Frostfire Ridge The things we love destroy us every time.

Although the wolves of Ormarr had taught her much, Nyx regretted every moment spent their since Quicksilver's dethroning. It was at the time of her former leader's banishent that the she'd attracted the unwanted attention of the new serpent King's son, who foolishly believed that she was simply playing hard to get. She'd never been particularly fond of Brunneus, though her distaste for him heightened considerably when his father claimed his crown; becoming heir seemed to add to his arrogance. Worse of all he could not, it seemed, take "no" for an answer when Nyx politely refused his requests time and time again. The vicious bite wound at the side of her neck was evidence enough of the final outcome.

When her patience thinned enough, Nyx had snapped. She'd bested Brunneus with ease, reduced him to a cowering and bleeding mess at her paws, a winner in every regard to traditionally rank herself above him in the hierarchy and make her point clear that she would never be his mate. The Alpha, however, was unwilling to accept his son's weakness, and his anger was directed at the triumphant wolfess. The pack looked on helplessly as their leader sought to force the golden she-wolf to submission with a bitter tongue, but she disregarded his displays of dominance and turned away. 

Although she'd shown obvious insubordination by not responding to the King's stance, Nyx did not fight back when Raddei's fangs sank deep into her flesh. Instead she snarled and writhed in surprise when he attacked her, tearing herself away from the mad wolf and fleeing at once toward the territory outskirts. It was then that he finally had her attention and she fully intended to heed his warning: Nyx would never return to Ormarr.

Nursing her wound and her battered pride, the loner made an easy decision to make her way toward the land where she'd last seen her brother and sister. Their paths had seperated that Summer which was not unusual for the Ostrega trio, but she'd been unable to find them again. Assuming they'd moved on, Nyx did likewise. She didn't know if Dirge or Saor might've returned to the Teekon, but she opted to return there at least for the cold season with the hope that she might reunite with her wayward siblings.

Night crept over the land as Nyx sought a place to rest and entered the forest on the Eastern ridge, where she found the gentle warmth both soothing and unsettling. She was exhausted, however, and supposed to warmth would be beneficial with Winter's approach, and meandered carefully through the evergreens in search of a quiet hollow to curl up and sleep.

Ocra makes sure not to spend any more time near the marsh, new friend or not, and so she continues to meander her way through with no particular destination. Most of the lands she tends to cross are empty and it is miles and miles before the next pack. She hasn’t noted one in days but she doesn’t actively search for one, as she probably should. Maybe she should turn around and turn to the last place that had taken her in. Maybe a simple explanation is all she needs to turn back and go. They’d understand the new emptiness she’s felt, give her another chance?
 
Maybe.
 
She tightens her jaw as she moves along the ridge. The night has come upon them and the degrees slowly drop, but when her feet feel the warmth develop beneath her paws, she finds comfort. It makes up for the chill in her toes she hasn’t been able to sooth for a long time. She’s never been very fond of the colder months but this gives her a little reprieve.
 
The scent of another catches her attention and she turns to find the best direction it’s coming from. The ever greens offer her a little camouflage but her scent carries on the wind and she will not go unnoticed for long. Ocra chuffs quietly, though there is no warning or threaten beneath the tone. She is here and offers nothing, though she does not try to turn her away. If she is to be left alone, then she is, but she will not get herself into any more trouble if she can help it.

271

Although the area was not known to her, Nyx didn't expect to happen across the presence of another so soon. The familiar scent of another wolf flooded her senses and with pricked ears the golden wolfess paused in her tracks to listen quietly for approaching paws. She heard only the nearby hoot of an owl among the rustle of brunches in the breeze.

She didn't care much whether her path crossed with this stranger, so continued through the trees in search of a suitable resting place. Nyx had found no other trace of her own species until then, so knew the ridge was unclaimed. Briefly she wondered if the nearby stranger lived there alone or if they, like her, were merely passing through.

A short time passed, and the sound of a low chuff captured the young Ostrega's attention once more. She stopped again, yellow eyes scanning the area before settling on the tawny form just ahead, mostly camouflaged by shadow and evergreens. Her tail lashed at her hocks before it straightened out behind her, entirely neutral, although uncertainty causes the bold guard hairs of her nape to stand on edge. Nyx stares at the other loner in silence, making no move to approach or turn away, for she was not sure if this stranger sought her out on purpose. 

After acquiring the other’s attention, Ocra doesn’t have much of a plan. She’s announced her presence, and that they’re closer than anticipated, but nothing more. The wolf ahead remains neural and offers nothing in return and she stares across the way a few moments. Her own posture is relax, maybe friendly, but the silence lingers between them.
 
“Do you know this area?” she decides to ask, maybe as a last act of hope she can find what she’s looking for. She teeters back and forth giving up on the search but she’s here, she has the stranger at her finger tips, and maybe the other knows something. Aware it’s a long shot for information, she can at least give it one more try.

They stared at one another in silence. Time seems to drag, slowed as both wolves simply looked in one another's direction, seemingly waiting for one to act first. Nyx, although eager to rest and feeling the beginnings of frustration for this interruption, remained entirely neutral and steadfast in her place.

Finally, the other female piped up in question, and Nyx allowed her tightened muscles to slacken. Vivid yellow eyes swept over her newest acquaintance, looking for any sign that she might be attempting to lure her into a false sense of security. She seemed innocent enough, however, and the young wolfess shook her head in response to her fellow loner's enquiry. "No," she said plainly. Briefly Nyx wondered if this was an attempt at small talk or if she was genuinely curious, maybe even hoping she could answer further question. "Why do you ask?"

The stranger doesn’t have anything to offer and Ocra offers a sound of contempt. She huffs a breath out of her nose and turns away, shrugging. “Just looking for someone,” she says and licks her lips. Maybe she’ll just go all the way to her birth pack and visit them. If she can’t find the wolves she’s been looking for, especially a year late, she isn’t going to find them now. Move on, she thinks, wrinkles her nose, and then glances back to the stranger. She sort of of looks in her direction but her mind is miles off. She mumbles a quiet thanks anyway before she turns and departs in the opposite direction.

When the other wolfess rolled a shoulder and turned away, Nyx was relieved. She was too exhausted from her travels to tolerate small talk, so simply followed her newest acquaintance with bright yellow eyes as she muttered a quiet thanks and promptly moved away in the opposite direction she herself had initially been heading.

She did not watch until the other loner was out of sight, instead turning her focus almost immediately to finding a decent shelter where she could curl up and find sleep. Her hunt for Dirge and Saor would not be an easy one, and she wished to be fit for it.