Redtail Rise i am sometimes more doubt than man

@Arielle @Cyril @Bernadette @Pandora @Avicus @Prophet We may need to wait for this thread to progress further to know for sure who is coming with, but I wanted to get this up to avoid backdating too far. Set May 24th before Avicus goes into labor! I've assumed Arielle is present. <3

It was a long journey with frequent stops. Leaving the valley behind and dissolving Ursus should have weighed heavy on him — it was his family's legacy and he had let it all fall to ash — but, on the contrary, his steps felt lighter the further they went from Bearclaw. Around the halfway point, he began to groom his fur during their breaks, working out the knots from his neglect. He began to come alive again, and began to dote on Arielle with small kills and comforts, though he still lacked the words to apologize or tell her things would be okay.

In him thrummed a combination of excitement, dread, fear, and intense longing to return to his boyhood when none of these things were his responsibility. No bears descended on them. No Saints appeared to harass them. No sign of Indra or Abel or Laurel's packmates. It was an uneventful trip that solidified Aventus' belief that this was the right choice.

It was late afternoon when they arrived, Aventus at the head with the old yellow-brown pelvic bone in his jaws. He had left the other relics behind. Evien's skull had always unnerved him and was left carelessly, and Astara's he could not bear to touch any longer; that one, he buried deep down in the earth of Tumbleview and covered over with flowers and grasses in hopes it would never be unearthed.

He placed the bone down at his paws, drew in a shallow breath, and howled.

Arielle noticed the shift in her husband's mood immediately; she could tell he felt better, the farther away they were from the valley. She was beyond relieved. He had even started to groom himself, which she would help if he allowed it at any point. he brought her food and started to take care of her, which was a welcome change. She hadn't even realized how much she needed that from him until she had it, probably because she hadn't let herself think about it. 

To some extent, she was feeling better about leaving, but there was still a gnawing fear in her heart. She had abandoned the bear—she was a traitor. Arielle worried what the price would be for her betrayal. But, it was easier to push that darkness to the back of her mind when she could see how much it positively affected her husband to be away from bearclaw.

She was grareful for the uneventful journey, too. She still had only a fraction of the energy she once had, and she could hardly stay awake most times they stopped to take a break. 

She stood quietly at Aves' side when they arrived, tired and nauseous. She had carried the most important plants with her in a little pouch made from rabbit pelt. The loss of her work in mosskeep was not something she would get over very easily. She had to leave all of her tonics behind for lack of a good way to carry them. She had something for her upset stomach in her medicine pouch, but she wanted to find a place to settle first before taking it, mostly because she wanted to sleep as well. 

Aves called for an audience, and she waited silently, nerves making her chest tighten a little. She had no idea how this pack would react to her presence here, but she knew she needed to make the best of it.

skippable; pp him as standing with avi when she arrives <3

strangers on the border.

augur openly watched them from a distance, the wind playing along his hackles.

he stood guard over the rise and red woman.

when she appeared he would move at a trot to her side and remain there until dismissed.

nothing could have surprised her more than Aventus standing at her border.

she'd offered him the chance, sure, but never had Avicus thought that he'd take it. yet here he is, with a woman—also with child—at his side.

the Wealda lumbers down the slope, huge, gravid. she hates her pregnant form and how it moves. loyal Augur is here first; she draws up beside him with a gentle nudge to the shoulder, then turns her indigo gaze upon her brother.

Ave, she says, quiet and contemplative. you've come. a litany of unsaid questions sparkle in her eyes. perhaps he'll answer them, perhaps not.

she looks upon his companion, countenance sharp, appraising, but not necessarily hostile.

Others welcome to hop in whenever, for now I'll assume all from the meeting are present!

The greatest test would be Avicus and Arielle together.

To his knowledge, his sister and mate had never met. Aventus turned his head to regard Arielle with a long and somewhat grave silence. He knew that to be a female of the species was difficult, and to be pregnant meeting a female leader was surely nerve-wracking. There was no telling how Avicus would treat his mate. He had to trust that she would respect that the pups Arielle carried were his, and hoped that influence alone would protect her from harassment.

When he looked back around, he spotted the sentry observing them from far off. Augur was a light blip on the verdant mountainside, still and watchful, as any good sentry should be. Aventus lowered his head a little and looked away, trying to ignore the way his mouth went dry.

He cast Cyril and Pandora a quick look over his shoulder and hoped they would not read the uncertainty he felt in his eyes.

Then Avicus was there, much rounder than he remembered, and with a start he realized that if he could have children, so too could she. The stakes were a lot higher than he ever imagined. It was one thing for Avicus to tolerate his offspring with Arielle, but would she accept what might look like competition? Her eyes went to his mate. Aves tried to swallow and found nothing to wet his throat.

Avicus, he greeted, dropping his head deferentially below his shoulders and glancing at the grey wolf who appeared beside her. Must be the sentry. Yes. Father's legacy... It is no longer mine. I hoped your offer might stand. To Arielle, he gave a tight-lipped smile to try to reassure her. This is my mate, Arielle, an accomplished healer. And the remaining wolves of Ursus, Cyril and Pandora.

