Duskfire Glacier nero fiddled

backdated to a day or so after the fire

this was no sooty kiss from coelacanth and her coaltree. he was liberally covered in ash, the fine edges of his pelt singed by fire. apart from his wretched appearance, his joints ached and his throat burned, and there was a sense of mingled dread and sorrow that permeated his very soul. nevertheless, aditya pulled himself from the maplewood and headed north, up the moraine.

the last he had seen kitten, he had told her to go this way. the sentinel thought, perhaps, that river had joined her, and the two were missing but together. this was clearly the best case scenario; he hoped they had found refuge at a pack nearby. normally, he'd try bracken sanctuary first, but now. . .

his paws stopped just short of the glacier as the mingled scents of wolves drew to a crescendo. this border was clearly marked--it must be the pack alessia spoke of, a name in a language he did not know. if these were indeed the pale wolves--and it smelled a great deal like what he remembered--his presence here would not be welcome. but he would leave no stone unturned in his search for kitten and river.

the plains were on fire. the bad blood between the northerners and morningside paled in comparison.

he let out a howl for the leaders and @Alessia, wincing at the pain in his throat--he had spoken only in low croaks and murmurs, since the flames. he pitched the sound as loud and pleading as possible, hoping someone would return his inquiry soon.

She'd all but forgotten her last meeting with Aditya, so she's startled to hear his voice ringing out over the territory, partially for her. She's quick to respond, noting the raspy quality to the call, the undertone that told her all was not well. The yearling arrives at the borders shortly, worry already tainting her expression. It turns to shock when she catches sight of him, gears turning quickly.
Aditya, you're — a fire? Nearby? Is your pack — ? She asks as she draws closer, unable to finish the question; gone? She swallows hard and halts a few feet away, gaze searching his figure for obvious wounds. Are you hurt? She asks, glancing briefly behind her to see if her leaders have come yet.

sorry for the phone posts, having computer troubles!

The unfamiliar howl travelled across the frozen land, coming to the pale man’s keen ears. He doesn’t recognize the voice, and peaks Siaruts interest. Quick paws carry his bulky form across the ice, his dull claws gripping cleats preventing slippage.

Although not quick enough, Sia finds Myreen conversing with the previously unknown man. As he came into sight the Atausiq was perturbed that he hadn’t recognized the caller. The ice bear recognized him as the accomplice of the agressive woman who forced his family from safety.

With narrowed eyes, the brute approached slowly. Doing his best to look intimidating. He contained his agression for the moment, the man had not been overtly forceful at their last encounter, and this worked in the mans favour. Siarut has also had time to think over his last encounter with Dawn, he had been startled to see her leading to his terrible mood. But he couldn’t begrudge her, and perhaps show them to be different than the Morningsiders. Willing to help those who might need it.

The man looked disheveled, ash cling to him and his voice had been but a croak. Keeping himself neutral he could see the concern on Myreen’s maw, and the obvious acknowledgment between the pair. “Who is this, Myrren?” His neutrality was obvious, his gruff voice lending to more intimidation. He wasn’t above helping the man if it was needed but he wouldn’t forget their previous history.

The howl was unfamiliar and came from the borders. Instantly on alert, Taki quickly made her way from the other side of their territory. When she arrived, she immediately noticed the stranger from their hostile encounter just before arriving in their new home. The male looked rough, his coat singed and covered in ash, but she still tensed and fixed him with a shrewd stare as she came to stand next to Sia. She noticed Myrren was there as well and was glad to see one of their new pack members helping them protect the borders. She would praise her for it later, but for now, she continued to study the soot-covered stranger at their border, wondering what he needed and thinking that even though she wanted to deny any request he made out of pure spite, she wouldn't sink to that level. What's going on here? Taki finally asked, briefly moving her gaze to Sia before fixing it back on the male.

alessia was the first to arrive, concern morphing into shock as she drew closer. he shook his head at her questions--first yes, then. . . he caught the implication, the unspoken word, and shook his head, emphatically. they are alive. (most of them, at least.) as to his injuries--he gave a shrug, a small sigh. his own health was the least of his concerns, right now.

adi's stomach dropped as the two pale wolves arrived on-scene, clearly recognizing him as the man who'd chased them from refuge. he dipped his head, adjusting his pose to be as submissive as possible, while still trying to carry the air of a leader of a pack just south of their claim. he cleared his throat, grasping for the right words.

