Duskfire Glacier In the car outside

@Lane @Issorartuyok but very much all welcome :)

The howling winds bent and whipped the branches of the few hardwood trees that grew at this altitude, but like the short, bent tuckamore tree, the dark wolf wasn't phased. While her pelt lashed and curled in the buffets of wind, she cut through it with the steady persistence of a heavy steam engine. A slight squinting of her pale yellow gaze was the only sign she felt the wind at all; even her fur-rimmed ears continued to point forwards and there was a hint of a smile on her dark lips. 

Winter this far South was still difficult for her to take serious. Her coat was thick, her paws broad and furry. So when she noticed the gleaming white snow nestled in the mountains in the distance, she felt drawn to it. That wasn't just mountain snow- that was a glacier. 

Of course,  she took notice of the tracks and markings left behind by patrolling wolves who had already claimed the area. It did not discourage her, either, for amongst those scents she thought faintly she could pick out those which were familiar to her, and with a delighted chuckle, she tilted her head back and sang out. Like the stalwart female, her voice was strong and would carry through the whipping winds while she waited to see if her suspicions were true.

mireille had continued to find only things to hate about the valleys and ranges. today she retreated to the glacier for something that might resemble a den. it was only halfway up that the girl remembered that she was a guest of a guest. her mothers had never spoken of this place and so she knew sapphique must be unknown to duskfire as well.
mireille hunched uncomfortably against the cold weather. she kept back from the marked border, but watched as a dark woman paused, then called for the wolves of the glacier.
the sea-girl's red fur burned against the dark greens and shades of ivory.

As if oblivious to the piercing winds, Qaniit waited patiently. Her excitement grew as she thought of what she might say when her brother showed up. She might tease him about keeping her waiting- or make some joking threat about coming to usurp the pack from whoever the leader was. She might just leap at him- the options were endless, really, but she enjoyed getting to plan her methods, and a smile began to creep onto her features. 

She'd chuckled slightly in spite of herself, thinking of the look of surprise she'd get from him, when she heard the crunch of paws in snow from behind her. Thinking her brother was playing a trick on her, she whirled around with a grin, ready to make a jovial remark- when she noticed that it was not her brother at all. Nor one of her sisters. 

This was a younger wolf, too young to have been one of her siblings, and with a pelt of cinnamon-fire. The wind bent her, kept her hunched- she could see the way the wind cut through her fur. "Here, come stand by me," She called out over the wind. Her voice was strong, but bouyant like the gale. She sniffed to try and catch the girl's scent- but the wind's wayward gusts made it nearly impossible. She thought she caught a whiff of sea air. To reiterate her invitation, she made a chuffing noise and gestured with a flick of her boxy muzzle. "I won't bitecha, don't worry," She chuckled.

Lane fought the turbulent gale across the Duskfire Plain, her mind preoccupied. The storminess of the air seemed an ill-omen, given that Wintersbane had taken a turn for the worse overnight. Arius had assured Lane that he would watch over the former alpha diligently, and so Lane reluctantly left to greet the caller. She was the only leader in the borders, after all. If she didn't meet with their callers, no one would. 

She was a bit surprised to see two someones waiting, when only one had called out. She assumed that they had arrived together. A mother and daughter, perhaps? "You called for a leader?" she asked the dark woman. It had been an adult voice who summoned her. "I'm Lane, and this is Duskfire Glacier." She had to raise her voice a bit to be heard over the wind. Her heart went out to this pair-- what a god-awful day to be traveling!

to mireille's surprise, the dark wolf turned and addressed her. her scarlet hackles began to raise, but she tamped them down. there was nothing about the sable wolf that seemed dangerous, despite her newness to the sea-girl. 
after another moment's indecision, the redwolf padded closer. the wind had begun to chew on the back of her shoulders. she nodded politely at the stranger, stopping when the wind felt more muted by the closeness of the other. she tried to hide the wariness of her eyes.
and she would have spoken, had a woman not arrived at the borders. mireille, nurtured by two mothers, was innately drawn to something similar in lane. she shivered, blinking and cutting her glance sideways to see how the dark caller would answer.

