Dragoncrest Cliffs the peace of wild things

It takes a tremendous amount of effort to not leave right then and there. She hadn’t been able to look at Hux any longer, despite wanting more information that he clearly does not have. He hadn’t stayed long enough in the caldera to assure her that Wildfire is going to be okay in the long run. How long had he been there in the first place? How long had it even taken him to get back? He wouldn’t have known the way well enough for a straight shot home like they had with the help of Étoille. Thuringwethil has many more questions than the brute has answers and she knows the only way to get them is to go back to the Caldera.

She remembers Finley’s promise to send a scout but Hux’s return to Drageda may be all she gets. Thuringwethil knows Wildfire is alive and will return in the spring but it doesn’t feel right. It’s incomplete, at best, and she has to find out for herself.

Winter has come upon them fast with colder and colder days and the occasional flurry of snow. She’s gotten all her strength back, her coat has begun to thicken, and traveling south will beat a lot of the oncoming weather. Returning may not be as easy but she is capable and has traveled worse weather than this. Anxiety sits like acid in the pit of her stomach, deciding that she does need to leave. They can spare her, for the time being. @Dio and @Eske are capable of handling those on the borders and her children will guard them, too. And in the absence of her return, should something happen, Ajatar is already home to lead in her demise.

With a painful knot in her stomach, Thuringwethil lifts her nose and calls for @Étoille.

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Étoille has spent the past few days working to bring meat to the cache. Hunting is proving to be a relaxing way to spend his days without a scouting mission. Increasingly he finds he just enjoys the simple pleasure of being able to offer something to his home.

He is by the cache when Heda's call summons him - immediately he lets go of the vole he'd been carrying and heads to her location, expression faintly curious. He has not spoken to her since their return, and so he cannot imagine what she's intending to ask of him. "Heda," the Rauna greets with a polite nod, head lowered respectfully as he approaches the impressive leader.

While there is not much she knows about Étoille, she supposes she does not have to. He has done a great undertaking in the short time he has been here. Two long scouting missions within his first arrival and acclimating into the life they have here on the coast. She notes his scent in places, impressed by his initiative… perhaps even more than some of the others. If anything, she has formed a business-like bond with him and she is content with his work and feels no other need to engage unless she needs him, which he’s yet to offer complaint.

When he arrives, he nods and lowers his posture when he speaks her name. She returns a single nod of acknowledgement upon his approach and a hint of a tired, weary smile. Most of her just wants this all over with and perhaps this finally leg of a trip may offer them that. His skill hasn’t been questioned, either, even before he’d earned his rank and so it does not cause her to hesitate when she needs him. “Hux returned from Redhawk Caldera earlier, but without Wildfire. She is awake but does not intend to return until spring. I was thinking of returning to go see her and maybe to find out what happened,” she says, her smile fading fast. She hadn’t wanted to leave her and if she didn’t have Drageda to care for, she’d likely still be there. “Will you accompany me? I hope to shorten the journey to a few days, if possible,” she tells him. In other words, they’re gonna run until their legs fall off.

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 Their business-like relationship suits him as well - though one of these days he really should try to learn her name. It's impossible to ask her - it strikes him as impolite and awkward, at the least. Ah, well. The opportunity will eventually present itself, he's sure.

 Were their relationship different - were Étoille more than an outsider - the Rauna might have questioned whether or not it was a good idea. He's never known the Heda to act brashly. Had they recieved news that Wildfire's injuries were grave, perhaps he could understand, but this feels uncomfortably like he's being drawn into what will become a lover's quarrel.

 But: their relationship is what it is, and he is not going to object to an order. Well. A request from Heda, which is essentially an order. "Bien sûr," the titan tells her, any hint of his own doubts thoroughly hidden from his naturally neutral expression. "When shall we leave," he adds, though he suspects the answer will be along the lines of 'now'.

wanna wrap it up?

There is little that changes in his expression, leaving her to believe there is little objection or doubt to his agreeance. Thuringwethil is thankful for that and she gives him a hint of a smile but it fades fast. Most outsiders are not easily willing to do things on the spot, or without question, and part of her feels like he’s been a part of them from the beginning and has resurfaced to be part of their lives once more. He is old enough that she should recognize him if he had once been with any of their branches he never made mention of it, but she does not bother to speak about this. Instead, he asks when they are leaving, and as much as she wants to say now, she doesn’t. She still has to talk to Dio and Eske, and then later say goodbye to @Artaax, @Blixen, and @Bobby. “We will leave in the morning,” she says, similar to the first mission. They will be given a final chance to prepare, to eat their last easy meal for a while, and depart as soon as the sun rises.

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oui

There is not much more to say. Faced with the prospect of an even quicker travel to the Caldera, Étoille does not flinch. Without the large group to slow them down, he and Heda should have no issues making good time. "Oui," he agrees, dipping his head, "I shall see you in the morning." He will wait for her to official dismiss him before he goes - to finish off that vole and to say a quick goodbye to @Furi. This time the titan does not feel so bad leaving her once again, for it seems she has settled in amongst the other children well enough, and Eske will of course be around.