Dragoncrest Cliffs inspired stars climb into the sky and light the world

All welcome! @Tanja

Everyone coming together in the last few days fills Heda with more pride than she knows what to do with. They have lost a few in the wake of their fleeing but she still does not doubt they are out there, somewhere, waiting on them, trying to find them. They are alive. They have to be. In another day or two, when they have their footing once more, she can send a few wolves to the mountain and search the surrounding areas. The danger of going on their old territory puts a little fear in her bones but if the beast is quiet upon their approach, she’s certain they can do a quick sweep before they upset it again.

Her cough had begun to fade, less and less each day, and she is hearing little from the others as they are able to breathe fresh air consistently free of smoke and upset. The cavern she’d found had been easily taken to as they spent their time together in a smaller place. Their hougeda in the dragon had expanded where they weren’t on top of one another but the comfort of everyone nearby has been a blessing and, perhaps, a life saver.

The small pool, only a few feet deep and wide at best, has provided enough for them that comes from the lake above and she drinks from it until her thirst is quenched. The cavern is mostly empty though perhaps they had gone through the tunnel to the other side to see the ocean up close. The only sound in the otherwise silent cavern is the trickle of water provided and her soft breathing as she finds a spot to rest a while.

In the few days that Drageda had claimed the cliffs it already appeared their numbers were steadily growing. More wolves had joined in these few days than the whole time he had been at the mountain. He figured outsiders were looking for a place to lounge during the winter and therefore had joined the ranks in hopes of scraping by. But if that was their true intention they would not be greeted kindly by the gray furred man. His poor attitude towards those not of Seageda or Trigeda had not changed, but he was beginning to understand the differences of their lives from his. 

News of Seregryn joining them had reached his ears and Tanja was rather interested in the matter. The Fos Goufa had always appeared to have a hunger for power back in Trigeda and he wondered if she had changed in the time he was gone, though he highly doubted it. She was being groomed to take over when Heda fell and the responsibility of that was like none other. 

But that was of little concern to him at the moment as he was preparing to go on yet another patrol. However he caught a glimpse of a silhouette hanging in the distance of the dimly lit cavern and decided to go check who it was. As he approached, it became easy to recognize who lie ahead and Tanja let his tail swish happily behind him as drew near to Heda. He feared the sudden abandonment of the mountain and the travel had caused her to become stressed, but he wished for her to know that he was pleased with her decision of staying here. "I like it here. It reminds me of Seageda" he finally called out while the distance between the two slowly closed.

Thuringwethil feels a little guilty having to take time during the day to rest but she’d hardly gotten the time to herself since they’d evacuated. They haven’t even reconvened to consider going back to the dragon and finding Freyja and Hvitserk and it’s a little concerning they hadn’t gone as far north as she’d expected. The thought alone leaves her stomach in knots as she tries to sort them and untie each nerve in her belly.

When Tanja approaches, speaking of their choice in home, Thuringwethil smiles. Carefully, she works to stand and nods her head.

“It reminds me of Seageda as well,” she says quietly. The coast they’d claimed for generations had been a great place, with the ocean at their back and a tall mountain bordering another side. Tucked away, similar to these cliffs, Thuringwethil wonders if it’ll be enough to replace her former home. In time, she supposes, but she can’t force it and the peace these lands bring her is enough to keep her calm. “We had taken Sleeping Dragon because there were packs lining these shores and it had been where I reunited with Gyda. I will miss it, I think, but… not as much as I miss our home.”

She pauses, with a long breath, and looks toward the back of the cavern. She moves her nose a little and then takes a few steps in that direction. Uncertain if he’d seen the entire cavern through to the other side since he’d been busy marking their claim, she decides to lead him through the large tunnel that opens up to another space big enough for them and the ocean beating against the walls on either side of them. Unfortunately, high tide stops them from going any further but she points in the direction to the left.

“There’s a rocky path around that wall that leads to a beach. The only way to get to it, as far as I can tell.”

As he drew alongside his commander, Tanja watched carefully with interest to see how the mention of Seageda would be took. He was fond of his birth place, but in it's final months it had crumbled from beneath his paws and turned into something he could barely recognize. That place was filled with both happy and sad memories and the man wondered which would surface first. Though due to her calm reaction, Tanja found it difficult to guess at what she was feeling. 

Yet he decides it's best not to press on the matter and instead turns his attention to the cavern as he silently follows after Heda while she shows him through tunnel. "It is a shame I didn't find this place sooner, I would have loved to be able to enjoy the waves once again" he admits while staring off into the depths of the cavern. Winter would force him to wait until he could probably enjoy the sea once again, but he was glad he had something to look forward to in the upcoming months.

Tanja doesn’t mention Seageda anymore. Their home is often on her mind and now with the ocean in their back yard, she hopes their lives can return to normal and Seageda will remain within them. Still, Drageda is strong and they will survive everything thrown their way just as they always have. She turns her head when Tanja finally speaks and her tail wags a few times as she feels at ease. If she closes her eyes, she can picture them home once more and the thought is comforting enough to continue on.

“It will be warm before we know it,” she says with a smile, stepping out where the cavern turns sandy but their movement is limited to their cover. Eventually the tide will recede and he can see the beach around the corner as he pleases.

Thuringwethil lets a sigh escape her muzzle as her nerves feel a little frayed and on edge. They’ve lost so much in such a short span of time and still with no signs of Freyja or Hvitserk, she often has a sickening feeling in her stomach that she can never quite get rid of. With Portia injured, Chessur absent, and everything else still tense from the move, Thuringwethil isn’t certain what to do and the lack of a fleimkepa does little to aid her. However, Tanja—though not a leader—knows their ways inside and out and as she turns to him, she does not doubt his insight.

“We need to get a search party together soon and go back near the mountain and try and find the others. They are smart kids but I am worried about them,” she says, wondering if he’d take the initiative or object to putting their wolves in anymore danger than they have been in.