Heron Lake Plateau They wanna lay me to rest, but I won't go

vaguest of the vague!

She was somewhere in their territory... she wasn't sure where, she'd been way too far gone by the time they'd gotten there to care.  She wasn't even sure she'd helped much most of the way, but somehow, she was here.

She slept a lot the first few days, and presumably, Raven saw to her.  But now she was awake, and anxiety gnawed at her gut as she realized what this meant.  She'd been missing from Ironsea for near on a week, and she needed to get home.  But a slow test of her legs showed her quickly she couldn't travel yet... she was stuck here, among (albeit kind) strangers, and likely they would think she deserted.  Wouldn't they?

Hopefully an explanation would be enough.  Why hadn't she just turned and left instead of trying to fight the damn cat?  She cursed herself liberally as she lay, on her side, staring at an unfamiliar landscape.  Nothing for it now.  Hopefully soon she'd be fit for runnin home again, and she could get out of their fur.

After having spent a couple days on the Roost with Towhee while they both healed, Niamh took some time to seek out the wolf who had been taken to the Caldera to heal after the fight with a bobcat. She wasn't entirely sure how this female had ties to the Redhawks, but if they were willing to take her in and help heal her, she obviously couldn't be too bad- and by this point, Niamh figured that she was probably feeling a bit out of place and antsy, wanting to go home. Naturally, Niamh was hoping that she might be able to work as an escort, for the female's trip home, as she had for Tegan during his mission to Drageda. 

Niamh had caught a duck and carried it, glossy feathers ruffling in the gentle breeze, as she sought out the woman's last known resting place, and then followed her nose from there. Soon enough, she saw the female laying on her side, brown fur shimmering a fetching auburn in the light. She wuffed a greeting, and snuck forward to lay the duck on the ground. Licking her lips, she nodded. "Thought you might be hungry," She said, and gestured toward the duck.

She was glad that they, for the most part, gave her space.  There wasn't much trouble she could get up to anyway, especially with these injuries.  Guess they don't have a Tetsubo here, she thought with no small amount of amusement.  

Pawsteps alerted her to Niamh approaching, and she slowly pulled herself into more of a recline so that she could rest and look at her.  The wounds pulled as she shifted and she caught her breath, but Raven was doing good work.  

"Guessin yer one of the locals? "  She asked, smiling toothily at the prospect of food.  "If that's for me, I owe ye big time.  Thanks."  She hadn't realized how hungry she was until that moment, and that duck looked like heaven.  Technically she owed them all, but that could come later.  "How's the other one doin? With the stripes?"  She didn't remember much, and hadn't gotten a name, but that pelt had stuck in her mind.

One of Niamh's ears turned back when she saw the female grimace as she sat up; she herself winced slightly, knowing how much it hurt to move around when injured. At least she was safe, though, and being taken care of by a friendly pack, and being fed- and even though she wasn't in the comfort of her own home, at least she'd survived the altercation with the bobcat. Even with her injuries, though, Niamh could easily see her beauty- from the rich mahongany of her fur, highlighted with hints of auburn, to the gleam of her eyes, like drops of amber. There was something about the shape of her eyes, too, that made her look stunning and clever. 

Niamh was pleased, then, when she got a friendly greeting. She nodded, picked up the duck and brought it right over to Rosalyn, dropping it at her feet before she moved back, and sat down. "Sure that's for you," She said, gesturing toward the duck with a nod of her head. "Eat up. And yes, this is my pack; s'not like you're a hostage or anything, heh, so I figured I'd bring you a bite to eat." She chuckled. When the female asked about the 'striped' wolf, she could only assume she was referring to Towhee. "She's doing OK- I had a sprained ankle about the same time the two of you got tore up so we just kind of chilled out together and nursed our wounds. She's still kinda torn up, but she's tough." She said. "How're you feeling?"

This one was a friendly one, wasn't she? But it was much appreciated, especially since it came with gifts.  She hooked the duck with a paw and nodded appreciatively... she would definitely eat up.

