They had traveled from the North basically heading to wherever Lucette wanted to go. She was their navigator and, in lands she didn’t know, she had decided to let the winds guide her. The pixie-like girl was in a good mood, though she had noticed Bae-Syl pouting more recently. Especially at the races. Lucy wanted to do something nice for him, to cheer him up. Had he been sad because she spent some time with someone other than him? Silly thing… Bae was always going to be the most important person in her life. He was her best friend! He needed to take things less seriously.

So, while Bae-Syl was focused on hunting for them, Lucette snuck off for once. She knew he’d worry if he noticed her missing, but she hoped that he wouldn’t. She wanted to surprise him. She had found a lay of the land that was flatter and, from what she was seeing currently, was overgrown with strange plants she had never seen before. Long stalks of green were shooting from the ground on one side of the path she was on whereas, off on the other side, other plants, shorter and leafier, were growing some type of red fruit. The fruit looked tempting, and if she wasn’t looking for something really interesting to share with Bae.

The fields were a good starting point though. Maybe they could get a snack. She smelled prey too; not a  kind she was familiar with by name but it seemed like this was a pretty good spot for a second visit.

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1 / 3 Navigation;; The Range

Walking down from the knolls, Azure's next point of interest to explore that was long overdue was the Range, Fireside's second ex-territory. All his life he had lived in this area, it was odd that only now that he had moved to the north that he would be able to finally explore it. This, apparently, was where Hanako had been stolen from him. Where Sparrow had forcibly dragged her home to her pirate's filthy nest. Azure kept his eyes and ears open for any more skulking pirates, catching sight of a very small stranger as he approached a particularly flat part of land.

He did not recognize her from the battle at obsidian beach nor did she wear the scent of the heathens, but one could never be too safe. "From where do you hail?" Azure queried boldly and without introduction, stepping up toward her where she gathered her herbs.

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"Speech"

Our lives are made in these small hours The yearling decided to investigate the fields further. Even if she didn’t get a snack out of her investigations from the berries it would be nice to know a little bit more about them. Lucy padded into the strawberry field, her ears perked curiously as she poked and prodded at the soil around the plants. It seemed soft, almost loam, like it was suited for growing a lot of different things. Actually, she furrowed her brow, upon further inspection there seemed to be more than just the red berries… and there were different types of red berries growing mixed in with the first bit. What was once likely organized had become overgrown and wild. She blinked and dug into the soil a little. Yes, it was definitely quality soil. Maybe she could take some of this somehow and use it to plant some herbs somewhere else? Or dig up the fruit plants to replace them? A voice reached her ears suddenly, without introduction, called to her. She lifted her head, twitching her ears thoughtfully with a frown. A stranger, huh? “From where do I hail? Lyenne, I suppose. I'm not originally from Boreas.” She furrowed her brow. It was a weird question. “I don’t have a pack, if that’s what you mean. I’ve been a loner all my life, and my parents too, as far as I know.” Lucette tilted her head to the side. “Do you have beef with some pack near here or something? Someone I should be looking out for?” Curiosity got the better of her now. Maybe he thought she was part something else? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 / 3 Navigation;; The Range "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

The very small woman gave her reply and while Azure eyed her carefully for any sign of deception, he found nothing worth being suspicious over. He displayed his relief in only a brisk nod, though the tattered remnants of his ears continued to twitch with each distant sound. Lucette gave her name and explained that she did not come from Boreas at all, which while reassuring, reminded Az of the koi-wolf infestation that had recently flooded their home. All he could hope was there was not a culture of rainbow wolves out there who would soon arrive and make trouble with the resident packs like Hattori's bunch had.

"Azure Fatalis." He introduced himself in turn. At the question of whether he had issue with one of the packs nearby, the Champion scoffed. "Pirates." The word was spat, his disdain for the group clear. "My mate was kidnapped from this very land. I would not linger here long, in case they've made it some twisted sort of hunting ground." Eyeing the female once more - this time a more general sweep of her stature, frame and musculature - Az grimaced. "And I'm afraid if they ran into you and their King decided he wanted a replacement woman, they'd not have much trouble dragging you back there. No offense intended."

