Sanguine Cove feet don't fail me now

Aquene had spent the morning preparing for her journey. She had taken a fresh meal from the caches in order to sate her hunger, not anticipating doing much hunting along the way and she prepared the herbs that she was planning on bringing as a peace offering for the Backwater, just as they had used to trade herbs before. She had to admit, the more she thought about the journey, the more a pit formed in her stomach. She wished that she had never had to do this… that the Valle girl had never gotten anywhere near the lake. Even now, she hesitated to let Eclypse near it, fearing that she might fall in and join her in the watery abyss.

She knew there was a natural danger in the water just as there was beauty… a part of her even knew their home to be cursed… both were hard pills for her to swallow.

She placed the bundle in her mouth, wrapped up carefully to be carried for the long journey without degrading the capabilities of the herbs. The last thing she wanted to do was show up ill-suited. Her mind wandered to Magg and Galen, wondering if they were okay… she hoped to get answers about them too… if things went well, she’d be able to ask Clover if they had seen them.

And so, not entirely at ease with this decision she had made, she made her way towards the borders to depart.

Aquene Slayer

Nash knew Aquene was making preparations. They hadn't discussed her journey much since their last conversation about it, but it hung over them - or, hung over nash - like a dark cloud. They were used to wolves disappearing, but with Magg's extended absence, Leo's injury, and his story of how they'd been separated... letting his wife out of the safety of his borders was... difficult, to say the least. Nash could feel her departure building over the last several days, and when he woke to find her not at his side he rose and trotted along their borders, hoping to catch her and make one last attempt at either delaying her journey or taking someone with her.

He spotted her dark form against the snow and called out to her, picking up his pace to intercept her path. He had half a mind to simply try to block her exit, for all the good that would do. Still he slowed as he reached her, ears half back with the nerves. "My love," he said both in greeting and title as he bumped his head against hers before stepping back and looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please." He didn't know what else there was to say.

If she were honest, a part of her did not want to go… a part of her simply wanted to take the loss and rest against her mate… avoiding all… avoiding the failure that they had endured when the Valle girl had fallen through the ice and died on their watch. She was aware it was a failure, one that as a parent she could not imagine truly earning forgiveness for… perhaps that was why she paused when he pleaded with her, a sadness in her eyes as his head bumped against her shoulders. She would shift and brush her cheek against his.

“We have to do something… I cannot leave things the way that they are in good consciousness…” Not when they carried fault and blame for what happened. There had to be some sort of reparations to ease some of the pain, even if she knew it would never be released entirely. “What if it had been Magg? Or Matos? We would want answers too… we would want… I just… I can’t imagine their pain, but as a healer I want to ease it, however I can.”

Aquene Slayer