Emberwood i don't every time get what i want

Today she'd been fortunate to get an early start.  No one tiptoed around her in The Crook and thus she was able to rouse with the rest of the pack.  Banner stuck around for early morning pleasantries with her packmates and was sure to check in with Stark before she set off.  Luckily he didn't have a pressing need for her to be physically present in Marauder's Keep and had seen her off with a cheeky comment, which was typical.  The Beta didn't stop to see Buchanan before she left, mostly because she wasn't sure what to say to him.  "Hey, I'm going wandering now.. so.. cool.." wasn't exactly smooth.  Ah, but she was one awkward little creature and he knew that.  Hopefully.

She snorted as she wove slowly through the trees of Emberwood.  Banner had every intention of heading to Ryujin, but the only wolf she knew there had been missing in action for some weeks now.  She and Menta made it a point to check in every couple of weeks.  Now that several had passed with no word from her cream friend, the Marauder feared that she might have lost another contact.  Heading to Menta's pack and coming up with nothing was more than she could bear at the moment, so she decided to cut her trip down south a little short in favor of a new territory.

Pausing in front of an aspen tree, Banner lowered her head to better inspect its trunk.  Interesting.  The bark on these trees was a very bright white.  Having no knowledge of botany, Banner wondered if there was anything special about it.  With a frown she reached out with one forepaw to scratch at it.  The Beta didn't know what she expected to happen - something amazing?  Scratch and sniff?  Eh.  She huffed and narrowed her eyes at the light scratch marks she'd left.  Well, that was utterly pointless.

*brings Ryūjin to you* c: Also, tagging more for visibility than anything.

So much time had passed since her last venture away from home, and so she'd been struck by a need to head out. Despite how far along her pregnancy had since progressed, she'd been untroubled by the idea of trekking beyond her claim. Stubborn, she wasn't often, but she'd made a point to let those of the lair know that she'd not be sidelined simply because she was carrying smaller lives within her. The strain of traveling was something that she'd assured both herself and @Ukko wouldn't be an issue, for her body was used to such activities. A little exercise would do only good, and no major issues were predicted to appear given how careful she was. Though it'd taken some convincing, she'd eventually left that morning after giving a quick goodbye to her mate. An invitation for him to follow had not been extended, but a clear order to remain there had not been given, either, leaving the decision as his to make.

From the lair, Asterr had gone north, her pace steady. There had been no specific location in which she'd planned to reach, leaving her legs to wander the earth without any restraint destination-wise. All the while, her senses had been alive and attentive, keeping track of where it was that she was going, and ensuring that she'd not lose her way. The trip would not be a long one, that much had already been decided upon, and so to make sure she knew how to get home was important. Yet, thoughts of her eventual return were set aside when she'd entered the Emberwood, attention drawn towards the beauty of the trees. Quaking aspens could be found within certain locations of the lair, but to see a forest made entirely out of them was new to her. Interested, she'd proceeded forward.

Deeper into the woods, the dragoness had gone, enjoying the sun's warmth against her body. For how long she'd walked prior to spotting another being, she'd not kept track, nor did she believe that it mattered. Coming to a stop several lengths away, the girl observed the other for a moment before looking to the tree. The marks had been noticed, which was when a soft chuff was offered, despite her approach having most likely already been heard. "The inner bark is edible," she'd commented. "It is bitter, but rich in protein." Taking a partial step forward, the chieftess then paused, waiting to see if her company might be welcomed or not.

thanks for joining! :D

Truly it was by some miracle that Banner had her wits about her enough to recognize the sounds of approach.  Her gaze remained curiously fixated on the stark white tree trunk before her, but one dark brown ear flicked in the direction of her impending company.  A voice floated through the air and reached her, speaking of the properties of this tree's bark.  Curious that a tree would be a source of protein - who would have thought?  Ah, but she was so uneducated in the subject of botany and, as far as she knew, Marauder's Keep didn't have a naturalist among their ranks at the moment.  Probably valuable during the famine, she murmured thoughtfully.  It was entirely likely that more than one wolf found tree bark appetizing when pressed for sustenance.

