Dragoncrest Cliffs I’ve become uncertain in a cosmic way

Chacal was travelling along the beach when the sun finally crept over the cliffs, spilling scarlet light across the sand. She’d left before sunrise to patrol, so she might be back to the densite with one task accomplished by the time the kids started to prowl. 

She could see far along the shoreline in the waking light, and in the distance, spotted two small figures that were not a part of the landscape. Saltwinds sang to her, and she picked up her pace when she recognized the two approaching figures as @Sobo and @Mireille returning from their voyage. 

Her heart sank, and she felt herself trembling as she roved toward them. 

She’d hoped they would have her son in tow, but he was not with them. She began to talk slow, even breaths. She had to prepare herself, now, for either bad news, or no news- and still, she was not sure what was worse.

it hurt to see her sister's elegant form like a shadow down the beach.
she and sobo had not found requiem. she told herself the sting in her eyes was from the sandy grit lifted by the wind, but the closer they came to home and to chacal, the more apparent it was that she wept.
eyes wet; nose wet; she nuzzled into the tanzanite's fur, throat clinched around a sob.
and then she drew away, determined to be strong. determined to be like their mothers. "we will keep looking," the young obsidian declared in a tone of unassailable resolution.

Requiem was dead.

That was what Sobo believed. There had been no sign of the boy since the eagle snatched him. Perhaps he had a more realistic view of things than his siblings, or perhaps he was simply more cynical than the women of Sapphique, but each day since Requiem's disappearance made him more certain they would never find the boy.

That didn't mean it didn't weigh heavy on him to approach his elder sister with no happy news to give. His head and shoulders alike were bowed under the cool coastal sunlight. His paws plodded almost reluctantly along the beach. Mireille said what he could not, drawing his head up to Chacal's face, where his gaze lingered for a brief moment.

Then he looked away. He wished for something to say but knew there was naught that would bring any comfort.

For eternity, that moment stretched on. The sore, tear-glazed gaze of her sister, the somber way Sobo avoided looking at her altogether made Chacal’s heart freeze. She felt certain some proof had been found, and that she would be told that her son was, without a doubt, dead. 

Mireille reached for her, and buried her muzzle into her fur. Unflinching, Chacal remained stiff, and did not bend to accept her sister’s touch, not while she lingered in shock, believing this to mean for certain that Requiem was dead. 

”Quoi!?” She demanded suddenly. The sudden expulsion of air jump started her heart, and forced her to breathe again. She gasped, and teetered sideways, light-headed for a moment. She shook her head and regarded her sister again, with a sternness that commanded a direct answer. ”You f—f-f-fin’ n-n-n-nunnn…N-n-ot’ing? Mireille!” She exclaimed, finally releasing her sister from her hard stare, as she shook her head and sat down.  She hissed, in relief. ”shhhht….I thought…” There was an apologetic tone to her voice. She’d not intended to jump down Mireille’s throat, but the whiplash had made her edgy.

Now she knew- she preferred not knowing, rather than finding out that he was dead.

chacal responded fiercely. mireille felt herself reeling; eyes stung now with tears that finally did come. her jaws tensed with the want to snap back, that they had searched and searched and. her sister recovered herself; the obsidian nodded quickly, still too overcome for the moment to speak.
when she could, she glanced to sobo briefly and then looked back to her golden-crowned sister. "we foun' not'ing." the words felt like they were curdling in her mouth. "meerkat took de kids for a bit. she says she will ask inland. she is looking too."
her breath hurt. did chacal even want them to search anymore?

Mireille looked apologetic and Chacal shook her head, shameful about the misunderstanding. 

”I prefer you to ‘ave found no trace. 
I apologize, Chéri, for my dread-
It is just, when I saw your face…
I t’ought for sure you would tell me my son was…For certain, dead.
It took me by such surprise, den, to ‘ear,
No trace was foun, an’ he may still be here.” 

A misunderstanding. And an apology offered, which she hoped Mireille might accept. 

”I t’ank you bot’ for your effort, courage an’ time.
I am so lucky to have dis family of mine.” She said, reaching out to touch each of them in thanks.

She drew in a breath. Life never ceased to be full of adventure, drama and demand. There was another matter at hand to be discussed. She sat down. 

”While you were away, we ‘ad a visitor come.
A woman, who say she is from Sacrarium.
We ‘ave a child of deirs ‘ere, a girl named Lenore,
Who is training wid Jorunn to be a scout an’ more. 
But Dey want more from us still-
To train another youth wid warrior skill.
I tole dem I speak wid you first,
Before promising dem yet another tutor.”

She said, and she sighed.

