[Oriana]

---

At first, there seemed to a good, hard trail to follow. A good scent, some blood; your typical breadcrumb trail to find your way home should you need it. Oriana had no doubts in that she may need to use this trail to come back; what was gradually becoming wishful thinking was the pace at which she would be finding Hircine. She could recognize her baby boy from a mile away if she needed to, but the farther out she and her group trekked, the more distance they were putting between her beautiful, beloved home and finding her tailless son. A mixture of thoughts bubbled through her mind as to what happened to him; as to what happened to anyone. It was just as the volcano; an unfortunate circumstance that led to a hit to the powerful empire.

Her tether pulled taut, that thick, blood stained red rope that tried to keep her from wandering too far from Saboro, like a dog on a leash; unable to stray too much from it’s owner. But despite the overhanging lure, the scraping of the crown against her skull, the Sabora progressed forward, determined, forcefully, even angrily. How much more was Saboro going to take from her? Her husband, her child, her brother, her sanity? (Was that already gone—?) Was it Saboro at this point or the crown? The dark cloud surrounding her figure and the faint glow of her birthright scrawled across her face made it more and more clear to her the farther she moved.

At some point her silence was almost intimidating; she didn’t communicate with her loyal followers, simply moving forward, more, more, more, he had to be here somewhere. Hircine, Keanu, anyone, anything— Oriana was looking for something that might not have even existed anymore. But she didn’t care; progress was progress and there was something enlightening about battling with her inner demons in a playing field they’d never experienced before.

It was hard to tell how long they’d been walking, or in what direction, or even how far now. Her crown choked her silent and her steady pace kept her distant; if her sisters and friend fell back somewhere she might not have even noticed. (But they were still there; following behind, beside, where ever they felt comfortable. Three loyal companions who chose whatever path their queen took them on—) If they chatted among themselves it was indistinct and blurred to her ringing ears. It was hard to tell what the Queen was feeling at this point, a backlog of suppressed emotions started to filter through her system now all at once, where she could breathe, where she could see and smell and actually take in the fresh air of something not so tainted. How come Inaria didn’t feel this freeing? Tortuga? She could feel the breeze under her wings, the fire truly igniting in her core as something came alive.

Oriana was fighting since she was young; fighting for recognition, fighting to find friends, fighting to find love, fighting to keep her family, fighting for her children, fighting for her pack, fighting for her mother, her father, her sister— then all at once she was fighting against everything. Fighting her lover, fighting her mate, fighting her pack, herself!—

Suddenly, she came to a stop. The breeze was gentle, the air was clean, no longer did she smell blood, did she smell smoke, did she smell fear and chaos and the mixed, drug-like cocktail of Saboro as a whole; the toxic drink she’d been consuming her whole life. Something changed, something shifted.

It’s always been fight or flight—

Today, Oriana chose flight.

---

[Naviti]

Being outside home felt something indescribable, boiling memories of war to the service. Flashes of teeth, death surrounding them, fellow packmates falling, other dragging dead bodies into Inaria's water supply... The life she'd taken, the tree she'd stolen then brought to flourish in Saboro. Her chest ached heavily as Navi kept moving forward steadily, they'd been wrong. It'd all been wrong, and lately the young Saborako's mind had felt the weight of her endless working, the loss of friends and disappearance of Keanu. Distracted bright sky eyes lingered over her traveling companions, grateful to be wandering with others out in the wilds here. She'd like to have a conversation with them both, especially the sister she was a stranger to... but it wasn't the time or place. There were more important things they needed to accomplish out here.

Slipping back into reality she moved up closer to Oriana's side as their eyes scanned, and noses pulled them hopefully closer to her Nephew. It was when the Sabora stopped that Naviti kept moving forward, only to hesitate and turn to face Oriana again confused. Not feeling that choking grasp of the crown tethering her golden sibling to Saboro, no, the Saborako was not choked to Saboro. She led the Starlings, they each hovered inside and outside of the borders daily, though never straying this far from home... and it felt... good. Wasn't that wrong? Blasphemy to their Country? 

