Hideaway Strath calling to join them the wretched and joyful

@Whrist (also @Simmik for reference)

It hadn't been long since she'd spoken to Simmik, yet, the Saluki couldn't be sure whether the Sandraudiga had had a chance to speak with Donav about  what had happened with Whrist. Nor could she be certain whether Kyn had already spoken to (aka done something or doled out some sort of ambiguous punishment to) the shadeling. Regardless, Aerin dediced to seek out her previous attacker, thinking perhaps there might be more to what had happened that night than she knew for certain. 

Thus, with only a small measure of hesitance, the girl of many names set off across the hart of the territory, following alongside the river as she tracked the jet femme's scent through the grassy knolls of the Strath's centre. She knew full well that she could be walking into another ambush but the ivory doe wished to get to the bottom of this issue and resolve it. Simmik had the right idea -- they shouldn't be warring amongst themselves. They needed to resolve their conflicts and turn their wrath towards the horizon and any enemies to come.

Whrist followed along the outskirt’s of the pack territory however rather then scent mark with pee, she stopped occasionally and kicked dirt spreading scent with her paw pads. She didn’t want to pee while she was in heat because that might draw the wrong kinds of attention to the boarders of the pack lands.

These days the grandmaster had avoided her, she was getting away with any and all her horrid behaviour outside of the one incident with Simmik’s brother. Or perhaps because of it. She’d never know for sure, nor would her ask.

A raven well above the white ghost in a tree cawed once and the black wolf then paused in her trek to tighten up the packs boarders, looked up to the bird then her white blue gaze then fell upon the slight wolf. With a inaudible huff Whrist attempted to move on, hoping to slink away unnoticed, though she’d stop if she had to, she owed the halfbreed that much.

The Specialist stopped as the shadeling morphed from the darkness, reminiscent of their first encounter though now they met in the daylight -- the grating, lonely croak of a raven heralding the clash of light and dark as it flew away, as if afraid the two females might burst into combat once more. The once-druid repressed the urge to chuckle, finding it strange that the dark woman was bold enough to randomly attack her but could not summon the strength to look her in the eyes.

"What 'appened?" Aerin asked neutrally, not bothering with pleasantries, as she halted a safe distance from the woman -- where she was less likely to be attacked by an agitated she-wolf, one in heat no less. Her tones were careful, purposefully vague so that it could be implied that she was asking after the reason why Whrist had attacked her or the reason why she had snapped like that. 

Whrist slowed to a stop and sighed, she ignored the white witch for a moment looking up to the raven she yipped three times in quick succession. The Raven cawed in return and circled lazily above them. Then tipped it's wings and dove at the pair of wolves it clipped it wing against the Aerin’s face or neck as it came close, it’s talons outstretched to land and perch upon the black wraith’s back. Whrist couldn't' help but grin at her little stockholmed pet’s impertinence.

Whrist resisted the urge the shake her body as the raven sunk it’s talons into her thick pelt, she mouthed it’s head and held it for a moment before releasing it, The raven sat perched on her back and cocked it’s damp head watching the other wolf with curiosity.

Unable to find anything else to use to ignore the white ghost before her, Whrist turned her full attention to the female before her. She either feigned ignorance or didn’t actually understand the question, However she had no choice but to answer her. “Nothing?” She offered with a single sweep of her tail behind her.

Then she huffed and turned her gaze back to the raven for lack of anything to look at but a white pelted being that made her teeth burn with the desire to defend herself from long dead foes. Whrist’s upbringing or rather the lack thereof, left her to figure out her body’s changes, by herself, and she didn’t quite understand what she was going through, didn’t even know it was called a ‘heat’ but these changes were what was making her even more angry and on edge, it also made her want to whine and bury her head in frustration, and possibly kill anything that saw her.

After a long moment she finally spoke keeping her gaze on the comforting color of the coal black bird “I don’t Know? I can’t seem to get a hold of my myself and my skin feels like I’m on fire and itchy; like I want to run and stand still at the same time”

She turned her gaze back to the female in front of her with a slight glare like it was the other woman’s fault she felt out of sorts. She looked very much like she was about to trot away again, though she didn’t yet move. She snorted and turned her gaze to glower at a rock nearby, like a spoiled pup.

The healer ignored the woman's childish behavior, thinking perhaps it was just her natural petulant personality. Her eyes sparked with sudden realization and the midwife dipped her head knowingly. "Ye are in 'eat," the sylph clarified, blowing out a breath of dread. She imagined that Whrist probably didn't realize she was in heat and may not even know what an estrous cycle was, that it might soon fall to the pale hart to explain. "Is that why ye attacked me?"

Whrist shook herself dislodging the bird, the bird flared it's wings and took to the sky with a disgruntled caw quickly dissapearing into the sky and away. She had never once been questioned on her past actions, had no one she had ever needed to answer to.

