Ankyra Sound lost at sea

Attention: @Illidan

She had let him know of her temporary sojourn; she had no intentions of being gone for as long as she was. But more storms came, and with them went her sense of direction. It took her in the opposite direction of where the rest of her family lingered that did remain; she missed @Takiyok and her return, and moved in the opposite way of which she settled. It seemed possible they could be anywhere with the weather being what it was, but she knew they had not returned to the glacier.

Defeat was not something she readily accepted. Not when it came to this, anyway. Tunerk did not want to give up on the idea that her brother was somewhere near, and so for a time she rest, alone, at the glacier. Her mother had once told her something to the effect of lost things are usually where you left them. And this was where she had left them. When hunger set in, well, that was when she rose and moved to hunt. Small game; independently, she was not able to bring down anything. She had watched her family, but she was alone—and not well taught.

Tunerk instinctively understood she would not survive on her own. It was that point that she turned back to head toward Rusalka, though her way home was not easy. It had not been a straight shot here, and even with the improving weather her old trail was impossible to follow in how she had arrived at all. But, well, she found the familiar scents of wolves she had known... and new ones, too.

She could not regret leaving. Tunerk had her answers, and no more questions. She could only hope her mother and her brother and her aunts and her uncles were well out there, and were finding their place wherever they found themselves—as she was now.

the boy hadn’t forgotten the pale features of the girl he had met shortly after finding his mother again. had he known what they said about caiaphas – about her hoarding of other people’s children – he would have found it less odd that there had been so many other young pups around. as it was, though, he imagined they were there in order to help him adjust, and because they would grow into the culture of the pack better than someone who came from somewhere else.
 
when the girl had left, he had thought it to be sad. she’d explained that she needed to search for her brother and her mother. when she had told him this, the story had been so familiar to him that he almost broke to hear it again in the mouth of another. as much as he wanted to tell her that her chances of success were minimal, at best, he couldn’t gather the strength to discourage her that way. he had told her to go. illidan hoped against the odds that she would find her family so they could be together again.
 
when she returned, he was much too eager. still, the dark-hooded young man had grown considerably in her time away. he was all but an adult, and his strapping figure certainly echoed the same sentiment. there were many things to tell her, he believed. when her features came into view, he was almost surprised at how much she had filled into her form. she was tall and slender, draped in a cloak of shimmering white with small dark accents along her shoulders and back. her eyes were as deep blue as the sea. tunerk was no longer a young girl; she had grown into a young woman.
 
“any luck?” illidan asked her breathlessly as he approached. please tell me you could do what i could not…

The wolf that approached her was not the wolf she had said goodbye to. Though their difference in height was not so great thanks to the stature she inherited from her relatives, it was still something she noticed immediately; more than that, he was thicker, more solid, less lanky. For her own part, she was as good as full grown—though she had much filling out to do. Being away did her no favors. Being home did him plenty. He looked so much like his mother, and yet nothing at all that there was no confusing them now—and his voice, deeper, darker, richer. But what had not changed in her absence was his eyes, and the way they regarded her, or his scent, something that would always be the cocktail that made him. A mixture of salt, sea, wind, and pine—for all of her love for the snow and its pristine, clean scent, she did not realize how much she had missed his.

In the beginning of chaos, it had been him and Caiaphas who kept her grounded. They were the promise that new beginnings were not all bad (there had been fighting and chaos, but companionship and truth and more); she had simply not been ready to start without those she had known all of her life. It was a frightening thing. And Illidan seemed to understand it, and did not hold her departure against her. There was understanding there. That he did not hold her back fueled her desire to return all the more.

Though she did not know the real hurt of her failure until his question. It was fine to not speak of it, to have lived through it; but by speaking it, it somehow made it real. She shook her head and lowered her head to the earth, and for a moment her shoulders seemed to sag. There was a whiff of something so terribly familiar here that her ears, once flattened atop her crown, came upright... but she did not dare let herself think it. Nor did she let herself feel this way for long at all. What would it do for her? And her family would not like to see her mope. So she rose, and with a small smirk, she admitted: well, some. I found you and home again, her tail waved behind her. Illidan and his mother had made this place more than just a means of survival, whether they liked it or not.

it was difficult for him to hear those words from her. in his heart, he knew that she was far less likely to have returned if she had fulfilled her intentions. there had been a part of him that hoped he might never see her again unless they happened to stumble upon each other in some distant future. in those imaginary scenarios, illidan imagined that they would share a knowing moment of silence before she would slip away again. it was in those fantasies that he saw her with a stalwart brother and a sweet-smelling mother – a family that cared more for her than she would ever find in another group of beasts.
 