A man appeared first, keeping silent guard but not greeting them. It was Avicus who spoke first when she arrived. She was heavily pregnant, further along than Arielle was. Knowing how she felt now, and assuming how she would feel in the near future, she felt bad for pulling her mate's sister from wherever she had likely been resting. Arielle reminded quiet, her focus mostly on Aves, even when she could feel the other woman's eyes assessing her. 

She could feel Aves' tension beside her, and it fed into her own nerves. Even the attempt at a reassuring smile from him didn't do much to comfort her. She had assumed they would be welcome here, but maybe it wasn't so easy. 

She dipped her head in greeting but didn't feel like she needed to speak just yet. Aves had already touched on the important things. Now they would wait for his sister to either welcome them or turn them away.

as Aventus speaks, her eyes flicker from each member of the quartet, the remaining holdouts from Ursus. she wonders how many more remained behind. had her father's pack not once been large and powerful?

then she remembers her brother's retelling of Merrick's death, and how everything had fractured.

perhaps this truly is all that remained.

mmhm. my offer 'hhill goodh, Avicus confirms, giving her brother a nod. you are all welcome here.

she directs her next words to Arielle. we have a healer, she explains briefly. Ahh'lar. you can learn from him; puhh' your herb in hihh' den. she is certain the man wouldn't mind in the least.

then, to Aventus: are you and them— 'them' with a gesture to the others— more fighh'er, or hunh'er? we needh bohh'.

Tulimaq is still gone. she'd promised the man his leadership post upon his return, but if he never came back. . . she wonders on the logistics and feelings associated with leading alongside Aventus, and sets it all aside. a bridge to cross, eventually. but not now.

skippable <3

they had made it. cyril had considered...wandering off somewhere in the plains, maybe finding another place of his own free will. however it didn't make much sense now, did it? especially when he felt...close to the remains of ursus' body.

him and arielle had planned a garden. him and aventus had guarded borders.

he lingered in the back, a wordless ghost.

Fighter, he said automatically, with immeasurable relief that they were welcome here despite Arielle's pregnancy and the history between the siblings. The mention of Ashlar turned his stomach a little, but Avicus had always had a soft spot for the coward, so it shouldn't have surprised him. He thought Arielle was twice the healer Ashlar was, but kept it to himself. He could only speak for his own skills. Aves turned to regard Cyril with a rare trusting look. Whether the man stuck around or not, Aventus knew, Cyril can serve in either capacity, but he would know his strengths best.

Of Pandora, he knew little. At length, he said, Pandora works with poisons. I suppose she is a fighter, in her own way. He would certainly not trust her healing capabilities, but he would leave it to Avicus what to do with her. He unfairly believed Pandora would simply slack off on any duty given to her and he would prefer the decision be out of his paws if she proved to be a detriment.

The healer's focus turned to Avicus as she addressed Arielle. She said Ashlar was a healer here and then assumed that Arielle would be the one learning from him, rather than them working together. No matter; she was confident in her skills, and she would find Ashlar and see what he knew. Maybe they could learn new things from each other.

Arielle offered a nod in understanding. I will find him, she answered. 

Her gaze returned to her mate then, as he and Avicus spoke. Aves laid out the skills of those who had followed, and it seemed his sister's pack had a need they could somewhat fill. It seemed mostly settled then, so she would wait for the meeting to end so she could take care of her nausea and try to sleep. She had not much else to say, really. Her husband had taken control of the situation, and she was happy to follow his lead.

i added Ave, Arielle and Cyril to the ranks and am waiting for Pandora to show IC before I do so for her!

it's settled. she gives Arielle a look of some sympathy, feeling the strain upon her own belly. to travel in that state. . .

but they were here now. home.

and she admits to herself a small twinge of satisfaction in finally—finally—having the upper hand over her brother. but only small, and only brief. maybe she's gotten soft.

come, Avicus says, gesturing inland. i'll 'hhow you 'round. she gives a brief howl to Prophet, informing him of the new members. she'd fill him in with more detail later.

she begins to make her way up the slope once more, signaling for the others to follow.

At the same time, Aventus felt a touch of rebellion when he thought of bending his head to his sister, but it was fleeting. Avicus had always been the better wolf between them, no matter how much he had played at faithful cultist. She had never had to stoop to such things for recognition. She was her own master, and she deserved all the respect she received, including his.

Aventus fell in line, following Avicus into the Rise without questioning whether she was in any state to give them a tour. He didn't know how pregnancy worked or what toll it took on the female body. He was a simple man who would never need to concern himself with such things. He knew Arielle was tired and he should have advocated for her then, but he followed wordlessly.

There would be time to rest once the pleasantries were done with.

Her rest would have to wait, but she needed to some of her ginger root now or she might vomit. She longed for the tincture she had made in the valley—it worked faster and better than just eating part of the root. But she had to make due until she could work on making more. She kept the ginger root on top of what she had brought for easy access, and she quickly took a bite and started chewing before moving to follow Aves inside the territory. 

Avicus wanted to give them a tour, and she would try her best to pay attention.

he supposed this was it. a simple in, a show around. he would stay, he guessed. it made the most sense. perhaps he could keep his circle small here still. tend to a garden with arielle and help aventus when needed.

regardless he'd slink along their trail in the background, content to follow wherever they went on their tour. then he'd find somewhere private to rest off their travels.