Larkcall Lowlands Fancy Meeting You

The last time Cheedo had traveled so far from Whitestone was to deliver the news to Hearthwood of Mittani's banishment. Once again she found herself traveling across the Lowlands but this time it was for no specific reason such as that. She was on a scouting mission, a self imposed one after having spent the last week's close to home. It was time she got back to her training she felt since Cyril was growing bigger everyday and Piety seemed to be back to her normal routine. What she would find Cheedo wasn't sure but whatever she found she would report back to Wraith.

As she moved across the tundra she kept a lookout for anything that would be if interested to her Alpha's. After she'd been traveling for what seemed a long time she came across a small watering hole that she was sure had been left by the rains since it had been a rather wet spring. Here she stopped to quench the thirst that she'd developed during her trip. It was midday she judged by the position of the sun, she would have to start back soon if she wanted to make it back by nightfall. The thought of traveling a little longer and heading back the following day also had crossed her mind. She wasn't sure she wanted to be away from Whitestone that long.

With her one good ear listening for anyone approaching the small agouti bent her head to lap at the water. Which had been warmed by the sun but it did what it was supposed to do.

As he meandered though the lowlands he kept his gaze trained on the monadnock in the distance. He had not heard from them since the rogue was banished from their pack after attacking ~~his m—~~Lilya. The ghost knew that the pale female who had stepped up in Morganna’s absence had been expecting and he was curious as to how many puppies were rolling around atop the massive rock. Had she been the only she-wolf expecting this spring, or did Whitestone share a similar predicament as the river wolves? He snorted in amusement. XIX was not sure any of the packs in Lore were in the same situation as Hearthwood. They should have been graced with two healthy litters—his and Kisla’s, as they were both unexpected and unplanned. Inna had broken pack law but she remained, for neither Lachesis or his co-lead (the Baranski’s mother) could throw out the pregnant raven. Oksana was loved all the same—he made sure of it. The ghost did not want the little bird treated any different because of how she came to be. It did not matter. They were family.

Lorcán was still missing and his worry only deepened as he treaded through the tundra, his ears perched high atop his crown. His scent was still faint but he could not tell what direction it tapered off in. Lachesis frowned. He hoped the tawny male would return—he was an asset to the river pack and Nineteen had hoped that a friendship had begun to blossom between the two males.

A tawny shape in the distance caught his attention, causing his direction to change and his pace to quicken. It was not the healer he was looking for, but it was still a familiar face. He offered her a low woof in greeting, as he did not want to startle her in her vulnerable position. Maintaining some distance between himself and the Whitestone subordinate XIX finally paused, his toes curling into the dry, tundra dirt. “Cheedo, it's nice to see you again.” Under better circumstances.

The small agouti drank her fill of the water from the small pool she'd found which had been a lucky find. She would have to decide what direction to travel from there in her search to bring back information to Wraith and Piety. She wanted to prove to them that she could do the role that she'd chosen for herself and she wanted to be good at it. She wanted to finally be good at something in her life after feeling like she'd failed at so much. Cyril helped her to feel better and more like she was capable since she considered motherhood to be her biggest failure. Making him happy each time they spent time together helped her to feel as though she might not have been a bad mother if she'd had the chance.

As her gaze drifted across the tundra while deciding which direction go next she caught sight of a pale figure approaching. It wasn't until he'd gotten a little closer that she recognized him. Cheedo remembered that he had been at the Hearthwood border when she'd gone to deliver the news of Mittani. She still missed her White Knight sometimes even as angry as she was with him for what he did. She didn't resent any of the wolves involved for what happened to him, he'd made his choice and knew what could happen. The only one she could blame was Mittani so when she realized who was approaching her tail swayed gently behind her.

The only contact she'd had with the river wolves besides Lorcan was that day so it pleased her that she had run into the male. It would give her a chance to get to know at least one of their members a little better. She also didn't feel so nervous around him as she might had this been her first meeting with him. “It is good to see you again as well, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name the last time we met.” It wasn't surprising that she hadn't as it was a tense time but now she felt would be a good time to learn his name.

