Duskfire Glacier cleaning off her fingers as she wept

timeline on this can be flexible since the rivenwood events are in progress ♥️

it had been some time since her discussion with @Issorartuyok. antha wondered if he had settled the matter he had spoken of, if he was ready to make a decision. she was a patient wolf, and she could wait if he needed her to wait. but part of her didn't want to; she'd already waited for so long.
she sought the man out, finding his scent fresh within the pack's territory. she hadn't taken much time to explore the place yet, mostly because it seemed a moot point. the pack would be moving soon, and she would have to acclimate herself to a new place. so for now she was focused on knowing the wolves rather than the land; that information would prove far more useful in the days to come.

The northerner worried for Heda.

Since they had returned from searching for the Rivenwood wolves, and the Duskfire party that had been away, Issorartuyok could not stop from thinking of the young woman. She had left her family behind to join a new village and they had been attacked in her absence. The man could not fathom how she might feel. He felt a great weight upon his chest when he recalled finding her in the wilds.

As he journeyed across the glacier, his mind fixated on the pale young girl. He nearly did not see when his path found that of Antha’s. The northerner’s dark brown gaze flickered up. The frown that had been lingering on his lips did not change. It was clear that he was lost in his mind.

Ah… Antha. It is good to see you.

when antha found the star-streaked northerner, he seemed troubled; thoughtful. no doubt his mind was on the recent events that had kept him so busy since their arrival at the glacier. antha knew little of what had transpired, but from the moods of the glacier wolves, she felt it could be nothing good. and as one of their leaders, it was issorartuyok's responsibility to help guide them through whatever crises had found them.

clearly it had taken a toll on him. her own demeanor softened in response to his mood, and she greeted him with a gentle smile. issorartuyok, the smile faded into concerned warmth. you look unhappy. what plagues you?

The fire-coated woman was swift to recognize the heaviness in his features. She asked what troubled him. The northerner gazed at her with uncertainty. Was it not the duty of the leader to carry the burdens of their village? It would not have felt right to unload his worries on Antha. She was only concerned.

Issorartuyok breathed a small sigh.

This land is a difficult place. I believe there are bad spirits at work in these parts.

The northerner remained stoic and stern in his features. The dark brown of his eyes shifted toward the woman who had joined their party in search of a new home. Issorartuyok had not forgotten the words of comfort that she had offered to him when they had discovered the mountain.

I wish only for the safety of our village and its people. It pains me to know that our neighboring village was attacked. Heda’s home was attacked.

antha took in issorartuyok's words in solemn silence, her expression a mask of calm despite the turmoil she felt at hearing of the attack. oh, poor heda... attacked by whom? she asked softly, her voice grave but level. other wolves? that mattered, after all; if it was other wolves, the situation surely would not be as simple as otherwise. she held back the sentiments that crowded to the front of her thoughts, concerned that she would overwhelm issorartuyok in this vulnerable moment.

Yes, other wolves. Bad wolves with bad spirits, the northerner answered in a graveled voice. Issorartuyok could not understand the desire to cause harm to a family group. The man had never experienced any problems with Heda’s home. They had even allowed her to leave and seek a future for herself. There were things about the young woman’s journey that reminded him of his own.

I am worried for her. It is a difficult choice to leave one’s home. To find that her village was attacked after she had left…

Issorartuyok was not certain what he would have done if Tuuluuwaq had arrived bearing similar news. The man did not want for Heda to suffer a weight of guilt upon her chest. The journey back to her home and the glacier was not an easy one to make.

bad wolves with bad spirits. yes, antha knew the sort; such wolves occupied her own natal pack, much to her grief. but this situation was far different. heda's packmates were victims in this. antha nodded slowly, gravely.

it is difficult, to choose between a new path and those who might be left behind, she said softly. i left my own homeland in turmoil. no matter her decision, heda will need the support of those dear to her.

but... what of her former packmates? if they mean to flee, perhaps they may find refuge in a territory near the mountain we found.

Once, that would not have been hard, he said with a small sigh. When they had occupied the glacier territory, journeying to Rivenwood had been a trip that could be accomplished within a day or two. They had already seen how long it took to trek across the two mountains. Their new home was much further from her family, from the people who had cared for her and raised her.

I do not know what to do. Issorartuyok did not believe that Antha would know, either. He was not seeking answers from her. I know not of Rivenwood's plans. 

Heda is a good child. She will be a good woman, one day. A woman who will make her village proud. I do not doubt that. It is not pain that I want to shape her. It was not even fair for him to say this. Heda was not his daughter. The northern man did not know how he had become so attached to her.

sorry for the wait! we can wrap it up with your next post if you'd like? <3

she will have support here, too, i have no doubt, antha knew she could offer no reassurances where this other pack, rivenwood, was concerned. but she had seen, if only in brief glimpses, the heart of issorartuyok's village. it beat strong among all its people. it was not hard to imagine why heda might have chosen to leave her home, to come here.
wolves are shaped by those around them - and heda is among good people here. she'll be okay, in time, antha pressed her nose to issorartuyok's cheek. it's natural to worry, but please try not to let it consume you. these troubles will pass.

The northern man was grateful for the kind words that Antha offered. It did not erase the worry that he felt, but it eased some of the sharpness around those edges. Heda would know that she was supported in their village, that she was valued. Issorartuyok wished for this to be a reality for all of their people. He did not want any of them to feel they had been left behind.

The man nodded his head to Antha, offering her a gentle smile. She had a cool head and a calm way of expressing herself that he admired. He knew that she would bring great things to their village and the people who lived within it.