Dragoncrest Cliffs sitting all alone, mouth full of gum

@Thuringwethil

Having gathered what herbs she could find and made amends with Blixen, Rose had to say the day started off pretty well. She had gone around the territory with the main purpose of exploring, but with the sudden arrival of three wolves she didn’t know, her adventuring was cut short. Apparently one was the Commander everyone seemed so fond of while the other two simply appeared to be her aids. None of them particularly stood out, but Rose had also made sure to keep her distance from the trio, not necessarily feeling it was her place to greet them or anything.

Once the whole welcoming party had gathered, Rose offered a quiet goodbye to Furi and Blixen (assuming they were both there) before slipping away to go off on her own. She didn’t feel like she belonged in whatever was going on there, in fact if anything, she felt she had been intrusive. She let out a sigh, wondering if it was simply her imagination that had made her feel that way or if it was actually something else. Not paying attention to which direction she was heading, Rose aimlessly wandered around until she ultimately ended up at the lake connecting to Hougeda. She bent down to take a few sips before pulling away from the water’s edge, a few droplets still clinging to her lips. Her eyes eventually trailed over to where the water would spill in and she attempted to stand on her tip toes to try and see inside the cave (without getting too close), though she wasn’t met with much luck.

Thuringwethil had seen her when she came home but she hadn’t made any real appearance. Their welcoming home hadn’t necessarily been for her but the fact she showed was… something. Not a bad thing, Thuringwethil supposed, but she made an effort to be seen and makes it easier to find her when she locates her scent nearby. Dio had told her of the girl he’d taken in, friends of Blixen and Furi, and what skills she claimed to have. Beyond there, there is nothing else she has to offer. She hasn’t spoken to anyone else since her return, taking a little time to rest from the long journey, before she decides to deal with whatever happened here in her absence.
 
When she locks on the scent within the redwoods, it becomes easier to follow, but it ends up taking her out into a clearing where the lake sits. At first, she’s drinking water and Thuringwethil’s gait turns leisure upon her approach. A beat later, she’s looking further down the bank as if she’d seen something and her brows knit together, glancing across the water to see if she could see whatever it was too. As she closes the distance, her focus returns to the kru, her tailed archived above her spine flicks once and she squares her shoulders, but offers what little relaxation she has. Dio has already taken her in and there’s no sense starting the process over.
 
Heda stops a few yards away along the bank and lowers her head only to take a drink, before licking her lips and setting everything back into place.

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She let out a huff at the dimly lit cave, barely able to make out the vegetation that grew within it. Well that was a let down. She turned away unimpressed, eyes scanning along the water’s edge until they landed on the darkened creature not far away. Her stomach twisted into a knot when she recognized just who stood before her, jaws clamping shut involuntarily. It wasn’t that she was necessarily scared of the larger female, but there was a certain uneasiness that kept her from saying or doing anything that could come across as ill-mannered. Best to do nothing than make of fool of yourself is what crossed the yearling’s mind in that brief moment.

With that mindset, Rose decided it best to leave the first move up to the Heda everyone spoke so highly of. Truthfully Rose didn’t see what was so different about her from everyone else. Nothing particularly stood out that made her seem so great, but the way she was praised made the fire-lit girl believe her to be an admirable leader. Then, as if the wind carried a bit of confidence with it, Rose perked up just a enough to let her tail swish nervously behind her. Her head found itself tipping ever so slightly downwards while her eyes remained firmly fixed upon the inky female, pale orbs weakly lit with uncertainty.

She lets the girl try to look for something she can’t see a little longer. She has always been a patient wolf and it does not cause her any problem to stand and wait until she’s noted. The observation when the girl is unaware opens up enough for Thuringwethil to see any ill-intent. She doesn’t think any harm comes from her in the moment, even if she’s trying to peek into something she can’t see, she looks young—maybe a little older than her own children—and a lot has happened with Drageda lately and she doesn’t blame her. It’s a whirlwind at time but it’s not always like this.

