Emberwood sunburst

@Issorartuyok <3

antha scarce drifted from the vale following her encounter with the man of war from mereo. she feared for the mountains, for their future. war would come to them soon, she felt.
the emberwood was no less ravaged by winter than the vale. the autumn witch picked among the forest in silence, contemplating spring. tessa had still not returned, and antha found herself entertaining thoughts she'd almost left behind forever at raven's watch. spring meant new life. new beginnings. and why shouldn't she have that?

South and then to the west, the group of scouts ventured out from the glacier and into the unknown.

Issorartuyok was impressed with the young wolves and their ability to keep up in the snow. They crossed a great deal of ground together and managed to find shelter for the evening before the northerner decided he would search for food. The man made certain that the young ones would be safe and gave them his word that he would be back swiftly with as much as he could catch. It would be all they’d need to tide them over until morning when they would set out again at a breakneck pace.

In his search for food, the large figure caught sight of an unfamiliar coat. The trees did well to conceal her figure with their bark and sturdy trunks, but the foliage was sparse in the forest. The snow had cleared away what might have been a lush woodland setting.

Issorartuyok woofed out a greeting, announcing his presence to the stranger ahead of him.

another man. he cut an imposing figure, but there was an air of nobility about him. antha regarded him with a neutral gaze as she turned. hello. can i help you? if he received a warmer reception than the mereo wolf, antha would call it intuition. something in his bearing. somehow, he reminded her of —
no. she would not think of him.

The woman turned to him, regarding him with a neutral expression. The northern man slowed his approach to avoid making her feel unsafe.

When she spoke, it was to ask if she could help him.

Issorartuyok smiled swiftly.

Perhaps you can! I travel with several young wolves from my village, seeking a new land for our people. We have suffered a loss of prey. Are you knowledgeable in these lands or those to the west?

the witch softened under his words. young wolves. a village. perhaps the type of wolf who would welcome her kind, respect her practice. antha did not intend to test the theory during a first meeting, but she would help him based on this assumption.
i have traveled these lands before, yes, she said. there are places i can tell you of, and places i can take you to, if you wish. there is a valley in the mountains to the west, my first choice, but i believe wolves of war have settled near. mereo, they are called. she began with the warning, wary of sending peaceful village wolves into a place that would surely see chaos soon.

Good fortune had found them, for the woman said that she had traveled those lands before and that she knew of several territories that might make for suitable landing spots. The northerner felt overjoyed, relieved, and his tail waved behind him in a display of it.

When she spoke of a potential threat, Issorartuyok found himself shifting slightly. He would not lead the children through a hostile land. It was too great a risk for them.

I believe your assistance would be greatly appreciated. I will hunt for you, keep you fed. In exchange for your scouting skills, the northerner offered her. The dark brown of his gaze met her features. She was quite lovely – a suntouched wisp floating through the wilderness.

here was a man who knew respect. charmed, the witch smiled and began to consider where she might lead this man and the youth of his village. i accept your offer. i am antha blackwood-mayfair. i look forward to traveling with you, it was rare that she introduced herself with her full name; she felt a touch possessive of her identity of late, desperately prideful in her heritage as if it could slip away from her at any moment. or perhaps it was just that she knew her time to pass on her legacy was running out. what is it you seek in a territory?

Antha Blackwood Mayfair – it sounded as though she had lived a full life, found a man to make into a husband, and had built many names upon it. The northerner nodded his head to her. He was appreciative that someone knowing of the terrain had found him. The glacier man would have offered to bring Meerkat, but their last conversation had not ended the way he had hoped it might. For a moment, he was troubled.

I am Issorartuyok Tatkret, of the white north. I thank you for your help and my young companions will be pleased to have another on our journey.

She wished to know what he sought in a territory.

Somewhere safe. Somewhere fruitful. A place where families can be made and can grow.

He only added after second thought, perhaps a place that will please a man who loves the snow. Then he smiled to Antha.

issorartuyok tatkret. it reminded her of the man whose name and visage antha would not allow to taint her thoughts. she focused on his words, his wants for a territory. the wilds have many such places. safe and fruitful, that is. i admit i can't think of any territories nearby that might please a man of the north, she turned thoughtful. or do you wish to travel far? there are some limits to my knowledge of these lands. if we are to travel far beyond the mountains, i may scout ahead of your group to see what lays ahead.

The woman admitted that there weren’t many territories nearby that would likely suit his nature. In truth, Issorartuyok was relieved to hear this. He wanted to put as much space between himself and the sickness near their village as he could. If it meant they would cross two mountain ranges and journey across the snow, then that was how it would be. The man would keep them safe. He would give them a home.

My intent was to move through the mountain range here and possibly beyond the other, his brown gaze drifted west. He knew Moonglow to be in the far northern territory. It would have been pleasant to find a place where they could spend winters hunting as one, again.

The northerner hoped that Antha would not mind such a long journey. The brown of his eyes searched her features. The worries had started to build up within him. The weight of it was remarkable.

fade? <3

antha nodded, already formulating a plan in her mind. then when we pass the first mountain range, i will begin to move ahead of your group, she said, feeling a familiar fire in her veins at the realization that she had a purpose once again. a goal. it was not the meaning she sought from her life, but for now it would serve. i will meet with you soon. i have some business to attend to first. it won't take long. she had to at least try to find tessa before she went running off. the sisters had always been fiercely independent, as was their birthright, but antha did not want to worry her fellow witch.

Antha formulated a plan and shared it with him. Issorartuyok nodded his head. He thought it was perfectly agreeable to have her scout ahead of them, search the terrain for any signs of threat, and help find a swift path for them to take. It would be good to have someone who could help. The man’s biggest worry had been for the young ones. Their trip was meant to teach them. He would not have any one of them harmed.

Very well, the northerner agreed verbally. Your skills and strength are a gift to us.

Issorartuyok bowed his head, wishing her a safe journey.