Porcupine Ridge i'd lose everything so i could sing hallelujah

Mallaidh starts to get restless as they linger in the mountain range. The local wolves are already growing tired of their presence based on their last interaction and she has become antsy and restless, unsure what to do with herself. The wolves she’d been hanging around with offer little in the way of company, busy searching for answers and wolves she isn’t sure they’ll even find. The lack of connection to the missing wolves only increasing the anxiousness she feels as they linger between two territories. She’d noted the scents of another pack a little further south, quickly retreating to where they’d taken up base so she can at least tell someone.
 
As Mallaidh’s climb of the ridge brings her to higher elevation, she turns to look out toward the vale. In the distance, she can see something dark—perhaps another wolf—but just as quickly as the blip comes, it disappears, and she can’t help but wonder if the wolves in the scouting party know about the wolves south of them. If anything, it won’t hurt for her to bring it to their intention. She can’t find a strong enough scent of @Eske to locate her so she quickly lifts her nose to call for her companion in hopes to be of some use to the others.

Eske responds to her Second’s call as quickly as she can, and when she approaches the girl lets out a soft chuff of greeting. It is almost like a second nature, climbing. It reminds her of when she’d lived on Sleeping Dragon. Her childhood is somewhat fond — her memories of Gyda and Gavriel, certainly. The rest of them she could do without, especially because they mostly consisted of the siblings that she has disassociated herself from. The traitors. Now, however, is not the time for nostalgia. She still has work to do and is thus without reward. There is still no sign of Arlo or Wildfire and Eske is beginning to think this trip is futile. They’ve been away for a while now, and it is about time they wrap it up and head back to Drageda. She intends to, first, explore the Ridge a bit more closely while they are here and then head to the Vale before she curves the party back towards home. Nevertheless: they are on the home stretch now and if they can’t find the two they seek then …that is what she’ll return to Heda with. She can’t make Wildfire and Arlo appear out of thin air, after all, and she hopes that The Commander won’t be angry that she brings her Second back despite that she isn’t whom Eske and the others were first sent out to find. “Have you found something?” Eske inquires of her Second, moving to join her at her side though she is careful to leave plenty of personal space between them.

Panic starts to form in her chest, restricting her breaths that she has to force herself to breathe. The world around her feels much too large when she always feels much too small. For a moment, the information she has is lost to the wind when there is no familiar scent for her to cling to. Had they left her? She blinks back the leak of her eyes as she struggles to scale anymore of the ridge, forcing her to go downward and scrambling to keep traction so she doesn’t topple forward.
 
Eske appears almost out of nowhere and her pale eyes widen in surprise, feeling awash with relief as she comes to a stop. The woman is not her mother, nor does she have the lush mane Lotte has and she can’t see herself burying her face into her chest as much as she wishes for the comfort. Her jaw tightens and she blinks back the stress building in behind her eyes, slowly releasing a breath in order to calm down. She licks her lips then and takes a step forward, shrugging one shoulder when she realizes the question she’s been asked.
 
She opens her jaws to speak, but hesitates, before she clears her throat. With a voice unused in months, she croaks out what she can manage: “there is a pack down there.”

Eske cannot help the slight start of surprise she gives when the girl answers her question — actually speaking! Eske had just assumed that the girl was mute or if not mute than had chosen to be such. It’s a humbling moment for the Wanlida who had never expected her Second to speak. Though it lingers on the tip of Eske’s tongue to point out what is obvious the Drakru bites it back — because it would be redundant and she does not want to make a fuss over the girl. They still don’t know much about one another and Eske can’t be sure that she’d want a fuss made over her. Eske peers below, sea-blue green gaze scanning the vast stretch of territories below, zeroing in on the spot that the girl had claimed there to be a pack. Eske believes her, and wonders if they should make it a point to stop and gather intel or if they should keep going. Eske is eager to return home, admittedly. She never was one for long adventures but this was necessary and she was proud to be trusted with the task nevertheless.

They are far enough away from Drageda that they are barely a worry. The tactician in Eske says that their information might be useful down the road; and that they may have information on Wildfire or Arlo …but they may not. She calculates the risk: is it worth it? Her run-in with Grayday had not gone smoothly — a blip of Eske’s own making with her hostile ways. She can’t help it and even if she could it was very unlikely that she would. “What do you think? Should we introduce ourselves? See if they know anything?” Eske turns the decision to her Second, genuinely wanting the girl’s opinion.

Even as she’d prepared herself to speak, it still catches her by surprise. Her panic had given her quite a start that she didn’t feel the need to hide her words. She’d grown fond of Eske in the last several days, Etoille too, but she’d gotten accustomed to not speaking that it also catches her by surprise. Her jaw tenses and she glances away, looking toward the vale—the entire purpose of the call—and contemplates more than just whether or not they should visit. Now that the woman knows she can speak, she won’t be able to hide from reality anymore. She’s no longer apart of Teaghlaigh. She’s resigned to sticking with her new companions no matter how much she truly misses her family.

