Wolf RPG

It occurred to him, when the air became tinged with the scent of salt, that he had knowledge of a pack that lived along the Oceanside that he believed he’d been in good terms with, for some time. Hadn’t Alyx gone to live with them? They’d rescued her once before and while he did recall hearing a story about his mother picking a fight with the leaders of the pack, things seemed to have sorted themselves out since then. 

So he went looking for Sapphique, which he would have known at some point as being Rusalka. He wondered if Alyx still lived with them- and was surprised to find that Meerkat’s scent was actually frequent in the area. He’d thought she might be south of the mountains, where he assumed Killdeer was. Or with Towhee, at Moonglow- but he had so much catching up to do. 

He approached the sandy shore, mindful of the markings that were left as hints on well-beaches logs of driftwood. He called out, wondering if he might catch his sister’s ear, if she was indeed in the area, and see if she was still here.

She stood, face into the wind, letting the salty breeze ripple through her pelt and sting her closed eyes. It sounded and smelled and tasted like homecoming. Bronco's howl was engulfed by the crashing of waves and the thrum of her own heart in her ears. 

Gently peeling open her lids, she looked out to the water, finding several small black dots upon the horizon.

Which of those was hers?

Can we visit the island, too? Blueberry asked, turning to look at Bronco with hopeful eyes. She'd long given up the thought of reuniting with Vesper there, but she longed for the familiar beaches and forests of her birthplace. The only place she'd ever been happy.

Today was a good day. She'd woken up with a clear sense of things and spent the morning searching for prey within the pools along the tide line. Having eaten, Rosalyn went for a patrol along the border, considering the things Erzulie and she had spoken of. Discontent in the pack troubled her - war with others mattered little, but warring within could destroy them. She was no longer in a position of leadership, but that did not mean she'd abide by it. Perhaps she should speak with Sobo again.

Strangers on the border caught her eye and Rosalyn pulled up sharply, appraising them with a wary confidence. Their faces did not spark even a single note of familiarity.

Who are you? The man's call had drawn her, and he seemed to be looking for someone. Whoever it was wasn't here, she was sure... but perhaps they knew them. Chances are slim. There was a note of humor to the thought, but it was conflicted. Even though it was a good day, it was still hard to consider how much she had lost. Even if they gave a name, likely it would mean nothing to her.

emulating chacal, mireille had taken to the borders for the day. her little siblings were well guarded and she did not worry for the health of her mothers. the pack's strength made the girl feel confident, and she trotted at once to the call that came from the beach below the blackpine.
the saltchild approached, trying her best to copy erzulie's confident step and rosalyn's aloof observation. ironically, the latter was already attendant on the borders and mireille approached with a cool look.
but her curiosity grew when she saw the man, taller than her and covered with scars. it was not them that held her focus; her beloved mother had many of them! it was his thinness, and how sickly he seemed to her unpracticed eye.
the girl at his side bore deep indigo eyes that fascinated her. 
mireille was quiet. her maman had spoken and she stood alongside the ruby waiting for the strangers to answer.

Bronco had already counted on taking a trip to the island, whether or not he wanted to. It was where Blueberry had been born, and he assumed she would want to visit her old haunts and perhaps search for Vesper, to see if she’d returned to their birthplace too. At one point in his life he’d loved the island and the smells of the seaside, but now it simply felt eerie and haunted. Regardless, he responded with a nod and a faint smile. ”The island? Sure. I kinda figured we’d go there, maybe head that way after this.” He said. After all, they’d be headed South along the beach to get around the mountains, and the island was only a landbridge away.

The wolf who approached wasn’t one he recognized, nor was the younger one who accompanied her, stepping to her side with a familiarity that made Bronco assume they were likely related, though the age difference led him to believe perhaps that Rosalyn was Mireille’s grandmother.

She commanded his attention, though the curiosity in the younger wolf’s gaze hadn’t gone unnoticed, and was rewarded with a shy smile before he offered a more deferential posture to the matriarch. 

