Dragoncrest Cliffs But you gotta be there for me too

Just as she'd promised herself, Ceres returned to the cliffs several days after heading down to the coast with every intent of finding the wolfscent from before. Having known only her parents' pack and her own, she had no way of knowing that not all packs were open to visitors and not all packs divulged their lifestyle to total strangers. She wouldn't understand it, either. Her nose told her everything she could ever want to know about the state of the pack: large, healthy and with young.

Wonderment and naivety aside, she was old enough and sensible enough to not draw too close to the borders. She waited well beyond them for a handful of beats before deciding it would be best to announce herself with a short, politely quiet howl. She couldn't remember ever having called an audience with another pack before, and her cheeks were warm with nervous anticipation when her song died.

In order to make the best impression possible, she pressed her compact body to the ground and then rolled onto her side. Should a representative of the pack come to meet her, they would find Ceres to be utterly submissive.

*snags this*

Eske heeds the call as it rises and splices through the air like a beacon. She is not terribly far from the origins of the howl as it is, taking to her routine patrols while the Commander does not need her hovering. She sees a particularly pretty wild flower — purple and vibrant where it is nestled against the dark mahogany of a tree and for the first time in several weeks Eske allows herself to think of Kendra and though she misses the older girl with an ache in her heart that she fears may never leave the Cheka can smile in fond memory, now. There are little things that serve as constant reminders of Kendra and now that time has passed the pain has eased — of this Eske is grateful. There is no going back to the time before she fell in love with Kendra for that love and loss has changed the Cheka but things have moved back into their usual routine and she is grateful to still have her aspirations lingering so close she can taste them but still just a smidgen out of her reach. This pushes her harder, unrelenting in her aspirations so that she may see them fulfilled.

Eske is no leader and her abilities are limited when it comes not greeting strangers at the borders …depending what it was they sought but still she moves to greet them all the same. The pale woman is laying in utter submission when Eske comes upon her and for a (only the briefest) second Eske is alarmed. Though she (stubbornly, perhaps) believes this is how all strangers should be at the borders it is, nevertheless, a sight of utmost rarity. Eske offers a soft woof to announce her presence to the pale woman and sea blue-green gaze takes her in as Eske’s approach slows, spine straight and tail slightly raised. “Hei,” Eske greets the stranger in her native tongue, offering no translation as it is close enough to it’s common equivalent that she believes that it needs no explanation. “What business do you have here?” Eske has never been the best at pleasantries (and that was likely never going to change); the warrior princess is blunt and quick to cut to the chase as she does so here.

To Ceres' relief and pleasure, someone did come from the pack to meet her. The she-wolf stayed where she was on the ground, but tilted her head in the damp loam to look up at the proud pack wolf who came down from the trees. From her angle she mostly saw the woman's fainter throat and chest, but she was a dark agouti through and through even from that little exposure. Her greeting was accompanied by an unusual accent. Ceres was unaware that Eske had spoken another language entirely.

"Hello," replied Ceres in her cheeriest voice. It wasn't hard to summon up. She was like a giddy yearling all over again with her tail wagging between her legs, eager to see the world and meet its wildly varied denizens. Even if this pack proved to be no different from her natal pack and the one she'd formed with Ramsey, she loved meeting new wolves. Eske was no exception to that.

"I was hoping to learn of your pack," she said honestly, flattening her ears back against her skull as she rolled her bright yellow eyes up until they rested on Eske's dark nose. "I am keenly interested in how others live, you see. Why, my life has been quite a bore. I should like to think there are more exciting ways to live than just having a family and growing old. That's why I'm looking those with real culture. I think I must experience something more than growing old before I die." She blinked and smiled warmly up at this pack's representative, then added, "I'm Ceres."

The pale woman greets her in a blithe tone that is returned with a terse look from the Cheka. Eske doesn’t trust her; it’s hardly personal though, as Eske doesn’t trust anyone she does not know. Submission and cheerfulness are not enough to soothe nor sway Eske’s natural suspicion of strangers. As Eske’s lips part to form the question of why she seeks to know of other cultures the woman — Ceres, as she had introduced herself — offers explanation readily without Eske’s prompting and swiftly the Cheka's lips close. As Ceres told it, she was interested in learning about Drageda — as to which set off all of the alarm bells in Eske’s head unintentionally — and Eske takes a step forward, ears fluttering to rest at half mast atop her skull as her gaze hardens and her gaze upon the woman becomes intense as she analyzes. Eske is protective of Drageda, and being asked to delve into their culture does nothing to ease the young woman's suspicions. Eske has never heard of this type of situation before and the Cheka is not sure how to approach it. Thus, she approaches it with measured caution and adherence to tense (if not a bit forced) diplomacy; but Eske is not diplomat. Not as Freyja was. She is a warrior and her finesse is on the battlefront not in the words exchanged between strangers. Still, she is determined to do her best. After all, Ceres is not hostile, she is submissive and so far perfectly amicable — unlike Eske who always flirts the borderline between aggressive and downright hostile. “I am Eske Kom Drakru, Cheka of Drageda.” Eske offers her full name and title figuring it is a safe place to start. She is not sure how fond the Commander would be of a stranger being told of their culture and thus Eske deigns to tread with caution. “Our culture is far too much to tell you in a few minutes or even hours and we span many lands, each pack in our coalition with their own, individual customs.” The singular thing that remained, however, was that they all bent knee to Heda who ruled over not just Dragged but also the entire coalition of nations.

