Midsummer – Early Evening – Clear Skies and Cool Thistle had no love for the rumbling earth, or for the fires belching out from deep in its gut, like so much a drunken seafarer. Although the eruptions seemed to have faded from gouts of ash to farts of smoke she still found herself far afield on the northwestern coast. When the weather fouled she retreated into the extensive cave systems she had found in the spring, but most of her days were spent roaming the peninsula to the west and the tundra to the north. Large game was hard to come by, but she was not so proud to turn her nose up at the voles, mice, and rabbits which had sheltered in their own burrows during the calamity. It did not feel close enough to eking out an existence to worry her, however close it might be, so Thistle roamed on. She considered herself good company, and she should know, seeing as she was the only company to be had most days. Boredom did not come easily to someone with such a lively wit as hers, she often thought, often bordering on self-congratulation with no one available to check her ego. No one to nag her about burs in her coat, no one to chastise her for scaling dangerous heights, no one to tell her that she was being an ass for spooking what sparse herds she did come across for no reason other than jealousy. Mice were quite delicious, after all. She should know, having eaten hundreds of them since the onset of the thaw. She was simply ensuring others got to experience such joy themselves. It was a favor to them. Honest. Although the sky was often choked in smog, a westerly wind had blown in several days past and left the region shockingly bright and refreshed. She could almost convince herself that the disaster had passed and while perhaps that was true, she wasn’t keen on setting her expectations any higher than was strictly necessary for her survival. Clear skies or not it was still cooler than summer ought to be, and the bears who had left hibernation a season past had found the landscape sparse. They were as grumpy now as they were a moon ago, and she had run into several young sows and boars she would have traded her tail to avoid. It was almost enough to push her south again, and yet… She huffed, settling down onto her haunches and staring out over the landscape from her paltry vantage point. The esker was no grand elevation by any means, but one of the few high points to be found amongst bogs and boulder fields. She’d not be surprised again any time soon, thank you very much. A bear had wandered through far in the distance, and she’d spotted a wolverine two days past from the same look out, but no wolves. It had been almost a fortnight since speaking to a member of her own kind, and while Thistle was in no hurry to break her streak, she wouldn’t pass up a chance to take news from farther inland. She’d had a robust midday meal after all, (one singular hare,) so all she had left to do with her day was laze about and watch the clouds floating by.

Harbringr continued his tour of the north. It was fascinating to see this unfamiliar landscape. The different flora and fauna and the new smells. All in all the north seemed to be the one region that hadn't suffered as must devastation as the rest of the land. As a bonus the skies were mostly clear for once. He enjoyed seeing the blue again, a color he didn't realize he could miss so much. The sun was beaming down, doing its best to make up for lost time. Ari, the macaque, settled down next to him to take in the sunlight for a moment before the duo moved on.

As he journeyed he caught sight of the entrance to a cave system. Oh? Now that was worth checking out. Hopefully, there weren't any bears that could be a problem. Harbringr neared the cave and thought he noticed something near the entrance. "Hello?" He called out.

I have toured the endless starlight…

It was a shot in the dark but Aerndis was running out of ideas. Perhaps Legion had headed north where the damage of the volcano was less severe. But how was she going to search the entire north. Perhaps it was about time for a change in strategy. Maybe she just needed to start going door to door, visiting every pack she could finds and see then if she could get news of where Legion had settled. Aerndis certainly didn't think they disbanded. Legion was too tough for that.

Rudolph soared above her, letting out a joyful cry that brought a smile to her face. Clear skies at last. She could almost cry at the sight of them. A beautiful summer day though she had no idea if this temperature was normal for the north or not. She'd guess that, like most everywhere, the ash haze that clung to the sky kept things cooler than they normally would have been.

A dark shape caught her eye as she spied the opening of a cave and standing near it was a white wolf. Maybe he'd know something. She trotted quickly toward them. "Hello! Excuse me, sir?"

