Dragoncrest Cliffs Don't Do Sadness

Directly after this thread, same night

@Rosencrantz was exactly the wolf Njord needed in his life at this moment. The wounds inflicted by Kigipigak stung less now that the pale soldier had come up with a solid plan of action. Like crafting a bow, he had refined the raw material of Njord’s anger and embarrassment into an exact weapon. With a new target and the pack behind him, Njord could overcome the stages of grief more quickly and move on to change and progress. Instead of being a complete derelict loser Njord was simply an underdog… and now the karate kid had found his Miyagi.

The moon hung overhead, watching the two men walk deeper into the forest to look for a healer. @Erzulie or, perhaps, @Grímnismál.The seafarer hobbled along besides the stoic Rosencrantz, his right paw bitten and torn. On the opposite side were deep puncture wounds in his cheek. Both injuries were swollen, his left eye almost shut completely.

erzulie was beginning to fall into a sort of languishing pain as she traversed the cliffs again. she had never known drageda's inward territories, but each time she passed by the place her pirate had been held, hurt, a clench of her jawline accompanied the sight. part of her wished to singe the memory from her mind through consult with the loa. 
and part of her wished never to be there again. it was the latter that drew her from the heights and to the more welcoming parts of the ocean-shelves. rosencrantz and njord below her; from this distance she could see the scarring of the archangel's face, and the boy's distinctive red tail notably free of humour. he limped. her gaze narrowed.
the woman was among them swiftly, noting with tight-lipped observation the state of his paw, his face with the affected eye. a glance to rosencrantz, and then she was wending protectively around njord, directing the trio toward the small alcove where she kept her herbs. "who did dis? where have dey gone?" she asked calmly of them both, though the steeled honey at the bottom of her voice might infer her own reactive propensity for violence.

Walking at Njord's side, the silent paladin kept a look out with his own one good eye for any of the pack's healers. One step after the other, once the boy was healed, then they could speak further about any training to see of winning his love back from the man who denied them their union. Rosencrantz didn't make his offer clear that should the firebrand need a body to lean on, he was there... his presence alone meant that despite the lack of words to say so. 

Eventually, the one in question came, Ezulie came and swept Njord away from his side. Naturally she was already questioning the situation, the light tang of anger palpable. His eye fell on the injured man. It would be best if he explained. More or less, the archangel was here only as... "moral" support. He wouldn't hold Njord's hand to guid him like a parent in the darkness, the boy had to find his way on his own as they all did - Rosencrantz was only here to catch him should he fall.

The pair advanced through the heart of Sapphique, marching into the night. Njord let Rosencrantz take the lead to find Erzulie’s den, but every now and again he had to rest against the paladin’s side, completely fatigued from the spar, his injuries, and the sprint from the Watch back home. All his body wanted to do was lay down and sleep… forget about the pain and the embarrassment. Yet the promise of Rosencrantz’s deal was enough to keep him moving forward with a dogged determination.

Eventually, they arrived at the captain’s nest among the jagged stone. She was like a glimmer of gold in moonlight, but her two-toned gaze was darkened by the troubling sight before her. Rosencrantz ushered the seafarer into her alcove where he promptly collapsed with a “whumph” sound onto the floor.

Who did dis? where have dey gone? The captain asked, her voice eerily flat for accusatory words. Njord cringed inwardly, guilt bubbling anew. Rosencrantz had been right about how further actions would affect Sapphique more deeply. He looked to the knight for some backup but all Njord received was: It would be best if he explained. Crap.

The islander slid an elbow underneath his ribcage, propping himself up. He could see the open wounds on his wrist, the burn of Kigipigak’s mark still fresh. His cerulean eyes narrowed, his mind an addled soup of: anger, embarrassment, guilt, loss, and hope. The promise of courting Valmúa stolen by a rival – the post-fight drain of adrenaline and testosterone on his body… Still, Njord had Rose’s words on the mind and his humility shone through. He did not want to make things bad for Sapphique because of his actions.

“I got inna brawl, Erzulie,” he told their captain with slurred words, recounting the story as he had told it to Rosencrantz. “I wasn’t meanin’ to. I was tryin’ ta court a woman, but another man wasn’t havin’ any of it.” He laid his head back down, thinking about Valmúa‘s blonde mane and he shiny blue shell he had given her. Screw Kigipigak.

a bolus of salt-laced seaweed pushed into the roundness of her jaw, erzulie could not help the snort of laughter that issued from her nostrils. "so de boy gets de first tas' of what it is to be a man," she remarked warmly, exhanging a knowing glance with the archangel looming close.
in some respects, there was a relaxation inside the woman to know it had been no rival loners roaming close who attacked the young wolf. she dealt first with his cheek, deftly licking the moistened leaf across the lacerations, and then bathed the cuts upon his ankle in the same. the eye, however; erzulie clucked over the swelling and applied her own tongue to the angry flesh around the affected socket.
"best be keepin' close while you on de mend," the healer stated softly, settling back upon her cinnamon haunches. "tell me about dis woman." two-toned eyes glinting with a sudden slyness, inviting the boy to speak despite the ache and stings of the tears rent his flesh by the rival.

