Deepwood Weald loneliness lingers through unfamiliar towns

@Kalika

The weather was dragging on her mentally and physically. A perpetual bite to the air that was growing increasingly fatal for each day it lingered, and a gnawing hunger that was impossible to abate by morsels of frozen meat. Her spirits, too, were dampened by stress and worry. Meteora was composed as usual; observing and waiting for the oppertunity to realize their fate. Akantha desperately wanted nothing more than to see the decourus woman to give her some breadth of emotion regarding the situation and give the Adept the satisfaction that nothing was always what it seemed on the surface. 

She swept her gaze around to peer at the snow-kissed ferns of the woodland and frowned. Here they were away from the worst of the wind, but she could not see the Sea and felt about as landlocked as the mountains to the north. Trapped was the word she was trying desperately not to attribute to their current problems but, try as she might, she could not simply will the storm away with her growing ire. Her ears slicked back and her spine bristled at the idea of spending the remainder of the winter so far from the coast. 

Akantha cast a look back at the few gathered and set off into the woods without a heading or a word.

Sorry for the wait; I'm gonna assume they know each other from travelling, haha.

Kalika watched the other slip away into the eerily lit treeline and considered allowing Akantha her moments of privacy, though the thought was quickly overridden with an infantile curiousity. She was silent in her approach, her white pelt blending seamlessly with their surroundings, but as she drew closer, a courteous yip escaped through her maw. Akantha, she cooed, where are you wandering too? They did indeed find themselves in a less than ideal situation, what with being so far from the coast, and Kalika was feeling the same sense of wanderlust as she was sure each of her comrades dealt with. Akantha, however, was the only one she seemed able to speak to about it.

of course! no worries!

A smooth, crooning voice cut through the silence and she turned to see Kalika emerge from the red ferns. The girl was growing well into her own, but the relative softness around her face and body still reminded Akantha that she was not yet grown (despite her loud protests otherwise). Her ears switched back in a display of irritation, but peaked again a moment later. She pulled her lips tight across her teeth and looked away with a sigh. "Just a walk." she replied testily. The Adept hadn't confided in anyone, save @Meteora, about her anxieties with all this, and it she didn't often make her troubles obvious to her wards. It was her job to protect them from both physical and mental harm.

"Why are you up?" she asked, turning now so that her side was exposed to the young female and leveling her with a scrutinizing look.

Kalika sighed as she noted Akantha's behavior, though she decided it was less of an issue of herself and more so one of the other. Is it a crime to be awake? she asked with humor laced in her words. I don't like being in one place for too long. I thought I might take a walk. Granted, the wandering band hadn't stayed anywhere for much longer than a few days, but it still seemed too stoic. Kalika had to move, explore the world around her. She walked a few paces closer to Akantha and looked her over, then sat back on her haunches with her tail curled around her. I can leave, if that's what you want.

Kalika would be right in assuming such. Akantha was standoffish in the best of times, and downright churlish all of the others. Akantha snorted and slicked her ears back at the pale yearling's response, feeling a similar twinge of guilt. She was already irritable at not having a place to call home—piling that unpleasantness on her fellow Sirens was just a petty way to relieve her stress, and not at all what she intended.

She had looked away while Kalika spoke but turned back when the young woman stopped, watching as her tail curled demurely around her haunches. The scarred Adept looked her over, and sighed. "No, stay. The distraction is welcome." Akantha admitted finally, the sharpness in her gaze fading. She reached over to press her nose into Kalika's soft shoulder only to turn and resume walking, an invitation present in the slower stride of her gait. 

"Have you spoken much to the others?"

Kalika took the invitation and stood to walk beside Akantha, listening to her inquiries. I have. I don't seem to be getting along with many of them, though. She looked down at her paws as they marched alongside each other, a sort of sorrow filling her heart. Kalika liked to think of herself as a woman, but she was a child when it came down to it, and she still felt the pain of rejection as strongly as she had three months ago, and as strongly as she would in the years to come. Not that it matters much to me, she began again with a certain confidence in her tone, I prefer the company of men anyway. Gods know they enjoy mine, as well.

