Broken Antler Fen Women like hunting witches, too

The love Ibis felt for this new beginning had begun to sour. She looked out upon the frigid expanse of the fen and no longer saw the pristine beauty of it, having been so recently reminded of how cruel the season could be.

Breaking the news to @Akavir had been difficult; she'd barely managed to murmur the truth of it.
Arielle is lost. I tried to find her, I looked, I...
Ibis refused to mourn. Her daughter was out there somewhere, alone, perhaps frozen in the snow — or alive somewhere secret, cared for by a force outside of her own control. As much as Ibis wished to give in to her doubts and sink in to grief, she denied herself of that.

We cannot tell Lilitu. We cannot break her heart. Maybe... Maybe it is better we lie, Ibis had sighed in to her husband's dark scruff. Tell her... She has gone away, but will be back. An adventure. But Lilitu, being the adventurous and open sort of girl, might take that as an invitation for her own adventures.

In silence Ibis parted from her husband, from the den they had built for the little family — needing space to think and wanting to try, one last time, to search the fen for signs of the lost girl. Maybe it would be better to stay home, to find comfort in her lover; but her heart ached, and Ibis was drawn to wandering.

Open to anyone!

It was the MILF.

Penn spotted her as he made his way through the Woods. He'd been debating what to do with his day. Hunting? Exploring the forest? Exploring the world? Nothing was really piquing his interest, so it had been looking like he was going to just take a nap. But then he'd spotted the hot chick, which very much did pique his interest in spite of the whole... she already had a mate... thing.

Penn being Penn, he didn't notice that there was anything melancholy about her. Otherwise, he might've bailed early. He didn't do well with negative emotions, unless it was rage. He loved angry women. Sad women? He didn't know what to do with them except to avoid. But, naively, he went ahead and trotted up alongside her, offering one of his most charming smiles as he looked over at her. "Hi there, packmate," he said, "Fancy seeing you 'round these parts."

As Ibis slipped between the alder trees she thought she discerned a familiar scent, which prompted her to pause and then change direction; on auto-pilot for the most part, ignoring the numbing of her toes as she pressed on through the snow and the seeping wetness the fen afforded her nimble self. Not long after that she stopped again, sucking in a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, and looked up. Before her stood a willow tree. It was remarkable, really. The sight reminded her of home, of her mothers, and the happy, simple life that came before her maturation.

There was a rustle in the snow, and from behind one of the frosted alders came a silvered figure. Ibis was surprised to find someone so deep within the fen and thought to ask after her daughter — maybe this boy had seen her? But his big smile and cheerful affect made it difficult for her. Ibis did not want to ruin anyone's day with the terrible news of her loss. Having experienced so many losses, this one felt especially intimate.

Uh, um, hello. Said Ibis. She thought back to the assembly of bodies and tried to place this boy among them, but could not. At that time she had been distracted, more focused on Wraen and Maia and the planning stages of their claim. A weak smile appeared upon her face and vanished just as quickly. I am exploring a little. What are you up to? There were better questions to be asking; they burned in her throat, unspoken.

Penn saw the smile and immediately mistook it for shyness rather than what it was. He smiled back, his confidence bolstered. He was gratified seeing such a pretty woman suddenly struck by bashfulness in his presence. He assumed it was because he was so young, virile and good-looking. Her mate didn't stand a chance.

"I was considering doing a bit of that myself," Penn replied with a soft wag of his tail, "I'd be happy to give you some company. I'm Penn Blackthorn." He wondered if Wraen or Maia had shared with her the epic Wraen had written for him. Would his reputation proceed him?

Rather than drag this poor boy down in to the mire of her thoughts Ibis chose to keep her true purpose a secret, while being thankful she was not, in fact, alone in this moment. If the stranger - who called themselves Penn - wanted to explore with her then Ibis would accept his company. She had other things on her mind to worry about regardless. Having more eyes and ears available to her disposal was a blessing too - even if Penn wasn't actively on the hunt like she was.

