Emberwood What Do We Do Now?

@Ibis maybe? but open to anyone!

Was the small woman still around too? Her smell lingered in the woods, but so did some of others who hadn't been seen in a while. How was she feeling? What did she want to do now that the pack she had worked so hard for had come and gone? With concern painting her face, the fragile woman carefully picked through the scents to try and follow that of Ibis' trail. 

Was she left alone here after all? Did they all leave without a word to the healer? It wouldn't be so much of a shocker, she felt like an outlier to the pack since the beginning, her love for Ibis and familiarity with her had been one of the two reasons why she had stayed for so long. Her strides were quiet along the snow top ground, but quick. She would pace the woods for a while looking for anyone familiar, only time would tell until she would give up and move on. (Anyone joining can decide how long she has been searching for!)

They were gone. One by one, as inevitable as the stripped leaves of the forest; the longer they persisted here in the Emberwood the fewer that remained. Now it was just Ibis. She had not seen anyone in days. Scents waned - she knew as she tested her strength every day with small patrols, never roaming far from her protective den for too long. Only a few scents remained: Reiko, Kukulkan.

She found herself saddend by the losses, but not defeated by them. When in its prime (short lived as the little budding family had been) they had been happy. The caches were well stocked for the stragglers to survive upon, and if she rationed herself Ibis could outlast the rest of winter with them. A final unintended gift.

Drawn from one patch of trees to another by a vague hunger (an emptiness really) she caught the scent of Reiko, and eagerly moved to follow it; food could wait. The little woman needed to connect somehow, to see a friendly face again.

Her pacing had stopped for a moment. Weighed by the loss of the pack, of the safety it brought, the few within that she loved, they she missed and worried for the most. What of @Sarah? She was strong to handle herself, but still, Reiko couldn't help but worry for her too, with all that she had done for her after hat man's attack. She had yet to pay her back for her help and kindness. 

Standing still, she pondered at what to do next. The emptiness that surrounded her now. Lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice Ibis coming up from behind - truly believing that she must be lone in the Emberwood now, that everyone other than her must have left after Kavik had disbanded them. 

This time, could she have been abandoned?

Ibis kicks off in pursuit of her friend, and does not need to go far. The snow has begun to melt but there are still slick patches of it, parts of the forest blanketed where the shadows held on to winter. It was one such patch that she drifted across - seeing a moving shape just beyond, until it paused. As she closed the distance Ibis made out the silhouette of her friend and pushed herself to move faster.

The moment Ibis lunged from her patch of snow, she tripped. Paw tangled against paw, black ice shining where her claws scraped at it; she tumbled and tried not to impact the dirt, but instead staggered up against Reiko and connected shoulder-to-hip against the girl. It felt like the wind was knocked right out of her for a second and then abated, but the bruise that would blossom between them - that would be shared - would last a few weeks.

Wincing from the collision, Ibis sank to her haunches. She wasn't going to let a little clumsiness get in the way of what came next: A big stupid grin and a jovial, Reiko! You're still here. Sorry -- I, I tripped. Hi. Gods, it was nice to see her.

Just as the thought of being abandoned began to swarm, poisoning her mind further, something bumped into her. Hard. She yelped at the feeling, only imagining the worst and turned to face the nightmare that would take over once more - but it was a smile that found itself onto her face instead. Ibis! You're still here! She couldn't contain her glee, to see that goofy grin was enough to bring a single tear to the girl's cerulean eye. Tail bouncing left to right in a frantic pace, a life of its own as it could not, and would not, be stopped (can't stop won't stop).

There was on holding back, even with the collision, Reiko invaded Ibis' space further, leaning against the smaller woman just happy to have someone around. I thought I was alone. Despite the bruise that would certainly be tender later, it was a small price to pay for this reunion. What do we do now? Your pack... Even if Kavik was the one who had taken over recently, it as still Ibis' pack, and no one would change her mind.

The onslaught of Reiko's affection was met with Ibis' own, and the two tangoed together, greedily invading any space made available until they were a tangle of happy bodies. Ibis couldn't help the whipping of her tail; she was just so pleased to have her lovely friend here with her! After all the loss, this was one tiny win that kept her from drowning; Reiko the life raft.

I think they're gone, yes. She sighed the words, breathing in Reiko's scent more and more, burrowing close -- thus her next words were muffled, vibrating through Reiko's skin until Ibis came up for air with a little laugh, a flush to her face. But you're here! And I think @Kukulkan is somewhere around here too. I.. I've been looking for everyone. There aren't enough bodies to keep the Emberwood for ourselves.

Which begged the important, pivotal question: What do we do now?

