Sleeping Dragon love isn't brains, children, it's blood

She’d gone early that morning to Gyda’s den, as she does most mornings, but instead of making a brief stop, she finds herself with a shadow once she’s on her way. A few steps forward, with @Freyja in tow, she glances back to see the excited girl following along. She’d seen interest alight in the young dragon’s eyes, her curiosity always hanging out on a limb. Hunting, as Wildfire’s trade, and the interest in the weather (what little Thuringwethil could teach her), and now she’s glued next to her to go wherever she chooses to go.

While the next leg of her scouting mission is coming up, she knows she can’t take the girl with her yet, she does decide to lead her through the pack and down the north western side where the geysers border their home. It’s quiet this day, reaching the thick foliage, life supported by the water that comes from the ground in the further reaches of its mist. She turns to Freyja then, giving her a nudge and a little free range to explore and scout the area she’s yet to see.

The morning was bright with the prospect of a scouting mission. The Heda had come to the family den that morning and had swept the child away. Though she wasn’t sure just where they were going, and had a million and one questions for the leader, the grey-scaled child followed dutifully in tow, her tail standing like a flag waving proudly in the morning breeze.

They soon made it to a misty area and for a moment the Goufa paused to marvel at it’s beauty. There was something special about the morning time and Freyja enjoyed this part of the day more than the others. Her attention only turned to Thuringwethil as she was encouraged onward. Grinning widely at her mentor the child bolted off ahead, happily yipping as she bounded away. “Let’s go dis way!” she offered, throwing the suggestion over her shoulder.

As they reach the open expanse of the geyser field, Thuringwethil lets the girl go where she wishes. It does not take long for her to take the lead and she quickly falls in line behind her, letting her explore as far as her little paws will take her. She keeps her own gaze set out in front of them, a protective eye on their surroundings, and should Freyja get too close to an actual up-shoot of water, she'll direct her otherwise. In the meantime, however, she gives the young dragon room to figure it out on her own.

The trailed ahead with her tail high and a pep in her step. She wasn’t quite sure just what she was looking for out there but she ignored that for a moment and enjoyed the freedom that she felt. Occasionally she would pause as a scent hit her and she would pause to sniff at whatever had caught her attention. Eventually, the child looped back to walk at her leader’s side. “Wassa lookin for?” she asked, her eyes reaching up to those of the Heda’s.

Thuringwethil trails along beyond Freyja as she darts to and fro, nose to the ground, ears up, observing a part of her kingdom she’d yet to see. With the changes to their home, Gyda may not see one of her own reach being an heir, but that doesn’t mean their part is any less significant. She watches the girl, eager to see what she comes up with, and finds herself with an odd need that she may raise her own. Wildfire wants her own family and to do that, they need to continue to move forward, but she knows raising their own isn’t the same as exploring and teaching the clan’s young. Her jaws tighten in her own distraction, looking down as the puppy bounces back her way.

“You tell me,” she says then, shaking the thoughts from her mind. Another time, she reminds herself, when she isn’t influenced by the excitement across Freyja’s face. “A scout’s job is to explore and get information about a place to report back. Think you can do that?”

Looking to her mentor, Freyja listened carefully to what Thuringwethil had to say. Letting out a quiet yet expressive, “oh,” she nodded to the dark wolf and turned her attention to the horizon. Whatever they were on the search for was her choice, it was just a matter of her gathering information on what was going on. Yes, she could do that.

“I would like ta dew dhat,” she murmured after her moment of realization as her attention shifted to the spanning horizon before them. Everything seemed to be calm at the moment, nothing seemed to be out of place or troublesome. But, she could never be too sure.

Nudging her Heda, the grey-scaled Goufa veered their path to the left as she bounded deeper into the territory. “Dis way!” she called, her attention shifting all about as she attempted her scouting.

Once she realizes the purpose of their trip, she becomes eager to explore. The puppies, especially Freyja and Hvitserk, were easily becoming well rounded. While her brother is quiet and Freyja the exact opposite, they still showed promise and will do well in their growth. Drageda, she is certain, will do just fine for future generations to come.

The girl changes their direction, leading the both of them—albeit Thuringwethil keeping a close eye on their surroundings, even in her own claim—she easily follows behind her.

