Duskfire Glacier Lost

@Wintersbane @Iana


Eldritch had fled, had not stopped moving. Rarely, glimpsingly, did she ever stop moving.
The chaotic blazing of Blackfeather had separated her from Aerenys, torn them viciously from each other in the rage of the storm that started the fire. 

She kept moving, limping on blistered and bleeding paws. She could not stop. Would not stop. Would not let the screaming worry and heartache catch up to claw at her spirit more than it already has. 

The Seer was afraid now, to talk to the spirits, to continue with her path of divination and gods. She didn't want to keep going, out of fear that she would find out Mati perished in the flames. 
Though this was not the reality of the situation, it was feared all the same. 

Eldritch had limped through the mountains, braved the peaks and too-narrow paths, had pushed through the Wetlands next to the Cache, and after so, so, so long, with white eyes distant and unfocused, the darkling stumbled to a stop at the markers of the Glacier. Her sides, now starting to show her ribs from lack of food, heaved as she fought to stay standing. Her legs trembled with the effort. 

A few minutes of breathing, trying to collect herself enough to call... 

Finally, Eldritch lifted her head and howled for someone. A sad, forlorn sound riddled with agony.

Where else could she go? All the familiar faces she knew were too far away now to reach. She didn't know how far, all she knew was this wasn't the Caldera, and this wasn't like the terrain that shared Moonglow.

the forlorn howl that rose at his borders did not concern him half as much as the choking, cloying scent of smoke and metallic tang of blood that clung to her pelage. she looked a sight as well, the tundrian notes as he comes upon her, glacial gaze taking in her ebon pelage and eerie pale gaze. he arrives with a chuff; guard hairs prickling in weariness as he struggles to decipher where she is from with the other, heavier scents clinging to her pelage.

where did she come from that was burning? the tundrian cannot help but wonder, sparing a discreet glimpse left and right of his home terrain.

this is duskfire glacier, wintersbane greets. i am it's alpha, wintersbane. how can i help you?

If she had been calm, collected, like she was before everything happened, El might have noted his confusion with more awareness. But in her current state, the note was fleeting. 

As the Alpha introduced himself, Eldritch choked on her voice a couple times as she tried to get her vocal chords going again. She hadn't said a word since Blackfeather. And though her throat likely would have healed from screaming by now, it took a moment to remember how to speak.

"M...my name is Eldritch. I come from Blackfeather Woods, it...the forest...it caught fire, and I've been traveling ever since. I haven't stopped moving, not even to sleep..." She responded, taking a second to catch her breath again. 
"Skill-wise, I'm good with herbs and healing. I just...I really need somewhere to call home, now that Blackfeather has burned..." Though she wasn't directly begging him to allow her a place within his ranks, her white gaze may as well have been. Mercurial hues swirling with fear and hurt and some uncertainty.

blackfeather woods —

it is as familiar to him as a childhood lullaby; his home once upon those months of life and then later as a young man.

it was where he'd found his first love and lost her.

a miasma of emotions cascade through him and he takes a moment to ride them out; focusing on her words as his emotions fade into the background. i wasn't aware blackfeather woods held a pack once more. it had seen it's rise and fall of empires; but it hardly mattered. she was shaken and hurt and in need of a home, clearly.

you will be in good company here, wintersbane murmurs. there are several other healers here. that would, he assumes, appreciate the company. he sees no reason to turn her away; especially as duskfire glacier was advertised as being a sanctuary. come; let's get you something to eat and a drink. the glacier offers plenty of icemelt to drink. wintersbane invites with a gesture of his muzzle into the territory.

if you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?

He seems familiar with the name of the woods, and to his words, she sighed sadly.
And to his invitation, Eldritch offered a slight dip of her muzzle and limped forward to join at his flank.

"Blackfeather Woods was home to a pack called Ivory Rose, most recently. But the pack fell apart after the alpha left. Our numbers were not many, and once everyone else left, it was just me and my spirit-sister, Aerenys. She and I were devoted to the Daedra, to spirits and witchcraft. She taught me much of what I know. But...a storm came. It looked like a thunderstorm, but when the wind picked up, there was only lightning. The trees caught fire, and it spread quickly. I tried to find Aerenys so we could both evacuate, but the severity of the flames and smoke pushed me to the edges of the Woods. I don't know if she's still alive or if she died in the fire..." El's voice quivered as she spoke, and at the end of her explanation, she turned her head away as tears rolled down her cheeks.

the name ivory rose brings with it no recognition to wintersbane and accordingly he lets it fade. there was little reason to remember it as she weaves a tale of how it fell: with a departing monarch and the dwindling of numbers. not the first time such a tragic twist had befallen a pack in these wilds, the tundrian recalls, and it wouldn't be the last he ruminates.

daedra; a light shiver drifts along the tundrian's spine as he thinks of the dark gods he has long since forsaken.

i called blackfeather woods home several times in my life, wintersbane admits. i once fell beneath the spell of the daedric princes, he attempts to navigate his now lack of faith with sensitivity in case the injured woman before him still believes.

his pace is slow; mindful of her injured condition and the exhaustion he assumes must be weighing heavily upon her now. that was a long time ago. a different me. if that made any kind of sense.

is it possible she escaped to the tunnels? he recalls the maze-like network of them beneath the woods and how he'd, as a teenager, once sought to lead the woods' enemies into the territory through them.

