shewolfaurea

[shewolfaurea]

"I can't say I disagree with them." She looks to Ishmael and offers a curt nod of her head, her eyes still on the crowd of people. As if scanning it continuously would somehow make those that had disappeared reappear before her. Surely she must have missed them or they were late. But that wasn't like them, Freydis and Thora were always present, Jove too new a friend to miss out on something. "Would you fight?" Her gaze turns to him at her side, mind already going a mile a minute trying to think of who amongst them would choose to march forward. "If I go, and I do plan on leaving, I'll need those I trust with the pack."

He had a seat next to Aurea, though he knew there were many faces missing from this table. He saw the strength in his friends gaze, but he also saw her concern, her fear – this was going to be a war with many deaths; the Queen would just have to decide how many. It was never an easy position to be in, but he knew war well. He'd been in it first hand, beside Aradia, beside the prince, and his ring only reminded him why he knew war was one of the only reasons they had a chance. "Many would rather die than go prisoner, your highness."

[shewolfaurea]

"Soren," She is well aware of how convuluted the whole thing was, she didn't think there was a single way it didn't seem like a suicide mission. But there in the meeting hall as everyone chattered away and talked amongst themselves trying to gather what the consensus seemed to be, Aurea turned to reach to put her hands on his shoulders. "What would she do?" The Jarl that had been fighting her entire life, the one who had valiantly led wolves to Aventia the first time, the one who had written her letters before their worlds had spiraled out of control. Looking squarely at the other wolf, her voice lowers. "That's what everyone told me when it came to Aventia and I sent wolves, I sent her, and I sat here. I love my people, there's protocols in place if something happens to me," Her council would handle things until another alpha could be declared at Lupercalia, her will would be acted out through them. "but what kind of queen would I be if I just let some assholes take the people I love?"

Soren waited a few beats, though he is staring at her like she just grew a pair of cat whiskers and a tail. "Look, I know you're crazy. That isn't really the question here. But my real question is – what the fuck do you mean? You're the Queen, Aurea. None of this bullshit about being the one to lead, who is going to lead if you're gone? Who is leading these people who have trusted you for months? And if you don't come back? Sometimes being the best leader means to stay alive."

[shewolfaurea]

There is so much relief that comes with physically seeing Althea. Everything felt heavy since the news of the Kossith, and yet unlike when they'd gotten word of Aventia, this time Aurea was ready. Plans began forming immediately, she already had people scouting the eastern Wildlands, clearing away debris and setting up essentials. There's an extensive list of spells to look into that she'd compiled from her mother's own grimoires, new wards. Aurea's hands find Althea's shoulders gingerly, despite everything, her nails were indeed in tip top shape, with the witch being off on her own adventures, doing things for herself is what made her feel closer to her while she was away.

"We will fight them, but not in the way you think." It is somehow getting less and less crazy to say out loud as her idea became something more solid. "And in a way that will make you wonder if I have lost my mind."

@shewolfaurea location: Haven notes: kiss kiss

The fact that Althea couldn't bring herself to say "I told you so," when the Kossith began taking witches, the Student - and no one at the Tower - could say they were surprised. Telling the world that she was right wouldn't change the horror of their present reality, and wishing that things were different wouldn't change the road ahead. If Haven wanted the best general, they'd find one. They followed Aurea because she was one of them and if she could fight these creatures than so could they.

Naturally, Althea had been in Caer Glas Keep at the time but circumstances brought her home, brought her back to Haven. She'd taken this post as an escape, running from her own insecurities, emissary to an alpha who wanted nothing but blood. War. A small minded, but powerful fool. When Aurea challenged him the Student assumed that the young woman would be like those who'd come before her. Maybe it was that Aurea held a stubbornness that Althea had lacked back then, but she was the woman she was today because she'd watched Aurea beat Erik into the ground and took the throne for herself.

"You've toppled beasts before, we've battled the Blight and won. These cretins scratching at our walls are warmongers of the most savage kind. We will fight them because we must," a beat, "on your terms, not theirs." It wasn't quite hello, how are you? But it said a different message, one that Althea had relayed time and time again to her friend, her sister. I will never leave you.