The man grinned as Erzulie laughed, both amused by the story to a certain extent. There was nothing for him to share in this other than remain and linger like a specter off to the side, watching the medic do her duties and beckoning the love-sick man to speak about his lover. Rosencrantz would stick around for this too, curious enough to learn of what a beauty she must be to obtain such injuries. Getting himself comfortable, the snow leviathan lowered himself to the ground, a sphynx with his back to the sea as he spectated silently, as if should he speak, it would all be interrupted.

Sapphique’s queen disappeared from Njord’s sight as she sorted her supplies, returning with a small parcel of weed in her mouth. He could tell, even in the dim light of the alcove, that the crease in her brows had smoothed when she learned her subordinate had been injured over matters of the heart (or rather, his other head). Her gentle presence and kind aura was cut by the sharp sting of the salty medicine. “Heyyy, I am a man-Owowowow-tsssstststs!” Njord’s rebut hissed between his teeth as Erzulie dabbed the compress against his angry wounds, trying his best to hold still even though if felt like she had poured acid into his skin. He looked to Rosencrantz for help, but the two-faced knight sat silently to the side.

However, his mood was lifted when Erzulie asked for Njord to recount his siren as she worked. “’She’s called @Valmúa af Stormskýli, an’ she is as beautiful as ‘er name sounds,” Njord began, drifting off into la-la-land. “She’s a Northerner, mountain lass with copper colored fur like a fox, but ‘er mane is gold, almost white. Never met a girl like ‘er before… she made me feel like a lightning bolt hit me square in tha’ heart. Sent me fur on end! Tha look in ‘er silver eyes… I’ll never forget it. Never thought a woman like 'er would go for a guy like me. Things were different back home... I couldn’t wait to get to know ‘er better… but then…” he paused, the image of snarling Kigipigak blockading their prize. “Ahh, Erzulie. I gotta see ‘er again. I gotta try. She lives at tha’ Watch where tha ravens gather. Rose said he'd train me, right Rose?” he turned to the knight, hoping he would affirm the promise he'd made with their alpha as his witness.

foxgold and titillating. this valmúa af stormskýli had already placed such an impression upon njord's heart that erzulie could only marvel. and, she decided, piece together what had happened when another man who felt the same way arrived upon the pair.
the watch where the ravens gather. erzulie nodded, put this aside, indulged him with another sugared smile. "if dere be anyone to learn from, it be rosencrantz," she said lightly, glancing toward the archangel. "an' a woman," the courtesan went on, her attention directed toward njord again, "comes to appreciate a consistency in a man who wishes to court her." a smile, a glimmer of encouragement in her eyes. "how close be dis watch?"

The third wheel, that's how it seemed and the pale giant had no problems with it. He watched as Erzulie did her magic on the injured man, and listened as Njord went on and on about this woman of his. A slow, firm nod the question directed to him in regards to training him for the rematch he desired oh so much as he confirmed the statement in his own way.

Erzulie's compliment didn't go ignored either, glancing at her briefly and offered a drawn-out blink in appreciation to her words. He didn't often hear flattery aimed to him, and so, Rosencrantz appreciated it whenever it did come around. Except for those two motions, he had nothing more on the matter and remained quiet still - comfortably just laying there and somewhat participating in the moment.

Despite his tired body and swollen face, Njord smiled at Erzulie’s warmth and encouragement. Against the wall, Rosecrantz affirmed his to-be training with a slow nod. Between the stalwart knight and the queen Njord felt assured Sapphique had his back…and he felt peace wash over him. Agitation left his body as his tense muscles relaxed, and Erzulie’s attentive care eased his injuries as he laid besides her.

“Consistency, eh?” Njord mused, knowing he would not give up his pursuit of Valmúa so easily. It would only be a matter of time, after brushing up his skills, that the islander would seek her out a second time. Even if Kigipigak stood in his way, Njord knew he would face the other man as many rounds as necessary until his rival’s fortitude eroded.

“Tha Watch is South, jus’ past tha Ravine,” Njord groaned as he laid fully on his side and acquiesced to Erzulie’s careful treatment. “If ya follow tha river that runs through tha Tangle upstream, it starts in the mountains. A nook next to the Fields with cliffs and forests – thas where they’re lyin’ down their claim. Ya can tell yer gettin’ close by the many ravens in tha air. Not sue how big their crew is though…” he trailed off. His journey to The Watch had been personal with no espionage. He setteled into deep though. Would the Watch be any trouble for Sapphique? Was there a greater picture to consider?

cinnamon ears took in the words of the boy with the red tail. from the sound of it, this watch was well-guarded in a fertile land. they would have no reason to descend from the place of ravens. after all, those who lived upon mountains rarely knew the way of the sea.
she suspected sagtannet had received their loud message.
"you remember a good number of details, njord," erzulie commented, arranging her limbs comfortably some short distance from them both. "it is good if sapphique ever needed any sort of ambassador." a sly, teasing smile that shifted between the boy and the archangel both. how even could one advertise the cliffs by the sea? their essence was too great to be held in speech, erzulie thought with pride to herself.

Skipped Rose w/ permission. Gonna close this one out!

Sapphique’s queen offered a compliment to the ragged red-tail. “Ambassador, eh?” he mused with a small laugh. His eyelids felt heavy as his head fell to the ground, chin resting gentle on the floor. “I like tha sound er that,” he added, “Ambassador Njord.”

With a great yawn his tired, blue eyes closed, sleep finally catching up to the injured man. He was finally safe, attended to, and in the company of family. Now he could begin to heal, all in thanks to Rosencrantz and Erzulie’s efforts.