"Yes!" Whrist growled out quickly then huffed that didn't feel right. "No.." she sighed petulantly and added "I don't know... Maybe"

She sat down and stared at Aerin's paws as she spoke "I was so mad when you told me 'he' is mated to that prisoner bitch. It felt like you were her, you were going to steal him away forever. I can't stand white wolves they are ... they are..." She drifted off and stared at the white pelt before her evil, mean, corrupt, Malicious, Vile, Vicious creatures. Never mind that she had become all those things as well. Perhaps even worse since she could not see it for herself. Refused to see that behaviour in herself.

She lifted her gaze to meet the pale woman's pleadingly "What is 'eat?" She said the word with Aerin's accent since she didn't have another word to place upon the concept.

Aerin supposed she should have felt sorry for the dark, twisted being before her. But she was not moved to pity the corvid. They all had sob stories -- her, Vein, Kynareth, Simmik, and many more whose pasts she had not learned of yet like Arlette and Nyra's -- and at some point you were responsible for closing that chapter in your life. "I 'ave been ze priosner 'bitch' ye speak of more than once. It was yer kind that vas cruel to mine then." It had been mostly darker-pelted wolves who'd tortured and harmed her in the past but that did not mean she hated all wolves of that color. Aliroth had been the most monstrous of all and he had been as pale as she. "We do nae 'ave to be friends. But we should be on neutral terms at least. Our pack needs to be strong in the event that we go to var one day." 

The halfling strained and managed to pronounce: "Heat. It is vhen a voman's body tells her to breed." She watched the dark girl warily, wondering if this would be new information to her and cause another aggressive outburst. 

Whrist shifted and stared at the white witch she could not fathom a white wolf being anything other then the aggressor. No matter that she had taken up that mantle her her all consuming desire to be free of tyranny. She still felt pinned by her fear of them, and had been unable to move past it. Her foray into this pack had been welcome at first until she found more white wolves then her fragile psyche could handle. 

Whrist sighed unhappily as Aerin spoke nothing but truth, She had to get over herself, get over her past, Realize that with the deaths of those that oppressed her, her freedom had been assured. “You are right” she couldn’t help the involuntary trembling her body did as if she were cold, “I regret …” she was about to give excuses again and clamped her jaw shut trying to clamp down on the trembles too, She pinned her ears back and continued her in-depth examination of that rock “Sorry” she intoned very quietly.

Her eyes lifted the Aerin’s and she looked wholly appalled her hackled raised and she rocked back on her butt as if to remind herself not to attack. “It’s not my body’s choice! it’s my choice. I don’t think so!!”

"I vill not lie an' say that it is alright," the sylph murmured softly with a swish of her fluffy tail, "but I can say zat I forgive ye." Timidly, she allowed a faint smile to tug at her lips -- an olive branch of reconciliation. They wouldn't be striding through the Strath side-by-side, cutting the breeze and getting on as besties, anytime soon. But perhaps they could find an alliance of sorts between themselves. "I train an' I vill go into battle vith villingness to die for those I fought alongside. I vould like to know if those I vould give my life fer vould also do ze same fer me, regardless of my pelt." The ghastly waif blinked solemn moonstones as her muzzle canted in a vague dip, expression unreadable. 

The blanchard leaned back, ears pinning in an instinctive tic as the woman promptly sat -- as if that could physically halt her body's estrous cycle -- and denied what Aerin had said, having taken the words literally. "Peace be, ag scáthú," the once-druid soothed in a rasping lilt, berry tongue sweeping along her chops anxiously. "I only meant it is vhat 'appens  vhen a voman is ready to breed. It does nae mean ye 'ave to 'ave children -- I doubt anyone 'ere vould make ye do something ye don't vant to."

And then, as if she had considered the alternative, the fae glanced down with a frown. Her eyes moved back to Whrist's colorless ones after a second, the healer giving a firm nod as she swore: "An' if they do, I vill tear their throats out." 

“If there were a threat to the pack, I would fight alongside any and all to defend us. None of ours would fear defeat”  She stated firmly her hackles settled with her declaration.

Her white blues widened as she started at the witch trying to assess her words for truth. Whrist’s skin crawled below her pelt, she was unsure if that was because of her heat or the sincerity of the statement that reached her ears,

This one would defend her? Keep her safe? She blinked a few times unable to fathom why. But would she do any less for those in her pack? Slowly she stood and she nodded oddly solemnly “I would give you the same honour.”

She then turned and left, trotting slowly away, her whole world turned on it’s end. She was more confused then ever, there was to much info for her in their small conversation for her to comprehend in one go and her mind left like mush already.

Never mind she had just rudely walked away from Aerin yet again.

Aerin only lowered her head head again in response, hoarfrost lashes sweeping low over the peridot facets of her starshine gaze -- concealing any emotion from sight as she accepted the darkling's words for truth. The woman was too savage, too wild and unpredictable for falsehoods, or at least the midwife thought so. She watched Whrist go, making no move to stop her. Only after the shadow had gone would she give a small shrug, an amused shake of her head, and then swing back in a slow arc towards the direction she had come from. Maybe she would go find Vein and speak to him about the gardens she was interested in starting now that spring seemed to be here.