Dragoncrest Cliffs tired of my turmoil.
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#1
Joining 
Aure had never seen redwoods before. Hours ago, the drifter had assumed them to be scarlet mountains at first; but as she neared, it became apparent to her that these, in fact, were trees.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to admire these earthly behemoths from afar. It couldn't ever be so simple. Instead, she had become rather bosom with a certain pair of Seqoyan roots and was now the subject of coyote heckling.

Aure swung her disheveled neck, her searing gaze landing on the coyote before her with a 'thud'. Imperious and defiant, she entreated it to snatch the hare she'd sprained a paw to kill. Its whines of apprehension pierced through the crests of her belly-deep growling. The ruddy thing began to pace with aching with anxiety and eyed the hind paw she held at a wary angle.

She wavered, holding herself precariously on three coltish limbs.

An error of her blink, and the ruddy coyote dove towards her, as if to snatch her kill from under her belly. Aure flung what weight she could down, twisting to catch the scavenger on a thin shoulder. However, she'd moved too slow, and the measly thing was able to wrestle out from underneath her.

A shriek of indignation left her gaping maw. The coyote wrung the hare from beneath her, and dug its heels in as an attempt to scurry away. But she flung herself after it, digging her fangs into its flank and tasting the blood and agitation it was born with. A filthy, open-mouthed snarl of utter desperation and exhaustion and hopeless hunger rattled the roots around them.
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Ooc — mercury
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At first, he'd been inclined to help, but he had stopped himself. He wanted to see if this brave, injured woman could get herself out of the quagmire she'd been placed in. Vercingetorix stood in shadows from afar, watching, grinning larger at every blow. She was fierce, there was no denying it. Should the coyote do her harm, he would step in.

He thought she could handle it, though.

just watching for now. . .feel free to ignore until she notices him!
Common · Trigedasleng
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'LL FIND US IN THE END
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#3


The dark clouds upon the horizon were closing in and he could do nothing in his power to stop them.  There was a time in which this might have frustrated him, but he had come to accept nature for what it was.  Like other wolves, nature was unpredictable, but unlike other wolves whose flesh he could rend with his pearly incisors, the weather was out of his command.  It was for this reason he had become captured by it, because if he could understand it, perhaps he could come a little closer to controlling it . . . or appearing to control it, which could have more or less the same effect if he played his cards right.

Lightning scored across the darkened sky, its crackling energy matching the countenance of the increasingly mercurial Tux.  Although he had ruthlessly marked the band of natrona as dead to him, and it was easy enough to force the thoughts of their kind faces from his mind, the stinging feeling of abandonment had so far ceased to fade.  He poured his energy into patrols and scouting missions, and as far as Aure should be concerned, she was lucky that he did.

He bristled initially at the sight of someone so close to his cliffs and missed Vercingetorix's presence entirely.  His temperament shifted wildly from hating himself to believing that he was a god (in a metaphorical sense) and the pendulum swung wildly towards the latter as he stalked stiff and sure-footed towards the pair, inky lips pulled back to reveal the shrines of his teeth.  He did not wait before he charged at the coyote in desperate desire to release his pent-up rage, convincing himself that it had killed on Drageda's land.  Once he was finished with it the other wolf could be dealt with, but until then he used his massive body to force the coyote into the strange wolf's maw and grabbed it from the other side to pull in the opposite direction.


trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#4
The pale she-wolf didn’t heed the mass of black before her until the coyote—and herself—were yanked forward by an impressive tug on their opposite end. Despite her circumstance, she peered over the thrashing figure of the coyote  to see who, or what, had caused such a disturbance.

The glow of a storm yet to arrive alit on the dark, sturdy form of a young male. Her slim brow creased, more taken aback than grateful. Before she could inspect him more soundly, she noticed that the coyote was limp with fright between them. She took it upon herself, then, to wring it promptly by the scruff before letting it smack to ground.

Working her tired jaw, Aure hobbled a step or so back, and swiped her tongue over her own teeth. Eyes, cold and contemplative, scoured over thewrithing thing—and the hare in its mouth. Her own muzzle creased, ensnaring the scars on her face like redwood roots. Her hare.

She needed to eat.

Instead, she dragged her glaring gaze to the male before her, “Are there more than mere hares where you hail from?” Her voice was a low and lilting one; an accent so strange, so un-Teekon that it made her dismissal of this situation seem everyday-normal in comparison.
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Alas, Tux came soon to save the day. He let out a gusty sigh as the youngster took hold of the coyote, and the two of them brought it down together. She began to speak, and Vercingetorix stepped forward, strong and sure-footed, to draw up just behind the golden-maned boy.

