He'd thought that he might return to Brecheliant. Where else could he go? By now Akkuma had no inkling as to where his family might be. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. It was his fault they'd been torn apart. His fault, the heartbreak he'd seen in his mother's eyes when they'd spoken that final time. His fault, all of it.
His penance was a life spent on the road; a drifter, never staying in one place longer than he must. Akkuma had picked up skills here and there, stray bits of knowledge, the sort of mismatched résumé only a traveler could build. And maybe this made him worthy of companionship again. A family. He couldn't quite remember what that was like.
But as he traveled toward Brecheliant, the scents swathing the glacier caught his attention. A budding claim, he gathered, pausing for an inspection along the borders. There were few wolves here, not so many that he was wary of being caught. He would take stock of their numbers and move on, he decided — for no particular reason other than that he was curious.
Thank you so much for starting!
Ariadne had decided that village Moonsong needed an altar. Although she was bound to Moonsong’s lower reaches and had to be creative about what she offered, she had a reasonable amount of items to contribute. Currently, she had an antler, some pieces of salmon skin, and the bones of a songbird she’d eastern for lunch. Although it wasn’t much, it was honest work, and she’d continue looking for more to offer.
She hadn’t noticed the stranger yet, and so she slowly meandered away from her pile of trinkets in hopes of finding something more substantial.
Three or four separate scents, he decided, and prepared to move on — but he was closer to company than he had anticipated. It was the aged scents of fish and bird which reached him first; then it was the scent of wolf, the strongest among those he'd picked out. His curiosity got the best of him, in the end.
Her path crossed his before he could take another step. A pretty girl in fawn and snow; her eyes were striking. Akkuma's ears pulled forward as he took in the sight of her, but he quickly remembered himself. Oh, hello,
He greeted. I was just about to be on my way - passing through, didn't realize there was a pack here.
Ariadne had become accustomed to finding strangers within the territory. Since the village was not established, she could not fault them for being here. Their borders were still weak, and their numbers were small; she did not blame outsiders for not noticing the markers.
Today, she crossed paths with a dark-furred man and looked him up and down before speaking. It is okay, stranger
she assured him with a wag of her tail. Village Moonsong is still small, and our borders are incomplete. I understand why you did not catch our smells.
I am Ariadne,
she introduced herself. Future Head of village Moonsong.