Thistle wasn't sure how much time had elapsed as she watched the clouds drift from horizon to horizon, sitting there thinking about as little as possible. It was almost meditative, though that was no a word easily applied to her. A faint sound of approach behind her, barely more than gravel crunching under paws, sent a thrill of adrenaline through her. Oh ho, no. No she was not about to get run off by another bear, nosiree. She rose slowly and turned, hackles rising, ready to bolt as soon as she knew the best route to- Oh. It wasn't a bear behind her, or a wolverine, or even a particularly ornery stoat. Despite her keen lookout skills it would appear she had indeed been snuck up upon, but instead by a predator she felt perfectly capable of handling. Just another wolf. Excellent. The large male was nosing around the cave entrance situated not far below her. Thistle had thought the location fairly well camouflaged by the surrounding terrain, but perhaps that required reevaluation. He must have seen some sign of her there because he certainly seemed curious, even going so far as to call out a greeting. Friendly then, she hoped. She opened her jaws to reply when yet another voice rang out to reach them. "Hello! Excuse me, sir?" Thistle sighed. One wolf was one thing, two was entirely something else, and this one sounded female besides. She'd always found herself a bit more prickly with those who shared her sex, but who knows? From the call alone it would seem that she possessed at least some modicum of manners. It wasn't until catching sight of the newcomer that Thistle's jaw dropped. Rounding the low rise that led up to her den was a woman of astonishing coloration. How on earth the stranger ever managed to catch a meal for herself she couldn't guess. Well, best make herself known sooner rather than later. "Hello down there, she called out, voice soft but strong. Both of these wolves were a sight bigger than her, but she wasn't easily cowed. "Need something?" Her mind began to run over all that she might be able to draw from them. News from the south and east was paramount, but this region seemed so desolate that any news was good news, as long as they didn't expect any true hospitality from her. There'd be no spare meals here, thank you very much.

The voice that responded was not in front of him but behind him. Harbringr turned and the stared. What manner of creature… The woman was indeed a wolf but wildly colored. Was this some sort of mutation? He was familiar now with the horns and other anomalies that were cropping up in his family but such coloration was new. Perhaps she was poisonous? Like one of those little frogs they had down in Auster.

"Yes?" He said politely before another voice also called down. Well, well, now it was a party! His attention turned to the more reasonably pelted woman perched near the cave entrance. "Ah! No, not necessarily. I was simply doing some exploration of the north and wanted to see what was in here. I'm glad to come upon a pair of lovely ladies and not a bear." He chuckled to himself, having had a less than savory history with the great hairy beasts. His first introduction to these lands was to just miss becoming bear food. He strode into the caves, carefully stepping around a pool of collecting water as he gazed at the strange markings on the wall.

"Are these yours?"

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis was about to respond when another voice called out from farther inside the cave. She stepped inside, leaving a fair distance between herself and the strange man. Her eyes blinked as the adjusted to the light and she looked up to see a woman. The man was swift to reply saying that he was simply exploring and then he moved farther into the gave.

"I could maybe use some help. Have either of you heard of Legion? Or perhaps no where they've gone since the volcanic eruption?" It was a complete shot in the dark but she didn't have anything to lose by trying. She had come up empty so far and each season that rolled by was becoming more and more painful for her. The man spoke about the markings on the wall and she slipped farther inside as well to see what he was talking about. There was one that looked like a crescent moon, others look like trees and some like game. Aerndis turned to look at the woman, curious if these were indeed her paintings.

The big male's response was mild an amiable; a good start by all accounts. Thistle felt herself relax, growing more comfortable by the second. There didn't appear to be much danger here, at least at first glance. He seemed to be a charmer to boot, and a grin split Thistle's features. She curbed it before it grew too wide, stifling it to a demure smile before it grew into a smirk. He was older than she was comfortable with, being barely beyond a yearling herself, but a bit of harmless flirting had never done her wrong before. Well. Almost never. But those were outliers in the data that shouldn't be counted, and nothing more. "Just as I'm glad to find such a gentleman, as opposed to the alternative. They've been active in this area as of late so it certainly doesn't hurt to be cautious." She was tempted to send him a wink but... no, he reallywas a bit too old for that, even for her. She suspected a delicate little thing would likely suit her better in this circumstance. She turned her attention then to the female. Younger than the male if she had to guess, but it was hard for her to be certain. Older than herself though, as most wolves she'd stumbled across were. And she needed help which broke the script in an aggravating way, but Thistle maintained her politely interested expression. The request was an easy one at least as she had heard of no packs at all, least of all one as garishly named as Legion. "I'm sorry," Thistle began, a quiet murmur accented with a sigh. "I haven't seen another soul for a fortnight at least, and no packs beyond that since coming to these lands. It's fairly remote up here for all that I know." She shrugged, a subtle shift of her shoulders and nothing more. In all honesty Thistle had expected more contact than she'd received here, at least since the eruption. Northern lands were renowned for being inhospitable regardless of where you wound up, and perhaps that was the root of it, but this region seemed to be the least affected of them all by the volcanic bedlam that had ensued months prior. Either the frightened masses has been killed off... well, en masse, or they'd all skittered off to somewhere fair and clean where the prey ran slowly and the water was always clear and free of ash. Thistle's morals claimed that the latter was what she ought to be hoping for, but that jealous seed deep within her wondered why she should care in the first place. "Are they your kin?" She asked, so as not to let an uncomfortable lull drag into the conversation. "If you give me your name and I do happen to stumble across one of their members I'd be happy to pass it along that you are seeking them out." What a monstrous proposition that there might be more spectacularly plumaged wolves running amuck. If they looked even an ounce like this female, Thistle figured she'd be able to identify them at a distance. It must be a rag tag band, she reasoned, because otherwise word of them would surely spread like wildfire. Right? Or perhaps this realm was far stranger than she'd ever imagined. "Speech"

