Moonspear keep getting this feeling you wanna leave this all behind

technically all welcome since she is by the borders, but this is for the wonderful @Floki <3

Wind rustles through the barren lands. There is no green anywhere, instead dirt and grayed trees litter the territory. Truthfully, she's surprised she even made it back here. Everything is different, and landmarks she'd remembered from her last few visits were obscured. She came mostly by memory of distance, and the large mountain of course. She found the borders easily, and now stands at a safe distance away from them. She stares across it with a hopeless expression, wondering if it was even worth it to try. She had called to @Lasher when she was leaving, telling him she was going to look for food and new lands. She had no idea if she would come back successful or-- truthfully-- if she'd come back at all.

The small girl let out a soft sigh, chewing the inside of her lip anxiously, before letting out a long, sweet call for her Moonspear friend-- Floki.

The last few days had been nothing short of weird. Heeding Amekaze's instructions from afar, Floki had hunkered down on his own. The number of locusts didn't seem to vary much by altitude -- he had traipsed up and down the mountainside, trying to find the best place to hide out, and had eventually ended up staring into the mouth of what had once been the den he shared with Wildfire. Memories seemed to linger in the stagnant air and he hesitated for a long moment, but a particularly thick swarm of insects had buzzed behind him and ushered him in.

It was uncomfortable, at first, but he eventually was able to push aside thoughts of his ex-mate long enough to sleep. Of course, he dreamed about her then, but luckily couldn't remember his visions upon waking. For 72 hours, he had only left the burrow long enough to pilfer from a nearby cache; and even then, he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings.

Once the persistent humming stopped on the third day, he emerged cautiously. As he gazed down the slope, he inhaled sharply; what had once been a lush forest at the foot of the mountain was now a barren expanse of spindly branches. He spent the morning shuffling through the ruined woods, awestruck and uneasy. When a howl sounded for him at the borders, he made his way there in a daze, not even registering the owner of the voice until he laid eyes on her.

"Aria," he said as he approached, a faint smile tugging at his lips. His expression quickly faded, though; as he gazed beyond her, all he could see was the damage that had been done by the locusts. The once-beautiful land now looked stark and desolate. "How are things at Donnelaith?" he asked, his brow creased into a worried frown. Had the devastation spread as far as the coast?

Floki arrives, and the pale princess is nothing but relieved that it isn't someone else from Moonspear. He is safe, she thinks, thankful her friend has not been injured in the waves of insects. She steps forward and presses her nose to his shoulder-- assuming he'd let her-- and responds softly. "Just as bad. The locusts destroyed everything..." she murmurs to him, stepping back and glancing around. "I was hoping your pack had missed them... I've never encountered the creatures before, I didn't know they would caues such a largescale damage," she adds, head shaking slightly as her gaze falls to her feet. She wants to ask him if his pack will move, but it has not been long since the swarm. She is not even sure if her own pack will leave, and she isn't sure Floki would even tell her.

The gentle touch from Aria was welcomed, though Floki wasn't sure how to process the news that she delivered. He shook his head slowly, lips pursed with concern. If the locusts had taken everything from Moonspear to Donnelaith, then what about the rest of the wilds? What about Tevinter's pack at Saltwinter, or Wildfire's family at Redhawk Caldera? He thought briefly of Fox, then realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled slowly.

"This is insane. I've never seen anything like it," he said. Already, the forest seemed still; the limbs, stripped bare of their leaves, had nothing to offer to the prey that had once flourished there. There were no birds or squirrels to be seen. The solemnity sent a chill down Floki's spine. Meeting Aria's pale gaze, he wondered aloud, "What are your plans? Should we...go see how things are out there?" They had been planning a trip, after all, but it suddenly seemed much less joyous.

The girl let out her own breathe, disappointed that he had never seen anything like it either. She then shrugs, her feet shifting. "I uh-- I need to see what's out there," she tells him quietly, her head shaking. "I know we said we'd look at the northeast but... but what about the west? I've never heard of anyone traveling farther west than here. What if there's something out there for us?" she asks, her ears flattening. She knows it's stupid thinking-- there was no paradise for them out there, but she didn't know what else she could hold on to. The Wilds were destroyed, and she was slowly closing in on a mental breakdown.

There was a tension in Aria's voice that Floki could relate to. All of this was beyond his comprehension -- how could so much destruction have happened in such a short amount of time? "What if there's something out there for us?" she questioned, and he turned his gaze westward. Charon and Amekaze would want to know the status of the rest of the Teekon; Floki dreaded to think of another move, but they wouldn't accomplish anything by hiding away within their mountain. At least they would be able to make an informed decision if he gathered some information from beyond Moonspear.

"You're right. We need to at least see how things are elsewhere," he said with a resolute nod of his head. This wasn't the exciting adventure he had bargained for with her, but at least he would have a companion at his side in the face of such a daunting task. He blinked up at the slope, hesitating. "Do you want to go now?" he asked, scanning the ledges for any sign of his brother or sister-in-law.

"Yes," she responds quickly, almost as soon as he finished speaking. "I told Lasher that I was leaving to find something-- anything really. If you'd rather speak with your leaders we can wait but... I need to look," she says, somewhat desperately. She holds his gaze with her white one, which are currently large and fileld with questions. She knows the answer to none of them, but knows better than to ask.

Want to fade with your post? I'll start us a new thread! :D

Her quick and emphatic response was enough to convince him. She had already cleared it with her own leader, so Floki made up his mind quickly. There was no sense in staying here twiddling his thumbs when he could put his title to good use and do something that could help his pack. "Okay," he agreed, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently with his nose in an attempt to reassure her.

Then he turned back towards the mountain, gazing up at its imposing peak. Even with its barren slopes, it still cut a striking figure against the skyline. Tipping his chin up, he loosed a howl meant for the ears of @Amekaze and @Charon: "I'm going to check out the damage to the west. I'll be back in a couple of days with news." His brief message would suffice; the Alphas trusted him as their second-in-command and scout. This would give them the opportunity to assess the destruction to their home while he took his inspection elsewhere.

With his mouth set into a grim line, he swiveled to face Aria. "Let's go," he said. "We can cut back through Silverlight Terrace and then turn west." Beyond the mountain range, he wasn't sure what they would find; his heart gave a tremor of excitement and fear.

<3

Aria nods, letting out another deep breath. "Silverlight-- that's the place we first met," she comments, but it's clear she isn't looking for an answer. The two part, with few hopes for finding  a better place.