More than seasons change

"Guess it always is," Tal shrugged resignedly to the insanity of Halo politics. All the more reason for him to stay as far away from the Citadel as possible for as much of the year as he could manage, from what he could hear. But maybe he should pay closer attention, if shit was starting to threaten his family... a fucking dragon was really too much.

Sah's smirk was met with a scowl, and a chop of Tal's hand, as if to knock his words away. "I don't need a fuckin' nap, Sparky, but the dogs are in no shape to make another run right now. Push yourself as hard you want, but leave them out of it." He turned and stalked towards the door, where Boreal and the lead dog were keeping the team more or less ready.

He threw his next words back over his shoulder gruffly, as close as he could come to a growl. "Found her by the old general store, just west of the courier station. Start walkin' if you want. I'm taking the dogs home and then I'll get my sister's team harnessed up to the racing sledge. Don't go lookin' for a ride when we pass you, if you're gonna run off alone with your hair on fire."

Sah

Sah couldn't help it, Talyson's reaction made him snicker. "Don't misunderstand. I know your dogs need a well-deserved break. That's why I'm saying you should just go tend to them." He hadn't meant to come across as insulting. He'd merely been amused by the man's stubbornness, and the familiarity of the sentiment. "I'd do the same for my own pup." The Outlander added to clarify.

"If you want to follow later with your sister's team, then by all means, but I'm not trying to get you to overwork your dogs." Sah added as he eyed the man, honestly a little offended that Talyson would think that he'd force animals past their breaking point. The thought almost pulled a snarl form the Outlander.

"Thanks for the information though." Sah paused, "And I never said I was going alone, just that I was going to head out now." Lilly would kill him if he took a trip out of the Citadel without her. As such, Sah whistle sharply, a small smile coming to his face at the sound of racing paws.

A silver wolf raced past the guards and skidded to a stop in front of Sah, who reached down and ruffled her ears. "Hey Lilly, we need to head out to Whitebrim. You ready to go?" The wolf eyed Morgan's body for a moment before giving a sharp yip to her bonded. "Good."

Sah raised a brow at Talyson, "Meet you there?"

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Tal's scowl deepened when Sah laughed - at him, the prickly man just knew it! - and the further clarifications only made it worse. "Yeah, well, that's not how it sounded," he growled back at the assurance that Sah hadn't intended to overwork his team, metaphorical hackles raised.

He was already heading for the door when the wolf ran past him and he stopped dead for a moment, watching the beast with wide eyes. It took some of the temper out of him, but only a little. The scowl was back a moment later and he gave a sharp nod. "Fine."

He shouldered his way out of the Palace and back to where the sledge still waited to sort the dogs back into their places and drive them home to beg his sisters for a favor...

---

An hour later he stood on the runners of his sister's racing sled, tired to the bone but stubbornly refusing to rest now that his pride was on the line. At least the trail was clear and fresh beneath the Longheat sun, and the sled flew behind the team of six. Bell's howls still lingered in his ears when he'd left without her, but he wasn't going to abuse her great heart over a Warden who was already dead.

Boreal winged ahead to check for trouble as they neared Whitebrim, and he slowed the team with quiet calls and a soft hand on the brake. Expecting trouble - because it was Whitebrim after all - Tal parked the team on the outskirts and got them turned back towards the Citadel before he settled in with them to wait for the Advisor's arrival.

Sah

Sah snorted at Talyson's clear annoyance, "Sorry, sorry." Was this why he was always being teased? It really was fun to be on the other side of it for once.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sah and Lilly arrived at Whitebrim not long after the courier. The temporary Warden approached, eyes scanning the area already. Whitebrim was mostly deserted since the dragon had laid waste to it, but the place had still once held cannibals. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright. Now where did you find her?" Sah asked once he had fully caught up. All prior mirth was gone, replaced with focused intensity. One of his hands was already placed on the hilt of his sword, ready to act should the need arise.

 Lilly meanwhile sniffed at Tal's team curiously as she wandered around the small group, ears at attention. The wolf was cautious of this place too. The last time they'd been here she and her bonded had faced an ursur after all.

