she did not know how this happened. it happened, that was the thing but she seemed to have no control over it. perhaps it was fate. perhaps it was the gods' will. one stormy night a few days prior, a bird had crashed into the side of her den. she found the thing drenched and hurt but could not end its suffering. taking it inside, Heloise tended to it and nursed it back to health. that was days ago, however. the moment she deemed it was acceptable for the bird to fly home, it did not leave. staring at her through dark eyes, she seemed to come to the understanding it wanted to remain. Heloise had never had a familiar before. she always assumed the beastmasters took years to train their companions, yet here was the gyrfalcon following her. it listened when she spoke. it bobbed its head in understanding. still recovering from the crash, it took to riding on her shoulder as she walked around Winterfell. she did not know what to name him, or if he had a name already. the creature did not speak in her tongue. rising to the deck of the ship, she went in search of a wolf who had companions to explain this to her. if she was in possession of this bird, she wanted to know how to care for him. the ivory woman lifted her head and called softly into the depths. surely someone would answer her? "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

She had been a bit on the more scarce end of the spectrum since uncle had claimed this land. She had been very busy with the very detailed design of her den. Built beside her brother's den, with a series of different tunnels to lead to other spots. She had made a room specifically for her herb storage, one room for her and her companions, and one room for any patients that she needed to treat. There was several entrance and exits to make it suitable in case of any sort of emergency, most of the entrance/exits had been well hidden. Now this series of den rooms and tunnels had taken her quite a bit of time to construct and had kept her busy. She also now traveled as a trio, her luck had gained her a second companion a battle worn boar that was small for his species, but a very skilled fighter. Boris had needed some healing when she had found him and while tending to him and showing him that she would not eat him, they developed a bond. She had also found a way to sharpen Boris' tusks to make them much more deadly when he used them. She had found that Boris was also a very useful watch pig, whose squealing could be heard for miles. It was an unlikely pair for a wolf to have, but Actaea was fond of both animals. She found she could trust them much easier then her own kind and the fact she had been able to successfully heal both animals proved her worth as a healer. Now that her dens were done and Boris was healed, the trio was exploring the territory that held the ship. Boris now carried her saddlebags and Lorenzo clung to the thick fur on her neck. It was only by chance that she was there at the time that the fellow pack member had called out. Feeling in a rather good mood she decided it was time to mingle with the rest of the pack and becoming aware of who the others are. With a light bark to Boris together the trio headed towards the call. As they approached the ship Actaea's molten gaze caught the sight of an Ivory wolf and she would bark out before the three climbed aboard to meet her. speech action

the gyrfalcon would screech softly to alert her before the bark did. Heloise's eyes sought the frame of a young woman, two familiars in two. a small boar and a opossum. though a youth, perhaps a year less than the ivory woman, the girl was more in tune than her awkward handling of the falcon so far. her head dipped in greeting as they climbed the ship, approaching her. "greetings" she was polite as usual. though she knew not the relationship between this girl and the king of Winterfell, she could detect a faint smell of Acere on her. the gyrfalcon screeched his own form of greeting to the boar and the opossum. he could easily carry away the little marsupial, he remained at Heloise's shoulder and nary glanced at it. she had been feeding him small chunks from the prey pile, attempting to tame him slowly; she assumed it worked in other ways. he would only eat what his mistress provided him. "my name is Heloise" she would introduce herself after the familiar "pardon, but you seem very adept at caring for your companions" she marveled at how healthy they both were "I have just obtained one, you see. may I ask a few questions?" "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara