Ankyra Sound one gonna settle me down, then bring me back up again

Ingram had returned to the shore as soon as he was able, half hoping to see the young girl he had met again. As he breached the cliffs and trotted down the sway, it was evident that the Sound was empty save for a single soul: him.

He didn't mind the lack of company, though every now and then he would come across a cool shell or a strangley warped plant: instinctively he would exclaim 'Mom!' or 'Wylla, look!' -- only to become sharply cognizant they were not there. No one was there. Shortly after a pall of darkness would overcome his face and he would fall silent. He missed them, though he would be the last to admit it. He even missed Lycaon a little.

As he wandered aimlessly down the sand he cast his gaze above, where the bright blue of the sky beyond both dazzled and blinded him. The sun sat in the sky like some swallowing orb of light and his gaze was forced downward.

For now he kept to the foam-flecked shoreline, keeping pace at a steady clip.

deirdre saw her in a dream, and awoke in a panic. 

the woman her father had been so fond of had not been forgotten, but the passing days had been so overwhelming that the knife-like caiaphas had been an afterthought! and this dream had been cruel--this dream had painted the seawitch as lost in her own depths, the same sea that skellige so adored. 

she darted from donnelaith without so much as a word when the sun rose, knowing she would be back by the evening. deirdre wished to share with the woman all that had transpired, and welcome her back to donnelaith if she so desired (to visit, knowing well that she considered the shore she resided to be home). osprey had gone with dante and her brood, and deirdre knew that her father felt a kinship with the woman that deirdre would not see broken in her lifetime. no, she cherished the thought of all her fathers loved ones--she did not know that so many of them had parted from this realm! peregrine had passed, unbeknownst to her, and the sea truly had stolen caiaphas, though this deirdre would not be certain of. 

she arrived to the shores with worry on her brow. the scent of the once-ruler, kjalarr, was fading and hardly there, but it did give her pause. she smelled nothing of caiaphas, and deirdre fret over this as her emerald eyes turned toward the tides.

Ingram hadn't expected company; so when a lone, sylphlike figure rose from the shimmering tide he had half a mind to turn around. He wasn't thrilled with another adult telling him what to do, and wasn't about to give this one a chance.

Without much haste to his step he dramatically altered his course -- that was, until he realized the adult was a she, and not that old at all. At least not as old as Lusca or Muses were. Clearly older than him, obviously -- but as far as Ingram was concerned, not old enough to be bossing him around.

As he pulled close to her he noticed a vexing look on her features; was she worried? Had she lost someone? He stopped; if she had lost someone, she would expect him to help her look for them -- and that was not exactly the deportment Ingram envisioned for himself. Helping strangers was just... ugh!

All the same, he couldn't really ignore her especially now; it was certain she would have seen him. He stopped and offered a huffy: "Who are you?"

so lost in her thoughts and worries was she that she had not noted the distant figures swift approach! her eyes were upon him only when it was obvious his course would meet her own, and he seemed less than pleased to greet her. even upon him she could not smell caiaphas, and deirdre thought long and hard about all that had come to pass since she had last seen the striking woman. 

the sylph studied the wolf unabashed in her open admiration; age meant very little to deirdre, who thought all wolves were a work of art. that was not to say she was attracted to them, but she was ever appreciative of every aesthetic the world brought to her eye. when he spoke, her eyes found his own--there were moments when she swore, as she observed him, there was something familiar about him--but that familiarity was lost as he spoke, his tone suggesting she had interrupted something. 

for that, she felt guilty. still, he had asked her a question, and it was not without some measure of pride she introduced herself: i am deirdre stella mayfair, of donnelaith, she introduced, and you are...? she waited a beat, before looking over his shoulder. i--i am sorry if i had interrupted something, i... i won't keep you from your days task, except to ask you this: do you know where caiaphas can be found? for before ingram stood one of the few wolves in the wilds that would mourn her, other than himself, and long for her return. caiaphas had perhaps not been so fond of her, but lasher loved the seawitch, and deirdre had admired the siren queen. her clever eyes that held the violent, burning sun in them were never to be forgotten by the mayfair queen.

