Phoenix Maplewood phantom bruise

Preferably someone from the IKT. Other tags for visibility: @Tahani, @Uki, @Aqakuktuq, @Nanook Set for like 7/22ish?

After a few days in the grove, they start to get antsy. Lingering too long brings the nosy wolves around and though they are still tired, they have to move. She isn’t as caught up as she’d like to be for the last leg but a little movement beneath their feet is all they need. Just around the corner, the glacier will be there. They’ll have their home. They can rest and eat and sleep and start to mark the territory that belongs to them. @Takiyok mentioned wolves that remained to hold their place, but what can few wolves do?  And wolves she doesn’t know, for that matter, including the ones they collected on the way that certainly hadn’t been in their plan.
 
Pushed as far as she can go, Shivali gently lowers @Sos to the ground and beckons @Siarut. The sun is just over the horizon. They’ve put enough distance between themselves and the last place, they can spend another few days here; as long as their antsy paws will let them. She does not offer to feed any of the children until @Tomkin has found a den for her to seclude herself off and feed them properly, enough to get them by a little while longer. The heat of the morning sun brightens the day and with all four children asleep, she picks herself out of the den and looks around the little area they’ve chosen. She looks from one sleeping figure to the next to see who has lingered and who has set out on patrol and search of food. The routine is often the same each day.
 
Shivali lowers to the ground, a few feet away from the mouth of the abandoned den, and enjoys the cool morning with direct heat from a beam of light breaking through the maplewood.

a wild uki appears if you don't mind her

Usually Tupilaq could be found wandering, searching the wilderness for her gods or for threats. Their time in Fox's Glade had not been kind to her however; much of the prey she's caught she's surrendered to the equally ill-faring Shivali who needs it more as she's the children's primary caretaker. She's taken one injury too many alongside her diminished state, from the fights she's gotten into chasing rogues away from nanuk's family and eliminating predators alike. The day finds her still with the group for once, unable to sleep but still taking a much needed rest.

When the mother appears, basking in Siqiqniq's beams peacefully, angakkuq almost decides not to approach. She's been avoiding the Ateneq sisters since running across them, figuring in time they'll be less standoffish and perhaps they'd find some gratitude for what it cost everyone to help their family. It matters little to tapeesa if it unfolds or not for she's taken up a similar image of them. Much like she's only the means of finding food for their children, they're merely nanuk's sisters and whether she finds friendship and family in them as Siarut said, is irrelevant. She'll bring them her prey but for nanuk and the young ones Shivali nurses, not for the sisters themselves.

With this in mind, she figures she has little to lose and makes her way to the eldest sister. She takes up a spot a pace or so away, settling on her ivory haunches with a soft chuff. 

Without a lot of energy left in her, it is difficult to put up defenses against the wolves traveling with them. The longer they stick around (where only a few days feels like weeks), the more tolerant of their presence she becomes. She can’t be guarded around them forever since their time together does not end with their journey at the glacier. They are, essentially, a pack at this point. They have followers.
 
And, as if her thoughts had been broadcast, she turns to look lazily at Uki as she approaches. Shivali doesn’t offer much in acknowledgment aside from looking. Her expression remains the same—tired and withdrawn—but she does not shy away from the company. Unaware she has done wrong by the other woman, she finally offers a smile and dip of her head once the woman is settled on the ground. A second set of eyes never hurt anyone.

She watches with much the same expression she always wears - carefully closed off from emotion, as if guarding the precious treasures of her thoughts - much the same expression Shivali wears as she blinks an eye open at her absently. The wild girl harbors little feeling or attachment to any of nanuk's siblings, having either not met them or having been unimpressed by her first encounter. Her loyalty rests with him but the empath is beginning to sense his attachment to her extends only to a pretty face. 

Such tentative trust is easily swayed and she finds she admires the whelping sister for such fierce regard of her young - including one who is not of her flesh nor is specifically her child. Her head dips, though the smile she is offered is unreturned - it seems some time before the timid tundrian will easily smile. 

For the first time, her voice makes an appearance, albeit a rather soft appearance, to an Ateneq that is not nanuk."Is there anything you need? For your children?" Outside of the ever pressing requirement to feed them, the pups seem a safe topic - anything else to leave her maw would sound false - so tapeesa offers anything within her capability as an olive branch to Shivali.

Uki doesn’t respond as much as she anticipated so Shivali glances away, staring out through the trees and low foliage. One ear keeps toward the other pale woman while she keeps a lookout and it’s only when she does speak, to her surprise, that she turns back to look at her. With a look of consideration, Shivali ultimately shakes her head, mostly unable to garner the energy to think about what she wants.
 
“I think they’d like something to play with,” she considers, tiredly looking at the woman. “If you come across something on your patrol,” she adds, of course. She doesn’t want unnecessary energy going to something questionable but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for anything interesting for the puppies to share between them.

As expected, Shivali is shook surprised by the sound of Uki's voice. Most are, for by the time she chooses to speak it seems she is incapable or unwilling. The waif takes her shock in with a small twitch, the tiniest tilt of her head. Finally, she shakes her head and tupilaq nods, silver gaze dropping under the realization of being stared at.

When Shivali's voice reaches her ragged ears, they give a twitch. This time it's she who's surprised by the other's voice and she glances again at Siarut's sister. "I'll keep an eye out," she responds softly, the smallest of smiles lingering on her face. 

They share a friendly look but they’re far from where they need to be. As the days progress and she gets to see the others interact, picking them as home, that maybe it’s not such a bad thing. Siarut has the freedoms she doesn’t have any more and he gets to see what she doesn’t. Fleeing from one pack without so much as a goodbye puts her on edge but the distance between them and the Woods has become great and she can feel some of the tension relax and give her the chance to trust when she hadn’t been willing before.
 
Shivali nods her head and looks away again, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Thank you,” she says though it’s weighted more with appreciation of her presence than anything else.

The weight in Shivali's voice gives her pause and for the first time the tundrian considers that motherhood might be lonely. It's obvious that Uki is not quite a friend, nor is she quite trusted yet, but in time there might be something like understanding between them. The waif extends her neck the tiniest bit, as if considering reaching out with the intention of brushing Shivali's shoulder, but ultimately pulls back - unsure if her kindness will be accepted. 

The waif finds her feet - a little more stiffly given how sore she is - and dips her head to Shivali as if to say You're welcome. "I'm going to patrol, make sure things are good around here." The berserker turned, given that she had no further reason to stay, and padded away on silent steps to guard the territory.