Chimera Fields in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet

backdated to feb. 23 - located close to both Moonglow and Forneskja territories. tagging @Kukutux @Aiolos @Solharr but AW

from sapphique, they went on.

brother and sister, keen upon a mission of salvation and vengeance—lafayette and @Shadess, seeking their allies. it took them a while to find the right path; they had been younger and much less wise when they'd last traveled these parts.

he could not keep his manman's voice from his mind:

"lafayette. you be de keeper of de peach pearl. dis size means your mind be good an' strong. you be bringin' allies to us wid your brightness an' joyful heart. de sun be in your smile, an' your energy will be everlasting. no one be standin' against such beautiful light."

they left the ocean behind—

you be bringin' allies to us wid your brightness an' joyful heart;

and could he? his chosen pearl had said so. he prayed every night that it spoke true.

they came to the inland valley, the juncture between packs. for a new claim had been set up since their time here, and their journey impeded by marked territory.

dat's de moon territory, i t'ink, lafayette remarked to his sister, nodding toward what some called ouroborous spine. then there was the pack in the forest, but. . .

we call to both o' dem, he reasoned. if dey be so close, dey must be friends.

the boy tipped his muzzle upward, calling for aid and reveling in the sound of shadess's voice harmonizing with his. their song was one of desperate strength, of fierce love, and he hoped these wolves would hear it thus.

It was not a rare thing for Shadess to follow behind after the footsteps of a man. She tried to think of Val and how he had been treasured among the sirens, even if not their equal. He could have been father. He could have not. It did not matter. Only her maman did. 

Surely dey will come. If she followed any male, let it be her littermate, then. Der are packs dat find thrill in de fight. Others too noble to stand aside and allow injustice to happen. They would find someone to help them. They had no other choice.

solharr had heard many songs in his life. some whispered like the wind between the glacier cliffs, some thundered like the waves at the fjord’s edge. but this one—this was neither. it rang like a braid of voices spun tight with purpose, not for territory nor triumph, but for something deeper.

the chieftain came as he always did: steady-footed, shoulders broad, the thick sweep of his auburn fur heavy with frost and wind. his eyes, pale as beachglass, roved over the pair who had called—young, bright things from the coast. brother and sister, by the look of them. bound by something old and sacred.

he halted just beyond them, letting the silence fill the space for a beat. the snow creaked beneath his weight.

you called, solharr said, voice low, curling like smoke between the trees. his gaze lingered on the woman, on the shine of his eyes. such light did not come here often, to this part of the world. i am solharr. chieftain of forneskja. speak what you seek.

she did not know what to do. time and hours took kukutux upon another traveling, her mind filled with so many thoughts she could not discern them.

each step was a prayer for Sedna.

moonwoman did not know the voice that hearkened, but it was young. mother's-mind drove her on through the drifts, plucking fitfully at her pelt of ginger fox.

solharr stood before a pair of youthful wolves, sapphique by their scent. "i am kukutux, of moonglow." her eyes held concern. "what has happened?"

Sunman followed Moonwoman. Out from the ring of mountains that separated their home from the rest of the world.  

Out beyond the foothills and the lush forest of their daughter's land next door stood two young wolves in the frost field. They were young sea dragons of the northern coastal cliffs. They look tired. Their eyes filled with pain. Their call had been one of urgency. 

He came to stand at Kukutux side. The look on their faces causing Aiolos to forgo introduction. What has happened?

a trio arrived in fairly quick succession. his gaze rested upon the white-pelted woman the longest; he was sure he recognized her from the gathering, from glimpses he had caught. forneskja was not familiar to him, but he sensed no animosity between the two neighboring packs.

i'm lafayette, and dis be my sister, shadess, the boy began, nodding toward his littermate. we come from sapphique in need of help. last moon, dese wicked men came to our home and took t'ree of our family 'ostage—our manman, our auntie an' our cousin.

he swallowed, and added, some of dem be carryin' children, too. mireille for sure, and perhaps chacal. as for chani, he was unsure—but it made little difference in the grand scheme of things.

only a few of us are left, he went on. not enough to go after dese men, and get our family back. please help, if you can—sapphique would be forever grateful.

lafayette's verdant eyes were wide, tearful but guileless, as they lingered upon their allies before turning to shadess. he wondered what, if anything, she would add.

A great, big man first came. His coat thick, body thick and one eye missing from his face. He smelt not like anything familiar to her. Yet the next that came did. A pair, one fiery and one snowy. They smelt of the Moon wolves. She remembered seeing the both of them at the great hunter gathering. 

It was her brother who spoke first, introducing them both and explaining all which had happened to them. Shadess during this time quietly watched the trio to gauge their reactions. Then Lafayette turned to her. 

Shadess cleared her throat and took a step forward. We followed de coast 'ere. Past a deep forest an' smelt dem, so we t'ink we know where dey are.

We- She pauses a moment, We will repay you. Sapphique will be in your debt. What could they possibly offer them in return? We will fight for you in return, when a battle needed won of your own. Did she even hold the power to offer such a thing, on behalf of whatever reminisce was left of their pack? 