Ambition fueled the Goufa’s every step as she scouted ahead. Her eyes roamed the open territory before them as she went on her way exploring. A figure in the distance caused the puppy to brake suddenly. Perking, the silver-furred child looked back to Thuringwethil curiously, “Do ya see?” she asked, returning her attention back to the figure. The figure stood about 500 meters north of them, it’s large ears giving way to it’s identity: a hare.

It stood silently, looking towards the duo with interest.

Despite her inner desires to go up and see it, she waited cautiously for whatever the dark-furred Heda had to say.

Thuringwethil follows along diligently, letting the girl go where she wished. She listens for sounds near geysers, should one erupt when they are near, but for the most part both of them remain safe. They are closer to the mountain than the opening of the field and if someone pops up that shouldn't be here, she's confident enough wolves will come in time if she can't hold them off. She doubts anything out of the ordinary will come up but when Freyja proposes a question, her ears sweep forward and she goes on a search. The only thing she finds, however, is a hare in the distance and she nods her head.

"What now?" she asks with a swish of her tail, glancing down at the goufa.

Looking from the figure and towards the dark-furred Heda, Freyja’s head tilted heavily to the side as she was asked what should be done next. “Do we needta repawt the hawre?” She wasn’t quite sure just what they needed to report when scouting, but she was almost certain that this was something important enough to report.

Based off of Thuringwethil’s response, she would choose what they were to do based off the information she was given and the pair would go from there.

For Freyja to find the details of her mission on her own is always best. To learn by trial an error and to perfect it will always be the way things go, the way they learn things. With the guidance of others to show them the way, their instincts are their best instructors. When she asks about what they need to do regarding the animal, Thuringwethil considers what she might do if it were her. Hunt it, perhaps, or investigate further for the den, but she slowly nods her head.

"You could. You could report it to the pack's hunters," she explains. Reporting it back to them might lead to more hares for the cache or hunt it now to satisfy any hungry. The distance between them, however, might not work in their favor but she doesn't do anything else without Freyja's guidance.

She nodded to the Heda’s answer, not fully realizing that time was very much an essence for this report. In addition to this Freyja was feeling urge to pounce the creature, and despite how tempting it was she knew that it was not the time to hunt. With her attention still towards the horizon she voiced another question in regards to reporting.

“How do ya rewpawt?” The question came suddenly as the wheels of her mind churned. “We go find ‘em?”

While there are no current hunters assigned the position, that did not mean they can't turn this information over to someone if they wanted. The mission is small and meant for learning and Freyja takes the right steps in the direction she's meant to be going and Thuringwethil has no doubts she won't be good at whatever job she chooses. She has a natural ability to want to learn, a hunger that she likes to see in the dragon's children, and so continues to help encourage her along.

"Yes. When you're scouting mission is over, you take back the necessary information to those that need it and they take it from there," she says. "If you'd gone into the valley to the east and saw a valley of deer, you'd go to the hunters and then they will work together to help feed the pack. Or perhaps you saw a band of wolves not far from here trying to settle, you'd come back and tell the warriors and me," she explains the different scenarios. "If you are to go far from the mountain, you will have a guard with you. Your father or Dio or any of the gonas," she adds, though it will be some time before Freyja is able to take long trips. "And know that if you are to leave the borders now, you must have an adult with you, do you understand?"

She listened closely to what the dark-furred Heda had to say. She took in the information with vigor her curiosity drawing in the information with a sense of hunger. The conversation shifted and as it did a sense of curiosity came about her. “Where issa de bawders?? Whatssit like?” She had yet to journey that far and was unsure of just what these borders were.

“The borders is what marks our claims as ours. Inside them is where we live and what we must protect. It is why you are safe inside them. Other wolves are not allowed to cross them and those that do, well,” she pauses, lifting her gaze from the puppy to the spot where the hare had been. She squints a little, realizing it is no longer there. “Wolves that cross the border do not often make it back out alive.” There is no need to sugar coat it or act like it is so horrible thing. It happens, it has happened before, and some have gone away lucky but for the most part they remain steadfast.

Thuringwethil looks back down only to gesture so they can walk further, leading her to the other end of the geyser field. “It smells strongest of all of us that this is our land.”

She nodded to the Thuringwethil, taking in all that she could in those moments. A gentle coo came from within as she comprehending the information and stored it for a later date. Her attention does not follow the Heda’s when the rabbit is sought out and instead keeps her attention trained upon her. She followed diligently as she was ushered, picking up her pace as she traveled alongside.

“Are dey neawr?”

