in
@Ketzia's unexplained absence, stigmata had grown quiet and overly distant in regards to the rest of diaspora; a manner of grief he could not identify or control. he had avoided the aurelian huntress since revealing his intention to father takiyok's children, and he regretted every decision he made to part from her when it became clear that he may never see her again. he looked for her, desperately so, but the tracker had gone too long believing she was gone by choice before acting - so there were no trails of hers to follow by the time he had taken up the effort to find her.
the general was nearly beside himself when thorn (presumably) returned ketzia to the diasporan fold, and he learned that she had not been gone of her own volition at all. her jarring wounds were proof enough, and stigmata spent the next several days stewing over all his mistakes and private heartaches. for the most part he hovered over ketzia - rumbling at anyone who offered to take over for him - but he left her now to hopefully rest, and steady himself now that sure tragedy had been averted.
he came to stand at the cusp of shadow mountain, on a brisk and cloudy high noon, and he gazed up into the heights of the greyscale crag and then looked back over his shoulder towards arrow lake. he made this gesture several more times, as if trying to make up his mind, before half-turning south and trotting parallel to the mountain's broad eastern face.
ooc; been scouting diaspora for hel lately soooo hope u don't mind meee
she was ignorant of the packs and their way of life thus far. though she had shared words with Stormrift, she wasn't quite ready to settle so easily. there were plenty of other options for the woman and she was eager to explore all of them. Heloise's steps carried her back to Sunspire Mountains - and now she knew the name of the location through mental map - though her legs were weary from so much travel. she would press on regardless until her paws bled upon the earth. it was the life she had chosen for herself. an aimless traveler.
ahead of her, she would spot the frame of a man. thus far, the sylph had avoided the spring's hold on her gender. it had never been more clear she was not interested, patiently waiting for her heat to die down. she did not succumb to madness and recklessness. though approaching a stranger, even a man, was always a risk to take. he did not smell of anywhere she had been recently, though the scent of others was clear on his coat. her head would raise as she neared him, though it was obvious she was merely going in the same direction as him.
she would gift him a little nod as she passed by, though if he called her back she would pause.
not at all ;D
vigilant, as always, the tungsten general turned keenly at the sudden appearance of another wolf, and he paused in his own machinations to observe the pale strife with reptilian passiveness. he used what senses he could in their distance to determine her health and pack status - both of which seemed to be in his favor - before deciding to accost the specter in his domain. her nod only encouraged him further.
with the slink of a tiger, or a predator without equal, stigmata hiked closer to the stranger. he watched in mild fascination as scars began to materialize across her body the closer he came, turning her into a tapestry of untold stories and curiosities the warhound wished naturally to pry into.
"who are you?" he asked coolly, and without preamble. he hung back several wolf-lengths, out of respect, though the glint in his half-lidded eyes made it clear that this was a well-mannered version of himself; and he was only being courteous as it suit him.
when she answered readily enough, stigmata's posture melted abruptly into an unbuttoned stance; his head leveling neatly with his lean shoulders, and his ears loosening reservedly. he was encouraged by her forthcoming attitude not to worry about her presence in the sunspires, and whether they got along or not, he felt confident that she would not be the one to cause any trouble near his family's claim. "you are well met, heloise cel mare," he replied, as indoctrinated to do so by his militaristic upbringing; "i am stigmata sandraudiga."
his tail wagged slowly. "i come bearing only my curiosities. are you from these lands?" the great snake slithered, without coming nearer.
"i have seen through winter here, but i do not come from these lands myself," stigmata continued conversationally. "i am general of diaspora, which presides over this range. i try to familiarize myself with all who come through its halls, be it passerby or potential packmate," he said in lieu of an apology for his brash approach. his tail wagged slightly, showing an openness to conversation he did not often present - perhaps impressed by her stature - but in the end of things she turned out to only be a passerby, and they parted ways neutrally.