Dragoncrest Cliffs i will burn and i will rage

Home. Eske has never been so glad to lay eyes upon Drageda as she is as the scouting party approaches the borders. She reminds herself to keep her pace, that their job her job is not done despite that they have returned. There is still the matter of @Furi and the debriefing that @Étoille and her need to give to Heda. Eske: to give the run-down of the trip, of discovering Arlo’s decaying corpse, and Étoille to inform their Commander of what Northstar Vale had to say — Eske hadn’t asked on the trip back, preferring to hear it with Thuringwethil. When they finally reach the borders Eske takes a deep breath, relieved to be back at familiar ground. She was clearly never made to be a scout. She’s a bit of a homebody. Always has been and always will be. It was, unfortunately, a necessary evil and she would always step up when called upon to venture outside of the borders but her preference and opinions on travel has always been clear.

Eske dismisses @Shalon and @Cecil, sending them off into the territory to do …whatever it is they needed to do with a nod of ‘thanks’ to them both before she tips her head back and calls for Heda.

Her time spent with the four wolves of Drageda have been welcoming. She'd likely been on death's door if Eske hadn't found her and offered her a meal. Since then, she'd bounced back rather easily (the joys of youth at play) and she doesn't look nearly as sickly as she once had. Her ribs are still noticeable and her waist is thin but she is far from starvation and food isn't so foreign to her stomach anymore. However, things will soon change. It will be more than just four wolves she's accompanying. This time, it will be an entire pack (they'll let her in, right?) and she feels awash with nerves she doesn't know how to place. 

When they approach the scent of marked borders that's unfamiliar to her—their time away had erased most of their scent—but Eske seems to know where they are going. 

Ultimately, Wanlida dismisses two of the wolves she knows little about and she remains with Étoille. Furi keeps beside and behind Eske, occasionally glancing between the two adults as the call is made and she anxiously awaits her verdict.

As he suspected, the titan is glad to have a home to return to, though he does not mind their lengthy journey. He is quiet as usual following Eske, beside chou - Furi, he corrects himself, though the nickname he suspects is somewhat permanent to him. Now Étoille watches her, noting her anxiety. He offers a quick, gentle nudge. Though he cannot guess what Heda will say in regards to the child, he cannot imagine she will be cast out, especially given Wanlida's attachment. 

Their other two companions are dismissed - Étoille watches them go absently, not having formed any particular connection to them. He is not done yet, and he stands with the pair quietly, awaiting the arrival of the Heda. One of these days he really should inquire after her name.

The call sounds across Drageda and Thuringwethil immediately drops what she is doing and her feet begin to thunder against the ground, rushing to the origin. It does not necessarily sound urgent, or desperate, and there’s answer enough in the howl to know what to expect—or, rather, not to expect—when she arrives. Either way, she knows she’ll have answers of some kind and a plan to go from here. She isn’t sure she can get there fast enough, either, and she gives herself another push until the pair—trio—of wolves come into view. Cecil and Shalon are not to be found but their scents are present, at least, while Eske and Étoille remain.

She is temporarily distracted by the young wolf taking up space behind Eske and her eyes land hard on her, tightening her jaw as she waits for explanation. It is evident enough that her mate is not with them and she releases a shaky breath from her lungs, feeling a sting of hurt run through her. Thuringwethil anxiously licks her lips as she settles ahead of them, waiting for further explanation.

Eske isn’t nervous per say. She glimpses behind her at Furi who takes shelter behind her, and then her gaze moves to Étoille who lingers at her side and then moves to Thuringwethil when her Commander approaches. Eske displays submission at Heda’s approach and Wanlida does not fail to notice the hard look that the Commander gives Furi. Deciding that this is as good as place as any to start — upon the suspicion that until they get the matter of Furi resolved she might only prove to be a distraction from their debriefing — Eske prepares to speak. “Heda this is Furi. She was starving when I found her. I couldn’t leave her to die,” Eske begins and swipes her salmon pink tongue across her jowls. “If you accept her I promise that I alone will take care of her. She’ll be under my tutelage and I’ll provide for her…and take responsibility for her and her actions.” Eske doesn’t think the girl will be a burden, besides, the pups of Drageda should already be old enough to have joined the adult ranks, if Eske did the math correctly. Nor, does the warrior think she will be much trouble. She is quiet — even when she does speak — and appears shy to the Drakru. Whether that’s expressly true or not Eske can’t say for sure.

“During our journey we discovered that Ravensblood Forest is in the process of being claimed. When we went through we scented maybe two adults, perhaps three at most. I don’t think they pose much of a threat for the moment.” Regardless, Eske wouldn’t forget their budding existence there and she deigns to keep an eye out on their progress. “The Plateau is claimed as well. It’s Alpha male kept bothering us, specifically Furi —” It still doesn’t sit well with Eske even though they are far away from him now. There was something Eske inherently disliked about him though there was nothing concrete she could put her paw on. Perhaps, she thinks with a quirk of her lips, the wolves that claimed the Plateau and the budding Ravenswood packs would …demolish one another considering how close they were. It was almost ironic how that Alpha had been more worried about their little scouting party than he was about the pack settling right on his doorstep. "I'm not sure if he'll be trouble in the future or not."

There is more, but for now she gives pause here, ready to answer any question Thuringwethil might have for her, and allowing Étoille to add anything he wishes to her re-telling.

