Phoenix Maplewood we drew our heavy revolvers and exultantly killed the gods

They spend two nights with the Dragon before they move on. There are things different and out of place but she does not mess with them, leaving the carcass as it were when they arrived. Nothing is left for her there. The rest of her surroundings seem familiar and not all at the same time, able to recognize where she is but knowing one wrong turn could put an end to familiarity.
 
The group moves south along the river bank until it breaks off and the familiar home of the Phoenix. History from a different life stands in front of them and Thuringwethil moves swiftly closer. Scents thicken upon the air as they approach and her nape bristles. It has been a while since being in these parts, and even longer close to the Maplewood, she should not be surprised to find it inhabited once more. Those days long behind her leave her uncertain of the scent claiming the land now but she is curious to find out.
 
Thuringwethil turns her head and chuffs at @Vercingetorix to close the gap between them, leaving Robin (@Bobby) and @Ephraim on either side behind them. Her nose lifts to the cloudy, evening sky and howls for an audience.

205

So far during her temporary leadership, the borders of Morningside had been fairly quiet, with the exception of Valette's visit. Aviana had been relieved to find an allie on their borders that day. When the call reached her, she had a feeling it wasn't going to someone she knew. It certainly didn't sound familiar, anyways.

Without hesitation, she changed her course and headed towards not one, but four strangers. Her head and tail were high, but her tail waved in a friendly manner as she paused several yards from the other wolves. Hello, I'm Aviana, Alpha here. How may I help you? she asked, curious since the call hadn't been to anyone in particular. She couldn't lie to herself, she was nervous with the four on one, but she hoped this interaction would be at least civil.

He didn't know why they were there, but Ephraim didn't speak up to ask when Heda signalled to them to fall back. He found a place alongside the much larger Robin, where he watches the maplewood's fiery canopy with caution. The pack borders were well marked and the scent of foreign wolves was thick in the air, churning the boy's stomach. His upbringing and his ancestry both made him flighty about being so close to another's territory.

He glanced sidelong at Bobby as if to silently convey his confusion about this pit stop, but then a brown-coated women emerged from the forest, and his utmost attention went to her. It wasn't out of respect per se—oh, he knew all the rules of etiquette, but she was a stranger and he was a knave from a family whose very blood was conniving. Rather, he was a naturally suspicious young man who couldn't read her intentions past her confident demeanor.

He was loath to leave Sleeping Dragon, cool of a place as it was. Still, they couldn't stay there forever--places to go, things to see, wolves to meet. Verx could understand that; hell, he loved it. And the forest they approached was magnificent in its own way--gentle beauty, instead of a silent, massive terror that could blow at any second. Vercingetorix had an appreciation for both.

He took his place at Thuringwethil's side as they approached the border--fuckshit, it was taken!--and soon enough a woman approached. Damn, she was kinda old, but cute! Age was just a number, anyway, and she was in fine flesh and carried herself well. He gave her an appreciative smile, curbing the impulse to leer back at the boys before opening his big, dumb mouth.

Hey, there, Verx greeted casually, eyes slitted as he grinned further. Came looking for you, I guess. I mean. . .I know I did. Heda probably has a better explanation than I do, though. He glanced over to his sister, brows raised as he waited for her response.

feel free to skip and ignore her unless directly addressed!!

She heard the call, but it summoned no one in particular, so Desdemona made quick movement toward the location. Her jades made note of the large group that approached Morningside, and she became a bit wary over their visit. With a guarded stance, the dark dame came forward and stood beside Aviana, giving a subtle nod toward the Matron in a greeting, before stoicly looking at the rest. Though she remained silent toward them, acting as a watchman.

Bobby brought up the rear, following the silent intrustruction from Heda. It was obvious this place was taken, and a group of wolves probably wouldn't make the inhabitants very calm about their presence on the border. He glanced to Ephraim with a shrug of one shoulder, as if to say he had no clue as to why they were here, either. But, he would not voice his curiosity. Thur usually had a reason for that she did, they need just wait and see.

A woman approached, and by her body language, Bobby could safely assume she was a leader. Her words confirmed that. Shortly after, and unsurprisingly, another female showed up as backup for her leader. Verx made a pass at the Alpha, and Bobby couldn't help but snort and roll his eyes in response. His gaze looked to the female pack wolf, wondering how she would respond.

