Mission Top Secret, destination unknown

Optime | Broken Occident (Fundy Crossing); early morning | Fore-dated: June 11th (+583)

Operation Land Bridge! AW for one please! The thread starts out on the mainland/Fundy National Park side! Kamari’s scent is disguised. She looks (and smells) pretty much like a random Loner. She has a small day pack and a knife on her person.

Please be sure to check out the the current reference for what the land looks like!
Snippet from the May 2018 Newspost:

“The ground at the landbridge is rocky and uneven, and the high tide covers most of it from view, though the water depths are shallow. As spring edges into summer though, soft mossy growth begins to spread over the rock. The tidal activity in both the new Loch Fundy and Inlet of Fundy have calmed significantly due as well, and water has receded a little at the Isthmus of Chignecto.”

It's a 13-hour trek across the new land bridge at a walking pace (so, probably a bit slower given the rocky terrain + breaks). The high/low tides are predicted as follows:

June 11th:
• Low Tide: 6AM | 2 ft (0.6 m)
• High Tide: 12PM | 25.6 ft (7.8 m)
• Low Tide: 6PM | 2.6 ft (0.8 m)
• High Tide: 12AM | (27.6 ft (8.4 m)

---

It had taken her four days of hugging the coastline on foot before she had finally found what she had been tasked to investigate; the newly formed land bridge that connected the mainland to—supposedly—the southern peninsula. If the such were proven true, it would have been a valuable shortcut to the far off, eastern lands. Where a trek around the Bay of Fundy would have taken many days, the land bridge would cut the journey into a fraction of the time. This was all, of course, if the secondhand rumors she had been given were proven true with her investigation of them.

The great variance in die had made the crossing a bit difficult to locate, as, more than once, Kamari had wondered if she had gone too far or perhaps not far enough. Eventually though, she had found the sliver of new land stretching far across the Bay. It reminded her of a tall wall of sorts at low tide, rocky and rough looking, the waters of Fundy lapping softly at either embankment. From her judgement, it was at least a couple miles wide from where it branched off from the mainland. Greenery dotted a few of the higher rocks along the bridge, hinting that, even at high tide, such areas were likely not too far beneath the water’s surface.

Kamari had made the decision to wait out a day before daring to make the trek across the foreign, newly-formed land. Making a small camp within view of the crossing, the jackal took the time to scribe her notes for her report in German. She wrote down things like obvious landmarks in the area and their distance from the crossing, how large she guesstimated it to be across, how much of it was covered at high tide from what she could see of it from this side of the Bay, the terrain of the bridge and how easy or difficult she surmised it to be to cross it. All of these, she was sure, would be of great importance to the one that had tasked the Sapienza out.

From the looks of it, Kamari would be getting her feet wet. At high tide, the crossing was submerged beneath the Bay’s waters, though, when she had tested it during her observation period, they were shallow enough to be waded through, and, even still, a few of the rock formations still peaked above the water line should she need to get out or rest for a bit. It was only once the Kaiser had come to the conclusion that the bridge—at least from the mainland side—was relatively safe to cross, did she decide to carry out the second half of her mission.

On the sixth day since she had left the Kingdom, Kamari had risen early to start her arduous and decidedly dangerous journey across the bay. By her predictions from her previous day of observation, she had about until noon before the high tide would creep back in and swallow the crossing. She just hoped that, where ever she was along the bridge when such a time happened, she was able to still wade through the waters or at least find a place to wait out the tide…

The tide had been on its way out when Kamari began her task. She picked and clambered her way up and across the rocky field, mocked all the while by the seagulls that spotted the little jackal hybrid.

Saga D'Angelo

Word Count → 3+ :: Saga's in secui form!

She'd heard rumours and dutifully she'd followed them. A causeway, a bridge of rocks, spanning from the coast which the Vale sat a short distance from, to the coast some ways down from the bay the Cavalier's territory wrapped itself around. She hadn't really known what to expect when she arrived, only the base instinct to remain upon four legs guided her. The mottled woman carried nothing with her, forgoing rations for the sake of a lesser burden, she could always hunt when the mood struck her after all. Unlike the woman that she would soon come across, Saga had neglected to plan her expedition in detail. A childish folly, paired with an impatient streak forced her to essentially steamroll into her plan. Besides, she was ever reluctant to spend much time separated from the Vale.

The ground became rockier gradually, spring grass faded away into gritty sand, which in turn gave way to greatly worn structures, leading her further out to sea. It was without hesitation Saga followed, swift and nimble even in her halfling form, she picked her way across the rocks with a goat-like ease. Though the tide was low, droplets of salted water still sailed high enough through the air after slamming against the rocks to douse Saga from time to time and from time to time, it was necessary to clamber down from the dryest points and traverse areas where the rocks were still slick with water and algae.

