In the days following their nomi's departure, Wildfire kept her children close. She'd never had to keep a close eye on Bat, yet she did so now, fearing the Goufa would make another attempt to chase after their wayward comrades. But when Bat showed absolutely no more signs of leaving, the former Bandrona eventually let down her guard. She even left her most lackadaisical child to her own devices to pay a visit to
@Blixen. Although the circumstances were extremely trying for her, the mother was immensely proud of her eldest daughter's ascension and wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help the new commander.
Nearly the instant Wildfire disappeared to search for Blixen near the eastern borders, Bat took flight in the opposite direction. She did not slow, much less stop, when she crossed the invisible boundary line. Her legs kept pumping for hours without stopping, unfamiliar landscapes sliding by, unseen, on either side. She hugged the coastline, hoping Thuringwethil and the soldiers had followed it too. They'd had several days' head start but Bat was just young enough to hope she could somehow catch up to them, if she only ran fast enough.
But Bat's energy sapped, much earlier than it might've for a wolf her age, due to her lack of conditioning. By the time her toes touched the sands of the cape, her tongue was lolling almost completely from her muzzle, foam clotting at the corners of her mouth. Her slim chest heaved with her breaths before the Goufa's quaking legs gave out and she sank to the ground.
It took nearly ten minutes to catch her breath. As the panting subsided, Bat grew more aware of her surroundings. She looked around without rising, studying the stony formation behind her, the grasslands to either side and, of course, the glittering ocean front and center. She was more or less lost, not to mention alone, but she had been right to stick close to the seaside; the weary pup drew solace from its familiarity as she continued to rest.
Hunger drove the scrawny brown wolf from her hiding place within the Ravensblood Forest out onto the coastline proper. It had been ages since she'd scavenged for food in this area, since she'd tested her hunting skills on seaside creatures, but she was eager for something that wasn't forest rodents. Amber eyes glittering as they ate up the shoreline, Mitanni walked swiftly with her head low, trying vainly to sift through the strong ocean water smells for anything indicative of a potential meal.
She was coming up empty on her search until she spotted a small, mostly dark lump lying ahead in the sand. Her immediate thought was of some water-dwelling creature being washed up on shore, but she soon dismissed the notion when she realized the lump wasn't wet. In fact, it looked dry, furry, and...
That's not food. That, Mitanni realized disappointedly, was a young wolf. How had she missed the youthfully oversized ears before? Her nose wrinkled slightly, and she thought about averting her path, slipping away before she could be noticed, but even as she looked around to gauge her escape options it dawned on her there seemed to be no adults around. Odd.
Curiosity piqued, tempting the socially-deprived part of her being, the mottled brown female drifted nearer to the youth on swift but cautious footfalls, casting a few more searching glances around them for any sign of a protective guardian. None presented themself. "Admiring the view?" she queried, her voice a little scratchy from disuse but clearly intrigued. Mitanni hung back, hesitant and watchful and silently kicking herself for not drifting on to continue her hunt for food.
Despite the ears that so resembled satellite dishes, Bat didn't detect the stranger's approach; her eyes had glazed, the pounding surf putting the bushed youth into a bit of a trance. When a voice spoke close by, she jumped a little and turned her head sharply, peering guilelessly at the unfamiliar she-wolf. She said nothing for a long beat, the question registering only after a delay.
"Yeah," she answered in the absent way of someone whose mind had already moved onto more pressing matters. "Have you seen a group of wolves pass by here? I'm looking for them." Before the stranger could possibly respond, Bat added, "The leader is a big, black she-wolf with silver eyes." Her matching set softened as she described her nomi.
The child heard her, that much was apparent as the youth stared her way, but nothing was said for a lingering moment. Mitanni was uncomfortably beginning to think she might not get an answer when the child did finally respond, a quick word accompanied by an even faster change of subject. Maybe she'd interrupted some deep reverie. If children indugled in such a thing.
Mitanni didn't have to think about her answer. "No," she stated simply, "but I don't spend much time here." She was mostly sure she would have seen a traveling band of wolves parading down the coastline. Mostly.
"How long ago did they come through?" Her posture relaxed some, assuming the wolves responsible for the child were clearly not in the area if said child was currently looking for them. Perhaps Mitanni had just missed them. It was curious to her why a child had gotten separated from those responsible for her; shouldn't the adults be more careful about these things?
She felt her heart sink at the word, "No." She drew in a deep breath to steady herself, her young brow furrowing at the stranger's question. Bat couldn't pinpoint a day, though she knew enough to say, "Not long ago. Maybe a little less than a week?" But what did that matter, if the she-wolf hadn't seen them and didn't spend much time in the area?
"Where're you from?" Bat wondered, curious despite her current predicament. "I'm from Drageda," she shared. "My name is Bat."
