Dragoncrest Cliffs the ghost of cincinnati

The black clouds gathering on the horizon looked rather mean, though they did not deter Haunt as she finally reached the edge of the world. She smiled as she hopped through her old hunting grounds, keeping her yellow eyes peeled for any sign of the Broken Antler herd. They were probably sheltering from the incoming storm, though, and Haunt didn't linger, moving forward toward the familiar fringes of Sapphique.

The wind swept in from the ocean with such sheer force, it threatened to unbalance her. But she'd spent many weeks adapting to her new status as a tripod, so Haunt shifted her weight and managed to reclaim equilibrium. She glanced upward, her mouth going a little dry as lightning struck out at sea. It reminded her of the spring night when she'd been hundreds of miles from here, still searching for Arbiter.

She found herself at the edge of a flat bed of stone that wound like a river, its precision strange and unsettling. No matter how far she ranged, it just kept going. Occasionally, an incomprehensibly large figure would pass along it at speed, spooking her back into the surrounding woods. By nightfall, the yearling knew she had no choice but to cross.

Haunt made a run for it only after the silent stillness went on for more than an hour. The instant her paws touched that strange asphalt surface, she was blinded by bright lights, deafened by a screech. She tried to flee but she was too slow; something clipped her on the left. Then she lost track of everything.

She woke up in the most inexplicable surroundings. In fact, the emergency veterinary facility was so beyond her scope of comprehension, Haunt would go on to repress all memory of her time there, including her recovery and rehabilitation. Deepest of all she would push any evocations of people.

The first thing she remembered clearly since that strange April night was waking up in some strange contraption at the edge of a field. The door of the cage lifted and she bolted, never once looking back at her rescuers as she fled all memory of that time, other than to reluctantly acknowledge she must have been abducted by aliens.

Haunt blinked back to present day, glancing down at where her left foreleg ended in a stump, the precision of the amputation always reminding her of the eerie road that had changed her life. Whenever she felt around her missing ear, it was the same. Her white fur prickled. She tried not to think about it too much. Other than the occasional twinge of phantom pain in her missing limb, Haunt had healed well and largely adjusted to life sans her appendages.

She drew in a breath of salty, stormy, electrified air. Would @Erzulie and @Rosalyn accept her disfigurement so easily?

Rosalyn still walked the borders often, even moreso now that an influx of visitors seemed to have fallen on them. Funny that they could settle into a quiet few months and then, suddenly, see a rush of new arrivals. It did seem to come in waves.

The white shape wasn't immediately familiar, but as she quickened and drew nearer, she recognized the girl sitting respectfully on the border. No call; appropriate, really, seeing how she'd spent her first weeks here silent as well.

Waves of invalids. She thought somewhat uncharitably, though there was no real feeling behind the notion. Despite her condition she seemed relatively healthy, Rosalyn noted, and that was a silent tick in her favor. Haunt. Good to see you again. She greeted here, tactfully focusing on her face after that cursory inspection.

"You will always have a welcome here," she recalled Erzulie's parting words hopefully. It was not the Obsidian who came to greet her today, but her wife. Haunt drew in a breath when the Tanzanite approached, the skies darkening considerably behind her. It was actually comforting, in a way, to be greeted by someone bearing so many of life's scars.

"Rosalyn," the yearling replied, bowing her pale head. "It's good to see you too," she said, though she kept her eyes respectfully averted. She saw the first few raindrops as they fell at the wolves' feet, dark spots spreading on the stony ground. "How are things here?"

Rosalyn smiled amicably enough, though it was tempting to bypass pleasantries. Perhaps it was wrong of her to assume Haunt was not here to simply check on them - but she did not believe that was the case.

Things are well here. Spring has given us more children, and more wolves as well. About as much information as she'd provide to a relative stranger, arrived. Then her brow quirked a bit. What brings you back? She was not accusatory or bothered, but curious. Did she seek someone, as so many had who crossed by?