All it took was a hard stare from the pack wolf for Ceres to shrink in on herself. Though already quite submissive, she pulled her tail in closer to her body and curled herself into a smaller form whilst rolling partway to better expose her belly. The old wolf was used to being in charge of her mate and her children but she wasn't a dominant creature. She complied willingly and easily with Eske's silent demand, even though she didn't know what she'd done to warrant it. She'd never lived in a world where mistrust reigned.

"Please forgive me if I have offended," the Arctic she-wolf offered meekly. Out of habit she nearly referred to the other wolf as "dear", but kept her tongue at the last moment. She knew how that could go. Some of her own children had strongly opposed her fond nicknames. "I am afraid that in spite of all my interest, I am unfamiliar with others' customs. Please. I mean no harm in asking. I am just an old woman looking to satisfy my childhood thirst for the unknown." She thumped her tail appeasingly in conclusion.

"Pray, Eske Kom Drakru, tell me of your coalition. This is like an alliance between packs? How do you keep it from collapsing on itself in times of strife?" Ceres' pack had always been allies of her parents' pack, but only out of mutual benefit. They were relatives and the cost to benefit ratio was better. She'd always wanted to make alliances with other packs, but her more practical mate had always told her, wolves will stick to their own when times get tough and turn on all others, and she had always woefully believed that to be true.

The howl got the Wocha's attention, and he would arrive a few moments after Eske engaged the wandering wolf. After having found her trail just a bit sooner, he shifted course so he could swing wide and approach from a different angle than hers. Not that he suspected the Cheka would necessarily need the backup his company would provide, but he may as well loom on them as effectively as he can here confidently upon his home turf.

Dio drew up his height and arrived in silence, stiffened tail and hard stare included. The female was hunkered submissively already, mid-speech, so he shot a questioning look to Eske as he keyed in, ears aimed at the stranger. His rising hackles and the wrinkle to his lip showed them he was not impressed already, and neither did he find much reason to humor her when there was little to gain in exchange. He didn't interrupt yet, letting Eske keep encounter directed as she pleased.. but he'd gladly help cut this short; they had better things to do than satisfy some wandering woman's wants.

Eske offers a nod to the woman when she apologizes, accepting it as gracefully as she can while she remains torn. She has given enough information that she deems as safe. It is likely that other nations beneath Heda’s rule have more than likely been discovered and that word spread. It certainly spread among their own. Eske’s own mother had met the Commander when she’d led Odinn’s Cove so clearly she was versed well enough in their culture to aid the Commander in building of Drageda though Gyda had always remained an outlier refusing to give up her own culture in favor of the pack’s own. Eske dithers on between what information she thinks is vague enough and what might cross the line of too much. She is not the Commander, after all, and what she deems vague and thus safe to divulge Thuringwethil may not. Dio approaches shortly after Ceres asks her next question and Eske’s reply is cut short, tongue scraping against her teeth as his body language signals that he is the one truly in charge. For some inexplainable reason, this rubs the Cheka the wrong way. She feels annoyance rise beneath her breast as she looks to her superior and lowers her own body into a posture of submission before him. She does not need him to hover over her. She can handle this. Though Eske knows the Wocha is merely doing his job she cannot help but feel insulted by his presence. She is no child in need of supervision and this hardly the first stranger she’s apprehended; and more dangerous yet is the scathing thought that she was born into this culture whereas he is just an outsider that adopted it. To Eske it is not the same thing: outsiders will always remain outsiders regardless of their adoption of their ways or not. If anyone has a right to divulge of their culture it is she and his presence is unwelcome to her but Eske tries to hide her annoyance as best she can in the face of the stranger still submissive before them.