They do not have to wait long before another appears, breaking through the tree line and in their direction. She keeps a relaxed posture and a little distance from half the group so they appear less a threat (or at least make the effort to). The introduction begins and, to no surprise, questioning their presence. Before she gets a chance to speak, however, Vercingetorix breaks position and interrupts before she has a chance to respond. Dark eyes narrow as she turns to look at him, tightening her jaw as anger flames against the inside of her ribcage.

Thuringwethil turns quickly and closes the distance only to snap at his face, hoping to shuffle him back a few feet and out of mind.

She turns back to the woman—Aviana—to notice the arrival of a second wolf. Thuringwethil clears her throat and doesn’t give her guard a second look.

“My name is Thuringwethil, Commander of Drageda. This,” she pauses and gestures to the idiot, “is Vercingetorix. Ephraim and Robin.” She gestures the other two behind her respectively before settling on Aviana, only assessing the other from her peripheral. “We are returning home from a mission and passing through old stomping grounds. We used to live on Sleeping Dragon—” she gestures the way they came—“and I had not been back since we’d relocated. I was curious with nostalgia to come through on our way home. What pack is this? It had been vacant before.”

245

Another wolf materialized from the woods, causing Ephraim's shoulders to prickle under his coat with discomfort. There were still more of them than the strangers, and the boy suspected that his hardened Dragedan comrades could make easy work of the pair if they had to, but he didn't like this. Not one bit. It went against his entire nature to linger so close to another pack's borders without a reason that he understood, but Thuringwethil's motives remained unclear to him until she explained herself to Aviana.

Ah, he thought, it has history. This was a part of the pack's past he didn't know anything at all about. Sleeping Dragon he had heard in passing and seen in person now, but the maple forest before him and its significance was a complete mystery. A hunting ground, he guessed, though he had seen suitable grounds closer to the volcano. He knew Thuringwethil was a smart leader. They never would have claimed a territory that required them to go this far for food.

It had to be something else, but he didn't know what. Eager for knowledge, the coywolf took a curious step closer and set his sights on Aviana. Desdemona got a cursory flick of his vision, but little more; for the time being she wasn't any threat.

Ooh, the other woman that came was pretty, too. Vercingetorix was just about to address her when Heda shot him a quelling stare and then snapped at him. He might be a mouthy idiot, but he knew when to take a message. Yeesh. The brute takes a step or two back and away from Thuringwethil, shooting a sly half-smile at the pair of maplewood women before listening to Heda speak.

Yes, what pack was this? He would have to come back--by himself, next time, since evidently the commander was hell-bent on cock-blocking him today.

Please be aware of the posting order :-)

Most of the group seemed quiet, but one male stepped forward, brazingly saying that he came here looking for Aviana herself. Her guard was up instantly, not accustomed to such actions towards herself, and she backed up a step. In that moment, she was glad to have Desdemona there backing her up, fulling trusting her packmate to help out if this turned bad.

But, the female that was at the front of the group turned quickly on the male, putting him back into his place, and effectively quieting him. Once Aviana calmed herself, she looked back to the female of the group, listening as she spoke. She didn't hear much past "Drageda." You're from Drageda, she stated. Yeah, duh, she just said that! I know one of your packmates. Furi, she informed her, automatically assuming that would be a good thing. Not that Furi was particularly friendly toward Aviana any more, but she didn't fault her for that.


This is Morningside, she said, answering her question. We haven't been here very long. We were forced to move when a fire destroyed our old home, Dawnlark Plains. She hoped they were back trying to reclaim this territory. If it was one thing the pack didn't need, it was a war. Are you heading back to Drageda? she asked, wondering how Furi would react to them being here.

Bobby noticed how the female pack wolf looked immediately put off by Verx, and he couldn't hold back a chuckle as Thur snapped at him, causing him to retreat a bit. Serves him right, he thought. He himself wasn't brazen enough to get fresh with a pack wolf on their borders, but Verx sure seemed so. 

His gaze turned to Aviana as she explained she knew someone from their pack, and what they had gone through in Dawnlark Plains. The fire sounded like it sucked. He was patient, waiting for Thur's response to her question. He knew where they were going, though.

