Herbalists' Cache devil gonna take me

He'd travelled far enough he could no longer hear or see the ocean, but somehow, he still felt waves lapping at his heels. The ebb and pull of the tide. The thrum of it, like a second heartbeat in his chest.

Perhaps, if he were a different sort of wolf, he might have recognized these feelings as longing or wistfulness. As it was, he thought little of it at all, and continued doggedly southeast for no reason in particular. Perhaps because he could feel pain, even metaphysical, and sought to distance himself from the source.

Catamaran stopped at the edge of the frosted hollow he'd been walking through. There was no sweeping, official claim to set him off, but he smelled wolves about. A small family — perhaps in need of an extra warm body for the winter?

He snuffled around, hoping to find out more about them. The few present scents were catalogued; he lifted his leg on a rock to add his own to the mix, and then began to slink around the outer reaches of where these scents were present. Perhaps he'd run into someone. Perhaps he wouldn't, and he would simply carry on the same way he'd been going.

Cambria gnawed the inside of his cheek as he roamed the far northern edge of Emberwood. He and @Odessia had somehow done a decent job of rearing their girls so far, but the crispness in the air warned him that autumn would arrive soon. Then, of course, came winter. Would they be better off uprooting from their den and seeking out the comfort and support of a pack?

Where are you, @Etienne? he mumbled under his breath as he paused to survey the spoor of a passing herd of deer.

If only his friend would come at last—and the adults outnumbered the pups—they might be able to weather the seasons together right here. Besides that, the Dragonling missed his friend. He took a little time out of every day to quit worrying about @Sophia and @Victoria to worry about the seaman instead.

There was nothing for it just now. Cambria shook his head, focusing on the hunt. He couldn’t do much with a herd of deer, so he turned away from that trail and tried to find some small game instead. He ranged a little ways into the neighboring territory in his search, the smell of dying vegetation serving as an even stronger reminder that the climate was cooling.

Another odor waylaid him. The Dragonling bent to sniff at a rock, still visibly wet, and noted the passage of a wolf. His mismatched eyes narrowed a little as he studied the marker and the information it bore. He then raised his head, though he didn’t see any sign of the stranger.

Pale fur puffed out and prickling somewhat, Cambria moved stiff-legged along the liminal space between Herbalists’ Cache and Emberwood. Now he hunted for his own kind, keen to locate the other male if only to make sure he didn’t disturb the Dragonlings’ nearby den.

Etienne had stayed near the sea until he healed. Cambrias children were probably born and he hadn't been there. But was it his place really?

He snuffed along the edges noticing Cambrias lingering scent and debated following it.

Catamaran had not ventured closer to the pack, but had cruised slowly along the outskirts. He was surprised, then, to run into a wolf on the wrong side of the "borders". The bounty hunter paused when Etienne came into view, his focus shifting to the stranger at once.

He stood there, shoulders tense and head dropped low. Was this the den father? The wind was not on his side.

"Peace be," he said, his voice low but carrying. He made himself look and sound deferential, aware that he was on the precipice of a potentially volatile interaction. "I only seek a place to overwinter."

He knew that he stank of lonesomeness, rather than the fresh perfume of happiness with the open road. It was a point of deep consternation for him, that his scent should give away something he was hardly able to grasp at in the sanctity of his own mind. He was lonely — but what did that mean? What benefit could interaction provide him, when other wolves were so often the source of his troubles?

It seemed company came in twos these days. When Cambria finally caught up with the interloper, he found the man wasn’t alone. The Dragonling’s mouth actually fell ajar as his eyes locked on Etienne. He looked the same, if a little worse for wear. Somehow, that wasn’t surprising. Cambria had always known something must’ve happened to waylay his friend from their rendezvous, now long overdue.

Shooting the stranger a quick glance, Cambria closed the distance between himself and Etienne. He sniffed noses with his friend, then took half a step backward to perform a quick visual assessment. His brow furrowed when he noticed freshly healed contusions all over the coastal wolf’s body.

Where’ve you been, he breathed into the inches between their muzzles as his head swung closer to Etienne’s again. There was no indictment in his tone, merely affection and more than a little concern. I asked Dess ages ago. We want you here with us. I wanted to come find you and tell you but—the girls.

They had so much catching up to do! Cambria wanted to tell Etienne all about Victoria and Sophia, of course, but first he wanted to know if his friend was okay. Before they could get to any of that, though… he turned his mismatched gaze upon the third wheel, giving him a hardcore case of elevator eyes. Was he with Etienne? … Was he with Etienne?

