Deepwood Weald bluebell

Seal departed Village Moonglow at night. She meant to return to Moonspear, but a twinkling star caught her eye. She recognized it from @Teya’s teaching as Polaris – and branching from it was the Little Dipper extended across the twilight sky.

The young woman felt her spirit pulled by something… and so she continued Westward until she arrived at the border of Morningside.

Because of its proximity, Seal mistakenly assumed it was apart of the Moon Village collective. Her doe-brown eyes looked around, but this land was less bustling than the spine…

The weald was a quiet place, rarely finding visitors at its doorstep even despite its placement between the hinterlands and the rest of the wilds. And Dutch had never met this young woman before, but he recognized her scent from the hunts — she was welcome amongst them.

"We have not yet met, have we?" he called out as he caught up to her, his tail swaying in satisfaction after having tracked down her scent. "My name is Dutch Morningside. I am chief in this place."

A hale-looking man greeted Seal, one she had never seen before at any village gathering. His pelage was mottled like driftwood with a tiger-eye mineral gaze.

“Ah, hello!” she chirped when the man appeared. He had a friendly disposition and Seal returned his tail wag with one of her own. “I dinnae think we have,” she agreed.

Oh! He was the Chief!

Seal felt a bit flustered for not knowing the leader of this village. She had assumed Moonsong had relocated closer to home base… or perhaps another of Kuktux’s children had set up an outpost in the Weald.

“My name is Seal Sveijarn-Corten… of Moonspear,” she ducked her head like a little curtsy. “But I was living with and learning from Brecheliant this past Spring season after the hunt on Hoshor Plains. I was on my way tae Moontide,” she explained.

“…Is this a Moon Village?” she asked, a bit sheepish and very much out of the loop.

His ears stood up straight as her accent reached them. It wasn't one he'd heard before, and he was pleased at once to make her acquaintance. She was young, but she was polite and she was —

"Seal!" his tail spun. "I know your young friend, Raiyuk. His father is a beloved friend of mine."

He gestured toward Moontide, not wanting to waylay her; he knew that Raiyuk was home, and he assumed these two had some catching up to do!

"Not as such," he replied. "This pack is called Morningside, but we are allied with your villages. You may pass through as you please. I only ask that you announce yourself — you never know what gossip there may be to exchange!"

Dutch found a common thread between them.

“Oh, yes! Raiyuk!” she exclaimed, happy to know Dutch was connected to the seal hunters and her childhood friend. However, inwardly, she cringed at the embarrassing memory of her last encounter with Raiyuk and Maggak. Her cheeks flushed pink. Maybe she owed him an apology for acting so awkward…

Her tail wagged gently to and fro as Dutch briefed the young traveler about Morningside. “Of course,” she agreed to his conditions. Seal was also smitten to learn that Dutch also liked gossip. Unfortunately, her nose had been buried in her studies, and so Seal felt like she didn’t have many stories to exchange.

“Are you a seal hunter, too?” she asked.