Oh. While Ibis buried herself in the woman's thick coat, Reiko leaned her head on the small woman in return, almost as if exhausted and the tiny once Archdruid was the only thing keeping her on her toes. It wasn't the best news, but it wasn't the worst either. She still had some who were around, she wasn't forgotten and left behind to fend for herself. There were others.

We aren't alone and that's what matters. She reassured, both for herself and Ibis. Kukulkan wasn't someone she had much time with, he was as much of a stranger as many other of the once Uaine wolves who called this forest home - but he was someone who stuck around, and that meant more than anything right now. I'm not certain, I wish I knew more of the others. Maybe I can scout around and see who might be lingering, but away. And this was not an excuse to tie the threads with Vespera, Tobias, Sativa and Artyome all together without mucking with the timeline. 

The woods aren't protected anymore, can you remain by Kukulkan's side in the meantime?

Yes, once he returns from his task I will make sure he never leaves my sight! Ibis proclaims, nodding emphatically while a serious expression overtakes her features. It does not last. She is too happy to have company after so many days of confusion and solitude. She begins to fondly groom at Reiko's fur, fixing the mess she has made, but she does not extricate herself from the tight press against the other woman (as if, by not being physically connected, Reiko might just evaporate before her eyes).

She is silent as she works, straightening some fur, tugging a knot out of the fine hairs with her teeth; something idle. Then when she is content to pause in her affection she takes a breath, thinks, and murmurs: We could find my father. Last I saw, his pack was relocating somewhere near. Or we could go west and see if Ira's people are welcoming? The warrior woman from Easthollow popped in to Ibis' mind suddenly, recalling the name of the kingdom of Kaistleoki. Gather whoever we can find, make our way to the valley in the west? It might be our best option.

A part of her did not want to return to Terance or Treason, unwilling to backpedal and ask her parents for help, so Kaistleoki felt like the only course of action to Ibis. Going back to the Hollow wolves — explaining that her little family had collapsed upon itself, inviting ridicule and judgement from her harsh stepmother — was a last resort Ibis would not accept.

Good! Naturally she would return the grooming favor, it felt like so long ago since she had help to groom that she was happy to return the gesture; and what was to come was something she could not even have dreamed of. Ibis' words flowed and a certain string of them had the pale woman beaming from ear to ear, almost leaping out of her skin.

It was a plan unlike any she could have come up with, something that she thought was almost impossible! Kaistleoki, Ira, ibis knew where to find them. Yes! You know where to find them? You know how to get to Evergreen and Ira? All the other mentioned options fell on the wayside, a possible option, but first she wanted to try their luck with Kaistleoki.

She wanted to see them again at least, even if it was briefly. Could she convince them that her departure was not her decision? Would they even speak to her? No matter, she would try, and to see them even if it was a negative experience, would mean the world to her.

Maybe finally, she would see home again. After months of being lost.

Her tail was buzzing behind her; it was a wonder she didn't take off in to the air butt-first. The shift in Reiko's demeanour was swift and powerful, like a tidal wave sweeping in to shore, and Ibis could not help but be swept up in it. It was so rare to see her friend happy, and Ibis was pleased to have returned some light to her spirit.

Yes, they -- they live just on the other side of the mountains. I found them there when my brother and I were travelling! And hopefully they remained by the river, she thought. It would be easy enough to locate them once the mountains were out of the way. The last time Ibis had tried to hike in the mountains, they had almost crumbled around her - so the thought of approaching them in the near future dampened her own spirits somewhat. The quaking earth had calmed since the autumn so there was nothing to fear.

I will find Kukulkan. How about you scout around, see if you can find anyone else? We can meet back here in a day or so? Ibis did not want to leave Reiko's side so quickly, but now she had a plan in mind and it was more than either woman had started the day with - giving Ibis more energy and purpose than she'd experienced in the past few weeks. If they began corralling people immediately then maybe they could make it by the time spring rolled around.

The excitement was infectious, both women feeding off of the other in an almost friendly competition of who could get the most excited out of the two. They both had that classic butt wiggle of a dog perhaps too excited that their bodies were out of control. Oh that's wonderful! She sang the words with a chirp, a quick spin around on her paws as if she simply had a hard time just standing in one place, she just had to move. Just bursting with energy.

It sounds like a brilliant plan to me! After taking a moment to accept that she and Ibis would part ways again for a little while longer, she was already bouncing away, preparing to quickly go find everyone she could and bring them back to what she thought was the best plan ever. She would make Ibis proud again. I will see you very soon! She does a quick turn to say her farewells and with an elegant pirouette she was off to find the missing.