Moonsong Glacier Sometimes, if you close your eyes and keep still, you can be invisible.

Reyes had overshot his destination after tracking an otter's trail north, through the woods. When he found a path out of the tree line he was closer to the mountains than he'd anticipated, and blasted with the cold sea-brine scent of the ocean as it was funneled against the edge of the cliffs.

The clouds overhead - plus the steep drop in temperature - made Reyes think he'd somehow stepped back in time; it certainly wasn't weather he'd expect in the middle of spring. He took a deep breath and found zero trace of the otter that had drawn him so far, and figured he'd lost the trail somewhere among the trees.

Oh well. He wasn't here to hunt — he had to find the meadow that Teya had spoken of, since that was where the meeting was to take place with someone named Marina (@Cerulean).

Tytonidae had kept a low profile since her brief rash of lovers. She had not sought them out. Why would she? There was no worry of bringing children into this world. It had been a point of contention with Summer, and in some small way, she wished she’d had children with the lover after him she’d stayed with for so long. He had been good to her, and their children perhaps could have eased her pain in his passing. But it wasn’t meant to be. Her body wasn’t built for it.

It was chilly here, but Ty didn’t mind. She preferred it to the sweltering heat of summer that would soon be here. Her eyes drifted to a lone figure on the landscape, and she thought it best to see what they might be up to.

You lost? she asked, taking a cue from his puzzled expression.

did decide to kick this off <3 they can prob be skipped until they are noticed! And this can be edited if need be

Despite not being able to rush this if she wanted to, there was a definite eagerness to Bridget as @Cerulean led the way to their meeting place.  Nerves warred with excitement and the latter absolutely won out.  Would Teya be there?!  She couldn't help hoping.

It was slower going than she liked but she tried to keep up.  They ended up making relatively good time, and it was only her impatience that had her disappointed in herself.  Cerulean was both a saint and an excellent traveling partner.  It was a shame, getting to know her and knowing they'd be splitting ways, but Bridget knew this wasn't the last of her dealings with the island.  One of these days she'd be back.

After a day of long travel, Bridget limped heavily onto the edge of the field, staying on her companion's heels.  A wall of rock and ice rose up beside them and she looked around.  There was no sign of the wolves they were here to meet, at least not within view.  Should we call? Bridget asked, glancing curiously at the Druid.  If they had missed the meeting, would she be able to make her own way home?  Unclear.  But she'd sure as hell try.

In the next few hours Reyes would seek out the meadow; that was the plan, anyway. Teya had told him of a place to meet the representative of Blackwater - but when he heard someone speaking to him from among the trees, his thoughts spun away from his plans and focused on the immediate vicinity.

The stranger was older; darker in composition, and a woman. Was this Marina? He couldn't know for sure without asking. Reyes shook his head in response to her own question and then said:

No. Well, sort of. I'm supposed to be meeting someone. Are you Marina, of Blackwater? He gave the woman an obvious once-over with a look, then surreptitiously glanced to the woodland and the rising cliffs of white, as he was expecting more than one person.

she paused to reply to bridget and tilted an ear to the wind where she caught the faintest trace of her name.  she looked towards the tan woman with a smile and said, i don't think we have to, anymore. 

she led them towards the source of the sound and emerged a few minutes later [likely after some conversation had already passed] to say, i am marina of the druids.

She shook her head. I haven't heard of a Marina or Blackwater, she said. So much for her attempt at being helpful. I'm Tytonidae of... well, nowhere, really.

Ah, but it seemed his Marina had found them after all. Two wolves emerged, one introducing herself as such. There was another one with her, too. Oh, I'll leave you to it then, she said, not wishing to intrude upon this clearly-planned meeting between the three wolves.

She waved her tail then went on her way.

didn't want to hold y'all up!

Hope its OK to reply with Reyes here and speed this along --

The older woman took notice of his question and denied her relation to either Blackwater or this Marina person; however, the wind brought a familiar scent to Reyes that provided another sort of answer - because he knew Bridget even if it had been a while since her departure from Brecheliant. The stranger that moved ahead of them, thin and trim and steeped in salt, spoke up quickly.

I am Marina of the druids. They said, during which moment Reyes was so focused on the oncoming pair that he failed to say anything to the elder woman; when he turned back, remembering her, she had already split from the scene.

Oh, uh, I know this wasn't the intended meeting place, but I thought I'd explore a little. I thought I had time. Evidently not, Reyes concluded. He saw Bridget over Marina's shoulder and gave a characteristically masculine upward nod of acknowledgement (Yo, dude, what up.) before returning his attention to the wolf in the lead position.

I was sent to retrieve Bridget. My name is Reyes - ah, representative of Brecheliant. He didn't really know what else to say. Teya must have had some expectations of him, and she'd given him a clear directive before he'd departed the caldera, but now he wasn't sure exactly what his purpose was -- except to retrieve Bridget and make sure she was ship-shape.

def skippable! No worries

The Druid heard a few faint voices that Bridget didn't notice. She followed eagerly, but awkwardly, behind and was therefore following when marina greeted Reyes. She didn't catch much about the other stranger before she left.

Hey, she replied in response to his nod, giving a small one in return. She was brimming with excitement to be back, but also lightly disappointed that Teya hadn't come herself. Was her friend so upset at her that she sent Reyes instead?

This wasn't all going to be rainbows and good times. There was a chance there were complicated feelings about her disappearance and she should probably be ready for that.

Permission given to skip this along.

Bridget appeared well. The other wolf, this Marina, was not exactly an open book and that suited Reyes fine enough. They would not speak long about their respective homes - but what was shared would be related to Teya later, as that was part of the man's job here.

Having thus collected Bridget, Reyes gave the pair time to say their farewells and began the task of escorting the injured woman home to Brecheliant. Between the two of them was an odd silence brewing; although they had much in common, Reyes didn't know it, and was too focused on the journey home to question Bridget much.

can be the last for me!

Reyes' silence suited Bridget just fine. She focused most of her energy on keeping up and slowing the pace as little as possible. Now that they were in the home stretch, she was as eager as ever to finally cross that threshold and to see everyone again.

When they finally parted ways with Marina, Bridget would thank the woman and promise to repay this favor if she ever needed anything. Other than that, she kept her word - she didn't mention the island, the Druids, or her time there. If she spoke about any of it it would be in the vaguest terms - a group of healers, nothing more. It wasn't as if she knew much else to tell.

Until they crossed the borders of Brecheliant, her focus matched Reyes', and together the trip passed swiftly.