Eske is aware these thoughts, directed towards someone who stands superior to her, are very dangerous and that if she does not tread carefully she might find herself exiled from her home and people but she harbors them nonetheless, brought to light by her unexplained irritation. Her attention goes back to Ceres, with a small twitch of her lips that could be taken as apologetic. “The Commander.” Eske responds to Ceres questions offering the most vague response she can. The Commander is what binds them all together and their devotion to her. She gnashes her teeth together and takes a step back, adhering to Dio. If he wants to do his job and hover then he could answer Ceres questions for with him here Eske’s presence isn’t needed. She is only Cheka, after all. She is not sure where this sudden and awful resentment stems from because it had never been there before and she needs time to process it and try to decipher what it means and if it continues to effect her what she needs to do about it before it sees her kicked from the only home she has ever known and had any interest in having.

Yet, Eske is stubborn (perhaps incorrigibly so) despite her sudden saltiness and she refuses to relinquish her control of the situation to Dio and turns a blind eye to him now as if he is not there though her posture remains lower than his because, of course, he is still there. “If you join us I could tell you more.” but Eske is not sure if that was apart of the woman's plans or not. If not then she would have to be satisfied with what little bit Eske gave her.

Eske didn't verbally respond to Ceres' apology, but the older she-wolf took her silence as acceptance. Had the pack wolf truly objected to her presence or questions, there would be teeth threatening her neck by now. That was the way of the north at least. Ramsey wouldn't have hesitated in the young Cheka's place, had they any secrets worth protecting. Alas, they had lived a quiet and unassuming life.

When another wolf swept out of the woods, bristling and curling his lip and lifting his tail, Ceres tried her best to press herself into the earth. Again she wondered what she had possibly done wrong, but ever the optimist, she didn't take it personally. There were half a dozen reasons for such a response and not all of them had anything to do with the wolf on the receiving end. She thought perhaps they were just a close-minded bunch, perhaps they'd had trouble with loners before, or perhaps she reminded them of someone unpleasant.

Eske recaptured her attention with a heavy title: The Commander. Where Ceres was from there was only Alpha and Subordinate. The title was foreign but, as intended, commanded authority. A coalition might succeed under the guidance of a single wolf. She'd mistook the notion to be one of an alliance between individual packs, but if there was one sole Commander, then Ceres thought, still incorrectly, it was more like many sects of subordinates with no rulers of their own.

She was surprised at the offer that was made, but Ceres was an old woman. She sought to satisfy the wants of her younger self, the yearning to live how others lived and experience their ways. There was no hesitation in her besides a quick dart of her yellow eyes toward Dio's chest as she sought to confirm, "you would allow me to live among you, to live as you do and experience your culture firsthand?"

There was a giddy trill to her voice as she eagerly said, "I may be getting on in years but I can still make myself useful!"

The call does not apply speed to her feet and she finishes putting Artaax on the ground and forcing him to stay still. Her nose wrinkles when she’s smacked with a paw, then parts from him with a low growl. Encouraging the three to stay in place with their mother, she reluctantly pulls away and diverts her attention away from her little family. When she does not note her guard or wocha anywhere nearby, it is likely they are closer to the source than she is.

Thuringwethil latches onto Dio’s scent first and follows it through the redwood forest until she finds the apex, with Eske, and a stranger too. Her slate eyes trail from one wolf to the next until she hears the stranger’s voice, giving her piece by piece to put the scene together. She sweeps up near to Dio with her tail swept over her spine and her head high, squared above her shoulders but not a word slips past her muzzle. One of them has given the other too much hope in their encounter and she glances between the two to try and sort through the information.

She settles her gaze on Eske, whom is closer to the wolf, and remains a spectator in the background.

While far more interested in the submissive stranger's reasons for being here in the first place and thus, the defense of the packlands from loners with nothing better to do, he could not ignore the subtle tension. He was protective of all that was here on these cliffs. His pups roamed here with increasing freedoms, and not a single pack in any nearby stretch of the wilds was worth any trust on his behalf. He remained steadfast, watchful--mainly because he was curious too, and she'd summoned, but he had not come to nitpick, nor to thieve from Eske's lead. She was capable, a wolf held esteemed by their heda, and he was impressed with her succinct enough answer despite how little pity he felt for the pale woman's plight; she would find no further details on it, their structure, or their traditions from him.

When she answered with seeming interested in the prospect of joining to see their culture herself, he was wary. Not only because of how quick she was to advertise her age (he was no youngling either), but she'd have to be worth something to convince him otherwise. How? was what he would have to know. How could she provide strength for them and why entertain her, of all wolves.

