The Wall devil gonna follow me e'er I go

Rue, what are you doing? Stop climbing! Turn around!

Ascending the Wall would have been difficult a year ago, when Rue was at her prime peak of fitness and performance. In her condition now, it was nearly the equivalent of a suicide run. The woman's paws knew the steps; every twist and turn was etched into the former scout's memory. But her muscles pulled in different places now, and there was pain-- so much pain-- pulsating from the base of her spine and shooting into her back limbs at seemingly random intervals. 

Rue scrabbled and hauled herself up a short ledge-- one that would have posed no challenge for her before her injury. Every step she put behind her was worth the pain of moving forward. Her cheeks were still wet from the tears that had leaked, and even now her eyes threatened to spill more. How could she have thought it would be a good idea to return to Blacktail Deer Plateau? Had she imagined she would find Liri and Kavik here, living peacefully in the den they all used to share, raising the children they never got to have? 

Instead, Rue had found only dust. Dust, and unfamiliar smells, and haunting memories. 

Greymoor wolves, maybe? Anyone welcome!

Tags for reference!

Deeper into the mountains he roamed, picking his way with ease across rugged terrain as though he'd known those treacherous slopes his whole life. It took him some time to scale the slope and his chest heaved with the effort, but the results far outweighed the strenuous effort in reaching the highest peak.

The narrow ledge on top was a curious thing - one that he supposed @Ugnė would long to shove him from, should he provide the opportunity.

Without her, however, Rökkvi knew an uncollected descent could be just as treacherous. He made a mental note to reign in his confidence on the way down, and tread carefully. Until then, however, the ironborn was content to pick his way across the flatter section of rock to find the best vantage point.

He heard the unfamiliar she-wolf before he saw her, and paused to investigate the lower ridges for any sign of who else attempted to ascend the wall. She was a small creature from what he could see from above, at least in comparison to him, and her effort was admirable to Rökkvi considering how more females than most appeared weak in his eyes. Making no move to aid her in those final few reaches, the watcher regarded her coolly in his own form of silent, unreadable encouragement. 

If Rökkvi had been able to see the waif blinking back tears, longing for a life that would never be, would he still have admired Rue’s strength? We’ll likely never know. The final ascent would require every last drop of Rue’s mental energy, and her cheeks would be dry when she heaved herself up over the last ledge. 

Ruenna didn’t notice the presence of the stranger right away. The edges of her vision were clouded by pain. She flexed her paws against the stone, trying to ground herself, trying to keep the darkness from swallowing her completely. 

After a moment, Rue’s tunnel vision subsided. Inhaling deeply, she finally looked around. Honey eyes landed on the stranger, and the waif stiffened. There was a time when finding herself all alone with a strange male would have sent her into a quiet panic, but Rue had long ago conquered that demon. She was simply wary. 

The man looked like he belonged on this inhospitable peak, his monochromic coat and rugged visage blending perfectly with their surroundings. 

“ ‘Lo,” she greeted, the bell of her voice chiming softly. Subdued. Her tail twitched behind her in a manner that was respectful, although not outright friendly. 

“I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone, apart from the ravens,” she added. The peak of the Wall and Raven’s Watch below were typically places of solitude, given how difficult they were to reach.

The wind, a biting reminder of his Northern heritage that he would never return to, whipped at the ironborn's rugged monochrome pelage as he stood, rooted and quietly observant. He simply watched the she-wolf as she pushed on despite her struggles and, when at last she gathered herself onto the peak not far from where Rökkvi stood, he tilted his muzzle toward her to study her in silence.

Impressive - the first thought that sprung to mind, until the stranger turned her head to regard him. Champagne eyes were drawn at once to the damp streaks that marred each of her cheeks, to the glisten of her honey gaze that suggested she'd been crying recently. Rökkvi blinked, his initial opinion of her quick to dwindle.

These Southern creatures were so emotional. 

"My pack claims the watch," he said in response to her expectation of the wall being vacant, and canted raven ear backward in the direction of the mountain edge where his family made their home. "What brings you this way?"

The man needn't have pointed; Ruenna was familiar with the Watch and the little oasis beneath, which was likely where this man's packmates made their dens. 

"A good vantage point," the waif murmured, almost to herself. The wolves of Raven's Watch would know all who approached for miles. This one guardian posted at the back would be enough to catch any wolves crazy enough to come up the Wall from the rear. 

"I lived here once," she replied, speaking louder this time. "On the plateau below." Blacktail Deer Plateau. Her gaze swept toward the south and lingered there a moment. 

If this man was of the Watch, then it was likely the Elysium wolves were no longer in the willows. A shame... Ruenna had hoped to shelter with them for a few days, if anyone there remembered her. And what of Diaspora, then..?

"Diaspora doesn't bother you here?" Ruenna queried, brow knitting with curiosity. "Stigmata was insistent that all of the Sunspires belonged to him..." Rue shook her head, still in disbelief after all this time.

His eyes followed hers, and he stretched out his proud neck to better see the lower reaches she spoke of. It didn't look like much to him from his vantage, not in comparison to the watch where he'd recently made his home. Still, he acknowledged the she-wolf's tidbit if knowledge with a level glance as he returned his attention to her. 

She carried on while he maintained his silence, sharing further information of their shared wilderness with him. Dark ears perked, more interested now as unfamiliar words tumbled from her maw: Diaspora, Stigmata, Sunspires. He was quick to assume that Sunspires was the name of the mountain range and that Stigmata was a some greedy old fool who thought himself ruler of all; an amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I have never heard these names," the ironborn admitted, making a mental note to seek his brothers so he could deliver this update; "but I would very much like to meet this Stigmata some day." He would face quite a challenge in Rökkvi and his comrades, of that he was sure.

Speaking of names. 

"My name is Ruenna Redfern. Though i would appreciate it if you didn't mention it, if you do happen to meet Stigmata." The last time Rue had spoken to the Diaspora leader, she had offered to carry a litter of pups for Stigmata in exchange for his permission for her to live in these mountains in peace. He would expect her to make good on that offer if he knew Rue was back in the Sunspires. The man had a habit of taking by force what he believed was owed to him.

A new name was really what she needed, if she was going to stick around.

She provided a name, and the brute took a moment to study the contours of her features so he might pair it to the memory of her face should their paths happen to cross once more. "Rökkvi af Stormskýli," he returned, and pricked a raven lobe in curiosity at the words that swiftly followed.

He couldn't help but wonder why Ruenna hoped to avoid contact with this Stigmata, and jumped to the conclusion that he might be responsible for the tear stains on each of her cheeks. Truthfully, Rökkvi doubted he would be sharing this information with anyone but his brothers, but her plea roused fresh intrigue to dig for more: "what does he look like?"

Editing this one for an ending, since Rökkvi is inactive.

Ruenna's head dipped when he gave his name. It had an unusual structure, giving it an overall foreign sound. Rue was reminded vaguely of the tongue that she had occasionally heard Liri use.  

What did Stigmata look like? Tall, dark, and handsome, of course. Weren't they all? 

"Middle-aged. Black fur, but silvering. With silver eyes." Rue knew it was hardly necessary to describe the man. If Rökkvi came across him, he would know it. Stigmata wasn't one to fade into the background. Ever. 

Rue watched the scout closely, but the description did not appear to spark recognition.

With a nod, Ruenna readied herself to depart. She had long since caught her breath, not to mention steadied her emotions. 

"Stars guide you, Rökkvi. And the Watch." With another final nod, Rue left the scout to his thoughts. She continued along the ridgeline, her pace a maddeningly slow lumber.