Dragoncrest Cliffs Journey of the Sorcerer

The walk had been long, but not unbroken. Ra had stopped briefly for short rests and hunts, and to visit family at Trigeda, as well. No one she was directly related to, but known enough to her through stories and lore that she'd thought it prudent to present herself to them. They'd been a good bunch, Trigeda, and it'd further solidified her commitment to her slef-appointed mission.

She'd stayed with Gyda and Gavriel for no more than a night before moving on, feeling renewed and heartened by the company of her brethren. The roads between Maungeda and Trigeda had been long, and the short reprieve among ones she could call kin had been just what she needed to press on.

And now she was here, with the scent of her in her nares. Tired as she was, Ra picked up her pace, and did not stop until she'd hit the thick wall of scent-markings that marked this branch's borders. No sooner had she stopped than had she lifted her head and drawn a deep breath, and just as quickily, a call had rung out - long and low and sweet - calling for any that would see her, but for Heda especially, if she would.

Then Ra made herself low, and touched her nose to the ground, and waited for fate to find her.

With more on her mind than Thuringwethil wishes to care for, and no proper outlet to sort it, she decides to settle just outside the whelping den while her mate rests inside. Occasionally, one of the growing puppies will get a burst of energy but she quickly puts an end to it so she can settle for the rest of the afternoon.

However those do not end up being her plans. The call is not familiar in sound but the beckoning nature for Heda causes her face to scrunch up. She sighs and turns to Wildfire, giving her a gentle kiss before she picks herself up and trots off.

Whether or not @Eske is with her, she moves to the source at an easy, even pace that smoothly flows to a stop when she sees the woman across the way. The northern portion of her woods is an open expanse, ending the barrier that is Drageda. Thuringwethil does not recognize the wolf before her, tightening her arched tail and squaring her shoulders with suspicion.

It had been some years since Ra had last set her eyes on the woman. She had been no more than a girl, then, and in her memories, Heda stood like a stone sentinal, massive and dark against the horizon. Ra had hid under her father's legs that very first time she saw her. Now, there was no one to protect her but herself.

Soon enough, heavy footsteps heralded the arrival of another, and Ra took in a sharp breath when she recognized the scent. Though instinct told her to stand and face what she considered to be a very dangerous wolf, Ra did not allow her body to move beyond a submissive flattening of her ears.

"Heda," she intoned, unable to see anything by large, black paws from her prostrate position on the ground. "Ai kom daun badan ai heda op. Raleigh kom Maungedakru."

cameo eske post! if eske is needed beyond this cameo feel free to tag me or give me a poke on slack! :-)

[table width=85%][tr][td]

The Cheka does not stray far from her Commander. As the call rises, specified upon the calm air of Drageda’s borders Eske follows a few steps back as Thuringwethil moves to intercept. The call is not a voice that Eske recognizes but she assumes that the stranger must be from Seageda; or perhaps have met Heda on her travels from Seageda to Teekon. Regardless, Eske supposes she will soon find out. She enters the scene and chooses to linger back giving Thuringwethil space as she turns her sea glass gaze from the Commander to the unknown woman who has called for Heda. Eske lingers in plain sight, a few feet shy of Thuringwethil deigning to give her space but to also communicate that she is Cheka and with the stiff, poised, attentive posture that she is ready to intervene if things take a sour turn.

[/td][/tr][/table]

Thuringwethil’s eyes narrow when her title is announced, followed by an explanation in her own tongue. She’s torn between comfort and suspicion, like hearing the faint sounds of a song you can’t quite determine. She nods her head once as (after a painfully long moment) she finally remembers the girl before her. She’d been a puppy of a few months old when she first met the little family. “Osiris’ goufa,” she determines with a wave of her flagged tail. “It is a long way from Maungeda.”

She turns her head and chuffs toward Eske, dismissing her enough to give them space but not to relieve her. She sinks into the background, giving the two their space as she invites the young woman into the redwood forest. “Tel op ai yu soujon.”

"Sha," Ra agreed, lifting her eyes and ears a bit. When Heda turned toward her companion, Ra half-rose, sniffing curiously at the scents that sang out most strongly upon Heda's pelt. Pups, a woman, the sea. This pack seemed to be a lively one - something Ra hoped would console her while she was away from the mountain she loved.