As Wintersbane speaks of his past with the Woods, Eldritch is for once slightly her usual self, taking in details given with eerie silence and no interruption or change of emotion, save for the pained furrow of her brow as her worn and bloody pawpads carry her forward.

As her new alpha asks his question, if it was possible Aerenys escaped underground, El shook her head.

"When Ivory Rose stood, we didn't find any entrances to these...tunnels. If they still exist, then those tunnels are closed off to the outside world. No...if my fellow witch escaped, she...she would have been pushed out by the flames and smoke like I was..." Eldritch sighed, pausing to lift a foreleg and look at her pads. An ugly sight, really. Blistered, bloody and cracked. 

Exhaling slowly, the Seer continued on.

wintersbane is quiet as she speaks, spurring the idea that her companion — or anyone else — could've escaped from the tunnels. while it is true that it has been some time since wintersbane had been to the territory, he also doesn't think it possible that all of them had closed. they were sturdy, held up by bedrock and numerous to boot.

in lieu of not wishing to be entirely insensitive ( as he does from time to time ), he keeps these considerations to himself.

if the woods was keeping her inner most secrets hidden from the wolves that had, temporarily, called it home then it was what it was.

here, wintersbane's pace slows as they approach the first tendril of ice melt — one of the many that bled into the qeya river. the water is cold, fresh. i will retrieve something from the cache for you to eat in the meantime. the tundrian gestures to it, to show that he will not be terribly far, before branching off to dig her up something to eat.

His silence is both familiar and yet not. 
The seer could guess that he was thinking over her words, but she didn't know him. Eldritch had only gotten to know solely one other wolf that she could consider herself close to, especially close enough to be certain of their thoughts and so on. 

Coming upon a small tendril of what looked to be water, Eldritch noticed Wintersbane slow, and silently felt gratitude when they drew to a stop and he encouraged her to drink. 
Upon the statement that he was going to grab her something to eat, El mouthed a soft thank you. 
As he trotted off the short distance, Eldritch would ease herself down enough to lap at the icemelt. 

Honestly she hadn't noticed just how thirsty she was. Her throat felt so dry, and as the fresh water went into her system, it took much self control on her part not to drink herself sick. 

All the while, she kept her ears perked for when her new Alpha would return.

it doesn't take wintersbane long to find a small woodland critter to sate the worst of the injured woman's belly.

when he returns, he carries betwixt his jaws a plump squirrel — not much meat but given that it's been some while since she's eaten, wintersbane considers that too much food might be overwhelming and work against her. it was best, the tundrian considers from his own experience, to start small.

he drops the quarry down between them and takes a few steps away to give her space.

for a while, he is content to let silence settle between them before breaking it to say, there are food caches throughout the territory you are welcome to shift through. i only ask that when you are recovered and rested enough that you replace what you take, eventually. it is what wintersbane expects of everyone, after all. there is communal denning in the greyfall caverns, he idly gestures in their direction with a scarred muzzle. you are welcome to make yourself at home there ...and we have a few healers that would be more than happy to look at your injuries, if you'd like.

it is here wintersbane stops, taking a sheepish breath, hoping he is not throwing too much information at her at one time.

He returns after only a few moments, and she finds herself eyeing the squirrel with a rumble in her stomach. 
Yet she forces the primal part of herself down, waiting until Wintersbane had dropped the squirrel at her paws and backed off a few steps before she began to eat it. 

Truthfully she had to remind herself to savor it and not just outright inhale what she was given. Eating slowly would keep her fuller for longer. 
As she finally finished off the squirrel, save for the bones, she perked her ears slightly to catch the Alpha's words. 

Taking it all in, Eldritch nods once in full acknowledgement of her expectations. Replace what's been taken when able - seemed to be the biggest thing so far. She'd try to find a healer to look at her paws in the meantime, and find herself a den somewhere in the mix. The consideration of communal dens was a welcome one, especially where she had previously shared sleeping space with Aerenys before the fire. 

"Once I heal up and gain back some strength, I'll help out with patrols as well." Eldritch mused, looking up to Wintersbane's face to see if he was open to the idea.

out of courtesy, wintersbane looks away while she eats the small meal he's brought her — not eager to be a looming presence.

that would be appreciated, wintersbane mentions to her offer of helping with patrols. anywhere you'd like to help out. wintersbane was too old and too free-spirited to be prickly about what trades the wolves of the glacier decided to pursue. but don't worry about stressing yourself out about it. once you are well enough. for now, focus on healing.

when you're ready i'll take you to greyfall caverns and have one of our medics see to your injuries. wintersbane offers, emphasizing that there was no rush if she wished to wait and rest a bit better.

we can probably wrap up with your post? <3

sounds good! Will archive after my post <3

 


She listened as he responded to her, and at his emphasis on when she was ready to go, Eldritch mumbled something to the effect of want to rest a bit longer before she rested her head on her paws. 

Tired, but she wouldn't sleep yet. Just a long enough pause to brace for the pain it would take to walk the rest of the distance to the other medics. 
Until then, she'd simply just take in her breath.