Against All Odds

It was strange to be back in Boreas and Aerndis couldn't decide if it felt too soon to be back or if had been far too long. She had scoured the earth in an effort to find her brother Orion and she was pleased that she had succeeded but she was not sure how to feel about his answer as to why he would not be coming back with her. Orion was going to devote his life to looking for their mother, Artemis. Aerndís had long since given up on that venture. If the woman didn't want anything to do with them then so be it. It wasn't like their father was around either though Orion seemed to think he could also find the man.

Aerndis was torn about whether she should stay with Orion and help him in finding their wayward parents but in the end she just couldn't do it. She had moved on and as far as far as she was concerned so should he but she would not force him to come back to Legion. He was his own wolf and an adult, he could do as he pleased and so Aern continued her way along the coastline. She had originally intended to make a beeline toward Legion but something kept her from heading directly there. She supposed it was the feeling of failure. In her head she imagined she'd find her brother and they would talk and then she'd bring him back to Legion and Chaos would then have two wolves to make up for her time missing. Instead she was returning without Orion. She was returning a failure. Perhaps there was something she could do or bring back to make up for it?

Rudolph soared above her as she worked her way along the coastline of the Rock Garden. It was a rocky coast but as she came to a pebbled beach she saw scores of dead fish littering the coast line. She hesitated for a moment then grinned and let out a joyful yip. A free feast! Now this was something she could get behind assuming it wasn't the result of toxins or disease. He swiftly bent her head to sniff at the nearest set of fish. They were a bit far north and the water a bit too cold to suggest algae blooms. She didn't detect any scent of disease or decay. Lifting her head she looked around, eyes searching for signs of other dead animals that could suggest poisoning or something more sinister yet she spied nothing. Only rows of dead fish and a few seagulls that had picked up on the scent. The fish had not been dead long and Aerndis quickly dug into a large one, she ravenously tore into its flesh. Rudolph soon joined her and the pair made quick work of half a dozen fish before more predators started coming in. She spied a fox and a coyote but mostly it seemed seabirds had been the first to arrive.

Aerndis gazed about at the fish thoughtfully. This would be quite a bounty to take back to Legion but there were only so many she could carry. She had a piece of deer hide that she'd used to carry supplies with her as she'd searched north. Her supplies were now depleted but she still kept the hide. She could get a good number of fish into the hide but then the questions was what to do with them. There were far to many to eat at once and she wasn't sure if they'd make it all the way back to Legion before spoiling. There was also the issue that as the fish started to warm up they were likely to smell more and more and would draw every nearby predator to her. With bears stocking up on fat stores for the winter carrying around a bag of fish was sure to make her a target. It would be foolish. The only option from her stand point was to gather as many as she could and then figure out how to dry them. The question was how… she couldn't just strip the meat off and leave it out in the sun unless she wanted to fight off every predator in the east. And that left the same problem, she'd have to deal with hungry bears who were bound to notice the fish. She hoped there were enough on the beach to distract them but it was hard to say for sure.

Aerndis chewed on a fish spine as she debated what to do. Finally she settled on gathering as many fish as she could and moving them into one of the caves on the east side of the maw. That was close enough not to attract too much attention and if she could find a small cave she could board it up while still leaving air to flow through the openings. Though would the cave air be dry enough? She decided it was worth a shot. The only way she'd learn was by trying and the caves on the east side, across from the steppe were more likely to be arid and dry.

With a plan in place Aerndis began gathering fish in her jaws and settling them on the piece of deer hide. There were a good variety of fish, more than she could really comprehend though she'd be curious to learn what they were. Perhaps her grandfather would know. She'd love to go fishing with the old man some time… she paused for a moment wondering if he was still alive but then she chuckled to herself. Of course he was. She'd barely been gone a season and Valentine was too tough and old to actually die.

Wrapping the corners of the deer hide she seized it in her jaws and began to drag the hide. She was able to lift it off the ground but not for long as it seemed she overpacked but at least she didn't have too far to go.