She'd been making good time in her crossing, stopping infrequently to get the lay of the land before moving swiftly onwards. In the end, she caught up to the stranger who'd set out before her, alerted by the laughter of seabirds up ahead. The D'Angelo woman climbed a steep rise, up from a shallow basin where she'd been forced to wade through water that reached up to her shins. Green eyes spotted earthen coloured figure and Saga greeted them with a doggish bark, pausing a good distance away.

Only once the clouds have gone to sleep can you see us in the sky

(+344)

---

“Don’t you have better things to do?” Kamari asked up to the birds, glaring at them as they glided and hovered effortlessly on the ocean breeze. If only she had wings, she’d be able to traverse the supposed land bridge with ease. Instead, she was forced to move up and over rocks while being cognizant of the tide and the sun in the sky. She had no idea what her situation would be like when the tide came back in, though, she hoped, she’d be able to find a rock that poked out of the water high enough that she could rest and stay dry while waiting out the waters.

The birds answered her with another round of laughter, and the jackal imagined they were making fun of the short-legged, land creature that had decided to make the trek across the newly exposed ground.

The sound caused Kamari to let out an irritated sigh, realizing that she would not be free of the annoying birds any time soon it seemed. She turned then, determined to continue on with her mission, when a greeting bark came from behind her. The Kaiser stilled, her head snapping towards the source of the sound. It was a Luperci in their Secui form, their pelt an intriguing, mottle coloration of white on a black canvas. The sight was a strange one, particularly with how wolfish the approaching teenager looked, as the pattern seemed almost doggish to Kamari.

“Hello,” she greeted, turning towards the other female—as she was able to find out when the wind turned and brought the stranger’s scent her way—“Looking to see where this goes too?” She allowed her tail to wag softly behind her, a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips as she tried to appear friendly. Kamari was unsure what to make of the approaching girl, whether she was a threat or just a passerby that happened to notice another also making the lonely—and perhaps foolhardy—journey across the rocky split in the bay.

This is not a fire drill, It's harmonic connection, and stereos in biosis
Lime stared into blue from a distance as both women spent a few moments sizing each other up. The elder of the two allowed her tail to wag gently and a soft smile crept onto her face. At this Saga was confident enough to scramble a little further across the rocks to converse in a more becoming manner with this stranger. Her own body language matched that of the supposed loner, allowing her mottled tail to swing in wide, slow semi-circles behind her. She nodded, squinting as she looked past the other woman, down further along the rocky outcrop that had risen out of the sea. 'Yes,' Saga replied, 'I'm hoping it cuts through the bay completely.' It would be a disappointment to travel so far into the bay only to find out it was merely an unstable peninsula. 'And that it rejoins the land somewhere near where the Cavalier's are situated.' Already the had a decent relationship in the form of her meetings with Honrin and a land bridge would prove incredibly handy when it came to envoy trips to the peninsula. It would be a long trip for nothing if this rumoured rockpile wasn't truly a bridge. A treacherous one too because Saga had admittedly assumed it would be a little sturdier than it had turned out to be in all actuality. Still, it gave her something to report back at the end of the day. Her work would not go unnoticed in the end, Felix and Calia were always sure to dole out praise to those who deserved it after all.
OOC			2+

Image Credits: Daveynin, Ian BC North, & Jason Carpenter . Table by Gen.

(+300)

---

Initial meetings of a new Luperci always brought a tiny bit of tension, however, it seemed that both teenagers were able to move beyond it easily enough. From the looks of things, neither had any ill-intentions for the other. Such was cause for a bit of relief in the Salsolan who was, very, far away from home. Out on some questionable rocky land bridge, Kamari was certain a fight out here would be disastrous for either party, and, should death occur, the body would likely be lost to the bay or to the winged scavengers overhead before anyone of importance could find it.

At the other’s words, Kamari found her ears pricking a bit with interest. “Cavaliers?” She feigned ignorance of the pack with her curious but furrowed brows. “I take it that they’re a group of Luperci from your context? Do you have friends there or something?”

What an advantage this land bridge would be if thus were so. As it were, Salsola could have sailed across the short distance of water that separated them from the knightly pack…that was, if they had had the means to do so. As it were, they would have had to take the long way around the bay to get to them. Would this bridge make the journey any quicker? Or, at the very least, give the Kingdom a new way to spy upon their southern neighbors from across the bay?

If nothing else, the bridge might have provided a shorter route to Court des Miracles, a pack she had covertly visited when assisting O’Riley with his endeavors.

