If Sota hadn't been freaking out before, he most definitely was now. Eris was gone. Truly gone - and when he'd gone to follow her scent it had been closely mingled with Valkyrie's. No! This isn't how it was supposed to go! Sota had lost Balsam's scent at the shoreline, and though he could make out the figure of an island in the distance it was hard to imagine he might be held there. He didn't do quite as much investigating as he wanted to, because before long he heard a commotion nearby - accompanied by Valkyrie's familiar voice and something far more dreadful: the sound of Eris crying. No, this wasn't how this was supposed to go at all! She was only supposed to distract her, to buy Sota some time to figure out precisely where Balsam was.. And now she, too, was captured. For a moment, he wished he was braver, but he knew being too headstrong wouldn't do him any good. He wasn't only too small, but he was surely outnumbered; there were other scents that lingered here, ones that no doubt belonged to Valkyrie's allies, wolves he couldn't simply charge at headfirst and expect to win. But how could he possibly sit and do nothing? Even now he felt the heavy weight of guilt suffocating him, and as he stood and crouched behind a wide mangrove tree away from all the commotion and tried desperately to collect his thoughts, he felt like he just might collapse from the weight of it all. Why had he gotten Eris roped into his foolish plan anyway? He wasn't any good at figuring out something quite this huge on his own. No, maybe he needed to return to his homelands, to recruit help from the Soundless - though he had a feeling Balsam would never forgive him for that one. He wondered, briefly, if Velvette and Ramesh might even help rescue Balsam, but wouldn't he be even more humiliated by that plan? Sota wished he could do it all himself, but he knew he couldn't.. and would it even be worth risking anyone else he cared about again? Oh, Eris... An utterly defeated sigh fell from his lips as he sunk to the damp earth, feeling more helpless than he ever had before.

she knew not the name of this place, and neither did she particularly care. t'was some hour in some other realm. why bring up the gritty details of the reality she happened in? her pale eyes scanned from the brush she had been residing in, her shoulders breaking out of foliage as she elegantly unfurled herself. paces away from the other, the young man, yet close enough to notice him. her head turned toward him, her body following as she approached. the aim was to find information of this land, to learn the rules here... and she did not particularly care either if the man was in distress of some sort. yet she could act like it. "pardon me" her quiet tone feinted interested vocals as she moved closer. Huntington stopped a few steps away from him, her eyes on his back. if he turned, he turned. she could not control his actions, only question them. "are you quite alright?" she was a stranger to the man, after all, and this was not her business. yet normal folk did ask if another was well, surely? that is what she had seen thus far. her white face tilted to the side gently as she regarded him. his face reminded her of religious symbology. t'was like the sun itself basked upon him. though Huntington was far more interested in the moon and stars.

He was silent and still for a long moment, until the forest was completely silent. The calm atmosphere was only disturbed by the slow, steady sound of his breathing - until finally the sound of someone approaching caught his attention. Not only that, but it visibly alarmed him, though he was quick to hide his somewhat unusual reaction. His body stiffened, twisting around as he began to ride to all fours and tried to assess the stranger. For a second he was worried it was Valkyrie, sent to claim him as prisoner as well, and every fiber of his being begged him to run - though he realized quickly it wasn't her. This female was considerably larger than him, though most wolves were, and he retracted slowly as he straightened his limbs. Was he alright? If he had a better sense of humor, he might've laughed. "Not really," Sota admitted, though his expression was largely unreadable as he blinked and stared. "But.. I'll figure it out. Thank you for asking." He wasn't the type to burden anyone with his problems, especially something of this caliber, so even mentioning that he wasn't alright was unusual for him. "Miss...?" Now that he wasn't totally alarmed, he stood a bit taller and dipped his head in a low bow of greeting to her.

she did not expect the man to give away his thoughts. though he admitted he wasn't very 'well', he did not elaborate. her head tilted slightly with some interest before it was back to neutrality. "Rose" Huntington would give him; she had already plucked a common name from the ranks of normalcy to use here. only her guardian would know her true name, and those she deemed it best to tell. she forced a smile upon her lips, though the grin did not quite reach her eyes. it seemed to make her even more distant. though she did attempt to play her concern well enough. "I am sorry, for what troubles you" whatever it may be. the man would bow his head to her as well, and she mimicked his movement. lifting her skull back up, she'd stare at him. Huntington did not press him for his woes, yet she was not going to walk away with nothing. "though I wonder if you could answer some questions? I am new here, to this land. I know not where I am." and separated from her guard again. sigh. the girl would have to put a chain around his neck and drag him along. ""

