Duskfire Glacier across the universe

This will be interesting. @Kieran, @Falwasi, and Kas are coming to check on the pack. Neither knows about anybody going south to tell Scimitar that @Bazi arrived (feel free to post in here if you want). Please let Falwasi and Kieran post first, then AW.

When Kaskara had finally finished her scouting trips and got over the brief sickness that had engulfed her, she gathered Falwasi and Kieran to her and set off. The pair had been traveling for days, stopping for food and sleep when night descended upon them. Though she didn't know exactly where Duskfire Glacier lay, she knew the general direction, and let her nose carry them the rest of the way. It was late on the third day of their travels that the scent of a pack became stronger, and Kaskara grinned at her companion and friend. "We're close," she said, picking up her gait. Finally they slowed down to a walk again on the edge of the pack.

After glancing over at Falwasi, Kaskara threw back her head and called for Bazi or either of the alphas, glad that they had made it safe. Kaskara sat down near her friend, bumped her shoulder in reassurance, and waited.

The two women had been travelling for a full three days. Kieran, who was supposed to join them, had gone missing. Falwasi didn't exactly mind — where some wolves would say 'the more the merrier', she thought if there were less people, there would be less obstacles along the way. She wouldn't want someone the hold them back.

Falwasi had been well-prepared for their trip; she was in top condition, full stomach, energetic, thick fur... And, she was enthusiastic enough, though she might not have shown it. She would get to visit one of the further packs, not to mention she would also get to go on another expedition to the Bypass, accompanied by Dovev once she returned.

"We're close," Kaskara, the mahogany colored she-wolf said with a relieved grin. An unfamiliar scent was strong, and it filled Falwasi's nostrils. It was nearing nightfall, quickly. Though the sky was still blue, there was a certain dullness to it, assuring the coming of darkness.

The females stopped at the edge of the Glacier's border, where Kaskara lifted her head, a loud howl escaping her lips. With a nudge of reassurance to her shoulder, the travel companions awaited the arrival of the Alphas, or, Bazi. Although their journey had not been particularly arduous, Falwasi was contented that they had reached their destination.

Sorry guys i honestly don't know how i missed this until you tagged me again

Kieran had never been far, but he had preferred to travel on the outskirts of the wilds, keep an eye on the females in silence. Perhaps it was for reasons of self pity, he wasn't really sure, but he had left them briefly to seek solace of an unknown kind. He missed Kiva more than he could possibly even imagine, and to be in the vicinity of two females for an entire length of a trip it was disheartening. So he had stayed hidden, but he had been near. As they neared the Glacier he finally strode into view and looked about him. He sat down near the girls, but not right beside them and he simply waited.

He curled his dark plumed tail around his dark brown paws and with green eyes he studied the area around him and those near him.

When Danica heard the call, she made an instant beeline for it even though it was not directed at her. They were gonna get her, whether they liked it or not. When she saw who made up the party, a somewhat wicked grin broke out across her face. Seems some of Bazi's pack mates had come, including Kaskara, with whom Danica mixed with about as well as oil and water.

"Kas! What a surprise!" She said, silken enthusiasm in her tone that would no doubt be taken badly (as she intended it to). "Now what brings you three to our little ol corner of the north?" She knew full well why they were probably here, but where was the fun in telling?

For clarity, Malachi's still a distance away from where you four are gathered.

When a woman's call sounded sharp on the evening air, Malachi did not hesitate to respond. Though the howl had not been directed at him, he found it within his responsibility to intercept the visitors at the border's edge, though a part of him still wondered at his right to do so now that Njal had returned to them. It felt strange acting as Alpha in his stead when the Northerner mingled among them again, but anyone could tell the man was not himself. The change upset the youth, but he tried not to dwell on the father's suffering as much as he had in prior days.

As he drew nearer the borderline, the youth caught sight of four wolves in wait, and he felt a stir of surprise. He'd only been expecting one. It was then he heard Danica's voice rise faintly from the cluster but, still pacing a distance off, he couldn't catch wind of her words. He felt unsettled then, as he had nights before when he'd met with her. But the boy continued forward at an even pace, setting his brow against the sensation he wrote off as paranoia and shaking his fur of the sudden discomfort. He could trust Danica. After all, Tuwawi had.

