Sleeping Dragon But please don't need it

Jailbreak #2

Following his little escapade the day before, Hvitserk had taken to lingering either within or very close to the den. Time with his favoured teacher was still sought after, but if he'd learned anything, it was that venturing beyond his usual reach wasn't a good idea at all. It was easy to get turned around and lost, and he wanted no part in it. It was better to keep close to home, for that was where his family was, and there was always a chance that Portia might eventually stop by; that was something he'd found himself looking forward to, peeking out of the den's entrance every now and again to check if she was lurking. Thus far, he'd not spotted her, and so back amongst his sisters he'd settled, albeit a bit closer to the exit.

After waiting, checking, settling back down, and then repeating the process several times, he'd grown bored of it. Yesterday he'd gone out alone, but maybe if he were to take someone else with him today, the end result wouldn't be the same. Glancing around, the boy had ended up nudging @Freyja a few times before standing and motioning towards the mouth of their home, inviting her along. Perhaps walking in a pair would keep them from getting lost, for more eyes could be focused on where they were going and what turns were being taken. Hvit would proceed to leave their place of rest thereafter, only to wait right outside to see if he might be followed.

She was in hot pursuit of a rabbit. Her light paws drummed across the earth as she chased after a blurred target bounded just out of reach. She didn’t know how she had gotten to where she was but she knew that she had a task to accomplish. The rabbit suddenly veered left and as it did this, Freyja took the plunge and lept. With her limbs stretched out before her she attempted to gain any hold that she could on the prey. But, in the midst of her attempt, a nudge was felt and her vivid world went dark.

Blinking open widened eyes, the child quickly realized that it had been all a dream. Though disappointment grew on her features, the child soon found that it had been her brother beckoning her outside. Without another moment wasted, the child groggily pushed herself onto unsteady paws, shook herself off, and followed after her brother. “Hvitserk,” she mumbled happily as she pulled to his side, offering a nudge to his shoulder. “Where do we go?”

A second thought hadn't been given prior to waking his sister, his mind having already been set. Yet, he'd wondered to himself if he'd nudged her enough, as well as if she might follow after having been awoken. Pleased had he been and aside were his worries put upon seeing her approach, a wag of his tail offered in exchange for her nudge. Seemingly tired still, he'd tried to get her moving a few extra steps, wanting her wide awake and attentive for their journey. They had to find the plant lady but, in order to do so, he couldn't have her falling asleep during their trek. Where they'd end up going, though, he hadn't the slightest of clues, so the only response that her question had received initially was a shrug.

Hvit took a few steps in the direction he'd gone in the other day, but promptly had his course been altered, favouring a new direction. Several more moves were taken before he'd looked towards his sister, wanting to make sure that she was following. It was then that he'd been struck by the realization that, in order to get her up to speed, he'd need to speak. The corners of his lips twitched as a frown attempted to take over, but he shooshed it away before it could. For the first time ever, he'd then spoken to his sister, saying, "Find Portia." Maybe Freyja might even know where to look? A part of him hoped so, for he hadn't the slightest of clues where to even begin.

Portia. She had met the wolf only once and that had been in the midst of her trailing after some prey. Though the child had been wary of the adult at first she had grown on Freyja. “Oh,” she commented idly in reply as her eyes trailed to the path before them. She wasn’t quite sure just where Portia lived or even why her brother wanted to see her, but she didn’t question him any further. Instead she set her attention at the task at hand: finding Portia.

“Do yew know where she lives?” she asked, sticking to simple “yes” and “no” questions with her brother. Even if he did not know where she lived the children were still at an advantage with their new home. The den was closer to the other pack members and perhaps Portia had set shop near their den.