She blinked rapidly and came back into the moment.  Oh, company.  Banner sucked in a breath and turned to face the she wolf who kept a respectable distance away.  She was a tad shorter with darker fur and had an overall lithe build.  She opened her mouth to offer a polite greeting when her bright green gaze fell on the other female's swollen abdomen.  Well, pregnant, too!  Hello, she greeted easily, which the inwardly surprised the Marauder greatly.  Normally she'd be all awkward and stumbling.. though her previous mumbling at a tree trunk wasn't likely seen as the most sane thing in the world.  It wasn't like she'd held an entire conversation with the thing, anyway.

My name is Banner, she offered in her low voice, eager to get cursory introductions out of the way.  Though maybe she was being too forward.  God damnit.

The famine had been mentioned, ears having perked atop her head so as to not allow for any words to slip by unheard. It was not a pleasant memory, for she'd been forced to watch her tribe suffer for quite some time back then. However, the stranger had been correct with her musings; the bark of the aspen trees had provided for them the nutrients that were necessary to continue moving. On occasions in which the fishing had not been beneficial, towards the trees she'd turned, borrowing from their essence so that her life hadn't been made to end. Now that everything had returned to normal, however, it was rare for her to partake in the eating of anything other than prey. Never did the knowledge fade from her mind, though, lingering just in case it might be needed again.

Towards her, the woman had turned, and Asterr took a moment to look the other over. She was shorter, but only slightly, and stocky. Rare had she discovered it to be for her path to cross with someone close to her own size, many within her home being large enough to tower over her. From the unknown body her gaze was pulled, directed towards a face so that she might not be impolite. The greeting was returned silently, a slight nod of her head having been used to get her point across. Followed had that been by a name, which the dragoness was glad to have received. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Banner," the girl voiced. "My name is Asterr." She knew not that the other was acquainted with Menta, for had she such knowledge, surely she'd have gone on to ask if the pale woman had been spotted recently. Knowing nothing of her former member's travels, however, she'd asked, "Are you familiar with this area?"

She smiled brightly at Asterr's introduction, mostly thankful that her own hadn't been too forward after all.  Banner felt a bit of relief at that - perhaps she'd gotten better at being a normal, sociable wolf since she'd come to live at Marauder's Keep.  Huh.  Stark was right, apparently, that she'd been doing quite well for herself.  Nice to meet you, she replied with a friendly flick of her tail.  Another day, another wolf met.  Strangely enough, she hadn't often encountered other females in her wanderings, but the Beta supposed that was just a random happenstance.

I'm not too familiar with this area, no, she admitted with a shrug.  I live a little farther up north at Marauder's Keep.  She then swung her dark chocolate maw back in the direction of her home among the willow trees in the event that Asterr wasn't familiar with that area.  Months ago her admission would have made Banner feel a bit uncomfortable due to the hush-hush nature of her pack.  But times had certainly changed for The Keep and neither she nor her brother had any intention of keeping their pack a closely-guarded secret anymore.  Their furative nature had certainly done them no favors, which was a painful revelation when they found themselves missing wolves and had no one to turn to for help.

It wasn't often anymore that the girl traveled away from home, the need to stay close by being present for a number of reasons. Whenever she left, it seemed as if something happened in her absence, which made her often feel unsettled when considering a trip. Her worries were sometimes warranted, but not always, and so there were times in which she felt silly for having felt on edge. Always did her journeys lead her towards interesting individuals, most of which she'd either found a friend or acquaintance in. For Banner, she knew not yet which category she'd fall into, but she was settled all the same. While there was no telling what troubles she might return home to, it seemed as if, for the moment, she had a friendly face to converse with.

The woman lacked familiarity with the area, but knew of the land a distance away. Asterr paid attention as she was told of the direction in which the other's home laid, noting to herself that, should things go well, she should perhaps visit someday. "I have never been there before," she'd voiced, then waved her muzzle towards the south. "I live a short ways south, within Ryūjin." Her gaze had lingered in the direction of her home for a moment before she'd looked back towards Banner, knowing nothing of her connection to a previous member of the tribe. "Is your home a friendly one?" Since having met Damien, she was curious of most packs.

sorry for the delay ._.

