Dragoncrest Cliffs don't carry nothing but the righteous and the holy

Grayday and Easy split away from Catori and Aditya when they realized the beach pack they'd come across was not the one the four were looking for. He still remembered Sunspot telling him about the pack at the cliffs, and when the pair went a little further along, they saw that it was still standing strong upon the rocks in the woods.

"But why is it worrying?" Easy insisted, not pleased with her father's simple explanation of, 'Well, there's two of them.'

"When an area's crowded, some packs don't take kindly to another one popping up nearby," said Grayday, a bit preoccupied with trying to navigate the unfamiliar landscape. When he tripped for a second time, he let out an irritable huff, cutting off his daughter's next question. "Easy!"

"I've got you," she insisted, apparently not couting the trip as a failure to guide him. "Look, let's just stop here. We're pretty close to the borders, right?"

Grayday tossed another huffy look in his daughter's direction but tipped back his head anyway. The pair gave a musical two-part howl, and then Easy gave up decorum with a happy giggle to attack her poor father's face. While they waited, she began to chatter about a song she was thinking of, and Grayday listened with distracted interest, one ear turned toward the borders.

she feels the distance between her and furi increasing inch by inch and hates herself for it. furi's taking care of rose -- that's more important right now than whatever else but it still rankles her and she chooses to throw herself headfirst into her cheka training. of course that only keeps her and furi apart more but look, she's still a headstrong teen with no sense of navigating interpersonal communication. 

training is soothing in it's own way. or at least it takes up most of her energy. she buckles down on her patrol schedule, falling back into the pattern of patrolling alone if furi isn't readily available. the howl is the first interesting thing to happen in days -- she perks up as she heads towards it, curious. arriving she takes in the sight of the man and the younger girl, both unfamiliar and seemingly absorbed in conversation with each other. blix straightens up slightly and lets out a small bark to greet them, coming to a halt nearish the pair. "what brings you to our borders?" she asks briskly, right to business.

I'm going to make this super complicated and alternate between posting with these two. So you'll be next and then I'll go with Grayday, then you, then Easy whoops

"Oh, here!" said Easy, breaking off from making her father laugh to alert him of another's approach. "It's another - wow! I wish you could see this. Her fur's red like the sunset." All this was said sotto voce, but Easy's brassy voice carried further than she thought. Easy spent a moment staring somewhat rudely at the stranger, unable to decide if she thought the look was silly or wonderful in its striking nature. Perhaps a little of both. Perhaps Easy ought not to judge, considering the company she kept and the odd vacillations of her own pelt.

"Hiya!" said Easy when the girl had come near, accidentally cutting off whatever her father had been about to say. She felt rather than heard his hiss of repproval, and ducked her head obligingly toward the older wolf. Only Blixen would see the fond roll of her eyes.

"We're from a pack called Morningside," said Grayday. "We've just claimed the plains and forest to the south of here, over these ridges and just beyond. I wanted to come personally to give your pack notice."

The call pulls her attention and she turns without even thinking about it. She’d been wandering around the redwoods with no real purpose and so the shift came easily, moving toward the sound of the call.

It does not surprise her that her daughter is first to arrive. Since stating her desire for Cheka, she has seen more of her. Should she take the title in due time, she’ll see her a lot more, though it is comical to see a rather small wolf (in comparison to her) as her own personal guard.

Unfortunately, Thuringwethil misses what is spoken and she looks to the fiery girl, to the other child, and back at the brute upon her borders. Nothing about him his familiar but he is here to give them notice for something. “Notice for what?” she demands, glancing briefly between them once more but settling on the male expectantly.

her features pinch slightly at the girl's whispered comments, more confused than offended as she looks down at her own coat. she doesn't see many others who look like her (besides mother), true, but it's not like. weird or notable. they notice her approach -- blix's head cocks, her expression smoothing back into a more formal neutrality, as she listens to their introduction. 

she's never heard of morningside, and she's a little inexperienced at this sort of diplomacy. thankfully,  nomi's arrival spares her from having to bluff (though she'd absolutely nail it). the gona steps closer to nomi, content to observe how she handles the interaction though she keeps an eye on the strangers just in case.

