Bearclaw Valley No one look good with me but you

pinto- lmk if the assumption is okay :-) amneris and athalia went to bcv, so me + jess were thinking mira and ksura would do the same, and i figured ashkova would ofc be brought with <3

 

@Ksura and herself had taken @Ashkova and @Athamas, while they tracked the trails of the two wanderers, @Amneris and @Athalia. She had let her eyes stray from the children too long and they had let themselves run free, but part of her was glad to know they were ambitious, and growing healthy. Still, they were hers, and she had begun to feel that they were part his, too, with all the food he had provided for them as she nursed- her pawns alone they remained, though, as did he. 

To the valley they had lead her, a lovely, quaint place with little evidence to remain of the violent cult their ancestors had once run here. Ksura and Mira had hunted the goat of the mountain slope, and though she intended to move the family west soon, she supposed staying here temporarily would be alright, if it gave them opportunities to focus on the plethora of prey in a new place. The weather was beginning to get chilly and perhaps it was better to hunker down nearby for the winter than to take the kids on such a long journey at the harshest time of year. Maybe getting closer to Moonspear would need to wait until the spring- and winter would be for learning to hunt, learning to fight, learning to obey. 

She turned to the male, They are nearby; their scents are fresh now. An observation that he would know without her saying. Although she was worried, she kept it hidden, remaining cool. If it had solely been his fault maybe she would've snapped, but this had been her mistake too, and she faulted herself for it. It was her job to maintain composure despite the situation. If we find them soon, what do you think about setting up camp here? For a while. We could stay through the winter, try to find more wolves to help us while we're here. Maybe move west in the spring instead. He rarely argued, so it was easy to bounce ideas off of him- she liked this about Ksura.

Their worries about moving the children had, with time, been replaced by another problem- the children had begun to move themselves. With the two girls missing, it became a task of tracking them away from the mountains, and toward a sheltered area surrounded by walls of high stone. Curious, he thought- but not unwelcome. It would keep them safe from heavy snowfall and high winds. As long as there was prey here for them to hunt, he wouldn't find it unwelcoming. 

His muzzle hovered above the ground as he picked up fresh tracks and scents left behind by Amneris and Athalia, and he grunted in agreement, though he continued to track forward when she suggested that they potentially remain in the area. He would have nodded and agreed, until he came upon the scent left behind by the two most recent additions to the valley- a male and a female. The trail was fresh, so he assumed they had not come long ago. Concern caused him to bristle.

"There's others." He said, lifting his head to peer through the alley of stone and brush that led toward the valley. He now worried for the girls' welfare; there was no telling whether these other wolves were friendly or not.

Soon after his comment, she gave another good sniff, noticing the new scents he’d found. One of them was… familiar, in a way she couldn’t place at the moment. The other was not. They were older than her children, and she bristled instantly, though her face remained empty of expression. Her lips twitched, longing to bear themselves in an anxious snarl, but she stilled them. 

It would be best for their sake that they are friendly, Mira commented, gaze flickering with dashes of anger. No, no one would take her children, nor bring them harm- not if she had any say. She better find them safe and sound or she would be seeking a collection of throats from the wolves responsible. And all the while, she was consumed with an anger towards herself- perhaps she could not ever be a true mother, for she has failed her daughters in this moment. 

Her tail whips back and forth with tension, and she glances at the sons beside them. 

Let’s keep following. She offered plainly. The sooner they found them, the better. They could be harmless, but for now all she knew was that every moment was precious in sparing the lives of her girls.

It was best for the girls if the strangers were friendly as well, though he wasn't willing to give the strangers more time with them than what had already passed. Like him, Mira was eager to move onward, and he began to focus now on the scent of the pair of wolves. From what he could tell, they travelled together; there was little to tell him that there were two wolves, aside from the scent of each one having a unique gender. They had been together for some time, he thought; companions. If nothing else, they seemed to be friendly with one another, which might mean they were a couple. 

He reflected on the time he had spent doting on Mira and her four children, wondering how she saw him, regardless of the fact that two of her children had managed to give them the slip. He regretted not catching them each and every day, but tried to do his best instead to spare Mira the guilt. As the children grew, the more mobile and mischievous they became. It was only natural that they would slip away at some point, unnoticed. He could only hope they'd get the girls back before something bad happened to them. 

"We'll find them." he affirmed.

just a cameo, skippable :D

athamas had noticed his sisters’ absence, but had assumed they’d be back soon enough. when mother and ksura had told him and ashkova that they were leaving to find the girls, he’d been thrown off. he was used to the plainness of the den, and found a sort of comfort in it. but athamas was a very obedient child, and a follower. he was not a bold explorer like his sisters, and only went with the flow of life, whichever direction it pulled him. he had never been this far from home, and his eyes glimmered at each new sight, and all the beautiful pieces of nature that piqued his curiosity. he wanted to study each flower, each insect in the dirt, but was herded along at the adults’ pace. bye-bye, flower, he would think to himself each time he had to continue on past them, vowing to come back and inhale the unique scents of each. his mother and ksura chatted, but athamas paid them little attention. he sniffled at the ground, observing all the unique scents, and soon noticed his sisters among them, though this excited him less than the smell of wild flora. he was tired of walking, truly. but he continued as they did.