Noctisardor Bypass wachsend

for anyone but esp tagged; whenever! <3

thade and phaedra and astraeus were home. the next generation of rivenwood had begun to grow. spring filled the bypass with all manner of color and song. it was dawn when mahler walked out into the dew-flecked fields. he had not forgotten what he had told @Calcifer about taking him for a hunt.
upon his trek to look for the boy, mahler searched also for the trails of @Speedy and @Malila. the two were reticent, preferring to keep to themselves, but the shadowpriest was determined that he see how they fared.
in no particular hurry, he strode through the greenwood, casting his gaze about for them.

She had always been one to adjust to the changes of life fairly quickly, but it had been different this time. She worried over her son who was still missing, and she worried how her daughter was settling in. She was young and and would probably adjust easier, but Speedy still worried. It seemed that was all she had done lately. 

And that's what she was doing now. She wasn't sure where Malila was, and she was searching the territory for her scent just to make sure she wasn't getting into trouble or doing something dangerous—not that she really did things like that, but Speedy still wanted to make sure. 

The scent she found didn't belong to her daughter, though; it belonged to Mahler, the leader here and the man who had helped them when they were at their most vulnerable. She owed him more than she could ever repay. Following his trail, she trotted forward, slowing as she neared him and releasing a soft chuff as she came up beside the leader. How are you? she asked. She was used to being concerned with the well-being of her entire pack, and that need didn't change now that she was somewhere new.

As it turned out, Malila wasn't too far away from the location where her mother and the man called Mahler met up. The past few months, especially throughout the winter, had been hard on her. Uprooted from Kaisteloki, spending her time travelling through the cold and the missing pieces that were her brother and father. She felt like her childhood had been tossed to the wayside. And now, in the springtime, she felt like she was desperately trying to grasp and cling to what was left of it. In just a few short months, she would be a yearling. She felt like she had missed out on so much.

Her new home was beautiful, sure. Teeming with wildflowers and all variety of plants. Close to heaven for an aspiring herbalist. She could always immerse herself in her ongoing studies, but even that didn't seem quite the same. There was some element lacking in her life. Malila had yet to realize it, but what she really needed was some wolves her own age to socialize with. It was still early. She was still new to the pack. Still yet to have come out of her shell and introduce herself.

She was returning from a quiet outing alone, to discover what potential medicinal plants were in the area. The young girl wanted to start a new collection of her own, and then store them away in a medical den. The site of which she had yet to locate. Her heart hadn't been fully into it. Despite the abundance, with so much bogging her mind down, all she managed to return with was a clump of harvested sweet grass. Mismatched eyes blinked and she paused, locking on to the two figures ahead. Speedy and Mahler. Silent, she stayed back, observing.

he was discovered by the striking speedy not long into his search, and turned to face her with a sweep of his plume. "i am vell," he responded, pleased by her easy familiarity. "i vas actually looking to ask you the same." he thought it was the figure of shy malila he saw in the distance, but chose to focus upon her mother for now.
"i have recently found a good place to store herbs," mahler told the healer, describing the location and its path from their locale. "i vould like to invite you to make use of the pharmacy. take from it, add to it. vhatever you vould like."
she had told him of her skill at medicine. mahler would enjoy studying with her, if she so wished.

Speedy nodded, offering him a warm smile. She was glad he was doing well. She released a soft sigh when he asked the same of her. I'm as well as I can manage right now, she told him. My husband and son are missing, and I lost the pack I had been taking care of for a long time. It was an emotional blow she had not been prepared to deal with—but then, who was ever prepared for such a thing? I'm so grateful to still have Malila with me; I've just been concentrating on making things as easy for her as they can be. It helped to have a safe place to call home. Thank you again for letting us come here. She didn't think she could ever repay that debt, but she would surely try.

He told her next of a place he had chosen to store herbs, and that brought a bright and curious look to her face. She smiled again. Thank you, that would be great, she told him. She had sensed her daughter's presence, although she didn't quite know where she was hidden. Malila is very interested in plants and healing; she would love to see this place too. Do you have time to show me where it is now? The sooner she could get back to work, the better she would be able to handle everything.

Watching Mahler and her mother converse, Malila felt a pull at her heart. Such a sight reminded her of the times when Speedy and her father were still together. How things were when they were happy. How she wished they still were. But those days were long gone and all she could do now was try to move forward in her new life.

As the minutes ticked by, Malila slowly gathered up the courage to come out of hiding. Picking up the bundle of sweet grass she had deposited, she crept closer. Her steps were soft and gentle, her mismatched eyes shy. But they were full of interest, ears pricked. She had caught snippets of their conversation as she silently neared her mothers side. Mahler spoke of herbs and a place he had found to store them. Speedy expressed her interest in seeing it, not forgetting to mention Malila's affinity for plants and medicine. Now present, the young female eagerly looked at Mahler, a silent plea in the soft wave of her tail.

"of course," he told speedy. she had lost a great deal, more than her soft face showed. and malila, then, without a father and also displaced. it was a good thing that he had found them in the mountains, for while he trusted the sharpness of a mother's instinct, there were far more unsavory beasts that might have taken the woman for granted.
a grin toward malila. "come vith me," he told mother and child, leading them both along a packed-dirt path toward the fern-lined densite.
it glowed with green life. its mouth was wide, and those standing at the entrance would be seen. inside, dug-out shelves of earth where he had painstakingly arranged his own herbs, with room for speedy to add her own. "you are velcome here vhenever you like," mahler said, stepping back.

Malila's steps were soft, but Speedy heard them immediately, able to isolate the sound of her daughter approaching above all other sounds around them. She turned and brushed her nose along Malila's cheek in greeting. She wasn't all surprised to see that her curious daughter had been somewhere close by. 

With a nod to his invitation, she smiled at her daughter and began to follow the other healer. It wasn't long before they reached the den, and Speedy stood in the entrance a moment, letting her eyes take it all in. It was organized just as hers had been—it momentarily squeezed her heart. 

As she took a few steps inside, she looked over his collection, impressed and relieved that he seemed skilled so far. There was always more to learn in healing, and she knew she had plenty to learn from him. Her gaze found the empty space as he informed her and Malila that they could come here at any time. The healer smiled and dipped her head. I appreciate it, she told him. Then she motioned towards the empty space. Malila and I can put this to good use, if that's okay of course. He had been welcoming so far, but she didn't want to step on any toes; she'd like them to work together.

The dark man, Mahler, was just as warm as ever. Happily inviting both she and Speedy to this cherished den site she had heard about. Following behind her mother, she could slowly feel her spirits picking up. This could be what she needed.

Once there, the sight she got was simply put, amazing. It was lush with life on the outside, surrounded by greenery. Stepping closer to the entrance, the tantalizing scent of dozens of herbs tickled her nose. With curiosity written all over her face, she peeked in. Her mis-matched eyes widened, drifting along each and every little dug out shelf. Malila was blown away by the level of organization, of Mahler's collection. "This...this is amazing!" She chimed. Her tail thumping, judging by the look in her eye, Malila might have found a new favorite spot. 

mahler stood closely by, pleased that both malila and speedy seemed intent upon the place. "it is now just as much yours as it is mine," he assured them. it was not meant to be so set upon generosity, more that mahler recognized now the true worth in being evenly matched.
a step back. a retreat, perhaps, to allow the two their own enjoyment of the herb larder. "i must go and patrol," mahler said gently. "please call for me if i am needed."
he would pause to hear their rejoinders before heading into the light beyond and the long empty stretches of borderland where he could be alone within his own mind.