[shewolfaurea]

So it's not entirely good news, but it is something and Aurea looks from Leander to the large map of Taravell on the table. Immediately she picks up several pieces off to the side and starts placing them appropriately. "You could say I owe the lives of my people and my own to two of the women taken. To not attempt to save their lives would be dishonorable." Placing a ship somewhere between Haven and Itzcoatal, her eyes look up at Leander and she drops the formality because she doesn't have patience for more than the bare minimum for it at the moment. "And perhaps because I am pure of heart and dumb of ass." The smile that crosses her lips is a brief and somewhere between hopeful and sheepish. But then it's gone and she is back to business, looking for points between each place mentioned. "I'll pay handsomely, if there's anyone you can get me in contact with, that'd be much appreciated." Her eyes are on that ship she'd placed in the ocean and it is a little wooden figure, and yet it is a heavy reminder that this is really happening. A tiny wooden piece looks a lot less daunting and trivial when what it represented was something so vile. "Any clue as to where they might stop?" There was no way they weren't docking somewhere along the way, it would be easier to overtake them, attacking them on the actual sea put them at a disadvantage, no matter what pirates she could muster.

“She wouldn’t give it even if you did.” Leander said curtly, the hall had been divided, but in the end Queen Arethusa’s voice resounded above them all. He wouldn’t pretend to understand it - the logic was sound - a war on two fronts, the darkspawn incursion, the unknown element of Kossathi warfare. But that did not alter the strangeness of it, it was she who’d ordered the march on Astoria, she who demanded the Olympians do all they could to shepherd witches from Iskaldrik and other hostile nations. Yet, when the Kossith landed, she acquiesced. It would never be Leander’s place to question the Queen, in the end he was a soldier and would do his duty. 

“There’s no question where they’re being taken: Itzcoatal.” The home of the Kossith as far South as one could travel in Taravell before walking off the edge of the map. It was on the opposite side of the world from Haven, from where they stood now and to date not a soul had managed to breach their borders and return. “The darkspawn at the Southern border divides you from Astoria, a civil war after that, then miles and miles of hostile Astorian countryside where wolves and witches alike are hunted for sport. Then, even if you managed to reach the border between Itzcoatal and Astoria, the two countries have been contesting the border there for decades.” 

He’d spent the better part of the last decade in Astoria doing what he could to smuggle witches from the nation and toward safety, some of those connections - routes - still held. “I know a man who might help you, if he’s willing to take the contract. But why should I help you march to your death?”

[shewolfaurea]

"I'm not going to ask for your mother's help." Aurea doesn't have time for beating around the bush for once but her tone is soft. Leander stands before her where she stands over the map in the meeting hall every bit Lysaran royalty. "Taking any of you away from the conflict in the South would be counterproductive and we both cannot fall." Arethusa had to take care of her own people, Aurea had to take care of hers. And she could not be someone who could extend to help others if she could not first help herself, to be a refuge, Haven needed to be standing. Whether that be where they were presently or somewhere to the East. "Haven is evacuating." Putting it out in the open doesn't feel as much of a defeat as she thought it would. Running had never been framed as some courageous thing, but at present it was the wise thing. "We are leaving and I am not asking your mother for help." Exhaling and reaching to run a hand through the front of her hair only to be met with the metal of her circlet. A reminder that this is something that requires diplomacy and her and Leander are more than just a queen and a prince, they are people with thoughts and feelings and loved ones and in that moment, that's what she wants to appeal to. "I am asking your help, in any way you can offer it, as directly or indirectly as you want it to be."

Near where the map was pinned to the large table, there was a list of names and while Aurea glanced to them, she did not need to read them. "I've been gathering information on those that were taken. I intend to aid them. I am not asking you to come with me, but if there's anyone you know or a direction you can point me to, I'd love to hear it." There's some exasperation to her tone because she knows how insane it all sounds out loud, but despite everything, there is a fire in the center of her chest where her heart is. The Kossith had already taken her home the moment she'd looked out into the crowd of people in the meeting hall and felt the absence of Thora and Freydis.

@shewolfaurea location: Haven notes: here go

The circumstances that brought Leander to Haven never seemed to changed: conflict. For the Centurion, it was beginning to feel like more trouble than it was worth - some remote region buried in the cold and the dark that was uncomfortably close to Isengrim's Embrace. Maybe he'd seen too many battles, too many casualties, but as he walked through Haven's streets to the Alpha's hall, he didn't see any soldiers. They were just people: farmers, sheep herders, craftsmen - all trying to live their lives.

"Well." It was all Leander said as he stood before the Queen, the Warrior's regalia was indicative of his station. A ring on his dominant hand asserting his place among the Olympians, another bearing the seal of Lysara's prince. The Kossith had issued an ultimatum, Leander would hear Aurea's response firsthand.