Thank you all for joining! :)

Kaskara wasn't entirely surprised when Danica came forward first, though she hated the sound of the silkiness of her words. Kas didn't let herself respond to the girl's obvious bait, though what Kas had ever done to Danica to earn such a greeting was beyond her. The only time she could recall ever speaking to the woman was when Junior came to visit, and it was Danica's own ill-place curiosity that got Kas riled up t begin with.

However, that was far in the past. Kaskara wasn't here to cause problems or make enemies. As far as she knew, their packs were on friendly terms (and possibly allies), and she was not here to disrupt that. "Hello Danica," Kas replied with a nod, her words and tone neutral. Truth be told, she had no ill feelings toward this woman, though they didn't get along. "We're here for two reasons. We came as an envoy from Swiftcurrent to check on the status of our former packmates, to make sure they are equipped for winter." She did take a little liberty with that, but Kas was fully prepared to follow up on it if needed.

"We're also here to check on Bazi's wellbeing. She left more than a month ago to visit Tuwawi, and we are simply concerned subordinates asking after our alpha." Kas turned toward Falwasi and Kieran, hoping they would back her up if needed. There was nothing that she said that was untrue. Turning back to Danica, she asked. "How are Njal and Tuwawi? Their scents are faint upon the borders."

/sneaks in

Is it now @Falwasi > Kieran > Danica > Malachi > Kaskara > Bazi?

Despite falling temperatures, Bazi was well and truly on the mend - and improving health heralded the return of just a little bit of vanity. The former Alpha was gazing miserably at her gaunt, yellowed reflection when the call cut through the forest, startling the roosting birds overhead. Bazi's eyes widened. Her reflection stared owl-eyed back at her. She recognized that voice.

Kaskara?

Bazi got awkwardly to her feet and began to hobble in the direction of the borders. Joy mixed with an apprehension that doubled in size when she spotted the distant figures of Kaskara, Falwasi, and Kieran. All three of them? Bazi's ears wilted as she began to ponder the reasons for such a large envoy. They might have come looking for her, correctly assuming that something had happened along the way.. or they thought her a deserter, and had come to execute her for treason. Either way, she would be leaving Duskfire Glacier.

"Kaskara!" Her voice cracked on the second syllable, cutting the name in half. Danica was already there, facing the packmates she had been separated from. Bazi stumbled forward as quickly as she was able, and was breathing hard when she eventually reached the line of courtesy that the Swiftcurrent wolves now toed. "I fell! I fell," she wheeze, staring wildly between her packmates and Danica.

The mountain wolf held back a low growl as she detected the sarcasm in Danica's voice. It was retained half by Falwasi, half by the presence of another wolf making its way towards them. Kaskara explained the Creek wolves' being at the border of the Glacier, and Falwasi stood still beside her companions. The worst that could happen would be if they were chased away from the border.

As if by coincidence, as soon as the mahogany female mentioned Bazi, the plush white thing replied to her summoning. Falwasi's copper eyes widened at the sight of her approaching them. She was thin. Too thin, and her usually thick snowy coat was dulled. The girl had a heavy limp, too, causing the earthen wolf to worry further. What had they done to her?

Falwasi held herself stiffer than before, and as Bazi reached her packmates her breathing became highly audible. It was weak, more of a wheeze than a breath. "I fell! I fell," she said, explaining the reason behind her limp, but not her malnourishment. "Bazi..." Falwasi said, stepping forward swiftly to greet her by touching her cold nose to Bazi's cheek. "What... What happened to you?" she asked, regarding the she-wolf's pinched figure.

Kieran eyed the other she wolf with a wary eye. He did not like her tone, but they were on her home turf, even if they were sister packs. So common manners dictated that he keep his temper to himself. He just stared at her with warning.

His green eyes got wide when Bazi came on the scene and he spoke softly"Ah! by de gods miss bazi ye gran'?" She looked terrible with emaciated body and limp, but it was still the alpha queen.

i dunno where this fits in the timeline with Njal/Tuwa but I assume it is after Njal, before Tuwawi?

She got angry glances from the other two, but no rise from Kaskara. Damn. It wasn't that she didn't like Scimitar's sister, but that she had judged the girl to have a pretty short fuse their last meeting. And wolves with such easy tempers were good fun to screw with. Perhaps this only applied when her brother was involved, because Kaskara showed herself to have more self restraint than Danica. Boo, no fun.

There were a lot of questions in that greeting, but as Danica opened her mouth, one of them answered itself. It was just as well, for she had been sorely tempted to give it another go and lead them on a bit regarding Bazi. Which, really, probably wouldn't have ended up so well.

