Ouroboros Spine astronaut in the ocean

This time, she had devised a proper game plan for her search. Instead of arbitrarily wandering the wilds and howling her father's name at random, she would go from pack to pack to see if anyone had seen or heard from Phox. She decided to start at Moonglow and then head to the coastline to hit Yuèlóng and Sapphique, where she knew Alyx lived. Depending on what she found out, she would decide where else to head from there.

She arrived at her first stop under an overcast sky. She drew in a breath and howled for @Kukutux, @Sialuk or anyone else who could spare the time for a quick visit. Despite the circumstances, her lips twitched into a faint smile. It would be good to see them again (hopefully); this visit was definitely overdue.

kukutux was preparing to leave for yuelong. she had divided aside a small portion of caribou leaves and trout dried by the sun. this she would bring wrapped in a softest rabbitskin. the woman hummed softly to herself, though since raimo had left she had truly not rejoiced.

the mindless tones were silenced by meerkat's call. kukutux smiled and came alive, trotting toward the borderlines as she had not yet done before the sight of the redhawk girl. "it is good to see your face again," she greeted the younger girl, surreptitiously searching her in a maternal insistence for signs of fatigue or injury. "come into moonglow and eat."

No more than a few minutes passed before a familiar face appeared to greet her. Meerkat's tail waved as she dipped her head respectfully, warm honey eyes then raising to briefly appraise Moonglow's leader. She looked well and her graceful gait indicated that she had fully recovered from her injury of yore.

The yearling hesitated at the invitation. She wanted to oblige Kukutux but she wasn't here solely for pleasure. "It's so good to see you, though I can only stay a little while," Meerkat said, motioning politely for the pale woman to lead the way; she would follow.

As they walked, the yearling shared, "I'm searching for someone. I was actually wondering if you might have seen or heard from wolves called Phox or Niamh: my father and his mate." There was so much more to the story, though this seemed like a succinct enough starting point.

"that is all right," kukutux said softly, hiding the gentle pang of disappointment that meerkat had not yet decided to return for certain. yet another task hailed the girl's help. a soft shake of her head. "i do not know these names." she wondered where they had come to; and then another title came to her mind. "bronco has left the fireflies. did he come to village redhawk with you?"

at least one name from the three accounted for, she hoped, and led meerkat to the new ulaq. there she fetched a swathe of dried trout, offering it to the young traveler with a small mouthful of new berries for taste. "how long have they not returned home?"

Although the lack of news was disappointing, it came as no surprise. She was used to it by now. And though Kukutux did not have any information to give her now, spreading awareness of her father's absence might lead to news in the future. She didn't dwell on any of that at present, though, distracted by her hostess's query.

"Yes, he's living at the caldera," she replied, brow furrowing a little. He had been rather sparse since arriving, though she hadn't even noticed it much—staying quite busy herself—or, god forbid, held it against him. With a sudden pang, she realized she missed him, despite living in the same place. Next time she stopped by the caldera, she would make a point to catch up with her dearest brother.

Soon, they came to the ulaq and Meerkat shot Kukutux a grateful smile before nipping one of the fish. "It's been more than a month, though not quite two," she said thoughtfully. "Neema—Niamh—ran off and my dad went after her. She was pregnant. I'm not even really sure what happened..." She'd heard some of it from Towhee but that was only one side to a complicated story.

"Anyhow, we haven't heard from or seen either of them since," the yearling reported with a frown, picking idly at her food. "I've been searching quite a bit but... nothing. I'm headed to Yuèlóng and then Sapphique after this, though, and I'm holding out hope. Someone must've seen them at some point."

kukutux wondered privately at their bonds, which seemed to be convoluted within the caldera. was he father to more than one hearth? it would be impolite to inquire, and she did not have the words to ask. 

it pleased her to see meerkat accept the food, even if she did not eat it. "these are heavy things for young shoulders to carry," moonwoman said gently, some moments after the girl had finished speaking. she would go to yuelong and then sapphique, the latter of which kukutux had not yet heard. but with two moon-cycles between the last seeking, she was not certain that the girl's questing would be rewarded.

yet she also would not say this thing, only gestured broadly to moonglow. "perhaps you rest before you take another path." maternal. worried. 

She opened her mouth to politely turn down the suggestion to rest, then clapped it shut. Her ankle was twinging a little, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep her weight off it for a little bit. That reminded Meerkat of Kukutux's own injury again. She was glad to see she'd made a full recovery. That thought made another hit her upside the head, causing her lips to part.

"I promised you I'd show you the way to Yuèlóng. Would you like to come with me, by any chance?" It was very likely Kukutux couldn't simply drop everything and go with her, yet Meerkat wanted to extend the invitation nonetheless.

yuelong. it brought aiolos to mind at once. "i would like this, yes, meerkat," taqqiq murmured gently. "it was in my mind to visit the sand, as we are allies with the island, and i am now healed!" in exuberance she lifted the paw that had once been broken, turning a little sigh to the horizon.

"do you know the name of ruenna?" she asked gently, turning questioning jadestone gaze upon the returned girl. not yet, she told herself, for it would be some time before she knew yet where meerkat would truly settle.

To her delighted surprise, Kukutux did accept. "Awesome!" came her reply, grinning as the woman held up her mended paw. If she'd known about the alliance, she hadn't recalled it, so she made note of it now with a light hum of interest.

But next Kukutux posed a question that had nothing at all to do with trips to the seaside. "I do!" she chirped, pale head cocking. "She lives at the caldera. She's kind of an auntie to my little brothers and sisters." Only after the words left her mouth did Meerkat mentally amend: brother, singular.

little brothers and sisters. "you are good angajuk, to travel so far for your family." meerkat, as dutiful to the ones who had raised her as sialuk was to the moonwoman herself. and to the subject of ruenna:

"i ask her name for i was to bring her to the place of the hot water. when moonspear lived," a faint sadness bittering the bow of her mouth for a while, but in the next moment, brightening. "it was to give help for her bones, a long wound that she carries inside her spine."

"i have a small place here, in moonglow. if she is able to come here to moonglow, i will finally show her."

Meerkat hadn't asked Rue about her strange gait—she didn't know if that might be rude—though she'd certainly noticed it. The mention of a wound in her spine made the yearling wince sympathetically. How awful! Kukutux went on to say she knew of some sort of remedy to help Rue's plight. It made sense that hot water might soothe her aches and pains.

"I'll let her know as soon as I get back to the caldera," Meerkat vowed. She paused. She didn't meant to be impatient but she wondered, "Is there anything you need to do before we head to Yuèlóng?" It would be hard to wait but she would, with the understanding that Kukutux likely had to make arrangements, at the very least notifying Sialuk and her other pack mates.

"i will tell sialuk. and i will make a carrying pack, of things to offer." it would be good to bring gifts. she studied meerkat for a warm moment, knowing that a young wolf would not wish to wait for long hours.

"you rest. i will gather my things and make a meal. then we may go." moonwoman could not leave her village as it was, but she knew with her announcement that moonglow would come together with its strength and be well in her absence.

Kukutux mentioned gathering some items to take along as an offering. Meerkat opened her mouth to offer her assistance when the pale she-wolf instructed her to rest. She clapped it shut and considered obeying the gentle command, though she couldn't help herself.

"I'd be happy to help you gather your things. I wouldn't mind saying 'hi' to Sialuk as well." She sidled a step closer to Kukutux and bumped her chin, a sign of affection and respect. She then sidestepped and waited for the woman to show her the way, so that she, in turn, could show Kukutux the way to Yuèlóng.

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