It took some time for Deirdre to notice him, but when she did Ingram's form froze; never had he witnessed such brightness in a gaze, or purity. For a moment he felt too stained to even witness it, and tucked his head away.

He was distinctly aware she was studying him, though he made no comment save for the slight arch of hackles along his back. He felt somewhat chilled and was all of the sudden made more aware of the cold, the wind, the salt around them. Braving a glance in her direction he dutifully answered: "Ingram." Short, and far less titled than she. There was a pause in the conversation before she continued, but when Deirdre did Ingram's eyes rose to her features in surprise. Caiaphas? Was she a friend of the monster that had imprisioned his mother, that had fed both he and his siblings lies? Ingram was too young to remember it was Caiaphas that was devout to them over Lusca, and so, his opinion of the wolf was deeply clouded.

"No, I don't." He answered curtly, a faint tinge of accusation in his voice. How could she be friends with that seawitch? Then he realized his tone was unkind and softened, finishing with a lame: "she isn't here."

ingram. she knew this name! a she-wolf had told her of it, and though she could never forget muses she had managed to forget that this was the boy the lavender-eyed lady had sought. the familiarity of the name caused her to look toward the ocean thoughtfully, but as she felt his eyes upon her she looked to him again. the other name she had spoken brought forth what she thought could be recognition, and when he spoke deirdre was certain. the tone was missed by the typically perceptive deirdre, who heard only that the other knew of the woman by his answer.

she isn't here. such a thing was all she needed to hear, though it caused her heart to sink. another of her fathers companions gone from the wilds. his soft voice was met with a wan little smile, and she nodded toward him. the scent of what was once saltwinter was fading, and so it would go on to live only in the memories of those that knew of its existence. is the sound now unclaimed? a cursory sniff again told her what her mind already knew, and she longed to step over the barrier that once was there. the lingering respect she held for caiaphas gave her pause, however, and she peered toward the boy. oh--if you are busy, you need not humor me, her smile became fuller as she spoke the words, i truly do not mean to interrupt your day, she reminded him with a small wave of her full plume.

Ingram was vexed by his emotions: on the one hand, he felt compelled to be unruly to her -- on the other, there was something about the softness of her features, and the purity of her deeply green gaze that stayed his teenaged venom. He was not perceptive enough to pick up that she recognized his name, though he thought for a moment her smile seemed to subtly engage him to further oblige her. Trickery: in time he might recognize the female guile, but not today.

"dunno." He answered, for truly, he didn't. "I haven't seen anyone though. Except someone from Teeley." He mispronounced the name horribly, but he didn't care. He did care, however, to learn of her intentions. "Why?"

she was disappointed to know that he had no knowledge to share, though certainly not in him. her visit here was not for naught, though--she had learned a good number of things already, and was grateful to have come. the second name she recognized, though he butchered the word as any would who couldn't speak the Old Tongue. were she not to speak it, she wouldn't know at all what it was he meant to say. teaghlaigh. perhaps they knew, and she would seek them out to see.

in answer to his question, deirdre shared: she and my father were close, when he lived... and once, she had aided me when i was young and lost. i had come to invite her to see where he rests, for now she had the power to do this, and felt that a visit from caiaphas, beloved of lasher, would soothe her fathers resting soul greatly... but this, it seemed, could not be done.

sorry for the delay.. wrap up for a new one since so much has changed?

Deirdre supplied a rational enough answer to his inquiry; he was pleased, though his sullen attitude did not dissipate. A normal wolf might have offered some platitude or condolence upon hearing of another wolf's passing, but not Ingram. If he even felt sorry for her, it certainly wasn't visible.

Self-involved as he was, he simply shrugged as if that was the end of the conversation and there was nothing more to be said. For him, if the topic wasn't pertaining to him or of great interest to him, it was not a conversation worth having.

"Oh. Okay." He said, moving forward into a slow walk. "Well, I'm gonna go."