The Tangle i want to strangle the stars for all they promised me

They did not lie when they said the journey is a long one and he'd be foolish to make it now, without anyone to come with him, but still he moves without hesitation. His form is thin and weary and stained with blood without a proper bathing but it doesn't discourage him from wearing his feet down until he can't feel them anymore. It is only every so often that he stops for a break to rest his paws and scavenge for something to eat but the biggest roadblock he faces is finding Sleeping Dragon—or what he assumes to be from the description—deserted. There are signs of wolves having lived there but destruction became obvious in some places and the mix of ash and snow led him to wonder what happened.

He contemplates returning home, telling those left behind, but he does not just yet. Perhaps the neighbors may know a thing or two but he hesitates his approach. Arlo lingers nearby in a web of trees and rocky terrain of the tangle. Everything is unfamiliar to him but the thickness of salt in the air gives him a little added comfort. He hadn't been in Seageda long before it fell but the vague memories he has calls him home and he finds himself closer and closer. He settles at the base of a decline where the shadows cover his form, the snow falling as the trees mostly block the path to the ground, and he quietly begins to clean at the staining on his fur.

i assumed he was close-ish to the borders. if i'm wrong feel free to poke me & i'll gladly edit it! <3

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The Tangle was not a pleasant territory, but Eske was hardly frightened by spindly, warped trees and the dangers that it presented, especially blanketed in snow as it was. She moved through it still with purpose, fleet of foot and hot on the trail of a plump groundhog who waddled on ahead of her, surprisingly fast. It was proving to not be the easy prey she had pegged it to be. That was something she would have to break herself of: her arrogance. Looks were deceptive and too easily Eske found herself falling prey to the deception only to feel the fool when she realized she was wrong. She wasn’t sure if that was something her mentor(s) could help her with or if that was simply a habit she would have to break herself of on her own. As the last time she let her arrogance cloud her judgement the groundhog managed to escape and realizing her cause was a lost one Eske ceased her hunt and with a loud huff let out “skrish”. Her failure slapped her in the face and she was left annoyed knowing that for her effort she had nothing to show for it. How many times would she fail before Wildfire decided she wasn’t worth the effort? Yet, Eske would not give up. She lost this round with something to take from it and though it would be a few hours before her energy was restored she was determined to succeed: and to learn from this (and her other failures).

Ready to grab a small something from one of Drageda’s caches to quicken the restoration of her energy she circled back only as she neared her home to realize there was a scent on the chilled breeze that was both strong and fresh. Her hackles bristled and the Gona’s direction changed, her pace near a swift march with purpose as she followed the scent trail. At first, she almost missed him against the backdrop of snow, pale in coat as he was. Her sea green-blue gaze narrowed and her tail flagged over her back as she made her presence known. “Hei. Yu-de!” Eske addressed him brazenly, demanding as she was. “What are you doing?" In truth, she didn’t care so much about what he was doing but more so about what he was doing near Drageda.

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Skrish.

Arlo’s ears swivel forward and he tries to peer through the foliage to see whom the voice belonged to. It’s unfamiliar to him in sound and smell and so he keeps himself grounded for several moments with uncertainty on what to do. A few wolves had left Trigeda and found themselves with Heda but he thought he’d known all of them at the time. This wolf, however, does not match any he can recognize and by the time she’s nearby, he confirms the suspicion he doesn’t know the stranger ahead.

He is noticed within the next few seconds and her words keep him on edge, pulling to attention as she displays a dominant posture. Her form is immature, likely younger than he, but nothing about her aside from her tongue is familiar. When she slips into the common tongue outside of his home, he realizes she doesn’t know him anymore than he knows her.

“Ai chek au Heda,” he tells her in their shared tongue, hoping it may ease her posture to hear something familiar. If she knows their tongue, she has to know where their commander is. “En ai bro,” he adds on the off chance his brother had made it before he did. They’d gotten separated earlier in their travels and he hadn’t been able to find him since but he knew his mission and his brother is smart enough to make it on his own.

