Sleeping Dragon transitory sacrifices of crisis

Tagging several people I am due for a thread with but I'd like if only one or two replied, please and thank you! <3 @Eske @Thyri @Goliath @Tanja.

Gavriel knows that winter is just around the corner. He’d gotten a taste of it when he first arrived but quickly it was spring and then summer, which had been a miserable change, and fall is quickly turning back into the snowy months. There is a chill in the air early that morning that leaves the cold ground nipping at his feet. There are some places with snow but primarily away from the mountain as the volcano keeps the more centered locations warmer.

Near the valley, however, the grass is cold with frozen dew. It doesn’t slow him down and, instead, he picks up his speed to trot at a steady pace around the bend. It is only when he reaches the opening of the geyser field that he slows, searching for the warmth the ground gives off to better thaw out his limbs.

He had risen early that morning and set off to find something to satisfy his grumbling stomach before falling into the routine he had become so accustomed to. He had only been at Drageda for a while but Tanja already found himself captured by the same pattern he had taken to at his former packs. And while he was certainly putting all his effort into proving himself worthy to Heda, work had also become an excuse to avoid meeting any wolf he did not wish to converse with.

Though the man did recall about the commander mentioning Gavriel being here, so the muddied gray male set off to find the one familiar face among a sea of strangers. Tanja was be no means a skilled tracker, but he eventually managed to find his way to his old companion and with a chuff approached the one wolf he felt he did not have to prove anything to.

The ground beneath his feet is warm and though his lower half remains wet, he feels the heat rise in his body. He knows to find a dryer place in the field to clean himself and let his fur dry before he takes on the rest of the world in avoidance of freezing everything together. The summer had been brutal, hotter than he's used to, and now as winter comes upon them, he finds himself wishing for warmer days. While home had been cold most of the time, and he is used to far colder territories, the warmth had been nice and welcoming.

As he steps closer to the lagoon, away from the geysers, the grass and ground are soft and dry enough that he can settle. However, before he's able to make himself comfortable, he sees a dilute toned wolf ahead and at first his fur bristles. Standing in the back of the geyser field and a wolf he doesn't recognize (at first) puts him instantly on edge. His ears cup forward and he takes a breath, but the closer he gets he realizes who he is looking at. He'd caught wind of Tanja being here and he can't help a stupid smile that plastered on his features as he moves forward with a little excitement in his steps.

"Brother," he calls out to his friend, tail wagging back and forth to greet the old sight-for-sore-eyes.

It was a bit surprising to see the old friend on edge when Tanja approached but it appeared it was simply a mistake since as soon as Gavriel realized who the supposed stranger was, he came happily bounding after him. The man's goofy smile was joined by one of Tanja's own and the gray male moved to give his old friend a head-butt as a greeting.

"It is good to see you" he said with a swish of his tail and a lick of his lips. It truly was fortunate to have an old companion here in this new home, especially after learning that Drageda was lacking many wolves from Tanja's past. This was all new to him and the man was grateful to have someone here he felt he could already trust.

Sorry for the short posts!

Gavriel shakes out his fur a little as the rest of him evens out. It has been some time since he’d last seen the warrior. Seageda’s downfall had put a rift between a number of them, perhaps the reason for the slow influx of members coming to Drageda, but Gavriel doesn’t feel his faith lessen any just yet. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle Trikru for long,” he tells him with a chuckle, stepping up to brush one shoulder against Tanja’s, encouraging him along.

“How is Drageda treating you?” he asks with a curious tilt of his head.

The man easily followed after Gavriel and felt a wave of comfort wash over him as he walked beside his old friend. Since his arrival to Drageda he had felt like an outcast, unneeded and at times unwanted. But as he strolled alongside the Gona, there was a part of him that felt at home. "Good. It is different but good" was his answer to the man's question and although his tongue desired to say more, Tanja did not wish to offend the man who had made his home here. 

The gray male tilted his head to look up at the sky for a brief moment, debating what to say. Apart of him wished to ask about what Gavriel thought of the current leaders, but Tanja did not wish to simply jump right into the topic. So instead he thought of something he assumed would be much more enjoyable to talk about. "I hear you have children. I met some of them actually."

Gavriel is pleased to hear that Tanja is enjoying, for the most part, his new home. They have trickled in over the months and their loyalty has been tested but their survival has been secured. Even with the threat of the grotto to the North West, he’s confident they’ll survive here well enough. “It is different,” he says with a bob of his head. His voice trails off, thick with meaning, and he glances once in his companion’s direction before he’s refocused on the path in front of him. “But we are strong. I don’t think we’d be here if we weren’t,” he muses. Tanja is the first wolf he can really talk to this about. Heda is on her own level, he barely knew Rebekka, and Gyda simply… can’t understand.

“Oh yeah?” his attention diverts when he spokes of his children and a smile creeps upon his muzzle. Gavriel never knew how things would turn out with them but he is completely blindsided. His involvement hadn’t been demanded or required when he’d been asked to father them and, originally, he thought he’d be separated. However, he knows he wouldn’t make a different choice. “Who have you met so far?”

Different was not necessarily a bad thing, but the man preferred the known much more than the alternative. He had never been big on discovering new places or coming up with creative ideas, it was simply not his thing. After all, if it wasn't broken why change it? Still, Tanja had no doubt that Drageda was well and thriving, and from what he could tell in his little time spent here, it seemed it would remain that way for quite a while. 

The talk of children was much more enjoyable and satisfying than anything else at the moment, and Tanja was interested in knowing the future generation of Drageda. "Eske and Freyja" he answered recalling the fiery spirited girl who greeted him on the borders and the young Feisripa who he had spoke of Seageda to. "How many others are there?" he asked, curious as to who else he had yet to meet.

It does not surprise him to hear his girls’ names. They are the most outspoken of the group, whereas the other two have chosen quieter lives, which he nurtures just as much as the two and their energetic and aspirational nature. Freyja, on the road of leadership, and Eske proving her worth in battle, holds much for him to be proud of. The roots of Drageda growing before his very eyes.

“Thyri and Hvitserk, but they are not as outspoken as them,” he says with a smile and shake of his tail, happy in each path his children have chosen. As much as he’d like to spend more time with Thyri, he does not force himself upon her so that he does not push her further away. “They have grown so quickly,” he thinks aloud. Gyda speaks of being ready for another even when the brood they have now have barely left the nest but he knows he wouldn’t want to be alone for long.

Tanja himself had never thought of what life would be like besides what he does now. He had never had any interest in children or even relationships for that matter. His work was just about all he cared for, and distractions such as a family and mateship never really appealed to him. Tanja was a man married to his work and he couldn't think of a life better than that.

Thyri and Hvitserk it seemed were the final two Tanja had yet to come across, and he looked forward to meeting them even if they were not as open as their siblings. "And are already admirable members of Drageda" he adds on to Gavriel's final sentence. Judging from the two he had met so far, Tanja would not be surprised if the remaining children had excelled in their own craft as well.

Sorry to cut this short. <3

Gavriel nods his head, a smile appearing on his features as Tanja compliments his children. He has a wave of pride wash over him and he has enjoyed watching them grow and develop. Even if half are quiet and half are out there, doing their duty to Drageda, with their lives spread out in front of them, but he does not spill his breath to speak and instead nudges the man onward to continue along with border patrol in silence.