Ravensblood Forest featherlight

@Samothes, @Constantine, and @Snowe (hope it's ok that I made a couple assumptions! let me know if anything is off

She had led the girl from the coast carefully, slowly, noting the weakness in her and adapting smoothly. She knew of Ravensblood; she had passed it in her wanderings of the coast, and made special note of it after her meeting with the rose-eyed man. Unwillingly, a little smile drifted to her maw as she thought of him, his scent greeting her, among others, as she came to the edges of the little claim. She regarded the girl as if to say this is it, before tilting back her muzzle and allowing a howl to fall from it, long and ululating. 

She sat back on her haunches, positioning herself beside the girl and her gaze settling into the depths of the territory. It certainly was dark, and she could only hope that this Constantine was not similar in nature. She kept peculiarly still as she waited, as she always did, gaze drifting to the girl lightly until some denizen of the wood would draw it forward again. "We wait, then."  She said if only to break the silence.

Compared to the brightness, the openness, of the coast and its gray-white sand beaches, this forest was dark and foreboding. The tops of the sequoias nestled together to create a canopy blocking the light, letting only a few lucky beams shine through to reach the ground. Her eyes, looking into the dimlit woods, took in all these new sights, hobbling to a halt along beside her newfound friend and potential savior, Thelxiope.

Making the place even spookier were the trees: they were bleeding. (In another life--in her other life--she would have deduced, correctly, that it was merely sap, not anything sanguine, dripping from the wide round trunks. Unfortunately, an amnesiac hasn't the luxury of pulling things learned from that other life.) She shivered as she saw one specimen near the edge, a ragged old sequoia, liberally coated with the stuff. . .as if it were bleeding to death.

Thelxiope howled, calling for a rendezvous at the border. With whom, Snowe didn't yet know. She hoped that Thelxiope was on good terms with these wolves and was not seeking an audience with ones she did not know well; Snowe would feel more comfortable knowing that she--that both of them--were wanted there.

"We wait," she echoed, giving her companion a smile that was mostly bravado on her part. The subtle shivers that ran beneath her pelt, across her skin, belied her nervousness.

When she heard the call at Ravensblood borders, Durnehviir's ginger ears stood tall atop her crown to listen carefully. She at once abandoned her search for the vole she'd smelt, treading with ease over the forest floor toward the border where an unfamiliar voice requested the attention of the wolves who resided within. Constantine would be sure to answer, the russet Frostfur was certain, and she was eager to support him.

When she slipped from the darkness, between the bleeding trees for which the territory had been named, her dark leader was not yet on the scene. Pale gold eyes looked upon an unknown pair of females - one with a pelt of ash, and another of darker fur - and Durnehviir made to close the distance between she and them.

"Hello," she said with a friendly swish of her feathery tail, seeing no need for a dominant display when they'd respected the land's outskirts abd waited patiently to be greeted. She noted with curiosity the burned hide of the darker wolfess and while Durnehviir did not recognise her as the girl she'd shared company with In the grotto only a short time ago, there was something vaguely familiar in her eyes. She wondered inwardly what had happened to this rugged stranger to inflict such marring on her body. "I am Durnehviir. What brings you both to Ravensblood Forest?"

as the air turns colder, samothes limits his wanderings. there is work to be done in the forest still. he does, however, keep an ear out for the fey woman from the ocean, thelxiope - there is still time before winter, and he cannot predict if her assurances were true, but, he hopes.

and not for nothing. the scholar moves toward the source of the melodic howl, allowing the faintest smile to curve his mouth upward. he is not the first to arrive and he slips beside the ruddy woman gracefully, curious eyes drawn first to her (a pack mate he has yet to meet, he assumes), then to thelxiope, and finally to the mysteriously addled woman he met before, snowe. briefly he is surprised - she is the unexpected addition, and perhaps part of him feels a small measure of guilt for allowing her to roam after their encounter, even if he knows he made the right call at the time. but she must have found thelxiope after that. 

the cinnamon-colored woman - durnehviir, she'd introduced herself as - seems to have taken the charge. "it's good to see you," he tells thelxiope with a smile, then looks to his pack mate and clarifies: "i've met with them both, at seperate times. i will let them to introduce themselves." he has a feeling thelxiope will do a better job explaining snowe's circumstances if nothing else.

