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For @Borlla. Cori is approaching MG territory from the North, though is still a few miles from the borders. She would have been calling off and on as she traveled so as to not surprise anybody when she did arrive.

Gone Tomorrow

@Triell would not be pleased with her, of that, Corinna was more than certain. Overhead, barren tree branches crisscrossed a dark sky. What little sunlight winter had provided was long gone now, only to return briefly in the upcoming days. But these were not the trees of Oak Tree Bend, or even of the greater Spectral Woods. The pack leader had left the familiar behind and had set out north, unable to ignore her need for answers any more.

It had been almost an entire season since Cori had bid @Ice and @Merlin goodbye. The pair had left together to track down @Cali, with every intention of bringing her home. But the days had grown shorter and the wind had grown colder, and now that winter was well and truly here, there was no sight of the trio. Which to Cori could only mean one thing - that something had happened that was keeping them apart from the pack. @Kisla, too, had left - never returning from the scouting mission she had left on at Corinna's request. Anxiety plagued the silver she-wolf, and it had taken all of her willpower to force herself to seek out of her loved ones, even if it meant leaving others behind.

Corinna had made clear that she would be gone a maximum of three days. Her sons had all been told, as had her fellow leader. Despite her desire to find answers, she was not cruel enough to leave them wondering where she was, just as Corinna wondered every day what had happened to her pack mates. So far, though, the trail had been cold.

There had been no trail to follow, really, but instinct had led her north. Initially, she had skirted the borders of Magnolia Glen, where Borlla lived with her family, but after a full day of turning up no sight or clue of where her pack mates had gone, Corinna had decided to call for help. She had been calling out every couple of hours all morning, hoping that she would be heard and that Borlla was on her way. Corinna had not heard a reply, but she wasn't entirely sure how far off she still was, and could only hope that somebody had heard her and would meet her before she reached the pack's borders.

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Somewhere off in the distance, Borlla had heard the calls of her sister-in-law, Corinna. There was one every so often, closer and closer. Worry picked at Borlla until it reached its terminus when Corinna called out at their borders. With little hesitation, Borlla was on her paws, making the journey between the dens and the border as short as possible. It had been some time since she'd spoken to Corinna. In fact, the last time they'd exchanged words was when they'd made up. Nothing really connected them now, save for the elder woman's offspring, but Borlla still considered her "sister". Maybe it was an attempt to stifle the guilt she still occasionally felt, but she did care for the woman, especially since mutual dislike of a certain man now linked them together.

Slowing her pace as she came upon the borders, she searched for Corinna for a moment, adjusting her path to meet the earthy woman. <b style="color:#32527a">"I've heard you howling. What's going on?" Out of breath, Borlla crossed the border to meet Corinna, tail waving over her back in a friendly greeting, though it seemed their meeting would be much different than it was last time. She felt somewhat awful for being utterly clueless to the situation. Many, if not most, of the wolves in Oak Tree Bend were her blood, and though they lived so close, she had not made the journey to say hello to them in ages. Not that her accident, nor the terrible winter helped much. She did have her own family and pack to worry over.<b style="color:#32527a">

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Gone Tomorrow

Corinna's howls had not been in vain. Though she stayed clear of the border, it didn't take long for Borlla to reach her. Where before Corinna had greeted her "sister" with disdain, their last meeting had helped to alleviate the long standing tension between them, so now Borlla was greeted with a smile and a wag of the tail. The younger woman crossed over the borders and met her on neutral ground, and Corinna took a few steps forward to further close the distance. Dipping her head out of respect, she winced at Borlla's concerned tone. She hadn't meant to worry Borlla though, and so when she spoke, she tried to alleviate that.

"Borlla," she began, lifting her head to look her sister in the eye. "I apologize to come barging in on your now, I just wanted your help. Maybe your pack's too. I'm looking for someone, or rather someones," she tried to explain, though it all kind of came out in a rush, leaving her breathless as she finished. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, hoping that this time, she would be able to actually explain what she was doing here. "I'm looking for my daughter, Kisla. She's my oldest, almost three now, looks like a lighter colored version of me, really. She went out on a scouting mission, wanted to look for food since our usual hunting grounds are emptying. That was a while ago, a couple of weeks - she hasn't come back."

The leader fell silent, the realization that Kisla was gone hitting her like a wrecking ball ton of a bricks as she made it real with her words. Now that Corinna had admitted it, there was no more opportunity to deny it. Shoulders hunching, her eyes looked downward and she slowly shook her head from side to side. "I was hoping....I was hoping she might have passed by here."

