The Sentinels When it's all said and done

Wanted to post a bit with him <3 hope all this is ok! tagged for reference, anyone is welcome to join

As he watched the river run between the rocks, patterned by the redwood's returning leaves overhead, he felt that same introspective mood take him that had been so prevalent over the last weeks.  Since losing the closest thing to a brother he'd claimed, he had mourned a while, but death was not something to be changed.  Lasher had led a full life with children and family - it was one to be celebrated and admired, especially after its close.  

He knew of the dissent following, however.  He'd heard accounts of the meeting Aria had held, unable to make it himself, and while he agreed with the pale girl, the thought that so many others did not made him uneasy.  Donnelaith had always been a place of peace, yes... but were they to be so complacent that they could not defend the things they cherished?  He was a fighter, and while he didn't relish the thought of violence, he would not avoid it either if it came looking for them.  His family would be protected and allowed a safe home to grow in, no matter what the cost of that.

He and @Osprey had spoken briefly on possibilities, and he'd made his own thoughts known to her.  Wondering if maybe it was time to seek other prospects.  He loved this forest, and as he looked around, there was little joy in the idea of leaving it behind.  But he also felt that familiar urge, the one that had set change in motion many times before.  Perhaps it was time.

Troubled, he leaned down to drink, wondering as he did so if he shouldn't find something to focus on for the time being.  Clear his mind for a while.

Tansea wandered the forest, following the sound of the trickling water upstream only to pause when she came across the stranger. Obviously he was amongst Donnelaith's ranks, he smelt of them and moved with a familiarity in the forest that she had yet to master.

Tansea watched him, forgetting that such an action might be perceived as distrustful or just plain odd. He was large one, his pelt the mixture of greys ranging from dove to stormcloud.

The witch waited for him to take notice of her, whether he had seen her coming or whether he had no idea until he glanced upwards. "I don't know you," her words were soft with curiosity.

The unfamiliar voice cut through his thoughts and he paused, cocking a curious look her way.  "Nor I you," he said with a slight smile, though internally he wondered just how long she'd been here.  He liked to think recent, but of late, he'd been so lax it may have been longer.

"Dante," he continued by way of introduction.  "Perhaps you've run into my mate, Osprey, or one of our children?"  Sometimes placing in context could help, though on some levels he wondered if he should bother.  After all, if they met, the knowing may not be long.  Summer was waning fast.

"Tansea," she offered in turn, not bothering with her nickname since none used it anymore. 

Dante. Constantine had spoken of him when they sparred, mentioning he was superior at the task. Tansea could not find it to ask him for lessons, Dante seemed preoccupied. Something was troubling him.

"I have met Osprey and Sarah. They're lovely," she complimented, truthful with her opinions on both. 

"You seem...sad," Tansea commented honestly.

"Nice to meet you, Tansea," he replied honestly, smiling when she commented on his family.  He of course had to agree with her summation.  "They truly are. Luckily she had a hand in how our children turned out," he joked lightly.

She took note of his mood, and he knew it wasn't something he wished to talk about right then.  Not with one he hardly knew, no offense meant to her.  "More thoughtful than sad.  But it's too beautiful a day to let that spoil it," he said, looking once again at the sun glancing through the trees.  A beautiful day indeed.  "Have you been here long?"

Tansea smiled her thanks, chuckling lightly at the comment about Osprey. She truly liked the woman, and her company. She had managed to coax and actual conversation from the witch, not an easy feat for many.

She dipped her head,acknowledging that it was none of her business. The dryad wouldn't pry where her meddling was unwelcome. 

"A month but it feels like less."

A month.  So long.  "I'm surprised then not to have run into you.  A family can become your world," he said with a slight smile, unable somehow to regret that.  

"What sort of adventure brought you to our quiet corner?" he asked, curious but understanding if she didn't wish to divulge.  Heck, she could lie if she wanted.  He lived with a storyteller, after all.  Even a good story was worthwhile on a lazy afternoon.

Tansea nodded, though truly she could not empathize. She was after all the only member of her family either not dead or sucked into a polygamist cult. These types of things didn't typically lead to strong familial bonds.

"I was cast out for witchcraft," Tansea explained, feeling no qualms to hide it since Osprey had assured her that witches ran amuck in Donnelaith. Deirdre, who she was beginning to count as a friend, was even a witch.

"Witchcraft.  Huh."  He mulled that one over a second, thinking affectionately of his own mate's claims of witch and Lasher's ethereal nature.  The last came with a pang of sorrow.

"Then you've come to the right place.  Seems our pack is a refuge for those of magic."  He said this with a smile, but it was honest.  Despite what he might believe, he didn't discount them, for who knew what magic lay in others?

Her slate eyes watched him for signs of dissaproval, for perhaps she had been wrong. It didn't seem like a promising response. 

Tansea felt her shoulders sag the tiniest bit with relief, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. He did not disapprove.

"It would seem so," the dryad agreed with a kind smile and wag of her tail. "Do you have a trade? Constantine mentioned that you were skilled in fighting."