Hearthwood River this ship is sailing without me

He had left the domain only to return, his feet set with more than just a vague direction to follow the sun. Cottongrass had provided ample direction to this "Hearthwood River" - the pack where his brother supposedly lived - directions which seemed like he'd heard them yesterday, despite their separation being months ago. Strange how time passed - stranger still, how the white ghost had disappeared with such haste after he had discovered just who it was that Rayza sought. The peculiar behaviour made him nervous and was why he had chosen to meander the winter to every place but to the very pack and brother he sought.

Because what if Aytigin was just another dead end?

It was a thought Rayza couldn't afford to be true - he needed Aytigin to be something more than he was, though at this point, he couldn't quite remember why this was so important. Only that it was - that somewhere, his father still lurked, still watched, and that one day, Rayza would rise at last and prove to Ajay that he had always been wrong.

Only, if Aytigin wasn't a dead end, this place sure was. The scent of any pack who had once laid claim to the lofty forest ran stale. At first he'd lingered near the borders, circumspect to test his fate, then touched a gutsy step over the faded line where the pack used to run. Now he strode with an agitated step through the very heart of what used to be Hearthwood River, past another countless stream, with no fresh scent but the touch of a vagrant here and there. The pack themselves - well, they were gone - that much was obvious - just another failure to place upon his growing mound.

scouting dem 1/3

She felt strange, heading back to the northern woods to visit her birthplace. It had almost been a month since she had last walked among the towering cedar giants, despite calling the place home for nine months it felt as though she was visiting for the first time. The trees were no longer familiar; instead they were strangers, watching her with idle eyes. A lump had formed in the back of her throat as she continued forward, her ears pressed flat against her silky fur. She had offered to go looking for their missing healer, who had been sent back to Hearthwood to collect herbs but had yet to return. While her father had been hesitant at first Lavender had begged and pleaded with the older Stark in order to convince him. She claimed she wouldn’t be gone longer than a few days and intended to keep her promise. The girl simply wanted to poke her nose around for André’s scent and report back to her father (and pack) as quickly as possible.

His scent had led north, as expected, but it had grown faint over time. Which only added to her worry. A soft frown caressed her features as she continued along, her steps cautious and deliberate as she moved through the woods.

An unfamiliar scent, however, caught her attention. Instinctively the fur on the back of her neck stood on end, her hackles rising as she glanced around nervously. A trespasser! But these lands did not belong to the river wolves anymore. The wolf, whoever he was, was free to travel through the towering cedars as he pleased. Just as she was. She blinked, her shoulders falling as she took a step forward, her nose lifted to locate the scent. Hello? Maybe they had seen André pass through the forest… 

He continued through, charting a dead-end course through the maze in a vain hope he would find some clue he could seize and follow. Surely they were here somewhere - but even that prospect felt dim. He knew how one stupid decision could eradicate an entire pack in the blink of a night, and the only thing that kept him from following that thought further was the lack of bones littering the ground. He would have seen and smelt the evidence by now. Mass graves were a hard thing to hide when there were no wolves left alive to hide them. But, as far as he could tell, this land might have been deserted, but was otherwise completely and utterly normal.

Rayza scuffed the ground a little harder than needed and sent a wayward tuft of grass into the river beside him. This was useless. Maybe he would be better off turning around, and he prepared to, when the lift of a feminine voice, youthful and questioning, wove between the trees. She came from behind, and the boy spun to face her. He squinted and blinked against the shadows. Though she still trekked a distance off, he could see stark fur clear enough through the space between the sparse trunks. and he flared his nostrils to catch her scent, but the wind carried from her and concealed her allegiance from him. Not that her scent would have mattered much - he hardly knew the aroma of any pack here, and the faded marks of Hearthwood River didn't leave much to work from.

He could leave her - he didn't think she'd seen him yet, and he figured he could make a clean enough getaway - or, perhaps she could help him. He didn't need to think about that decision, and called back, "Hello," and tried to grin through the insufferable boyishness that still edged his vernacular.

The corners of her mouth grew heavy as she scanned her surroundings, her legs trembling softly beneath her. Perhaps heading off on her own hadn’t been the smartest idea… maybe she should have asked @Lilliana to join her… her obnoxious sister always gave her a boost of confidence. But it was too late now—she was on her own and she had already called out to the mysterious figure. Had wolves already moved into the territory? They had only be gone… what? A few weeks? Her frown deepened.

Hello. The voice caused her brows to snap up into her forehead; her legs growing stiff beneath her as she stared through the trees, seeking the origin of the voice. It sounded… young; not threatening at all. But it was still a stranger, which meant she shouldn’t let her guard down so quickly. Not until she got some information out of the loner, whoever he was. Um, she started lamely as she struggled to find her voice, you… you lookin’ for something? Good job, Lav. She took a hesitant step toward the russet wolf in the distance, her neck craned forward as she tried to get a better look at him… 

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

Even with the length between them, the girl's voice and posture betrayed her. She didn't budge more than a short step toward him, choosing instead, or so Rayza assumed, to try and close some distance with the crane of her neck. Perhaps to size him up best she could while the buffer remained between them - though if she caught anything through the tangle, Rave imagined she would be met with the scent of pine and of spruce and of the cold Northern wind, but nothing useful to her.