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Glancing over the elder woman, Borlla realized that she didn't seem to be in any kind of distress. Her own tail wagged tentatively, a careful smile upon her face, though it could not eliminate the distress that had been in her voice. Her own head dipped slightly, but she quickly brought her eyes up to Corinna's face, curious and nervous at the same time. When the woman began to speak, Borlla wondered why she wasn't more panicked. Someone was missing? She took in a sharp breath, ears pressed forward determined to capture every word that spilled from her lips. Her tail fell, some unconscious action as Corinna's words really sank in. The name was familiar, though without Corinna's helpful words, she wouldn't have been able to picture a face.

The pale woman's honeyed eyes followed Corinna's figure as she slumped, the smile that had made itself known upon her face just a moment ago gone, disturbed by this news. Sighing, Borlla could only shake her head. <b style="color:#32527a">"I'm afraid I haven't seen any signs of her. We've had so many loners at our borders lately, I fear that any trace of her might've been covered up." There were traces of fury in her voice, her lips pulling back for a moment before slacking. Borlla thought for a moment, trying to recall anything that might've indicated a familiar presence. But there was nothing. <b style="color:#32527a">"Do you think she could've gotten trapped on the mountain?" She wasn't particularly eager to broach that subject, for the damnable crags of Mount Dire weren't friendly in the winter, let alone any time. She gave her head a slight shake, as if the idea were foolish. <b style="color:#32527a">"I can keep an eye out. I'll alert the pack as well." <b style="color:#32527a">

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Gone Tomorrow

Corinna had known from the beginning that it was a long shot. If she had really wanted to have any chance of tracking down her daughter, she should have left as soon as Kisla's absence has surpassed a week. But the leader had remained frozen at home, anxiously hoping that her daughter would return to her without the need to go searching. But Borlla's fallen smile and the shake of her head was enough to convince Corinna that her search was in vain. Her sister-in-law's words only cemented it.

The matriarch's ears flattened against her head, and she whined softly. The mountain was the worst place to be this time of year, and every one of them knew it. Kisla should have known that too. "Maybe," she murmured, not quite willing to admit that Borlla was probably right. Turning her head, Corinna looked over her shoulder, towards the west. She couldn't see it now, but she knew very well the silhouette of the mountain that towered above Relic Lore. "I hope she's alright, wherever she is. Life has not been easy on her," she whispered, her voice just loud enough to be heard.

With a sad sigh, the green-eyed lady turned her head back to look at Borlla. "It would be a long shot to ask if two males, Ice and Merlin, or another female, Cali, came this way, wouldn't it?" It had been months since she had seen the last of her partner and his companion, and even longer since she had seen Cali. "It seems that Oak Tree Bend is not the place to be, this winter. It sounds like your family is growing, though," Cori offered a small half-smile. The extra vigilance on their pack borders might be annoying, but it would be well worth it to have the extra help in surviving the winter.

Sorry :x bad post is bad.

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It was terrible, losing someone you loved. She remembered the betrayal of Weldering; even in her youth, she'd been fond of him, budding puppy love, she supposed. Sometimes she still recalled his blue eyes and felt her heart flutter and then grow cold. Her sisters had gone, Indru had left them, Ruiko had even disappeared and though she had heard rumors of his return, she had given up that hunt months ago after her accident. The last mark of that list was likely Bardou who had so crudely abandoned her when she'd needed him most, when her family left her in the cold...But she was alright now. She didn't even need to remind herself of that, that her life was as good as it had ever been. But that didn't mean she couldn't put herself on Corinna's path, a woman who had probably lost just as much as she had.

Her ears twitched, barely catching the woman's words. Perhaps they weren't the only ones that suffered. The Tainn's seemed cursed with loss, a wanton curse that pulled down even those that did not share their last name. <b style="color:#32527a">"We're a resilient bunch. Wherever she is, I'll bet she's just fine." She kept her tone strong, confident that her niece was in good health. Despite all they'd been through, they were all still alive, right? And regardless of what she wished, was certain that, wherever her more treacherous family resided now, they were still alive, too.

A soft gaze met Corinna's own eyes, ears tipping back as more news came forward. Her shoulders fell a bit, a pained sort of look on her face as she didn't wish to let the agouti woman down again. <b style="color:#32527a">"I can't say I have. Was this...Recently?" She tried to be aware of the borders, especially since she'd been stretching her legs lately by making paths throughout their territory. But other than all the loners about, she hadn't smelled much of Corinna's pack. <b style="color:#32527a">

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