”Dis be de third time we give dem aid,
But I think it would be best to talk of trade. 
If dey want another tutor still, 
Dey will ‘ave to offer more to us den de pelt of one kill.”

Sobo said nothing while his sisters conversed. There was sorrow burning in his throat to witness the way Chacal fell apart over the fleeting possibility that her son was gone for good. It was all he could do to stave off the desire to clench his teeth together. Whether he believed false hope was worse than no hope, it was difficult to swallow Requiem's continued absence from Sapphique.

We will keep looking, he told Chacal, though his voice was grim. Whenever he ventured beyond the borders, he would keep his eyes peeled for signs of a lost boy, with little hope of ever finding a trace.

Chacal sat. It seemed she had more to share. Sobo exchanged a quick glance with Mireille before taking a seat himself. As Jade, it was his job to support his sisters, with the ultimate authority being in their paws, and so he was content to listen and offer advice when asked. It was about Sacrarium down the coast.

Dere be no one trained for dat but mamá, Sobo mused aloud. He believed in Sapphique's martial strength should push come to shove — they were fierce and hardy wolves of the sea, first and foremost — but for formal training, there was only Rosalyn. The Ruby was in retirement, and left unspoken was her mental state and how it might impede her ability to act as a tutor.

Besides, winter comes. I doubt dere be anyt'ing Sacrarium can offer us if dey have not done so already. Surely dey know dey owe us more for de time an' knowledge and resources dat were given? Perhaps it be time for dem to seek anot'er pack to ask if dey have not'ing to give wit'out being asked for it. His opinion given, Sobo settled back with the knowledge his sisters would do what they felt best for Sapphique, even if it meant giving more of themselves to Sacrarium.

Sobo was quick to note that what the Sacrarium wolves now asked for was something they couldn't necessarily supply. While their mothers were fierce and had the experience, they were also retired. She nodded. 

"Dat be true, but I did not say it so-
it was not some'ting I thought dey should know."

She said. Coyly, she had skirted telling the Sacrarium wolf that they did not have many wolves trained specifically for fighting and combat. She liked allowing them to think that Sapphique had skilled warriors, but chose not to spare one to train another one of their youth unless they could offer something very good in return. 

She listened to her brother, and nodded as he spoke. His opinion was wise- he, too, wanted to be shrewd with sharing their resources and skills, with a pack that offered so little in return. 

"Dere might be some way to settle deir debt,
but I t'ink we do not need to press dem yet.
No more apprentices, but Lenora we'll keep,
An' let dis debt be just knee-deep." She said.

mireille took chacal's touch gratefully, listening to her sister speak in her singing voice. for once the young obsidian was pleased that their talk had turned to business. requiem's fate still reverberated in the back of her head but for now she focused on her siblings.
chacal was speaking of sacrarium, a pack which asked much but offered little in return. she frowned a bit, thinking this unacceptable.
sobo spoke then, and her emerald eyes followed him. she too sat.
chacal answered, and mireille nodded. "i want access to dere shared lands, to look for herbs." it was a brash and bold ask, one that was not easily satisfied. but why not, if sapphique had already given so much? "an' if not dat, den dey should join us in a hunt, enough to feed us bot' for a time."
she too thought of rosalyn.

Mireille, it seemed, did have something that she wanted from Sacrarium, and Chacal had absolutely no qualms with the thought of harvesting plants from another pack's territory. She vaguely recalled them needing medical attention before, so she found herself doubting that the Sacrarium wolves even had a healer. 

"I t'ink dat be a reasonable ask,
dose plants will wither if not given a task." She surmised. 
"An' a hunt would do us all some good;
what friendships aren't built wid food?" She asked with a brief smile.

I'm going to pull out of this one to clear up my threadlog and so I'm not holding it up any longer. <3

Sobo agreed with Chacal more than Mireille at first, but thought his littermate was clever to suggest partaking of Sacrarium's resources. And why shouldn't they? A seed could not bloom without water and sun, and it was high time Sacrarium provided their fair share if they meant to use Sapphique as the garden for their sprouts.

For the remainder of their talk, Sobo would nod and offer agreement. His sisters were smart wolves and cared a great deal for Sapphique. Their suggestions and ideas were wise; he had no need to offer countering opinions, for they had already been considered.

With their agreement made, Chacal would put mind to paying a visit to Sacrarium, to offer their requests. They would need to keep training Lenora in order to have any leverage, but she had faith in Jorunn's capabilities. 

To each of her siblings, she gave a grateful embrace, whispering to them each her thanks for having scoured the coastlines for her boy. Their absence had made her heart all the more, reminding her of her love for them as well. She could never be grateful enough for the family she'd been given.