The long night had taken a toll on their members, and though Calypso was still so young she'd hardly met them all, she'd felt the absence of those they'd lost to the illness regardless. It was an exciting prospect to see that not only could they lose members, but gain new ones too. Her grandfather had no sooner approached their family den to tell Azure of the new recruit before Calypso and her fire-wrapped paws were tearing through the grasses toward the obelisk.

Being small was was difficult and while she'd lived here all her short life, Callie managed to get lost along the way. The grasses towered high above her head, and with her litter having been born in eternal night she had not yet learned to infer direction from the sun. Her wandering paws took her in circles, until finally the pup was forced to resign herself to the fact that she'd be lost forever. A small whimper peeled from her toothy maw though she knew better than to howl for help. If her father was the one to find her, he'd only be more disappointed in his failure of a daughter.

"Speech"

Halo knew not of the long night that had broken just before her arrival. What she did know, was of the ooze and the strange things that came with it. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, Halo likely wouldn't have believed it. It weighed heavily on her mind. Though she was safe in the packlands and settling in fairly well, Halo thought often of the panther that had assailed her as she arrived. She'd had a nightmare about it since arriving, having scared herself awake the previous night. She was doing her best to think through just how to treat something like this, should she come upon it again. If the predators were infected, did the disease come from the prey? Were they in danger from eating the prey as well? Sirius had told her that it impacted flora and fauna both. Maybe the source was in the plants themselves. The tenderhearted creature was careful as she gathered herbs on this day. Carefully, she'd inspected each specimen before holding it in her teeth. Halo would need to remember to go looking for a bag at some point, but for now, this would do. With a gentle grip, the girl held a cluster of lamb's ear with the roots still intact. The healer would plant it in the plot beside her den. Lambs ear was hardy, and should transplant well. Within a pack of warriors, it was likely that she'd need it to pad wounds and reduce swelling. With careful steps, Halo moved through the tall grass and back in the direction of her plot. Though her sense of direction wasn't excellent, the girl was able to pause and orient herself occasionally, using the towering obelisk to point her in the right direction. She'd get the hang of this place soon enough. It was on one of her pauses that she heard a soft whimper. It was the high, childlike call of a pup. Halo listened intently for a moment, trying to find the source of the sound. It was in the direction of that whimper that she tracked. "Hey, are you okay?" Halo's voice was a soft bell tone, though slightly muffled around the plant in her mouth. With a keen gaze through the tall grass, Halo sought the source of the whimper. Still, the grass itself grew tall over her head, and she'd need a bit more help to track down the child.

A voice called out in reply and Calypso's ears perked up, a wave of excitement washing over her as she realized she was about to be rescued. When no body came along with the voice, the thrill died quickly in her chest. This must be the new wolf whom Callie had set out looking for, except that meant neither of them knew the territory well enough to navigate it. "No, I'm not okay!" She called out, her voice carrying the typical tone of a puppy mid-tantrum. "I'm lost and I'm going to be lost forever, and now you're going to be lost forever too and it's all my fault!" If she was ever found before her body rotted into the rich soil, the pup was convinced her father would dig her a new grave himself.

She threw herself to the ground, accepting her final resting place with a loud resigned groan. Her fire-wrapped paws came atop her eyes, her elongated claws poking sharply at her own face Calypso didn't care. "When I starve to death you can eat me, then maybe you'll live long enough for someone to find you." She offered sadly, staring into the tall swaying grasses and imagining the stranger who hid within them. "Just make sure you don't tell my dad or my grandpa that you ate me, because then they'll just eat you. They're very protective."

"Speech"

It had been no exaggeration when Halo had told the Warlord that she loved children. Well and truly, she did. As the small voice of a girl rose over the tall grass, Halo was able to find her more easily. With careful steps, the tenderhearted creature plodded forward. Through the grass the small, pale girl wove, gaze careful until– ah, there she was. The pup had thrown herself on the ground, in the throes of typical pup despair. Just wait until the teenage years. “What if I told you that I could get both of us out, and no one would need to be eaten,” Halo joined the girl, belly to the ground. She carefully set her cluster of lamb’s ear down so it was easier to talk. Getting on the child’s level should be a decent way to catch her attention. “I can even show you how I do it.” Her tone was secretive, as if sharing some sort of revelation with the young girl. “What do you say?” Halo’s soft lavender gaze rested on the pup, hoping that she would agree. Softly, her tail wagged at her haunches. While not how she’d pictured her day progressing, she was pleased to be among children again. Children, at least in her experience, didn’t judge.

Calypso could both hear and feel as the stranger neared, bringing herself down on her belly beside her and speaking of such hopeful things like escape and rescue and not being eaten. It seemed like a typical adult trick, bringing comfort to the pup so that her last moments wouldn't be scary and sad. Well two could play at that game. Humoring her, Calypso lifted one paw to peer over at the woman.

"How?" The woman's tone dropped as if she was sharing an important secret and while Callie tried to tell herself it was useless, the rhythmic glow of her markings grew faster with the pace of her hopeful heart. "It's not going to get me in trouble, right? Or you, for sharing the secret?" Perhaps her Alpha grandfather had shared this hidden knowledge of navigation with every of-age wolf, and there was a reason why Callie was allowed to get lost forever in the grasses.