"i know you have little love for me, and for morningside," he said softly, unable to pitch his voice above a raspy murmur. "i don't blame you in the least. i would hold a grudge, too, if i stood in your place." he inclined his head to the south, the lingering smoke above the horizon. "our plains are destroyed. we had to flee. most of us are accounted for, but a few--"

aditya let out a hacking, sudden cough, the action shaking his shoulders. he took a moment to compose himself before speaking again, eyes watering. "we have children missing," adi explained. "i sent kitten to go this way, and i think her brother might have joined her, too. they are the pups you saw in the maplewood." his gaze was liquid and imploring as he stared back and forth between the two pale wolves.

"please, i beg--hate me all you want, but for our children's sake. . .don't hold my sins against them, too. they are innocent. have you seen them, nearby?"

She watches Aditya's gestures closely, composing herself just in time for Siarut's arrival. She dips her head in greeting to her leader, then again as Takiyok arrives. Aditya of Morningside — I trust him, She offers before the man starts to speak, unsure how much Siarut will value her input; she is a finicky wolf and makes no secret of it, but does he trust her judgment?
She's quiet after that, stepping back slightly to allow the leaders their discourse. The Morningside leader's speech makes her chest tighten with sympathy, but she resists the urge to interject when he finishes. Instead she glances between her leaders briefly, privately grateful to see early on how they will handle such things. If nothing else, the encounter will be informative.

Myrren's words which normally would have held weight fell on deaf ears as Sia had already conjured a personality of the man that had arrived on their door step. He assumed Tak had heard the name and so knew about as much as he did, he ignored her question, letting her find out for herself exactly what was going on.

Giving Myrren a shallow nod, not taking his gaze from the male, Siarut listened to the speech Aditya had to give. The cough and the disheveled appearance was evidence that he was speaking to truth. And even though he held no love for Dawn, he couldn't simply turn the man away. Looking over at Takiyok, wondering if she had found any children on their borders. Sia assumed that he would have been notified, seeing as he lacked the memory regarding being told of two pups found along their border the Atausiq assumed they hadn't arrived.

His neutral facade dropped a fraction, as his brows came together. "Although our two packs have strained relations, I would never turn away someone who is looking for help." Taking a step closer to the man, "I am sorry to hear of your plight, Aditya. I am Siarut, and this is Takiyok." He didn't bother introducing Myrren as he already knew her. "I am afraid to say that we have not seen them." A frown formed on his maw, drawing his lips downward.

"If you are in need of anything we can help. We have a healer and a few aspiring, if they can be of use to you. Takiyok is an excellent scout, she can help you find the youngbloods, if you need help." Siarut wasn't sure what else they could offer, and expected Takiyok to step forward if she could think of anything he had missed.

She briefly acknowledged Myrren's greeting, but liker brother, ignored her comment regarding Aditya; their first encounter with the male still made anger swell in her chest, and she wasn't ready to let that go, even if one of their own spoke well of him. The Morningside wolf's apologetic words meant little to Taki; their pack's previous actions spoke a lot louder than some measly apology issued after the fact when he clearly needed something. She offered him nothing but an expressionless gaze and listened as he continued to speak is raspy words. It appeared there had been a fire in their territory. For a split second, the spiteful part of her whispered something about karma, but she quickly pushed that from her mind, especially at the mention of lost children. She may still hold a grudge from that day in the forest, but their pups were certainly not included in that grudge. The male explained that a couple of their pups were missing and wanted to know if the had seen them. Sia looked to her then, and she shook her head. If she had seen children on their own, she would have given them shelter, so he would have certainly known about it.

Sia then offered her up to help and as much as she wanted to laugh and offer a snarky reply, she couldn't stop imagining kids lost, alone, and scared. If any of their nieces or nephews were in that situation, Taki would be beside herself. Plus, her older brother was right, they wouldn't turn away someone that needed help, no matter how much they disliked them. With no evidence on her face of her current internal struggle, she took a step forward and nodded. She would help him look for the pups if he needed it regardless of how she felt about him. She said nothing, though, afraid she wouldn't be able to keep a diplomatic tone.

he had given myrren an appreciative glance when she spoke; they didn't know each other all that well, so to have the girl vouch for him meant a great deal. his face became more grave when the alpha male began to speak, introducing himself as siarut and. . .well, he was a lot more sympathetic than aditya had planned for. of course, you'd have to be a heartless monster to not care about missing children, no matter how you felt about the adults that cared for them.

the other, takiyok, looked less agreeable, but seemed to be willing to help. short-fused they might be, but at least they weren't heartless. he dipped his head low in gratitude to both of them, trying to address the pair rather than individuals when he spoke again.