Noting her brief glance his way, he felt his eyes narrow more. "If you are strong, and worthwhile enough," he said without guarantees because with expectations at play, Drageda was not a sanctuary for all. Just afterward, he realized the commander's new presence in their background and deferred subtly, but readily, to her above all else. His defenses remained and he eyeballed the chipper female, skeptical of this, of her, and should she even have a case. Where she could find herself in their ranks--if there was a chance for her?

It is strange, Eske thinks, that she finds herself to be the one more accommodating towards Ceres than the others because she is not a woman known for her amiable tendencies. She is mean and hostile (sometimes even to the newer wolves of Drageda) and so her about face is bizarre even to her. Eske cannot place it though. Ceres has given her no indication that she means any harm and has been entirely and completely cooperative even against Eske’s harsh skepticism. Eske is not soft by any means of the word but she does not get the intuitive feeling that Ceres means any harm; and if she is willing to pledge her loyalty to Drageda and Heda and offer her skills and wisdom to their ranks then is that not enough? Is that not what other outsiders have gotten into the ranks on? She notices the Commander’s presence though she keeps her hold upon the situation for the time being but would relinquish it to Heda the moment she commanded it. There is only one thing that makes the Cheka visibly hesitate and she seeks to address it immediately with Ceres, even though the concern is borne of Eske’s own mind and their conversation thus far. It is not Eske’s place to make the offer but she has done it anyway and there is no taking it back regardless of whatever punishment may await her. “Our culture isn’t a free trial. You cannot pledge your loyalty to Heda and Drageda and simply leave once you’ve experienced enough of it. Abandoning us is treason and you will be branded a traitor.” She thinks, briefly, of her siblings that had abandoned them and her lips pull into a terse line. In Drageda, being a traitor is a heavy weight.

“If that at all clashes with your plans then perhaps it is better you take your leave,” Drageda took their loyalty and their oaths to Heda seriously. “If your interest in joining us still holds true, then you can tell us what skills you can offer us.” But the tactician in Eske already begins to think that if it is cultures and the inner workings of packs is what interests Ceres that she could be a valuable asset as a Rogue; a better understanding of the enemy will always be an advantage in the war; but she gets ahead of herself and is careful to put herself back on track. One thing at a time, she reminds herself. At the moment, Ceres must make the decision whether she thinks she can spend the rest of her days loyal to Drageda and the Commander before anything else.

There came a warning, first from the lips of the pale wolf with the heavy glare, then from the younger, that this was no freebie. She would spend the rest of her life here. That was well and good in Ceres' eyes. She hadn't left the high tundra just intending to wander hither and thither until she grew too old and frail to wander any longer. To experience one's culture, she had to be fully immersed in it, and this one intrigued her. Sure, she thought, there is probably something similarly interesting out there, but that's nothing to bank your remaining years on.

She'd stopped by many packs on her journey from the north. None of them had boasted of any sort of culture. A few had traditions, nothing distinct, but her old family pack had traditions, too. All packs did. This coalition, however, promised something much different.

A third wolf was lurking in the background now. There was a shift in the lighter wolf's stance, but nothing else marked the shadowy wolf as the Commander. Ceres nevertheless rolled the last few inches until she was fully on her back, belly-up and tail curled inward. It was only polite what with three wolves looming over her. The only friendly looking one was Eske. For a beat she hesitated to speak, wondering if pledging herself to this pack would then condemn her to a lonely life of skepticism and judgment. She decided that even that low possibility was better than being all alone in the north.

"I am sorry if I've given cause to believe I would abandon any pledge I've made," Ceres said apologetically as she pressed her skull to the ground and exposed her throat in a sign of good will and trust. Old she might be and with a desire to learn of the world's cultures before she passed, but Ceres was no oathbreaker. She hadn't been from the day she was born, or she might have fled as a young one from her parents' decree that she become Ramsey's mate against her will, and she hadn't done that either. "I am a learned storyteller and know my way around cubs. I've had several of my own, you see. I can watch them, teach them, help them grow into well-rounded individuals. I can offer advice from the mouth of a woman who has experienced much of life. I can still hunt as well as any, and anything you require me to learn, I still have the mind to do so." She was no fighter, though. She might hold her own in a one-on-one scuffle if it was a matter of life and death, but even in her prime, Ceres was a gentle soul who better served as a supporting wolf more than anything else. It went without saying, she thought, with her size and her age.

"I am more than happy to pledge myself in service to your coalition and Commander for all my days," she said honestly. "I only ask that I be given leave to travel outside your territory now and again, that I may satisfy my curiosities about others from afar. Only short trips. I would be glad to share all I learn if it would please your Commander."