Banner's soft features lit up when Asterr mentioned her home, Ryujin.  Menta!  Her tail wagged a few beats as her own gaze followed the pregnant female's pack to the mountainous pack.  Unfortunately she'd never had the chance to visit her cream friend at her home.  Then again, Menta hadn't come to visit her at Marauder's Keep.  They'd stuck to neutral territories, preferring to explore and chat at the same time.

Questions were abuzz in her mind but she held back for the moment.  We are friendly, she began in her low voice.  Early summer was a bit rough for us - we lacked numbers and had a few deserters - but things have turned around.  My brother Stark took over as Alpha, she explained, unable to keep the pride out of her voice.  Stark had a lot of rough decisions to make and even though he was still making them, the pack flourished under his guidance.  Banner faltered then, not knowing if she'd said too much too soon.  Social graces still weren't her thing despite how much she'd grown and changed over the past couple of months.

Our pack was .. isolated.  By choice.  It didn't work out for us, she finished with a frown.

After having mentioned her tribe, there'd been a noticeable change in the other female. Her features had lit up and her tail had wagged, the combination having been enough to make the girl's brows pinch together. Had she heard of her home? If that was the case, then she'd wondered from whom she may have obtained the knowledge from; there were a couple of names that came to mind when she'd considered how a member of Ryūjin could have met Banner, but she'd not questioned the behavior for now, deciding to leave it up to the woman to decide if she wanted to share or not. It wasn't an entirely important thing, after all, for she did not act with the intentions of hiding her home away from all outsiders. Doing so seemed impractical, and so it was a way of doing things that she'd never before considered.

The other pack was friendly, it seemed, a comment that made the girl perk up. Visiting would not be a terrible thing to do, then, though she knew not if she'd be capable of doing so any time soon. No matter, her attention continued to be given to the woman, taking in all that was to be shared with her. "My congratulations to your brother," voiced the dragoness. "There are not many that can fix all that another may have left broken." There were ways to do so, of course, but often it had seemed as if such methods were barbaric and crude—according to the lessons she'd received, anyways. Judging by the way that he was spoken of, however, it seemed as if Stark had not resorted to such ways of life. It was then that she'd added, "It is good that you are all doing well now." They'd really turned themselves around, by the sound of it.

Banner's earlier reaction had slowly crept back towards the front of the chieftess' mind, and she'd found herself unable to keep silent for any longer. "Have you heard of my home before?" was her question. "Your reaction from before suggested that you have, but I am interested in learning whether or not that is true." After all, she could have just misinterpreted her demeanor, or read too far into it.

Smiling kindly at Asterr's words, Banner nodded.  Thank you, I'll be sure to pass the good tidings along to him.  He'd be pleased to know that she was branching out to other packs, even if her meeting with the Ryujin female was introductory in nature.  Any chance she had to spread goodwill out to other packs on behalf of her own was a win in her books.  The previous leaders' isolationist stance on matters outside the Keep was not something the siblings intended to continue.

Ah, so Asterr had picked up on her little display earlier!  Well, the Beta hadn't done anything to hide it, really, so she supposed it was only natural.  I have, she began, a sheepish grin spreading across her dark chocolate maw.  A pack member of yours - Menta - is a friend of mine.  Pausing, her expression quickly changed to a frown.  I haven't seen her in quite some time.  We met up every few weeks to keep in touch, but she hasn't been around.

Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, Banner mulled over the question she was about to ask.  Surely her cream friend wasn't around still.  No, they would have made some kind of contact if that were the case.  Whatever answer Asterr had for her was likely to disappoint the Beta.  Do you.. she sucked in a quick breath, clearly afraid of hearing some kind of terrible news.  Is she still.. there?

Asterr nodded, glad that she would carry the message along to her brother. She was not the sort to seek out alliances, but to create good relations between her tribe and the packs of Teekon was a different story. It was good to make friends, rather than enemies—neutrals were fine, as well, which is what she expected to be put into place between Ryūjin and the Keep whenever the females parted ways. Little thought went into that, though, since the present was far more important than the future.

It was confirmed that Banner had heard of her home before, which was somewhat surprising. They were not reclusive, per se, but most of them did tend to keep to themselves. How she’d heard of them came to light shortly after, a revelation that she’d not been expecting. Before her stood a friend of Menta, whose whereabouts were unknown. She had assumed that the female must have gone out on one of her lengthy expeditions, but to hear that the other hadn’t seen her in quite some time made her rethink her beliefs. Perhaps something had happened, or she’d gotten lost. No matter the reason, the fact still stood that she was gone, and unlikely, it seemed, to return.