"A pleasure, Rose," he replied quickly, deepening his bow yet again before straightening his posture and meeting her gaze. Though Sota wasn't one to show much emotion in general, he couldn't help but be slightly shaken right now; and the nervousness was difficult to conceal from his gaze, though as he confirmed that Valkyrie had vacated the area, he allowed himself a moment to relax. He had to formulate a plan - Eris's fate somehow seemed intertwined with his own, and he alone was responsible for what had happened to her. He tried to calm himself, inhaling a slow steady breath and exhaling when she began to speak. "I could certainly try," he started, though he didn't sound overly certain. "I'm a stranger in these lands as well - I'm not from here," Sota admitted without shame, offering a slightly aimless shrug. He'd been here for a few seasons now, though, so maybe he could offer her something worthwhile. "What is it that you want to know?" He was willing to help, even if for a short while, while he tried to figure out what he was to do... perhaps helping someone would make him feel less like he was a failure currently.

she knew how to dance, and she would waltz upon mars itself. "no, it is my pleasure" the girl replied graciously, dipping her own head to the man. though her thin body may be mistaken for gauntness, she appeared relatively healthy. she could not use that to her advantage with the young wolf. instead, she focused on other tactics. a soft smile graced her lips, forever plastered with practice and observation of others. "well, perhaps I can ask after your name first?" he hadn't given it to her. yes, let's start with that. he had her at a disadvantage and Huntington did not enjoy that. even if she did give a false name to the young man, she would feel better if he gave his own to her. "and... do you know the name of this realm?" he was a newcomer like herself, but surely he could point her in the direction of someone that did know. there was some hope yet for his usefulness. he was going to 'help' her, whether he could or not. ""

She mirrored his bow, which pleased him greatly; he'd only met a pawful of wolves so far since venturing into these lands, far from his birthplace, and most didn't seem to possess the manners of the Songa. At first it had been hard to tell himself it was simply a difference in culture rather than rudeness, but now he felt refreshed at the way she mirrored his gesture. It earned a more genuine smile from him, though it wilted almost as quickly as it arrived. The weight of his choices was a burden too heavy for the small male to bear without faltering, it seemed. "I - I'm sorry, Rose. I guess my mind is elsewhere today. Desota," he introduced himself with another jerky nod, hoping she forgave his social blunder. "I'm not sure the name of this place specifically, but I'm told the locals call this continent... Boreas." Ah yes, Boreas, that was it - not that the name of this continent would do her any good. He wasn't sure if she was talking about this forest or the land as a whole; perhaps she wasn't born here, either.

"Desota, a pleasure" 'Rose' dipped her head to him once more. if she recalled, Desota was from soto - it meant a thicket or grove. t'was what they called Spanish. the man would indeed give her information though. Boreas was the name of this realm. she had been to a few before this one, and tucked the name of them inside her mind always. "a name holds power, you know" her eyes flickered upon his face before looking at the area around them. this did not feel like a house, and so she would keep moving on in order to find one. "even if it is not much given, I appreciate it all the same. you wouldn't want to walk around with no concept of where you are. people can take advantage of you." she'd give a 'tsk', her disapproval of such things. lies. it was quite amusing to see. ""

She seemed pleased to know his name, and for a moment he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. What if this one was part of Valkyrie's group? She hadn't smelled like her, but then again his senses were hazy with worry and pain, and it'd be easy enough for her disguise her scent if she was trying. Perhaps he'd give her too much information. Maybe he was in danger... He tried not to let his worries cloud his judgement now, though his posture did instinctively stiffen as she spoke again. "A name only has power if you allow it to," Sota mused thoughtfully, far from arguing with her... merely thinking out loud. Regardless of what one called this place, it was still the same place, was it not?  "Speaking of names, have you heard of a woman near these parts.. capturing wolves?" First Balsam, and now Eris. Surely she had a name, and with the kind of effect she was having on his life he had to assume that someone might know who she is by now.

"not I, but others" she replied smoothly, lying through her teeth once more. it seemed Desota had 'others' too; he mentioned a woman going about capturing other wolves. Huntington stored this information away, keen on avoiding it or investigating it. either way, it was enough to make her think back on his troubled mind from earlier. her head slowly would shake. "no; I have just arrived here." it was the first time she heard of this. a slaver, for what wolf would capture others for the sake of peace? Huntington would make sure to gather information on her own time about this subject. "is this... jailer the cause of your worries, Desota?" she ventured gently, prodding at his insecurity without knowing the whole story. outwardly, 'Rose' looked concerned once more. her brows furrowed slightly as she stared at the man, a frown creasing her lips. ""

On the outside Sota seemed noticeably uncomfortable; not by her presence in particular, but by everything. His demeanor was a thin veil over the true panic that was beginning to worsen. He needed a plan - and fast. Why had Balsam decided to come all this way, anyway? Why couldn't we have just stayed home? Though Sota had slowly started to get used to these new lands, and the wolves that he'd met here, it was hard to not regret all of this - maybe he should've tried harder to convince Balsam to stay rather than chase Velvette all this way... The question made his posture slacken, looking slightly dejected now. "She is," he admitted with a sigh, casting his glance away from her. "She's captured two of my friends now. I need to find a way to get them back." How, though, he was less certain. He'd recruited Eris's help to try to free Balsam, and look where that had gotten him! "I just don't know why she's done this, or what her motive is," Sota added with a shrug, hoping he could find someone to give him answers.