A hesitation characterized Ibis' response to the name; she would usually be introducing herself in kind, falling back on the well-used habits she had formed as a messenger and ambassador. For a few beats of her heart she was silent, not offering her own name up - too distracted by the soggy fen and ice-crusted trees.

When she realized the silence had become a little too long and Penn was looking at her with a glowing grin on his face, she blushed more obviously and said, Sorry, I'm Ibis. Unfortunately she had no idea who Penn was; having been too busy caring for her daughters. The thought made her stomach drop and she looked a little green. I'm.. I'm a little distracted right now. Have you seen my - my girls?

She didn't react to his name, but then again, she didn't really react to anything he said. Penn frowned, wondering if perhaps she was just too much in awe of him to respond? Even as delusional as he was, that didn't seem likely. Maybe she was kind of an idiot. Pretty, but dumb. That seemed more likely.

It wasn't too terribly long before the woman checked back in. He gave her a smile and a quirked brow, shaking his head to brush off her apology when she introduced herself. She asked about her girls, sending the memory of their faces to Penn's brain. They'd also been pretty, but young. He'd ignored their existence since then. They weren't as interesting to him as their mother.

"I haven't," Penn answered, "Not since the other day when the pack got together. We can look for them, if you want? I'm an excellent tracker." AKA stalker, but who's splitting hairs?

When he admitted to not having seen them since the gathering, Ibis' stomach dropped and she had to steady herself a bit before continuing. She had to remind herself that it was Arielle that was missing and not also Lilitu; but the idea of both girls gone had stabbed at her heart and made her tremble a little. It was a horrible thought that she tried to put out of her mind; finding some comfort by bracing softly against Penn while she tried to draw the wind back in to her lungs. It felt like she'd been struck hard in the chest.

Yes, I would appreciate that, she said in a breathy, weak-kneed way. I left Lilitu back at our rendezvous, she's being watched by the others. Its... Its Arielle, I can't.. I can't find her. It hurt to even say aloud; Ibis needed help though and this kind boy was coming to her rescue.

Such dainty little names, all of them. He wondered again about her daughters, what they would grow into. They were both pretty girls, but he couldn't get past their age. He had no interest in children. Other than Fennec, he really hadn't had his attention stolen by girls his own age. This one though, she was a woman. There was something infinitely alluring about that.

So, he was played the handsome knight in shining armor. Penn nodded. "Does she have any belongings, or a place she usually sleeps nearby? I didn't catch her scent too well at the gathering," he asked, "Why don't you tell me about her too. Maybe if I know her better, I can think better of where she might go. I've been a lot of places maybe she would find interesting enough to wander off to."

He was surprisingly helpful. At least his questions, as they inundated Ibis, struck her as pertinent details to keep in mind when hunting for her daughter. Penn was sounding more and more like a private investigator; maybe it had been fate that threw him in her path just now, but Ibis felt a sudden wave of gratitude for his presence regardless of how he came to be here with her. It sounded like he was well practiced in the loss of family members and she could commisserate to some extent over that.

I don't think she has any favorite things with her, but I will have to check on the rendezvous later. I'll make an inventory of all the girl's toys and see if any are missing, Ibis offered, although she went quiet at the mention of Arielle's absence at the meeting, and the realization hit her in the gut that Ibis had used the meeting as a distraction for herself. It hadn't occurred to her that Arielle had not been there.

She swallowed a guilty lump in her throat.

Well.. um, of the two of them, I'd say Arielle is the quiet one. The girls play well with one-another and Lilitu is the one guiding everything, while Arielle follows. I am sure once she grows more confident she will be just as personable as her sister. She's... Ibis was talking about her as if Arielle was still among them, like a mother would. The air went right out of her when Ibis recognized why she was giving these details, and she breathed deeply to steady herself.

I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. What will help. She's.. gone, and I don't know... There was no more room for talking now. Ibis was stricken by worry and became tongue-tied.

