Dragoncrest Cliffs drive me home

for nomi ❤ @Thuringwethil sorry its a little slapdash..

​since she'd eavesdropped on the adult's meeting, blixen's felt unsettled. and that makes sense - she misses her mother, she misses the carefree ignorance of her early childhood, but figuring out what she can do to fix it is big and tough. the girl may feel like she's grown years overnight, but she's still just a kid. 

her very important forays into patrolling the border have made her feel more in control of her life again, but blix knows that's not enough. she wants to be stronger to prevent.. whatever happened from happening again (and though of course she has no way of knowing that she's right about her mother, she holds onto the kidnapped theory because the alternative - that her mother might have left them on purpose - is a much scarier unknown, and she's not ready to name her deepest fears). lucky for blixen, she lives in a pack filled with strong wolves, and even luckier, her nomi is the strongest of them all. caught up in her own problems, it didn't occur to her to worry about her nomi during her illness and she feels a little guilty about it, and she resolves to find her and see if there's anything she needs now.

It's only a few days into the scouting mission and Thuringwethil is already struggling to keep a level head. She's picked up the habit of pushing herself more than she should in an attempt to get ready should they bring back bad, or no, news. As each day moves on, it is more and more apparent that something is wrong. She can't imagine her mate would still be at the caldera without at least sending Arlo back with word. She hopes each day will have a positive outcome, that this will be the day Wildfire returns, but by the time night falls, she has to wait for the next morning for a new bought of hope.

Most of her morning has been spent on the borders, checking for new signs that hadn't been there the day before. Eventually, she has to force herself back to the heart when her legs feel like they can't handle anymore and exhaustion settles deep in her joints. Most of her weight has been put back on but her stamina isn't nearly there. She'll rest and rejuvenate and then push herself some more. The caldera is at least several days travel and if she is to go that far, she needs to make sure she has the strength to make it.

When Blixen finds her, however, she's stopped in the cavern to lay down. The ocean breeze is cool, whipping in from the back of the cavern. Things have begun to cool and change for the season and she has happy for it. Thuringwethil thumps her tail on the ground a few times as her daughter, easily becoming the splitting image of her mother, approaches.

her attempted image of toughness falters when she sees her mother, and with a soft "nomi," the girl buries her nose in her scruff, tail wagging hard. she does not look as bad as blixen has feared, and after a moment she pulls herself away and lays down beside her, expression anxious. "do you need anythin?" she asks, but she's too impatient to wait before she bursts out, "i heard you at the meeting -- mother, she's - is she gonna come back?" despite her inner resolve, despite  her fears, it is too hard to not ask her nomi for this small reassurance - because she trusts her not to lie to her, either, and right now, all blixen wants is the truth.

Blixen lands on her as soon as she hits the ground and Thuringwethil rumbles, like a purr, as she turns her nose to try and embrace the girl close. She’s missed this. She takes a deep breath and savors in the scent of her daughter, fighting back the lump forming in her throat. Seeing her children go through the loss of a parent, especially with unanswered questions and lack of closure, is the last thing she ever wanted and she realizes how many times she’s been faced with this scenario. Wildfire has run away once before, has offered to leave, and now she is gone without a word. A small part of her stomach turns and she closes her eyes. In front of her daughter is not where she wants to have this revelation.

“Chof,” she murmurs, shaking off anything she needs. Thuringwethil leans forward and gives her a few attempt-to-console licks. “We will not stop searching until we find her,” she says with confidence, lifting her head just a fraction. Even if it meant finding out her mate wanted nothing to do with them, Thuringwethil isn’t going to give up her search.

 she goes easily into her nomi's side, secretly grateful for the source of comfort. this is why she wants to be strong - not for her own sake, but for her family left, for nomi and artaax and bobby and drageda itself. blix whines a little at nomi's dismissal, licking her nose, but doesn't push it since her question is answered. "ai gaf ge yuj," she says instead, matching her nomi's confidence, her voice deadly serious for a child. "bilak yu." she noses her again, insistent: she may be the spitting image of her missing mother, but right now, she wants to follow in her brave nomi's footsteps and be a protector of her family. "i wanna train with you, nomi," blix says, "please?"

Having fallen ill during Wildfire’s absence left a feeling of guilt when it came to their children. They’d been without one for a while and the other unable to pay them any attention. She is glad, however, that they’ve reached a self-sustaining age within the confines of their home. They had other adults to look after them if need be or if they needed anything. Thuringwethil gives the girl a smile and nudges her nose to Blixen’s cheek. “You are strong,” she murmurs into her fur but still, she nods. “Yes. But we will start in the morning.”

blix squirms, pleased by the compliment, a smile breaking through her stone-faced facade. "thank you, nomi," she says, cuddling closer into her side, "i'm gonna make sure no one leaves us again." so firm and naive is her resolution, but so seriously does she offer it with a lick to her nomi's cheek. her eyes are still the funny, muddy transition stage of youth, growing more amber with each passing day: now they are burning bright with focus.

Thuringwethil can’t help the softness she feels. Her anxiety is temporarily subdued by Blixen as she moves in closer. She turns her head and swallows her up with her form, holding her close. She wants her mate close, on the other side, with the other two just as close. She can’t remember the last time she slept—comfortably—in such proximity. Eljay had put a strain between them. Maybe it would be different if she’d taken him in. Maybe she wouldn’t have left when she did. A world of maybes lay heavily before her. The woman releases a sigh and lowers her head, nudging the girl into a resting position. After a while, @Bobby and @Artaax show and move in close and she’s feeling a little more whole again.