They had set off together, as planned, but somewhere along the way, Melchior had become separated. This was of no great concern to the young male, and likely did not trouble his sibling either. He was often wandering off on his own, distracted by one thing or another, completely forgetting that he had a task to do, only to remember hours, if not days later.

Fortunately, he was a youth of great stamina. He would make a fine warrior, they had said, pleased with how he had shaped up. The only problem was that Melchior lacked a warrior's passion. Nonetheless, he was dutiful, and just like he was loyal to the whims of his pack, he was loyal to his littermates.

It did not take him long to catch up, and it would have been sooner had he not been distracted several more times along the way. Arlo was talking to some random in their tongue, so the youth assumed all was well and that everyone was normal in these strange lands. Hei! He wuffed, ears flicking back in annoyance as he trotted over to position hinself at his brother's side. Perhaps he had not been able to smell Melchior over his own stench. Side eyeing their company, he became painfully aware of how ragged the pair looked. They were thin and hungry, weary from their travels, but unlike the blonde lad, it seemed Arlo had forgotten to bathe along the way. Though his appearance was scruffy, one of the many things that had distracted the young wolf had been a pristine river he could not help wading through. He knew he should have brought Arlo along.

Holding his tongue, he looked between the other wolves, hoping to be swiftly filled in on what he had missed so far.

portia has no place in this but i really wanted to post with her here... she is in the background, go ahead and skip her (:

portia had been on the borders a lot lately-- as she had been when she came across tanja. looking mostly for herbs but also exploring the glorious new territory. she found it soothing, all the trees and the lake and the cliffs and the ocean-- oh the ocean. she hadn't been to the ocean just yet-- save maybe the time she ran into wildfire-- but she had plans to drag Dio to the beach with her, maybe when it's warmer. she'd found a glorious patch of basil today, despite the cold weather it had grown quite nicely. she had taken it in her jaws and continued forward, planning on bringing it back home.

along the way she encountered eske's scent, along with some strangers. she quickened her pace to see what was up, finding two males and the young princess. she stood a ways off, still visible but not interacting. borders were not a task she usually took part in, but she enjoyed watching. her green eyes narrowed on them both, and her ears remained perked as she struggled to decipher their words. she was, after all, still learning.

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Eske’s eyes were hard, skeptical and judgmental as the pale boy spoke in Trigedasleng, answering her demand with talk of Heda: that he was looking for Thuringwethil …and his brother. Eske was not so easily moved despite that he spoke her language and that he spoke of Heda. Tanja hadn’t gotten off so easy and neither would he. The Gona’s eyes flickered like twin daggers to the blonde boy that had joined the pale one’s side with a muffed greeting. She heard the steps of another and glimpsed over a slender shoulder to look at Portia, surprised to see the Healer lingering on the borders. Nevertheless: they were even. In numbers, at least though the freckled woman held back. With a flick of her tail Eske’s attention returned to the two ragtag boys before her with a rise of distaste in the curl of her lip.

“You speak of Heda,” It is for Portia’s benefit that Eske returns to common tongue, her words clipped and sharp. She will not relent and just because they name dropped Heda and could speak Trigedasleng did not grant them any free passes when it came to Eske. “Of what purpose do you seek her?” Eske knew nothing of them and she had to be sure before she called for Heda that they did not come to assassinate her or usurp her. Traitors could be anyone. This, Eske had learned hard and true. With nothing left to suggest otherwise Eske assumed that all of her siblings had turned traitor to Drageda. “You hail from Seageda?” She asked next, salmon pink tongue swiping across her jowls. “Were you loyal to your Heda? To your clan?” Though she was not so quick to believe words — for words could be false — she knew that Heda would not let snakes among her ranks, but before she called for Thuringwethil she first needed to establish a feel for if they were truthful with her or not. Portia was not forgotten lingering near by and Eske, though capable of handling herself on the borders, wass secretly glad for the woman's presence as a Second should Eske find herself in need of her.

