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From the north, she had ventured, but it was neither out of desperation nor necessity that she’d traveled so far away. Gripped tightly by her own curiosity, she’d not thought twice prior to setting out on her person expedition. The tale she’d heard from an elder about a cousin who’d settled in the south had enticed her, the idea that an Apaata could be satisfied living anywhere other than the north being a peculiar thing. Something of great interest must have kept him from returning to his true home, or so was her belief, and so she’d set out with the desire to look across the lands that he’d left his mark upon. For so long she had traveled, too, getting caught in storms of varying degrees and then later finding herself to have been moving in circles afterwards. It’d been a frustrating trek through and through, but never had she turned back, for Chulyin refused to return with her tail between her legs. She would see the land that had claimed a relative, or she would die trying.
When at last she’d entered the Teekon Wilds, she hadn’t the slightest of clues. Everything in the south looked the same to her, especially since she’d never before visited it. For several hours, she’d loped around in search of something of great interest, but had, ultimately, been disappointed. Disappointment turned into frustration when she’d stumbled across the wetlands, the feeling of the soft terrain underfoot rather unsettling. She was no stranger to water, having visited the sea countless times before, but this new land that she’d happened to find was nothing of the sort. Never could she recall having felt the earth squish between her toes in the same manner as it currently did, nor did she wish to remember it. The sensation was vile at best, and so onward the yearling continued, seeking a way out of the mess that she had, quite literally, gotten herself into.
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Having found a connection with his brother was one of the strangest things Keelut had experienced in his short lifetime. He'd always seen Atshen as sort of a bully, with whom he did not share a thing except for their parents, a beast, an irrational bastard, and many, many more way more insulting things that could cross his little mind from time to time, but now he was kind of OK...
Seeking him out felt very strange, as though Keelut was going against his own morals and beliefs, but on the other hand there was something exciting in his mind that he needed to find out. He'd dragged his brother out of Blackfeather Woods, sneaking past the forest's security and into the wilder beyond. There was nothing in the forest that Keelut could use, within or outside Potema's cache, and so he wondered whether out there, somewhere, would there still be usable herbs to get in touch with Anna again. He knew that Atshen would be interested, but he hadn't told him where they were going or what they were doing, for he didn't know for sure.
Their trip was longer than expected, almost taking them two full days until they reached a place which seemed to have potential in Keelut's very inexperienced eyes. Perhaps it was the familiar smell of sludge which drove him closer, or perhaps the very defroster scenery within the mire that confirmed Keelut's expectations, but whatever it was that drew him closer had been a trap. It was hard to move in the mud, and the strong smell of rotten whatever was busting the boy's navigation senses. Had it been a mistake? Could Atshen do anything to save them? Or perhaps, would they die there and then?
Though Atshen was apprehensive, he followed after Keelut blindly past their mother's realm. Though Atshen had never seen his brother as more than a giggling maniac, he had never felt threatened by him as he was with Astrid and Abraxas. Also, in addition to his lack of fear towards Keelut, it seemed as though the two brothers had something that connected him. Keelut's knowledge in poison was something that deeply interested him, and he wished to pursue more of this knowledge now that he knew just what poison could do.
He wasn't quite sure if poison was the goal of their trip. But, regardlessly, he followed his pale brother without question. Once they had gotten to a territory, which Atshen hardly recognized, the boy realized an intriguing smell that caught both of the kid's attention. In the persuit for the fowl smelling material they trudged on, and soon the Silencer felt as though walking was incredibly difficult.
Turning quickly to his brother, Atshen shot Keelut an accusatory look with burning eyes and growled, as if to question: what the hell did you get us into?!
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There was true beauty in the far north, layered with quilts of snow in the winter and dotted with resilient flora in the summer. The memories she had there were cherished, as well as longed for as she delved deeper and deeper into the endless abyss that was the wetlands. Her movements had become limited, but she refused to throw in the towel. Ever since the yearling had seen the way in which her people hunted, she’d been drawn to the art and had since then trained as often as time would allow. Ever so rigorously, the gradual buildup of muscle had strengthened her legs considerably, allowing for her to move with less restraint than what could have been the case. Still, even with that extra edge, the pace at which she was forced to walk was far too restrictive. Stressed and irritated, she nearly lashed out at the objects nearest to her, just barely having managed to keep from doing so. To allow for herself to get too agitated would then set her on a path to disaster, as reckless actions often did. With a few breaths meant to relax her having been taken, she continued onward with a lighter mind, though there existed, still, some underlying anxieties.
Masked by the land’s strong odour, the scents of other wolves had just about gone unnoticed. Lucky for her, she’d managed to pluck from the stench the familiar smell of her species. Curious, as well as seeking a shortcut out of the area, she veered off to begin trekking in the boys’ direction and quickly discovered that they hadn’t been too far off from her. It’d taken only a short amount of time prior to the crossing of their paths, an occurrence that brought Chulyin to a stop. For a moment, she only observed them, wondering what had brought them there and if, by chance, they were experiencing the same troubles that she found herself facing. They seemed as if they weren’t doing any better off than she had been, but looks could be deceiving. With that reminder fresh in her mind, she remained alert, the thought of being caught off guard by something most undesirable.
Once comfortable with her overall demeanour, she chuffed, but relied not on the sound alone to acquire their attentions. “Salutitsinik,” voiced the Inuk, her volume just above the conversational norm. “Nunak, sungiusimajân?” She needed for the answer to be a positive one, the thought of staying there in the territory for any longer appalling.
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All dialogues are in Inuttut!
I'm just too lazy to do all the translations lol
Despite the smell, Keelut didn't seem to be bothered by the yucky lake and delves deeper into the land, leading his brother into the unknown. Wasn't it thrilling? He could already distinguish some interesting herbs growing at the foot of some of the oldest trees, and in every surface there were different kinds of mosses that Keelut just needed to caress and satisfy a desire he couldn't contain. He did it a few times, driving away from their set course and taking a whole new route every now and then until he became honestly lost in the bog.
It was funny at least, it always was. Being lost was always a promising adventure and Keelut had come here looking just for that. But he didn't have to dig too deep for it. This time it's had come looking for him. She spoke the tongue Keelut had only ever heard his father use, and it got him turning his head with curiosity. He glanced at his brother with a mischievous smile on his face, and turned again at the stranger.
"Salutitsinik," he replied, his accent almost matched his father's to perfection. He then took two steps towards her with such confidence that one might believe he owned the place.
This land is our home... he lied, looking right into her copper eyes with a smile. Her question made it obvious that she didn't know the place at all, and somehow Keelut thought that he could get some kind of advantage from it.
"But don't worry! We won't chase you out... We like sharing our lovely mire with strangers," he added, flaunting his bushy tail around confidently.
"Do tell me, though... Why come here? I'm curious..." he laughs and fixes his eyes on the female, wondering if his father's tongue was a common find up there.
She appeared to them at the what Atshen thought crescendo of their wandering-- the moment in which the two brothers would find the most adventure in what had been a relatively tame outing. The snow-kissed woman talked in a tongue that he had ever heard his father speak and his eyes flashed in her direction as he felt his hackles bristle. Unlike Keelut, Atshen had been outright in his rejection of Kove's heritage. Looking to the conversing wolves, Atshen felt like a fish out of water, but he did not allow this to deter him from the topic at hand: knowing just who this stranger was.
"Speak normal!" he demanded the woman huskily, his tail and posture rising in unison in an attempt to show just who was the boss of this conversation. Obviously, given his disadvantage of not understanding either of them, he was the real ringleader of it all.