She waited for the young wolf to come to her side. The hint of brine she'd caught before swept toward her on the wind, making her nose wriggle. They weren't too far from the ocean, but it was clear that this girl- who couldn't have seen much more than 6 moons, Qaniit guessed- had come from a coastal region. 

"There," She murmured, as though to applaud the girl for being brave enough to step to a stranger's side. She squared herself up a bit so she might better shield the young wolf from the wind, being mindful not to step closer to the girl lest she scare her off. Whether she chose to trust Qaniit enough to move closer was up to her. 

Through the sidewinding wind came a figure who called out to greet them. Qaniit bobbed her head to call the attention to herself; the freckled girl seemed shy so she would speak for them. "Mmhmm, I did." She affirmed. Lane introduced herself, so Qaniit bowed her head once in return. "I am Qaniit Tatkret." Her pale yellow gaze danced with mirth as she expected some form of recognition. "I believe I track my brother's scent here...You've seen a man named Issorartuyok?" She asked. Immediately thereafter, she chuckled. "If Tatkret is an unwelcome name I will go. But the young one here needs shelter at least until the storm passes." She said.

Recognition would light in Lane's eyes, as well as surprise. Issorartuyok sure had a lot of siblings, and Lane couldn't help but wonder what strange circumstances had separated all of them and then drawn them all back together here, of all places. 

"Issorartuyok leads here as well. Tatkrets are very much welcome here," she assured Quaniit. She gestured over her shoulder in an invitation for the two wolves to follow. It was much too windy out here to hold a conversation.

 "Come with me," she ushered both of them, still assuming that the pup was with Quaniit. "We'll duck into the caves to continue our talk." Should they both follow, Lane would lead them to the Greyfall Caverns. 

Once they were out of the wind, Lane would speak further with the newcomers.

oops.
but mireille was not about to pass up shelter. she let her breath hiss out gratefully.
she could not begin to pronounce the names that lane had said, but before quaniit could speak, the sea-girl cleared her throat. "i be mireille," she introduced, voice wavering more than she had wanted. she stared at the floor of the caverns. "i be from sapphique, by de sea. me an' my sister an' two girls from rivenwood came to join de hunt."
for some reason she could not shake the idea that lane would be upset with her. and so she hunched beside quaniit, wondering about this brother who was also a leader.

The news of her brother's place leading the pack came to her as a pleasant surprise and merited a proud chuff from Qaniit. It was well within his nature to be a leader, and well within hers to be happy for him. "Yah? Well- good for him. Hope he's not being too stiff. He can be a bit stiff sometimes," She chuckled, her gaze eyeing Lane's fearures for any sign of a knowing smile. She knew her brother to be kind- but fairly formal as well. 

She followed along, keeping pace with the young, brine-scented wolf so she could continue to act as somewhat of a barrier against the wind, occasionally switching sides when the wind changed. Fortunately, shelter wasn't too far away, and they shuffled into the mouth of what appeared to be a natural cave. 

Mireille introduced herself and Qaniit realized only then that she hadn't said a word until now. She hadn't expected to hear such a striking accent. Her curiosity turned to concern, though, when she was informed that Mireille had not originally been travelling alone. "Where are the others now? Did you get separated?" She asked. If the others were as young as Mireille, and also out on their own in such wicked winds, it would be harder for them to reconnect. Qaniit knew very well how dangerous a whiteout could be.

"Hope he's not being too stiff. He can be a bit stiff sometimes,"

Lane would do her one better than a knowing smile: she chuckled, her amber eyes dancing with mirth.

It's a good thing this sister was here to make sure Issorartuyok was keeping things easy and casual. God knows he needed the help. 

The moment the young redhead spoke, Lane knew she wasn't a Northerner-- not with that accent. 

"Sapphique?" Lane repeated over her shoulder as she walked. The girl was a fair ways from home. She explained that she had come with family to join the hunt, and Lane nodded. From the way Quaniit questioned the girl, Lane surmised that they were very newly acquainted with one another.