How long had they been walking? It was now she noticed the ache in her tough feet, and tingle in her muscles. They needed a break. "Ori? We'll keep looking, but think we should find shelter for tonight." The question of her well-being didn't need to fall off her tongue, the Indigo and Sun-dappled sibling took a few more steps back toward the group. Oriana's expression difficult to read, despite it all Naviti grew close enough to press her forehead into Oriana's cheek and allow her eyes to fall shut. Her body felt pangs of relief being so far from Saboro now, she hadn't realized the dark hold it'd had. The life it sucked out, the fear that constantly lingered in her chest that now felt lighter.

Realizing now in a soft whisper out loud to her Sister "I don't want to go back." A tear welling behind closed eyes, to roll down her cheek to her jawline. Would the admission cause Oriana to snap onto her throat? Death to the traitors had always been the way, fear sunk it's teeth into her shoulders but she remained unmoved. I want to be free.

[Oriana]

---

"Ori? We'll keep looking, but think we should find shelter for tonight."

Warm hues had started to cast across the sky, unbeknownst to the Sabora as she continued to scour the surrounding territory in desperate hope of finding her son. It was only when she'd paused in reaction to her shifting world and the gentle voice of her kin did her crown slide when her head turned. Her eyes scanned across the face of her loyal sister, her Elite, her Saborako— one of the few left in the high ranked roster she could truly trust. Artemisia too, but her moral ties laid tight with Crenate despite their bonding discussion about where their loyalties lie. Naviti had always been on her side, whatever twisted and confused blurred side that was, her windy sister didn't inch close to that line like the rest of her loved ones did. With a deep inhale, Oriana took a moment to actually look around their area to see what would make a good, safe place to consider resting for the night. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind, as she hoped trekking far enough out of from Saboro to not return before nightfall was unspeakable. However, survival was key, and she wouldn't sacrifice her companion's lives for her blind determination to find Hiricine. "Perhaps you're right," Admitting quietly, her words weren't the same unsullied demands of a Queen, but rather the soft reality of the girl who knew better. The gentle touch of her sister's quiet affection brought the Sabora back down from her strange, invoked high as she remembered that she still had allies, she still had family.

Inhaling deep, Oriana almost moved away from her sister's intimate reassurance, but not before she heard the quiet murmur of betrayal that escaped her Elite's lips. "I don't want to go back." The Queen-sister's reaction was a stiffened frame, eyes rolling down to view the expression of her litter sister as she implied turning their back on the empire; her empire. Oriana rumbled quietly, peeling away now as she muttered quietly; perhaps Oriana knew deep down that she felt the same. "Be careful what you wish for..." An ominous looming statement that didn't hold much of a threat, but rather an inkling of the same uncertainty that the Queen felt for being so distant from her home and how long they'd be gone for. Oriana knew it were only a matter of time before her absence became noticeable, further more the head wolf who is to be manning the borders during such a chaotic time.

"Saboro is still our home." She didn't speak rather convincingly, but she'd argue it was the exhaustion. Oriana never dreamed of betraying her home and certainly not her position, but she could taste an attractive flavour of freedom in her mouth like the alluring aphrodisiac it wanted to be. "We will try not to stay away for too long." Before it no longer feels like home, to any of us.

Finally, she turned to her attention completely to her companions, announcing. "Let's keep our eyes out for shelter."

---

ooc: ciello & scindere can still reply; they're assumed to be there regardless

[Scindere]

This wasn't turning out to be as fun as she'd thought. The atmosphere was grim and silent, which she supposed she should have expected - they were searching for missing persons, who were probably dead (or worse, traitors). Why should they be celebrating? Well, they were taking a nice vacation from Disaster Forest, for one thing - that was something to be excited about, right? Scindere had never had a chance to know the world outside of Saboro, but she liked the brief visits she'd had. It was nice to see a different landscape for once, nice to exist in an area where everyone wasn't looking for the first chance to one-up you or kill you or both. Of course, she couldn't be sure it wasn't like that out here - she hadn't met any residents of The Beyond to ask.