To the question, Thuringwethil nods her head. She resets her focus ahead of her with ears forward and eyes back and forth in attention. It will be the first time for the puppies to breech the border of their home and there isn't another to accompany them. She glances behind her, just in case any of the others area near, but she redirects her gaze forward as they pass by one geyser after the next. Soon, they've crossed the entire length of the field where the strength of smells of several of her wolves have come by.

"Here," she announces, taking the last final steps. It is where the marking begins, stretching out several yards here and there with their scents lining their claim.

She followed quietly, her attention wavering from Thuringwethil to the parklands before them She did not know what to expect these borders to be like, but she was eager to find out. As they drew ever-nearer to the invisible barrier, Freyja began smelling the scent that often rolled from her own pelt and the pelts of her packmates. As it grew stronger, her attention shifted to look up to the Heda, her expression turning curious as he silently wondered if they were near.

Just as she had looked up, Freyja’s questions had been answered. “Wow,” she offered quietly, her attention returning back to the borders with curiosity still shining in her dark eyes. As they lingered more questions came to mind and though she did not know how to articulate such thoughts, she managed to get something out: “How long issa here?” she asked, attempting to voice the question “How long will it be here?”

Freyja’s wonderment puts a slight smile on her features, a slight pull of her lips and a shine in her eyes that causes her to recollect days when she’d been young. Days she can’t remember but tries to anyway. What had she been like when she’d been this young? When she was learning all these things for the first time? Nothing in particular comes to mind except flashes of aggression and tedious learning, times a child should be enjoying things just as Freyja is now, on her own.

“The scents linger for a while but if not refreshed often enough, it will become stale and others may think we are not here. It is why your father and Dio and the others work hard on them,” she explains. Thuringwethil does not go any further into the mess of smells to cross over an invisible, wide barrier that separates the outside world from their own, safe haven. It is vulnerable on all sides, where Seageda had one protected side without the need to monitor as the sea faced them, but the Dragon has proven to be fine. In a land that knows little of them, she is content, but their work is never done.

She nodded to the information that Thuringwethil offered with a smile upon her lips. “Noni is twuff,” she remarked in admiration, not paying mind to the others involved. “Hewda is twuff, too,” she remarked in the form of an afterthought. “Dew yew hwelp with tha borders?” she asked.

She offers half a chuckle in response, a snort of breath from her nose, as she explains who is and isn’t tough when it comes to the pack. She lists only she and her father, but nonetheless she nods anyway. They all were, even those not in the brawn trade of guarding and hunting. They had persevered thus far, through the famine and hardships of recreating their claim. Even the threat of the phoenix wolves had given them, they’d stuck out through it.

“I do. Every day,” she continues to answer. “We all do and one day, you'll be able to on your own. If you want to leave your mark, find one of us and we will take you along. And while we are here, we might as well?” she suggests with a wave of her arched tail, going just a little further than where they’d stop. “You can rub yourself on a tree or roll in the dirt or urinate,” she explains, moving toward the stone wall the borders the geyser and rubs her mouth and shoulder against a rough edge before she squats and briefly relieves herself to leave the strong smell behind.

To the information Freyja nodded, knowing that she would have the chance to contribute alone one day. For now, she could with the help of an adult. She looked up to Thuringwethil with a nod, following after as she took a step or so closer to the border. Though all of these practices seemed slightly strange to the child, she knew that she had much to learn about the practices of the land.

Finding a nearby boulder, Freyja curled around it and rubbed the length of her body upon it. After she felt satisfied in what she had covered, Freyja trotted a step away from it and squatted, relieving herself.

When all was said and done, Freyja returned to Thuringwethil with a wagging tail, ready for whatever they were to do next.

Thuringwethil stopped and turned to see Freyja mimic a similar action and urinate off to the side. Her eagerness to learn has been pleasing this whole time and the future for Drageda, however different it may be, will still be whole. Freyja will lead the way to a new Drageda, as will her siblings in their own right. They each have their own skills and interest and their talents are being eagerly awaited by the rest of them. Seeing the expansion in Freyja is enough to make everything okay.

"Good job," she tells her with a flick of her tail and nudge of her nose. "Think you can lead us back to the common area?"

Nodding up towards the Heda, Freyja smiled. “Yes,” she said and turned away from the borderline and began to lead them back to the heartlands. Freyja was pleased with the lessons that she had learned today and was eager to put such practices into work-- that was, whenever she had the aide of an adult.