it had chagrined and angered kukutux to leave reverie behind with no healer. almost she had argued, but her refusal to humiliate the young woman more than she had suffered came first.
and so with whispered words to rest, to allow this brother to tend her, moonmother led away the healing party and made for the sea, offering each of the tiny girls her own blessing.
it was a cold dawn when they came to the plateau. kukutux strode over the borders, calling out that moonglow had come, and with them traveled two of hearthwood.
They had arrived in moontide and she’d wondered if her brother was already here? Or if he’d shown up at all. The smell of the air making the wolf a bit nauseous, and she wondered if it was just the smell or some or something more. Perhaps the babies brewing in her tummy. With tuft in tow it all felt more real they would have to find refuge somewhere so that their babies would have a future. She would soon seek out her family but for now she waited next to her friends
Rodyn hurried towards the thr borders. In preparation to carry anything his mother in law may need.
A smile as he approached her. Yellow eyes alight with a semblance of sad marked happiness.
Hello!
Tuft had to do what needed to be done. He had to leave the place that he had called home. He hadn't been there for a long time, but he had already gotten so close to so many people there. But now it was time to move on.
Tuft's whole world had changed the moment that he first met Minnow. Now, he would do anything for her and their future pups. He carried with him on his back several animal hides, each filled with food and herbs to help with Minnow's pregnancy. Relieved to be able to stop for a second, he slumped the animal hides off of him.
Looking out over the great plateau, Tuft said to
@Minnow, "Are you nervous to see your brother?".
He was not eager to return to the sea, much less with Reina, who had made her distaste for him quite clear. Still, Tybault had given his word, and he intended to keep it. This was part of their mending, his and Reverie's; before now it had always been him who set the tone, who made the decisions between them. Now it was she who led and he who followed.
Kukutux's familiarity was a comfort as well. Tybault took up the tail of the group in silence, never straying too far from Reina. He didn't have to like her, but he did need to protect her. He didn't even want to imagine the fit his sister would pitch if he failed.
During their trek to Moontide’s borders, she had time to think, time to worry, time to build anxieties and felt them crawling under her skin. She was not a scout, an ambassador, or whatever role requires one to travel from home, far from the comforts, and into the danger the outside world can, and often will, bring.
She was comforted by the fox pelt she had been gifted by Reverie, the scent of her embracing her, giving her the strength to put forth one paw after another. The red woman was grateful for the reminder that she was doing this for the golden Angel, she promised—silently, but no less sincerely—that she would do anything for the woman who saved her.
Her other, unexpected comfort came in the form of Tybault, though she would never admit that openly and, surely, never to him. It appeared that he heeded his sister’s words, to protect her on their journey for allies, for he stayed close. He kept his word and that, she can admit, was the only quality she liked from him.
Thoughts turned to the ocean as she waited with the others. The air was different here—salt, sand, fish, and ocean tides hit her senses. It wasn’t unpleasant and she could see how Reverie would enjoy a place such as this. Her mind drifted to their conversation, her heart missing a piece of her left behind in the Willows.
Nasamiituuq was glad to leave Hearthwood behind. She bore no ill feelings toward the pack or its members; it was only that the air of tension and grief had become nearly suffocating. They were free of it now, yet she felt its shadow following anaanatsiaq for miles.
She hoped that Moontide would be a brighter chapter in their journey. Nasamiituuq greeted Rodyn with a shy smile, but no words came to her. For now she remained close to her grandmother's flank, as always, and watched everything.
Time moved and the tide dragged even the earth out to sea, but still it had surprised her like fast rising water. So when she greeted Kukutux at the border and realized why the party had come she still felt a sorrowful jolt of surprise. Perhaps she had been more distant as of late, and she had not intended it at all, but her tail wagged and she was grateful for their presence even if she could not be glad for the occasion. "Greetings." There were other wolves, she did not know if they were there to follow the white wolf or if they came to honor Samani as well. Either way they would be welcome.