Emberwood my strength doubles twice

jr's path is undetermined.

she ventures away from the coast, giving the rise a wide berth, though with the burnished woman gone and the helm in the hands of a stranger, she owes no loyalty, she feels; heading towards the flatlands.

ironic, how once she had been so set against travel, upset that her mother had wanted to travel. jr could no longer deny the freedom in it, even if she was distinctly and painfully aware of how vulnerable she was as a lone wolf.

she takes comfort in ghost's presence; the falcon snoozing lightly from his perch betwixt her shoulders. eyes are alert; harshly judging every shadow that holds its breath as she nears, weaving through the trees that clear, dawn painted morning. her nostrils constantly flaring as she takes in every scent; dissecting it all to make up for her deafness.

she relies on the senses she does have, each keenly sharpened naturally in an effort to make up for what she lacks. still, her senses are not perfect and thus she remains constantly vigilant; trusting ghost as if he were an extension of her own being to alert her to things she might otherwise miss.

She'd wandered further than she'd intended to by the time she made it to Emberwood. She was aware that there was one pack- Kvarsheim- in the area, but branched out a bit further when she scented pack scents in the area, potentially more neighbours if she was right with her assumption. She was about to turn back when a familiar scent caught her attention- and kept her roaming out toward the shrubby woodlands, in hopes that she was able to find the girl she'd once taken in. 

It didn't make much sense for her to also be out roaming this far. Once she found Towhee Jr's scent, she was surprised to find that whatever trace of pack scent she'd had had been shed. Did this mean she was a spy? Was she sent out to find them? She fought with herself, against her better judgement, and thought she'd simply be best off if she turned back and left for the Valley, dipping through a river on the way home to make sure she couldn't be tracked. 

But this wasn't just any kid from the rise- this was the one who wasn't a Redtail. And she still felt guilty for leaving her behind without an explanation. 

She spotted the wolf in the distance, impossible to mistake with the bird settled at her shoulders. She knew the girl wouldn't hear her- but that the bird would, and she uttered a soft woof, hoping to catch the bird's attention. 

She would leave some space between them- she still had no way to know how she would be greeted.

the soft nip of ghost's beak at the base of her left ear lets jr know that she's not alone. she knows, now, that it means there is another. steps slow and nostrils flare in the hopes that the stranger might be upwind of her. she turns her head in the direction that ghost gives a little assertive tug of her nape and her golden gaze falls upon the burnished woman.

for a moment, jr's heart skips a beat.

she hadn't expected running into her ... about as much as she expected the once leader of the rise to just leave.

a soft flutter of her ears towards her skull; half mast. a breathy, nearly soundless whine leaves jr's lips; tail giving a soft, amiable wag of her tail.

it was good to see a familiar face.

The girl is young still- and Ameline watches as she turns, anticipating that she will be able to read all she needs to know in her expression. If it darkened at the sight of her, then she and Ancelin had been painted as traitors- or that Towhee Jr resented them for leaving so suddenly. Instead, she saw recognition, and the slow wave of her tail eased the presence of paranoia from Ameline's mind. 

Her ears trembled, flicking back in apology as she drew forward, tail level with her spine but waving. It did her heart good to see the girl again, though she had to wonder why, exactly, she was this far from the Rise. She pushed her whiskers forward and wetted her lips and nose with her tongue so she could better discern where Towhee Jr had been from her scent, and found it smelled like wilderness. 

She looked the youth over- making sure she hadn't been chased from the pack once Ameline and Ancelin had left. She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask, which she knew to expect no answers for. She was left instead to convey the real message-

how happy she was to see Towhee Jr again.

there was a plethora of questions that jr couldn't ask, that she didn't know how to communicate beyond ptero, and thus, they go unanswered besides what jr could feasible glean. that a, the burnished woman appeared to be unharmed and b, she ( and jr assumes her mate ) were traveling. she suspected it had something with whom she has dubbed the usurper, ignorant to the rise's history ... but those were the only puzzle pieces ( right or wrong ) that towhee jr had to fit to make some sort of sense to her.

she seemed happy to see jr in return, as to which, jr feels a small swell of surprise.

she hadn't been with the rise long, after all.

she had not expected any to truly miss her when she departed from their borders and simply ... didn't return.

