Cerulean Cape slowly, slowly, i am drifting

@Laurel - but others (including @Marten and @Tadec) welcome ^^

the two sisters had agreed that briefly splitting and scouting would be most fruitful in their expedition. indra had not seen laurel since she had departed for rusalka, and growing worried, paced at their agreed rendezvous by the cape. it was, after all, where tadec had been discovered -- something that indra still could not wrap her mind around.

she had not seen many wolves here; it seemed a less frequented place than the rest of the coast, and so indra boldly sat in plain view for any wanderer, for the cape was largely a storm-flattened bluff, and one could see for many miles in either direction.

restless and fretting, indra waited, her attention turned to the rippling waters where the chatter of dolphins could be heard above the surf.

note to self: set before finding lucas

Though finding Wyatt was only a small step, sort of like a boring side-quest in a computer game, Laurel still felt relieved that she had found him. It made her feel like less of a terrible mother that her difficult child now had a different home, with other wolves looking after him. She no longer needed to worry that he had died or gotten hurt somewhere somehow. After finding out about this Laurel quickly made her way towards Indra, feeling more energetic. If she found Wyatt, then she might end up finding Lucas, too, right? Indra was right: The decision to go on this journey was the right on after all.

Indra! she called out as she approached and watched her sister watch out over the sea. There was something serene about the ocean. As she was here, Laurel could understand why some packs settled near the coast; it was a good life. I've found where Wyatt is! Laurel came nearer and with a smile on her face, bumped her head against Indra's shoulder. He's safe. Which was the most important part.

indra's absentminded studying of the sea was ground to a halt as the ruddy form of her sister materialized in her vision, her voice carrying over the waves with an urgency that for once, was tinted by joy. she rose immediately, the nub of her tail wagging in hopeful rejoinder - wyatt, alive, and safe?

oh, did her heart strum with happiness to hear the news: that he was at least still breathing, and better yet, safe -- a luxury not afforded to all wolves, and certainly not to indra or laurel in their childhood. "that's wonderful!" indra gushed, studying laurel's face for any 'buuut....' "where is he?" she frowned, tilting her head and looking behind laurel, as if expecting the shadowed form of her estranged son to surely be somewhere shortly behind..

Indra asked where he was, and Laurel smiled at Indra as she answered. A pack along the coast, not that far. Laurel glanced in the direction of the pack, though they could just not see the sound from where they were located right now. I think he has it good there. Honestly, Laurel didn't really want Wyatt back, and he clearly did not want her back either, so what was there to say..? She wasn't sure how Indra'd feel about it, but for Laurel, all that mattered was that he was safe and healthy. If he preferred living his own life, well, that was fine with her.

indra's frown deepened, though the frown faded as she recognized a sense of acceptance in laurel's features. wyatt had perhaps never been laurel's favorite, and while indra disliked the idea of him being estranged from them, if laurel was fine with it...

she did not want to make a mountain of a molehill.

shrugging off her troubled thoughts with a roll of her slim shoulders, indra simply nodded and was quick to change the subject. "that's good, i guess." she tried to hide the misgiving in her tone, though it was suppressed by frustration on her part that laurel's children consistently evaded them. "so, two down and one more to go?"

Of course Laurel wasn't entirely 'fine' with her son being estranged from her. There was something very painful about seeing Wyatt standing there demanding to know what she wanted from him. But he was well enough, and Laurel didn't think that it would do to dwell on the way that he had turned away from the rest of his family. It would only cause more pain. And why experience pain when you could also just bury your head in the sand, move on, and pretend like you never had that son, instead focusing on the ones who did still love you?

Anyway...

She nodded, suddenly feeling renewed in her hope to find Lucas, too. We just gotta keep searching. We've found Pipes and Wyatt, so I'm sure Lucas must be out there somewhere! Maybe it was a bit silly to hope for such things, but still. Laurel wondered suddenly: What do you want to do when we've found him? Take Lucas and Piper back to Lost Creek Hollow..? She wondered suddenly if perhaps it might be better to find a different place to live. Laurel didn't really like Terance, and she felt that their children deserved better than being a bunch of mediocre wolves in some average pack. But then again, Laurel also didn't really feel like building up a pack from the ground again, and she was weary from travelling. Maybe for now, the Hollow was their best chance. Their only other chances right now, really, were going to Stigmata's pack -- but ugh, he'd been such a dick at the Hollow's borders, and Laurel didn't really want to have to grovel her way into his pack -- or joining Easthollow, where that sweet Valette woman lived. But she was Xan's sister and while she was decidedly a lot nicer than him, Laurel was about ready to bury those skeletons. Maybe that was the real reason for her apprehension to return to the Hollow.