"In here," Lane ushered the windswept group into the Greyfall Caverns. Once inside the mouth of the cave, she turned to Mireille with a smile. The girl was hunkered oddly behind Quaniit, as if she was hiding from Lane. The posture was a little odd, but Lane decided she wouldn't read too much into it. 

"You're doing us a great service, Mireille. Duskfire Glacier thanks you. While the hunt is on, our borders are open to all the hunters, including those from Sapphique. Please stay as long as you like, and return as frequently as you wish. I have a son and daughter about your age, somewhere around here; you might enjoy meeting them."

And now for the Tatkret sister. Lane shifted her gaze. 

"You're welcome to shelter here too, Quaniit Tatkret. Issorartuyok is away, but Tuuluuwaq is here. He's just recently decided to join as a pack member. We have room here for all Tatkrets, as guests or as permanent members." Lane tilted her head, wondering if this Tatkret might also wish to stay. It was a tossup at this point-- Tuuluuwaq had chosen to stay, and Tanaraq had chosen to go. What would Quaniit choose?

"yes. it be on de coas', past de lone mountain." she gestured in the direction of nova peak, or as far as she could recall from within these walls. lane was given another curious look, all of the young wolf's attention trained toward the duskfire alpha. "my mot'ers lead it. erzulie an' rosalyn."
a son and a daughter. and she was free to come and go as she liked. mireille nodded, ducking her head shyly. luckily lane didn't dwell on her but instead moved back to qaniit. 
this issa-man, he certainly had many siblings. but this was quite normal to the sea-girl, coming from such an expansive family herself. she remained quiet, listening and observing.

Lane proved to have a sense of humour- and Qaniit was relieved. She had faith that her brother could lead a pack well, but has always felt he might always do better when balanced out with someone who was light in heart. It was perhaps why they had gotten along so well- Qaniit had always had a habit of teasing her siblings, in a way intended to diffuse tension or stress. Perhaps Lane now assumed this role. 

Merielle's pack, it seemed, was welcome  to hunt alongside those of Duskfire Glacier. This did not surprise Qaniit who knew cooperative hunting to be an excellent way to keep herds strong and healthy. It seemed the Glacier, too, must be strong, to be so confidently allowing others to hunt in their grounds. 

She felt glad that Mireille might feel more welcome during her stay, especially when invited to socialize with Lane's children. She made note that she might want to meet them herself. She might have asked more about them until Lane addressed her, and brought up a name that made her chuff with surprise. 

"Tuuluuwaq!" She exclaimed, exhaling with both shock and relief. "How good! We did not know where he went. Seems I have caught two birds with one snap," She chuckled. "I may have to stay, then. You will need help if you are managing both of my brothers here." She joked.

"It's no small job," Lane joked in response to Qaniit's comment about managing her brothers. Her eyes sparked in amusement. 

All joking aside. "You are welcome to stay. Duskfire Glacier has been made better by each Tatkret addition." A half-smile pulled at her features as she thought of Tuuluuwaq. 

"You two make yourselves at home. I'm going to find us something to eat." Lane dismissed herself with friendly nods to both Mireille and Qaniit. She would then disappear further into the caves on her errand, zig-zagging her way through jet black caverns she had memorized. Perhaps she would run into one of her children, and they might be convinced to keep Mireille company. 

I'd like to fade this one out, if you two are okay with that. Trying to tame my out-of-control active threads list. xD

absolutely! <3

the warm discourse between the two women who had just met intrigued mireille and reminded her of home. her eyes followed lane; she nodded when she was invited to make herself at ease inside the glacier. when the woman departed, mireille looked back at qaniit.
"i t'ink i will stay wit you," she laughed. the place was large, expansive. she had no interest in getting lost before she was able to make it back to her sisters.
qaniit had established herself, perhaps unknowingly, as a familiar woman.
until the day was over, she might very well have a small red shadow for the remainder.