[shewolfaurea]

"My dear friend," Aurea takes a second to inhale and then exhale slowly as she straightened from where she stood over the map. "Everyone else will move East, we will take what we can. Let the Kossith think we have simply decided to leave." Her people would be safe and out of harm's way, there would be no Haven without them and they trusted her to make the right call. While they were wolves, they were not built for the fight Kossith would bring to them. "I want to infiltrate their hold." She looks to him and saying it out loud, she's sure it sounds insane. She had made her mind up about what to do with her people, but she would not sit by herself this time. "I want to bring those who have disappeared home and I cannot do it alone."

"The Legion?" Soren didn't think they would help. Not for a moment. He didn't want to break Aurea's hope, however, he'd wait until they were alone for him to spill what he really thought. As it was, the Dark One was more and more violent; ever creeping closer. He woke up with more blood on himself than he ever had, and the idea that he could harm someone in Haven? "Us?" He whispered that next, like it wouldn't be possible for Aurea to go down against the Kossith. "Fuck me, Aurea. What are you thinking?"

[shewolfaurea]

"One of the pirate captains, yes?" She'd be more concerned if she weren't relieved. Many letters had gone out asking for aid, they hadn't all gone to people she knew personally. Aurea looks up from the map she'd been leaning over to look at the man who had phased right through the wall. Interesting people, banshees, she hadn't ever met one in person. When she'd started peeking in on the pirates in Lysara, she'd heard of a ship led by such a creature. It was like something out of a storybook, a ghostly pirate on the high seas. "Seraphiel, isn't it?" His voice had sounded like something of a whisper and it's oddly comforting, in a way. Brow creased, there's a couple of blades in the corners of the map to hold it firm to the table and instinct wants her to grab for one of them and yet she doesn't. Her home has once again been opened to both aid and offer it where she could, her violence would be saved for the Kossith.

who: @shewolfaurea

where: haven, aurea's meeting hall

notes: he's here to do something nice but he wont admit it

He slipped past the guards like a whisper between breaths—unseen, unheard, until it was far too late. Haven had grown since he last saw it: no longer a fledgling compound of dens clawing for survival, but a large city, teeth bared to the Wildlands.

Seraphiel took his time through the halls, admiring the polish where there had once been dirt until finally phasing through the doors separating him and the werewolf queen.

“You’ve built something beautiful,” he said, voice soft and distant as moonlight over water. “Would be such a shame to see it gutted.”

A pause, the faintest smile ghosting his lips. His gaze dragged over the room, slow, deliberate. “Do you know who I am?"

[shewolfaurea]

"Further into the Wildlands." Looking down at the map spread out on the table, Aurea looks from him to the paper and the little stone wolf markers that indicated different factions. "East, towards the Deadlands. I plan to call upon the Legion and a few pirate friends, if they won't fight with us, they might have an easier time helping evacuate." Elokian, she'd sent word to him and Valdis, whatever gold she needed to pay them for their help, she would. "Those that wish to stay and fight, I've got options for us." She exhales slowly, tries to take it all one step at a time.

Soren was quiet for a few moments, the other wolves, witches, legionnaires – everything in between, it seemed – were contemplating just as much. The Vuldak wasn't exactly the voice of reason, edging on joining the pack but worrying what the Blight would do to him or others that got too close. He couldn't burden her with that just yet. "Where would we go?"

[shewolfaurea]

"And there's no doubt in my mind that you'd fight again." No, Julian had been someone she knew would fight without her having to ask him to. Freydis had vetted him for a reason and she didn't take the Veilmaiden's blessing lightly. If only the blonde would be there to see him be so brave. Something seizes in her chest at the thought, at the idea that she would look out once more at the crowd of people and Freydis wouldn't be counted among them. "I have a plan. A farfetched one, but it is something."

This is far from deja vu - fighting another enemy, another strike against Haven - it's dread, wholly and completely and his heart is sinking in his chest. When the meeting had been called and Freydis still did not appear, reality set in for Julian that she would not be here to help assist them in any battle that would crop up; not an if but a chilling when. He's new to the pack but Julian had understood, even long before officially becoming a member, that such status did not dilute any of his opinions to Aurea. "I fought for Haven before and I think you'd know my stance of having to do so again." What he knew of the Kossith seemed to be figments of nightmare fuel, the darkspawn inconsequential to their status, but Julian would not be weary in face of the new enemy, especially considering all they had taken already.

[shewolfaurea]

LADY AUREA, THE ALPHA

Don't break me down I've been travelin' too long I've been trying too hard With one pretty song I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast I am alone at midnight Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble, but I I've got a war in my mind (x)

@shewolfaurea

[shewolfaurea]

"On there end, this is not something personal." There's relief in looking over at Aradia at her side. Aurea is well aware that the final call is her own, but it feels good to know that the plan that's forming in her head isn't entirely unpopular. There's a bit of warmth at the center of her chest despite the weight on her shoulders, it was no surprise her and Aradia were on the same page. "But to me it is." They'd taken Freydis, they'd taken Thora, Jove, Luna, and that was just the people she knew. These were friends, these were her family and packmates and she would see them returned. "I think they'll expect us to flee, we'd have the element of surprise."

