Ankyra Sound the moon, the stars, they have all been blown out

set directly after she howls!!! nearish to the borders.

Tunerk had erred on the side of caution. Though she had called and sang with those that were called Rusalka, she knew little of what else to do; she ranged outside of the territory, sniffing around to get stock of the scents that were strongest. One was woman, and many other were male; she was not too certain on how to make sense of who was in charge here, except that by the smell of it the woman had marked far more diligently (from what she could tell thus far, anyhow—and she very well could have missed some spots in her own exploration, anxious as she was to unearth as much information as she could).

Her own tail hung limply between her hocks as her deep blue eyes peered into the forest she stood before. The monoliths were daunting even without the promise of her newest venture to come; foreign faces, foreign smells... this was what she would have become home. Youthful naivety had her relatively optimistic, but there was also something of a realist within her that bid her at last to still herself and wait, now. It did not feel right to simply waltz in, despite having promised herself in a song... not without having meeting a single one of them. But the call had sounded, to her young ears, something of an invitation... why not accept? What else was there?

the storm carried their howl far; each voice made more powerful for it. her own voice had trailed off, but the pack still sang — and caiaphas tilted a long ear towards the sonorous chorus so she might appreciate each distinctive voice. 

there was one that was unfamiliar; shifting from her spot, caiaphas set on lean legs towards the border of the forest. hanging there like a timid lantern of white was a pale spectre, thin and distinctive against the dark boughs. she looked young- perhaps the same age as the siren’s own children. nosing forward, caiaphas scented the newcomer, her hackles only slightly raised as she stalked around the ivory child.

Tunerk was not alone for long. Soon came the rawboned figure that Tunerk heeded briefly before her gaze averted, and her posture slackened into its submissive rote. Her tail idly wiggled in a way meant to appease as she drew nearer, ears flattening atop her crown as though this would make her smaller. Tunerk was by no means a small creature, and her winter furs did little to make her smaller—but the impression her own body language bellowed was smallest girl in the room. Hel-lo, she spoke, her accent thick. Though she could speak the language well, Inuttut was her first language and felt more natural upon her tongue. She and her family by and by spoke this together, but outsiders did not seem to know it—

Well, she was an outsider now. This she knew very well. I am Tunerk! her voice was cheery; she had decided not to look at this as simply a means to an end. Tunerk did not know what that meant in any case; she simply understood that being alone was not something she could endure any longer. And it was with a childs enthusiasm that she prepared for what would come next—fear was shortlived in those who did not fully understand mortality.

as the sylph circled the ivory wolf, she noted the humility in tunerk's posture - it spoke of submissiveness, which mollified the old crone's body language in turn. there was no scent of drageda on this creature's pelt -- there was hardly any scent at all, save a cold and isolating kind of loneliness.

despite the lingering wilderness in her coat, the youth seemed cheery. caiaphas noticed the gruff inflection of her words - another displaced wolf, from some unknowable pack well beyond rusalka's reach.

glancing around her to ensure they were not accompanied by eyes in the forest, caiaphas withdrew her probing nose and spoke. "and what is tunerk doing here? alone?"

Her tail beat unsteadily behind her at the inquiry. Tunerk did not hesitate in her response, her resolve—despite how young she was—firm. I do not want to be alone, she admitted plainly, ears flattening atop her crown. Realizing she had not answered her question in its entirety, she continued: I heard your calls; I would like to run with you, her ears pricked then, youthful optimism plain on her face. She had faced the trial of losing her way, but her confidence did not permit her to think that this could go south.

the girl, young as she was, showed an iron-bound resolve. caiaphas found herself smiling ever so slightly, though she was quick to sheath the expressiveness of her features in favor of glancing the girl over once more.

besides a burr here, or a tangled lock of fur here, tunerk looked reasonably healthy -- caiaphas concluded another lost sheep in her fold was not a terrible idea, and, she did have a penchant for collecting other children.

"if you run with me, you ought to know my name. i am caiaphas -- and this is rusalka." she motioned to the brooding forest that eclipsed the view of the beach. "come, there are others here your age that would enjoy meeting you."

Tunerk was not the most perceptive in the matters of understanding emotion and all that came with it, nor was she the most adept at observing what others sought to hide. Youth also brought with it naivety. And so she missed the smile, which went as quickly as it came... though it would have pleased her to see it. It did not change her own pleasant and cheery disposition, which increased as she was welcomed into the fold. The wave of her tail became sure, now, as it swayed left and right to hear the good news. And when the invitation was given, Tunerk nodded and darted beside Caiaphas, keeping her own growing frame smaller than that of her new leader. Rusalka. She did not know the meaning of the word, but she liked the sound of it.

new thread? <3

tunerk dutifully assigned herself to the siren's flank, bobbing along like a fluffy shadow. caiaphas smiled inwardly to herself to have directed yet another lost sheep to her coven.

she would groom tunerk much the same way she had groomed svalinn, larus, or kevlyn -- and with little luck, hopefully the bright girl would grow to a powerful and menacing wolf -- all under the tutelage of the siren's watchful eyes.

yet for now, these thoughts were but a distant dream; tunerk needed to be fed, bedded, and cared for -- and carefully, day by day, caiaphas would see to it the girl's needs were met, and that she never went hungry again.