"Something?" The Delaney repeated. The twitch of his mouth stayed despite her nervousness. He felt no apprehension toward her. She was a girl, after all, a pretty young thing - or so he guessed. He couldn't really see her all that clearly yet, but she seemed to be void of any major and obvious deformity that would mar her otherwise. "Someone." He corrected, and turned a casual step toward her place among the cedars. How much did she want to know? How much would be useful to give? A name was his best option - but his tongue stuck on the way Cottongrass had reacted when he had uttered Aytigin's, and he stopped, mid-stride, and mid-thought. "My brother." His ears turned in the briefest uncertainty before he pitched them forward again with the mask of confidence he wore. "You lookin' for something?" After all, there must have been a reason shy that was the question she had asked.

Her brows pulled tight as the stranger corrected her—someone—causing her curiosity to spike. The little Stark couldn’t help but wonder if Inna was still lurking around Hearthwood; maybe the loner was seeking her out? Or, maybe, the young male was looking for a member of Hearthwood Driftwood? My brother.

Oh.

Her expression softened and became more neutral; friendly. He could be of use to her, so she wanted him to be able to trust her. But, before she could speak, he returned the question to her. Slowly, she nodded, a small smile appearing on her dark lips. There was no point in hiding anything from the yearling—not if she wanted his help. Someone, she answered honestly, her tail swaying gently behind her. A member of my pack. We, uh, used t’live here. He was sent back to retrieve items from our old medical den but he hasn’t returned yet. The smile she wore quickly dipped into a worried frown, her ears sinking as she spoke. André. You haven’t seen him, have you? Tawny, green eyes… Her nose tipped to the side as she studied him, her smile returning once more. Who’s your brother? She asked, her voice filled with youthful curiosity. It’d be easier to help him with a name.

Rayza hadn't known if his approach would strengthen the girl's nerves and send her flying, so the smile she cast him was a welcome sight. His smile warmed a touch, reaching his eyes. Perhaps he should have been wary - not every wolf could be trusted, after all - but this girl seemed sweet. Besides, he liked to think himself competent enough to determine when a wolf was out to trick and beguile, and when they were not.

When she spoke, Rayza's mouth followed the fall of hers. So they were both missing someone - and perhaps that explained why she had so suddenly seemed to soften toward him. Empathy could do that to a wolf - but though his heart felt for her, Rayza could only shake his head. "Can't say I have. Sorry." A thread of his own hope sizzled with his words, and a part of him hoped he wouldn't have to face the same confession from her - but it looked like it was his turn anyway. Rayza shifted his weight, uncertain he wanted to go there, yet he had no excuse to avoid the question. Nothing logical, anyway. "His name's Aytigin." He glanced sidelong, voice casual, though his mouth felt parched with nerves. "Don't know what he looks like." Despite his doubts in speaking a name, he figured her reaction would be telling enough. Even if she ran, he would know to stop his search. Two wolves with bad impressions of the man he was supposed to become would be convincing enough evidence to suggest he just screw whatever Ajay thought and just get on with being, well... he didn't really know, but he'd figure that out, if the girl met him with anything weird.

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2018, 03:23 AM by Rayza.)

A sigh escaped her before she could stop it, her shoulders sagging as the breath had been expelled from her chest. Of course the scarlet male hadn’t seen André—that would just make everything easy. She just hated disappointing her father, and she feared that if she returned without the tawny healer at her side that Lachesis would regret sending his daughter to track their missing packmate. She kicked at the ground absently, a frustrated frown rolling onto her pale maw. She wasn’t frustrated with him—he hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t run into the healer. Lavender was just frustrated that she wasn’t going to be able to complete her task.

However, as the yearling spoke once more, the pale Stark’s head snapped up. Aytigin. Wait—she knew that name! She knew that wolf! Her tail swept behind her as her expression softened, a small smile replace her previous scowl. Aytigin is your brother? She’d kind of forgotten that other wolves had siblings too. Don’t know what he looks like. Her face contorted at this. How d’you not know what he looks like? An amused giggle tumbled off her cherry tongue, her head twisting from side to side. Her failed quest had been (temporarily) forgotten, for she was more amused by the yearling standing in front of her.

Her deflation made him want to take back his words, but there was nothing he could, nor would, do to change them. After all, he wasn't about to lie to the girl and send her on a wild goose chase just because he didn't want to feel like the bad guy in this. Rayza counted himself above that - and surely that scratched a sliver of something good into his otherwise blackened slate.

The girl's sense of loss vanished, however, and her shift brought Rayza's eyes to flick a touch wider. His mind delayed to register her words in full - she was already laughing by the time they clicked: Aytigin is your - wait - "brother! Yes!" A wide smile broke his face and he bounced a step toward her, tail sweeping with a vigor he hadn't felt since - heck, he didn't even know when. But the bundle of nerves and excitement and nauseous uncertainty exploded in his chest, and he rolled her tease off his shoulders with a humoured roll of his eyes - more to berate himself for not being clear in the first place. "Well, I haven't actually met him." He punctuated with the breath of a laugh and returned his gaze to her, even warmer than before. This was what he wanted - what he'd been looking for - and the girl's response absolutely reinforced that. Cottongrass' reaction... as far as Rayza was concerned, that was inconsequential now. There had always been something off about that wolf, hadn't there? "But you can bring me to him, right?"