Honeyed Pasture I Can Go the Distance

@Saraneth

Today was a day for exploration. She had deemed it so upon waking up with the dawn, day's first light reaching into her den to remove the shield of darkness from her eyelids. The silver Ostrega hadn't yet ventured terribly far from her new home upon the mountain that Hydra claimed, taking the last moon or so to spend time with her found family. Her reunion, of course, could not be complete until she went North to find her sister; Dirge had told her where she lived and Keres wanted badly to go see her.

That was what today was for; plotting a course from Moonspear to Sagtannet. So far, she had picked her way through the Weald to emerge from its treeline and into the midday drizzle once more, no longer protected by the covering she had been temporarily provided. Looking back, Keres could see the point of the towering mountain that she now lived upon and knew that she still had so far to go. The field presented before her wouldn't be a terrible struggle, though the spire that rose in the distance would be a challenge if there was no way around.

She would jump that hurdle when she came to it, however, and started an effortless gait that would eventually get her to where she wanted to be.

She wasnt sure how long she had been walking. Time seemed to blur and blend together. Day, night, it did not matter, she hardly noticed the sun setting or rising as the dark she-wolf kept her head down, golden gaze trained firmly to the space between her paws. All that kept her going was the bone numbing exhaustion that reminded her she was alive-- that she was whole. and it was that very mantra that kept the voices away. 

kept the guilt from eating her inside as hunger consumed her essance. When had she last hunted? Saraneth could not remember. She would not let herself think back, if she did she was done for. She would get lost once again in the agony that her life had been to this point and she could not afford to give up.

Not yet.

Not now. 

So she kept pushing on; her small paws heavy on the beaten earth. Step by step.

That... didn't look good. Footsteps paused as she watched the other walk — trudge across the field like she was on some sort of deranged auto-pilot. It was a sad state, one she recognized and related to. It hadn't been that long since her husband had passed away ("He was murdered.") after all. The lifeless being that moved like she was in a hellish trance was eerie, haunting, even. But this did not dissuade the valkyrie from adjusting course to intercept the other.

Hey, She called out, closing the distance between them, though not coming close enough to burst her bubble of personal space. Here, Keres was able see how bedraggled and harrowed the other looked. She'd been through some kind of hell and while others might have pried, the silver wolf was content letting her story remain unknown. You look like you haven't had a proper rest in a while. She wondered if her paws had started to crack and bleed yet. Could she stop her before she hit that point? Only time would tell.

--"hey"

A sudden voice snapped her out of whatever peace she had fallen into. The large dark female looked up, her neck practically snapping as it turned to pinpoint the location of the voice. For a moment the dark female did nothing but stare. Her hollow golden eyes not really looking at the figure before her. 

It took a few minutes for the addled female's mind to process just who, or what, was in front of her but as soon as clarity touched her fogged brain she stiffened, tail raised defensively and her lip curled back, baring a hint of teeth. All friendly and comforting words were lost on the dark pelted she-wolf and a low growl rumbled from deep in Saraneth's chest as the large female backed away from the other wolf, hackles raised. Mistrust and fear hardened her expression, causing her brows to furrow almost encompassing those honey gold eyes.

Her tail went lax, her posture neutral and unthreatening. There was something amiss here and she was not going to respond in kind when the other was in such a state. She canted her head for a moment, slowly reclining back onto her haunches so that there were no fast movements, no sudden surprises. A wolf that was sought a situation to instigate did not sit, generally speaking. Sure there were outliers but Keres found them few and far between.

She could wait for the wolf to realize she was no threat at the current moment, watching her with calm greenish teal eyes. If she took the time to look, the harrowed creature would find only patience and, perhaps, some form of understanding if she looked hard enough. Have your paws started to crack yet? She asked gently. There are ways to soothe them, if they hurt.

When the other wolf made no move to approach, Saraneth stopped retreating. She stood tense and ready to flee on trembling limbs. As she stopped, awarness of her own form crept onto her. With a crash upon her consciousness she felt hunger, exhaustion, pain; her whole body ached and begged her to rest, but her mind was still focused on the wolf. 

She realized there must have been some time that passed as the wolf was sitting a few feet away. the rumble in her chest faltered and her tail, set high and alert dropped, not completely relaxed. Saraneth hesitated for a moment eying the other wolf with more clarity and suspicion then before as she went to mimic the position. 

Her exhausted limbs has other ideas and Saraneth found the full weight of her large frame crash onto the ground. Her legs refusing to carry her a step more. A soft wine escaped behind a tense jaw as her mucles began to seize and cramp. Indeed her mindless travel took a toll on her body. 

It was only then that she heard the kind words. The black wolf turned her attention up to the pale wolf for a moment, processed what she had said, then turned to her paws. The dark bad were indeed cracked and bleeding, one of her nails had chipped deeply and was left raw and exposed, it stung as she licked it. Her too dry and rough tongue not much aid in soothing the agrivated apprendage. 

"...where?" her voice cracked, her throat dry and the voice not spoken in quite some time.