Her gaze fell on the fire streaked woman first, interested. If she had not already met someone who had caught her attention, she would have paid her more mind, but as it was she swung her tail in benign greeting, gaze turning soon to the male that pad up to the small gathering.  "samothes"  She greeted, the name sliding off her tongue smoothly, smile coming to rest on her muzzle at his greeting. It is all she needs to do to prove she feels likewise, and her gaze slides to the woman crafted of fire. 

 "I am Thelxiope; healer, and naturalist. My companion is Snowe" Here she pauses, glancing to her ward in case she wishes to speak for herself in some way. She is silent a beat before continuing, accented voice steady. "We seek a pack to spend the winter. I can act as her own healer and to others; I have a store of herbs nearby. Of course, I can hunt as any wolf can, and will do so for the pack and my companion as she recovers."  Her speech lacked some of its regular smooth flow as she spoke, nerves hiding beneath her pelt as she presented herself to a pack for the first time. Her unease presented itself in a brief moment as she glanced sidelong at Samothes, hoping to see in him if she had made some social error.

First came a ruddy woman she didn't know, then. . .Samothes? She stifled a grin at the sight of him. When they had parted on the ridge, she had not expected to see him again. Evidently, fate had other ideas. Snowe nodded to him in greeting, one corner of her mouth lifting in a solemn half-smile.

Her gaze shifted to the she-wolf. . .Durnehviir. . .whose own champagne eyes rested on Snowe with curiosity, tinged with. . .familiarity? A small shiver ran down her spine, and she peered closer at the woman, trying to find a memory in that bold face. Did this wolf know her? Had they met. . .before?

Before she could ask--damn, perhaps this woman knew her name--Thelxiope spoke, explaining herself. She had given Snowe a small beat for her own introduction, but she waited until Thelxiope was finished before opening her mouth herself.

"I'm Snowe," she started, her voice sounding quite small in the shadow of the forest. She cleared her throat and raised her volume, looking back and forth between Samothes and Durnehviir. "I had an. . .accident," she continued, for lack of better words. "Woke up in the mountains. Traveled to the sea. Met these two on the way. Thelxiope brought me here."

It was not the most eloquent greeting and explanation, but it would have to do for now.

Before the two stranger's had an opportunity to respond, their attention was drawn to the approach of another. Durnehviir turned her lovely crown to look over a crimson shoulder, champagne eyes lingering on the unfamiliar blonde features of who she assumed to be a pack-mate she'd not yet met. One of the she-wolves greeted him as he moved in to settle alongside them, then presented the loners the chance to introduce themselves.

They did just that: Thelxiope, and her rugged companion Snows. The lithe Frostfur remained quiet, ears and eyes trained on the ashen beauty as she announced her reasons for seeking an audience. When she could, the darker of the duo offered her own input, explaining vaguely how she'd come to be injured. Although Durnehviir was not a leader and had no real place to accept these newcomers into the pack, she felt they were genuine and honest enough, and with their numbers growing she was confident that they'd survive the cold season just fine.

"Our leader is Constantine," she said, "I'm sure he'd have heard your call and will be arriving soon to meet you himself." Durnehviir smiled warmly, gaze flitting between the two before lingering on the golden features of her comrade. "I'm confident that he'll be glad to assist, with Samothes' word. Ravensblood grows every day, we should be making our claim official in the near future."

The call was not missed by the man, but it seemed two of his pack mates had beat him to the callers. His fiery eyes skimmed over Samothes, offering the man a quiet nod of greeting, and his eyes lingered warmly upon Durnehviir, feeling a spark of protectiveness surge within him as he noted how close both she and the pale male were to one another.
 
He swallowed the insecurity – instead, his eyes lifted to take in the sight of the strangers, and sidling up alongside his comrades, Constantine’s form lifted in display of his rank, though he did not take the stance aggressively so. Instead, his muzzle canted lightly to the side for a moment, his ears sweeping forward intently as he paused for a moment. “I’m sure you’ve both already introduced yourselves to my pack mates – but I’m afraid I’ll need to be filled in. Who are you and what’s your intentions?”
 
