Limestone Bluff used to dream of outer space

For @Trisden
She's about 2-3 weeks pregnant so smells of her condition but there are no visible changes yet
April 19th, 6C, Cloudy, 7:45AM

Aponi had always held an affinity for heights, something that may have been passed down through her genetics. She was born of a mountain king and queen after all. Even now deep within the thick Cedarwoods she found herself on the highest elevation that she could find. The sun had risen within the last hour though it was hard to tell behind the thick cloud cover that grasped the sky, leaving the trees below murky and uninviting. Silver tail swished behind the woman in annoyance as the blue eyes swept over the ground from her advantage point. At the bottom of the bluff were pits large enough to walk through perhaps if one was interested in starving alone beneath the earth. The Aquila was not.

No she preferred the sky. The open air and the ability to see what was coming before what was coming could possibly see her. Though no advantage point no matter how high could have let her seen that even so late in her heat she would be able to conceive. This was what led her on this fools mission, a wild goose chase. She had to find Drestig and make him pay for the insult he had doled upon her so thoughtlessly, she was not a wolf to be crossed. Her chances of finding him on this scouting trip were slim to none, but then again those were her odds last time and she managed just fine.

Still even some information about his whereabouts would be enough. Her full plan would not be put into action until the children she carried were old enough to travel, then she would make him pay. Now she just set out to find where he lay, she would let him be happy and play house for a while yet. Tail twitched one more time as the Aquila snorted turning away from the bluff, she could see no movement below and no visible landmarks to guide her through the murk. This time she would have to be unprepared, something she hated to be.

Trisden will be about the same, pregnancy-wise, maybe a little bit further along :) Sorry for the wait!

Her time was almost up, she could feel it. There was an itch in her toes which she knew very well, the same itch she felt whenever letting herself fall idle for too long. Trisden was not a wolf who enjoyed relaxation, who was prone to procrastination, and yet here she could do nothing but; extra to requirements and unable to emotionally entangle herself with the current incarnation of Grizzly Hollow (save for the relatively shallow interactions with its current members) she kept a careful distance between herself and the pack. She even hesitated to let @Hocus in too close, not that her brother was particularly clingy anyway, so they were both guilty of it.

She had already decided to ask him to come back with her when she left, which would be any day now. Sooner rather than later. Her belly was beginning to swell, and she thought of the journey back with hesitation; it had not been difficult, but her condition had been significantly less inhibitive only a month ago. Her safety and efficient travel would be assured with him by her side, and she found that she trusted him implicitly despite the years spent apart. Ultimately, he had not really changed from the young man she'd once known, and for that she found herself grateful.

Prowling through the woods, trying to keep herself active and limber lest she get complacent about her changing body's capabilities, Trisden had spotted a shape standing high on the nearby bluffs. Identifying the silhouette as that of a wolf, Trisden had watched it from below out of nothing but idle, meaningless curiosity, likely hidden from view herself as she lay under the cover of a low-hanging cedarwood branch, peeking up through the needles. When the shape disappeared, she indulged in the just-as-meaningless urge to heave herself up and plod around the limestone bluffs towards the winding path that she always used to get up it. Stood at the bottom, it took a few moments of searching before her eyes caught sight of that same silhouette, high up, and an ear twisted forwards in casual interest.

She'd seen a careless wolf fall down it before, and thought it might prove amusing to see a repeat. Not that she knew anything about the stranger's sure-footedness. Settling her haunches down in the grass, this time choosing a spot which would be easily seen from the top of the bluffs (and well within vocal range with enough effort), Trisden chose to pass these next few minutes as an uncalled-for spectator.

ugh sorry for the wait! -is slow-

It took some time before Aponi spotted motion down below but her ears instantly strained forward in response, senses on edge. The stranger moved only to sit within eyesight and seemed to stare intently back at her, curious. Still the to-be mother was able to gain some information using her other senses, leathery nose twitching to identify the wolf as a female, and more surprisingly pregnant. Blue eyes narrowed as she attempted to seek out a bump but was met with nothing, early along then. She also carried the scent of a pack but not the one of Samuel and it contained not hints of Drestig or Jessie. Disappointing but just because she did not smell of them didn't mean she did not know of them or their whereabouts.

Barking out a brief greeting and acknowledgement Aponi turned quickly from the bluff. The silver woman made quick work of the winding path down to the forest below, paws agile as always on the stone. She didn't slow until the muted tawny woman came back into view and then the jog turned into a light trot until she halted within a few metres. Close enough for comfortable conversation but far enough not to cross any personal boundaries. Typically Aponi would not be so polite to strangers but this mission needed to be handled delicately. Nobody was going to hand over the information she wanted to demands of strangers, instead she needed to be on proper behaviour.

Dipping her head in respects to the other the woman murmured, "Names Cora, I was just passing through." Again an alias, a different one than she had given Samuel. Last thing she needed was for him or anyone else she searched for to know she was sniffing around.

it's no problem!