“I’m Birch Kaid, by the way,” she introduced kindly with a polite nod to the other teen, “Since it seems like we may be making this trip across together?”

Word Count → 2+ :: ooc

Saga was not entirely convinced by the other teen's charade, though it was impossible for her to tell whether or not there was any truth in it herself. Perhaps it was because she was well versed in who lived in the lands that surrounded her home, or that she eagerly took in the information afforded to her. It didn't automatically occur to the mottled woman that other's were less perceptive, or that they would rather focus on matters closer to home.

'A pack,' her accented voice specified with a furrowed brow that faded from her face as quickly as it had appeared on it. 'Friends...' She tested the word, letting it echo in her mind for a moment. Thinking back to Honrin, she supposed - yes - the pair were indeed friends. 'I guess so. But we trade with them mostly.' Saga and Baelish had seemingly adopted the roles of diplomat and merchant respectively, so much so that she found it amusing. Two teenage siblings practically running the external relations wing of the Vale - and a second brother a would-be warrior.

The other woman introduced herself, 'Birch, like the tree?' Saga thought before she jutted her head softly in agreement. It made little sense for the pair to walk next to each other without exchanging pleasantries and although admittedly that was something Saga usually steered herself away from, she was learning that it was more often than not necessary.

The mottled girl introduced herself too after a moment. She did not have an alias, though it was something she was familiar with as a former member of the Thistle Kingdom. She introduced herself simply as, 'Saga D'Angelo.'

(+384)

I just realized, Saga and Kamari would have probably just missed each other at the Portland Outpost when Kamari went down there briefly in December xD Saga had probably left when the Salsolan caravan arrived, or Kamari’s brief stay made them miss each other.

---

The girl agreed to the information Birch had assumed of Casa di Cavalieri, and, in turn, Kamari nodded as if to digest that, the name was not only a group, but a pack. The mention of “we” and “trade” made her tilt her head curiously down at the teenager. She took a sniff at the other’s direction that was not discrete in the slightest and would easily be recognized for what it was; trying to discern who this “we” was.

“We?” Her eyes looked pointedly over the speckled teenager’s bare body. “I guess you’re trying to find an easier route for wherever you come from?” After all, it wasn’t like the Secui girl had much on her person to trade with at the end of their trek besides her own fur.

Her introduction was returned, and Kamari did well to not let her interest show at the girl’s surname. D’Angelo? There were quite a few within the Kingdom. Scorpius, her father’s master’s family, many more at the Portland Outpost. She had yet to hear it used outside of those belonging to the Kingdom, however, it wasn’t entirely impossible that it was mere coincidence. The surname of Lykoi, for example, was a very common.

Instead, Kamari offered a friendly smile and another nod, “Nice to meet you, Saga.”

Turning back to the remained of the bridge they had ahead of them, Kamari let out a chuckle, “Well, I guess we should get going then? I watched the tides yesterday. We have about until noon before the high tide comes back in. Hopefully, wherever we end up, it’ll be shallow enough to wade around or have high enough rocks for us to rest on and wait out the tide.”

She turned then, ready to resume their arduous journey across the rocky bridge. “How’d you make it all the way out here in your Secui form?” She asked. It was small talk, really, though, she was interested in whatever technique or method the four-legged teenager had been using to traverse the terrain. If she knew of a faster way to go about it, Kamari was more than willing to adopt a new travel plan.

Above them, the gulls continued to let out their laughing calls.

:o :o :o 2+

A loner. She must be. She didn't smell like anyone and the way she latched onto the word "we" struck the star-speckled girl as the words of someone who led a solidarity life. Or someone who was pretending to be... She made no assumptions that Birch was lying. While she was not naive enough to believe no one lied, she was apathetic enough to rarely care about lies unless they affected her directly.

Birch let out a soft laugh, Saga's eyes turned to the sea below the pair. The waves thundered off of the slippery rocks and rolled back, again and again. 'I suppose we should.' The D'Angelo girl was impressed by the dedication the other woman had shown to her crossing, it suddenly hit her that her own plan to cross it without prior inspection had been foolish and dangerous. Her father would have called Birch's presence divine intervention. Saga merely thought it convenient. 'I suppose the current will be too strong to swim in?'

They'd begun their journey as a pair, Birch on two legs and Saga on four. The seagulls cackled above as the "loner' posed her a question. Lime eyes blinked confusedly. How had she done it..? 'I- I just did?' she rolled her shoulders, 'More legs to balance on I guess.'

(+616)

Hope you don’t mind the time skip x3 Since it’s a pretty long journey, I figured it’d be okay to move things along in such a way? If it's not okay, let me know and I'll adjust things!