The exhaustion lay around this wolf like a leaden cape, dragging her down to the ground as soon as she gave it an inch. Despite the fact that she looked miserable, Keres wound her way no closer, instead remaining exactly where she was so that the female opposite her could go at her own pace. She did wonder, of course, at the woman's mental state, but left her observations close to the chest. Now was not the time to ask what set the other to such a mindless path.

There's a flower called a coltsfoot. It looks like a dandelion. You can chew the leaves up into a pulp and put them on your pads, especially when you rest at night. Living on the mountain, the terrain had been hell on her pads, so finding come of the flower would actually not be a bad idea, especially if it could help the other. I could look for some, if you don't mind waiting here for a bit?

Saraneth looked up from her ministrations to give her attention to the pale wolf infront of her. She took her time processing and contemplating the offer before nodding her agreement. it was at this point where the large female took in her surroundings. The land was foreign, even smelled different to her homeland. She swiveled her ears in an attempt to catch a familair sound or sturring but alas, even nature itself was unique to these parts. 

One thing was for certian, she was absolutely able to scent the distinct lack of Empire wolves. At this realization Saraneth allowed herself to relax. Her head pressing against the cool earth as she let her sore limbs rest and recover. though through her doze she rembered the harsh cost of this freedom. Guilt welled up inside, twisting her starving gutt as the memories of her lost children and mate, her family who vanished into the winds. 

did she truly deserve this luxury?

The nod released the woman to go about the aforementioned task, getting to her feet at a speed that was less likely to startle the travel-worn woman, paws carrying her a few steps backwards and away. She would turn then, going to seek the little herb she had spoken of. Keres' knowledge of the medical world was stunted, sheltered at best. This little trick was one she had picked up from a healer friend of her late-husband and was likely the extent of anything remedial such as this. 

It would be some time before she returned, the dark night that the writer can't remember if they stated it was making it difficult to find the bloom. Soon enough, though, the silvered Ostrega made her way back, carrying several of them in a delicate grip of toothy jaws. The less distance between them, the slower she moved, the language of her body cautiously neutral and non-threatening. 

 Setting them near enough for the mahogany female to reach, Keres would wait a beat before putting that distance between them again. Would you like help? The question was gentle, not pitying but caring, concerned even. That they did not know each other past this meeting was irrelevant, more so when the woman could see the suffering that plagued her.

215

As the pale wolf trotted off, Saraneth gave up on tending to her paws. Her mouth far too dry to do much help, so she turned her attention to licking the dew from the grass. The action barely much help, but atleast it soothed some of the discomfort. Time, it seemed, moved different for Saraneth. As she gazed absently before her, hours ticked by and the gentle stirring of brush drew her attention once more. 

Weakness left her subdued. If this was the empire, perhaps now the dark female would be fine with her fate. A fallen queen, a widow, a childless mother, what next?

A slave?

A corpse?

It mattered not anymore. What use was she in this condition anway? Fighting ever pitiful instict to flee and survive. 

The sky had gone dark and the silver wolf had yet to return. Saraneth mentall scoffed at the thought of being abandonned yet again. It had not been the first time. Mistakes of her youth be damned, she merely for a moment pondered what the cause for this would have been. Had her silence offended the other wolf? But in the end it mattered not, near mad and half starved-- she must have been too much of a burden. Though she supposed starving to death was not the worst of fates. Not when it came to the rumors of the Empire-- 

Pale paws drew the dark wolf from her musings, as did the now familar gentle tone of her new found aquaintance. To Saraneth's surprise the pale wolf had returned. Briefly she caught scent of a sweet herbal scent, the kind which turned her golden gaze in that direction. the question drew saraneth's focus from the plant to the wolf and the female could not help but soften, realxing in apriciation with a weak smile. 

"please--" her voice cracked from disuse and she winced. "I'm not as capable as I would be in better circumstances"

Gentle plea fell from the woman's mouth, drawing an equally gentle and warm smile from the valkyrie, nodding as a way of agreement before she moved to lay opposite the darker-furred wolf. Settling there, she used a paw to draw the herbs she had gathered nearer to her, glancing up at the travel-worn creature as she did so. I'm Keres, She offered in that same warm and quiet voice. In a way, it was similar to her Mother voice, from when she would comfort and soothe her children during midnight storms.

I am from Moonspear, that mountain there behind you. Her statement was made just prior to plucking the petals from the flower and setting about chewing them in her mouth, grinding them down to a bitter paste before inching closer to apply it with her tongue. While feet were not a favored delicacy of hers, Keres overcame the small squirm of "ew" with a calm countenance; If it would help the girl, she didn't mind. Much. How long have you been traveling been miserable been alone been traveling? She asked before plucking a few more petals.

Idle conversation and medical ministration would pass the rest of their time together before Keres picked herself up. She would offer more assistance but she did not want to press her presence on a woman who seemed so wary of others. Best to let her rest for now and allow the coltsfoot to soak into her pawpads while Keres bid her a soft goodbye and set out for Moonspear once more.

Fade