Habringr stood up on his hind legs, steadying his front paws on the cave wall. His eyes narrowed as he studied the unusual pictures on the cave wall. His ears flicked as the girl spoke and he shook his head. "Can't say it rings a bell, sorry darling." He did feel bad for her. The volcanic eruption had likely scattered a number of packs. He was just grateful that Ashen was more or less together.

Hari returned to four paws again as the cave-dwelling girl stated that she hadn't seen anyone in weeks but she'd offered to pass the girls name along. What a splendid idea! Harbringr nodded. "Aye, I can do the same. My name is Harbringr Klein, but you ladies may call me Hari. Are you both explorers by desire or necessity?"

I have toured the endless starlight…

Well, it had been a shot in the dark. Her face fell slightly as both strangers told her that they had not seen or heard of her pack. Still, the other girl was nice enough to offer to pass her name along and so did the man, Harbringr. She nodded and smiled. "Thank you, both of you. My name is Aerndis Imperialis." Hopefully, with a little luck she could reconnect with her pack again. Her gaze wandered again to the strange markings on the walls. She was eager to pull her mind back to the present and find a new topic of conversation other than her missing family. She felt like an orphan. She hated that feeling, it was almost like the first time she'd been separated from her family as a young pup. Aerndis was independent, true enough, but that was different than lonliness.

"I wonder how those markings are made. Sometimes I wish there was a good way to mark where I've been. I'm always getting turned around on trails." Or lack, thereof. She had tried scratching into trees before but often she would miss the markings and find them later on the other side of the tree, only adding to her confusion.

Names were exchanged, and Thistle shoved down the immediate reflex to derisively sniff. Weren't they so fancy, with their surnames and whatnot. Thistle's homeland was so remote that her folk hadn't bothered with them. Packs were little more than family groups; parents with kids who hadn't yet left to find homes of their own, perhaps the odd aunt and uncle here or there. Thistle had met so few wolves before leaving home that there had never been a need to differentiate any further. It seemed to be a status symbol or something here in these lands, but she had never felt a need. Oh well. She could offer her name to be polite at least, and if she was lucky might come off as aloof or cagey for holding the non-details back. "And I'm Thistle. I don't meet many other wolves but you never know." The male, Harbringr, seemed inclined to probe a bit further. Thistle realized quickly that this wasn't going to be a brief encounter, at least not by her definition. He wanted to know more, which she supposed was fine, but his query was a tricky one. Was she an explorer in the first place? Perhaps by some standards. Any snail who slimed its way a few dozen feet farther than the rest could be an explorer by those terms. For herself 'explorer' seemed a bit grand, and certainly neither a desire nor a necessity. "Actually I think I'm quite the homebody. I find a place that suits me and stay there until it doesn't. Sometimes for a season or two, sometimes for a day, but it all feels the same." The female seemed instead captivated by the markings on the cave below. Thistle couldn't blame her; they were both marvelous and mysterious. Thistle had seen a few others of similar sort in other caves throughout the area. She had known a spare few who would dye their fur, but never a creature who felt the need to dye stone or leave some permanent trace to commemorate their existence in a place. As far as marking one's way along a trail, however... "My kin used to build stone stacks and the like. Scratch marks on trunks and logs where herds gathered, piled stones and sticks to mark river crossings, you know. I haven't seen anything similar here, but I'll admit it was convenient. Those markings though, I have no idea." Thistle couldn't bring herself to be overly concerned with creatures who were not in direct competition with her. Whatever they were, whatever the markings had once meant, it didn't really seem like her problem. She had better things to focus her energy on, but she wasn't about to voice that opinion to the odd-coated Aerndis. "Speech"

Harbringr resisted telling the colorful woman how he marked his way when exploring. He just lifted a leg and let it rip. No better way to mark a trail in his opinion though he supposed it wasn't exactly subtle. However, he wasn't really the spy type and couldn't think of a reason he'd need to mask his presence anywhere.