”My name’s Bronco, and this is Blueberry,” A slight tilt of his head would gesture to his travel companion. ”I don’t think we’ve ever met, but I recognized the scent along your border…This is Rusalka, er…Sapphique, right?” He asked.

The woman who came to greet them was more scarred than Bronco. Her tattered visage reminded Blueberry of her mother, and she found herself staring a tad longer than she intended before blinking and turning toward the younger wolf. She gave the girl a smile and a nod, then glanced at Bronco as he spoke.

She had nothing to say here. But he'd agreed that they could visit the island, and her spirits were buoyed by that alone. Whatever came between was trivial.

Rosalyn sensed as Mireille came up on her blind side, but she kept her attention on Bronco fully as he spoke. They seemed harmless enough.

It is. You came looking for someone? Someone who, if they hadn't spoken of him, might not want to be found. Rosalyn wondered if she even should share, given the circumstances. It would depend on the name he gave.

All the while the girl was silent. Rosalyn's eye flicked to her only once, slightly austerely. She was young and Bronco meek. If they meant whoever it was harm, they played the part of naive travelers ridiculously well.

She didn’t seem to mind his mild slip- thankfully. He wasn’t sure why Rusalka had become Sapphique, just that it had changed names. There were formidable wolves that had carried the Rusalka name, tales he’d been told vaguely by his mother in such a way that left him wondering if she admired them or loathed them. It was hard to tell. 

”Uhm, well, I just wanted to check, I guess? I was wondering if maybe Alyx still lived with you? I know she travels a bit, so. She’s my little sister. So’re Quetzal and Meerkat, though I don’t think they came this way. Is Alyx around at all anymore?” He asked. It was fairly clear that his expectations were  low- it’d been quite some time since he’d seen either of the twins, and Meerkat as well.

As she suspected, there was only one name in the batch she recognized. The others meant absolutely nothing to her despite Alyx's stay with them. She saw no real reason to hide Meerkat's presence from them, in the end; if they meant trouble they could attempt it

Meerkat is here. The others I don't know. She said it with a confidence that perhaps she shouldn't have, but she was positive. There wasn't even a spark of recognition.

Perhaps you have us mistaken with someone else. He'd said Rusalka at first. They hadn't been called that since before... no. Had that been the last, or had there been one before?

It didn't matter. She pushed it from her mind, to settle uneasily at the edges.

”Merk?” He blurted, and hastily caught himself from being even more impolite and interrupting her further. What had brought Meerkat to Sapphique? He tried to remember what her plans had been the last time he’d seen her but…He couldn’t even recall when that had been. He didn’t even remember if he’d seen her after he’d come back to the Plateau himself, and suddenly felt very guilty. 

For having been so present, doting and encouraging for her formative life, he certainly had dropped the ball, right around when she came an adult. 

Slight disappointment hit when Alyx wasn’t mentioned, and no mention of Q either. ”Hmm. I think it was…It was a kid that found Alyx, I think, but Ez…ru..la? Something close to that, who brought her back to us. But yer right, I might just be wrong. It happens,” He admitted affably. Even though he was certain there’d been some association with that pack, Alyx’s temporary stay might not’ even been terribly noticeable. 

”But Meerkat’s here, eh?” He asked, and his tail waved amicably. ”You would’ve met Meerk wouldn’t you, Bree? Maybe? She’s my kid sister but she’d be like…two years old now. Is there any chance we might be able to visit her? She doin’ well here? She’s a go-getter, that’s for sure!” He praised.

Erzulie. It still did not strike any familiarity with Rosalyn, though she bet her wife would know. Still, Rosalyn did not say anything and kept it selfishly to herself. She had no desire to reveal that she had forgotten something, or been mistaken, when clearly this Alyx was long gone now. There was nothing new to be gained for it. They would likely have more luck looking elsewhere anyway.

