on aching paws, her voyage continues.  she remains on the coast, charmed by the vastness of the sea. natshana has no way of truly tracking her cousin, after all.  in many ways, she is currently on a fool's errand.  though she has no concept of how massive the current land is, she can guess.  praimfaya could be anywhere; finding her could take seasons, if not years.  even so, she refuses to become discouraged.  the fact of the matter is:  she's made it to the teekon wilds.  this, in and of itself, is a great accomplishment.  it is a new chapter in her journey.

today, however, she moves with the purpose of finding a place to rest for a few days.  she knows that she must take care of her body if she is to continue this expedition.  she cannot expect to find her cousin if she is too weak to stand.  so, she carefully navigates the sharp crags and slick slabs of stone to discover a place that she may unwind for a while.  natshana is goaded by the scent of prey at some point, but like those before her, she is sorely disappointed to find the hare largely consumed.  she has no taste for crowfood -- which is why she diverts her attention to proceed, until another scent catches her attention.

no, her mind vibrates with the syllable. there is no way. she drinks in the smell, determined to convince herself that she's hallucinating it.  it's been so long since she's scented her cousin; it could not possibly ... her gaze darts up and around, and at once, she spots a white shape against the rocks.  natshana's ears and tail twitch, with the latter swaying impulsively behind her.  is this some sort of mirage?  a vision bolstered by exhaustion?  there is only one way to know.

"praimfaya?" she calls out, and then, a little less certainly: "en's yu?"

the moment praimfaya utters her name in reply, natshana begins to close the distance between them.  knowing that this is actually her, that she has - somehow - involuntarily discovered the very wolf she'd been searching for all this time?  she feels a conflicting sensation of both relief and uncertainty.  she approaches praimfaya and aims to posit an affectionate lick to her cousin's muzzle.  it's both a sign of endearment and respect.  she has not forgotten the other wolf's rank as heda.

"yu nou laik geifou gaf in ai?" she responds to praimfaya's question with a hint of playful cynicism and a tilt of her head. "ai gada komba lowe fig yu au." then, with a quirk of a brow, she adds a little more cheekily, complete with an overexaggerated bow. "ai laik hir badan yu op. sai, ha yu na gon raun thau fisa?" the expression on her face seems dubious in that same, sarcastic manner that natshana has always approached others with.

"weron shak yu op?"

natshana isn't truly offended by praimfaya's initial reception.  the apothecary has always been one to tease and now is no different.  she moves on with a twinkle in her pale gold eyes, simply glad to be in her cousin's company once more.  her gaze ultimately settles on the new scars the other she-wolf boasts.  for several seconds, she considers them; although they certainly suit the commander's battle prowess, she cannot help but wonder if she can seek vengeance for the creatures who have carved her flesh.

"den yu sou don baga ai na feisbona?" she wonders coolly, an eagerness tugging at her fur at the possibility.  this is a new land.  praimfaya has been here much longer than she, but that doesn't mean that natshana cannot assist her cousin in achieving her goals in her own way.

"yu kru? chon bilaik disha pakstoka? get klin em nou laik beda kom ai.  yu don kot ai au den dena?" it's evident fairly quickly that natshana is intentionally overexaggerating; there's mischief in her eyes and a lilt in her voice.  though she is likely suspicious of this unknown wolf because of her possessiveness toward her kin, she also trusts her cousin's judgment. "tel ai op ething."

the name of praimfaya's companion is noted -- tucked away for another time.  shifting her focus to take on a more passive role, natshana settles in to listen to the commander's regaling.  she doesn't interrupt or interject at any point.  she is still and quiet, content to hear the details, and to commit them to memory.  this wolf called nemisis piques her interest but so does the entangled conflict with the saints.

"yu don ge hosen," she reflects at the end of praimfaya's dramatic retelling of the past few seasons.  in many ways, natshana is envious.  though she will not say this aloud, it is partially why she has come to join her kin here.  she may not be a wolf built for battle, but that does not mean she cannot elevate herself to greatness by other means.  the road to infamy is not always paved in skulls and bones.

"oso mana na slip donovan daun en flosh klin disha saints?" she repeats what she believes are the ultimate objectives of their current series of missions back to praimfaya to confirm. "yu wich huā in?" this is the only time she will ask.  if praimfaya is willing to put her trust in this wolf, then natshana supposes she must, also.

"ai na gochu yu op, ani," she bows her head in a show of sovereignty and submission.  praimfaya is the only wolf that natshana will ever show either to.  once the display is finished, she lifts her gaze once more. "ai chopa ste yu chopa. ai feisbona ste yu feisbona. ogeda, oso na teik osir baga daun." this is the apothecary's sworn promise to her commander.  though the other wolf is her family, she would always be her leader first.  she deserves the respect granted to the heda.

"chit ste tagon kom kru glong oso laik op? beda yu shoun ai?" prior to her posing these follow-up questions, she takes a seat across from praimfaya.  with most of the business taken care of, there are only the minor details to clean up.  natshana is glad to have a clear objective.  where before she was merely searching for the possibly of stumbling upon her cousin, now she had an obvious task.  the commander has enemies to take down, and she intends to help her accomplish this.

"hoz op," natshana replies quickly, eager to put down some roots.  after moons of wandering, she is keen to have an actual store of herbs again.   this journey has meant that she has gone without.  back in crogeda, everything she needed was in surplus.  coming here, following her cousin, had meant sacrificing that.  she knows it will be worth it.  she has much she needs to do.  waiting for praimfaya to lead her, she intends to walk slightly behind yet also beside the commander.