Grouse Thicket As a Burning Fire Shut up in My Bones

*crashes party*

Rarely did Ragna turn to the thicket, for she still remembered the ghostly sight of her father and his hoard of vikings. Yet today she had thought to hunt for the grouse who gave it its name, and so she ghosted through the trees, a pale shadow in the dark.

Before she could truly hone in on any quarry, a new scent came to her. Ragna knew what went into the creation of new life, and she knew that Asherah was in heat. That was part of why Ragna had strayed from the copse. The very thought that Asherah and Ar-Khalba here, at any point, coupling beneath the same trees Ragna walked had driven her from the copse in her embarrassment. Yet now the scent came to her, pheromone thick, only dusted with a trace of the scent of the Malkaria. Immediately Ragna knew who it was.

She sought out Asherah immediately, merely out of concern for her pack mate. It seemed dangerous to be so far from home in her state. When at last she came upon her fellow bakaar, though, Ragna found that she was not alone. Immediately she recognized the man, the same one she'd met at the plateau. She did not think him dangerous, but still found his presence offensive, for reasons she could not name. If Asherah wanted to lie with him, Ragna didn't see any reason for her not to. Yet still she felt the desire to chase him off. Asherah, she said as she materialized from the underbrush. Sister, you should not be so far from home. It's dangerous. Ragna finished this statement with a pointed glance at Flaris.