The Sentinels yeah, i know we made plans with the neons

a wild naturalist thread! tag for reference! <3

he leaves @Vairë's side with a nuzzle to her cheek, a kiss to her forehead and soft rasped words that he would only be a territory over exploring the forest clad sentinels with an invitation for her to join him should she feel inclined later ( or at all ).

that had been when the afternoon sun had been beginning it's descent towards the sea's horizon.

time had slipped away from him, and the dark of the sentinels closes in. he stayed where the forest was the oldest, untouched by regrowth but the scars of whatever natural disaster had prompted the regrowth in the affected area.

rhaegal slips through the trees, old and creaking against the whipping salty sea air, met with stretch of grasses that lead to a rocky outlook of cliff that plummets straight to the crashing sea below.

above him, the night sky blossoms as dusk blooms into night; clear and full of stars.

Heph had merely intended to stretch her legs just outside the territory. The forest beckoned her, and she itched to trace its many pathways sprayed with the faint scent of the sea while the moon was still out and seemed to invite a second kind of dawn. She thought, beneath the foliage, she could make out the twinkling of stars and she let them, alongside her own senses, mark her direction. But she had no intention of wandering so far that the act would be necessary - more habit than anything.

While she knew that Moonglow and Moonspear were near enough she had not expected to find anyone she knew. But the scent and look of the large wolf seemed familiar and upon coming closer she let her pawsteps speak a little more loudly as she approached. "Fancy my luck at running into someone so handsome twice." Humor curled on the edges of her words but they remained empty at the bottom, last she had heard he had been seeking the hand of someone within Moonglow. She had only met him once but she thought that she would remember the face and name to it. "Rhaegal right?"

the sound of pawprints against the earth

a familiar face draws rhaegal's gaze from the yawning heavens back to earth.

aye, rumbles rhaegal, offering a small grin at her compliment. nice tae see ye again, heph. rhaegal replies, surprised that she remembered. surprised to find her here.

it wasn't unusual to cross paths with other wolves more than once but the wilds were vast — larger than he probably knew in all fairness. what brings ye out tae the coast? he inquires conversationally, leaning into small talk.

Heph smiled, it seemed like a friendly re-meeting and she always preferred to leave on good terms rather than bad. She answered the request for small talk honestly, a hint of excitement seeping into her tone that she could not help. "A new pack, Moontide, two friends of mine are starting it out here and I wanted to take part." She used her head and paw to motion in the direction she had come from, turning slightly to indicate the direction. While Rhaegal had said he was not from Moonglow before if his suit had been successful her guess was that he was connected to it in some way.

She added again, turning the conversation back towards him, curious though not prying as to how he had been. "How about you?" While it was hardly her business she enjoyed hearing stories and of the places and wolves others had seen almost as much as she liked visiting them herself.

moontide.

it's name instantly reminds him of moonglow; but before he can think too much further on it her words of out here grabs and demands his attention.

where exactly was 'out here' and would it interfere with the plans he and vairë were trying to make?

though, in all fairness, the newly weds had no solid plan ... but were chasing her dream of an unnamed bay and saltsons and seadaughters.

tryin' tae find the bay that my doewife saw in her dreams. rhaegal replies. chasin' the coast while enjoyin' the married life.

a grin tugs across his lips which hardens into a line of contemplation.

where is moontide layin' claim tae? he inquires, unable to get that gnawing worry off of his mind.

It seemed his suit had been successful if he was celebrating his married life and looking for the place of his wife's dreams as they traveled the coast. It seemed that the grooms of Moonglow had a certain knack for seeing to the wishes of her wives, but it made her glad to see, especially in Samani's case. Her smile was genuine we she replied. "Congratulations!" She wondered what that bay would look like. Heph had explored a fair bit of the coast, and seen a few bays, but if it existed in the dream or mind she doubted that she would be able to be of much help.

When he asked about the location she thought she may have detected a thread of worry within his voice, but her mind turned to answering first. "A place just west of here, a plateau." She looked in the direction she indicated wondering if she could see hints of the structure jutting out from the earth from within the forest. But though the earth showed evidence of a fire which had razed swaths of forest to the ground there were enough trunks old, tall, and strong that had survived she could not easily pick it out for Rhaegal to see.