The alpha did not venture to the coast very often, feeling like it was just a little too far from the plateau and his pack. Today, he felt a little adventurous and after his patrol, he followed the river into the flatlands before heading north. As the the scenery changed and the ground beneath his large, inky paws changed from grass to sand, he stopped and lifted his nose to the air, drawing in the scents in short inward breaths. He was mostly met with the salt and brine of the ocean in the distance, but hidden in the scent of the coast, was something he was honestly a little surprised was there. If his nose was registering the scent correctly, it seemed there was a child nearby and from what he could tell, they were alone.
He quickly followed the scent, afraid of what kind of trouble he might find the pup in. The trail lead him to a beautiful scene that would have drawn his attention had he not been eager to speak to the girl he now saw sitting on the beach. He gave a soft chuff as he approached, not wanting his presence to startle the pup, and as he got close enough to speak, and asked, Is everything okay?
The cub seemed older, but maybe not quite old enough to be out here all by herself.
I hope this is okay. Let me know if I need to edit anything to help everything make sense. :)
You are my hero!
The sable she-wolf introduced herself as Mitanni, then explained that she wasn't currently settled anywhere. She told Bat about some of her history in the Teekon Wilds, including membership in at least two different local packs. The youth listened as best as she could, though she was distracted. Every few moments, she looked up and down the beach and fidgeted. She wanted to resume her search for
nomi's war party, despite her exhaustion.
But when Mitanni excused herself—parting with some obvious reluctance, as if unwilling to leave Bat stranded on the shore—the
Goufa simply didn't possess the energy to continue. She knew that Thuringwethil and the gang would get even further away if she slept, yet what choice did she have? Bat could barely keep her eyes open at this point. Defeated, she started to teeter in preparation to slump on the sand.
Something startled her into staying upright. For a split second, Bat thought Mitanni must have second-guessed leaving the pup behind and returned to fetch her. But then the wolf spoke in a deeper timbre and the youth realized a different stranger had approached her. Perhaps she should be wary but Bat was only weary at this point. Still, she did her best to wake up and respond to the stranger's query.
"'m fine, just sleepy," Bat murmured.
"Who're you?"
<3
He walked closer and took a seat in front of the girl. I'm Kavik. My pack is not far from here,
he answered first, lifting his head to indicate the direction of the plateau. Is your pack close by?
he asked next. I can help you get back, and then maybe you can sleep once you're home,
the alpha added, brow creasing in concern. Maybe she had wandered far from her pack. His heart tightened at how worried her family might be. Or, I can stay here while you sleep and then take you home when you're rested,
Kavik offered. If her home was really far, she may not be up for the journey yet. Wherever home was for the pup, Kavik certainly wasn't about to leave her to her own devices. She appeared old enough to be able to give him a general idea of where she had come from, and he had no problem helping the cub get home; he hoped someone would do the same for any future children of his that happened to find themselves in the same situation.
Bat's brain felt foggy with exhaustion. She just wanted to collapse and get some sleep. Her silver eyes blinked out of sync as the stranger moved nearer, offering a name and some other pleasantries. It took her several beats to process what he'd said.
"No," she mumbled, "need'a find nomi... not going home..." Man, she was too tired to argue with the kindness of strangers. She blinked blearily, only for a jolt to pass through her, waking her up a little. "I'm not lost. I'm going to find my nomi."
The cub looked awfully tired, and the alpha was afraid she might fall asleep right in front of him. She continued to talk, though, mentioning someone called 'nomi.' He looked at the girl with concern. Is that a family member?
he asked. Had she lost the adult she was supposed to be with? Where is the last place you saw them?
he inquired further. Maybe he could help her find them. He watched her anxiously, waiting to see how he could provide assistance.
She nodded at his question, too tired to elaborate. But if she wanted to answer his next inquiry, she would need to put more effort into it. Bat sucked in a loud breath in an effort to focus.
"At home," Bat said. "She took some others with her and left to go to—I forget the name." And she was much too exhausted to think of it. "I'm going to catch up with her."
Somehow, the fear that nomi's party would impossibly outpace her now coupled with the concern that this well-meaning stranger might somehow hold her back hit Bat's bloodstream with a pure shot of adrenaline. Her eyes flew wide, pupils huge.
Wordlessly, she sprang to her feet and dashed away. She would pay for it later—when the adrenaline burned away and she inevitably collapsed in a heap somewhere—but, for the moment, Bat ran faster than she'd ever run in her life, soon disappearing down the coastline.
The alpha was a little confused by her words. If the this nomi was at home, then why was the cub looking for them? Before he could request that she elaborate, the girl stood and darted away. Wait!
he yelled as he got to his feet and began to sprint after her. It was no use, though; she was clearly a lot faster than he was, and eventually he slowed to a stop, looking down the beach to try and glimpse any sign of movement in the distance. He saw none, and worry filled his expression. She was too young to be running around on her own, but what was he supposed to do?
After a few painful minutes, Kavik reluctantly turned and headed back in the direction of the plateau, occasionally stopping to look back behind him in the hope that he would see the pup walking back down the shore towards him. That didn't happen though, and each time he looked back and was met with only vast coastline, he sighed anxiously. He could only hope that she eventually found somewhere safe.