When asked about the former member of her tribe, the girl shook her head. “She is not,” answered the dragoness. “I do not know where she is, or if she will ever return. I only know that she left one day, and has yet to return to us.” Something had lured her away, surely. To think that a terrible fate had befallen the adventurer was unfathomable.

Asterr's news - or lack thereof - wasn't a complete surprise to her.  Banner gave the other female a solemn nod.  I figured as much, she admitted quietly.  Had the chocolate lady fought with Menta before she disappeared then she'd understand not having heard from her before she set off on some grand adventure.  But that wasn't the case.  And she certainly hadn't expressed displeasure with Ryujin the last time they'd socialized.  A small smile cleared the grave look from her face.  Well, she knows where we are should she ever wish to return, she added with a dash of optimism.  That wasn't usually her strongest suit, but she didn't have anything to lose, did she?

Clearing her throat, Banner cast a look back in the direction of Marauder's Keep.  I think I'll head back up south, if you don't mind, she said, before looking back to the darker female.  She didn't want to be rude, but now that she'd heard about Menta's disappearance straight from her Alpha, she felt rather deflated.  As an asipiring Ambassador the Beta knew this had been an excellent opportunity to kindle a relationship between her back and Ryujin and she didn't want to ruin what had been a pleasant (if brief) conversation with any moodiness to come.  It's been good to meet you, Asterr, she declared sincerely.  Banner didn't want to assume that her company was done here, so she didn't offer a farewell just yet.

Unease settled into the pit of her stomach in response to the disappointment that she’d caused. Whilst Asterr was well aware of the fact that there wasn’t anything that she could have done to have prevented the cream coloured woman from leaving, she still felt bad for having been the one to confirm her disappearance. It was worsened by the fact that she knew not if Menta might ever return to them, but the feeling was subdued by the words of Banner. She’d nodded, then, knowing that it would be best to think of the positives. If something had happened to the adventure-driven wolf, then perhaps, just this once, ignorance would be best to side with. “That is true,” the dragoness voiced, words joined by a nod. “If I am to hear from, or of, her in the meantime, I will send someone to share with you the news.” Whether or not any traces of their lost friend might ever show up, she would not know unless it happened—assuming it ever did.

It was made known that the other wished to return home, which she could not be blamed for. Whilst it’d more than likely been assumed that her friend was gone, to receive actual confirmation always had a way of hitting one’s heart hard. It was understandable, and so Asterr was not the least bit offended by her desire to leave. “I enjoyed meeting you,” the girl voiced. “I hope that our paths might cross again someday, Banner.” It had been pleasant speaking with her, the terrible news aside. “Please, travel safely,” she’d said, dipping her head in the process. Thereafter, the dragoness would take her leave just as soon as her new acquaintance gave her own farewells and turned to head off. Her journey back home would not be an exceptionally long one, but still would she seek out a place to rest once the lair was to be reached. Asterr would look forward to meeting the woman again someday.

Likewise, she pledged in earnest.  Should her cream friend show up in the Teeon Wilds again, even if for a brief visit, Banner felt that Ruyjin had a right to know about it.  Hopefully, should a similar fate befall one of her own wolves, Marauder's Keep would be shown the same kindness.

Though her heart was heavy with the confirmation of her friend's disappearance, Banner didn't want to let that get in the way of her manners.  Smiling brightly, the short lady Marauder nodded her head.  Her own declaration that it had been nice to meet Asterr had already been given and it'd be pointless to repeat herself.  Nevertheless, she'd been far too preoccupied with the issues of her own pack over the last several weeks and this short visit with a new wolf had gone rather well.  Cordial, but preferable over other less.. pleasant meetings she'd had here.  As for safe travels, she didn't forsee any issues - weather-wise, at least.  Who knew what sort of wolves she'd run into?  You as well.  Please don't be a stranger to Marauder's Keep if you're ever up our way, she offered again.  With that, she gave one last polite nod and turned to head back up south to her home among the willow trees.