---

The girl was not as outwardly eager or enthusiastic as Kamari might have thought she would have been to keep moving. No, the mottled teenager seemed rather mellow or reserved about the prospect of making the journey with another Luperci. It was no matter though. Kamari would try to make the most of the encounter, even if it meant participating in a mostly one-sided conversation. If nothing else, the girl might think less of her as someone to be wary or cautious off, and would be more willing to speak freely.

After all, there was still the matter of figuring out what pack Saga was from. Somehow, the Salsolan would have to work that question back into the natural flow of the conversation between them.

“Probably?” Kamari answered from over her shoulder. “Being by myself, I didn’t want to chance testing it out and possibly drowning.” She gestured to the water and the distance it would have to climb to reach their current position atop the various rocks. Covered in moss in places, Kamari had no doubt that they’d be slippery come hightide, something that could have been dangerous in a pack-filled situation.

“The water rises pretty high when the tide comes back in. And with some of these rocks, I wouldn’t want to chance it out here and swimming so far out away from the main shoreline.”

They moved along, Kamari using her hands and arms to pull her up or help her down across the ever-shifting surfaces of the land bridge. Her ears flickered as she sensed confusion in Saga’s voice at her question. “Sorry,” she apologized, “It’s just, you must have been making good headway to catch up to me out here. I thought that, maybe, you might have known at better way to go about this.” If it meant they could move faster and safer, Kamari was all ears.

The sun continued to beat down on them as they traversed the terrain, only the cool, ocean breeze that the gulls took advantage of made the summer heat bearable. “If you need some water, I have some that I can spare,” she offered as she was reminded of her own thirst. Any smart Luperci would have known better than to drink from the salty waters of the bay. “And some food too,” she added after returning her waterskin to her bag. “I can always make more.”

Acts of kindness. They often made others more open to being relaxed and friendly.

A few hours went by of the pair navigating the terrain, making small talk here and there when trying to figure out the best method to overcome a particularly large boulder or a pathway that was questionable for crossing. They made it though, and the swell of the hightide chased them up to the taller rocks as it rolled back in.

“So, Saga,” Kamari began as she shifted her weight on her perch, dipping her feet beneath the water’s surface. “These Cavaliers that you mentioned earlier…how open would they be to Loners?” She took her foot out as a curious fish swam by. “My brother…he disappeared some time ago. He was very…soft, I suppose might be a good word for it. Very kind, very nervous, very quiet and shy, kind of a klutz.” She described. While the conversation was meant to make Saga open about Casa di Cavalieri and where ever she was from, there was some actual sincerity behind Kamari’s inquiry. Kamil had been gone for some time, and none of her family knew where to.

“Would these Cavalier friends of yours…would they take someone in like that?”

Word Count → 4+ :: np! <3

Saga didn't mean to be unresponsive, nor did she particularly thing she was being a less than ideal conversationality. It was simply in her nature to remain silent unless given a reason to speak. Perhaps it was due to living with a father who preferred silence, a brother too. In fact, it seemed that Baelish was the outlier in this family. Now there was a man who really seemed to love the sound of his own voice.

The D'Angelo girl shared a quick look with the loner as her question was answered before bright eyes dropped back towards the water. 'Hmm...' she mused. Although the water was calm now, many things were deceptively enticing and yet oh so dangerous. 'I wouldn't risk it even so.' She gave another quick glance towards Birch again, which the older female didn't outsize her by much, she certainly did outweigh her and she would likely struggle to fish the loner out if she decided to take a dip. Plus she'd hate to have to be fished out of the surf like a naughty pup herself.

The apology caught her off guard and it showed in her face as she regarded her companion with a look at suggested her apology was unneeded. 'No, sorry.' Saga apologised herself, 'Just nimble, I guess.' It was the only suggestion she had, for she'd hardly noticed the time go by she'd been so focused on not slipping into the water below.

They traveled on for some time further, conversing politely with each other. Birch was far better prepared and was generous enough to share her provisions with the starry-coated Mistwalker, who was suddenly very thankful for her small stomach. The high tide made them clamber up onto the higher rocks eventually and this was where they took a short break to investigate the water beneath them and where Birch made further conversation.

Saga listened intently, bright eyes paying rapt attention as the loner spoke. After a long moment of consideration, she replied. 'I suppose so. They're very... chivalrous, so I assume they'd be up for playing the hero.' Her words were capped with a shrug, these were only her first impressions, for she hadn't spent that long alongside then when she'd visited. 'There are a few packs I can think of that'd be willing to take such a person actually.' she admitted, hoping this imformation was of some help to Birch.