfair, after all. and so, gathering herself, mona regarded the wolfess first. "my father once helped lead blacktail deer plateau," she explained softly, "before he moved to the coast and founded donne .. donnelaith."
she stumbled once on the name; the smattering of gaelic and french she had retained did not save her from the mistake. "so i came there first, and then here, wondering if anyone was still left who might have known him." her tone was steady, affable, yet it would be only a blind creature who did not see the play of emotions across her scarlet face. "but, uh, i was wrong and ... i can go," she offered, wilting somewhat; mona had not yet learned to keep herself in check, and this shamed her beyond reason, the threat of falling apart in front of perfect strangers.

Grayday frowned, wondering what she could be talking about before realizing that this must have been a Blacktail before their time. Of course, it made sense that some other pack had claimed the plateau before them - he only wished that he had something to share with the young Mayfair girl.

Except - except that he did.

"Hold on," said Grayday when the girl offered to depart. "Is your father Constantine Mayfair?" For Grayday had met a couple of Mayfairs in his time, and although their time together had been short, both had left an impression on the sterling male.

So her father had been at the plateau at one point. From the way she spoke it sounded as though there had been another pack on their old inhabited land, which had taken it's name. Something Morningside had done prior at an old territory, but had kept it's name even after traveling to new land. "I'm sorry. Our pack doesn't go by that name. He must have lead a pack prior to our own." Pema stated trying to be as helpful as possible even though she had no information about her father.

The female was about to leave and Pema would have said something, but Day beat her too it. And offered the girl a name that Pema was unfamiliar with. A name that the girl shared a last name with. Mayfair. 

the woman was quite helpful, but it was the one-eyed, grey-hued man that commanded all of mona's attention with his next words. "constantine is my brother, by my father's first mate, blue willow." of course she knew all that could be known about the gentle healer; casmir had adored his mother and preserved her memory in the minds of both mona and cortland. 
still — that this man knew the name of mayfair was enough for mona — she visibly wilted with open relief. "there are other names, other mayfairs ... i could tell you the ones i know?" just names, of course, and vague descriptions — mona knew sad little of the siblings with whom she shared blood. at times, all that mayfairs had were the names of relatives they would never know.

He was not surprised to hear that she was related to Constantine - when Mona had spoken of Donnelaith, he had known she was of the Mayfairs line that he knew. But instead of telling her of Dierdre, he'd chosen to mention Constantine. Grayday only knew the location of one other Mayfair, after all.

"Certainly - I have also met a Dierdre Stella Mayfair, but perhaps there have been others. Ones I only knew by their given names," he said. "But I do not know much about the family. Deirdre helped to heal me once, and gave advice about how to slow the loss of my sight." It was a moot point now, of course, but she had been kind and beautiful, and had left quite and impression on the man.

"I don't know what became of her, but your brother made his home along the coast, in the weeping wood that lies to the north of the plateau you tracked us from."

@Pema, feel free to hop back in anytime! just posting to keep this moving :)

mona let out her breath in a shudder, blinking rapidly to stem the flow of unbidden tears that threatened to flood her crimson features. deirdre. deirdre stella mayfair. "my sister," she mumbled, briefly lost in her own contemplation and unaware that the morningside leaders were still within earshot.
but the gray man did not know where she had gone! and yet mona nodded warmly at his awareness of constantine's whereabouts. "i met him, not long ago," the mayfair proffered wanly. still dazzled by what he had said of deirdre, mona glanced toward the wolfess — pema — and then returned her attention to the male. "have ... have you been to donnelaith? since it ... burned."

No problem. I understand. Sorry for the wait.

---

She had no information to add to this conversation, but that didn't stop her from being interested and trying to connect the dots on her own. Mona Mayfair, a new wolf and with it a name that weaved through others. A father, no a brother and a sister, though the girls reaction made it appears as though she didn't know she had a sister. 