She was truly wishing one of those mystery residents would appear. Someone to talk to. Anyone. Anything. Someone with an expression other than pained reservation. "Nice sunset," she thought aloud, not even daring to be optimistic enough to expect an answer from anyone. Who the hell were any of these people, anyway? She recognized Oriana, of course, and her other sister that she didn't know very well but at least knew she was related to. Probably.

Then there was the long monster with all the hair - he was the true anomaly here. Maybe he would manage to be less depressing than the other two. She drifted over toward him while walking, wherever he happened to be in the group, falling into step beside him and tilting her head in his direction expectantly. "So, what brings you out here?" she asked with a wry smile, tone somewhere along the border between sarcasm and sincerity. She lowered her voice then, leaning her muzzle in close to his face, and whispered so only he could hear, "Which one of them did you come for?" She glanced toward the two sisters ahead of her with a knowing smile. They were so beautiful, weren't they? All three of them. It was a curse, truly.

[Ciello]

Night wore on as sisters broke a trail for him, wounds scabbing over by the break of a dim dawn. They did not stop then, weary soldiers in line behind their flagship. Dawn turned to day, sun rising and setting on grim, oppressive silence. His questions had no answers and he kept them to himself, focusing instead on the trail ahead and the dull ache of his feet. Of the daughters lost and the daughters left behind. The Sabora and her loyal sister were driven and free, but he was simply Ciello, and Ciello was nothing more than tired and CONFUSED. Had anyone slept the night before? Would they be sleeping soon? Would they sleep ever again?

He lagged progressively further behind, head low as his horns grew heavy, eyes ahead but desperate for rest. In time, perhaps, they would leave him behind, whether it was the simple inevitability of their longer legs or because he crashed at last. It didn’t matter, he knew he lacked the strength without his eye on the goal, whatever the goal actually was. By the time the bored sister turned his way, his eyes had glazed, the tip of his tail dragging heavily behind him. Was it a nice sunset? He hadn’t looked. He shook his head, hair whipping him for his effort, and gazed blearily beyond the trees. Oh. He supposed it was nice. Could they stop now?

No—it’s never so simple as all that. A princess approaches a monster, etiquette demands that he smile politely, though his head felt full of lead. Hello to you as well, princess, if that’s what you are. He doesn’t know who is and who isn’t anymore. “Seemed like the better option,” he rallies back, voice cracking. They hadn’t even stopped for water in… stars, how many hours had it been now? So preoccupied he became by clearing his throat, finding no relief there, that he allowed her close to him. It wasn’t until she was talking again that he realized how close. Running dry tongue over dry teeth, he forgot his manners in the moment and swayed slightly away, a small stumble to his step before returning to the dreary drudge he’d maintained thus far.

Sisters ahead shared covert dreams, and so too did he with his companion of the moment—that’s what you were hoping for, right? “I only know Ori,” he admits, though he shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath and adds, for Scindere only, “Sabora. That’s who she is.” He pauses before continuing lowly, “She never told me that.” So perhaps this stranger could forgive him this lapse in courtesy and reverence. The queen had wanted him as her friend, and in playing house she set him up for failure. A loaded spring trap that he blundered into as he traipsed through life.

He was tired of loaded guns.

“I’m Ciello,” he introduces himself at last, smiling apologetically, please forgive him, he’s just a stupid, silly boy. “Maybe you could help me?” Nobody else here had. The mission as clear as the letters on a page, but his brain was so scrambled he’d forgotten how to read. Boy, he sure DID feel stupid. He didn’t like it. “I don’t exactly understand what’s going on. Who are we looking for? If I knew, I’d be more help.” That’s the ticket, you keep believing that. Is a name really going to help you find the hollow eyed face on the back of the milk carton?

The call to stop—or close enough—came soon thereafter. He sighs with relief, shoulders slumping as he cut a glance towards his companion. “About time,” he comments lowly, “I’m beat.” Maybe it was his exhaustion cutting his filter from the equation, but friends were hard to find—he couldn’t trust the golden haired queen, his port in Saboro’s storm. Maybe he would have better luck here. That was where he was really stupid—he’d repeat the same mistakes again and again.

But, beggars can’t be choosers!