"There's one. For the others, no we don't need help, and Njal is fine. Tuwawi is away." She didn't elaborate, nor did she mention the children. She assumed Bazi would fill them all in anyway.

I think that's right.

He continued forward, quicker now, ears alert to catch the words of the visitor who spoke. Most of her words came as inaudible murmurs, but as he drew nearer he could make them out more clearly - winter, Bazi, Tuwawi and Njal. It was only then Malachi noticed another wolf approaching, hobbling toward the cluster with shouts that broke his concentration from the main group. From the way she moved and the words she called, he took her to be Bazi, the woman Danica had earlier informed him would be staying with the pack until she healed. He hadn't had the chance to meet with her yet, but hadn't been willing to turn away a wolf so in need of their help.

He drew up beside Danica just as she began to speak again and let his gaze skim over those who had turned to face the ivory woman. Danica's vague response perplexed the youth, considering the relation he assumed these visitors and their pack shared. Were these not Swiftcurrent wolves? Tuwawi had never told him the exact reason for her family's departure from their former pack, but he hadn't assumed her leave to have been triggered by her fellow packmates. He shot the golden warrior a fleeting glance before turning his attention back on the new arrivals and allowed his gaze to fall on the rugged brown woman he assumed to be the leader of the group.

"Danica found her half-starved some days ago." He added quickly with a flash of his gaze toward Bazi. "She was in no condition to travel, so we offered her a place here until she felt fit to return to you." As for the Sveijarns, how much to divulge was beyond him. And even if he knew, he couldn't say he wanted to be the one to break the news.

Danica seemed disappointed by the lack of reaction from her. Kas ignored it, mostly because she wasn't here to cause problems and she really didn't feel like arguing today. Danica could feel disappointed all she liked. Before Danica could answer any of her questions, however, a particularly small, yellowish wolf came forward.

Kas stare at Bazi in disbelief. Not only was she a sickly yellow color, she was rail thin and gaunt. She was yelling, "I fell! I fell!" as she approached the group, and Kaskara carefully and gingerly stepped toward her. She ran her nose along the girl's head and breathed in the scent of her, noting the traces of sickness and disease, but unsure of how to react. She seemed to be healing, though she was far from well.

Before she could say anything, another wolf appeared. He explained that Danica found her a few days ago, half-starved, and offered her a place to stay until she was well enough to return home. Kaskara's two-toned eyes turned to Danica and she smiled, a real, genuine smile, and said simply, "Thank you, Danica."

Danica then spoke, giving her very vague answers to her questions. It was fine if they didn't need help preparing for winter. That only meant Kaskara could focus on Bazi now and getting her home safely. But her vague answers regarding Njal and Tuwawi were not enough for her. She would find out later when Bazi was better. The brown warrior turned toward the grey male and said, "I'm Kaskara Gladius, Outrider of Swiftcurrent Creek. I am in your debt, sir." She bowed to him briefly before turning back to Bazi, inspecting every inch of her gaunt and sickly form.

Her pack-mates swarmed to her, touching their cold, wet noses against her scraggly, yellowed fur. At least she was no longer filthy. Bazi nuzzled each girl, eyes brimming with happy tears and tail lashing against her ankles. She gave Kieran a broad, watery smile and a shrug - grand? Hardly, but all the better for seeing her family.

She missed the tension between Kaskara and Danica completely, and Malachi's appearance put a stop to whatever was going on between them. Bazi had yet to meet the wolf that had allowed her sanctuary - honestly, she had never considered that they wouldn't help her, but really, she had been lucky. Danica wasn't her biggest fan, and Malachi did not know her. If Njal had not returned when he did.. with winter approaching, the pack did not have the resources to care for a sickly wolf - and they had no obligation to Swiftcurrent Creek, either.

In a rare show of humility, Bazi lowered herself shakily onto her forelegs, copying Kaskara's bow. "Thank you. Thank you," she told him, blue eyes travelling from his face to Danica's, where they lingered in an attempt to catch her eye. They needed to talk - and soon. As soon as Bazi was strong enough, the Swiftcurrent wolves would depart.

Kaskara resumed her diligent inspection. Bazi put her nose close to the warrior's ear and whispered "I need to go home," before turning to the Duskfire wolves. "How can I repay my debt?"

[size=x-small]Sorry for slow replies; lots o' work D:[/size]

Soon Kaskara and Kieran joined the mottled brown wolf, making a fuss over their former Alphess. So it was Danica who had come to the young wolf's rescue. Interesting.