“i don’t know if i would call that luck,” the dark-hooded young man remarked with a thin-lipped smile that did not reach his gaze. there was something there that still hoped she would surprise him. it was as though he believed they had carried on that momentary conversation, only so that she might break into a sweeping grin before admitting that she found everything she had been searching for… and more.
 
the world didn’t work that way; he knew better.
 
with a soft sigh, the ghost nodded his head in understanding. they did not need to speak of family matters anymore. she had gone and done what she had needed to do before finding her way back. part of him realized that she had decided where her family truly was. “it’s good to have you back,” he told her in a quiet and graveled voice. the tone was haunted but sincere enough that she could not mistake it for anything more than a genuine sharing of emotion.

His mindset was not her own, and though she did not understand it she did not challenge his response except by smiling in turn; the light of it did reach her eyes, in contrast to his own. Tunerk was sad to have not found her family, but happy, at least, to be among a true and dear friend. Perhaps she was meant to feel like she had lost everything—but the events she had endured led her to find Illidan, and Caiaphas, who had both welcomed her readily enough. So things were not all bad.

And he thought that it was good she was back; her tail waved at that, and her ears twitched idly. Truth be told, she was glad to no longer talk about the things that she had lost. Although her disposition was cheery and optimistic, there was no denying that thinking on those things hurt. She had fostered hope, and learned in her time away how cruel the feeling truly was.

She took a step closer to him, her navy blue eyes moving to the landscape behind him briefly before her gaze returned to him. What have I missed while I was away? Tunerk did not want to be caught off-guard and knew that if anyone could bring her up to speed, it would be Illidan.

she asked about the things that had taken place in her absence. the dark-hooded young man dipped his head and cast his gaze toward the towering cliffs where the wolves of drageda had taken hold. most days, he felt as though their looming form would swoop down and extinguish whatever fire remained in the rusalka group. when things had grown too quiet, he fretted for the well-being of his mother, his sister, and his brother. it was not wise to exist in a state of uncertainty and fret; the toll it had taken on him was more than astounding. his youth had been stripped from him long before that, but it had only made it all the more evident.

“i think we're in trouble, tunerk...” the ghost remarked to her in a quiet voice. “after the fight that we had, rosalyn came back to us, but it feels as though they are looming over us and waiting for a moment to strike.” this was not the welcome back that he had wanted for her. illidan had not yet learned how to soften his words for the benefit of others. his hawkish gaze returned to her pale features and he waited to see what insight she might have on the subject of further war. he wondered if she would regret ever having come back.

For all of the trials she had faced, none were comparable to those of Illidan—and those were only the things that he had shared with her. He had been spared nothing; he was as young as she was, and yet, he was weathered by the world. His edges, unlike hers, were sharp. Her ears leaned toward him to hear him entirely, and her expression turned to concern. Indeed, it was not good news to return to—but she had returned to something, and that was all Tunerk desired. She could not know he thought she might regret her return by hearing his news, but the Northern woman could regret nothing less.

She was not going anywhere. Not without her newfound family, anyway. Have there been other attacks? By now, Tunerk was aware of Rusalka's fighting spirit. Though she did not share in the passion of such a past-time, there was something innate within her that shared its pulse. Perhaps this was another reason she remained, though if it were, she could not yet know or understand it. And then, What do you think we should do...? If they were being watched, if they were to be struck, what was there to do? This was not her own forte; but she was willing to learn, and for the wellbeing of those she did care for she even desired to.

as harrowed as he was, illidan found a way to continue pushing forward. he had found a sense of complacency in his own misery. the rare moments of pleasure were like a breath of chillingly fresh air – fleeting and then swept away. still, he clung to them and he hoped that they would show him peace one day.

“my mother is... passionate about her beliefs. i'm afraid that it may instigate further confrontation, but i'm also aware that she will not move our home. this is her land and there's not enough strength in me to fight her on that,” illidan answered her honestly. he had avoided her questions, but would respond if she pressed the matter any further. there was a heavy sigh that passed through his lips and left in a cloud that drifted through the dismal grey sky. “what do you think we should do?” the boy then inquired of his friend. he trusted her sound mind to provide something worth thinking on.