Pema sat down and listened on with interest. The look upon this girls face made it clear to Pema that this girl was searching for more then just her father, but the rest of her family both known and unknown. Her brother was close by, or at least within reach.

When glanced at she smiled. She wanted to comment about how exiting it was to hear all of this, but she didn't see how that would add anything to the conversation. She hoped her facal expression would express that, though Day would be unaware.

It sounded like Mona had known about both these relations. Grayday was sorry that he didn't have any more information for her, and even sorrier to know that she'd had to go searching for things that should have been given to her when she was young. It occurred to the man, then, that he had not spent time going over geneology with any of his children. Not only were their mothers' pasts unavailable to them, but Grayday had also neglected to tell them anything past what he remembered of their paternal grandparents.

They deserved better. So did Mona, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

"I haven't," he admitted, though he'd seen it's outline from a distance. "It's a shame that it burned, though. It was an incredible forest while it stood. But these things are never forever. The forest will grow back." He wanted to add something about the growth of families as well, but he didn't know this girl, and he wasn't sure how well his waxing poetic about fate and future would be taken. "I wish there was more I could tell you - it seems a pity you had to come out this far for so little information. You're welcome to stay and rest a few days, though. I owe your sister that much, at least."

no worries! <3

pema had relaxed into an inviting expression, relaxing mona, who gingerly sat down where she was, suddenly bone-tired from her maddened trek into a land she had never visited. the ash-hued man was quick to soothe her with gentle words that lifted her heart with the wonder of what donnelaith might have been in its prime. 
"i don't mind, not at all," mona rejoined in a placid tone. "i'm happy i came and heard what you had to say. thank you, pema, and, erm."
her voice trailed away as she realized she hadn't gotten the man's name yet, and glanced at him apologetically. "i would love to stay, but i won't bother your hospitality for long." part of her wished to turn back home immediately, but mona was positive nathaniel would have something stern to say about it. and so mona fell silent, murkwater gaze moving between the two wolves as she waited for their responses.

So this old territory that her family had been in had burned down. Or at least that is what Pema took from the conversation. It was still unclear to her as to whether or not her family had been in the fire, but it sounded like at least a few members of her family were still alive out there. Pema didn't know much about her family now since she left her birth pack, but she had found a new family here in Morningside. The thought of not knowing where they were, if they were alive, made her feel very sorry for Mona.

When she thanked them Pema filled in Mona's blank with a humble smile. "Grayday" and then let her finish her statement. Pema thought it would be nice to show the girl around thee territory. "Oh It's no bother. I can show you around if you would like." she said with a smile ready to escort Mona. With Day's fading and now almost nonexistant vision she thought it would be best if she was the guide.

Grayday shrugged this away. "It's no bother. The herds are just returning, so there's no worry about food at the moment. I'd only ask that you come along, if you're still here on our next pack hunt." That would be repayment enough if she stayed for longer than he thought she would - but Grayday assumed she'd be gone within the next day or so. It was a shame - he wished Sunny would start noticing all the sweet young women around. Especially the ones related to Deirdre, who was (sorry Cat) the most beautiful woman he'd ever encountered. Grayday wondered if Mona was similarly blessed and resolved to ask Pema about it later.

"Thank you, Pema," he said to his fellow leader, glad that she was happy to welcome the girl as well. "I'd come along, but I want to get these borders properly marked. Hopefully I'll see you again before you go."

With a nod in the general direction of the two women, he departed, carefully picking his way through the loamy landscape.

<3!

"of course!" the mayfair exulted, pleased at grayday's invitation to the morningside hunt. she was fleet of foot; where she lacked in musculature, mona was skilled in speed. a smile wreathed her muzzle as she glanced to kind pema, dipping her head at the male's words and watching him depart with curiosity plain on her features.
mona granted pema her attention then, listening to what words the woman would say. she was eager to learn what she might of this place in the days to come, and her interest was plain and mingled with dazzlement.