The pair drifted through the frozen woodland at a steady pace. Akantha kept her eyes and ears forward, her shrewd mind unable to allow herself a moment of rest. She was too concerned with their collective's safety to ignore the threat scratching at the door; that of many, many teeth that surrounded them on all sides. She wanted desperately to find a place to settle, but could not readily snatch that oppertunity from Meteora. The faith she'd placed in the grey Siren was infaliable. 

Her gaze shifted though her muzzle remained pointed forward as Kalika lamented about her social status among their peers. She continued to side-eye the young woman, until she nearly choked on her own breath at what she said last. Akantha exhaled heavily through her nose and shook her head, "You know their worth, Kalika," she rumbled pointedly, "and you know your time is better spent. Has She taught you nothing?" Though it was clear Akantha was a bit put off, she turned her gaze towards the pale youth imploringly. Probing. Wondering.

Kalika was confused with Akantha's clear disapproval, though she wanted to defend herself and her personal persuasions, Are they not here to serve us? If she wished to spend her time with her male counterparts, then why should she not? Of course the young woman knew her worth above the consorts, and being as confident in herself as she was, she also knew what she wanted and planned to get from her higher rank. She bit at her lip and looked onward, continuing on their path. Have you spoken to anyone? Kalika wanted to remove herself from the center of their conversation, as she'd had enough criticism thrown at her for her promiscuous ways without Akantha's added opinions.

Akantha's frown deepened, but she did not put forth the vast amount of effort it would take to explain herself. She lapsed into uneasy quiet. Kalika was young, and so long as she didn't come marching back to the pack with a bellyful of pups, Akantha had no practical reason to complain other than it was in direct conflict with her own upbringing and base beliefs. Thankfully, Kalika caught on and changed the subject, clearly wanting to move past the disagreement. "Occasionally. The Drudge, Whip, that we picked up seems to be doing well. He assisted me in a hunt earlier this month." She explained, stopping only to relieve herself near the trunk of a pine. She scratched at the earth with her rear paws and continued on down the path. "I've attempted to recruit a few women and found a girl, Chip. She has a mouth on her, and I have doubts she'll last, but at least I extended the olive branch." Akantha reared up on her hindlegs and sniffed at a odd series of grooves carved into the bark with a very large set of claws. "Have you met any outsiders yet?" She asked as she investigated the tree.

Kalika listened to Akantha's words, a slight scowl crossing her maw as she mentioned Chip's name. How could she think allowing the rebellious woman into their ranks would be a good thing? I've met Chip. She's certainly something different; I can't say that we've gotten along very well since her acceptance. Then a question was posed and Kalika cleared her throat before giving a proud response, I have. His name was Levi, I believe, but I haven't seen much of him recently. Quite some time had passed since she'd spoken with the male, as they'd only had one encounter of little importance. Other than him, Kalika had stayed within the walls of her pack.

I know we have our other thread, but I hope you don't mind a little excitement in this one!

"No? Well, we could use the extra set of teeth until we can send word to Themiscrya and welcome more of our kin." Akantha felt much the same. She had doubts about Chip. But she was female and Akantha felt almost obligated to give her a chance to learn. Any woman had that right to return to Her. The Amazon touched the claw marks with her nose and frowned. She pushed off the tree and landed square on her four paws once more, but there was an uneasiness to her demeanor now. Her eyes flitted around the forest and her brows knit with confusion. She heard, but did not register, that Kalika had met another male. Something large moved off in the distance and Akantha's hackles flared. 

She quickly moved towards Kalika and bumped her shoulder with the Sister, muttering under her breath. "We should keep moving. Stay close to me." 

Confusion drew itself across Kalika's face, though instinct told her to follow Akantha's lead. She crouched lower to the ground and lifted her hackles, her low and swaying. Doing as she was told, Kalika remained close enough to Akantha to feel their fur entangle with one another. Though she wanted to ask what was wrong and what exactly they seemed to be sneaking away from, she allowed the silence to brew and grow, engrossing them both.

