Dragoncrest Cliffs some flowers only bloom for the moon
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#1
All Welcome 
It is early the next morning when Furi stirs. Her legs are tired and her mind fuzzy, temporarily forgetting where she is. The air smells strongly of salt and the ocean and wet and her fur feels weighed down by the humidity. She does not understand this is why but she knows she isn’t too fond of it. The sound of the water in the distance, however, is relatively calming that when she looks around and realizes @Eske is not nearby, she doesn’t immediately jump into a panic. Many mornings while out on their mission, she often woke up without the woman there, but usually another—one of the other three—was nearby to keep an eye on her. This time, however, there is no one.
 
Furi untangles her legs and she realizes how tired and stiff they are. Even if she is not one hundred percent comfortable in her new home, she is able to feel a bit more relaxed than anxious. She has little to worry about, even without the trust she once had in Teaghlaigh, and she slowly stands to all fours. She takes a moment to stretch, yawning wide with a small click of her teeth, and begins to move in a random direction to further explore the redwoods. It does not take long to find @Étoille's scent and she sticks to it until she hunts him down.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
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#2
Reflecting back on the past month, Étoille feels a bit dizzy. After spending so long aimlessly meandering, it is odd to so quickly be so embedded in his new home. Though in many ways he is still an outsider he cannot help but feel a certain weight in the missions bestowed upon him. He was, after all, the one to spot Arlo's body, even if he holds no emotional connection to it.

Still: he has a couple days rest and then the larger trip begins. There is part of him that still hopes he will encounter Mirabella, the mysterious woman who'd accompanied him on his trip up to Drageda. She'd chosen to move on and he respects that, but a nagging part of him misses her - or at least wants to make sure she's stayed safe without his company. And what an arrogant thought that is. The titan had been unable to even catch her scent in their travels, but perhaps he will pick it up on their longer journey. 

He is resting when the choupinou seeks him out, taking advantage of their precious days off to rest his weary limbs. Accostomed to long bouts of travel, Étoille nonetheless appreciates the opportunity to relax. Laying amongst the redwoods, he smells her before he sees her, and he turns his large head to offer a friendly nod. "Chou, allô," the man says, and shifts slightly, offering the spot next to him for her to join him.
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#3
It doesn’t take too long to find him and she is not surprised to find him resting. They’d traveled a long way together and she is tired, too, though he seems a little wearier than before. She’d come back from starvation and on the mend, filling her growing form out once more. She bounces back faster than any adult but she knows it’ll take a few more days of something consistent before she’s truly herself again. Regardless, seeing her friend brightens her spirits and her tired eyes light up a little more. As much as Eske has become important to her in a short span of tome, so has he.
 
He gestures to the spot next to them and with only a little hesitation, she advances forward and spins one circle, then a second, before she plops down on the hard ground. Even though she’d woken not long ago, she still feels the pull of sleep and if given the chance, she could easily slip off into slumber. “’m still tired,” she mumbles through her exhaustion, a heavy sigh escaping her smaller form.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
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#4

 Though still somewhat nervous of stepping into Eske's territory, Étoille is rather fond of the girl child. He is pleased to see that she is already looking healthier. The condition she'd been in when Wanlida first brought the girl to camp had alarmed even he, and he knows the trip took a toll the small creature as much as it did the rest of them. 

A faint smile reaches his eyes as she settles beside him. "I am too," the kru agrees. He feels a sudden urge to - do something, groom her, perhaps, but he doesn't exactly know what to do with it. Instead he huffs a little and lowers his head, voice quiet when he speaks again to inquire, "you are settling in." 
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#5
Hearing her companion state he’s still tired doesn’t do anything to make her feel less so but she does feel better. She’s sure she could sleep for days if she could but the anxiety of somewhere new keeps her from drifting back off, uncertain what she’s supposed to do or anyone that may come by. With Étoille, she is able to relax and if given the chance, she might sleep more, but for the moment she nods her head a little.
 
She misses her mom and dad and her siblings. She even misses Hemlock and the more useless Tapat. They are—were—her family. Does this mean Drageda is her new family? They don’t seem particularly fond of her presence but the leader hadn’t really objected to her stay but she didn’t seem pleased about the situation. The tension in the air is enough to distract them but it doesn’t make her feel any more welcome but, perhaps, she may not feel at home anywhere but Teaghlaigh.
 
“Do you have to go with them?” she decides to ask after a long moment, turning her tired green eyes in his direction.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
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#6
  Étoille is not privy to the girl's thoughts, but he understands, a little, what it might be like. He is an outsider to their way of life, same as she. In truth this doesn't bother the titan too much. He's always been pretty... unaffected by such things, and he feels he is contributing well enough. But, still: he can understand.

"Hm," he says, feeling an odd pang of affection at her question. "I am afraid so, choupinou." The man feels a little bad at letting her down, but not terribly. He will not be gone long and his mission is important, and she is safe here in their home. Gently he nudges her with his massive snout. "You are safe here," he says, a tad apologetically. She seems a bright child: he is sure she will understand.
we don't need another ruler
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#7
He hums quietly, as if thinking about it. Perhaps he does not have to go. Perhaps he can choose against and stay with her and Eske. The fact one half of those she is most fond of is leaving isn’t very high on her desires and he quickly dashes any hope when he announces his responsibility. Furi frowns, ears drooping against the back of her head, and she lowers her chin to the ground and rests it upon her paws. “But you’ll come back soon, right?” she asks then. She knows the answer is yes… or she hopes it is, but hearing him say it will be all that matters in that moment.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
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#8
 Furi's investment in him is .. something almost alarming, but at least unexpected. Étoille is young but he is by no means a youth and yet he has not given much thought to the idea of children, or of having children. He's always been a somewhat aimless drifter, rarely even indulging in romantic dalliances. Putting it into perspective it sounds quite bleak, but Étoille has never been unhappy in his solitude.

 But the way Furi looks at him now stirs something in his chest. He is suddenly immeasurably grateful to Eske for saving the girl, to Heda for allowing her to stay. Warmly the man leans forward, tapping the crown of her head with his nose. "Oui." He reassures. "And Wanlida will still be here." The titan is glad that Eske will be staying, even if it's a matter of practicality - he would hate the child to be left alone so quickly after they found her. He licks her snout almost hesitantly, unused to showing such affections but - really, really wanting to, for once.
we don't need another ruler
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#9
It feels weird to have to worry about things a child shouldn’t worry about. Her life had been made in Teaghlaigh. Her parents are the leaders and she likely could have been the heir. Her siblings she could boss around are there, as well as the other puppies, and they had to listen to her. She has Étoille and Eske to keep her attention, now, but beyond her little group, she doesn’t have much reach. Meeting Blix the day before hadn’t necessarily settled well with her, feeling like an outsider against the child that has all the things she too once had.
 
Furi nods her head a little and closes her eyes, leaning into him. “Good,” she says quietly, feeling the weight behind her eyes creep up and latch onto her lids.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
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#10
gonna wrap this one unless you wanna post one more time!

 The man feels soft, watching the child droop. Watching her eyes grow heavy reminds Étoille of his own tiredness, and so he lays his massive head on his paws. "Rest," he murmurs, and does not say anything further, giving in to his own urge to do so.