The task had been set, but it quickly became apparent that neither knew where to begin. Hvit had shaken his head, knowing not where the female lived, for he'd never seen her home before. They'd first met back when the children were still in the whelping den, and then again when they'd been relocated to their current home, but never had he been taken to wherever she slept at night. Frowning, he'd grown still, thinking back to the times he'd seen her. Her appearance was remembered, and her scent, too. Having yet to take an interest in tracking, he'd approached his sister and touched his nose to her own, only to then lower it towards the ground. His head was brought back up soon after, but he'd gone through the motion several other times to ensure his message was understood: he wanted her to track the woman.

Freyja had taken more of an interest in the rabbit that they'd been brought before than he had, and so he felt confident that she'd be able to do this for him. Then, once Portia was found, they'd be able to hear one of her lessons together.

The pair was with a task but very little resources to lead them in the right direction. A look of concern fell about the child’s face as her two-toned brother responded to the question. Perhaps there was another way that they could find her but Freyja was at a loss of how they could track down Portia. Her milky eyes darted about the scenery before them as she wondered just where Portia could be.

She was a bit slow to catch onto what he was attempting to get across to her and as he motioned she paused mid-step and watched on. But, suddenly, as he dropped his nose to the floor the idea struck her. “Woooooooah!” she breathed, her eyes glistening and her heart thudding as the realization overcame her. Yes, she could help him track! “I can do that!” she affirmed then, dropping her nose to the ground and inhaling heavily. Though she had only met the woman once, Freyja had spent quite some time with the other woman as she had helped in her hunting lesson.

Her nose lingered on the floor as she attempted to account for all the scents that the earth offered. She smelt the trails of her family members, Wildfire, and some other wolves that she could not account for. But, Portia was nowhere to be found. She could recall that there was something oddly floral to Portia’s scent and it was one that would stick out among other scents.

Lifting her head, she frowned. “Not here.” She sighed, her ears falling to her crown in her moment of defeat. Looking to the horizon, she took a step forward. “Maybe near the other dens?” she offered, inviting him to take the lead.

Though it'd taken a moment, he'd focused on the fact that his message had been understood, for that was what mattered the most. He'd stood back and watched as she'd dropped her nose to the ground, waiting to hear the verdict. Whenever he inhaled, he'd not scented Portia in the air, but perhaps she'd be easier to locate if the ground was paid attention to. And so when Freyja had started to lift her head, he'd grown excited, only for that very same eagerness to be torn away from him once her frown was noticed. A weight was felt sinking into the pit of his stomach, formed purely out of disappointment. She wasn't there, but—and he hoped that this was the case—maybe she was elsewhere, just as his sister had suggested.

Hvit had often avoided the other dens, keeping to the one that belonged to his family and the surrounding area. However, if there was a chance that his favoured adult was in one of them, then he'd be sure to visit them all more often in the future. The invitation was taken, a new feeling of determination having shoved his disappointment from a moment ago away. The whelp kept moving onward until the homes of others were reached, where he'd then come to a complete stop before looking back towards Freyja. Though he said nothing, he had motioned towards the ground again, urging her to take a whiff.

Their path veered away from the open terrain and towards the homes of their packmates. Following closely, Freyja padded on after her younger sibling. “Maybe...” she offered, her eyes scanning about the territory around them, “...she’s hunting?” After all the last time that Freyja had seen Portia was in the midst of a hunt. Surely that was all the blotched wolf did with her time. She was unaware of the wolf’s other talents and thus was at a loss of any viable hints.

Pausing as her brother did, Freyja took her brother’s hint and lowered her nose to the ground. There were closer to the common area that was the crossroad of many of the pack's members. She took longer in her smelling this time as there were more smells to sample. Soon enough, the familiar floral scent of the older wolf wafted past her nostrils-- but the smell itself was old. “Portia,” she said, lifting her head and looking to her brother. “She’s---” she smelled again, her nose lifted in an attempt to pinpoint just where the other wolf had gone.

It went east.

“-- that way.” She said, pointing east.