An'... Her head lifts. I offer my womb. Would this due? Would this matter? Knowing it was still many months before she had her first heat? I choose among your men when time comes. I give de boys to carry deir bloodline. I keep de girls. What worth would the men have in her pack anyhow? She wanted daughters and men wanted sons to carry their name. Now, she is quiet and prays to the Lwa it is enough.

kukutux listened, and slowly her eyes grew stern with anger. three women taken, life inside their bodies. there was little doubt that they must assist.

lafayette was young to bring together a war party. young, with much bravery.

but the reach of the moonwolves had dwindled. she could not ask aiolos to seek injury or even death at these teeth. there were others to call upon.

yet kukutux did not speak before the redfox girl shadess uttered words, and at these she only shook her head. "this will not be needed. we marry." her voice was gentle. without girls there was not a moonwoman, and so it would not be a trade beneficial to moonglow. "but if fighting comes here, yes. we will ask for sapphique."

yet this was an offer that she did not take lightly, one a woman made for her own people.

shadess came to her own. kukutux watched her for a level moment of shared time.

a glance to aiolos, to solharr, then the young wolves. "we have hunters. how many came to your home, do you know this number?"

already she counted in her mind

he listened in silence as lafayette spoke with the tremor of youth yet the strength of duty, and then shadess, whose words carried a grave offering that left a shadow on the still air.

he glanced briefly toward kukutux as she answered first, soft-voiced and wise. her response was firm in its boundaries, and he respected her for it.

then his eyes turned to the young wolves once more—first the boy, then the girl.

you came far, he said, his voice deep and even. you came with purpose. that alone speaks of strength.

he let the silence sit a moment, letting the gravity of their plea settle like snow upon stone.

i will fight for your kin. his head dipped, solemn. but i will not accept debt from children forced to carry war. the wrong lies with the men who came for your family. we’ll make sure they feel that wrong in flesh and bone.

his gaze swept toward kukutux, and then to aiolos—acknowledging the unity of moon and mountain. then back again to lafayette.

tell me where you last scented them. how many? how long ago?

there was already frost in his bones. he was prepared to bleed.

permish to skip aiolos

he was prepared for his sister to speak, but not at all for the contents of her speech. his head snapped sideways, eyes widening as she made her offer. 

he couldn't well give a rebuttal; it was her choice.

but relief eased the stiffness of his shoulders as the adults cast that foolishness aside.

four? five? but could be more of dem, waitin', lafayette reasoned, mouth drawn into a taut grimace. dey came to us about a half-moon ago.

i will fight for your kin. the answer sent shivers up and down his spine. their allies would come through. he'd hoped, begged, prayed for it, but had no way of knowing for sure if those pleas would be answered.

dey live on de coast, 'alfway between our home an' yours, he went on, nose wrinkling. you'll smell deir stink well enough, i t'ink.

Through the eyes of others, Shadess offers much to them. A testiment to the severity of the situation and all she was willing to do. For her, offering sons to their father was an easy way to rid herself of those she did not want among Sapphique. A bargaining chip she would save for later, then. 

Shadess dips her head, her ears flattened. A showing of respect and gratitude for the elders. Not a display often given by her. Still, she was so young. Hopefully begging for help from others would not be commonplace. 

Thank you, to both yourselves and those who will come to arms. Not so much a war as a rescue mission, yet Shadess would be right there fighting among them. 

It is a dark forest at de edge of de mountains. Follow de river inland. Then, to add on to her brother's answer of number. When dey came, dey said 'dere were more waitin' in hidin', but we saw no more den what Lafayette say.

his breath curled from his nostrils, steady, even in the tension that strung the group together like a bow ready to snap. he had watched the girl—shadess—offer her womb like coin, and though the fire of his ancestors clawed up his spine in warning, he said nothing. for kukutux had spoken, and her word carried weight.

but it was lafayette’s voice that held him next.

four or five. possibly more. the chieftain gave a faint nod, slow, considering. coastal men, dark forest, hidden numbers. the scent trail would be enough. he could track a ghost through the dunes if need be. still, there was one thing he needed clear.

i do not fight for blood. sólhárr’s voice cut low through the cold, gravel-laced and firm. i fight for the safety of your kin. if this is rescue, it will be swift. precise. he stepped forward, tail raised, though not to dominate—only to lead.

you will guide. both of you. you will show me where they wait.

a breath. his jaw tightened, eyes burning sky-blue beneath the shadow of his brow.

and if they have harmed your women, there will be no forest deep enough to hide them.

then, at last, he looked to kukutux, a flicker of reverence softening the hard line of his mouth.

forneskja stands ready.

they agreed as one.

five men were not many. but if more lurked, they must be prepared. "i will return to moonglow then, and prepare," she said, thinking that she must draw arrluk from his bridal hunt.

would ipiktok fight?

selfishly, she did not want it for aiolos, not when there were many youthful men in the great bear to take up teeth against this enemy.

"i would speak with you again soon, shadess," moonwoman ventured next, as it seemed their meet would find its end.