Dragoncrest Cliffs been countin' every minute

rhaegal pushes thru the mist, finding a small puddle of trapped saltwater in the sand — grateful because he had not been looking forward to submerging his whole body just to clean the wounds he suffered during his fight with arric. just thinking about the ravenhued sassenach ignites something ugly and fury fed within rhaegal.

the tear in his ear and fresh wounds on his cheek sting and burn as he presses his face into the water. he counts to ten in his head and recoils his head, drawing in a rough breath, waiting for the smarting to numb.

Word spread of an altercation at the borders. Instinctively, Meerkat retreated as far from the borders as she could go, which took her to the seaside. She felt safer there, though she hated being so far from her son and Quennell. As much as she hoped to grow their family, she hoped her heat would soon end.

In the meantime, she anxiously roved the sands, keeping an eye out for anything washed ashore she might take to the roja den eventually. Instead, Meerkat crested a dune and found herself nearly on top of a pack mate, a man she scarcely knew.

She halted and shrunk back uneasily, her eyes tracing over the Pearl’s wounds. This must be @Njord’s nephew, Meerkat quickly realized. And he must have been involved in the fight at the edge of their claim.

when the pain throbs and does not appear to get any better, he dunks his head in the saltwater again, letting out a low hiss as it stings.

he's always been a combative patient; impatient and expecting to be able to bounce back even if it wasn't realistically feasible. like now.

he can't see his own ear but that hurt worse than the teeth tears on his cheek.

he stretches down to the sand, figuring he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

the sound of shifting sand and a figure that nearly blends into it catches his eye. midas gold gaze watches as she shrinks back. with nose full of blood and salt her scent's muted and the pain takes up much of his focus. does it really look that bad? rhaegal asks, trying to make a lighthearted joke of it. i dinnae think he messed up my face that bad.

The way he spoke not only confirmed her suspicion, it also immediately endeared her to him. He sounded just like Njord! She felt a flutter deep inside her and immediately cringed inwardly. She told herself it was the resemblance that caused it, in combination with her hormones, and nothing more.

He noticed her and immediately made a joke about his condition. Meerkat bit at her lip. She liked to think she could trust herself, that she was in total control of both mind and body. And though she didn’t know this man personally, he was related to Njord, so surely he wouldn’t try anything…

She licked her lips nervously and said, You must be Rhaegal. I’m Meerkat, Njord’s wife. You were involved in that fight at the borders, then?

meerkat.

it felt like he'd heard so much about her that meeting her was a bit like greeting an old friend.

aye, rhaegal rasps. it's nice tae finally meet ya, aunt meerkat. but if she knew his name then surely njord had told her about him: even if it was in passing.

aye. a wince as his torn ear flickers; whether it was because he'd heard a gull's lazy call overhead or because of a muscle spasm from pain he couldn't tell. i stopped him at the borders for leavin' a dead, bloodied bird. i asked if it was a curse of some kind. he started swearin' at me, saying he was bein' kind. trying tae provide for chacal because his seed might've took. then he started swearin' at mireille when she told him that he wasn't needed and tae get lost.

jealousy coils in his belly, sourcing the unkind snort rhaegal makes.

he realizes she hadn't asked what had happened and might not've been all that interested in the drama that had occurred. with this thought, he falls into a sheepish silence.

He called her Aunt Meerkat, which surprised a smile out of her. It also made her feel even more mortified about her visceral reaction a moment ago. He wasn’t just Njord’s relation, he was hers!

Before she could reciprocate his sentiment, Rhaegal told the story about the fight. Meerkat might have felt a little sorry for what sounded like a well-meaning stranger, though he had sworn at and clearly attacked her pack mates. He might’ve had good intentions, though such behavior was completely unacceptable while visiting another pack’s borders. What sort of man would ever swear at someone like Mireille, anyway?

He sounds like an ass, Meerkat said. Did you catch his name? What did he look like? I’m no guardian, though I’ll pass his description along to Njord.

Hope Njord is not too intense! Exploring some more natural wolf behavior...

There was no need to relay a message, for Njord appeared only a moment after Meerkat finished speaking.

Her season reeled him in like a shark, and part of his lizard brain was indignant to find her around a young upstart like his nephew! He trusted Rhaegal. Loved Rhaegal... but Njord’s trot was bold and dominant all the same. His ear cupped towards him, gaze pressing the young man to show a sign – any sign – of deference, unaware of his dulled sense of smell. Only then, would he permit the conversation to continue.

<3

rhaegal is a bit taken back — not by njord's appearance per se but by the bold and dominate stance his uncle took. it makes sense in the second it takes for rhaegal's mind to play catch up and he dips his head low. his belly is already on the sand: cool against his fur.

mortification strikes him for a moment, hoping that even if circumstances weren't how they were for him currently: in pain with nostrils full of the scent of his own blood and saltwater that he wouldn't have even tried to make a move on his aunt.

i dinnae ken his name, he admits. he was blackfurred with blue eyes and a ring of white 'round his one eye. smelled of forests.

She should’ve known he wouldn’t be far, though she jumped a little when Njord appeared as if speaking his name had manifested his presence at her side. Meerkat quickly recovered and turned to smile at him, though she immediately caught on to the tension between the men. She felt responsible for it, in a way.

Have you seen any of our healers? Meerkat asked Rhaegal before warmly coaxing, You should. It’s good to clean them, though even better to have a trained eye look at them.

Njord hadn’t said a word, which was unusual and exacerbated Meerkat’s uneasiness. But when she glanced at her husband, she couldn’t help but feel gratified by his overt protectiveness. It was more than that: he was possessive. It stoked that low-burning fire deep in her veins.

It was nice meeting you, Rhaegal, but we should get going. And you should go find a healer, she reminded him just like a slightly overbearing aunt, smiling at him before she trained all of her smoldering attention upon Njord.

The pressure towards his nephew is released the moment Rhaegal’s head ducks away. Njord’s tongue flicked across his nose before his mouth opened into a relaxed pant. His blue eyes grow soft. All was good.

Njord shifted his weight comfortably as he listened to the description of the man. He approached, with a gentle wag of his tail, to better inspect Rhaegal’s injuries. The bridge of his nose wrinkles in agitation at the image of a vagrant wounding their own. Lucky for them, a black man with a ring around the eyes would be hard to miss. Njord feels fiery nitrous in his veins.

“If tha bastard comes back, we’ll make ‘im wish he ‘adn’t,” he says sharply. The many ways they could make him pay were like paintings in Njord’s head. Break his legs. Pluck out an eye… maybe the one in the ring!

Meerkat appeared to sense her husband’s primitive state and worked to shepherd them both away. She urged their nephew to seek medical attention. Njord acquiesced with a swish of his red tail.

He turned before leaving. “I wish to speak with ye, Rhaegal. Later,” he added. “The young lads an’ lassies of Sapphique should be taught ‘ow tae protect themselves. Protect the pack.” The man lingers on the thought for a moment, Rosencrantz on his mind.

nae, replies rhaegal to meerkat's question in regards to seeing a medic. right. i'll have someone look at them in a bit. it was less of his cheek that he's worried about and more of his ear; but she had a point. pride and his combative nature lately kept him from seeking a medic but he knows he should, especially to keep infection at bay.

nice meetin' you tae, aunt meerkat. he says in a form of goodbye. when njord speaks, rhaegal's golden gaze flickers to him, offering his uncle a sage nod. i'll find you after i speak tae a medic.

with that, he watches the pair depart. he lingers a while longer, swallowing his pride and hoping he can keep his combativeness in check while he seeks the keen eye of a healer.