Etienne shifted golden gaze on the defeated man. A tilt of his downy head. A small knowing glance.

Peace be stranger. I be Etienne. Dis not be my 'ome I cant give you a place.

Then Cambria was there and in his face. Eti took a step back surprised, but offered a small smile. Sad and slow.

I be find. 'Ad a run in wit' dey falcons. Den stay in de beac' few bit.

The stranger introduced himself in a way that made Catamaran's ears leap to the top of his head. One of them flapped as if warding off a fly, but it was only that the accent tickled his ears in a way that he felt he needed to shake.

He would have responded. He wasn't sure with what. The appearance of another wolf, however, stopped his tongue. He took an uneasy step backward, and then froze in place when the stranger gave him a hard stare. He was outnumbered, then, in a place where the children were still very young. He unpinned himself almost by force from the other's gaze and, under the cover of Etienne's response, began trying to slink away.

His suspicion took root and grew swiftly when Etienne stepped back from him. Cambria felt a flash of something—anger, maybe, but mostly hurt—and suppressed it just as quickly. He had no right to feel those feelings.

Not entirely sure what to say to his friend’s explanation, he opted to repeat, We want you to stay here with us, if you’re still open to that. I’d love you to meet them: Victoria and Sophia. Will you?

What if he wanted this other guy to come along too? If he had to accept a stranger along with Etienne, Cambria would pay the price of admission. But, of course, the father wouldn’t bring some random man home without vetting him a bit, even if Etienne might vouch for him.

I’m Cambria, he said, tearing his eyes away from Etienne at last. Still uncertain as to whether they were actually together, he queried, Are you—hey, where are you going?

Etienne had been alone on the beach mostly. So to have two wolves so near and Cambrian who he cared about dearly, but in his face. It had surprised him. He hadn't meant to upset him, clearly he had. By the look that flitted across his face.

Etienne nodded his head. I will stay for now. Dis wolf be lookin' for 'ome. 'e seems good and strong. Make a good guardian maybe?

His retreated was halted. Catamaran contemplated simply running away, but ultimately, decided that it was not worth the energy he'd waste in the endeavor. It was better to try and talk his way to safety.

Reluctantly, he turned his body back toward the pair of them. Etienne called him good and stronger, and at the moment, he felt as though he was truly neither.

"Nowhere," he replied, his tone appeasing. "I'm not here to cause trouble, that's all." And, for a moment, he'd felt as though there was certainly trouble. "Name's Cat."

Etienne’s words stirred a wild cocktail of emotions within Cambria. He was beyond elated to hear, “I will stay,” even if he didn’t love the next two words after that. Then he referred to the other man—whose name was Cat, apparently—as good and strong. He could deny it all he wanted, though the feeling that curdled in the Dragonling’s stomach could only be called jealousy.

He kind of wanted to tell Cat to bug off then, though he held his tongue and took a few steadying breaths. His two-toned eyes lingered on Etienne for a long moment before swinging back to Cat. He did look hale enough. The Dragonlings were doing fairly well for themselves, though the addition of not one but two strong, capable men would really help, particularly as winter approached.

Come with me, Cambria rumbled after a moment, both of you. He met Etienne’s eye and smiled softly, saying, I can’t wait for you to meet my daughters, as they began to walk. I’m sure Dess will be happy to see you too. You can stay with us for as long as you like. You’re welcome always.

He forced his mismatched gaze to Cat now, the light in them gone flat as his mouth as he said, I’d like you to hang back a moment when we get there. You and I can talk while Eti catches up with Dess and the girls. Then I’d like to give her—Dess, my wife—a moment to speak to you too. We’ll probably ask that you keep your distance from Vicky and Soph at first, until we get to know you better. Nothing personal.

His eyes flicked to Etienne, wondering if he would take offense at the Dragonlings’ treatment of his companion. Cambria didn’t want to risk pushing him away, now that he had him, but even lovely Etienne wasn’t his top priority anymore. He played second fiddle, along with Odessia, not that Cambria would ever dare admit he loved them both the same. Anyway, nothing mattered as much as keeping his little girls safe.

Since @Odessia is an NPC and this thread is older, I figured we could fade here, with intros happening behind the scenes. As far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome to infer that these guys integrated with the rest of the family within a few days, so you can thread freely with @Victoria and @Sophia. Don’t hesitate to ping and/or tag me for anything. :)