Since she has not seen her daughter (or Furi) since her arrival, she has to wake Dio’s word for what it is and assume the best even when she wants to assume the worse. Everything on her plate right now seems unorganized and out of control but she chocks it up to something too emotional for her to really be capable of. Her love for Wildfire drives a lot of this.

“I hear you’re friends with Blixen and Furi,” she comments eventually, her tail stiff over her spine and her gaze unwavering and her expression remains flat and unimpressed.

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Rose turned away from the older female’s gaze, toes curling while she stared down at her feet for a moment. Well this was hella awkward and it didn’t help that it was Heda of all wolves. She took a deep breath, ears swiveling forward when the words reached her ears. Her face twisted while she thought of a response, uncertain as to what she should say. “Ugh, yeah, I guess you could say that” she answered, lifting her face so that so that she was facing the leader. Blixen was more like the friend of friend and even that might be pushing it. They shared a mutual interest to bond over, but it would take time before Rose felt they could address each other as anything more than just pack mates. 

Rose swallowed a lump in her throat while desperately searching for some other words to say. She had seen how close Heda and Blixen were at the meeting and fear of saying the wrong words was enough for the fiery girl to not say anything at all. She averted her gaze again, sinking down a bit as she felt a pressure on her chest. She just wanted this conversation to be over with.

Cameo.

The bird had rested, and seemed more alert for it. Or perhaps the things it observed this time merely required more attention. Whatever the case, the bird was eyeing the wolves down below with clear interest, leaning forward on its low-hanging branch so that it would not miss anything that was said.

The pale shewolf had been a strong one, yes, but there was something different about the power wielded by the dark shewolf down below. Silently did the bird observed this, and near-invisible in its perch. What reason did a wolf have to look up, after all?

She does not doubt Dio or Eske’s decision to let in any stranger but they tend to fall under a different type of scrutiny. Étoille had come about as a pleasant—and rather useful—surprise as an example for them taking in someone without her official say so. He’d gone under a careful eye but quickly proved himself useful and she used that to help locate the Caldera, and by default, her mate.

It’s hard to say Rose doesn’t fall under certain expectations. She can’t re-find her mate or heal her all the way from Drageda. Being friends with her daughter, though, at least adds some points. She’d grown up with two brothers that quickly bonded to one another and when Furi came along, it seemed to boost her daughter’s mood to have a friend and if the new girl acclimates well, she’ll be just fine. But Rose’s answer is a little shaky and uncertain but she’s hesitant to think it’s anything more than nerves.

“I hope they showed you around, at least,” she says and looks away, across the lake. Blixen is a little in your face sometimes but she hopes she’s at least polite when need be.

The girl shifts herself when Heda speaks, her gaze slowly trailing upwards as she parts her mouth to answer. “They did” she confirms, mindful to leave out the fact that Blixen wasn’t her tour guide. Not that it really mattered anyways since Rose was bound to end up lost no matter who or how many times someone showed her around. “The territory is different than what I’m accustomed to” she lets out, head turning to follow the command’s gaze out across the lake. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for it to be so different but Rose kind of sucked at adapting so it would take time to familiarize herself with her surroundings. 

On top of her new environment was the unusual culture of Drageda, which Rose felt was something she needed to learn in order to not be out of the loop all the time. The language, their way of life, the basic dos and don’ts were all interesting to the fiery yearling, but they also happened to be a bit overwhelming at the same. Then to top it all off there happened to be like a dozen strangers she still needed to meet and as someone who could only handle so much social interaction, Rose would undoubtedly put off meeting some of them. But that was all in the future and for now the yearling was content to take things slow, one baby step at a time.

“Good,” she says, though she doesn’t follow up with anything else. There are always drastic differences in coastal packs from one to the next and even more so than those inland. It’ll take some time for her to get used to but if she can handle the sea air and often cold wind in the winter, she’ll be fine. Even if Thuringwethil wanted to find out anything else about the girl, she’s obviously uncomfortable (or anxious) in her presence so she does not push any matters further. “If there’s anything you need,” she trails off in implication before she turns and slips away from the lake.