The silhouette seemed to notice her, not that Trisden cared one way or the other. She didn't respond, initially, to the acknowledging bark, waiting to see if the stranger would choose to wind her way down in this direction first or not before wasting her time and effort on unnecessary greeting. As it happened, the descent was uneventful and smooth - not that she was disappointed, of course, that would be sadistic! - and the wolf-on-the-bluffs turned out to be a younger, darker woman, who headed towards Trisden supposedly to continue that small connection they had created.

Trisden welcomed the company with a smile and slow wag of her tail against the ground as she sat there, happy for the diversion and for the stranger's respectful demeanor. The space left between them was quite comfortable. Trisden's ears perked at the woman's easy introduction, and dipped her own head in polite acknowledgement. She was quite in the mood for a casual, formal and entirely meaningless interaction. So, name plus immediate purpose, was it? She could roll with that. "Trisden Lyall. I was just resting my ass after a crappy night's sleep."

Okay, maybe not that formal.

The other woman greeted her warmly enough, with a wagged tail and a return of pleasantries at least, somewhat pleasant. The words brought forth a snort she could not hold in and a small smile. Truth be told she had been sleeping better since slipping past the borders of the Bend than she had in months. Her pregnancy added some strange side effects such as vivid dreams and frequent urination but besides that she truly woke up more rested. Aponi had always been this way, born with restless paws she found herself stir crazy when she resided within the territory for too long. Her previous injuries and then her pregnancy had certainly put a damper on her typical daily escapes but no matter, she was here now.

The Aquila followed the older woman's lead and eased onto her haunches before continuing down into casual position. Her belly reached the dirt and paws slid out in front of her with ease. Blue eyes quickly looked over Trisden, the pale coat looked nothing like Samuel's but then again her own coat looked nothing like her mother or father's. Her true intention had been to ask if she had known of the whereabouts of Drestig and Jessie but the surname she had provided changed things. Feigning interest 'Cora' smiled, "Why I used to have a friend in a Lyall, Samuel, perhaps you've heard of him? I would love to catch up if he's in the area." This woman before her smelled nothing of him, not like the fae on the mountain had but this meant little. Samuel was not her main objective anyways.

As Cora had approached, the scent which accompanied her offered the same hints that Trisden now recognised all too well in her own. Not that she had been wary before, but knowing that they were both in such a... how to put it... delicate state make Trisden feel somewhat more confident in this encounter, because neither of them would be likely to risk their wellbeing. If anything, though, it just meant that the Lyall felt comfortable letting down her hair and not feeling so forced into politeness. Whatever show she put on for loners at the Reach was hardly necessary here, because like hell was she gonna recruit some random-ass wolf all the way out here and drag them home when she left. Similarly, she wasn't about to put any effort in to bolster the Hollow's numbers, either. Was this what it felt like to be a lone wolf? It was strangely liberating.

The novelty would wear off quickly, though, she knew.

Cora sat, and together the mothers-to-be assessed each other, the tone of their conversation fairly well set already. If Trisden had hoped to escape the burdens of her family in these short moments, though, it would not be so; while she had offered her name proudly, it surprised her that Cora seemed to recognise it. Maybe Grizzly Hollow wasn't quite as much of a joke as she'd assumed. But that thought was dismissed almost immediately. "Not in these woods," she shrugged. "Maybe he's from some off-shoot. Brothers always leaving, finding random women in spring, having kids, who knows how many branches of Lyall there are out there. He do something wrong by you? Ain't apologising on behalf of some distant-ass relative."

There was something about this Trisden that Aponi liked, it was probably the confident exterior and the sarcastic attitude. She was the kind of wolf that the Aquila might not detest to be around for a long period of time but recruitment certainly wasn't the goal of her travels. The news that Samuel didn't reside within the woods wasn't surprising to the expectant mother as the other woman didn't carry his scent. The pregnant woman from the mountain on the other hand was a completely different story. Suddenly it struck her exactly how many pregnant wolves were wondering around these parts, what the hell happened this spring?

Once more Trisden's words caused Aponi to chuckle, "I barely apologize for myself, let alone my relatives." Shaking her head softly she gave a brief explanation, "Did nothing more than cause my current predicament and run off, though from the sounds of it that may not be uncommon with the Lyall men" The words were laced with sarcasm and once more the expectant woman found herself not caring that the man would not be involved. Her pups didn't need a father, especially not one who sneaks around in the middle of the night impregnating women and then disappearing. Aponi couldn't admit her own fault in the situation and probably never would.

Shrugging her shoulder indifferently she spoke once more, "Truly doesn't matter though, the reason I came over the mountain was searching for deserters not for him. You haven't seen a Drestig or Jessie running around these parts have you?" Normally she wouldn't have said something quite so accusatory but she liked this Trisden and sensed she wouldn't care that she was head hunting.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health