But if his wife was part of Moonglow, or family to it in some way then she and, by extension, Rhaegel were welcome within their borders. "I can show you if you like? You'll be able to see a few other territories from there as well. Rodyn and Samani are the leaders and friends and family from Moonglow and Moonspear are always welcome within the borders." There was a warmth to the lightness of her voice as she offered.

thank ye. rhaegal's grin turns boyish in it's nature; still trying to wrap his mind around being a staghusband.

blossoming worries are set to ease!

a plateau, not a bay.

if ye want tae, rhaegal says, not wanting her to feel like she needed to show him to reassure him that the sveijarns didn't have competition for any of bays along the coast.

i saw 'em briefly at my weddin'. rhaegal murmurs, trying to remember the connection vairë shared with them. sister? trying to keep it all straight was a bit of a struggle for rhaegal who was still learning the vast web of connections he's married into. might've been introduced. it was a flurry of activities. but in truth, he'd been eyes for vairë only.

Heph shook her head slightly, it was no trouble, especially since she would be heading back sometime soon at any rate. There were caches to fill and territory to mark. Rodyn was doing a lot of the heavy lifting barely resting, but Heph was doing her best to help as well. The land was rich in small prey, perfect for caches. "I'm heading back anyways." She began to turn back in the direction she had come from if only because she had marked the path in her head already and it would be easier to keep abreast of her surroundings if she thought less about the route.

She grinned, a short quick expression across her features. "I'll bet, I've never been to one by Moonglow." While the concept of marriage and mates for life was not foreign to her she was fairly sure that her own customs would not precisely mirror the mother pack of the one she had chosen. And while she had no immediate plans to try and procure some sort of mate she found herself curious about what Rhaegel might have noticed about the entire thing. "What was it like?" Her legs carried her at an easy pace while they were both larger wolves and could traverse the distance easily there was no need to sprint such a short way.

This can be the last post from Heph in this thread if Rhaegal wants to go for a visit

though rhaegal had spoken of letting her show him where moontide was forming, he hesitates on second thought. he was a married man now and he hadn't informed his doewife that he would be gone too long. in all fairness, he hadn't even told her he would be in the neighboring territory.

a glimpse is given skyward, gaze trailing over the celestial map overhead.

on second thought i'll wait 'til vairë is awake, he says, lingering notes of apology in his tone. i'm sure she'll want tae visit her family.

he, himself, didn't know many other than the moonmother and didn't feel right going in one of the sister packs by himself.

it was an affair, but not spoken in a bad way. magical. rhaegal, not good with words failed to properly explain it. another glimpse skyward. i cannae put it tae words.

Heph's maw curved up into a slight smile at his consideration. She thought it was rather romantic, and only nodded her head already giving a minute shake of her head and shoulders to wave off the hint of an apology in his tone. Her voice was warm but teasing as she intoned "A true gentleman. The invitation is always open so come whenever you're ready and call if you'd like a guide." She was sure Samani and Rodyn would be happy to see a wolf from Moonglow and if they were related and family even more so. The more she explored of the plateau the more she was impressed and she would enjoy showing it.

His description of the wedding did not provide many details but in only fueled her curiosity. She wondered if Rodyn and Samani had already had their wedding or if they were waiting until the pack was formed? Perhaps she would be able to attend if it was held in Moontide's territory, the prospect was only more exciting now that her suspicions of it being a grand affair were confirmed."Hmmm perhaps one day I'll see one." there was a curiosity in her voice but she was in no rush, the wheels of marraige and love rarely ever came to a full stop so she was sure there would be more eventually.

She saw him look up at the stars and considered the hue of the sky and the glow of the moon, there was still enough time for her to time her return before the afternoon perhaps even in the morning so it was most likely time to "In any case I wouldn't want you to keep your lovely bride waiting or miss too much of the day."

to the open invitation rhaegal speaks his gratitude with, thank ye. and an added, i'm sure one of us or both will visit once we find a place tae claim. for he does not wish to be a breaker of tradition nor open invitations. through vaire, their pack would have strong ties to the motherpack, moonglow.

aye. rhaegal murmurs in quiet agreement, considering of moontide was anything like moonglow those traditions would hold.

it was nice tae see you again. rhaegal offers, lingering a bit longer to trace the stars and gleam from them what he can before he eventually heads back to vaire when the sun begins it's rise over the horizon.