There had been a darkness that was looming over her, but it seemed even more potent now than it had ever been. She could feel the nerves radiating off of Aurea as if they were her own. There was no way for her to comfort the wolf other than what she had already been doing. Aradia thought of Naevia. She thought of the woman she had called a best friend and how she had lost her even with all of the strength she had. Would she lose Althea, too? Aurea? No, she wouldn’t allow it. Until her dying breath, she would fight for them and everyone within Haven. There was no part of her that would not fight because that was all she had ever done. It was what she was made for. So they could not give up and she would fight for all of them. “Then we won’t.” Her hand rested upon Aurea’s arm and gently squeezed. “All I know is that we cannot fold. Not to them.”

[shewolfaurea]

Her eyes glance around the room as she lets the wheels in her head turn. Freydis being absent is a blow, but Thora is also nowhere to be seen and Aurea has to avert her gaze from the crowd gathered to look at Rhys at the end of the table. Rhys who was a trusted friend despite his Vuldak status, it was a secret she kept and the bond between them was stronger for it. He was also a friend to Freydis, she could not imagine he was taking her disappearance well either. "I'm afraid regardless of what we do, they will take the fight to us."

He sat with his arms crossed over his chest, at the further end of the table, despite his initial thought to be fight, he'd been struggling as of late. The dark cloud seemed to float ever closer, endlessly waking in the dead of the night, covered in blood and the sinew of whomever he'd devoured. He'd had to venture further out, further towards a place that would deserve it. Yet still – Soren's thoughts were interrupted as Aurea spoke, standing and taking control of the room. He thought of all he'd known in Aventia, and he could see it in Aurea's gaze that they thought of the same shieldmaiden that would've risen her sword in defense of her closest companions. A hollow laugh left him, the cynical vuldak feeling less and less like the witty bard he'd been for so long. "If you don't take the fight to them, will they bring it to us?"

[shewolfaurea]

For all they'd been through, there are these little moments between everything where Aurea thinks things could just be normal. Right there in the moment they are not a queen and a Veilmaiden, but two young women sharing in each other's hobbies. There'd been times when she'd written to the blonde where she'd wondered what it would be like if they'd had grown up alongside each other, if they'd just gotten to be girls. Aurea's other hand rests atop Freydis's to give it its own gentle squeeze back. A hand calloused by carrying a sword and shield, her own by labor and her arrows. Maybe a day would come where they could put their weapons down. "Would you go back?" She asks, head canting just slightly, brows furrowing. Iskaldrik might be home for those that had come to Haven seeking refuge, but not all of them were but mere mortals and so.... Iskaldrik's views on magic would not change overnight. It felt foolish to think that Freydis was safer in Lysara than her homeland, but Aurea couldn't say it wasn't a concern. "I think I'm afraid of the peace afterwards." She says, tone softer as she thinks of having to replace Althea and Aradia, of life without those who had supported her from day one. Who would she be without them? When it was just her and the pack and her crown, would she still be herself? She didn't know.

“Be serious,” Freydis half-groaned, half laughed. But when she turned to look at Aurea, she was already returning the smile she found with one of her own. “I suppose it is an improvement, though,” she added thoughtfully. Aurea and other archers made it look so easy and she found a new level of respect for their abilities. She might never be a master archer just like Aurea might never be a master swordswoman, but it was nice to share their skills with one another. Freydis, very used to excelling where she put her mind to something, simply wished she was a bit better at it naturally. 

She lowered her bow and drew her horse a bit closer to Aurea’s, extending her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. “I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t learned from so many others, the Midlands and here,” she agreed. Freydis tried to keep an open mind, and she felt at most times she managed to do so, but she had made missteps and others had hauled her back to her feet when needed. She hoped vise versa as well. “Sometimes I try to think of how things might be after the war, whether I return to Iskaldrik or not. Sometimes it feels like too much to even consider I might see the other end of it,” she confessed. “Do you ever feel that way?”

