Dragoncrest Cliffs heavy is the crown and yet she wears it as if it were light as a feather

It has been a long time since Eske has visited the cliffs to simply visit them. Normally, she keeps herself occupied with her duties as Wanlida and taking care of Furi though her young Second appears to be accumulating better into Drageda now, taking off to spend time with Étoille and Blixen. Eske is proud of her for it, for going out and socializing. Perhaps with more socialization she will begin to feel more at home in Drageda though this is one a hope for Eske. While she would undoubtedly hate to see Furi leave the Drakru would never dream of convincing her to stay if she did not truly wish to. Eske cannot relate to feeling like an outsider because she’s never been one. This has always been her home, her people, her culture. She does not desire to know anything else ( and this, perhaps, she is extremely close minded ). As she stares out at the sea that stretches out endlessly before her from the safety of high ground she thinks of her mother and father, she thinks of her small siblings: ones that she will never know. She thinks of the littermate that she has disowned and sworn she would kill on sight if they ever dared to step near her or Drageda again, traitors she has branded them in her mind. She thinks of Kendra, missing her with an ache in her chest that every now and then flares up in the midst of Eske’s loneliness. It flares today and the Wanlida draws in a deep breath of the briny salt air and lets it out in a heavy exhale, her tail curling close to her paws as she looses herself in her thoughts, confronting that which she had pushed away in the hopes that it would simply vanish.

There is little for Ajatar to do than to observe. In Trigeda, she had been taught the history of their wolves through the inside and out and she’d taken to it like scripture. When she hadn’t been studying the “books,” so to speak, she trained with the guards and warriors. Most wolves of their own learned how to fight, with a few exceptions, but they worked together to better themselves. She has the desire to learn more than the history of the land but it is her duty to uphold their ways. Observing in Drageda has given her great many advantages but her connections to the wolves have not grown. She has not spent time with anyone in particular, except the few times Étoille has come across her past, but today she follows one she knows well enough only by nose.

Eske is often with Heda, where she is nearby, but their communication has been short if existent at all. She has not gone out of her way to meet with the Wanlida on her own but she has seen how she works. The few days she spent with Gyda and Gavriel in Sangeda made it easy to determine who their daughter is. When she is in sight sitting near the northern cliffs, Ajatar watches her for a second. The focus on the sea leaves her wondering what the other is thinking and after a moment, she continues walking in the same direction though nothing about her footfalls leave her in disguise.

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Eske is not so lost in thought that she is not aware and when she detects the sound of footfalls upon the earth, her ears swivel atop her skull to discern the origin of the sound. She is not startled, however, and does not rush to see who has stumbled across her. She is in Drageda’s territory and she has been trying ( for whatever it is worth ) to soothe her instinctual hostility. She has realized, now, that she has grown out of her hostility towards outsiders that have been taken under Drageda’s wing ( which is progress for Eske ). She does glimpse over a svelte shoulder, after a little bit, her curiosity ultimately getting the better of her in the end. She notes the ivory pelage of the Fos Goufa though acknowledges that she knows nothing of her. Not even her name. Her acceptance had been when Eske had taken charge of her scouting mission and Eske hasn’t made much time to acquaint herself with the stranger.

She lifts herself to her paws, gives a small stretch, and lets out a chuff of greeting towards the other female feeling that it is past time that they know one another especially if this For Goufa is to one day be her Heda.

Her lack of quiet footsteps catches the others attention and the woman turns her head over her shoulder to peer back. Ajatar doesn’t move any closer while Eske unravels and stretches, and then offers an invitation of greeting to the fos goufa. The pale wolf does not take initiative to approach just yet and remains where she’s stopped several yards away. After a moment, it may seem she’s going to change her mind and turn tail and leave but she licks her lips and steps forward.

“Wanlida,” she speaks, finally, with an odd flick of her tail. Lack of interest in her voice is nothing too common, for she isn’t much of a talker to begin with. Ajatar much prefers to be on the listening and observing end, watching and absorbing everything she can, and Drageda has offered her a good opportunity. Her interactions with outsiders have been few and far between until Drageda and yet she’s here, still, so far tolerating of those that have taken the ranks.

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“Fos Goufa,” Eske murmurs in return. It has been a long time since Drageda’s had a Fos Goufa — long enough that Eske barely remembers the one she may or may not have attempted to make friends with. Thus far, this Fos Goufa has stayed around but Eske is a bit skeptical due to her last experience. It’s not fair to shove that on Atajar but Eske has worried over Drageda’s future a few times: a worry that had been brought close to home when Thuringwethil had fallen very ill. It is easy for Eske to think that Heda will live forever — she’s immortal in the Wanlida’s eyes — but Eske is no child and knows that all things must return to dust, eventually. “We have not been properly introduced,” Eske draws in a breath and offers the pale woman a soft smile. An attempt at friendship. “I am Eske.” Of course the other woman already knew her title and there is rarely a time when Eske wishes to be disassociated from her title but it strikes her as polite to officially offer her name even if the Fos Goufa already knows it. Eske’s never been much of a conversationalist and her attempts to make friends is well…it’s something of a newer concept to her. She thinks she's improving and even if she is it's a slow progression for her.

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It is not uncommon to refer to other wolves by title and title only, especially under certain circumstances, especially if a wolf stands on higher ground. Heda and Wocha, obviously, but Eske barely makes the cut. She has a specific job to benefit Drageda and Ajatar doesn’t, not yet anyway, but she still does not bow. She is still the heir, for now.

“I do not know why it has taken so long,” she says, though she wonders if an introduction had been made when she’d been with Heda one day and it slipped the two of them. She doesn’t engage in most conversations when it comes to the pack, only observing for the time being. When she gets the chance, which is few and far between lately, she picks through Heda’s brain and thought process and what it’s like (not as annoying as it sounds). Still, Eske doesn’t know her name and that is enough to cause her eyes to narrow. “I am Ajatar,” she says after a moment with one swish of her tail before it stills and she waits to see what’s in store.

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