Tunerk was oblivious enough to not recognize he had not answered her question as she had posed it, and nodded to his words as he spoke them. Tunerk was more attached to others than she was to land, but that attachment extended to their desires. As Illidan spoke it, Tunerk unwittingly adopted a measure of his mothers attitude. Why should we leave? Came a passing thought... and then it went. Illidan did not wish to fight his mother on it; she felt he had plenty of strength, and if Illidan were passionate enough himself he would try to do something. If Illidan was an apathetic wolf, Tunerk had yet to learn this about him.

His sigh preceded a question, and she thought on it for a moment. In the matters of war, Tunerk was far from wise or well-learned. All that she did know of it came from her time here. They were still standing, were they not?

Fight back, I suppose, she answered, entirely serious, and went on: and stick together. Let them loom while we live, Tunerk shrugged at that. What else was there to do? Tunerk did not know what it was to be afraid, having never experienced the fangs of an enemy before—so she was entirely naive to the true depth of her words... but she meant them. She had faced the cruel whims of nature and had been beaten by storms; Tunerk, young and bold, believed she had better odds against a wolf, at least.

fight back – what a simple response. illidan could not help the smile that spread along his dark lips and revealed the tips of his ivory canines. it only made sense that they should rise to the occasion, right? even without speaking, it was clear that he agreed with her. the reservations that had crawled inside of him seemed to shriek in protest, but he forced himself to calm down. they were not going to war immediately, if at all.

“i'm not sure that all of the pack would follow us into another fight,” illidan admitted to her in a hollow voice. he knew that there would be those who would stand firmly in their loyalty, but he questioned whether or not the pregnant women would even humor the idea of bringing such terrible things to their doorstep. “but nothing has been decided yet. we have time...”

Tunerk could not help but smile back, though the expression was soon gone as he spoke once more. She looked thoughtful once again, not really knowing what to make of that. Shouldn't they, if the other pack struck them? Tunerk did not even think of pregnancy as a factor (not knowing much about the birds, the bees, and what it meant to be with child), though might have understood better if she had.

The Nu was quiet for a little while longer as she thought. And then, well, those of that will fight should know how, she began, turning to face him more directly before finishing: will you teach me?

the birds and the bees subject was relatively foreign to the boy too, but only because he had not actively sought answers for all the things that he didn’t understand about emotional connection and building a life around another individual. he hardly believed that he understood the premise of love, let alone that type of commitment and what it took to make challenging decisions. his time as the beta of rusalka had taught him many things, and he felt that the longer he remained in the leadership, the more he would learn.
 
“i will teach you, yes,” he agreed without even thinking about it. his eyes darted to the pale girl carefully, sizing her up. she would have been a very capable fighter, he realized. it felt good to know that he was needed for something – that even tunerk could assist him in knowing his worth. “let’s go find something to eat to celebrate you coming back,” illidan then offered, motioning with a swing of his head.

An exhale of relief came as he agreed to her request, asked on a whim but born of true desire to learn. She imagined that in this, the basics would not suffice in keeping their land. Truth be told, if she could have avoided learning more she would have. By nature, Tunerk preferred peace. But Rusalka needed her. This, she could sense by Illidan's every word on the matter. How could she not rise to the challenge for them? After what they had done for her? Circumstance made her more than willing now, and she was glad that she would now have an instructor. Sure, Illidan's age was similar to her own... but he had fought far more battles than she had in her lifetime, and had seen them, too.

Tunerk found herself so excited that she had forgotten her own hunger, though the snarl of her stomach punctuated his final word. Sheepishly, she grinned. Yes, lets, Tunerk hummed, tail waving as she bounded in the direction he gestured. First, food; then, lessons. After a nap, maybe.

he probably wasn’t a suitable enough teacher for her, but he had experienced his own battles. he had made sure that he’d been present in the fight on the cliffs. he had even ventured out on his own and kicked up a few strangers in his travels. while this did not make him a master at the art, it meant that he would have learned quite a bit in his time out there. he had aspired to grow in his abilities, and he had not failed himself entirely. he had the rest of his life to hone his skills further. by teaching what he’d learned, he felt that it would help him retain the information for himself.
 
trotting toward a cache that he had set up for the pack, illidan fetched one of the rabbits that he’d been lucky enough to catch while roaming through the blackpine. he turned to tunerk with a pleased glint in his hawkish gaze before he tossed her the prey and nodded at her to dig in. once she’d eaten her fill of it, he’d clean up whatever remained and they could tackle lesson number one.