Tell me, what is good? And what is bad?
Fear, in essence, kept the rose-hued woman from going to seek out her mate. What if he was disappointed that she'd not done anything worthwhile? What if he didn't even miss her now? Worse than that, what if she wasn't deserving of his loyalty through her absence? There was more, so much more roiling beneath the surface but digging through her own mental garbage was harder than it might seem. So, being the wandering type, Iskra did just that.
She strode through the foliage, caring not that she was being quite loud as she traveled. If you aren't looking to hunt stealth is suddenly optional. The big trees above her sort of resembled the giant red trees she found in the north. Well, they were an entirely different type of tree, but the heights were somewhat comparable. A bitter laugh almost crossed her lips as she padded through the hot forest and thought that maybe a distraction might just present itself to her; why bother hoping, didn't that always magically happen when she felt like this? What she should hope for was the courage to grow up and go to Boreas. But... she'd need to not be such a coward for that to work.
Serene had left early in the morning, in hopes of searching out some valuable herbs or maybe some hares to bring back to the pack. She really just wanted to make sure the others liked her, and the fawn woman would try her hardest to please them all. But as time went on, her thoughts became more focused around the immense heat that plagued the land. It was strange weather, because her body was use to it being winter time now, but instead she was panting in the heat. She needed shade, and so she continued forward to find it. Finally she came upon large oak trees that protected her from the sun, which she happily took advantage of. Letting the shade cool down her bodies temperature, Serene cast her amber gaze from side to side, searching for any herbs that could deem worthy of bringing back to the healers.
It was then that she heard someone trudging through the forest, alarming the few birds and small wildlife in their wake. Curious as ever, Serene trotted forward to try and see what was causing all that noise. Around the corner of a very large tree, she suddenly saw a blooming fire of a woman looking rather troubled. Instantly, her markings made her think back to Aerndis, the young pup who had lost her family and was currently searching for them. In a panic, Serene immediately left her scouting position and burst forward with wide eyes. Could this be her mother? She seemed troubled like a mother missing a pup would look, and their markings were incredibly similar. It had to be her, right? Without much thought, she blurted out to the stranger, "Pardon me ma'am, but you wouldn't happen to be missing a pup, would you? By the name of Aerndis?" It was a long shot, but if Serene could reunite that pup with her family, she would.
"Speech"
"That might be my niece," Iskra said at last, blue eyes moving to meet the red of the stranger.
Wait, there had to be a reason why she was looking for Aerndis' mother, right? Had Art gone missing or something? Iskra seemed to come out of the fog enveloping her mind as she took on a more concerned tone. "Is she alright? I've never met her face to face, but if she needs any help she's always welcome to come to me."
As the other woman's scent hit Iskra's nose she noted the familiarity. It was the pack scent that Malleus had. Intriguing, she'd never met any wolves from his pack. Well, she'd seen a few at the challenge some time ago now, but it was hard to say which remained there and which had gone on to join the Eclipse Empire. "What's your name, then? I'm Iskra." There was a hint of tension in her frame, though she'd happily chalk that up to being ready to go look for her possibly lost niece.
She listened intently as the other woman spoke, her heart beating rapidly as she thought of what might come next. If she knew Aerndis, then perhaps she would be willing to help her. Leaving that pup behind had been plaguing Serene's thoughts for weeks now, and she hoped she could at the very least honor her promise to search for the child's family. If she didn't know Aerndis, then the fawn woman would just appear to be crazy, which she didn't really think of at the time but now that she was, she didn't really care. Crazy or not, it was definitely worth asking. When the fire woman agreed that she might be related to the girl, Serene nearly jumped with joy. Finally! She had stumbled upon someone to help Aerndis! She silently thanked God for leading her down this path, for guiding her body to this place and for bringing help to a child in need. When asked if Aerndis was alright, Serene paused, the joy slowly falling from her face as she thought about the little girl. "I don't know. Last I saw her was at a like of Fireflies up to the east. She seemed well, but distraught over her missing family."
She paused as she thought about Aerndis all alone, and cursing herself for not dragging the child with her here. If she had, Serene would be watching a family reunion rather than just passing on news. "She's all alone, I tried to have her join me here, but she was still looking for her pack and family." It was important that this woman knew that Aerndis was alone, and in need of someone to watch over her. Family was one of the most important things in a young pups life, and to know that the little girl still had family out here, gave her hope that they would soon find each other. Ears perked at the next question given to her, and she quickly threw up a smile to Iskra. "It's a pleasure to meet you Iskra, my name is Serene." It was truly remarkable that they had found each other on this day, and she was sure to bring it up the next time she spoke with Malleus. He won't believe what the Fallen God had managed to do for her today.
"Speech"
With a slight dip of her head and a lighter smile she replied, "Likewise, and thank you for telling me about Aerndis." Her tail swished gently through the air a couple times, blue eyes twinkling with a friendly demeanor she'd not assumed in a while. After a moment she stilled and asked, "Do you live around here?"
Serene Validis Serene nodded her head, she would tell Aerndis that she had finally found some of her family. She did promise the girl after all. |
It was easy to be brought back to the conversation when the woman declared she was a member of the Risen Empire. Well, then Iskra's nose didn't deceive her. How interesting. So Risen was opening it's doors to more lowly mortals, then? Part of her wondered - maybe even hoped - it was in part due to a lack of numbers. "Once or twice, I have," she drawled, studying Serene's rosy eyes for a moment before smirking playfully and adding, "When I was making deals with your alpha on a whim." It was funny, she'd nearly forgotten that whole thing had actually began because she'd made another impulse decision, wanting to see how it'd play out.
One ear fell to the side and her expression shifted to skeptical as she asked, "How do you like it there?" If this was such a good woman, why was she hanging around the Abraxas? Suddenly Iskra was curious.
Serene Validis Iskra's words had Serene smiling softly to herself. She knew there were many different kinds of wolves out there; some who sought out war and violence simply for fun, others who were just trying to live the best lives they could. But to know Serene could be a light in such a dark world, made her feel whole in her purpose, that somehow she was doing what the Gods wanted her to, and that pleased her greatly. Ears perked when the fire woman admitted to knowing the Empire, which sparked hope in her chest that maybe this woman too was part of the pack, and they could be close friends one day. Gods knew Serene needed more friends around here. But hope turned into curiosity upon hearing that Iskra was striking deals with Malleus. When asked what Serene thought of the Empire, she had to think about it. Truthfully, it wasn't much different than living on her own; most of the pack members kept to themselves, spare a few more outgoing souls that happened to wander into her path. Otherwise it was a relatively peaceful place, and Malleus had made Serene feel more comfortable in the new pack, so really there was nothing for her to complain about. |