Dragoncrest Cliffs break some bread for all my sins

The wolves from the scouting mission return, though she doesn’t know them (except for @Cecil, whom she’s yet to run into). The tension in the air only thickens with the news. Arlo has passed and Wildfire is still missing, leaving a sorrowful feeling in the air. She can only imagine what Thuringwethil is going through but she can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking with a clear head. One of the wolves she sent with her mate is dead, now, and no more information about the former.

While her thoughts are distracted with the next step for the pack, she moves through the redwoods to better map the territory. Things will shift in a few days when several more wolves will leave on another excursion for the outsider but she keeps quiet with her own opinions. Putting the pack in danger for one wolf doesn’t seem like the smartest idea but her footing within the claim of Drageda is loose and one wrong move will send her packing back home when she’s just getting started.

 He should spend his few days off resting, and he has been with mixed sucess. His thoughts keep returning to Mirabelle - he knows it is foolish to worry for her safety when she is a competent adult. However, he remembers how frightened she had been of her past.. and he had promised to keep her safe. Even though they parted on friendly, mutual terms... perhaps seeing Arlo's body had shaken him more than he'd originally thought.

Ah well. Perhaps he will hunt, add something to the cache... something to keep his mind off of things. He has not moved long into the forest when he catches the smell of another. Someone he has not met, though he has not met many of Drageda's members. A little bemusedly he realises she bears some resemblence to Mirabelle; perhaps his thoughts are haunting him. The titan approaches slowly, offering a low chuffed greeting, and dips his head.

At first, she feels irritation for the disruption when the large wolf chuffs in her direction. Her ears twitch, lay back, and the swivel and cup forward to attention. Maybe it won’t be a bad thing to have something else to focus on but he does not look familiar. She does not know every wolf within Heda’s reign but she can usually tell by their look but his size and stature leaves her questioning. He could have come from Maungeda, or been here before she was born, but she does not speak her curiosities right away. Instead, she turns on her heals and gives her full attention to the other while her own stature stiffens, head raised—not so high to be mistaken for a leader, but enough to note her importance.

 
 He either does not notice or is unbothered by her initial reaction - it is hard to tell with him. Étoille does note the way she raises herself, immediately made curious what her rank is. He's met Wocha and Heda and.. well, Eske is not Fleimkepa now but none the less; Dio hadn't mentioned another and so he assumes she must either be new or ... well, truthfully, he doesn't know. There is much he doesn't know. 

 Now that she is looking right at him, he shuffles awkwardly. "Er, hello," the titan tries. "I am Étoille." It is a lot easier to socialize when he is on a mission or has a task - already he faintly regrets approaching her out of the blue. But it is a necessary part of pack life, he supposes.

He speaks first and immediately she classifies him as an outsider. He may have been part of Drageda before her but he is not one of their own. He is not from Seageda, or any of the other branches, and the corners of her lips quiver, stifling a smirk in his presence.

“I am Ajatar,” she tells him though she adds nothing else. Pale green eyes scan over his form and she can at least admit they made a good choice. Outsider he may be but he makes up for it in size and what she can only assume is strength.

The woman gives her his name - Ajatar - and adds nothing else. This is uncomfortable. "Pleasure," he says, politely, desperate for something to fill the silence. Étoille normally prefers silence. But what is he to do here? Turn and leave? It seems terribly untoward. He clears his throat. "Have you been with Drageda long," he tries, hoping it is not a culturally offensive question. Someone should really sit him down and explain everything, eventually.

It gives her a little surprise (and maybe a little delight) that he does not immediately go about his business. She doesn’t give him much to work with and the discomfort isn’t as forthcoming as she expects but he remains in place for one reason or another while his motive stays hidden. “Yes and no,” she tells him with an indifferent shrug. “I have not been here long but I come from Trigeda, further north,” she adds, watching for any changes in his features that gives her a better idea of what she’s working with.

Her answer is, thankfully, more than one word this time. However, he is still somewhat lost. He catches the geda in "Trigeda" and so can guess at the relationship between Drageda and Trigeda, but. "I see," the titan says. "Trigeda is an extension of Drageda," he asks (in his usual flat statements), feeling somewhat more curious than usual. How deeply the culture of Drageda runs he is unaware. This is an opportunity to learn (if he were only the sort to ask more question).

”Yes,” she says smoothly then licks her lips. He confirms his lack of attachment to Drageda as he explores the new information. He does not understand how they work from what she can gather. Maybe he hasn’t been here as long as she previously thought. She takes a thoughtful breath and glances away. ”Drageda used to be nearer to Trigeda, but it was called Seageda,” she further explains. Their land reflected in their name though Drageda has originated on a mountain somewhere in the Teekon she is unfamiliar with. The name has become well known among the branches anyway but she does not dwell on it. She hadn’t been born during the times of Seageda and it may as well have been the current for all she cares.

Still, it will be hers one day.

Ajatar hums quietly to herself with a light vibration of her chest. ”And you?” she begins, feigning interest for the moment. ”You have not been here long.”

Ajatar briefly explains, and Étoille accepts the new information easily, expression neutral. It is curious stuff but he is not a man of politics nor does he imagine he'll ever occupy a position where knowing the full scope of Drageda's history is essential. Still, it is hard to imagine what it must be like growing up in this rich culture. In many ways, the titan thinks he will always be somewhat of an outsider-looking-in. Not that he minds.

She inquires after him, and he dips his head, agreeing. "I discovered Drageda's borders while I was traveling, somewhat aimlessly," he says. In truth it's a boring story: Étoille has simply, somehow, ended up in the right place at the right time. "I left with the scouting party the day after my arrival," the man admits, "so I have not had much time within the borders, even."

The outsider explains how he’d come to Drageda. Simply by being in the area. The answer is barely satisfactory but he’d gone on a scouting trip not long after joining and at least puts the effort in. She glances away from him and stifles a muffled snort.

It will take time to adjust to Drageda, though she can still see the majority of what she knows. The wolves remain a mystery but she does not engage further. She’ll observe, learn about them over time, for their words will only lead her astray. ”It was nice to meet you,” she says rather generically and shifts a step back, turning to leave him alone.