Northstar Vale My sun becomes your moon

With the morning's arrival came a sense of purpose, a need to direct her attention to the foundation of their pack. 

The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, golden beams slanting at an angle to dimly illuminate the glen. A circle of pale blue could be seen overhead through the bare branches of the trees, though the healer noted with glee that the tips had begun to swell with green buds. 

The soil had hardened over winter, which made Liri's task more strenous for it was much harder to dig caches with three legs. Her paws grew sore and chapped as they drug through the mounds of dirt she pulled from the earth, cracking and bleeding, stinging as dirt rubbed into the wounds. After a time the burn dulled to a bearable throb, overshadowed as it was by the fatigue that had taken hold of her trmebling limbs and the arthritic flaring of her hip. The healer was only grateful that that awful burning sensation hadn't taken hold of her phantom limb. 

Another concern arose aside from her electricity-induced injuries as she worked, her breath came shorter and the oxygen didn't quite fill her lungs. Her head swam dizzingly as black spots invaded her vision; a migraine hammered against her temples in response. Liri swayed, gasping in surprise at the sudden asthma attack as the panicked sensation of I can't breathe! set in - falling back on her haunches to the side of the deep holes she had dug. 

Her eyes slipped shut as she panted, attempting to regain her breath. 

"Fuck-, " she growled beneath her breath between wheezes, " -ing. White-" She stopped, preoccupied with hacking up what was likely an organ. "-cough."

where diaspora roamed, there were sentries, and mahler was one such.
the incursion of new wolves into the heart of the territory had not gone unnoticed. with takiyok soon to whelp, his patrols had doubled, seeking to identify and drive away any creatures that might pose a threat to the woman in her greatest hour. and while the vale was not too near the lake, it was near enough to draw mahler's attention.
today he moved quietly, along a low ridge that ran across the edge of the vale. his dour lilac gaze appraised the pale and crippled creature not far below, and as the wolf began to cough violently, the gargoyle's ears cupped forward. the echoing hack was unfortunately familiar, and he wondered if the stranger would infect those who followed her, and by proxy, any diasporans who came close.
and so he only watched, visible now if she should look upward.

Liri had not noticed the concealed spy, distracted as she was by the coughing fit that had overtaken her, nor could she have any way of identifying him as a member of Ruenna's new pack - the survivalist bunch that had claimed Arrow Lake. The disease was no longer infectious nor as taxing upon the northron; in a few moments she had regained her breath and risen from her sitting position. 

The sylph took a few deep breaths as she steadied herself on three paws, turning to face the new caches once more. There were still tasks that needed attending to, Liri would just have to pace herself a bit better until she had fully recovered. 

A prickling sensation along the back of her nape tugged at the tracker's attention until at last her mahogany gaze lifted to spot the unfamiliar pack wolf nestled amongst the rocky slopes. 

A low rumble of greeting escaped her pale throat, echoing across the space as the fae waited patiently to see what he wanted. 

​

it was not long before he was seen; mahler chuffed his own greeting and descended the slope to approach her with carefully held plume. diaspora claimed all of the sunspire, but he saw little reason to begin a conflict before he had gathered the nature of what was transpiring here, and reported back to stigmata.
add to that her injury, her sickness, and mahler felt it would be in quite poor taste to attack for no reason but his own pride. "i am mahler, from diaspora. ve claim the mountains," he told the pale woman, not unkindly, and there was a curiosity behind the hardness of his stare. "are you ill?" less for himself or the strange she-wolf, more out of concern for takiyok and the vulnerable children she carried.

The northron watched as he approached, her posture assembled into neutral confidence. It was one thing to meet a harmless female such as Heloise or Willoughby in the Vale but the sight of the unfamiliar male was not one that inclined her to drop her guard. 

Still, her smile was polite as he halted across from the caches she had begun digging and introduced himself. Inwardly, she felt a flare of curiosity as he mentioned Diaspora for that was where the silver bird resided. It was a strange expression as well, to claim the mountains when it was almost entirely comprised of neutral territories. But perhaps the male was one of those Alphas, and the statement was a mere phrase of authority meant to intimidate. Whatever the case, Liri didn't bother questioning him about it. 

"Liri Blackfoot," she introduced herself simply. 

"I was," she admitted truthfully, seeing no reason to lie about such a thing. "The cough only comes back when I push myself too hard but," the healer shrugs. Founding a pack requires a lot of hard work.

"Is there a reason why you were spying on me?" The fae asked curiously, not in the least offended, as she returned to digging though more slowly as her focus was centered on the conversation.

whether or not diaspora was able was of little account to mahler. they had, thus far, and their claim had gone unchallenged. but the woman before him was not a threat, and quickly he weighed the pros and cons of battling this little band for the vale. mahler's calculations ended somberly; he would consult stigmata before moving forward with any plans.
"because you are close to where ve spent the vinter, frau liri," the man murmured softly. "not too near, but you have not gone unnoticed." he held her gaze, noting its rich and loamy tone that resonated with a quiet confidence. and behind it, a tapestry of scarring that bespoke a harder life than the woman's stature should have borne.
would diaspora add to it? he watched as she began to dig, glancing skyward a moment before resting his hard lilac stare on her once more. "as far as this illness, have you no healer?" a pointed question, to be sure, but not one altogether rooted solely in the benefit to diaspora.

