The journey had been longer than she had remembered, and Sedna often had to stop on her way to catch her breath. It was early days yet, but she felt whatever she had on board this time around far surpassed (in size at least), what she had birthed before. One particularly disgruntled pup seemed to constantly wedge a paw between her lower ribs and lung, while another treated her bladder like a boxing bag. She tried to reassure her tiny escort, taking her duties so seriously, that this was all perfectly normal. Otis was even walking for himself for once, laden down with his satchel of herbs and the pockets of Fuji's jacket were stuffed with all manner of wears. Sedna also had a roll of furs strapped to her own back, wrapped carefully around some of the pottery Fuji had painstakingly crafted. It wasn't every day they travelled all the way to Northern Boreas.

The markets bustled around them, various wolves shouting about their wares, but Sedna recognised very few of them at a glance. The pair of ibises took flight, and Sedna gestured her daughter towards what seemed to be a bar towards the back. "Let's stop fer a drink, I'm sure word'll get out soon 'nough."

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Fuji's neck was sore from all the tension she was carrying through her bunched up shoulders and clenched jaw. There wasn't much to her so she had to do her best to look like more than she was. It was a challenge when they cat that strolled so casually at her side stood over her by a good few inches. Kenta even bothered to give her a lazy side long glance and a slow blink. If her mother wasn't worried, there was no reason for her to be.

The girls nostrils flared as she pushed a huff out through her nose. There were a lot of wolves here and the last time they had visited... must have been almost a year ago now? When her mother gestured towards the bar, the girl gave her a stern glare, "If yer think I'm gonna let 'em serve yer alcohol in yer condition, yer got another thing comin', mother or not!"

“Speech”

Just move those left feet, go ahead, get crazy

Spring had always been good to Halo. The time of year when the seasonal depression was cleared away, and only the usual amount of depression was left. She felt lighter, more at peace as the days grew longer and warmer. Still not quite as warm as they'd been in southern Boreas, but that was okay. The heat hadn't been very kind to Halo anyway. With the return of spring came the return of the crowds to the markets, too. She'd spent the winter carefully distilling more vodka, and processing all manners of useful things from the botanicals she'd carefully stocked away. With today feeling like one of the first big market days of the season, Halo slipped through the crowds with a certain nervous excitement.

It was as she'd just finished bringing up a fresh barrel of dandelion mead that a familiar voice struck her. Halo's head lifted, and then the rest of her. Even standing up on her tiptoes before she laid eyes on the source. Her eyes lit up, as did her smile. Halo couldn't help but be excited to see Sedna. Beside her there was a girl, probably about the age of the Warlord's litter. "I won't let them serve you in that condition either," she smiled as she approached. "It's good to see you." There's warmth in her tone, in her gaze. Halo moves forward to press her cheek, her shoulder into Sedna's. She can't help herself, genuine excitement in her movements. Only after stepping back does she introduce herself to the yearling. "I'm Halo." Today Halo is warmth, Halo is light.

"Halo"

As if she'd planned it, a familiar voice rang out through the crowds and Sedna's tail waved happily at her back, leaning into the familiar embrace and taking care to not poke her with the crystals that protruded from her neck. "Yer lookin' good," Much better than Sedna felt when a waft of something spicy came her way and bile began to burn at the back of her throat. Her grin took on a slightly pained look as she tried to hold her breath and Otis rapidly crushed chamomile and citrus rind between his paws to shove under her muzzle. "Yer a sight fer sore eyes. This is'm daughter, Fuji, she's trainin' ter be a healer an' a warrior. Fuji, this is Halo." Clearly Sedna had gotten herself into a state, however, that had hit the brakes on her training.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Seeing the way her mother immediately softened as the other wolf approached put the child at ease and she stretched her jaw in a yawn and gave her shoulders a shake to get rid of some of the tension she was carrying. The fact the pale woman had backed her up already made her a good one in Fuji's books, and her interest was clearly piqued when her mother introduced the other wolf. Fuji had heard countless tales from her mother about her time before coming to these lands and before coming to Tojo Kai. To finally be able to put a face to the name made a whole lot of stories make a whole lot more sense. She couldn't keep the wiggle from her back end, “I hear yer quite th' gardener? Ma' does ok, but she's a bit lazy about it.” The girl spoke up, hoping they could find the time to trade gardening tips before they had to take their leave.

“Speech”

Just move those left feet, go ahead, get crazy