Ocean's Breath Plateau Perpetuum mobile

Trying to tie a few things together- not sure who is inactive/on NPC and etc. but this is where Simbelmyne would go with any active children/former Morningsong members. <3

Night spent without the warmth of her husband by her side had left her growing more and more worried. As the children grew, so did their needs- and without her husband to feed them, she was driven to the point of desperation. 

They were old enough to move about- old enough to disobey her, but old enough as well that they needed to eat regurgitated meat. Only Simbelmyne could bring it for them- and it meant leaving the children unsupervised in a desperate attempt to keep them from starving. 

She told herself that she could do it- and that Dutch would return, no doubt kept away by some unimaginable force. But the days and nights passed, and with each desperate hunting trip she took so she could feed her children, she took a risk; and the repercussions broke her heart. 

She mustered what strength she had left, what children she had left, and made for the borders of Moontide to arrive there weakened and distraught. She called for assistance, and collapsed at the borders.

Swoops in with a shitty post, so sorry. Skippable!

Ever possessing of high spirits, Seelie had been largely unaffected by the sorrows which had befallen her small family. Perhaps sometimes she ate less than the others, or bit back the syllables of her mother's name before they could fall from her lips, but these were small things. It was alright, truly.

At least until the moment Simbelmyne collapsed at Moontide's border.

Abruptly distraught herself, Seelie rushed to her mother's side with a little cry of distress. She pressed her nose into her mother's cheek. A desperate whine spilled from her, and she pulled away to add her own call as if to emphasize the urgency. Surely someone would come soon. She hoped.

Rodyn had been gone and he found that his presence, would have perhaps been better served in Moontide and the surrounding areas. But he could not also fault his journey, for he had grown Moontide and the moonvillages in abundance and ties and this would serve them in the future should they need it.

So it was with a small dose of surprise, but a genuine smile that he met the former alphess of Morningsong and he dipped his head. He had only met her once before. He was still a few lengths of space away from her, but he did call out.

Hello!

A small smile given to the youngling near her mother. But it was quickly replaced with a grave look as he rushed forward to the collapsed mother.

He bent his nose to her side. Simbelmyne?

dutch was gone. each day he did not return added an extra weight to aditya's shoulders. had something happened to his son; was he in trouble, somewhere?

or, perhaps worse yet—had he passed his proclivity for abandonment onto the young man?

either way, as much as adi wanted to look for arjun, his duties lie here. he'd promised minnow that he'd take a paternal role in the raising of her children—and when simbelmyne signaled she was going to moontide with her own brood, he quickly made up his mind to follow.

chalo; let's go, he said now, herding the trio of @Mzururaji, @Asani and @Usiku just a short distance behind his son's mate. almost there.

it had been a struggle for two adults to wrangle more than double that in children. even now, he feared for his wits dulled with age, wondering whether he had miscounted and lost one along the way.

up front, simbelmyne's eldest, kitimat, marched right up to rodyn—aditya smiled to see him—and looked up, little face a grave mixture of wariness and curiosity.

and then he noticed that simbelmyne had fallen.

PPing Kiti, making assumptions about Minnow's kids - feel free to correct me if needed!

simbelmyne.
the seal hunter moved to the side of his brother's wife beside the leader, checking to see that she breathed. there were many children! the father of dutch was here, and he looked in worry at the older man.
"i have an empty lodge. tulugak was once there," he said to rodyn, "but i have not seen her in some time. it may be a place for simbelymne to find her strength."
"raiyuk has gone on a long hunt. let them use his lodge also, for now." between his own, between the guesthouse, the lodges of his sons, and that of @Red Leaf, there would be enough room. it would be so.
he crouched beside simbelmyne and offered a great, encouraging smile to the gathered children.

With Seelie and Sirimiri by her side, Simbelmyne rested, slightly dizzy from low blood sugars and exhaustion. She looked up to see Aditya had come with her- and while she could not understand where his son had gone, she was grateful at least that Aditya had not disappeared as well. 

Just tired, She panted softly as Rodyn reached out to her. She pushed herself up, but felt too light-headed and sank back to the ground. Just need rest, but-

Her heart throbbed as Chakliux came toward them, and it was when she met his gaze that tears filled her eyes. Dutch was a brother to this man…He offered her shelter, a place to take her children and be safe. 

Thank you, Chakliux- it is just- She said, her voice hitching. Dutch. It is Dutch, I- I do not know where is gone.

cameo unless shes acknowledged! shes just watching rn

The absence of the band's leader had not gone unnoticed, but the hole that was left was not truly understood by Mzururaji. Apart from smaller meals, as far as she was concerned life was as it should be.

Soon a shift was to occur. Ushered by Aditya, which she had fondly dubbed old pop in her mind, her and the rest of Morningside's children were led to the edge of the mainland. The group would not be from the girl's chatter. There trip was was sprinkled with the "are we there yets" and tales of her own recent travels to fill the space.

But when they finally arrived at their destination, and Simbelmyne fell at the doorstep, Mzururaji was stunned to silence. She stood closely to Aditya's flank with thrumming heart, even after their leader assured she was ok.

Rodyn felt a bit unsure, not for the first time in his leadership. But certainly in sometime. He felt out of his depth. He didn't know these wolves or their lives. Had only met Dutch a pawful of times.

So he dipped his head with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Welcome to moontide. We'll get you sorted.

He shifted. Chakliux please lead them to the lodge you speak about. I put a fawn in a nearby cache. I'll gather it. That will probably be the best on a sore stomach and easiest to eat. I will bring some caribou furs for the den.

Then he tilted his head again. I'm sorry it has been hard for you Simbelmyne, but please make yourself at home. Excuse me. I wish to fetch these things for you quickly so you may rest.

Then Rodyn turned away and headed towards his stores of fur and where he had placed the fawn. An uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

he'd been alive long enough to sense the unease in rodyn's expression. he couldn't blame the man. wolves at his doorstep, the majority an old man and a bunch of kids. did not exactly scream 'useful,' especially as summer began to wind down and winter lurked just behind.

thank you both, aditya said. we're very grateful for your kindness.

he stepped closer to simbelmyne and nosed gently at her temple. i will get the children settled in the lodge, he promised her. are you okay to follow along? chalo, bachche, he told the group of youngsters. we need to follow that wolf to get some food and rest.

his gesture was toward chakliux, and he shot the young man a relieved expression.

updated map of lodges bc i cant help myself smh

tags for ref!

he nodded respectfully to rodyn, waiting to ensure there was no more instruction before he grinned at aditya's rallying. "we will find him, simbelmyne," the seal hunter said quietly, some moments after they had set off. "his heart would be soothed to know you and all of morningside are safe."
he tried to keep the young ones jubilant then, calling out to sea hunter and chagak, kilalurak and puffin, sirmiq, @Tullik, @Marina, and @Red Leaf. and as the five growing ones came to surround the morningside wolves, and ask questions, chakliux directed them to spaces in the guest-lodge, in the empty space of raiyuk's own, and along the solid inner walls of his own lodge.
he murmured to his wives that dutch had disappeared.
rodyn's caribou furs would be greatly appreciated, as chakliux did not many of his own unmarked by the teeth of children. to supplement the fawn, he opened his store of dried oyster-meat and edible roots.
his role then was to laugh, to be jubilant. to lift low spirits. 
to show no worry over his brother before the children, even if from time to time he met the eyes of aditya and simbelmyne with thoughtfulness.