Dragoncrest Cliffs hey, sugar plum, look at where we are

He had just finished his rounds around Hougeda, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he flopped his butt on the ground.  He had come to learn that in the winter it took a lot more to keep up with than in the summer, because the snow had a way scrubbing away every bit of hard work he'd put in the day before.  It was kind of annoying, but he'd come to learn that he couldn't just shut off the weather.  Anyway, he liked the snow.  It felt good against his thick fur, and he liked the way it looked when it fell from the sky.  He took a mouthful now and swallowed, noting how it quenched his thirst.

Anyway.  Bronze eyes scoped the landscape for Kiwi but they found the silhouette of @Helix instead, and he briefly wondered if he should introduce himself.  He hadn't seen her since Lava had come back.

As the days get shorter and colder, Helix finds comfort. The occasional flurry of snow comes along but doesn’t always stick as a preview of what is to come. Trigeda took on a lot more snow than the packs on the coast with humid, salty air but she did well with a thick, northern coat. While her dark fur stands out against the white backdrop when it comes, she has to play her moves just right not to stick out like a sore thumb. 

The sun is high in the sky, heating up her dark fur despite the chill in the air, and she turns the moment another pops up through the thick foliage outside Hougeda. She stares for a long time but doesn’t say anything before turning and going about her business.

For a minute it looks as if she might come to him.  She stares and stares and stares... and then she walks away.

He desperately wants to cry out to her to wait! but instead he gathers himself on his limbs and begins to follow the Fleimkepa, tongue still lolling out of his mouth.  Falling into step behind her he houses his tongue and clears his throat.  Hei, he says, Fleimkepa.  Whether she turns to him or not, he is determined to catch her attention.

She doesn’t think much of it until she can hear sloppy footfalls behind her. One ear swivels back when it gets louder and slowly she turns when he calls out to her. Helix blinks a few times to look at him, remembering him from the borders one day. Based on size, she suspects he has Thuringwethil and Wildfire’s son but she doesn’t think she’s been properly introduced. 

“Goufa,” she greets and remains paused in her walking to see what he wants.

He um, really hadn't thought this far ahead.  She'd had no obligation to turn to her.  He dips his head respectfully, trying to remain brave underneath her gaze.  He is very nearly an adult now, and there's no room for babies in adult ranks.  Would you mind teaching me what you did on the borders that day?  He has already asked Blixen to teach him how to scout (even though Stray hasn't gotten that thread up yet because they're a lazy buffoon), but he feels it is wise to have ambassador skills under his belt as well.

She does not have to think far about what he means. They’ve only been in the same situation once. Tux may have followed her a little before that but it was hardly anything worth noting. Instead, she offers a slow nod of acceptance. She’s taught him and Opalia a thing or two about fighting and helped Dacio with his collection. She’s taught the young of Seageda and Trigeda her entire life, and even through her own sons. Only once did she not get the chance in the way her body encourages her but it has been a long time since she’s accepted the loss of her oldest child.
 
“Greeting a wolf at the borders?” she questions with a slight tilt of her head. Lava is hardly a good example. “Or what we do with wolves that abandon our own? Either way,” she starts, curious, “you are a representative of Drageda.”

He stands a little straighter, though he keeps his position mindful of the powerful woman that stands before him.  Both, he says, I want to know both.  Because one day, he hopes, it will be his job, and he'd like to accompany adults more often on these trips to the borders. I want to learn, he says, as if him asking is not proof enough.

Helix wonders what he’s been taught so far about Drageda and aside from the basics, she doesn’t think it’s very much. Heda missing and Wildfire barely active, the children had sort of picked up things on their own. She is there, when she can be, but her responsibility is primarily Blixen. What she can teach Tux, however, is hopefully enough to get him started. Getting him on the front lines and with them when they speak of Drageda to strangers will be something she sets in the pack of her mind and in the meantime she quietly hums to herself.
 
“Wolves at the border always want something and most of the time, they don’t know anything about us. Where I am from, most of the wolves know of one another and it is not hard to go from one to the next and know enough to ask for refuge,” she explains. Here, the wolves barely know Drageda. They don’t have neighbors enough to keep them on their toes. “Blixen taking Lava back is a different circumstance. He explained why he left and though it is hardly a good enough reason, he is given another chance. They do not happen often but he is paying the price for what he did.”

He absorbs the information easily enough.  You took him as Branwoda, he recalls, for what he did.  Do you know how long he will stay there?  Maybe it isn't his place to ask questions, but how is he to learn if he doesn't? Do the border-wolves, the outsiders, ever offer anything to us in return?  He couldn't imagine just expecting everyone to provide for them.  The pack still took care of him, but he was a kid, and he was beginning to grow into his big paws and earn his keep.

Helix takes a breath as she considers the question. She and Blixen hadn’t really talked about when Lava will come out of his rank of punishment. “Lava is expected to do the work he is meant to do and when he has done enough, he will come out of it but it is up to him how much he puts into it. He is given more scrutiny than the others and if he does not do enough, then he will be forced to leave,” she explains, holding an even voice. Her son will not be allowed the chance to return home to the pack he knows but shunned from them altogether and she doesn’t know if she likes the idea of having two children to force out.
 