The wolf all but gives her life over to Drageda in just a few moments. Every weak point on a wolf is exposed in a single motion, further speaking to try and please them. She hadn’t witnessed the beginning of the conversation to see where the wolf had started when Eske came upon her, or even when Dio had, but her gaze lingers anyway. It slowly moves from one point to the next and what it will take to get from point A to point B.

Dio speaks up for all of them but Eske continues to explain the stipulations. Drageda has seen its fair share of traitors over the last year and a half and most of them are in the outsiders she’s chosen to pull in and coming to the cliffs it has seemed to increase. No amount of begging on this wolf’s part is going to shed any doubt she may not do the same but the precautions over the next several weeks are taken into account. However, she speaks of a singular condition, something that catches her attention. One ear twitches in thought. Wildfire hadn’t been capable of her duty before she stepped down due to the children and now her job has changed entirely, with plenty unknown outside Drageda walls that she can only put together piece by piece.

Before the two warriors have a chance to speak up, she moves smoothly between them to draw attention enough not to remain the center, but to shine the spotlight away for a moment.

“There is a pack east of here, between two mountains. Larksong Grotto,” she begins. She has heard nothing from the wolves that have taken up residence and none of them had returned east to even know what has changed in the last half year. And this wolf carries no scent except that of a traveler. “Without revealing us, go there and find what you can.” She’d tasked one wolf of the task only to never hear from him again and if she didn’t return, there is little skin off her back.

There may be a promise, and she may be a beast no less capable than the rest (perhaps even more), but it was the circumstance of it all leaving him dissatisfied. Her motives at first glance did not impress him, and he was wary of their ability to cement and foster her loyalty and worth--after so very many had come only to leave them again already. But his first impression could be all wrong. Maybe she'd last. Maybe it was far more than simply entertaining her wants.

Maybe it could become more than that, and at least, her further words seemed to want to convince them otherwise. He was attentive, and certainly all ears, although stayed just as difficult to coax into believing so easily.

Skepticism withstanding, although his presence had paled subtly in favor of his leader, he let the commander's request sit heavily before their stranger. He agreed with a small flick of a nod; they could use her neutrality to their gain, if she could do it--if she truly wanted to know them that much. Assuming she pulled through.. then so be it, and he would know it wasn't just as shallow as it seemed on the surface. 

Eske defers to Heda as The Commander slides between her and Did and addresses Ceres with a command to find Larksong Grotto and take what information she can without revealing them. It seems a tall order Eske cannot help but think, especially when there is nothing that says that Ceres even knows where Larksong Grotto is. It is true that Thuringwethil has commanded others that boast of battle prowess to spar to prove themselves and Eske supposes this is much the same thing, wondering if Heda has come to the same conclusion that she has: that Ceres might make a very good Rogue. Regardless, it is not her place to question and already she thinks she may have overstepped her boundaries. Nevertheless, she is not apologetic for it. She sees great potential in Ceres despite the woman’s age and if in her curiosity she can become an example citizen of their culture then her worth as an asset and pack mate will far outweigh the distrust her curiosity might produce. In Eske’s mind, at least, and judging from Heda and Wocha she may be alone in this line of thought. Eske is the first one to distrust outsiders but she thinks that as Dio, at least should know, outsiders can raise to great heights if given the right tools.

Eske looks to Ceres and offers her an encouraging nod, though whether the woman notices it or not the Cheka does not know. Eske, at least, for reasons that are inexplicable to her except for what she has already deduced logically — that Ceres could prove a very great asset to Drageda — is willing to put her faith in her. Perhaps not full trust, not yet for that would be earned, but faith it was a gesture of good will. A rare thing to come from the warrior princess and she hopes that Ceres will not let her down.

The prone she-wolf turned her head as the darkest of the trio came forward with a request. No, a command. This must indeed be Eske's vaunted Commander. Thuringwethil commanded a respectable amount of authority. Even Ceres, who was not yet beholden to the aggressive pack wolves, felt the weight of it settle on her mantle. "Yes, madame," she agreed readily.

What need they had for knowledge on this pack, she didn't bother to ask. The old wolf knew she wasn't likely to be told anyway, based on the secrecy with which they conducted themselves thus far. She remained still on the ground, but rolled her vision up to Thuringwethil's chin and asked, as politely as she could, "may I have permission to go?"

Once it was given, she rose and left on her mission.

Wrapping this up.

Neither of the other two have anything to say or object but the straggler agrees to the task and asks for dismissal. Thuringwethil looks between Eske and Dio, considering giving her a tail, but she thinks better of it. There’s little the woman can give the grotto wolves aside from her location and there is little to fear on an attack from them. Heda lifts her nose once and gives the other a chance to go before she retreats her two back into the territory.