somewhere in laurel's eyes, indra caught a brief glimmer of pain. she did not comment upon it -- no doubt, being estranged hurt her worse than it troubled indra. she couldn't imagine being estranged from m-- wait.

well, she was.

she leveled out another sigh; she was sighing so much these days. she had been so wrapped up in finding, finding, finding, that she had never thought about what would come once everything was found and done. why don't we just go home? she nearly blurted -- but where was home?

bearclaw valley was just an ugly, empty rock. silver creek a bogged down moraine. phoenix maplewood just another formless blot on a nameless map, meaning litte. the hollow -- faces of her friends swarmed in her mind: mona, terance, rannoch, merrick, nunataq..

they were all there, but was the hollow truly home?

"i don't know." indra replied despondently, her gaze glum. "go back and get nuna and merrick and maybe mona.. but.. they might not want to leave."

"she couldn't imagine being estranged from m-- wait.

well, she was."

you're awesome. :')

Indra's problems were precisely why Laurel asked the question in the first place. They had no more home, though she was loathe to admit, and they had nowhere to turn to, really. No home. But they needed a place to stay, at the very least. And a place to stay would be easier to find than a home.

But would it be Lost Creek Hollow, or should they pick up their family and go elsewhere?

Indra didn't know either. Admittedly, Laurel didn't like Lost Creek Hollow all that much. They had taken them in and given them low ranks, not caring about their leadership experience, and they would always be the wolves who'd taken her leadership position and her Bearclaw Valley -- even though they weren't really, they would always remind her of that.

We should at least ask them if they will. But then where would we go? There were many options, but none she truly liked. Eh. I guess it won't matter too much so long as we're together. Laurel smiled and nosed Indra's cheek, glad that she at least had her sister by her side, always.

<3 so are you ;-;

indra reflected for a moment, drawing a pause with a soft flicker of her somber eyes. like laurel, she knew they were wayward -- souls without a home.

"i guess we could go see them.. and then maybe.. i don't know. i'm tired of always being on the run. i'm tired of living in other people's homes. maybe that's what we've been doing wrong, living at the mercy of other wolves. " she glanced out to the sea; she couldn't tell if she liked it yet, but she didn't dislike it more than she had disliked living under the shadow of just about everyone save for laurel. "what if we came back around here? did you see any places you thought would work?"

Laurel could not agree more with Indra. She wasn't sure she wanted her own home either, but then, having a home they run without Xan might be just what they needed. If he changed his mind about loving Laurel, he could come and grovel at their feet, ha!

I don't know. Not really. I do really like the ocean. It's... She looked out over it. New. Different. Laurel thought for a moment and said: If we started a pack, maybe it should only be for women. Men could only join as like... I dunno, subordinates. What do you think? Laurel grinned at her sister, unaware that she was thinking of a world quite close to one that already existed and had existed in the lands.

relieved to hear that laurel shared at least some of her sentiments, indra released a sigh she hadn't been aware she was holding. following laurel's glance to the sea, she nodded. it was different.

beautiful, even.

she hoped more than anything that piper, merrick, and nunataq would all come with them. where they wouldnt have to run anymore.

indra didn't mind a pack with few males - or a pack of all women. she was tired of resenting males, feeling unsafe near them. perhaps this safe harbor was just what they needed. "that would be nice. i'm tired of them walking all over us, too."

Laurel's smile broadened as Indra agreed with her about the all female pack. Men wouldn't be able to walk over them. They'd only be allowed to stay if they decided to stay low in the ranks. Ha. It's settled, then, Laurel decided, unaware that in a few weeks everything would be different and jumbled upside down. We'll collect the kids and start our pack. She glanced at the sea. A pack of amazons... Sirens. Laurel grinned as she threw around a few strong female words. Sirens seemed fitting, should they indeed choose the oceanside.

it was settled indeed -- a rare, hopeful smile bloomed across indra's features as she witnessed laurel's determination. if her sister set her mind upon something, indra knew it would be done.

"sirens has a nice ring to it." indra agreed, stepping behind laurel at a loose walk. "sirens because we're pretty, and also because we could wreck any man that ever tried to make us miserable again."

little did she know, in teekon's illustrious history, that there had been several packs with similar values -- some even existing in her own timeline. she was content to envision their bright and hopeful future, feeling that maybe at last things were starting to fall in place rather than fade away.

Yeah! Laurel agreed with a smile, feeling chipper. Their future would look bright, she was sure of it. Sirens. Pretty and powerful and man-wreckers.