"Speech"

As the child continued her dramatics, Halo smiled to herself. This pup was expressive, that much was for sure. Children tended to lack the filter that adults seemed to put on everything they did, and that rawness seemed to break down some of the persistent grey that colored Halo’s world. As she spoke, the girl’s fur seemed to shift in the way it was… glowing? Pulsing? That would be another interest for another day, and Halo didn’t want to make sure she didn’t make the girl feel self conscious. No, in the same tone she’d been speaking with a moment ago, she continued. “No trouble, I promise. Here, come stand with me.” Halo rose to her feet, careful to not lose her clump of lamb’s ear in the tall grass. “Look, see where the sun is,” her tone remained quiet as she spoke to the girl, gesturing with her paw to the afternoon sun where it hung in the sky. “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The Plains is surrounded by the river on three sides, and the grass around the river is shorter so it’s easier to see and get on the path.” Halo paused for a moment, looking to the girl for a sign she understood (or had questions) before continuing. “You can go either east or west if you’re in the Plains, and find the river either way. Because it’s afternoon, this direction is west, which I think is the easiest way to find the river and get back to the middle of the packlands.” Maybe it wasn’t the most efficient way, but Halo was short. Often times, she couldn’t see out over the grass, and this was the easiest way she’d found so far. “My name is Halo, do you want to walk with me?” Right, she hadn’t introduced herself. Not yet. Carefully, she bent to pick up her plant, and peered softly at the young girl.

ooc note: if i read the map wrong, that's a wicked error not a halo error, assume that she'd give the correct info if i messed it up lmaoooo

The stranger assured her there would be no trouble and rose, beckoning Calypso with her. The pup dutifully stood, scampering over to the woman and arching her neck to try and see to where she spoke softly of the sun. It was blinding, much brighter than the full moon had been in her early weeks of life. Calypso tried to focus on it, but finding it too bright lifted a paw to shield her view and looked past it instead.

Halo was talking, explaining where the sun had come from and where it would go, and that by following the sun she could find the river and escape the grassy maze. "Does it do that every day?" She asked softly. "The sun only just came back, it was gone for a long time. What if it goes away again?" Her ears flattened nervously, remembering the negativity that went with that time period and how it seemed to affect the adults in her life.

She introduced herself then and offered to walk with her and Calypso nodded carefully, giving a hesitant smile to her rescuer. "Okay, lets see if your secret works. My name is Calypso, but you can call me Callie." The pup offered politely, as she'd assumed her mother would have wanted her to. She stepped back, watching as the healer picked up her plant and ready to fall into step alongside her.

"Speech"

Halo lifted a paw to shield the girl's eyes from the sun, smiling softly to herself as she did. Right, that would have... probably been important to mention. Between her paw and Calypso's own, it would be enough to keep her from scorching her vision. The pup asked her questions, coming nervously on. Right, the disease that had taken them over, and the long night... the night that had lasted and lasted. Softly, Halo addressed the girl's nervousness and concerns, her tone gentle. "It always rises and sets in the same direction. The moon does the same, rising in the east and setting in the west, you can rely on it in the same way." The pale woman would do her best to set the pup's mind at ease. Her smile was hesitant, and Halo returned it gracefully. "It's wonderful to meet you," Callie, she liked that. With her tail wagging softly behind her, Halo set off in the direction that the sun would set, peering softly to the young girl at her side. "What brought you out adventuring today, Callie?" It was best to distract the child from dwelling on her anxious thoughts, after all. Halo's interest was genuine, picking carefully through the tall grass, making sure to maintain the same pace as the child. Losing her once more in the maze would be less than ideal. The tenderhearted woman's words were a bit muffled, comically so, around the plant she carried.

Halo began the trek through the grasses and Calypso spared the tall blades nervous, cautious glances as they threaded through. There was always the possibility that her secret trick wouldn't work, leaving them even more stranded then they already were. Thankfully the adult knew to keep the child's wandering mind calm, and Calypso turned her attention back towards the healer as she questioned her. "I was looking for you!" She responded, enthused. "Dad said we had a new member and I wanted to meet you, make new friends. Maybe one day we can even race!" Her tail wagged hard behind her at the prospect, her pawsteps slowly losing their careful stride as she began to forget about her impending starvation and death. With a new adult there came many new questions, but Calypso knew better then to flood Halo with them all at once. "Where did you come from before here?" She started with, grinning up at the healer.

"Speech"

Her steps were soft over the ground, as if she was attempting to disturb the grasses themselves as little as possible. Halo was worried about her impact on the plant life, on the grounds themselves. The ecosystem and their impact on it was something that Halo could get carried away talking about, really. Callie's words made Halo smile. The girl was looking for her? Halo's tail wagged at her haunches. "Well I'm glad you found me," her words were soft, tone ringing like a bell. "I'm happy to be friends, and I would love to race!" Halo wasn't the fastest, but she was always happy to play. Her lavender eyes shone softly, and the girl was pleased that she'd persuaded Callie's mind from the anxiety that came with impending doom. "Before here I lived far to the north and east, across the sea. I lived in a small band with my parents and siblings and a few others." Somewhere in the back of her mind, he wondered how they were doing. Spring meant the start of preparations to survive the winter. Everything was just preparation to survive the winter. "Do you see the grass parting right up here? We're nearly at the river bank," she smiled softly, indicating the gap in the grasses ahead with her nose.