“Outsiders are expected to contribute. If they are injured, then they do when they are better, but above all else, they need to be loyal to Drageda. The improve their skills while here in order to protect us and whatever is asked of them until they’ve earned their place in Dragedakru.” In the short time she’s been here, her son is the only one. Étoille went after them no long after but beyond that, she’s only felt responsible for one and she hopes, for his sake, that he keeps his word.

He is still filled with so many questions.  He wants to know what that meant — do the work he is meant to do — but Helix's words are so vague and cryptic that he also has to wonder if she is doing it purposefully.  Maybe he should change the subject.  And what about wolves who just leave?  The ones who, um, abandon our ranks...? That's what she'd said, right?

Tux is young and has plenty to learn. His duties are only just now filtering in and primarily they are learning and practicing and training. Helix does not mind the questions, as they are important for the boy to learn as he ages. She suspects he has learned a lot in his short life but she enjoys exploring the unknown with him.
 
As he asks about traitors to Drageda, she finds herself uncertain how to answer. It would be nice if there was an easy black and white answer. They’ve given pass to Lava when he deserved exile but deep down, she is glad he is back. “For the most part, if they get close to Drageda, we kill them,” she tells him and licks her lips. “It can be complicated, and depends on the wolf. Lava was a dutiful wolf in Trigeda, before coming here, and perhaps the only thing to save his hide.”

He feels there is still much he has to learn, and that there is no black and white answer for him causes him to think.  The world is easier to him when it is in black and white.

Still.  He shifts uncomfortably, and the next thing he says is pulled reluctantly from his lips.  And what if someone like Bat came back?  Or Silkie?

Maybe it would be easier if he didn't know.

Helix is quiet for a long moment, face unchanging as she stares at the kid. How is she supposed to answer a question like that? Their lives are meant to be as black and white as possible, though she’s learned over the years it is not always the case. Occasionally, there are exceptions and she wonders if Heda would allow it from her own children? She’d like to say she has all the answers sometimes but she’s fallen short as of late.
 
The woman takes a slow, deep breath, and releases just the same.
 
“Sometimes we don’t have answers until it happens,” she tells him and licks her lips. “And you should not worry yourself until it does.”

Helix's words visibly lifted the weight off of Tux's shoulders.  Despite the odds, he believed in his heart that Silkie and Bat were alive somewhere out there and that they'd come home one day... and although Helix did not say they would be given the same leniency as Lava had been given, it was not an outright no.  Thank you.

He was silent for a minute before he turned to her again.  I want to be a scout, Fleimkepa.  He wanted to go out there into the world that his siblings had been lost in, and childishly, he wanted to bring them home.  Would you teach me?

Tux thanks her and she only nods her head once. He doesn’t seem particularly bothered by her answer and she considers it a win. A little knowledge about Drageda passed him, giving him a little closure when it comes to his siblings, and finding a new desire all in the same swoop.
 
“Sha. @Blixen and I have plans to visit a neighboring pack, perhaps you can accompany us,” she offers with a sweep of her tail and inviting smile.

Helix agrees to teach him without hesitation and he can feel a newfound pride swell in his chest.  Finally he will be doing something of purpose, something to make Drageda proud.  He gives her a small nod in return.  Is there anything I should know about them, or why we are going?  He knows his duty will likely be to stand back and keep quiet, but he figures that the more he knows about their mission, the better he can learn.

“I do not know much about them aside from your sister has told me, but we are going to add foundation and boundary to our relationship. If they are not that far from us, we should be a little more aware of their presence should they started to get closer to us or hunt too much nearby,” she tells him after a moment. The cliffs offer them enough food as they work on their stores for the winter and the influx it brings, but an entire pack hunting nearby too much will shift the prey in a way that likely would not be good for them.

It sounded like business, and quite frankly it sounded a little scary.  On top of that he was irritated that his sister had gotten to them first.  He'd have to do a better job at all of this "being a productive member of society" stuff, lest he be more of a disappointment than his missing siblings.  He takes in what she says and doesn't allow his trepidation to creep into his features.  I'll go with you, he confirms, deciding he's probably asked enough questions for now and, when the time comes to visit these nearby neighbors he can ask more.

Again, she nods, and senses the end of conversation. Taking Tux under her wing adds a sense of pride. She’s done wrong again her three boys, hardly speaking a word to her these days, and maybe helping Tux will help rectify any wrongs she’s truly done. In addition, it’ll likely add a few points in her favor with Heda and she can only hope she’ll be rewarded. “I will call for you when it is time to go.”

It makes Tux feel special to know that someone will be his mentor; to be Fleimkepa means that Helix must be respected (right?) and it feels honorable to be chosen (even if he did the asking).  He is unsure of what to say so he simply nods again, casting a look of gratitude over his shoulder as he makes to leave.