The cave woman introduced herself as Thistle and explained that she wasn't necessarily an explorer per se. He wasn't used to individual wolves claiming territories but he suddenly felt as if he'd intruded into the woman's home. Ah well, too late now. Besides, he didn't intend to stay all that long since he'd just been nosing about in the first place. Though at the mention of other kinds of markers he had to admit he was intrigued. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in demonstrating some of these techniques? I'd be up for a trade to make it worth your while. I don't have anything on me now but I can offer an assortment of hides and meat or if you wish for immediate payment I'm happy to help with a hunt or other physical task."

I have toured the endless starlight…

"It's nice to meet you Thistle." She noticed that Thistle hadn't delivered her surname but Aerndis chose not to press. It was possible she'd had a rough family life and was in the process of distancing herself from it. Or maybe she just didn't feel it was necessary. Aerndis found herself distracted by another symbol, a series of concentric circles. Now what on earth was that supposed to mean?

At the mention of markers though he attention immediately snapped back to the conversation. The scratch marks were a good idea though she'd never heard of stone stacks. She figured it just meant stacking stones but she was curious anyway. The male offered a trade for some examples and Aerndis was quick to chime in. "Oh! I would love to see to. How do you decide where to place these markings? I have a few pelts and skulls not far from here I could offer if you'd like to furnish your cave."

If Thistle was being honest, did she want to leave her comfortable sun-bathed perch to show these total strangers how to stack up a bunch fo rocks? No, not really. But when the male started talking about food her mood changed drastically. Talk and these wolves for a while and get fed? That was an arrangement she could work with. Her ears perked, and she was certain they conveyed her interest. "I certainly could but, well, it works better when the wolves in your area are familiar with the signs. I'd be happy to show you a few in return for a meal." Thistle stood, shook out her coat, and bounded down the low rise so she was standing on level with the others. The female, Aerndis, was the largest of the two but both stood about a head over Thistle herself. "You can leave the markings for yourself, sure, but it helps if others keep them up and add new ones." Thistle shrugged. "I'll show you some of the ones I've been building at least." Her plumed tail swished behind her as she turned and walked further down towards the bog a ways below the esker, away from the tumbled stones that marked the entrance to the cave. An old cedar, long since toppled and reduced to a withered gray trunk, waited for them and Thistle pulled up beside it. "In my home land we'd mark migration routes by gouging into trees. It takes a while to get good marks, so finding trees with softer bark helps. When the practice is common in the area you start to know where to look to find signs. Each time we found herds moving through we'd find the marker and renew it. Over time you can see which spots see the most travel, as the marks build up." Thistle turned back to the trunk and carefully ran her claws across the surface. The first swipe didn't leave much of a mark, but after three or four the soft, stringy bark began to give way. She was careful to drag her paw along it in the same place so as not to muddle her work. When she was satisfied she turned back to the larger wolves. "If there were other dangers in the area, we'd crisscross the marks. So a bears den maybe, we'd do them up and down, and then the same from left to right overtop. If there was something else, like... Oh I don't know, sinkholes in the permafrost, landslides, hornet nests or," She shrugged. "You know, that kind of stuff, we'd cross the markings but also pile stones at the tree's base. It may not convey exactly what to look for, but it pays to know when you need to be vigilant." Thistle flitted her gaze between the two others, trying to discern if they understood. She had explained it as best she knew how, but being what she grew up with Thistle found it strange that other wolves didn't do the same. The same way she'd learned how to talk or read the clouds, she had learned these marks. There were dozens more but she didn't want to overwhelm them. "Speech"

Thistle elegantly bounded down from her perch as she agreed to the deal. He took to heart her note about using the stacks of stones with others. It could be a good way to mark trails for Ashen. He followed her out of the cave and down to a felled cedar. Thistle spoke of using markings to track migration routes and he nodded along as she spoke. That would be another great use of markings. While Ashen was not nomadic it could be useful to mark the routes prey usually took through the pack territory and keep them up to date. While he was not a hunter himself he'd be sure to pass the knowledge along.

"That makes sense to me. Very clever. I take it your pack are nomads? I'm from a stationary pack myself but we do notice patterns to prey movement through our territory. Or did, the volcano has made a mess of things."

