Noctisardor Bypass calling out faker, only get me rattled

tagging @Anathema for visibility - if she is coming back plz feel free to hop in <3

ava slipped back into rivenwood at dusk. hunger, combined with the prying intensity of her headaches forced her home, without having found @Dinah.

what little voice she ever owned died on the mountain.

failure hung ava's neck like a torc. she met @Fiona along the trail and offered her pelt to be sniffed, so the healer might know of where she'd been. of @Glaukos, Anselm, and @Etienne, ava did not see.

the hollow was eerily quiet.

she made for @Heda's den after eating a small meal at one of the many caches. pausing at the entrance, ava breathed in deep, listening to those little lives in there. when she duck her head inside and her eyes adjusted to the dark, her fur rippled.  @Druid was visibly hurt -- though the fistful of puppies at her belly spoke of her attendance to them. heda did not appear inside. her scent clung to the area suggesting she had only recently departed.

@Goldfinch, @Averie, and @Artio were given a precursory glance by the Other-sister. their bellies were round and bodies squirming. despite their movement, they seemed an unending tessellation of body parts, the energy around them a unified glow. ava's brow furrowed to see @Kikimora grouped with @Ezra and @Gideon, the trio of which seemed to separate themselves by one of druid's forelegs.

ava lowered her head with a soft chuff, gaze inquisitively upon the den mother as the room seemed to swim around them.

Quick post to get in!

Ana had followed.

She would always follow, now that she'd finally found Ava again.

Yet she hesitated as they crossed the borders of a pack's land, and hesitated more as they came to an unfamiliar den. Ana could smell her mother there. But would she be welcome?

She lingered without, head low and ears pinned, waiting for judgment to be passed.

She wasn’t expecting anyone, so Druid jumped a little when Ava peeked into the den. She gaped at the yearling, then glanced down guiltily, wondering if she’d jostled the pups. Averie began to whimper, so the Den Mother bent to soothe her before it turned into a wail.

As soon as the little girl settled, Druid glanced up to say, Ava! It’s so good to see you.

Half a dozen questions buzzed around in her brain. Where had the yearling gone? Was her sister with her? Should they call for Heda? Druid knew her sister would be overjoyed—she’d seemed convinced her older daughters had gone away—but she didn’t want to disrupt her hunting.

Come inside, make yourself comfortable, she coaxed quietly, motioning with her good foreleg.

ava drew her muzzle across ana in reassurance before she stepped into the den.

druid seemed startled by her appearance. ava moved slowly, every gesture measured. one of the children began to stir, briefly taking druid's attention. ava's tail wagged slowly as she crawled forward on her belly and motioned behind her -- as if to say look;

look at sister i found - not dinah, but the lost one. her round eyes were plaintive as she waited for druid's assessment.

once introductions were made, ava tugged gently at her sister’s scruff. it was time to show mama her black sheep had returned.