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Arlo feels the need to shrink back as the girl’s eyes harden with scrutiny. His ears slick back and his tail hangs low, head drooping low below his shoulders. He may have been a Seageda wolf born and bred but he does not match the one before him, especially if she is of Heda’s crew and potentially one of their own by birth.

He is distracted for a moment as he hears a familiar voice and he turns to see Melchior, his tail beating the inside of his legs. Thankful to have his brother at his side once more, giving him a little comfort, he returns his attention to the task at hand. The sight of another causes another pause but she does not approach and his head tilts a little, curious, but the girl takes over with a series of questions.

“We are from Seageda,” he says in the common tongue, wondering if it is more comfortable for her or if there is some benefit he is unaware. He does not question it and instead continues on. “We grew up in Trigeda when Heda left but we are still loyal. Our home is with Heda,” he confirms with a nod of his head, glancing toward Melchior as if he may have anything to add. Their younger days in Seageda did not leave much for memory and he isn’t sure he will recognize their Heda but his loyalty remains strong regardless. “I am Arlo and this is my brother Melchior.”

He turned as the stranger spoke, her words forming sounds for the common tongue, her tone haughy. Melchior remained impassive, his expression blank, his ears never lifting from that tilt of annoyance set upon Arlo. His brother had already give the run down, it seemed, so there was little for him to contribute. Stoic and silent, he allowed the exhcange to pass between the two unimpeded.

The one who had greeted them remaines unmoved. He could appreciate her ferocity, surely, but he was trained not to shirk back. As he was loyal to Heda, he was loyal to his clan. The only wolf pesent he could call his clan mate without a shadow of a doubt was his brother, so that was where he would lend his strength.

"If our words are not enough to reassure you, then allow our actions to speak for themselves." He interjected, remaining stiff and unwavering. What fools would travel so far, half starved, and without trace of an army, only to conspire against one they claimed to honour and trust? Melchior added nothing further, but did not relax his stance. Perhaps they could trust her no more than she could trust them. After all, they were the ones from Seageda, not her.

feel totally free to be loose about post order regarding dio like usual (as in.. don't wait up for him or me ever, LOL)

Wildfire still remained misplaced and although he'd done all he could to chalk it up to the nature of her skillset as a scout, he couldn't deny the uneasy feeling it inspired all the same. Best approach, beyond some ranging towards the immediate reaches, seemed to be a tense sort of waiting game, hoping that she'd turn up,and not really knowing when or from where to expect her; none of them knew anything of her circumstances. So, in the meantime, his vigilance sharpened to a new point. He'd all but run his paws raw making sure this claim grew unchallenged, and set the foundation on which they would come to prosper safely through the winter. Day by day the cliffside was more home, and all the while, more theirs in absolution.

He'd been on one such round when Eske and then Portia's trails lured him just beyond their boundaries towards the tangle -- a place he had only experienced in passing, or relatively briefly at best in favor of their own forests. It relived him to find his packmate's routes seeming to intertwine (because more lost comrades were not on his agenda), and eventually, he found the speckled Skayona first and the frosted Gona in the very next breath. Of course, and perhaps even more interestingly, this brought to his attention the the strangers in the clearest detailing : two males, yearlings perhaps, give or take. Possessiveness of their new, still-fragile claim nearly rumbled into a growl, but nothing else here read as overly amiss just yet. His tail crept up in steady increments and distance eased between them all with each stride.

Although his sights were set hard upon the travel-worn boys, Dio used his approach to first brush close to Portia with a quick, fond chuff and nudge of his snout against hers, but it was duty reigning supreme afterward.. as loathe as he was to leave her immediate side so soon. However, Eske appeared to have this well under control, so he didn't rush because he trusted the fierce princess to give them a good interrogation at minimum. He sidled up closer to Eske in confident ease to immerse himself in this conversation, all with his ears pulling towards the younger males, keenly interested. In these beats to follow, he would gauge this interaction further. For now, there were a silent set of questions on his features: what is this, who, and why.