It sounded like the pack was doing well, especially if it could support puppies. Haunt wondered if they belonged to Rosalyn and Erzulie, though she still didn't understand how that worked. Since they couldn't breed with one another, perhaps they'd permitted a more conventional pairing to do the honors. The yearling's speculation ended there.

"I told Erzulie I intended to return, so I have," Haunt replied to Rosalyn's probing question, offering a small smile and a soft twitch of her tail. "I never actually found my mother. I was... waylaid." Her missing body parts surely spoke for themselves. She didn't say it outright but the implication was clear: I gave up. "I'd like to pick up where I left off with my hunting duties, if you'll have me. I haven't let this slow me down," she assured, raising her stump slightly.

Hmm. That was an understatement, she thought, but didn't ask for clarification. It was amazing she'd healed. A missing leg the pirate assumed would be a death sentence between what little she knew of blood and shock.

Will you go look for her again? She asked. We'd be happy to have you, but it will be good to know how long. She didn't mind if Haunt wished to look for her family once more (though Rosalyn thought it foolish, if she'd gone so far). Unless the same misfortune that took her leg had taken her mother as well.

Rosalyn was not easy to read, so Haunt wasn't sure what to make of the thoughtful noise she made. She decided not to speculate about that either, waiting patiently even as the storm made landfall and the rain began to fall fast and hard.

The Tanzanite said they'd be happy to have her, though did she intend to search for Arbiter again? It was a fair question, though Haunt only paused a moment before shaking her head. She squeezed her eyes shut against the driving rain.

"No," she said, raising her voice so she would be heard. "I figure she's settled somewhere, has a new life and probably new pups too." Maybe she might even bump into one of her stranger siblings one day; it had happened to her before.

Thunder crashed overhead and Haunt's single ear pinned to her wet skull. "I'm here to stay," she called above the storm.

Rosalyn stood, indifferent to the rain that soaked them. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, though the lightning that would surely follow the rumbling thunder could prove dangerous at this height.

Rosalyn was not sure she believed the girl, that she was here to 'stay', but she took the fact that this was her aim right now at face value. Things changed and the pirate's estimation of loyalty had become pessimistic. Not because they held little of it - but because at the end of the day, a wolf had many masters. And a pack or a lead was merely one of these.

She will be gone before winter, she guessed (unfairly), but outwardly she nodded. Then welcome back. Come on, let's find shelter before this gets worse. They could return to the caves and wait out the storm there. Doubtless Erzulie would be happy to see the girl as well.

Rosalyn looked utterly indifferent to the storm as she seemed to weigh Haunt's words. For a split second, Haunt wondered if perhaps she wouldn't be welcomed back, not because of her obvious physical shortcomings but because she'd left in the first place. Just because Erzulie had said she could return didn't mean everyone would welcome her back with open arms. She hadn't really considered it until now, though it was an important lesson.

In the end, the Tanzanite accepted her and suggested they seek shelter in the caves. Haunt felt a strong swell of emotion in response to those simple words. First, she felt immensely grateful to be back here, back home. And just thinking about the caves made her so poignantly nostalgic, it was almost painful. Mixed in there was a rush of glee, because she would see them again in just a few moments.

"Sounds good. Thank you, Rosalyn," the yearling said, voice still raised to be heard, some of her effusive feeling simply lost in the sounds of the storm.

She didn't respond to the thanks, though as she turned and began to lead the way, her smile grew a tidge.

It was always good when another returned.

She would lead the girl to where Erzulie waited, sure her wife would be glad to see her. The pups were old enough now that they could be introduced, even so soon, and together they could wait out this storm.

If Rosalyn replied, Haunt didn't catch it. She moved to shadow the leader's footsteps when she turned, hopping after her along the familiar route to the caves beneath the cliffs. The driving rain and wind forced her to keep her head bowed and tilted to the left, so she couldn't really check out the sights. But that was all right; she knew this place like the back of her hand and there would be plenty of time to reacquaint herself with everything Sapphique once the storm passed.