-are you well?- jr asks in ptero, knowing it will not be understood, before hesitantly leaning forward to take in the older woman's scent, if allowed. attempting to answer her own question.

She could only hope she wouldn't regret greeting Towhee Jr. Nothing about her scent or demeanour seemed to indicate that she might be a spy, and it didn't seem likely that the Rise would send this particular youth out to track her down with the intention of chasing her further. She had hoped that perhaps New Snow and Augur might take the girl under their wing, and protect her should the Redtails decide to cast out all who weren't family. 

This now simmered in her mind as a possibility; she felt herself growing angry the more she thought about it. 

A question formed from a few gestures and a questioning gaze. Ameline smiled and rumbled affectionately, nodding. The scent of Ancelin would be almost as present as her own, and her smile was warm enough to indicate that both of them were well. She drew back so she could capture the girl with her glimmering gaze. "Come live with uth," She said, gesturing with a jab of her muzzle over her shoulder, and a tilt of her head.

after assessing that the burnished woman smells healthy and the same could be said for her mate's scent that hangs as heavy on her pelage, jr takes a step back, not wishing to further invade the other woman's personal bubble.

it takes a prolonged moment for towhee jr to try to lip read, and a longer delayed moment for her to process.

-i am with moonsong.- she signs in ptero, conveying with a soft shake of her head and an apologetic quirk of her lips.

She didn't understand the details in the ptero, but she saw a slight glint of regret, and knew that the answer was no. Still- the girl looked satisfied, and probably a bit more confident then she had when she had first come to the Rise. Wherever it was that she was living, or that she decided to go in the future, she hoped at least that whatever small part she'd played, that it would leave her with good memories. 

So she gave Jr a smiled, and reached to nuzzle her cheek affectionately, as if to give her blessing. She was disappointed, of course, but understanding. Jr wanted to find her own way. Her gaze dropped to the girl's scarred shoulder, glad to see that it had healed with time. She had proven herself worth consideration that day, and Ameline would remember her for her tenacity. 

She chuffed, and lowered her head to wet her lips and inhale several short breaths, scenting the air. She licked her lips, revealing hungry, glistening teeth in a grin, and looked back to Jr again. "Hunt with me?"

whatever guilt jr feels at declining the offer to live with them, it is erased when the burnished woman grins and invites her to a hunt.

it feels like a rotating theme lately: being invited to hunt. she wasn't great at it but she would not say no; there was a better chance of being successful when hunting with someone else.

jr nods and gestures with her muzzle for the burnished woman to take the lead.

She brushed her shoulder against the girl's, and began to prowl forward, muzzle lowered. It felt natural to work together with her like this, as a means of communicating the peace that she wished to be present between them. The felt her own regret and guilt subside with time, as she investigated tracks and little footprints left behind in the snow where mice travelled from bush to bush. 

What piqued her interest was the scent of birds, and a thicket ahead in the distance which shimmied slightly. She could hear the chuckling sound of birds; their brown feathers made them blend in well with the shrubby brush, but they weren't exactly discreet as they continued to chat amongst themselves, perhaps thinking they were safe where they were. 

Their little footprints were everywhere in the area- this was a favourite spot. Ameline looked to Towhee, and gave her a wink.

ghost recons ahead, flying over the pair of them: watchful but not a participant.

they walk side by side, and in this moment, jr relies on the burnished woman to be her ears. the scent of birds floods her nose, and soon after she sees the tiny little footprints of multiple birds.

the wink is caught by jr who offers a grin; her muscles tense in preparation, eyes zeroing in on their quarry.