The unprovoked attack had left a sour taste in his mouth, even after the rogue was removed from Whitestone. He often blamed the death of his son on the attack, although he could not be certain that it had caused the boy to be born a stillborn. Relations remained neutral with their northern neighbours, but Lachesis was not sure if he could trust them completely. Kisla had wanted to dissolve the alliance immediately and seek out the wolves of Rye. He had not opposed to forging an alliance with the western pack but he wanted answers from Whitestone. They had always been on good terms—Craw and Lachesis had made sure of that; there was no sound reason for an altercation to take place. However, Craw and Morganna had fled the lowlands, which only added to XIX’s suspicions. The ghost had been both surprised and pleased to see Wraith’s reaction to the news, for he appeared just as angry as Lachesis had been when he saw Lilya after the attack. The rogue, one of Craw’s wolves, had been dealt with quickly, making Lachesis more at ease with the Whitestone pack.

Part of him had wanted to scrap the alliance, like Kisla, but he viewed them as a valuable asset. The rock had the best view of the expanse, which meant they were able to track most of the herds that meandered through the north. They were also the closest pack to the Kingswood—if they needed something, like medicine or support, Lachesis did not want to travel two days across the tundra to seek out Wild Rye. Even if the relationship between the two packs wasn’t the same as it was before the attack, Lachesis still wanted to remain neutral out of necessity.

“Lachesis,” he introduced with a small smile, his chartreuse gaze still resting on the small tawny female. There had not been much time for introductions during their previous encounter, aside from her own. “How have things been in Whitestone?” He asked with genuine curiosity, his maw tipping to the side. He did not know how much information the female would be willing to share but it was worth a shot.

The day she'd gone to Hearthwood to deliver the message that Wraith had sent her with she hadn't been proud about it. There were times she wished she could talk to her White Knight and ask him what he was thinking. Why had he done something so cruel especially when he knew the consequences. Even Cheedo understood that Wraith couldn't keep Mittani in the pack after what he'd done. She had been sad to see him go but with the choices he'd made she could not condone it. She had seen the results of the attack on the Hearthwood second and she had known the woman was pregnant. What if it had been her, he had been aggressive with her in the past though he'd never hurt her but what if it all changed.

With Craw and Mittani gone she had to learn to stand on her own and she felt in some way Wraith understood this. Sometimes she had to wonder how much he did know about her, how much Piety actually knew, was it that Roose was whispering in their ears? Cheedo shook her head, she was being paranoid and she knew it. Running into the pale man now was a nice surprise. She hoped he hadn't left a bad impression with him during her visit. She had to keep in mind he didn't know of her ties to Mittani or Craw and part of her hoped he never found out. It had upset Lorcan to find out so she wondered if it would do the same for the river wolf.

“Well it's nice to learn your name,” she said returning the smile he offered. She had taken notice of his gaze remaining on her which cause the small agouti to shift nervously on her feet. She'd never liked it much when others looked at her too long. “They’ve been well,” she responded to his question, “After the winter we had to recover a little as I'm sure most packs did and now the pack seems to be doing much better since the rough time after Craw and Morgana left.” Though she didn't like Roose much she felt they had really helped Whitestone when they had decided to stay. “I hope that Hearthwood has been well? And your second is she doing well?”

Part of him still worried that Mittani was still lurking in the lowlands, waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge upon the wolves that were involved in his exile. He doubted the alabaster rogue would linger—especially with two packs that wanted nothing to do with his presence. It would be foolish of him to stay.

Noting her nervous stance the ghost lowered his gaze as his ears remained pinned forward, brows pursed together. He nodded softly at her response, a small smile tugging at his lips. XIX had worried that the rogue’s removal would had a negative effect on the Whitestone pack. They had already lost their former leaders before banishing Mittani—it was a lot of members to lose within a short span of time. Although relations had been strained between them Lachesis still hoped for their success.

“That is good to hear,” he answered honestly with a low wag of his tail. “How are Piety’s children doing?” He asked, his tongue fuelled by his youthful curiosity as he adopted a sheepish expression. He was not trying to be nosey; he truly was only curious. “Hearthwood has been doing better,” he answered with a shrug, his lips still curved upward. “Yes, Lilya is doing fine. She gave birth to two daughters.” And a son, but he didn’t make it. Lachesis swallowed a frown before it could even tug at his lips. He wanted to believe that the attack had nothing to do with Laddeus’ death, but it was much easier having something (or someone) to blame than having no reason at all.