Tagging @Portia in case she'd like to pop into this. ^^

As they'd progressed across the terrain, another suggestion was offered, which Hvit shook his head in response to. He'd never seen the woman hunt before, and was somewhat convinced that she didn't; or, if she did, that it wasn't so often that they'd be likely to find her doing so. He knew her to be the plant-lady, whilst the red-furred female was the hunting-lady, and so he expected to find Portia around dandy-lions and bees. If she was hunting then it was definitely for flowers, or maybe for bees to make sure that they were doing their job correctly. Yes, that had to be what she was doing, as well as why he'd not seen her recently.

Once they'd stopped and Freyja began sniffing around, he waited. It'd taken longer than the previous time, but he was fine with that since, this time, Portia had been scented. The boy's ears perked up the moment her name had fallen from his sister's tongue, stepping forward and listening, then looking off into the direction that she'd pointed in. With a wagging tail, he'd nudged her shoulder as a way of saying thanks, then started heading east after having motioned for her to follow. The lead was not taken this time, for Hvit had decided that it'd be best for him to keep pace alongside his sister. After all, he needed her nose to keep them going in the right direction, so losing her along the way wouldn't be good at all.

*screeches* BUT OF COURSE 

It was not dandelions that the freckled Skayona was around today, but rather lavender-- and an abundance of it. She held them carefully in her jaws as she moved across the territory, her tail swaying behind her. She had just left her gathering trip when she'd come across the scent of her favorite child-- Hvitserk, and Freyja appeared to be with him. She changed her course, still holding the Lavender in her jaws as she moved towards the scents. The pups were on the move, it seemed, so she had to play a bit of run-around before she found their definite position. 

When she saw the children-- although they may have seen her first-- she gave a sweet bark to call their full attention and lowered herself to the ground. Would they come to her, she'd settle herself fully and place the lavender to the side-- away from clumsy feet. "Hvitserk," she coos. "And the young feisripa," she adds, green gaze settling on Freyja. "Where are you both off to?"

With her attention to the East, Freyja’s attention scouted the empty lands before them. She took her pace slower this time, taking care to sniff out the trail she had caught. Keeping her head held tall as she held desperately onto the trail that she had caught. As she crept ahead, the eldest Goufa noticed that the smell was suddenly getting stronger. Pausing as confusion began ruling over her features, Freyja looked about, wondering just where it was coming from.

As suddenly as the scent began to grow in strength Freyja caught the approach of the older wolf. She had done it! Nudging her brother in the direction in which the spotted wolf earned, Freyja smiled at her brother. “We did it!” she said, her statement was quickly followed by Portia’s back. She waited in place until the other arrived and looked between the Skayona and the two-toned Goufa. “Hi, Powtia!” she replied. “Hvitserk wanned to see you!” She moved back then, giving the two wolves some space.

For the most part, Hvit's eyes had stayed on his sister. If she were to change direction, he'd follow suite, as was the case whenever she'd paused or quickened her pace. He relied on and trusted her ability to track the adult down, and so she'd held his focus up until the point in which he'd been nudged. With his gaze finding its way to a familiar form, his tail had started to wag and Freyja was, for less than a second, forgotten. The fact that she'd played a huge part in finding the plant lady pulled him back towards her, though, nose finding its way to her cheek as a way of thanking her; for finding Portia, as well as for answering the adult's question. Then when she'd moved back, the boy invited her forward again, his tail having yet to cease its flailing motions.

Whether or not she'd draw closer, he most likely wouldn't see, for back towards the Skayona had his head turned. Rather than extending a verbal greeting, he'd gone forward and shoved his head into the fur that covered her chest, burying his face and then pulling away with a smile across his maw. She smelled different from the last time they'd been together, carrying a fragrance about her personal one that he was unfamiliar with. It was followed—unintentionally—to the flowers that had been moved aside, towards which he'd pointed his nose. Rather than touching them, he'd looked back to Portia, the same curious gaze that he'd had when looking at the dandelions having filled out his features once again.