The large thing chuffed as it shoved through the thicket and her eyes flickered towards the shadow with a sharp inhale. She clenched her jaw and swung her head around to practically shove Kalika into a jog. She slipped her mouth up and breathed a single word: "Bear." It was then she realized—she couldn't risk the hunger of this bear against the numbers of the pack. They were all tired from the long journey and beaten down by the storm. There was no guarentee they wouldn't lose anyone in the process of defending themselves.

They were alone here. 

A wedge-shaped head popped up above the bushes and zeroed in on them. It was a pale thing with a slick, oily coat. Akantha whirled and locked eyes with the beast. It sniffed again, and suddenly charged. Akantha barely had time to turn to Kailka and hiss, "Stay with me." There was no time to explain. The immense bulk of the beast thundered through the woods towards them and Akantha mouthed Kalika's shoulder to spur her into movement only to break off in a dead sprint away from the Nereid camp.

Though confused and afraid, Kalika did as she was urged and followed in chase after Akantha. It wasn't clear where they were going, but she knew that as time went on, they moved farther from home. She worried about what might be wrong though it was obvious that now wasn't the time to ask questions. Kalika pushed herself onward, her breaths shallow and heavy, her paws kicking up rocks and dirt behind her. This was the fastest she'd ever gone, and she didn't intend to stop anytime soon.

She constantly glanced over to make sure Kalika was with her as they fled from the great white bear. Akantha had never seen anything like it, but she recalled stories from her childhood of the enigmatic white bears of the northwest islands—where Aktaie the First settled her sect. Were they all so massive? It was clearly hungry enough to risk hunting wolves and she didn't want to think of what would happen if it stumbled across their camp full of slumbering Sisters.

Between the deep drifts of snow, and the lack of sustainable food, Akantha's energy was waning. A crash of undergrowth heralded the approach of the bear, and she looked at Kalika, then past the pale gray woman—in the distance she saw their savior. Two elk legs stuck straight up out of the snow, surrounded by scavanging ravens. The smell of the bloated caracass was pungent. "With me," She grunted, changing direction and leading her Sister past the half-eaten elk. She reached a thicket and nosed Kalika to crawl underneath it to hide while she waited to see if the bear would take the easier meal.

The massive beast lumbered out of the woods and stopped, sniffing about. Between the pungent, rotted smell, and their own... it was difficult to distinguish where the pair of wolves went. Akantha breathed a sigh of relief as the shaggy white bear turned his attentions on the elk and gave up the chase. 

"Fuck." She exhaled between ragged pants, and she swung her head around to find Kalika's eyes with her own.

Kalika had done as she was instructed, creeping into the thicket and trying her hardest to relax between bated breaths. Now that they were settled, she could see the beast which they were running from, sending a chill up her spine. Akantha had led it away from their domain because she knew of the great damage such an animal could do; she had been willing to give up her own life for those of her Sisters. It was in that moment that Kalika realized just how willing she was, as well. Would she have followed the Monarch if she knew what exactly they were running from? 

Without a doubt.

It's huge, she said noting the bear's size, I don't think I've ever seen one like that. Kalika's voice was at a whisper, though her breaths were louder than her words. Hopefully they would remained unnoticed.

wrap this one up soon, too? :D

As her heart slowed, and her mind returned from the depths of flight or fight response, Akantha exhaled a shaky breath and realized she was trembling. If she had been wrapped up in their conversation, she might not have saw the signs until it was too late. She could be looking down, not at the wide-eyed face of her Sister, but a gutted corpse instead. She swallowed thickly and nodded.

"We should get back, quickly, and move everyone." she whispered. It was a strange feeling; the words came, but her mind hardly registered them. It was too twisted up in just how close they came to death. Kissed it, even. "Have you caught your breath?"

I have, Kalika said through shallow, yet controlled, breaths. The sooner we go, the better. With a slight toss of her head and a slow stance made, Kalika waited for Akantha to take the lead so that the pair might make a full retreat and begin relocating.

Akantha nodded but before she turned to leave she extended her nose to press a soft kiss to her Sister's crown. The loud crunch of semi-frozen bone shattered the moment. She sucked in a breath as she pulled away and set off on the trail. The Matriarch headed north, away from the bear, and led them both on a wide path back to their camp.