Things begin to settle down once Vercingetorix steps back in his place. Her ears twitch for anything behind her but Aviana starts to relax and begins to speak. “Yes,” she affirms but hides her annoyance. Most of it has gone to her guard anyway.

Thuringwethil blinks her surprise when the woman mentions Furi—Blixen’s ex-girlfriend—and all her attention redirects. “Furi has not been part of Drageda for some time,” she explains. Months, actually. The tail end of spring, beginning of summer is the last she’s seen of her. Her daughter spent some time looking for her with no success.

Aviana then explains their predicament. They’d been uprooted in a similar fashion. She eases some of her posture, feeling a bit more comfortable with the woman in front of her. She nods to the question that they’re headed back but it is not what she first addresses. “That is how we were forced off Sleeping Dragon, I am sorry,” she empathizes, understanding the loss and destruction of having to flee one’s home. “A wolf and his daughter from Morningside visited us earlier in the spring. Grayday and… I can’t remember the other name, I’m sorry,” she starts to explains. It’s a pretty easy name to remember.

Ephraim's gaze drifted away from the two foreign pack wolves eventually—nothing much was happening to cause him to be anxious, so there was no need to remain alertly fixed on them. Even so, he kept one ear cocked in the commander's direction so he could listen to what was said and survey for any change in the atmosphere. Tension could develop in an instant and he would be ready if it did.

They spoke of fire and names he had never heard. For as long as Ephraim had been with Drageda, the wolf they called Furi had been elsewhere, so they'd never met. Per Thuringwethil, she was long gone and no concern of his. Nothing else the two women said meant anything to the boy. Flicking his tail impatiently, the coywolf studied the branches of the trees overhead, doing his best to not look too bored with this pit stop and likely failing at it.

Aviana was visibly confused when the woman in front of her said that Furi had not been apart of Drageda for some time. Oh, she responded. I seen Furi not even two weeks ago. She was looking for someone, and told me I should find her there, she explained with a frown. Had Furi been lying to her? She knew she had upset her, but she was heartbroken to think Furi would tell her anything but the truth.

It seemed the group in front of them had suffered the same fate as Morningside—being forced from their home by mother nature. It wasn't the first time, and may not be the last time. 

Her ears perked when Thur mentioned Grayday and, Dawn, she replied, giving her the name. Grayday has passed on and Dawn is... missing, she explained. She held out hope that her friend was out there, somewhere, hopefully doing well. Aviana couldn't imagine why she wouldn't return if she was alright, but at the end of the day, if she was well and healthy anywhere else, that was all that mattered.

Names he did not know filtered in and out of his ears, though he knew that they would be important to remember. He tried to keep them all down. Furi, Dawn, Grayday--nah, wait, the last one was dead. Trivia, perhaps, but nothing important to hold on to. His eyes moved slowly from Thuringwethil to Aviana, drinking in as much information as he could.

But really, he was just window dressing. Which was fine with him. He could stand and look pretty. Also, he was a grenade, in case things got ugly. He doubted it. . .but you never could tell.

I'm so sorry for the wait! This will be my last post. ^^;

Aviana speaks of her exchange with Furi and she blinks a few times, uncertain what to do with this information. Blixen hadn’t found her friend before she left, as far as she can remember; a few weeks isolated from the pack makes it difficult to be in tune with anything. Thuringwethil doesn’t know what to do with the information and she curbs anything for the time being. Questions bubble on the surface of her tongue but she fights them back, straightening her shoulders and leaving talk of the traitor behind.

“I am sorry to hear that,” she tells her with a respectful dip of her head, “but we will keep an eye out for Dawn during our travels.” It is not much to offer, they will not go out of their way to search for her, but they can at least point Dawn in the right direction should they happen to run into her.

Thuringwethil’s intentions in the Maplewood are now rerouted and she does not ask for permission to enter for the sake of nostalgia. Instead, she makes way for their departure. “Thank you for taking the time to amuse us. Perhaps we’ll meet again,” she says to the woman with a smile before gesturing with her nose to the others it is time to go.

She dipped her head in respect to the other female. Thank you, she replied. Safe travels to your group, she added, looking to each of them. She felt that, at the very least, there were no enemies created here today, and maybe even the hope of an alliance in the future. Morningside could get all they could. She would watch the group depart, and the carry on with her duties.

Feel free to skip Bobby