Lion Head Mesa I look up at the gaps of sunlight

Given Panacea's scouting of the mesa hadn't gone entirely as planned, Kemal had decided to do it himself.. or at least some of it. He felt confident in the resilience of his packmates, but he was sure they would prefer any sort of proper living space over nothing. Settling would be far easier that way.

To his surprise, it seemed that the mesa had been lived in more recently than expected.. at least sometime in the past year. Had he been in Verapaz with his brother from the start, he may have felt some sense of triumph now. The bones of prey, remainders of old pelts, and strangest of all: shells, still lingered, though Kemal wasn't sure what purpose they could possibly have.

Pausing his steps, the Aguila looked up at the flat-headed mountain. He wouldn't climb it today, but from here he could see caves just big enough for wolves, which points would be easiest to climb from, and the most convincing to him.. a small ridge facing west.

Kemal swished his tail once, then lifted his leg to mark a nearby rock.

Pulling the date forward a couple days with permission!

It occurred to him, after a few days of hiding from his packmates and licking wounds both literal and metaphorical, that maybe he should give his task another go. He'd technically failed the first time. So Panacea set off from the pass again, flinching at every shadow and cursing every unknown forebear whose insistence on procreating had led him to existence.

It was all a load of shit, really. He walked around the outskirts of the mesa for a few hours before he cottoned on to the fact that someone was already there. The exact someone he was trying to avoid, actually. He froze, ears pinning to his skull, and stared.

Kemal was quick to catch onto the footsteps behind him, dark masked head turning to meet who he thought would be a stranger.

Panacea. His face scrunched, not out of distaste or frustration, but confusion. You are meant to be helping Disa. He thought that she would have called on him by now.

His twitching nose quickly gave away that he was checking in on Panacea's scent. If he still wasn't fit to be walking, Kemal would abandon the mission to escort him home.

A frown knit his features briefly, but Panacea looked away to hide it. I thought - He sucked in a breath. I thought you'd want me to finish my task, too. The defensive edge lurked just beneath the surface of his words: I can do this. I can do both.

Couldn't he?

His shoulder ached fiercely, and as he glanced back at Kemal and found the man checking his scent, he began to doubt himself. Maybe he should have stayed back.

It was hard not to be frustrated, but Kemal knew how to control his temper. Clearly there had been some miscommunication along the way. Your task is the garden. Disa should have told you. He doubted that it was really Disa's fault, but the words still slipped out. Why would I have told you to rest if I wanted you out here?

Kemal sighed, looking back up to the top of the mesa. Scouting will wait. I'll take you home. His decision was quick, clearly he didn't need much deliberation.

Disa. He sucked in a sharp breath, his own frustration flaring up in response. Maybe you should have told me, Panacea countered, quiet but razor-edged, before he could bite back the words. He turned away abruptly, and when he spoke again it was softer, weary now: It's fine. I can handle it. I'm not fragile.

We should see what's around here, anyway, he went on, still not looking at Kemal. Instead he swept his gaze toward the mesa itself. Might as well not waste another trip.

Kemal did not respond, but his glare into the back of Panacea's head was far louder than any words. He hadn't appreciated the bold response.

Fine. He moved past Panacea to walk in front, brushing his fur against the rocks. I need to keep marking. The mesa would already reek of Verapaz by the time they finished moving in, he was determined of that much.

The land here has been lived in. The wolves are long gone, though. His nose twitched, as though confirming this for himself once more. It will be easy to move in.

He felt the glare, but chose to ignore it rather than dignify it with a response. Sooner or later Kemal would have to stop treating him like some clueless yearling. Panacea stopped to mark along the outskirts of the mesa as he trailed after the Águila.

Might as well stick around, he thought, but cast another glance at Kemal and decided to keep the thought to himself. Surely the leader would see the wisdom in it soon enough. Aloud he said: I wonder if they'll come back. He lowered his nose to take in the faded scents around a set of old mussed pawprints in the dirt.

The same question had crossed Kemal's mind, but he paid little attention to it. If they do, we'll already be here. He would not allow Verapaz's home to be swept out from under them easily. Clearly they left once already, they can leave again. The mesa couldn't be that important to whoever was once here if they had abandoned it so easily.

They left behind.. a lot. He frowned, eyeing a seashell that sat against a wall of rock. I don't understand the purpose of much of it.

In many aspects Siena had been a magnificent empire.. but it was the woman who enjoyed the artifacts brought from coastlines and mountain peaks, not him. Kemal had never cared for anything that didn't serve a practical purpose.

You think something happened to them? Panacea glanced at Kemal as he spoke, moving to pick up the seashell gently in his mouth. He stepped back to set it down beneath the light, where they could see it more clearly. It had to have been brought from far away, he thought; there were no beaches nearby as far as he knew. Nowhere that would have something like this.

I could stay, he added more quietly, blue eyes finding the Águila again. Stay here while the rest of the pack makes the move, I mean. Just in case.

I found no blood, no bodies, he paused, I don't know.

There was no way of knowing what came before, so Kemal didn't feel that they should linger on it.

Panacea made his suggestion, Kemal's eyes focused on the shell he had brought into the light. Alright, you stay. He decides. I will grab what remains of Margarida's packing, and return tomorrow. Others will follow.