Eske’s question leaves her silent for a long moment, unsure of what they should do. These wolves have the connection to those they are missing, not her. In turn, she doesn’t really know anything and barely knows the names of the wolves they are searching for. The girl shrugs one shoulder and glances back, biting the inside of her cheek. “If we are already here,” she says quietly, searching Eske’s face for what she should say in this case. “I don’t know.”

The truth was Eske does not feel like playing nice, schmoozing some Alpha or guardian into giving her information that they will, more than likely, not have. If Wildfire and Arlo were heading to Redhawk Caldera there it makes no sense for them to have stopped there. She wants to wrap up their investigate and go home. That does not mean they can’t be prodded for information simply: Eske doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Plus, she lacks the ….niceness that requires. The charisma. She’s a warrior, after all. Not a diplomat. She did…passable enough as Fleimkepa but it was never a rank meant for her, regardless of how much she actually enjoyed being a leader. Eske looks to her young Second, then to Vale and then back on the girl once more. “I doubt they’ll know anything though it might be worth sending someone to speak to them just in case,” Eske surmises, more so of thinking aloud for the benefit of her young Second. “We could head back to Drageda in the meantime. Heda is waiting for our return, after all, and I need to get you situated in the pack.” Eske was no longer a leader and no longer held the power to accept the girl, though she hopes her addition will not be an issue. She just sort of …assumed. The Drakru’s ears pivot atop her skull as her gaze rests down upon the Vale.

It occurs to Eske a few moments later that the girl is speaking and thus can finally give her a name to address her by instead of “girl” and “her second”. “Is there a particular name you’d like the others and myself to call you?” Eske broaches the subject again for the first time since their initial meeting, figuring it was as good a time as any to take advantage of the situation.

Eske doesn't seem to want to pay them a visit and it causes her to look out to the territory once more. They've been traveling for days, and both of them even before they'd run into each other. Having a group of wolves looking out for her has been nice but the idea of a pack, a home, again fuels her desire to move on. If that is what Eske wants to do, perhaps it is the best decision. She doesn't know the next step in the plans they have for their search—the wolf in question must be of importance—and she briefly wonders if her parents are searching for her. They'd searched for her brother to no avail and with a second child missing, would they even put in the same effort? The girl sighs and gives her guardian another shrug, dismissing the notion of visiting the pack.

After a moment, Eske speaks up again to ask her her name. Part of the reason for her silence had been because she doesn't know what to call herself. Mallaidh seems too personal, too intimate—a name in which her family had given her—and so she takes a full, deep breath and releases. "Furiosa," she tells her after a moment. "Furi," she adds a beat later, giving herself her own nickname.

*sneaks in with permission*

He had not been present for Eske's alteration with Grayday, though he does not blame her for being testy with the man, based on his understanding of the situation. He himself feels similarly protective of choupinou - though, still, he feels a slight twinge of guilt for not being there to mediate. (Then again, he still feels awkward from their last interaction and he's also a touch relieved he wasn't forced to relive that.)

Well. Not much for it - the group was moving on. Étoille hears chou's call as well. Presumably for the Wanlida, but the titan follows it slowly anyway, his gaze on the edge of the ridge and the sheer drop below. And. Hm.

The beast looks up distractedly and realises he is upon his companions - and then surprise overtakes him, catching the end of choupinou's words. "Chou," he says, too surprised to offer a proper greeting, and then, "I am sorry to interrupt, but it seems there is a dead body below us."

The sound of heavy, approaching footfalls initially causes Wanlida’s hackles to bristle along her spine in non-verbal warning but a frosted look over her shoulder melts and her hackles smooth back down as the familiar form of Étoille materializes into her view. He approaches and address Furi as Chou — a language that Eske does not understand. She wonders what it means, if it is a filler name as she refers to her as Second or girl in her own head ( or did, rather, that will cease now that she knows the girl’s name). Eske looks at the man, a bit startled, when he brings to their attention the dead body below. It’s not exactly the words she expects to hear — nor truly much of a greeting — but she deduces that it must be wolven in origin because what else could be the significance of a corpse?

Eske moves to investigate, allowing the other two to either follow her or hang back. She doesn’t mind either way. She climbs down carefully and chokes out “Arlo.” with her heart in the throat. They were never what Eske would consider particularly close but he had been her companion on many patrols and many missions and his death hurts her. Not in the same, devastating way of Kendra’s but the sorrow she feels is genuine and crushing in it’s own way. He was a constant, a sort of rock that she had taken advantage of: seen only now that he is no longer among the living. For the sake of the girl and the scouting party, Eske gathers herself. She will mourn Arlo later, in privacy. They still have a mission to complete. “It’s Arlo. One of the wolves we were searching for.” Eske explains to her companions. A quick glance around tells her that Wildfire’s body is not here and is unsure whether she feels relief or panic. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Wildfire is not, also, deceased somewhere, left to the scavengers.