In her time with her new friends, she’d opened up. She spoke her first words in weeks and while her voice is hoarse from lack of use, it has started to pick back up and level out. Still, she is too shy to speak most of the time and she takes in the comfort that Eske gives her when she looks back. Even Étoille’s nudge is accepted where she once would have shied away. Furi closes her eyes and leans into it a little, taking what little strength she can from either adult.
 
When another approaches, the one she assumes the call is for, she feels herself shrink back even more. The presence is overwhelming and the hard stare causes her eyes to avert downward, staring at the ground. Eske promised her safety and shelter and a home but she suddenly feels like it is threatened. It is a promise that hangs by a thread, leaving her fate up to the dark woman that hasn’t said anything yet, leaving Wanlida to begin her explanation. Her pale eyes lift a little only to look at her guardian, then glancing toward the large male, before it goes quiet again and she looks to the ground where Heda stands before them.

Étoille is silent, listening to Wanlida's report. He almost opens his mouth, almost adds, and I will help, but stops himself, feeling quite silly for even having the thought. He cares for Furi but she is Eske's ward and he does not wish to invoke her wrath by infringing on that boundary. Nonetheless he cannot help but nod at her words, hoping Heda finds it to be agreeable. He is rather fond of choupinou.

He is a little amused by Eske's description of the Plateau, but he does not correct her - perhaps it is best they keep their guard up, after all. "His name is Grayday," he does volunteer, "he was searching for someone as well." Eske falls silent then and the titan clears his throat, offering: "I visited the mountainside pack, Northstar Vale." He gives the Commander the information he gathered from that brief visit and joins the scout leader in silence, waiting for Heda's reaction.

*is vague*

Eske address the elephant in the room first though she is not sure how to feel about it. The mission hadn’t been to recruit, or pick up strays along the way, but Wanlida pleads her case anyway. She glances to Étoille briefly, then the girl—Furi—whom Eske has chosen to take care of like a pet. Thuringwethil tightens her jaw but lets a slow breath out through her nose as she then continues, announcing what they’d discovered while out there.

She does not mention Arturo’s pack but a new one attempting to form and another on some plateau—something she doesn’t know of—but with a warning of a disgruntled alpha that leads them. She stores all this information to sort through later, glad to at least have a mental layout of what is beyond the reaches of Drageda that she has not seen and it is likely she’ll have to go through them anyway. After a moment, Étoille speaks up about another pack she is unfamiliar with but there isn’t much to his visit that offers her any answers to where her mate is.

“Is that all?” she asks rather stiffly, anxiety rising in the back of her mind. Their scouting mission had taken longer than she’d anticipated, putting more time between the last time she’d seen her mate and now with so much more to worry about.

Grayday is the name Étoille calls the greyscale stranger that had been monitoring their little party’s movements. Heda is quiet through her explanation and though Eske knows that she was not sent out to bring anyone back that wasn’t Arlo and Wildfire she will stand by her decision to take Furi under her wing. Regardless of the cost: as she would as if the girl was her own child. Étoille mentions the Vale wolves and the pair are met with a stiff question in response to what they have discovered. Eske looks down, for a moment. It is hard to talk about death — because thinking about Arlo’s body reminds her of Kendra’s corpse and both are unpleasant memories. Kendra’s death still stings Eske, though the pain, as all things with time, has lessened. “Arlo’s fight is over, Heda,” Eske speaks with the heavy weight of sorrow befit the bearer of such news. She takes their traditional saying and uses it in lieu of the crude phrase “Arlo is dead”. Eske knows that Thuringwethil will know what she means and by proxy so will Étoille and Furi because they have seen his corpse. “There was no sign of a struggle and no sign of Wildfire which was why I asked Étoille to inquire at Northstar Vale.” Eske explains and then draws in a breath. “but I don’t think they were together when it happened.” She doesn’t know for sure, of course. She merely runs off the assumption because the most logical path to Eske would have been to return home if she'd been with Arlo when he passed.

The large, looming leader stays silent through the explanation and when she does speak, she does not acknowledge her presence. Uncertain if this is a good thing or a bad one, she glances nervously between Eske and Étoille for assurance. Wanlida is busy focusing on Heda, explaining more to their trip and giving her bad news. She wants to look and see what reaction the other has in the face of such information but she dare not look in case she sees something she doesn’t want to see. Awkwardly, she shuffles her feet a little while she waits for her verdict.

Wanlida tells their Commander the news about Arlo, and Étoille waits silently. He has given the information he has and can do no more than wait for Heda's orders, for the next step of their mission. The titan still does not know who Wildfire is in relation to the rest of the pack, just as he does not know Heda's name, but it doesn't matter. The weight of their failure to find her weighs on the party heavily. And with one half of the missing packmates deceased, it bodes badly. There is no use focusing on this though, so instead he looks down at Furi as she presses closer, and waits.

Arlo’s fight is over.

Thuringwethil blinks a few times as if uncertain that is truly what she heard. Her jaw clenches and she does everything in her power to steel every emotion that comes with an expression. Her stoic face is strained but she does not relax, unable to let it go. If Arlo is dead, where does that leave Wildfire? What are they going to find when they go to the caldera? What if they can’t find Wildfire?

The questions roll over in her mind again and again and she glances over to Étoille whom has nothing else to say and with a flick of her nose, she dismisses him. “Take the girl and get her settled in,” she tells him on a second thought before she turns and addresses Eske.

Only when the other two are gone, does she continue the conversation. “How did he die?” she asks stiffly, and, a second later, “there was no sign of Wildfire?”

For a while they talk. Thuringwethil isn’t happy with the results but she at least knows where to go from here. Dismissing Eske for the time being, she searches out the rocha for further details.