It didn't take much to get her talking, though Penn was quick to decide he wished she'd stop. She went on and on about them, giving him technically what he'd asked for, though he hadn't really been interested. They weren't going to find her anyway. It was like when Crow had left. No good-bye, no word. His best friend, just one day gone. It was just something that happened with kids, he'd come to figure.

"Sounds like maybe she got a spark of confidence and went for it," Penn mused as they walked, "How long has it been since you last saw her?" He leaned down to sniff here and there, figuring that if he didn't have the girl's specific scent, he at least knew her mother's. It had to be similar, right? It wasn't much, but like I said--neither was his optimism.

Penn's presented explanation was a lot brighter than what Ibis had going through her mind. Maybe it was true. Arielle was always the more reserved of the girls but perhaps this new home had brought something out of her that Ibis failed to notice; drawing her away from home was a detrimental side-effect of that, but it would mean she was alive somewhere. Ibis clung desperately to this fickle hope.

Almost a week, Ibis realized with a sinking feeling in her gut again. She had not thought about the span of time all that much, filling her mind instead with horrible images of what-if scenarios, each one worse than the last.

Drawing a heavy breath in, Ibis holds it and then slowly exhales. One of many habits formed to keep her calm and steady, short as it was to last. My husband has gone to look for her, and we have sent out word to other families. I have to think she is somewhere being cared for. But it was difficult, given Ibis' track record of loss.

A week, eh? Penn kept his thoughts to himself, but he was pretty sure her hopes of finding the girl had just dropped down to nothing. He didn't want to bring her down any further though, so he simply nodded as though it wasn't a big deal. He did have to wonder why it had taken her so long to notice, but again, he went with the assumption that she was just a pretty face with an empty head. And a rockin' body too. Can't forget that part.

He dropped his head to sniff at the base of a tree they were passing when she mentioned her husband, wanting to make certain she didn't notice any reaction he might accidentally have to the word. He didn't like that she had a mate--it complicated an otherwise simple seduction. Plus, he'd seen the guy before. Penn wasn't dumb enough to not realize he'd be outmatched in a fight with that one. On the other hand, an illicit affair that they had to keep secret from him would be pretty hot. He could get down with that. And since when had he ever avoided a challenge?

"I'm sure wherever she is, she's just fine," Penn reassured her as he lifted his head, "Sounds like it might be her first time out on her own, but it's not her first time out, period. She sounds like she's smart, and if I had to guess, endearing enough that no one would want to harm her and she probably wouldn't get herself into trouble. Keeping your head down and staying out of the way of danger is the best thing you can do when you're out there on your own, and she seems the type to do just that." Which was an honest assessment, even though were he being more himself and not playing the part of the gentleman, he would've just said that she sounds boring af.

Hearing the positivity coming from Penn should have helped, but it was Ibis' experience that curbed her enthusiasm. The more he said the better she felt however there was the ever-present undercurrent of doubt. She wanted to believe her darling daughter was safe somewhere. That no harm would befall her because of her sweetness.

I have to hope you are right, she expresses with a sigh, a dip of her chin as she looks at her feet. There are so many possibilities. It is hard for me to focus on what is really possible. I keep going over the last time I saw her, and... It was hard, too, because Ibis truly couldn't remember the last time she'd spent one-on-one time with Arielle.

Ibis takes a breath, hoping to steady herself again. We'll find her. She'll come home and everything will be alright. A smile, weak and insincere, finds its way to her face. I should... Get back to cleaning, or something. Keeping busy helps keep my mind off of... Everything. Sigh.

She seemed to buy it, which was a good thing. He wasn't a fan of spending time with mopey wolves, so if for no other reason than the knowledge that it would cheer her, he did hope her daughter came home. She excused herself after another moment, to which Penn gave a nod. He hadn't expected to get in her pants today, anyway. He could play the long game if that's what it took.

"I'll call for you if I find anything," Penn promised, reaching over to nudge her shoulder softly and give her a reassuring smile before he set off. He would probably keep sniffing around for any trace of the girl. But really, it would be secondary to him finding a good place to take a nap.