[shewolfaurea]

Person: Open to those in Haven Location: Meeting Hall Notes: Girl it's a state of emergency again She wants a vote, she wants to know what everyone thinks before she makes the last call. Her word is ultimately law and she'd already lost wolves to Aventia, she doesn't know if she could send them all to fight again. And yet where would they go if not Haven? Where would they go if not home? Anxiety sits heavy in her chest as she stands there in the center of the long table, looking out to the wolves and those in Haven that had all crammed into the meeting hall. The Wildlands, they could venture further there, those too weak to fight would go there anyways, she'd find a place for them. "Haven is home." She says to the room, head held high and circlet upon her head feeling heavier than ever. Looking out and not seeing Freydis felt like an actual punch to the gut. "We were lucky enough to fortify it against the darkspawn and survived the packs of them that appeared. The Kossith are not something we can fight alone."

[shewolfaurea]

"Stick around, it's not all planning to batten the hatches. We have fun, too." She raises her pint glass a little before taking a sip, her brows raising as he mentions having a question and she nods her head. Lupercalia was a time of celebration, a way to bring them together, to open their doors to other wolves in the area. People traveled to Haven for it, she had only a couple of years ago, and her hospitality towards those wolves was earnest. Her goal was to give them a glimpse at what life was like there, to let the land and the pack and their community speak for itself. She could only hope at least a few of them would actually join the Feronia, but that was wishful thinking. "Shoot, I'll do what I can to answer."

"The Alpha?" Jove's eyebrows quirked up, obviously impressed as the spry and youthful voice heard from the barbarian's ears. Somehow Jove managed to think the wolf he was listening to was a fellow visitor like himself, enjoying the celebration and the misadventures that came afterwards. "Well, I believe a thank you is in order, Miss Aurea." Jove gives a slight bow of his head in the direction of her voice, a pleased smile still in his face as he continues, "Not everyday I get to meet a renown name during holidays. And with a pint no less." A short chuckle escapes his mouth as he feels the cold dew of the tankard press against his hand. Jove takes the pint into his hands, bows slightly once more in gratitude as he brings the cold drink to his lips.

"I hope you don't mind me staying here, I was only passing through when I got caught in the celebrations." Jove chimes, a thought appearing in his mind. The barbarian wouldn't admit it out loud, but he missed the warmth from a breathing hearth, the sounds of a tavern full of laughter and joyous ribbing. But more than anything, he craved a place to call home again. "Though, I did have something to ask of you."

[shewolfaurea]

Hailee Steinfeld

[shewolfaurea]

"That was good!" She points out, smiling as her eyes watch where the arrow lands. It's not so much about accuracy at this point, she figures they'll get the form down and aim would come with that. And she's about to point that out but Freydis mentions sword and shield and Aurea can't say that's not quite the trade off. She could swing a sword but it was just that, swinging and stabbing, bracing herself for impact. Without her bow, she went at people with tooth and claw, she could use a lot more defensive training, that was for sure. "And I worry about you out there." Her smile goes from encouraging to something fond. "But if we teach each other, it'll help keep us alive while we're apart." It's a light way to soothe Freydis and herself, Aurea's optimism often bordered on unrealistic, but it's earnest. Neither can stop the other from going out and getting into danger, but they can prepare each other for it.

“I learned the bow, just a smaller one and with sedentary targets,” Freydis responded, slightly distracted as she attempted to rebalance her arrow. She gave up a moment later knowing that corrections and guidance from Aurea was not far behind. “I thought I might be better at this to start off, but it’s been years since I learned. I guess it doesn’t come back as naturally as I suspected.” She lowered to a resting position when Aurea came to be beside her and watched the wolf closely. At a much slower pace, Freydis lifted her own bow and arrow mirroring Aurea’s positioning as precisely as she could manage. After a few moments, her own eyes looked forward. Freydis held her breath for a moment to center herself before taking in a slow, even breath, pulling back on the string of the bow being mindful to move her arm and only her arm in a controlled motion, allowing herself one more breath to steady herself and let her arrow loose.

This time, it only missed the tree by six inches–a vast improvement from merely falling to the side of her and her horse or missing the tree by several yards. “I think any hope for meat for our dinner lies with you,” Freydis laughed, but she could recognize the improvement. “Maybe I’ll be able to hit something by the end of the day, but maybe we should start our ride and see if the adrenaline of an actual hunt makes a difference,” she suggested. She imagined there was more to learn from Aurea where there was more action. Unfortunately, she also doubted the wolf would make much of a hunter of Freydis by the end of the day, but the rabbits the veilmaiden managed to snare near the cabin kept her fed between trips to the butcher as it were. “I’d love to teach you more about using a blade or a shield. If you wanted to learn.” Freydis hoped Aurea would take her up on it, and then added, her throat suddenly tight, “I worry about you and Haven when I’m not there.” It wasn’t as though Freydis saw herself as single-handedly capable of protecting the wolves, but she knew what it meant to fight with them and she knew how much Aurea’s queendom had already lost.