The fae's optics flickered upwards to his, unsurprised as this information was revealed. "I am mostly unfamiliar with your pack," she admitted softly, paws continuing to scrape through the soil. "But I would be most surprised if you hadn't," the barest hint of a smile graced her features in good faith. 

"I knew Diaspora was close by but this Vale seemed far enough for courtesy," Liri murmured. "It was even an exciting prospect of sorts. My sister and former Beta, Ruenna, resides with your numbers as well as some of my other past subordinates and allies." Dark eyes returned to him of their own accord, idly wondering what he would make of this odd connection between their groups. 

Her eyes would tighten slightly at the question, wondering what purpose he sought in the skills of her recruits. 

"I am the healer here," she told him truthfully, chin raising the tiniest fraction in pride. No one had come to the wintry waif's rescue, she had nursed herself back to health alone.

liri was honest, truthful, and mahler did not show his surprise to discover she had bonds within diaspora. less for the value of shock than to reveal how uttering the name of the gentle diasporan counselor caused him to react. "ve are well-met, then. i know her. and i am also the healer there." he did not know why he sought to align himself with liri, or show her a kindness she had not earned; perhaps it was simply ruenna, after all.
"she came to us from sviftcurrent. did you reside there?" he was curious now, perhaps too curious, and would not be deterred if she turned their conversation aside to other things.

Liri nodded as the news fell upon her auds, not entirely surprised that the silver bird had forged new bonds within Diaspora but strangely forlorn as she considered times past when the Ambassador had stood at her side. A begrudging kinship developed as the guardian continued to speak which raised red flags in her mind as the sylph recalled his boast. 

The healer considered for a moment - whether she should answer, how much she should reveal within that answer. "No, I was never a part of Swiftcurrent," she murmured after a moment - truthfully but nothing too personal or heartbreaking was evident. 

"How did Ruenna come to join your ranks?" Liri asked curiously after a beat, stopping her digging as she settled upon her haunches in wait. 

a wry smile tipped the corners of mahler's dour mouth upward. "she vas persuaded to leave by a packmate of mine, who offered his very high rank in exchange for her defection." thorn; rogue, rake, and diasporan loyalist. fond he had become of the dark man who reminded him in many ways of stigmata himself. perhaps there too was a brother to be found in thorn. 
there was not, he discovered, many things to say to liri. with the issue of her vale-claiming between them, mahler found it important to maintain a certain sort of distance, though a goodly part of him wanted to help her complete the digging. "are you avare of the little hollow in the mountain vere herbs grow?" the gargoyle asked instead.

A fond smile crossed her lips, tail wagging a beat upon the earth, as the story unfolded. It was not hard for the healer to believe. She had offered the Redfern a position on the Plateau almost as soon as they met - charmed by the silver's friendly and warm disposition, thoroughly impressed by her hunting skills, and completely unaware of the lifelong friend she would find in the bird. 

Another part of her knew this was not the whole of the tale - even if Mahler might believe it so. Ruenna had been just as devastated by Kavik's betrayal and utter indifference as she had; it wasn't the coyotes that ruined what remained of their pack but the wayward Tonrar. Idly, Liri wondered if the Redfern had told anyone but her about her defection before disregarding the thought. It wasn't as if she would enlighten Diaspora anyhow - it wasn't her place nor was it necessarily important. 

"Where the foxes roam?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head for there were many hollows where herbs grew.

yes, he liked liri, and this would factor into the report of the budding vale he would deliver to stigmata. "not that one," mahler murmured, realizing sheepishly that he had been much too vague. a glance heavenward and then a furrowing of his brow preceded his further detailing.
"it is um, southeast of here, a little crevice in the side of a mountain. it videns into a larger cavern, and there all manner of herbs can be found," he explained, hoping she would understand that while he could not bring her his own botany stores until the matter of their alliance had been settled, liri might find relief in the form of a small plant there, one that might soothe her coughing and perhaps the tightness of her chest.

Liri nodded as realization dawned on her pale features - thinking of the Lair whose threshold she had been unable to cross, the cavern she later had to force herself to enter. "I believe I know the place you speak of."

"It is tradition in my homeland to repay a kindness. If there is any tidbit of information I could impart on you, I offer it freely," the fae murmured, dark gaze clouding and something like regret coloring her tongue. She could only hope that Mahler would not ask about the Vale pack in formation.

fade w ur next post? i imagine these two will meet again <3

watching as emotion swept her face, mahler shook his own head, gathering himself up. all he could ask would be intelligence on the pack she was gathering, and they had formed a tentative rapport here. until he could speak with stigmata, he saw no reason to interrogate liri. "thank you, but i must be getting back," the gargoyle murmured, leveling his stare upon her for a long moment. "be vell."
with that, if she had nothing more to add, mahler would begin to trudge up the slope once more, following the high line of it into the forest housing the path he would take back to diaspora.

Relief washes over her small frame, relieved of the obligations of her blood and homeland, hidden behind the collected face she presents. 

"Aye, and you as well," she finds herself murmuring, speckled crown dipping respectfully as the greyscale man passed. 

Her dark eyes turned to watch him go, waiting until he had dissapeared from her sight and the sound of his soft tread faded - leaving only the wind soughing through the trees. 

The healer remained still for a long, undetermined amount of time - eyes fixated unblinkingly upon the newly dug caches as she thought on the tentative amiable atmosphere with dread for the future - before at last returning to her task with a shake of her pale crown, a fruitless attempt to rid herself of the emotion.