Whether they spoke for themselves or one of his companions filled him in, it didn’t matter – instead, the stocky wolf shifted his weight, curious about the two before him.

 samothes cants his head slightly, offering a quick, reassuring smile when thelxiope's eyes fall on him. as he's not met durnehviir before, he cannot attest to her temperment - but her words seem kindly, and he shoots her a slightly grateful look, fully aware that were he in her place with no prior knowledge of thelxiope and snowe, his own decision might not be so warm. perhaps he is more capricious that he has taken himself for.

 their shadowy leader arrives on the heels of durnehviir's words, and he offers a quick nodded greeting, noting constantine's expression toward their beauteous companion. they must have known each other for longer (and given her willingness to assume constantine's mind, he supposes they must have - he is still green behind the ears himself, after all). for the sake of saving time, the messeda clears his throat. "this is thelxiope and snowe," he introduces, indicating each with a graceful point of his nose, "i've met both on prior occasions and can attest to their characters. thelxiope is a healer; snowe has suffered a misfortune she cannot recall, and thelxiope is assisting her in her recovery." the scholar looks to thelxiope, hoping he has explained adequately - and also signalling that if there's anything the pair wishes to add, they may do so. 

Another male joins the gathering, and Thelxiope can only assume that he is Constantine. He bears himself in the way that she imagines that a leader ought to, and her gaze finds Samothes gratefully as he quickly repeats her words, and adds his own. The word of a pack member is better than the word of a stranger, surely. She dips her head, finding her own words soon after Samothes finishes. "We request a place in your ranks, if you will accept us." 

A black-furred male soon joined the quartet, summoned by Durnehviir's call. She surmised this must be the leader she had spoken of; he carried himself like an alpha, seasoned and strong. His bright orange eyes surveyed them as he questioned their intentions.

Samothes spoke first, explaining the situation, then Thelxiope added her own case. Snowe dipped her head in respectful greeting to Constantine and responded, "It's true; I had an accident and have lost my memory. It'll take a while for me to grow strong again. . .but I would be happy to help your pack in any way I can in exchange for staying here."

It had all gone rather fast. Snowe wasn't even sure if she wanted this for herself, yet the logical part of her brain knew she needed a place to stay during the winter to come. Already being around other wolves was helping her recover normal speech patterns and thought processes; in time, she would be whole again, and perhaps free to find her old home.

Only time would tell.

Right on cue, Constantine made his presence known. He greeted the lean male by her side first, acknowledging him with a dip of his proud head, then shifted his tangerine gaze toward her to look upon her with a familiar warmth. Durnehviir smiled softly for him, tail giving a gentle sweep at her hocks, though it stilled when he turned his focus to the two newcomers.

Her own eyes followed and the swarthy leader sidled alongside her to address them, champagne orbs lingering with curiosity on the darker of the pair. She wondered inwardly if perhaps they'd crossed paths during her travels with Viinturuth, but couldn't place the name. Snowe. An odd name for a wolf bearing a pelt of charcoal, though was prompt to remind herself that despite her own fiery hues, she'd been named for a dragon who breathed frost, not flames.

Samothes introduced the duo, with each of them chiming in to support his claim. Durnehviir, however, remained entirely silent as she awaited Constantine's judgement. She thought offering them a place among their ranks was a good idea; Ravensblood's wolves were strong, but their numbers low. Rest would surely be the best thing to aid in the injured she-wolf's recovery and time would allow her the opportunity to play her own role in the pack.

They sought a home – but that was not what piqued his interest the most. At the admission of the swarthy she-wolf, his brows lifted slightly, his bright eyes seeking out the one that claimed she wished to help her. Could she? He had heard enough, the decision already made in his mind, and his dark shoulder brushed assuredly against Durnehviir.
 
“You’re welcome here,” he noted, and while there was a light warmth to the voice of the stoical shadowrunner, he did not skip a beat on making a request of the silver she-wolf. “If you can help her, I would ask that you also help another of our members who suffers memory loss as well. Her name is @Aria.” He paused, awaiting the response of this request – his offer would not rescind if she could not help, but if there was even the slightest chance.. Aria, despite her heartache, deserved to remember her past and who she was.

he supposes he should not have expected more pushback from constantine - who, after all, welcomed him in with the simplicity of a business transaction, something he'd appreciated. he is curious despite this until the alpha-to-be clarifies with a request of thelxiope. another with memory loss? he wonders what the odds are of that, and if this other wolf, this aria, was too struck by lighting. 

most likely not, he decides. the odds would be staggering. idly he watches for thelxiope's answer, sure she'll consent, pleased that things are kept so streamlined. he adds aria to his mental tally as well (there are... five, then, seven with snowe and thelxiope should snowe stay. not too shabby.)