Yes, he answered, a grin arcing his mouth, luckily enough. Tux can tell you more. He passed the baton to the rauna in training, wondering how he would sell her on Drageda. His ears canted forward in intrigue.
Common · Trigedasleng
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'LL FIND US IN THE END
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#6


Something primal had taken hold in the growing young man, and as the coyote was tossed from his grip and began to writhe on the ground, he paid little attention to the conversation at hand and instead set upon it again, his fangs sinking into the flesh of the helpless creature not with the reckless abandon of an untrained youth but with the pinpoint accuracy of a boy trained from his still-lingering childhood to be a warrior.  

He does not relinquish his hold upon the dying thing until he hears his name, and one of his short ears swivels as he licks his chops and pulls himself straight, taking a step towards the stranger as he scents the air between them.  She's wounded, but most of the superficials seem old and healed.  Never been allowed to take the reins before he looks nervously towards Vercingetorix before clearing his throat.  Much more, he confirms.  We are Drageda.  You did well with the coyote, but it doesn't look like the lone wolf life has treated you kindly.  What are your other skills?
trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#7
Aure regarded the older newcomer with a keen, considering look. If her guess was somewhat right, then these weren’t the common loner such as herself. 

Her assumption was confirmed as the younger male spoke of a ‘Drageda.’ She fought the urge to deflect the praise of her conflict with the coyote; and at the mention of loner life and skills, the she-wolf decided to gaze to the foreboding horizon. If anything, it was a futile attempt to conceal her uncertainty, or even meekness, in the matter.

”Skills?” Aure gnawed on the inside of her cheek, worrying the tenderness inside as she thought. “If being adaptable is one of them, I might as well be especially versed in that area.”

She fell quiet for a moment, and kept her eyes carefully averted. There was a slightness to her—as if she was almost a smidge doubtful in her own capabilities. Nonetheless, she resumed with a flick of thin ears: “I must admit that I am not ze most auspicious hunter or tracker. I am, of course, a tolerable fighter at best. My knowledge of healing has become next to none.”

”I cherish learning, however. I covet adapting. It’s kept me from being utterly useless, I’d like to think.” Aure finally brought her flickering gaze back to both males, sidelong and almost shy. “I do not know ze ways of the world of warriors, you see. And yet, I long to linger. If Drageda decides to accommodate me, I would like to return my gratitude in ze form of some sort of duty.”
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#8
Vercingetorix smiled as Tux ran with the baton and did so well, giving him a nod of approval that he might not see, positioned as he was. His bi-colored eyes flashed to the woman as she explained herself, noting the accent that came out as she became more comfortable and the way she managed to tread the line between cocky and timid, straying in neither direction.

Toli os, he remarked, stepping up to draw parallel with Tux, speaking of both their performances. I like her. Call for Heda.

He sent a gracious bow her way, gaze wandering down her legs before resting on her face again. A pleasure to meet you, coyote-slayer, Verx said warmly. I'm Vercingetorix, and I must get on with my patrol. Come find me if you end up in Drageda. Blinking slowly at her, he turned, gave Tux a small, jocular nudge to the shoulder, and continued along the border.
Common · Trigedasleng
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'LL FIND US IN THE END
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#9


Tux is exceptionally bad at reading facial cues, so he misses the meaning behind the woman's wandering gaze.  As far is he is concerned, she has delivered herself well.  He weighs what she has shown him of her fighting capabilities against that of Drageda's warriors and wonders if she has had formal training.  If not, she could shape up to be promising.  If she had . . . well, there were other skills worth pursuit, especially with Portia's disappearance.

But it is not his call to make.  He tips his head back and calls for @Antumbra as Vercingetorix makes his leave, and watches his possible new packmate with interest.
trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
what do i do after all this survival?
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#10
short thing to get in here! <3 just pretend this isn’t as bad as it is

Antumbra is doing something noncommittal and maybe lazy but it doesn’t matter because as soon as she hears Tux’s howl, she gets up and directs herself toward the call. She notes Vercingetorix’s scent nearby but doesn’t see him face to face but she doesn’t stop to look for him along the way.

