Otatso Wetlands Phoenix

Go to Kvarsheim, she had urged her daughters.

The stone circle loomed large in the distance, invisible from across so many miles but exuding a heaviness which had clung to her all the way to Casco Bay and back. They would be safe there. Sven would look after them.

They would be safe. That was what mattered.

Reverie had wandered from the company of her guards, as she often did when the day was quiet and the wolf-scents few and far between. No sign of Sunfil here, not for many many miles, and yet — the crunch of leaves beneath a wary fox's feet sent a prickle along her spine. Her gilded eyes traced the distant movement until it faded to nothing. She wondered what Dusty Rose must be thinking just then. She wondered if Witch Island felt as empty to him as the world felt to her now.

Paws turned westward, she pressed on.

She was quick to begin the search as soon as Reverie slipped from her sight.

Haze had sworn to protect the woman, and she would not fail. Following her scent with a practiced perfection, she spotted her in the distance.

Rather than calling out, she made a point to sneak up behind and bump into her flank. "Where are you running off to?" She smiled as she asked the question, tail waving.

Reverie couldn't help but smile when Haze nudged her flank, not quite startled but surprised enough by the woman's appearance to take the hint. It was careless of her to wander, perhaps — but so much more than her own life was at stake. Where all the packs are, of course, She murmured merrily, though they had yet to even breach the mountains which still stood in their way.

I'm afraid our journey won't be short... but the sooner we get there, the sooner we'll get back to our families, hm? Reverie tried to sound cheerful, though she was thinking now of her own fractured, scattered family. Her daughters at Kvarsheim; her mate and her brothers at Witch Island; herself condemned to this endless journey. But what else could she do? They were her parents, after all. Her responsibility.

She offered a nod, a silent agreement. "Right. Just don't wander too far, hm?" Her words carried their usual light and cheery tone, but their urgency was known.

Haze would not risk losing Reverie - that in itself would be a failure. She had been given a job, and she would do it well.

"How soon would you like to leave?"

Yesterday, she thought impatiently, but dared not give voice to it. Hōkūlani bore no fault for their slow pace. Circumstance had slowed their journey; heartache had made Reverie herself reluctant to move forward. And besides — there were things to see to along the way, as much as she loathed any delay.

Once I've spoken to the leaders of Swiftcurrent Creek, we'll move on, Her tone was far more patient than she felt. We'll look for Moonglow first - to the west of the mountain range. Then Akashingo to the south. It felt good to speak her plans aloud, at least.

The girl offered careful nods as Reverie spoke, an attempt to show that she was listening.

Haze was never the best listener - many things went right over her head. But the effort was there, she had other ways of showing she cared. When she caught wind of Reverie's plans she had been quick to begin following her, and ever since she had been loyal to her, and her alone.

She knew little of the Teekon wolves, and admittedly had little care for them. She cared the amount she did because Reverie did. Her opinion was what was important.

Though she wondered just how long they would be here. "Is that all the packs you must speak to?"

For now, Reverie confirmed softly, though her frown suggested that she doubted it would remain so. Getting their support will be more than enough work for us, I'm sure. Of that, at least, she was certain.

But the danger is coming whether they choose to prepare for it or not, She was reasoning half to herself as she went on, reassuring herself of the necessity of her cause. It felt sometimes like a fool's errand. It would have been too easy, she thought, to convince herself to abandon the quest altogether; gather her daughters and Dusty Rose and run. Live in hiding. Forget all of this.

It was a pretty thought.

She gave a quiet nod, her tail waving gently. Hokulani would not complain so long as she remained at the side of Reverie. She wondered for a moment, if the woman knew just how important she was in her eyes.

"If they choose not to listen, there is nothing you can do." The strong-willed girl did not completely understand the situation, how dire it was. She did not care to learn.