Easy quailed at the sight of a wolf seemingly twice her father's size approaching them. "Biiig wolf," Easy warned her father, just in time for her quiet words to be covered by the woman's sharp question. Up close, she didn't tower over Grayday quite so much, but Easy was still hard-pressed to say which was bigger. The woman seemed to be in better shape, certainly.

"Notice of our move," Grayday replied, shooting Easy another sharp look. Her (rude) commentary was making him nervous. "My pack now resides in the plains and woods on the other side of this mountain range," he explained, gesturing to Redtail Rise behind him. "We'll keep to ourselves, but I didn't want you to be surprised the next time you travel that way - if you go at all."

Thuringwethil’s jaw sets as he explains why they’d come to her borders. Another pack settling close to them (sort of) and for a long moment she doesn’t say anything. She looks past him, assuming the way they’d come from and she tries to remap what she’d once been familiar with. The rise is far enough that she is not terribly concerned and they seem to be farther than that and with a content huff of air, she looks back to the pair. “All right,” she says. “What is the name of your pack?” she asks a beat later, unaware they’ve already introduced themselves.

 what's with all the new neighbors lately? though they aren't so close as to be an issue, it's still weird what with grimnismal next door (and ironsea down the coast too, come to think of it). still, drageda is heavily guarded, on alert, and they were smart enough to come give a heads up so they can't be too bad.

"they are from morningside," blix answers her nomi, glancing at the pair to add, "your names?" -- see look she can do it too.

This time, she allowed Daddy to speak for her. She hadn't missed his soft sounds or blind glances - it just wasn't in her nature to be still or quiet. Perhaps with time, she would begin to smooth out. For now, she would just try not to start any wars while leading her dad around on these trips.

"I'm Grayday, and this is my daughter, Easy," Daddy replied, and Easy dipped her head when his nose turned in her direction. "Could I ask your names in turn?" When they'd had time to answer, Daddy offered a closed-lip smile and a wag of his tail - which Easy echoed with her own. "We're open to friendly visits - especially if you have someone for the kids to play with  - but aside from this, you probably won't see us for any more official business. And we can be off, if there's nothing you would like to discuss."

It sounded like a goodbye to Easy, and she almost turned to leave before she realized her father was still waiting patiently to be excused.

Blixen states their packs name, which doesn’t ring a bell, but Grayday does. She stares at him for a moment, knowing that she’d recognize someone with one eye. It doesn’t look all that fresh. Maybe one of the few packs the scouting party came across? “Thuringwethil. Commander of Drageda,” she introduces, “you may call me Heda.” Then she gives Blixen a chance to introduce herself too.

Most visits from other packs, in the way this pair has done it, are often hostile that it surprises her they’re open to visits and sharing with their young. She glances to Blixen briefly but returns back to Grayday. “Perhaps. When it is warmer,” is all she gives them. Growing up in a world where those around you wanted you dead doesn’t make it easy to trust, and their new problematic neighbors don’t make things any worse. But, maybe—once she figures out why she knows his name, at least.

the guy -- grayday -- gives her an answer easy enough. between him and the weirdo from ironsea, blixen is starting to feel better about their current diplomatic state of affairs, even with blackfeather out there somewhere and the nasty grim boys right next door. "blixen," she answers when nomi finishes, a little surprised at nomi's agreeing to come by for a visit. even if only maybe. that's the sort of thing furi might like, she thinks, since she's pretty into going off and traveling and all of that. 

with nothing else to add, she waits patiently for nomi to dismiss her once grayday and his daughter leave.

Grayday ducked his head in acknowledgement of the names the women gave. "Pleasure to have met you, Heda, Blixen. Be well," he said simply, giving one last wag of his tail before turning to depart - and knocking straight into Easy. "Sorry, doll," he said under his breath, catching the girl's tail in his mouth as she began to lead the way back home.

"Bye!" she called over her shoulder, taking one last look at the pair. What a strange pack! So solemn! The girl wondered if all packs were like this, and only Morningside was fun. Maybe they were just nervous to meet strangers. Turning her attention back to the route ahead, she mulled over all that she had learned of their neighbors, and wondered what might come of their short meeting.