"Glad to hear it... I don't think I'm givin myself too much credit in sayin my crew would be fair sorry to lose me."  She smiled, but it was a little terse.  "It got her face, yeah?  Hope it didn't hit anything important."  Lookswise it was a rough blow, gettin a slash like that to the face, but it would be worse if it hit an eye or something.  Losing sight had to be a bitch.  "I've been better, but yer healer knows her stuff."  She turned to look at her hip, the mess of scabs and slashes intermingled with whatever Raven had put on them earlier that day.  It helped, a lot, and she could tell they hadn't begun to fester yet.  With any luck she'd be able to avoid what happened last time.  Vlad was a lot of things, but healer? Definitely not one of them.  Fuck if he hadn't tried though.

She smiled one moment, and nodded when Rosalyn expressed with a bit of humour that her pack would miss her- but then shook her head when the topic of Towhee came up. "It did get her face, but her eyes are OK, I think. She's healing up, but she'll have a pretty badass scar. I keep telling her it makes her look super fierce," She said. She didn't get the feeling, from Towhee, that she was too upset about having a facial scar, and Niamh had been incredibly sincere when she'd said those things to Towhee- it definitely gave her an edge, and Niamh liked it. 

The female turned to glance at the injuries on her hip, and Niamh winced slightly, imagining how much it hurt. The topic of Raven came up, but she stayed silent. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure how she felt about Raven. "If you want, when you go back to your pack, I can probably escort you?" She said. "I mean, not that you'd necessarily need it- but I'm working toward becoming a Mercenary, and this'd be another pretty decent mission- if you don't mind the company?" She didn't know the female at all, but she would still be somewhat injured and weakened when she left- and Niamh wanted to make sure she got home safe...And if it meant she got another gold star on her record as a mercenary, then it was a win-win situation.

"Glad to hear it," she said, and was surprised to find that yes, she was honestly glad.  The striking girl was partially why she was here, yes, but it wasn't her fault she'd decided to stand and fight, and it wasn't her fault they had both failed in it.  In fact, they were kinda in a similar boat.

This girl was friendly too, and easy on the eyes.  It seemed to be a theme with this pack, and Rosalyn again got the weird sense of deja vu she'd had intermittently since coming.  Why did Redhawks ring a bell?

"That'd be amazin'". She responded with a warm smile, then looked down.  "I suspect it'll be a while, but I don't like being gone.  D'you know if anyone here would be willing to take a message?"  It was a bit of a haul for a stranger, but she needed to ask.  She suspected the answer she'd get and hoped it wasn't the case, that these wolves were kinder than she guessed she'd be in their pawsteps.

Niamh was pleased that Rosalyn seemed keen to take her up on her offer. She didn't mind if it took a while- she wanted Rosalyn to rest up so that the journey wouldn't be dangerous, nor would it take forever if she had to travel at half the speed she would normally travel at. Of course, Rosalyn would set the pace- but if she could stay a few days extra so that they could make the journey a bit safer and quicker, Niamh felt that that would be a decent tradeoff. 

Her ears perked when she asked about having someone send a message, and she nodded. "Oh, for sure- Tegan is a Scout, and he's taken messages as far as Drageda before." She said. "Do you want me to give him a call to see if he can do it?" She asked. Of course, she'd probably have to pass things by Raven, and likely Finley too- but all of that could be arranged.

Rosalyn was a little flabbergasted when she so easily agreed, and even offered a name. "I'll take whoever you can spare," she said, open surprise in her look, but turning to avid relief.  It was rare for her to not check such things entering her expression, but she couldn't help it... wow that was a weight off to know they'd be told.

"And now I'd be doubly in your debt.  You ever come to the shores and need anything, you let me know."  She paused, then wondered.  "Have you ever been the way of the coast?"

Rosalyn wasn't too picky on who delivered the message, but nevertheless, Niamh reconsidered volunteering Tegan. Niamh liked him, sure- but she did know that he could be a bit immature and silly, and he was very, very opinionated; maybe that wouldn't work well with whoever awaited him at Rosalyn's pack. Then again, if he was aiming to be a scout, he'd have to learn on his own how to be diplomatic when it came to speaking with wolves from other packs. Not all of them would be able to tolerate his...Sense of humour. 