"i appreciate your offer very much," aditya responded, the first words barely audible as he forced his voice once more through a smoke-reddened throat. "i can't ask something like that of you without anything to give you in return. but-- if they do come across your territory, could you send them home? perhaps with an escort?" he coughed, looking sheepish. "we're, ah, in the maplewood now. on a more permanent basis."

adi blinked at them, apology clear in his eyes. "i am sorry we got off on the wrong foot," he murmured. "i hope that relations between our packs can someday improve. they could--" another cough, and he ducked his head, sucking in air. "they could hardly get worse," he finished wryly, giving siarut a weak smile.

She doesn't miss Aditya's appreciative glance; under different circumstances, she might feel pride. He owes her, and they both know it — but now is not the time to linger on such things. She listens closely to Siarut's words, then the golden wolf's response. For the most part, she's satisfied with the outcome. But it nags at her that she finds herself sympathizing more with the other leader.
She dismisses it. There's no need for her input in the conversation, so she's silent, but she offers Aditya a subtle nod should he catch the gesture. Even if he's rejected Siarut's offer of help, she'll search on her own tonight. She won't pretend it's a favor to the Morningside leader; it's not. The thought of lost children tugs at her more than any part of his tale. It's always the damn children.

Siarut could appreciate a clan that wished to stand on their own paws. It wouldn't stop him from leading a search in his territory and the surrounding territories to search for the youngbloods. There was no reason to let young children wander on their own, especially not if Sia had anything to say about it.

"We will lead a through search throughout our territory and the surrounding area. The offer still stands, if you think you need anything." Sia began to turn away, "I am sorry for everything that has happened to you." He wasn't usually the most diplomatic with words, and so hoped that Aditya could see the sincerity in his voice.

With a small nodded, he agreed, having friends was always better than having enemies. "Let's call it even for now. No need for us to be hostile with each other." He promised neutrality, which was better than their confrontation only months ago.

Siarut assumed that the man would want to return to his family sooner rather than later, looking to his sister for confirmation that all had been said and done. The atausiq waited to see if there was anything else.

The Morningside wolf turned down their offer to help. It seemed they wanted to deal with their problems on their own, which Taki understood. He only asked that they escort the pups home should they find them--something they would have done anyway. Taki nodded and said, If we find them, I'll escort them home myself. The offer was more for the children than anything, and for their sake, she hoped the pups were found soon. 

Again he apologized, and the words were lost on Taki. Apologies rarely held any weight with her, less so with someone she didn't even know aside from one inflammatory interaction. When Sia said they would call it even, she had to fight to keep the incredulous look from her face. How were they even? That implied the Morningsiders had done something to make up for that day in the maplewood, and they clearly had done no such thing. Whatever. It wasn't like she would question her older brother's statement in the presence of others, so she let it go without any indication that she felt differently but with the promise to herself that she would bring it up later when they had no audience. 

She answered Sia's silent question with a shake of her head. She certainly had nothing else to say; not anything that would be constructive anyway.

he had come here hoping to return with the children, but that, apparently, was not to be. still, despite his disappointment, he appreciated siarut's willingness to help--and to mend their relationship, going forward. he gave a shaky smile and a nod of his head, knowing the interaction was about to come to a close.

"thank you both," aditya said, his voice genuine. "i. . .thank you," he repeated lamely, at a loss for words. he coughed again, the movement shaking ash from his shoulders. he shot myrren a soft look--this wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed; he was sure of it--before once more inclining his head in quiet grace toward the leaders of ikkanattuk.

"i must get back. farewell for now," he murmured, waiting for their response before turning to depart. it wasn't the most ideal of situations--he felt awkward, being in the debt of wolves that hated them once, and still probably disliked them now. but there was no choice. kasatka and river must be located. he'd go to the ends of the earth to find them.