There is so much that has happened since the last time Haydée saw her friend and fellow alpha, Avacyn and the Leader had finally decided to make the trek up to see the Matriarch. Two raids had happened as well as the fall of her allies Norad since they had last seen each other and Ethne is practically fit to burst with all the wolves that are now housed inside their lands. Yes, there is much that she needs to discuss with Ava but the russet woman is also traveling for a more selfish reason; she had missed her friend greatly and wishes to see to her again.

The sun is hanging low on the horizon and the day is creeping toward night by the time the tiny Leader spies the borders of Elysium. Haydée had sent her Northern cardinal companion Chanson ahead to alert Avacyn of her impromptu visit as well as to let her know that there is news to be shared. Pulling to a stop outside of the borders, the young woman tilts her head back and sings a call for her friend and ally. A chilly breeze tugs at her coat and carries her voice into the land as the call fades into the early evening light and she cannot suppress the shiver that races along her spine.

Haydée had forgotten how cold it can be in Boreas.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Preparations were in full swing for the puppies that would be arriving any day now. With Juniper and Irilyth's help she had been taking supplements and herbs for a couple of weeks now to hopefully be able to feed these pups once Scylla gave birth to them and she had been fussing over their den to prepare a space and a bed for them over the last couple of days. Even though her mother was there to help and give her advice–and to calm her worries–she still couldn't help but obsess over every little detail. There was a very real possibility that this was her only chance to be a mother so she wanted to get it right. However, just because she was preparing to he a parent with Saracyn that didn't mean that she could let her duties as an alpha fall to the wayside so when Haydée's companion found her and alerted her to her friend's arrival she put her work aside to start making her way across the island so she wouldn't keep Haydée waiting.

She was nearing the borders when her friend's howl reached her ears and a few moments later the small woman came into view. She smiled as she came over to greet her, her tail wagging gently behind her at the unexpected but very welcome surprise. "Haydée! Welcome!" she said warmly as she leaned down to lightly press her nose to the Leader's cheek. "Please, come in," she added before turning to walk with Haydée toward the lake where the pack's general gathering area was located. "What brings you all the way up to Boreas, my friend?" Even though she was always glad to see her fellow alpha, it was quite a journey between their two packs so it felt unlikely that she'd make that trip just to say hello.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

While the trip to Boreas has been made due to several stressful events happening down in Auster, the small Leader is still super excited to see her friend again. Speaking of her friend, no sooner has the call left her maw than Haydée’s emerald gaze catches sight of the beautiful Matriarch. A happy grin splits her maw in spite of the heavy news that she carries and her tail swishes joyfully behind her as the woman steps up to greet her. A giggle leaves her lips as she warmly replies, “Ava! I have missed you! Sorry I didn’t stop by sooner. How are you and your family doing?”

Avacyn leans down to press her nose gently into the Leader’s cheek and the smaller woman hums a content sigh and leans into the touch before giving a gentle lick to the purple woman’s cheek before Ava has the chance to pull away. They turn to walk into Elysium lands, and the question of brings here has Haydée’s ears falling flat as shame slowly burns her cheeks. Another sigh, this time weary, spills out onto the air before she can stop it and she begrudgingly admits, “I wish this was just a social visit but I have come to share some information with you and also to ask you for a huge favor.”

Green eyes turn to look up at Ava, the scars on her face and scruff a stark reminder of her failures with the Raiders Hollow. Carefully, Haydée begins to recount the first big piece of news, “First off, not that long ago, Ethne was raided by the Raiders Hollow. They ended up taking a few of our chickens which, while it wasn’t ideal, we could have lived without. Unfortunately, they brought pups to the raid and, in the heat of the battles, my mother ended up maiming one.” Eyes fall as the shame builds and her pawsteps become heavy with the weight of everything she has had to carry.

“Then, my nephews, Gavroche II and Ikuchi, disappeared after the raid and I found out that Gav was taking herbs to the Raiders to try and apologize for what had happened.” A deep, slightly shaky breath is taken as she remembers the events on that dark beach that lays not too far from here. Swallowing a lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat, Haydée haltingly continues on, “When I got there… a purple woman with horns was trying to attack my nephew but, thankfully, he was able to get away unharmed.”

Gaze turns back up to her friend as she admits, “I had intended to go and offer my apologies to Gilgamesh about what happened and allow him the opportunity to mark me for my mother’s transgression. Another wolf tried to step in and the three of us fought and….” A shake of her skull and a weary sigh is given as she says, “Well, I will carry the marks with me for the rest of my life. After that, we lead a retaliatory raid against them to get our chickens back and failed… which, I will also bare the marks of that battle.”