Perhaps the pair had gotten separated somehow. It’s plausible, she thinks. “There’s no sign of Wildfire,” Eske states turning to address her two companions. Her gaze touches upon Furi first before it lifts to Étoille. “Perhaps the wolves of the pack below have seen her.” Eske lifts her chin slightly as she glimpses at the territory below over her shoulder. “Étoille,” She seeks his attention. “Would you mind venturing down to ask if they’ve seen her? She is small of stature, and her fur is a mixture of red brown that fades to tan, her tail is black and she has a black smudge on her nose.” She recalls Wildfire’s description from memory, surprised but pleasantly so that she can do so. She was never really close to the woman, admittedly. Still, it should be enough of a description, providing their male companion agrees to the side-mission.

When Eske quickly shifts into aggression, Furi’s ears fall back against her head and she shrinks a little, turning to see Étoille approach. Looking past him, concerned there is someone else her guardian has grown suspicious to, she doesn’t see anyone else. Glancing back to Eske, however, shows her relaxation and she does the same, straightening out her form as the brute speaks.
 
She wags her tail a few times when he greets her, opening her mouth to say something, but she is cut short when he gives them news. Her eyes widen in surprise, having never seen a dead wolf, and she hangs back awkwardly for a moment. Death is not a foreign concept to her but her experience with it has only been that of her meals. A dead wolf is an entirely different story and slowly she follows behind Eske to try and peer down.
 
The woman speaks a name she recognizes from their scouting. One of the wolves they are looking for. Furi tightens her jaws, glancing over to see a muddy white coat twisted in ways that a wolf shouldn’t. She remains quiet as Eske continues to evaluate the situation, giving the brute a task to visit the pack she’d spotted. Staying silent, she takes a few steps back as she feels a wave of nausea and lightheadedness that forces her to sit somewhere away from the ledge.

 Though Étoille did not know either of the two wolves they were searching for, he had feared the corpse would prove to be one - and those fears are confirmed with the choked word Eske utters. Awkwardly he stands back with choupinou. He has no personal attachment to the discovered body, but he wishes to respect the tragedy of the incident.

Thankfully Eske is all business. Arlo is the corpse's name - not Wildfire, then, though he had surmised that from the body's appearance. More importantly: the Wanlida has a mission for him. He nods, accepting the description that is much more detailed than the one he'd gathered before. "Oui." he says. "What shall we do about.." the titan trails off uncertainly, looking back down at the broken body. "... I suppose he is unreachable now." He says somberly, unsure what Drageda's rituals would be with regards to their dead.

i think we could probably wrap this up soon? :0

Eske gives offers a nod of approval when Étoille answers her proposed side-mission without preamble and it is a favorable response at that, though if not for his nod of acceptance first she might not have realized that he was agreeing when he spoke using his strange tongue. She wonders if that’s the kind of nagging ( albeit small ) frustration that others feel when she uses Trigedasleng and they are not privy to the tongue of her people. She cannot ( and does not! ) begrudge him it because there was one point where all Eske had stubbornly spoke had been Trigedasleng. Her gaze flickers back from her titan companion to look at the twisted corpse of her once and now gone forever companion. “This will have to remain his final resting place.” Eske concludes though there is a slight drop to her shoulders as she speaks it. It is too risky to try to extract him and even if they could have reached him Eske isn’t so sure she’d want to drag his half rotting corpse back to Drageda. It would draw too much unwanted attention and they already had that bothersome fly of an alpha breathing down their necks. She gets as close as she dares.

“yu gonplei ste odon.”

Eske manages to get out the words without choking on them, before she turns her back on Arlo’s corpse for the last time and returns to her companions just a short distance away. “When you’re ready Étoille,” Eske addresses him with a ‘go-ahead’ nod. “I will take Furi back to Shalon and Cecil.” She informs them both of the plan, her gaze lingering upon her Second before it flickers to the titan. “I will be a call away should the Vale wolves give you any trouble.” She will not impose upon the mission she gave him but she doesn’t want to send him into a possible lion’s den without some sort of re-enforcement either, just in case.

wrappin this!

He had figured as such - the drop is too treacherous to attempt a retrieval. It is a shame, but at least his body can serve a purpose to scavengers in the area. Étoille doesn't know the words Eske speaks though he surmises they are important, and he lowers his head slightly in respect. Eske dismisses him. He glances at Furi - because that is her name, Furi - and back to the Wanlida, giving her a sharp nod. "I will see you soon," he says, and sweeps away in the direction of the Vale - eager to complete his assignment and return to Drageda's borders.