By the time she finds Tux, there’s an entire scene unfolded before her but with little answers. She glances from her son to the stranger, to what’s between them and waits for an answer.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#11
sTOP ur doing fine we're elderlyl
For a moment she kept quiet, blinking after Vercingetorix and wondering who would end up breaking the silence that followed between her and Tux. For her, it wasn't an entirely comfortable silence; until a presence arrived. Could this be the Heda they'd spoken of?

Faced with the stormy-eyed alpha before her, Aure deemed to take it upon herself to provide her own introduction. "I am Aure," she gave a modest dip of her head in Antumbra's direction. "And, I have been told of a certain 'Drageda'." The she-wolf flicked her ears in Tux's direction, fidgeting a tad under the spotlight and plainly hoping he might support her claim in all this.
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
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#12


He is oblivious to her discomfort. To him, the silence is devoid of meaning or tension — the silence is just silence. He scrutinizes her swollen ankle, then looks back at the coyote. For being so small and malnourished, she seems to have held her own pretty we— oh hey, there's heda.

Heda, he says, drawing his attention to her, making sure that his eye did not wander from her face as it so often tended to do in regular conversation.  She fought that coyote in front of me and Vercingetorix.  He was impressed by her, told me to call for you.  She is willing to learn.  Willing to become better.

His hardened bronze gaze falls then upon Aure as he waits expectantly for her to explain herself.

italics is trigedasleng; mobile post
trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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#13
Tux greets her and quickly explains the situation in their native tongue but she turns and watches the way the woman holds herself. Coyotes aren’t that difficult to pick but as a lone wolf her advantages are lower. Still, if she’s willing to learn, she has no qualms. They are still wary of outsiders but Blixen’s implication of a brana rank will help filter them out. Either they’ll figure out Drageda is fit for them or they won’t and they likely won’t be held as accountable as the rest.

“All right,” she starts in their shared tongue. “You may stay as brana until you prove yourself. Tux will help find wolves to train with you.” She may have other skills to offer Drageda, which she’ll expect, but she has a warrior side nonetheless and she’ll need to hone in on those skills in the coming days it seems. “My name is Antumbra but you may call me Heda.” If there is nothing else, Antumbra will take her leave for the duo to clean up the mess here.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#14
The arctic female kept to herself during this exchange between the two darker wolves, having no inkling of the language they spoke or what was even beig said. In the meantime, she studied the grass between her paws.

As the tone of their voices became more pressing, Aure was beginning to focus on the soil with sudden interest. She was pulled out of her single-minded attempt of avoiding the spotlight once more, but Heda’s words made her look up again.

I appreciate your tolerating me,” letting her head nod modestly away. Wondering at whatever training would be trotted through her mind. “Ze least I can do to repay your aiding me is with some sort of labor.”

To show I’m not entirely without use, of course, she mused to herself. Her own eyes of silver sought to catch Tux’s bronze, to see then what they would do with the dead coyote besides.
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
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#15


He is becoming more useful to heda with each passing day; today, he has filled his duty as rauna and found another body to fill their ranks.  He hopes he is not wrong about her.  Though she is small and weak, he can tell she has spirit.  Perhaps that will be enough to carry her through.  As heda makes her leave, he looks at the coyote, then at Aure.  He is not used to calling the shots, but it is just the two of them now.  Pick it up, he instructs, we'll put it with the rest.  

He stalks a few steps closer to the borders and casts an expectant look over his shoulder.  You said you have no skills, he says, but what do you like to do?  Perhaps he can help her find something there.
trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
wearing my dream like a diadem in some better land.
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#16
Following Tux's specifics, the next moment she was hauling the deceased; trailing after his pawprints as she mulled over all that had happened. Once able to coherently reply, Aure fell into step alongside him with, "Ever since I was able to open my eyes, I've always adored ze stars. Of course..." her feathery tail furled as she thought,  "Teekon's constellations have bewildered me for the better part of my time here. If I am able to chart them in my mind, perhaps I could be of some sort of use to ze Drageda."

She cast him a thoughtful look when a beat a silence passed, as if studying herself back from that bronze gaze. "As far as I've come, I tend to drift. Well, travel, of course. In my Rhaesuial, we went onto many, er, hunting expeditions, if you understand?"

Her bright gaze left him, looking towards the place they're headed to, a rare sprite of spunk curling at her lips faintly. "I went on my own excursions, of course, sometimes far too young and much to ze chagrin of my dam." As Tux invited her further into the sequoian forest, she fell into step alongside him, wondering how -- and what -- Drageda might mold her into.