The mahogany she-wolf offered something in return for the Glacier's generous actions, and Falwasi await for the Alpha's response. Even though they had saved Bazi's life, the spry warrior hoped the male would say something they could do soon, within the next month or so. She didn't exactly like the saying 'you owe me'.

Though it was merely a whisper the arctic wolf spoke in, Falwasi could make out the words. She wanted to go home. Of course she did. Of course she wanted to go home. She had been gone for so long... two months. It didn't feel long to Falwasi, but it must have felt like an eternity to the Bazi.

Kieran did not say anything, but he shifted his weight and stood up, there were too many wolves surrounding the ones in his charge. He didn't like it, he didn't expect them to attack them of course, but too many always made him antsy. He shifted again and his shoulders were tight while his green eyes took everything in.

Going with the fact that this happened after Danica/Bazi thread? I believe? last post from me!

Danica listened as Malachi attributed Bazi's discovery to herself, not arguing. She'd simply been patrolling, but if they wanted to thank her for that, go for it. She wasn't about to refuse. Accepting Kaskara's gratitude with a silent nod, she refused to meet Bazi's searching gaze. Everything that needed said had been said and there was nothing more to discuss.

She need say nothing more here, the rest of the conversation lending more towards Malachi's position than her own. She remained as backup to him, stepping to the background so that he could do his thing. She'd probably already overstepped her own rank in responding first to Kaskara's questions, but again, restraint wasn't something she often practiced. Malachi hadn't seemed too offended anyway.

Malachi met Kaskara with a gentle smile and dipped his head in response to her bow. Being on the receiving end of such submission remained a foreign feeling, but he accepted the humility of each woman as best he could. "It's good to meet you. I'm Malachi." He paused, eyes passing thoughtfully between Bazi and Kaskara. He could think of little to ask in return for caring for the ivory queen; in truth, he had never thought their help anything out of the ordinary. Though he knew little of Swiftcurrent Creek, he knew enough to assume their packs stood on good terms. The Glacier had given up a portion of their prey so that Bazi could live, but to Malachi that had been a necessary sacrifice to ensure the woman's survival.

Malachi caught Danica's movement in his peripheral before refocusing his gaze on Bazi. "All I ask is that you do the same for us if one of our members needs your help, as you needed ours now." There was a possibility that day would never come, but to have the assurance they had an ally in Swiftcurrent was of great value to the youth.

He eyed Bazi before sweeping his gaze across the other wolves gathered there. He sensed a tension brewing, mostly from the male of the group, but he did not let the discomfort unsettle him. He turned his gaze back to Kaskara. He had caught Bazi's quiet words, and though he thought her in no condition to travel yet, the decision now would be up to the envoy from the Creek. "You may stay here as long it takes for Bazi to recover, and help us stock our caches while you wait." He did not know if this was a wise decision, with the onset of winter and the dwindling resources, but he took these wolves to be honest ones and trusted they would use the land as visitors with sound judgment. If he saw or heard of exploitation, he would deal with the matter then.

Sorry for holding this up. I'm going to wrap this up! Feel free to post again if you want, but it's not necessary.

Kaskara heard Bazi's plea but didn't react to it, only storing it away to ponder later. She would need to speak with her, and soon, to get things cleared up before they returned to the creek. She didn't need Bazi devastated by her brother's aloofness when they returned, not on her watch. She dipped her muzzle to Danica again, ever grateful for her ability to care for Bazi even when she didn't need to, and turned back toward Malachi.

"Both of those requests are reasonable." It would take a hard-headed wolf not to agree with those terms. "I know the creek will extend any help possible if any of your members need it. In exchange for Bazi's safe-keeping, we will hunt for you and help fill your caches." If Kieran and Falwasi decided that was not in their best interests, then Kaskara would do that part alone. As long as they got Bazi back, she was willing to do just about anything in return.

Kaskara looked Bazi over again and smiled, though a trace of sadness was on her face. They needed to get her well again, and to do that, she needed rest and nourishment. Turning back to Malachi and Danica, she said, "Since we have traveled a long way, I think we will retreat for the night. Thank you again for your hospitality." She bowed toward them both and after a few more words of farewell, turned to coordinate a hunt for Bazi, who would remain in the safety of the pack until she was well enough to leave. Kas wouldn't risk her out here. With a last farewell, Kaskara left to hunt.