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"Speech"

Our lives are made in these small hours Azure Fatalis, huh? Lucette gave a small nod, storing the nugget of information away just in case she were to run into the man again someday. He scoffed as he answered her though, an indication that he detested the wolves he was referring to. Pirates, huh? She hadn’t heard of them, but… hearing that his mate had been kidnapped from this very land caused the fur on her neck to prickle a bit. She furrowed her brow thoughtfully. So they were what? Some sort of slavers? Like her own kid had been to her mother? Something worse perhaps? The femme snorted softly at his words. “No offense taken. I’m well aware I’m… fun-sized.” That was putting it lightly. “I’m not afraid of them though. Like your mate, I’ve got someone in my corner, and he wouldn’t sit idly by if anyone chose to try and snatch me up. Or my folks when they found out. Mom would tear them a new rear end and then some.” It wasn’t spoken in a manner of bragging by any means, but as a declaration that her loved ones wouldn’t just do nothing if they did try to take her. She smirked a little. “Bet they toss me back out anyway. Just because I’m easy to overpower doesn’t mean they’d want to keep someone like me. I’m not as helpless as I look though. It’d only be a matter of time before I got ahold of some herbs that’d really make them regret their life decisions.” The yearling shook her head. “Lucette Kedieo, by the way. Seems a shame we have to meet on such… circumstance…” Her expression shifted. “Your mate is okay though, right? You smell like you’re from a pack, so you probably had some healers who can look at her and all…” Her voice got quiet. “I’m… sorry.” The joking and jests aside, her tone had become somber. “That was probably a rough experience for both of you…” "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

The yearling seemed to have a lot to say in her defense and Azure could not help but quirk a brow at her tenacity, at the youthful way she saw the danger and tried to wave it off. If Sparrow and her crew had wanted to claim this child for themselves, the wolves in her corner would have to put up quite a fight to get her back.

Gesturing to his recently maimed ear with an oversized paw, he gently clued her in. "This was their handiwork. One of five permanent wounds they attempted on me." Azure was a seasoned warrior with more than fifty hard fights beneath his belt over three short years, he knew first hand how brutal and efficient a driven wolf could be. Placing his paw back upon the ground, Azure sighed. "Don't underestimate anyone, okay?"

She continued the conversation, turning somber as she asked how he and his mate had fared through the ordeal. Az shrugged his large shoulders, though his lips were set in a grim line at the memory. "She made it out without injury, thankfully. And they did not. I assure you it was a much rougher experience for them than it was for her or I." Nearly a half-dozen maims between them and a traumatic and sudden birth on top of it all, Azure often wondered how exactly those pups had fared through the shock of the situation. To wish death upon an infant was a harsh thing, but he'd meant what he'd said when he'd told Sparrow that the world did not need more pirates.

"Speech"

Lucette frowned as he gestured at his maimed ear. They had maimed him… one of five wounds? How many fights had he gotten in with these pirates? Were they really that dangerous? She furrowed her brow but she gave a small nod of understanding at Azure’s words. Don’t underestimate anyone… A wolf driven by a strong desire could be a dangerous force indeed… she knew he wasn’t wrong. She had faith in her family, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get into trouble for them to test their strengths. She had never been fond of the idea of having to fix hurts on loved ones… and the idea that these pirates could hurt them for trying to rescue her made her feel a bit sick. Azure responded to the next part of the conversation with a grim look on his face and a shrug. His mate had thankfully made it through uninjured, though still likely unscathed. Her mother didn’t have scars on her body, nor missing body parts, but according to her father she had been through more darkness and hell than any wolf should have to go through. Lucy sympathized with Azure’s mate. She might not have known her, but she was still a living, breathing creature. She shouldn’t have to be subjected to being kidnapped and held against her will… from her family… “It shouldn’t have happened to her.” Lucette stated simply. “No one should ever be kept from their loved ones, held against their will like that. What they did was wrong.” Lucette lowered her gaze and shook her head. It wouldn’t be good to dwell on that though. Getting sad about the past invited it back to your present and your future, didn’t it? Not that what happened to either of her was right or fair. “Forgive me, but I should probably keep going, Azure. I’m sure my friend will start to wonder what’s been keeping me.” She didn’t mean to cut their conversation short, but she would need to get back to Bae-Syl at some point, and she’d need to cross through part of the territory to do so. After excusing herself she set off across the range again, green eyes on the lookout for any other useful information she might notice. On her way, Lucette took notice of some ancient, rust-covered machines sitting in tall weeds and overgrown grass. They were weird, big enough she was easily dwarfed by them, and they smelled… she couldn’t put her paw on it. But the big one she was looking at currently, the remains of a tractor, reminded her of the things she’d found in Veteran's Plateau. Huh… she had Azure’s warnings but she felt maybe a second trip here would be worth it. Just with Bae-Syl that time. -Exit- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 / 3 Navigation;; The Range "Talk, 'Think.'