Her last venture into Cour des Miracles had been bittersweet. She had returned to her former pack lands unannounced to pay a visit to her brother, but when she arrived that chilly night she could not find him. She wandered the familiar places of the Court in search of her silvery sibling, but his habits and haunts had changed by then and she was unable to find him that night. She had, however, run into her old friend Mars Russo, who seemed somewhat delighted to see her, and she certainly had been happy to find him. They struck up a conversation about what Orin had been up to, where she had gone off to when she disappeared from the Court. She told him about the wonders of Cercatori D’Arte, and to her surprise the man returned to the Cercatori pack lands with her. She was happy to have brought a friend back, though making someone defect from the Court had not been her intention. Still, she supposed since Mars had just been accepted into the pack by Skye a couple days ago, perhaps the Court would not yet know, and not be upset with her… if that was the kind of thing anyone would be upset about.
Nothing would keep her away from her brother for long, though, so certainly not a few people’s opinions of her would scare her away. She bit down on the last sliver of insecurity she felt wrench inside of her, and moved across the borders of Cour des Miracles.
At first she never would have thought twice about entering the lands unattended. This had been her first home, and she felt welcome here, but the longer she had been away, the more distant she began to feel. Orin was finally starting to get the sensation of being a guest, rather than a welcome friend. Still, no one had done anything to make her feel that way… Perhaps it was just her own silly frets over the Russo man that was responsible for it?
Maybe I should just make myself known… she thought this time, though she continued to trek through the woods of Cour des Miracles without slowing her pace. Certainly no one around… At least, nobody around who did not have a beginner’s skill in stealth. Anything more than that, and Orin probably would not notice them anyway. She breathed deeply as she treaded lightly through the snow laden forest, enjoying the scent of the Court’s foliage. It reminded her of a beautiful time, of when she and Niro first docked in the Northern lands, in winter, and had met Jac and Firefly on the coast of Cour des Miracles. Was that really almost a year ago now?
Finally, as she trudged deeper into the woods, the Takekuro woman tipped her head back and let out a singsong howl, alerting the members of the Court to her presence. She was here, and she was heading towards the Chien Hotel, the most familiar of all places to her. She called a second time, letting the beautiful wolfsong linger, and ensuring that anyone who may be concerned could pinpoint her location and intercept her if she was viewed as a trespasser. Afterwards, she paused for a minute before walking on. That felt… odd. Her heart tripped in her chest and she felt choked up as the sadness of reality finally jerked at her heartstrings. She was no longer a part of Cour des Miracles, her first pack. She was only an outsider now, a friend at best.
Her eyes cast downwards as she walked, watching her foot-paws make small prints in the blanket of snow. But Cercatori has been good for me, she reassured herself silently. I’m growing. I’m contributing. I miss Niro, but we’re not all that far away and we can visit each other all the time. She nodded to herself and forced her eyes upwards, swallowing the lump in her throat and taking a deep breath. The iron gates of the Chien Hotel were now in view. She smiled against her sadness for just a moment more, and soon the prospect of seeing her brother began to lighten her spirits. By the time she reached the gateway her mood had improved tenfold, and her long, pink tail swished in the snow at her feet.
A genuine smile pressed onto her muzzle, now, and she wrapped her petite fingers around the cold, icy iron of the gates. Last time she had come, late at night, Niro wasn’t here. It was about noon, now, and she hoped he would be around. If not in the hotel, then perhaps someplace close by.