Dragoncrest Cliffs the heart and the hurricane

Drageda has weathered the storm as to which Eske finds herself immensely grateful. After spending months cooped up in the winter and two weeks (give or take) cooped up again while fearsome winds howled and waves beat against the cliffs and rocked until Eske was sure the cavern would collapse in on itself or floor — or worse yet both — she spends as much time outside soaking up the sunlight and admiring the sky as if she feared she’d never see it again. She does not like being locked in what quickly becomes a prison to her and always had been on the claustrophobic side. The Cheka wraps up her patrol to survey the damage of places she has not yet gotten to glimpse at. Though she suspects Drageda did not get the very worst of the storm it has taken a beating nevertheless. The ground is sopping wet and she easily sinks into the saturated ground, mud up to her mid-legs in some areas. She makes a mental note to let Portia and Wildfire know to have their children avoid playing in and around these areas lest they get sucked into the mud and drown. She has witnessed (by sound anyway) the death of one child she does not wish to see another.

Her time cooped up was good for her, though, and during the stretch of days she was finally able to finish her grieving for Kendra. It still hurt and Eske still missed her but Kendra is gone and Eske lives. All she can do is try to make Kendra proud. Her desire for the Wanlida rank has returned and though she tends dutifully to Heda as her Cheka, she focuses her free attention on her next goal. Sea blue-green gaze lifts as something pale moves in her peripheral vision and her head turns, hoping it is not Xan, only to feel relief as she recognizes Arlo. “Arlo,” The warrior princess greets him as she approaches, altering her course so their paths cross. It appears, she notes, as if he is sorting through what is left of their caches. “Want some help?” Though it is clear by her smile that he doesn’t truly have a choice. “How bad is the damage from where you’ve been recently?” The Cheka inquires of him.