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Whether they liked her questioning or not did not bother Eske a bit. As far as she was liable to care: she had good reason. She made the rules and she would decide if they met with Heda this day. Ok, none of that was probably true but she was Eske through and through and she liked to think she was in control. Whether or not she was didn’t matter: what did matter was that she would not call Heda if her intuition told her that they were snakes. The pale one appeared to be more of the diplomat, sort of like Freyja Eske thought with a surprising punch of bitterness. At the very least, the one that called himself Arlo spoke more. Her gaze flickered, cold, to the one that Arlo called Melchior when the blonde boy spoke. As Eske's lips parted to speak her words did not form, distracted as another presence made itself known: Dio. Though he was her superior Eske did not back down at his arrival though perhaps she should have. He was the Wocha after all, the leader equivalent of her own rank: Gona. Yet, Dio did not interfere or usher her away and in accordance her attention did not deviate from the two young males. “I intend on it.” She spoke sharply in return to Melchior’s suggestion.

Her gaze went to Dio then, only for a few seconds. “Wocha,” Eske addressed Dio by his rank. “This is Arlo and Melchior. They hail from Trigeda. They claim they are loyal to Heda.” There was no reason for her not to believe the two, and she extended the figurative olive branch with tentativeness. “Of that, I will trust only Heda’s judgement.” She looked back to the two boys eyeing them for a moment longer before she tipped her head back and called for @Thuringwethil.

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Melchior speaks up after him and Arlo shoots him a glance. He doesn't exactly know what to expect or how the Drakru will react to the suggestion and he doesn't have time to process it properly when another approaches. The brothers have been in situations like this before, in a sense of outsiders, but always have they been on the other side interrogating for the safety of their home. The girl is only doing her job, with the back up of two others he doesn't recognize. He knows there are a handful of Seageda and Trigeda wolves but he has not considered that others may have joined their ranks other than the obvious.

It is when the other is titled as Wocha, one of the most important jobs of their ways, that sends another wary glance to his brother. He holds it for a moment while the girl announces the call for their Heda and he finds himself holding his breath. Perhaps, he hopes, he is a Seageda wolf he doesn't remember due to his young age living on the coast but his chest tightens anyway. Arlo releases a harsh breath as he waits once the calm comes over them again. Whatever he needed to know, he'll find out soon, and he awkwardly shifts his weight under their scrutinizing gaze.

His steely stare shifts from the youth to the one she named as wotcha; an important man who hung back, possibly evaluating the youth on her performance. Again, she offered more bark than bite. He responded to her merely by lifting the corner of his lip, a smirk rather than a sneer. She was only doing her duty, but had, on all accounts, failed to excel. The brothers should have been flanked, ensured that they would easily be restrained once the heda arrived. He had expected a more ferocious show, for one could never be too cautious when bringing strangers forth to the head of the clan.

He shot Arlo a wry look, mercifully managing to keep from rolling his eyes. His mask of stoicism secured, he waited, tense, for the first leader's arrival. When Eske made her summonings, he remained still, ferocious gaze returning to the youth. Biting down softly on his tongue, he refrained from giving in to impulses, from trying to get a rise out of her. It would be his betrayal to put his whims before his and Arlo's best interest. For now, he would remain perfectly polite and diplomatic, for the sake of his kin.

Thuringwethil has been spending most of her time on the border in search for Wildfire. Occasionally she’d slip off somewhere nearby but she does not go far, uncertain what to do and without the proper council to give her direction. She clings to what she knows to do and welcomes any distraction, no matter how small of a process. So when he howl wrings from the northern end of the back, Thuringwethil moves along the edge of the redwood until she finds herself off to the east near the tangle.