Such thoughts were pushed away the moment Heda looked back to her. Ra dipped her head in continued respect, but finally straightened her folded legs. "No sich," Ra demured, unsure how much of her travels would really be worth retelling. There had been a lot of walking, and she'd eaten and slept enough to keep her full figure. "Trigedakru teik in ai nat, ste nat Sangedakru. Bok au neson sintaim." Her ears perked as she remembered something about Sangeda. "Gavriel en Gyda don gada in goufas - gada en skat tag in... uh... Nyko en Wardruna."

Ra's tail wagged as she managed to remember the names of the little whelps. She hadn't paid much attention to them, though she'd been glad to carry the news of their birth to Heda. There'd been more she was supposed to tell, of Sangeda's formation and continued existence, but Ra was a bit flustered in the presence of Heda - a feeling she was not at all used to.

Tag for visibility.

With the pack split in two—outsiders and their own—Thuringwethil is always welcoming to those she once knew. The distance between her former home and here is great and she does not expect them all to come but taking them in is often no problem, now with the worry of corruption gone from the forefront of their problems. She speaks with Tirgatao and Eske and the boys in their native tongue when allowed and the comfort she feels with Raleigh extends more along the roots of their origin. Wildfire knows a few words here and there but they cannot have a conversation of desired intimacy she craves of her own words. Her children will be fluent enough in both, as those in Seageda, but she cannot alienate their other mother from the source of information.

Raleigh speaks freely in their tongue that only someone native can garner and she smiles and feels a flutter in her chest when she speaks of Gyda and Gavriel. They've gotten off the ground for their own settlement and she wishes to make the travel to visit one day (with children to boot) but those wants and wishes are set aside.

"Eske, ai Cheka, em yongon goufa," she introduces from a distance. Whether or not @Eske heard the information, Thuringwethil will inform her later. "You have access to this forest and the watering hole. There are new children here, moving to Hougeda soon." she explains, hoping she'll understand the need to prove herself once more and to protect Drageda's young, but in time she knows it'll all pan out eventually.

"Eintheing nau," she quipped, looking over at Eske for signs of resemblence. Her attention was soon drawn back to Heda, though - and Ra tried not to, but her eyes and her instincts could not help but size up the other woman. Tendrils of age-old mistrust and dislike reached toward her heart, but Ra pushed them away. This is what I came here for, she reminded herself.

The warrior cupped her ears toward Heda as she spoke, attentive as she was toward all elders. Heda did not tell her how she would earn trust or favor, here, but Ra did not need her to. Work hard, and be faithful. It was almost like home, except, no one had ever tried to confine her, at home. But more would be opened to her, in time, and - as her mother would say - it was best to take these things as opportunities, rather than limitations. Here, she would take the opportunity to prove herself.

"Non gouthru ai," she said cheerfully, looking around at the forest.  "Ai shil op trimani kom sonraun."

She realizes her mistake when introducing Eske and she chuckles breathily in response. Her tail wags over the arch of her back and she nods her head to acknowledge her mistake. She has more questions about Sangeda and they’ve created, the new family they have started, but it does not seem she spent much time there. Most of her questions are likely not to have answers without an appropriate messenger.

Thuringwethil tightens her smile when Raleigh states her position in the forest, to Drageda, but she does not have much to say. Several have said something similar once they’ve come but with little to show for it. Nevertheless, time will be the only proof the newest kru has to solidify her position here. “Os,” she says. “You should get some rest.”

"Chof," said Ra, tail wagging greatfully. It'd been a long journey, and she'd rested very little on the last leg of it. Still, the woman made no move to find herself a place to sleep, not quite feeling comfortable enough to wander in Heda's presence. She would wait until Thuringwethil was done with her - until she was alone - to close her eyes.

Yes, these were her people - but just as it would take time for them to trust her, it would take her time to trust them. To trust Thuringwethil.

They will have time to come together again and talk about what they need to, but the trip between her home and Drageda is great and she has traveled it once before. A day or two of rest and a few good meals will make Ra better in the long run. Their work is never over but there is no reason to run yourself in the ground, either. Thuringwethil dips her nose downward once in dismissal before she pivots back and returns to the depths of their new dragon.