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

The dogs had been lightly fed and Tal had managed a quick catnap before Sah arrived, and his scowl had faded with the rest. Not that he looked in a particularly sunny mood when the other man got close; the courier was on edge, eyes roving from the horizon to the town to the sky and back, though the dogs didn't seem too concerned at the moment. They greeted Lilly with cautious wags and much sniffing, ears pricked forward at this newcomer but not showing aggression while Tal seemed unbothered by her.

He nodded sharply at Sah's brusqueness, looking almost relieved that there was no small talk. "This way." He carried his axe in one hand, gloved fingers firm around the leather-wrapped haft as he led the way into town, keeping a sharp eye on the rubble and ruin that remained. A dragon wheeled overhead, broad-winged and pale against the evening-shaded sky, and he glanced up at her occasionally with a nod as she confirmed his path.

"Here," he said gruffly as they came to a place where the snow had been thrown up in great gouts and flung about by something heavy and big. A few blood spots gleamed frozen in the snow, but the tracks of other small scavengers had already started to obscure the scene. "What're you looking for?"

Sah

Sah followed Tal silently, keeping his eyes on their surroundings as they walked. Lilly wandered slightly, nose and ears workng overtime, sending back what information she thought Sah might need through their bond.

The Abandoned sighed as they came to spot where Morgan had fallen. Circling the place, he answered, "Just any clues that might help. Tracks for example." He paused, bending down. "Like these." They were already fading from the snow and other disturbances, but the prints of a large creature were present.

"Paws, four legs." Sah ran his hand over the slashed in the ice, "Large claws." Dusting some of the snow away, revealed a cluster of feathers. "Huh. I'll take some of these backs and see if anyone recognizes this." He held the feather out to Tal to see. It was an impressively large feather, not the kind that some mere bird or scavenger would leave.

After a few moments, the Outlander sighed and stood. "That might be all we can get from this."

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Tal snorted, but softly, at Sah's words. "Yeah, told you a great beastie got her, didn't I?" There might have been a hint of a challenge in his words, but his voice was low and pitched not to carry. While the other man examined the ground, Tal moved nearby and watched the ruins of the burned out town around them, eyes sharp and pale and his axe held in firm fingers.

A flicker of his gaze caught the feathers Sah had found, and he scowled at the unnaturally large vanes. "Nothing local. Can tell you that much," he admitted reluctantly. He immediately went back to keeping an eye out for trouble, eyes occasionally unfocusing as he borrowed Boreal's sight of the area from overhead.

"What d'you think she was doing out here, anyways?"

Sah

Sah rolled his eyes playfully, "I never said I didn't believe you. I'm just trying to narrow down what kind of 'beastie' it was." Knowing it was a quadruped with feathers and paws was useful information in his book. It ruled out a dragon or ursur as the culprit. He nodded at Tal's input, "Definity not anything local."

The question is valid and Sah wished he had an answer. "Frankly, I'm not sure. Whitebrim was nearly wiped out a few months back. She might have been checking to see if cannibals or other creatures had moved in. Or maybe she just wanted some quiet or a place to hunt." He shook his head, feeling like he was grasping at straws. "I wish I knew."

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Tal's scowl deepened, though for once not at Sah. He watched their backs while the other man tried to piece together the puzzle from a few feathers and day-old snow prints. "Almost looks like... like somethin' off a gryphon. But I've never heard of a gryphon that big before."

Sah didn't have any answers, and Tal had less, so he just shook his head in frustration at all the unanswered questions around Morgan's death. "Did she ever do stuff like this without tellin' you bef--" He broke off and jerked his chin up, staring sharply to the south as Boreal alerted him of trouble. "Time to go. Anything else you want to grab, let's do it and get back to the sled." He shifted closer to Sah, taking a firmer grip on his axe as his eyes unfocused, borrowing the dragon's sight until the other man was ready to move.

Sah

Sah shook his head, "I don't know either. It looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place it. If I have seen something like it before, it wasn't recent." A griffin wasn't a bad guess, but the feather shape was a little different and Tal was certainly right about the size discrepancy.

The question about Morgan was valid, "Not really." Morgan had never really kept important information from him, not intentionally. But before Sah could think on it further, Boreal was on alert. Hand on his sword, the Abandoned nodded and followed Tal back to the sled. "Let's go."

The two made their way back to the Citadel, sneaking past the ursurs that Boreal had noticed. There they parted ways, Tal off to get a well-deserved rest and Sah to start the funeral preparations.

-{FIN}

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?