When she is close enough for the scent of others, her curiosity rises. Those she knows and those mixed with those she does not pull her forward until she sees Portia and then the tail end of Dio and Eske. Ahead are two she does not recognize but on a second look, maybe she should. Slate eyes narrow as she surpasses the skayona and nears through to the others and stands on the empty side of the Gona. She chuffs upon her arrival before sweeping her gaze to the two young boys with curiosity.

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It did not take Thuringwethil long to reach those already gathered to the scene and though there was an urge to take a step back, to allow Heda and the Wocha the floor to continue on the business Eske did not. She had came upon them and she would see this through to the end. “Heda, this is Arlo and Melchior,” She gestured to each of them as she introduced them to Heda with her muzzle. “They hail from Seageda and grew up in Trigeda. They claim they are loyal to you and are willing to prove it.” The Gona informed Thuringwethil using Melchior’s words of letting action do the talking inspire her as she spoke. “I have yet to ask them what skills they can bring to Drageda,” The truth was she’d gotten a bit distracted by all the additions to the party (but she wasn’t about to admit that aloud to Heda). “but surely they have skills to offer Drageda.” She spoke, though not in their defense. Eske had spoken it more with the assumption that they would (surely) not wish to disappoint Heda by not being able to offer any skills of worth to her and Drageda.

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It is not long they are kept waiting and Heda arrives, settling in to the other side of Eske without a word. His ears droop back against his head and he shoots Melchior a telling glance. At first he isn’t sure he should speak but Eske does it for him, quickly covering that for them. They have spent most of their days in Trigeda more than their birthplace but that does not take the sea from him and if he has to prove himself all over again to find the feeling of home once more, he will.

“We have both trained as warriors,” he tells them, uncertain of the tongue to speak but he followers Eske’s lead. “Tanja is… was my mentor,” he adds when he realizes he doesn’t know where his stand is with the gona but he’s still hopeful to see him again.

His ears flicked towards Eske, but the stare stayed split between the boys -- evidently ones from the Heda's former home. It does little to soften him any, for to him, their lot has produced mixed results. Several of them he did like and he knew they'd come to them brilliantly skilled already. In cold, dark days like these, hunters and warriors were paramount although he didn't even know of their entire worth just yet. That was jumping a too far ahead too quickly. "I see," he rumbled lowly, nodding, and agreed in awaiting the commander's verdict -- namely to see if they really do ring as familiar to her.

So the gathering culminated shortly after. When the commander showed herself, the males are respectable and seem to mind themselves wisely. Eske's got the questions handled, so the wocha is keen to just watch them with a sharper intensity than before now that the commander's present, all while silently poised to act should anyone slip up just enough. One of them mentions Tanja, prompting him to glance towards Thuringwethil following a slight cant to his head. They're treading carefully, he thought, but Trigeda and Seageda matters span a little beyond his personal reach. His judgement couldn't all be swayed based entirely on who they knew.

Wrapping up since Melchior is going PPC. Leaving it open so Dio can get a final reply in.

The exchange is mostly short. Eske gives her the update, leading her to believe she’s the one that found the pair. Dio and Portia are along for the ride for if they are as true as they speak, there shouldn’t be a problem. Arlo proves some of his knowledge, trusting the mention of Tanja may give him a little leeway and she glances between the two. They speak for a moment longer, proving who everyone is as they say they are, and they return the boys to Drageda before nightfall.

The boys had done well enough based on first impressions that he could find no reason to object. When Heda seemed satisfied by what they offered, he took that as a good sign and would give them their chance. They could use the able bodies, and perhaps some fresh blood around the pack would benefit them more than he could realize.

With the matters settling up neatly, it was time to head back to the cliffs soon. He'd keep a watchful eye on the new wolves and see to it that they proved their worth around with time. For now, he was content to walk beside Portia as they returned so that Melchior and Arlo could begin to settle in.