Meerkat she could speak about. I am not sure that now is a good time. If you'd like to come back in a few weeks, maybe. But she and her mate are expecting puppies any day now. There was a chance that Meerkat would welcome these two's company, but they were a part of Sapphique, as were the children they were bringing into the world. She would not be so trusting and she doubted Njord would appreciate the visit either. She did not want to bring that conflict down on them.

Despite the formality and slight edge she presented, Rosalyn couldn't help the twitch of a smile on her face as he described Meerkat as a "go-getter". It was a funny choice of term from the start, but the context of her current state made it all the more amusing. She wasn't too old to appreciate that.

He stiffened. Rosalyn seemed somewhat  guarded while speaking, and it made Bronco worry that something had happened to Meerkat. If Blueberry hadn’t been with him, he might’ve attempted to bolt past the two guardians and try to find his sister to see if she was alright but-

-as it turns out, her condition would be explained. And his jaw dropped.

”Pregnant!?” He blurted. He didn’t know whether to feel thrilled or devastated that his sister was having kids, and that he’d had no idea. And as for the father, he was equally baffled. When had Meerkat gotten herself a mate? Unless…

”Her mate? Wh…I’m sorry, she wasn’t, uh, with anyone last I heard, ‘cept….Did Atlas come back for her after?” Atlas had broken her heart once by leading her on and then disappearing.

Rosalyn had never had family in the way Bronco spoke of Meerkat. She'd never had relatives wishing to check in or, really, anyone but her children to even recall or care about her. This wasn't a normal occurrence and she was beginning to lose patience with playing the role of middleman to their reunion.

I don't know an Atlas. Her mate is Njord. She wasn't compromising no matter how well meaning he seemed. Perhaps you can catch up when you come back. There was a not-so-subtle hint that this wasn't her role to fill.

I'm sure, if you are who you say you are, she will be glad to see you. Rosalyn added, relenting and at least trying to seem slightly welcoming. She had nothing personal against these two, it was just exhausting these days when strangers came along asking questions. Despite her mixed feelings on stepping down, still, she was glad this was a role she only needed to play every so often.

His head tilted at the name- one he was fairly certain he didn’t recognize. He glanced to Blueberry to see if she knew it, and then back to Rosalyn. If Meerkat had taken someone as her mate, he hoped at least that he was a good guy, and that he would stick around and take care of her. She was an adult of course but…Still his little sister.

He got the hint that their welcome was wearing thin and nodded. ”Uhm, can you tell her we were by and would love to see her? Bronco and Blueberry,” He restated their names just in case. ”She’s probably busy an’ tired from Mom-ing…I’ll maybe come back in a week or two. Is howling for her directly Ok?” He asked.

I will tell her. Calling for her is fine. Someone would come, and eventually, they would bring him to her if she was willing to see them. Rosalyn would try to remember to deliver the news, but by the time she got around to seeing Meerkat, it likely would have slipped her mind.

There was nothing else, she assumed, so Rosalyn dipped her head in farewell and stood to watch them go, waiting until they disappeared before she turned to nuzzle Mireille fondly. She had been quiet but Rosalyn was glad that she was here with her. It helped to set her less on edge, having another. Perhaps she would remember to deliver the news that, already, was receding from her foremost thoughts.

When they were gone, she'd lead her daughter back inward.

”Thank you, I, uh, I’d appreciate that.” He has to swallow some disappointment for now. Alyx wasn’t here, which meant that she could be anywhere- same as well went for Quetzal. He felt conflicted about hearing about Meerkat as well- happy to know she had a home, a mate, and that they were expecting children, but it made him feel very aware of how absent he’d been for at least the past year. 

He gave a nod to the two sentinels, and alongside Blueberry, began to pad further down along the beach, away from the Cliffs. He’d come back again sometime, he thought- maybe in a few weeks once Meerkat might have some time for a visit.