Haydée glosses over the cruel words that Gil had said that had led her to want to get the chickens back because she doesn’t wish to burden Avacyn even more than she already has. Sorrowful emerald eyes fall to her paws as they walk, the young Leader too ashamed of the events that had transpired to meet her friend’s gaze and Haydée allows silence to envelope them as she gives the Matriarch time to process this chunk of news before moving on.


"Haydée Kedieo"

"We're doing well, thank you for asking," she replied as she greeted her friend, walking with her leisurely and waiting expectantly for what this visit was about. As she had kind of expected, this was far from a social visit. Haydée mentioned there was news to share and a favor to ask so Avacyn gave the small Leader her full attention, giving her a curious and slightly concerned look. She spoke about a raid on their pack from the Raiders–which was far from a surprise, given the history of the controversial pack–that had taken an unfortunate turn at the hands of Bellamy. She frowned at that, the expression creasing her brow. She knew Bellamy and knew from her conversations with Haydée about the difficulties Bellamy had been through, but maiming a pup seemed drastic even on the worst of days. She remained quiet as they continued to move slowly through the forest, letting Haydée continue to fill her in on the details.

By the time they reached the clearing near the edge of the island's central lake she had learned about Haydée's nephews and their misadventures and the ensuing fights and raid that had followed. With the mention of the marks that her friend spoke of she noticed the various scars that were new to her since they last met and her ears flicked uncertainly. She understood that she was only getting one side of this story and there were probably more details that would shed more light on how this all got so out of hand, but it already seemed like the young Leader was already beating herself up enough as it was so she didn't really want to press for more. Regardless of how everything had happened, it seemed like Haydée had come here in the midst of moving on from these unfortunate events so she didn't want to poke at old wounds.

She found a place on the soft grass to sit and gestured for Haydée to join her. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with all of this," she said genuinely. No matter what had set this series of events into motion she still didn't want to see her friend hurting or struggling. "You said you had a favor to ask... How can I help?" She'd always do whatever she could to help her friends, but it seemed like that was especially prevalent now. If it was something within her power to do then she would see that it was done.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Avacyn listens to her as Haydée relays everything that had happened between Ethne and the Raiders, her concerned look not missed by the small Leader as she talks. They reach the beautiful lake that Elysium has and Ava takes a seat in the soft grass, motioning for her to follow suit. With a sigh, the young woman moves to where her friends sits and gently settles on her haunches besides the taller Matriarch before suddenly, yet gently, leaning in toward the purple woman, if she would allow her to rest against her.

At Avacyn’s words, Haydée tilts her head back to catch the woman’s dark gaze, her own emerald eyes swirling with unshed tears and regret. Soft voice is filled with sorrow as she says, “Me too. It has been… a lot. When we returned home from the raid…” eyes become distant as she remembers finding out about Baecette’s death and she swallows a lump in her throat before continuing, “One of my nephews unexpectedly passed away. He had been sick for a while but we had been hopeful that he would recover.”

Small head shakes as looks down to her paws, ashamed that she had not been there when her young nephew had transitioned from this world to the next. Clearing her throat, the small Leader lifts her eyes once more as she talks, “Anyway, I wanted to bring you the news about the Raiders Hollow both as a friend and as an alpha. Raiders Hollows seems to hate us now and, since we are allies, I want you to be aware of that fact. We don’t want you to step in or anything but, if they come knocking on your door for revenge against us, I will be sure to pay them a visit.”

Steel enters her eyes as informs Ava that she will personally seek out the Raiders leadership if they start messing with Elysium; to her that would be the ultimate sin. Then the talk shifts to the favor that she needs and the small Leader straightens up before she slowly begins to relay information surrounding the fall of her neighboring pack, “Not too long after our second raid, our other ally, Norad was taken over. The wolves that took over their pack stole a young boy, on of Beauregard’s sons, and threatened to kill him unless they handed over the pack and everything that they had.”

The words hang heavily in the air as Haydée’s eyes slide out over the lake, watching the bugs that buzz lazily above the glassy surface. Ethne has been through a lot in the last couple of months and she keeps praying that everything will calm down soon. Gaze snaps back to Ava as Haydée sheepishly smiles, not realizing she allowed her mind to wander for a long moment. Head cocks slightly to the side as she says, “Ethne is currently housing the refugees of Norad within our borders but space is becoming an issue. I want to expand Ethne but we lack a master hunter and navigator. Would you be willing to spare a couple wolves to help us?”

Eyes light with hope as she looks to friend, hoping that Ethne will be able to lend a couple extra paws to help with efforts to give the displaced Norad wolves a home. Idly, Hay wonders if is too much to ask of an ally and a friend but, for the sake of their friendship, she really hopes it isn’t because she had quickly come to think of Ava as a big sister.


"Haydée Kedieo"