"Did he?" Portia asks, her smile brightening slightly. "Freyja did you track me down for him?" she then asks, but in a way that sounds more like praise than a question. She can't remember being so great at tracking when she was so young-- then again, she can't remember ever trying to track something. No matter, she impressed Portia all the same. The boy buried himself into her chest and then stared up at her with a wide pair of puppy-blue eyes, so precious. She invited Freyja closer with the tilt of her head before addressing Hvitserk's next unspoken question.

"Lavender, hun," she tells the boy. "A type of flower-- like the Dandelions I showed you last time we met. Much prettier though, in my opinion," she continues, tail sweeping against the earth. 

Her head bobbled in response to Freyja’s question and she smiled. “Yes!” Her tail wagged as she squeaked out her response. Looking to Hvertsik and back to Portia she added a thought. “Hada help brova!” She would do anything to help the most quiet of her siblings.

When she was invited she promptly padded forward to pull alongside her brother. Though she did not burrow as he had done, the silver-coated child sat and looked up to the Skyona, curious to know what she had to offer next. A flower. Excitement overcame her as she looked to the Lavender with interest-- she had never seen a flower that color. “Prillly!” She exclaimed in a silky coo, nudging her brother. “Wite, Hvertsik?”

When the other two spoke, he listened, nodding when it was appropriate. She was a good sister with her ability to help him, and he hoped to someday be able to return the favour—probably by bringing her some dandelions or something, since there wasn't much else that he could do just yet. It was there his mind had stayed until Portia had started to speak to him; which, at that point, his eyes had snapped up to meet hers. Told of how it was a flower, he'd stretched out his neck so that he could sniff the plant, but this time he hadn't sneezed. It was a different sort of smell that he'd been met with, his face showing surprise and interest after having realized such.

Nudged by his sister, he'd nodded, deciding that the lavender looked a lot better than the dandelions—plus, he hadn't sneezed when he'd sniffed it, which made it even better! Thereafter, he'd been left to think for a moment. He'd stared at the flower the entire time, looking away just as he'd asked, "Wa' do?"

With a wave of her tail, Portia nods. "That's so kind of you, Freyja," she replies, smiling still. Hvitserk's comment causes a bit of surprise to show on the freckled woman's face. She stares at the child with perked ears-- he'd spoken! It was not much, sure, but it was enough to brighten Portia's smile. "Lavender," she begins, studying the boy, "Is a wonderful herb-- which means it is a type of medicine. Usually it's used for stomach-aches and bug bites," she adds, curious what he'd think of that. She was also a little interested to see Freyja's response-- if there would be one.

She smiled as she was given praise, her silence lingered as she held her attention onto the older wolf. Her attention only shifted as her brother spoke. Perking her ears and smiling, she looked from Hversik to Portia she waited for a response to be offered. She listened closely as the flower’s uses were explained but the later of the uses threw her off.

“Bwug biwtes?!” she asked promptly after the explanation, her eyes growing wide. She had never acquired one of these bites and was blissfully unaware that such a thing could happen. Falling silent, she looked expectantly to Portia for an answer to her worries.

It was doubtful that he'd speak again, for his want to learn had been gotten across clearly enough with what little he had said. Careful attention was paid to that which had been told to him, the world having seemed to melt away as she spoke. Background noise went unheard, having been of little interest to him. It was the lavender—even the name sounded prettier than dandelions—and Portia that he'd given his undivided attention to. It was a type of medicine, he'd come to learn, which he was somewhat familiar with. He didn't know the details of how it worked, but he knew enough to have realized that medicine makes a wolf feel better when they've been hurt or have fallen sick. Stomachaches were, of course, another thing that he knew of; out of his litter, he was probably the one with the most experience in the stomach-pains department.

Like Freyja, the boy was unaware of what exactly bug bites were. Bugs, he knew about, but the idea of them being able to bite was ridiculous! They were so small, how could they possibly be able to bite anything? His gaze flickered between the females, then landed right back on the eldest as he'd waited for her to share with them what she'd meant.