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis bounded after Thistle as they left the cave, her tail wagging lightly as she followed. She quickly settled down as the younger woman stopped beside a fallen cedar. Everything was fascinating for her and she found herself wishing someone had taken the time to teach her some of this before she was on her own in the world. Aern also felt a sting of jealousy that a wolf so much younger than her had so much knowledge but she buried that feeling and focused on the other's words. Some sort of system could benefit Legion's hunting grounds, especially as she had no idea what state they'd be in or even what sort of territory she'd be hunting in when she finally reconnected with her pack.

"How many symbols are there?"

The big man inquired as to the nature of her pack and Thistle laughed. The word 'pack' was generous, more a collection of rag tag families eeking out what living they could. Her native northern lands provided a harsh existence and little more, so bands of wolves were low in number and of tough breeding, otherwise they would not survive. "Aye, nomadic for sure though it'd give them airs to be called a pack. We stuck close to our kin, and the younglings wandered off if they saw a chance to breed and start a family of their own. I just happened to wander a bit farther than most. Never counted on wandering into the shadow of a volcano but," Thistle shrugged, smiling at the irony of it all. "That's life sometimes, right?" She turned towards the brilliant-coated woman, turning her question over in her mind so she might answer as best she could. How many signs? Well. That depended on who you were and where you were born. Markings back home were like accents, except instead of the pronunciation itself it was like each of the odd words boiled down into pictographs. One family might know one dozen, another ten dozen if they were in frequent contact with others, but all in all the total number was unknown. "Countless, really. You could find one for almost anything if you travelled far enough. Thing is, a marking's no good if the wolves seeing it don't know what it means. In places where bands and families moved through frequently there might be dozens, otherwise a small family group might use just a few. There are probably hundreds out there I'll never know the meaning of, but in these lands it doesn't seem to mean much anyhow." Again Thistle shrugged. "My advice is to come up with something your pack members can recognize, if you're so inclined. Better yet convene with nearby allies and discuss something that can be used by all the wolves in your area. We'd use scratches, stones, sticks, sometimes even dyed rocks. But it's all just scribbles until you're able to understand what those scribbles are trying to tell you." Thistle thought her grandparents would be proud to see her passing on their ways, even to wolves as foreign and strange as these were. She'd always been a bother in her lessons, never had taken much of a shine to the more mundane arts like leaving trail signs. It was the job of all young wolves to pass on their family's marks to the new generation but Thistle had scoffed at it in her youngest seasons. Now here she sat, trying her best to spell it out to utter strangers. Funny how things turned out sometimes. "Speech"

Harbringr didn't find her definition of a pack to far from the mark. While he'd never belonged to a nomadic group his pack, Ashen, was mostly comprised of family members with a few odd ducks here and there that weren't at the very least married into the family. He nodded solemnly at the mention of the volcano. "Yea, I don't think anyone expected the bloody thing to erupt." He'd just been grateful that his family was far enough away not to have suffered too much.

Hari settled in and listened as Thistle explained that the possibility for symbols was endless. It might be something worth discussing with Deathbelle, especially when it came to the archipelago. Different islands could be marked depending on their uses. Main pathways, the amount of prey, and of course anything that might mean danger. So far he hadn't run into too many other predators on the islands. He'd glanced a bear or two moving through the territories around the Shrine but they'd never stayed for long.

"Thank you, Thistle for your wise instruction. I have a rabbit hide, a partial deer hide, and half a pound of deer jerky with me. Which of these strikes your fancy? After that I'd best be on my way but if you're ever in the vicinity of the Dove Archipelago or the Shrine feel free to look me up!"

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis was rather fascinated by the idea of living in a nomadic pack. It would fulfill both her need to be close to her family and her love of travel though she couldn't really see the Imperialis becoming a wandering band. They were really more the empire building sort. She hadn't met enough other Aeris to know what that side of the family preferred. "That volcano really made a mess of things. I hope this means it won't erupt again in our life times." She'd be home by now if it weren't for the stupid volcano.

She settled in to listen as Thistle explained that symbols really depended on the individual wolf and the group she wished to communicate with. That made sense. It would be useful to mark common prey trails for her fellow hunters and she was sure there were many other uses for the symbols. If she went exploring with a friend and they split up it would be useful to mark their way so they could meet back at the start at a specific time without having to worry about someone getting lost.

When the lesson finished Harbringr offered what he had. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you very much. I have a coon skull and hide. A rabbit hide, a deer skull, and a mountain goat skull."