Witch's Marsh roll away your stone

Forward-dated to Feb 12th.

Walking had never been more difficult, and for the proven ambassador it was a disastrous feeling to have her mobility, and in a way her agency, stripped from her. The past few days had felt different to Ibis and she had wanted to put more space between herself and the tiny den which had become her sanctuary; blame this on missing her friends, or feeling the ever-present dread with each breath of the exposed clay soil. Sometimes when she woke in that den she thought she was rising from the grave, which was an unnerving experience. If she was ever going to be useful to the wolves of the Emberwood - if she ever wanted to see Kukulkan or Awol or Reiko, or anyone, ever again - she needed to get better.

So she began to test herself in tiny ways.

First, just leaving the den for tiny stretches, growing longer as the days progressed. She would try to go further every day, too. Whether she had an accomplice to guard her or not, Ibis tried. She gradually moved her way through the wood - to the point that she stopped returning to her little den entirely - and after a lot of struggle, found herself on the edge of the territory. She was panting and exhausted, her limbs trembling as if they demanded respite; but she pressed on and pushed through that limit (knowing it would strain her thinned muscles, hurt her so much she would not sleep for all the aches), and that was how she fought her way across the shallow contours of the river.

She stopped when the familiar sight of the marsh came in to view. Nothing drew her here specifically. It was cold, it was wet, and ultimately much more dangerous for Ibis than she had fully understood when she began this personal quest. The snow had piled in heavy sheets across the landscape and for someone as weak as the tiny girl, it was an effective death trap. In an hour the path she'd woven across the valley would be gone, buried — and if she wasn't careful, so too would she.

Maia wasn't sure why she felt so down about things lately, but she did.  The conversation with Nellie had been in hopes of gaining a friend, but instead it was another reminder that Wraen was really her only tie to this pack.  Towhee and Phox were similar in age to her, but seemed closer to Finley and Elwood.  They had kids, family, and responsibilities that Maia neither wanted nor needed.  One would think maybe she'd get along better with the younger element, but she felt out of place there too... like they didn't want to be bothered by her.  It wasn't even that anyone had done anything to make her feel that way... it was sorta how her brain was set to be.

So as she usually did when she felt bad, Maia took to wandering a little.  She didn't go far, but it was good to be out and away and in the presence of strangers.  It let her think about things and worry less about what everyone thought of her.  With strangers, you were on equal footing.

The snow did make travel a little harder, and Maia was just thinking of turning back when she hit the edge of the Marsh.  She squinted as the sun glanced off the bright white and flashed across her eyes... blinding her for a second.  She turned to clear her vision, and in a moment would be looking right in the direction of Ibis.... as soon as she stopped seeing spots.

Something large was moving through the snow. At first she thought nothing of it - maybe it was just a trick of her tired mind, or a mirage built out of blustering wind and unfamiliar sights. The shape got closer while Ibis fought against a pile of snow; as she climbed up and conquered this hill of frost, she saw the grey-cast (and quite hefty) shape of a wolf. Something about them was familiar - she thought of Sarah suddenly, and felt her heart fluttering in her chest when the image of her aunt transformed in to the memory of her father Terance - but as the sky shifted and darkened with cloud cover, Ibis realized it was in fact a stranger.

A large stranger, imposing, hefty like Kavik but not quite as massive; round, but athletic too, like Kukulkan.

Hello? Ibis calls out warily, feeling a tad bit guilty when she felt the stirring of hope in her breast. She hoped her voice was too weak to carry against the wind, but the stranger was so close to her now that such a wish was an impossibility. When had she become so meek? Seasons ago Ibis would have been overjoyed to meet an unfamiliar face (and a potential friend), but ever since waking from her sleep she had felt uneasy. A sense of wispy dread lingered within.

Oh, gosh, uh, hi!  Maia blinked a few times as the shadow in front of her said hello, then clarified into a small wolf.  One who looked familiar, but couldn't be placed. It had been years and they'd not seen much of one another.

Sorry, this snow glare is intense.  She turned so that her side was at the sun... it was tempting to go back to it, but that would leave her newfound friend to stare directly at it, and how rude was that?  I was just about to turn around and head back home, but hey!  You look super familiar.  Maia cocked her head curiously at the girl.  She was a scrawny thing, wasn't she! Someone needed to feed her up.

The large woman was not aggressive, which was nice. Ibis' first thought was more focused on her size though; she was so large! So fluffy! And so colorful! Like a bird with winter plumage, or something. She was at least the size of her father, maybe bigger because of her plush coat - and certainly made Ibis feel like a dwarf. When her jovial greeting hit Ibis' ears, the girl smiled and relaxed. Nobody with a cheerful attitude like that could ever be dangerous!

You do too. Sort-of? Ibis remarks, pacing a bit as she looked over the woman again. Different angles warranted different results: the glare of the snow slanted away as she roamed around her, circling, curious. When Ibis could finally look upon her dainty face without squinting, she found familiar eyes looking back at her. But she also realized how strange it must be to be gawked at, and with a blush warming her face, sank back to give the woman space.

Sorry! I'm being nosy. You remind me of -- Terance, Sarah, family. Lightbulb moment.

My name is Ibis, my parents -- Seabreeze, and Terance -- live in the valley here. Maybe name-dropping would help?

Oh my gosh.  Okay!!!  She blinked when Ibis said who her parents were, and everything fell into place.  Ibis!!!! I'm Maia, Terance's sister.  You've gotten so big I didn't even recognize you!!! Last she'd seen her Ibis had been super young.  

How are you!? Where've you been at lately?!  In usual form, a few dozen questions barraged her mind, but she cut it off at those two.  Wow, she had not expected to run into her niece like this!

Ibis could not recall if she had ever met this aunt before, but the more the boisterous woman reacted, it struck her that had she ever, this particular woman would be hard to forget. She was utterly unlike Terance or Sarah — so lively! So happy! The exuberance was infectious; plus it showed that not everyone on her father's side was a stoic.

I'm okay! I've been here -- well, sort of here. Where were they again? Right, not home. I lived with dad a while, then left on an adventure with Okeanos -- my brother -- and when winter hit, settled here. Its not the best place to live though, so me -- well, we, the pack and I -- moved to the Emberwood. It felt good to reminisce, but the more Ibis explained the less sure she felt about all of it. Mostly because now, if Maia wanted to see this pack or explore the forest, it wouldn't matter. They were gone.

How about you? You didn't travel with dad or Aunt Sarah?

Oh! She would have loved to have been a more present aunt for both Ibis and her brother, but it hasn't been meant to be.  By the time she'd come back to visit, they'd left with their mother, and then to start their own lives elsewhere.  Seemed like they were always ships passing in the night.

No.  Terance and Sarah are great! But Wraen and I decided to go find a place ourselves, after we explored a while!  Now we live with the Firebirds.  She'd have loved for Wraen to be here right now.  They were definitely the odder ones out in their serious little family, and she sensed in Ibis a bit of a kindred spirit.

Emberwood.  That's this way, yeah?  I could... walk with you, maybe?  She wanted to continue their talk, but she didn't want to keep her longer than necessary away.  They both should be getting home with night falling soon.