"Indeed, children!" Portia exclaimed, though her voice does not raise. "They are not too bad, nothing like the bite of a wolf, but they itch and are very irritating," she then explained, tail flicking. She shifted a paw gently to the side, making more of a bowl shape for Hvit to rest in. "If you crush up the lavender, you can make it into a sort of paste... and then you can rub it on the bug bites to stop the itching." Still, the Skayona wondered if the children knew all the words she used. It seemed that most of the time they at least registered, and Hvitserk seemed very good at making connections, but they were still young. 

She decided to stay away from the more dangerous of bug bites... they didn't need to know that some bug bites were actually extremely deadly-- nothing Lavender could do to fix those. 

Nodding to Portia’s words, Freyja listened closely to the clarification in regards to bug bites. Bug bites didn’t sounds as bad as she had initially envisioned but, regardless, she did not want to experience such a sensation. The explanation then turned into a lesson and this is where Portia lost some of Freyja’s attention.  Despite her disinterest, she still listened to what the spotted wolf explained. In the midst of the Skydona’s lecture there was a word that stood out to Freyja.

“Paste?” she asked, her attention jumping from the older wolf her brother with a tilt of her head. Her gaze lingered on her brother as she wondered if he knew what the strange word meant.

Whilst the attention of his sister had been lost, it'd been quite the opposite for Hvit. Interested in the plants, as well as in hearing the older wolf's voice, he'd made sure to not let his gaze drift away from her. Focused, attentive, and wanting to learn. The fact that plants could do so much more than make him sneeze or just look pretty was a strange fact to consider, but he didn't dislike the thought. They were helpful, capable of fixing issues that even his parents might not be able to. He wanted to know more—as much as he could learn, actually.

At the mention of paste, his head had tilted, possessing no words within his vocabulary to which he might compare it. Looking to Freyja as she spoke, he'd been met with her gaze. After responding to her with a shrug of his shoulders, it was back towards Portia that he'd looked, expecting an answer. After all, she knew all about these sorts of things, so she'd definitely be able to explain it in a way that they'd understand.

"A paste," Portia began sweetly, lips curved into a smile, "is a sort of wet thing that you make by mixing a crushed up solid thing with a different wet thing," she explained. "It's usually used for medicines," she added, tail waving. Her green eyes shifted between the two children, ecstatic that they were both so curious. She was fairly skilled by now, but the freckled Skayona would always love the thrill of learning-- and part of that excitement showed when she spoke about her beloved plants.

Sorry for my delay! >:

She listened to the explanation of what a paste was and as she listened, she turned her attention to Hvitserk, wondering what he made of this information. Though she would never want any paste on her, she could not get the thought out of her head of how it would feel on her. “It sounds icky,” she commented, wrinkling up her nose as she looked back to the spotted wolf.

As Portia finished speaking, he’d concluded that pastes sounded weird. Surely they felt strange, too. Yet, he was interested all the same, both in the idea of pastes and trying to create one for himself. It sounded simple enough—just break something up and throw it into water. Hvit was pretty sure he could handle doing that, but wanted to put it to the test anyways. He stood up and pulled himself away from the woman, then moved towards Freyja and nudged her shoulder. Afterwards, he’d looked towards Portia and said, “Gonna try.” It would be easy… right? No matter the possible outcomes, he was set on trying his paw at making a paste. Should he be left to do so, the boy would touch his forehead to his mentor and then head off to find his ingredients; his sister would be invited along to join him, of course, but he’d not force her to play with the icky stuff.

okay!! last from me!! thank you guys!!

Hvitserk seemed eager to try on his own, and although she felt that she should stay and help-- Portia needed to bring her own herbs back. She could teach him that skill another day-- for real. The thought made her heart soar, and she nodded happily to the child. "Let me know how it goes, hun," she says sweetly, tail waving. She pressed back into his gentle forehead touch and stood, gathering her herbs and watching as the children went their own way.