Ankyra Sound the sky trail

For @Ptolemy

Astera frequented the sound. It was a solace from the noise and hurry inside the pack borders. Other scents lingered here. Looking across the sunrise sky, she spied islands in the distance. What could lie there?

The Sound was a place frequented by the Speaker, for it was the gateway to the realm of The Druids; the sole connection to the mainland, the place of daywalkers and soft sniveling creatures who dared to call themselves wolves. Idly he followed the trails left by past visitors, the scents of Sapphique and other packs unknown to him. After a time, one stood out; a fresh scent, a young scent.

Intrigued, Ptolemy's pace picked up in pursuit. At the end of the trail, a girl. Small, pale, wreathed in the scents of Sapphique. Hello, He greeted smoothly, approaching with a bright smile meant only for her eyes. Sapphique, yes? My mother knew your pack quite well.

The scent of a fellow canine, not one of Sapphique. Astera watched a figure approach, she curiously trotted closer, kicking up sand with each step. 

She offered a friendly smile as a greeting. They seemed to know her pack well, something that intrigued her. Her pale fur swayed with a maratime breeze. How did ya know!?

Who is your mother?

The scents you carry with you, He explained easily, beckoning for the girl to walk with him as he paced the shoreline. They identify your pack, your home. Those you meet will know you first by your scent.

When the girl asked after his mother, his eyes sparkled with delight. My mother was The Listener; prophet to The Druids of Blackwater. Divine above all others, An air of solemnity came over him, then. She is gone now. But The Druids will have a new Listener, in time.

I am Ptolemy, The Speaker introduced next, glancing into lavender eyes. And what is your name, little snowflower?

Keeping a steady pace beside him, she listened with interest. Her face clouded with confusion and then sympathy. Grief was a subject Astera left untouched. I'm sorry for your loss. It was the only thing she could think to say. 

Ptolemy was his name. She replied with a tail wag. Astera.

Astera. A quiet child, from what he'd gathered. Can do you me a favor, Astera? Ptolemy asked, voice lowering just a touch. There was an opportunity here, one that he could not allow to pass him by.

He couldn't be certain that @Morgra hadn't already paid a visit to Sapphique. But if she hadn't, then they would learn now that The Druids had returned.