In the past months since she'd last saw the pale man she felt she'd been improving on those aspects of herself she knew needed it. No longer having Mittani to fall back on she had to become more than what she had been. Even before he had gone, she had wanted to do it for herself and Whitestone. She'd made the choice to he a scout and to do her job well she needed to gain more confidence. Still she was sometimes left feeling nervous about certain things that she couldn't help. She was rather proud of herself that when she noticed his gaze on her a moment too long for her liking she hadn't turned into a trembling mess.

Cheedo was very appreciative when he averted his gaze which helped her relax a little. She suppose until her confidence was really built up she would always have some nervousness. Another thing she was having trouble with was knowing how much to tell the pale man. He was friends with Whitestone but she knew that didn't necessarily mean he should be told everything. So when he asked about Hearthwood he kept it vague letting him know they were okay. That had to be good and then she supposed she would have to figure out the rest.

“Yes, I'm glad things have been going better.” She was cautious to say since Craw and Morgana as that had been the thing to upset Lorcan with her. “Oh, she had a son and he is doing well. So full of energy but that is a puppy for you.” She laughed a little, there were times she wished she had the energy Cyril had. He spoke of Hearthwood and that it was doing better as well as Lilya. “That's happy news all around then,” she said with a wag of her tail. "It seemed the spring once it finally arrived brought good fortune to both of our packs.” She tilted her head to the side in thought for a moment before speaking once more. “As you know I am the scout for Whitestone, well actually scout in training. Anyway,” she pawed the ground, one of her nervous habits, “I've been out here scouting and was wondering of you might have a suggestion?” She finally got out as she let her sea green gaze meet his.

Much had changed for both the northern packs since the unexpected and unprovoked attack. The Whitestone wolves had lost their founding leaders but remained steady, as both Wraith and Piety seemed like capable leaders. XIX had gotten a good vibe from the dark male during their meeting with Craw and Lilya; he was not surprised to see him talk the helm after Craw’s departure. While the pale mother remained a mystery to the ghost, he had also gotten a good impression from her, even despite the grim circumstances of their meeting.

Hearthwood remained stable, acquiring a few members before the arrival of their litters. With more mouths to feed they needed every capable hunter, especially while the mothers were out of commission. He sympathized with both Lilya and Inna, for he knew they were quick to grow restless. They moved about more now that the cubs grew more independent and could be left alone for a few hours. Although those few hours were usually dedicated to mischief…

The ghost nodded softly in agreement, his lips curling softly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he chuffed in response, his tail swaying in amusement. “That is good news indeed,” he agreed quickly, his forehead smoothing as his shoulders relaxed. Although things had been tense between their packs Lachesis truly was happy to hear that their western neighbours were doing well.

“A suggestion?” His head tipped the side, a single brow raised as he studied the small scout. “Is there anything you’re looking for in particular?” He had been keeping an eye on the herd that the Rye wolves had told him about when he dropped off herbs for Jessie, but was that what Cheedo was after? “How far west have you gone?”

With her new pack that seemed to be so much better than when she'd first joined it was time for her to move on from the past. This role she'd chosen for herself was her way of doing that. Forcing herself into uncomfortable situations so that she could become comfortable with them. Already she felt she was doing better but it was a process but she didn't feel her nickname was accurate anymore. It had been what Craw had called her and it had stuck with her but now she wasn't as fragile as she once had been.

It had been hard the first months as the pack recovered from losing so many but now they had gotten a few new members. Then Cyril was born and with him she felt it was a sign that the pack would be okay. Perhaps as the year passed they would acquire even more members. Cheedo wasn't sure she was completely comfortable with that but she felt it could help her.

Puppies were a topic that had once been hard for the former mother since she'd lost her but time with Cyril had helped. She still thought of them often but didn't feel haunted by them. “I think I would be worried if they weren't little ball of energy.” She didn't have to worry about that with Cyril as he was always ready for an adventure. She couldn't wait for the day when he would be big enough to leave the territory and go scouting with her. ”After so much bad it's nice to have good news. I think it helps the pack to feel better about the future.”

She didn't know if he could help but she felt that he might know of some places that she could scout out and return with information for Wraith and Pi, at the very least practice her skills. She nodded, “Places mostly, I need to learn the land and I thought scouting out different places would help,” she explained. Since arriving in the lore she hadn't traveled too far from the Monadnock so there was plenty of land to learn. “Not far to be honest, I only arrived in the lore just before winter and the snow kept me from traveling to far and I stayed close to the Monadnock while Piety was pregnant and then after while her son was still very young.”