Noctisardor Bypass got a girl whose up for the mating

AW, kept vague on who is with val <3
thinking possibly loose rounds, no post order, unless things get conflicty? <3

val found that being on the road was stepping into an old skin; one he'd thought he shed a long time ago.

@Suzu lead the way. val took the time to show @Thibault some of the knowledge he'd learned on his own so long ago -- he pointed to the great spires to the south, he told the boy of the sunken valleys to the east; motioning to where blades of grass were disturbed by the heavy trample of elk bands, or trees stripped of their bark from their teeth.

eventually they came to a raised corridor of stone. val apprised it with a flick of his gaze. it looked grim, almost more like doors to keep those within than intimidate those without.

glancing to suzu, he gave her an encouraging brush of his shoulder and then howled for those of rivenwood -- but most of all, for @Etienne.

More travel- it was like something straight from her nightmares. Exercise, low-calorie forest food, a wet, mossy scent to the air- could it possibly be any worse? Her lungs burned with the heaving breaths she took to keep up the pace they set, eager to reach Rivenwood before any more harm could come to her brother.

She could only hope that when they reached the place, he had already left- so that they could deal with Glaukos on their own. It would not be something that Etienne would want to see.

She hoped, too, to see Heda- to sweep her out from beneath the unlikeable man, to bring her back to her island or better yet- back to Sapphique.

Etienne heard the call for him. In a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. His uncle Val. He shifted. HE hadn't known the man well. Why was he calling him? Had Suzu brought the queens here? Was this her doing?

He shifted and though he was unsure. HE followed the sound and lifted his head when he saw both of them. Rushing to press a hurried hug and kiss to his sister's cheek. A small smile to Val.

Ello.

Anselm’s head jerked up as a howl for Etienne flooded the woodland, sending ptarmigan flapping. He moved at a steady clip towards the bypass’ entrance; who would call on Etienne, what was their business with the healer?

Not all of Anselm’s reasons for being protective of Etienne were altruistic. He prepared on the off chance it was Glaukos come to exact his revenge — but instead, it was Suzu and a collection of wolves he did not recognize.

Anselm stepped wordlessly to Etienne’s side, cool gaze sweeping the collection of salt-bathed wolves.

He'd never been this far from home. Why were things so...different? For that matter, why did the spires feel as though they were attacking him? No matter how far they went, somewhere, they were there. Somehow, Thibault had been blissfully oblivious to them. He liked home, where the waves were the only dreadful thing he knew, and cousin Chani could fight off them loa's. Here, whatever gods and beasts walked the earth had no wave to hide under. Somehow, it was scarier. Or maybe it wasn't. He couldn't tell. The fact that he himself had no wave to crash into when the world itself seemed to fall a little bit harder in some nights. At the very least, père kept him busy with many stories. It distracted only little from the fact that cousin Suzu was wheezing like a beached whale. Sometimes, he breathed a bit harder just to make her feel less poor about her upset lungs- his own weren't in much better condition.

When the borders were met, he was only stopped by Val's halting step. "Dis be it?" he asked. "Il fait sombre ici." It, it would be. Dad called out to name he didn't know. He was more surprised to see not one, but two approach, and then for this strange man to touch his cousin Suzu. What was he doing? Touching her? Kissing her? Thibault was so stunned that he only looked to Val. Though outwardly calm and still, Thibault was debating the odds of him critically injuring Suzu's... disrespect-er!

ty everyone for joining <3 going to do round two, no post order? i'll leave it vague in case others still want to pop in!

they stood tentatively at the grim mouth of noctisydor; val realized suddenly he'd been here before.

suzu caught her breath. thibault looked out of place and perhaps bewildered. val was about to give him a word of encouragement when he saw etienne, mercifully unharmed so far as he could tell. eti, val breathed with a wave of his tail as the boy, now a man, swept towards his sister in an embrace.

he caught thibault's look of consternation and reassured him under his breath: that is your cousin, thibault. etienne. val allowed suzu and etienne their greeting before he came closer, worried gaze raking across etienne's fur for any sign of malnourishment, abuse, or disabuse.

the male to etienne's side was given a precusory glance - something about the stranger caused ripples of unease in him. it was then val connected the history of this place -- all from the coldness of anselm's yellow eye.

could this be glaukos? etienne, val began, cautious in case this was the very man they intended to rescue etienne from. who is your friend?

Eti still held some bruised ribs, but only in moments of great physical prowess did they hurt. And let us be frank he was in shape, but not a physical sort of man.

He briefly pressed a shoulder to Anselm, but continued his greeting of siblings. He didn't recognize the boy with him, but assumed it was one of aunties brood.


Etienne's ears tilted towards his uncle. And he looked over Anselm.

Dis be Anselm Sonnenwasser.

Anselm you know Suzu. Dis be my Uncle Val and I tink one of aunties children?

He looked to Val for Confirmation and name.

Suzu anticipated the worst- that Glaukos might hear Valravn’s howl and come to defend his territory, or that they might learn that something worse had become of her brother. She remained still and quiet, so that Thibault might not be worried. He was young, still- but not a whole lot younger than how old Suzu had been when the bear had attacked.

She didn’t want him to witness that kind of tragedy; she prayed that her grandmothers would keep them safe. 

She signed with relief when she saw Etienne, and embraced him as she always did, finally allowing herself to abandon one of the worst-case scenarios. 

Anselm came too- and she was, surprisingly, pleased to see him. She had no doubts that he had been looking out for Etienne. 

”We came for you, Eti- an you as well, Anselm. Heda too, if she will come; Glaukos can not stop us all,” She announced, peering past into Ruvenwood as if expecting the mountain to appear through the trees.

there were wolves in the bypass. their voices were musical and familiar. heda looked up with a frown.
she had been gathering herbs, those she knew; now she let them fall into mingled, unremarkable piles, and strode toward the howlings, the sound. 
ah!
"suzu?" her voice asked tentatively; she came forward and looked at the grown-girl, sparing anselm a glance as well. "suzu, it's heda."
relief welled through her like a lance. the den mother glanced around at somber faces and realized they were not here to visit;
her eyes asked for an explanation. but did she already know?