"Raven'd probably be the best one to ask, then. Not to deliver the message, but to sent someone- she'd probably be know best who'd be able to do it quickly." She said. She also wasn't sure if Tegan even knew where Rosalyn's pack was. 

She smiled when Rosalyn thanked her, and bobbed her head in acknowledgement. She perked up noticeably, though, when Rosalyn brought up the oceanside. "Oh, for sure!" She said. "I've been out a couple times- saw sea lions, and caught a few crabs. Brought a couple of them back here to start a crab colony...But I dunno how they're doing," She said. "I didn't really think about the whole...salt water versus fresh water thing."

Likely she'd be even more antsy now that the prospect of a message was there, but she would attempt to keep it in check... they didn't need to be doing any of this, after all, and she wasn't necessarily sure she would if the tables were turned.  She had shown a few times that she had a softer touch than some, but when it came to taking strangers into her crew? Not necessarily.  Cept now, if the tables turned, it was owed.  She kept a bargain so long as they still deserved the right to it.

"A crab colony?" She asked, and then laughed.  "Clever!  I wonder if they can do without the sea.  I hope they little try works out for you, they are good eating once you get past the pinch."  She'd had her nose twinged a time or two and it wasn't a great experience, but she enjoyed their taste enough that she was getting good at avoiding.

Though her conversation with Raven had made her reconsider exactly how smart (or....not so smart) it was to try and start a crab colony- just considering the biology of the darn things- Rosalyn actually seemed pretty enthusiastic about the idea she's come up with. Niamh smiled, grateful that at least someone seemed optimistic about the future of a crab colony in a lake. Of course, Niamh had no idea that bringing alien life forms into a new environment could also lead to chaos if they did too well, but that would be a lesson learned another day, perhaps. 

Niamh scrunched her nose in response to the idea of having it pinched by a crab. "Yeah, once you get past that, they're great! I think they're super neat. So are sea lions- but I don't think I could....Or should...Bring a couple of them back to start a colony here." She said. Though it would definitely give her some street cred if she was somehow able to lure a couple young sea lions back to the lake.

Rosalyn had lived near the coast all her life, but she wasn't exactly a biologist, or even particularly interested in the ways of the creatures aside from eating them.  So Niamh's idea sounded perfectly doable... if a wolf could live away from the sea, and drank fresh water, couldn't a crab?  In fact, maybe it'd be happier with easier access to good old refreshment.

Sea lion, though, was where she grinned skeptically.  "You do a feat like that, and get one o' those lard buckets this far, I'd call you Captain for life," she said with a small laugh.  It painted a funny picture, imagining Niamh walking and dangling a fish, the awkward seal waddling along after.  "You ever seen one of them move? It'd take seasons I bet."  Not a bad idea if it could be done! She envied them a bit though... they may look awkward as hell on land, but in the water, they were the epitome of sleek grace.

Just gonna tidy this up so me stuff's up to date. Hopefully Niamh'll go to Ironsea sometime though so they can meet up again!

Lard bucket. That was one she'd have to remember so she could use it on someone sometime...If she even knew anyone that could be considered a lard bucket; most of the wolves in the pack were slim or lean, and she couldn't think of any that were particularly lazy either...Still, it was a good insult, and it caused Niamh to laugh, pleasantly surprised at the novelty. "Right? Man. Unless I could grab a baby one...But then I'd have to like...Feed it and raise it, and I dunno if I could eat it when it grew up," She said. 

She sat up then, and glanced over her shoulder. "Well I oughta get movin'. I'll try and catch Raven and see who she'd wanna send to Ironsea, so someone'll be with you in a bit to get the message." She moved forward to gently touch her nose to Rosalyn's cheek in a friendly, respectful gesture. "Heal up well!" She said, leaving Rosalyn to eat her meal while she sought out Raven.