Private Befriending a Fellow Wolf

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Visiting Veradune was always an interesting trip for Dreidi, she was working on the customs and the culture of her ancestors. Jairdain hadn't been able to teach her much about the ways of the Zorren but visiting this planet, it was an opportunity to learn more from those who lived on the home world. She had spent some time walking around and exploring the nature, the settlements and reading the history. Dreidi had done what she could to offer support and used her Magick to provide some limited healing and perform skills to ensure people were able to live safer lives. During her adventures through Veradune, she had gotten word that there would be an archaeological site that wasn't too far from where Dreidi was staying for a night.

Grisial had been loving the opportunities to running around the forest regions, he was excited to be free to explore and roam around in nature, especially since he had been on Coruscant a lot lately so there was little opportunity there for him to hunt and explore. It was pleasant for Dreidi to sense the joys and freedom that Grisial was feeling and she knew that when they moved to Dathomir after construction of the enclave was completed, Grisial would be very comfortable. While the creatures of Dathomir were dangerous, it was still more attune with nature than Coruscant.

Whistling firmly, Dreidi drew Grisial to her, "we need to stick together, don't want to scare people with you randomly appearing." Dreidi smirked to Grisial as she knew the Vulptex loved to cause mischief and trouble whenever he got the chance.

Approaching the site, Dreidi looked around and stepped towards the woman she assumed had some authority or was in charge of the site. "Hey there, I'm Dreidi Xeraic. I was told this was some kind of archaeological dig site? I wanted to help and potentially learn some new things that I can about the Zorren."

 

[Pitie]

The woman Dreidi approached was another archeologist on the mission. One of her hands was resting under her chin, and she looked confused. Turning when Dreidi spoke and walked over to her, she gave her a relaxed smile.

"You're in the right place, Dreidi. I am Nyko."

Motioning to the ground in front of her, she brought her hand back to her chin.

"This is supposed to be an archeological site but here are fresh signs of habitation. To my knowledge, the last time this village had people living here was 400 years ago. Before most of us were hunted and killed, nobody but this expedition should be here."

Looking again at the ground, her eyes followed the clues left behind.

"This wasn't an act of theft thankfully. It's as if somebody is still living here. Whoever made this collection of items has run off. Maybe your companion can follow the scent?"

Picking up what looked like a blanket, she held it out to Dreidi.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Dreidi smiled politely and shook hands with the one in charge of the archaeological site. "Glad to hear that." Dreidi confirmed to Nyko as she looked around and then returned to Nyko. It seemed that there was something unusual going on with the expedition. There seemed to be something more to this location than simply a former habitat for their ancestors.

Someone was still living here.

"Perhaps someone from the village survived and chose to return. 400 years is not that long for a Zorren." Dreidi theorized as she knew they lived for several thousands of years, four centuries was not impossible for someone to disappear, remain hidden and safe only to eventually return when things were safer. Calmer.

Following the gaze, Dreidi took in the evidence as well and then looked at the blanket offered to Grisial to sniff and track down whoever was calling here home. Dreidi tilted her head, "is it not better to wait till they return? Tracking them down, it might scare whoever it is more, might seem like hunters are attempting to locate them again?"

While she was saying this, Grisial was sniffing the blanket curiously, taking in the scent and getting familiar with it.

 

[Pitie]

"We could wait, but these signs are a few days old already. If the person were going to return, they would have done it by now. This doesn't look like they ran off scared. Maybe they are going through their trial or something. I don't know. These items don't appear to belong to an adult, but I can always be wrong."

As she spoke, Nyko pointed out the signs she was speaking about as if she were teaching a class and Dreidi was her student. She wasn't speaking rudely or putting Dreidi down. She was used to being a leader and was confused about the situation in front of them.

"You are right. Four hundred years isn't too long, but everybody in this village was killed. I should know...I helped verify it all those years ago."

Wiping away a tear that threatened to spill, she looked at the young woman.

"It is a pity that happened in this house. A young teen girl was early in going to her trial but went into the forest. When I helped clean up and bury these people's remains, the girl was dead, along with her parents. Do you think she might have been one of the returned?"

Allowing Grisial to smell the blanket, she looked off into the distance. Possibly searching for the lost girl.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Nodding her head, it seemed that whoever had been here was no longer using this place or was at least out for an extended period. Either a hunting expedition, travelling to a new location or potentially captured which would be worst case scenario. As Nyko pointed out the markers and taught Dreidi, she listened and noted the signs that provided the case that this was not a place that has been inhabited for the last few days. She was here to learn and understand the things she had not been around to learn about. Even the tragic moments such as this.

"I understand. I just asked since there can people who slip through the gaps or forgotten about in the grief and panic." Dreidi mentioned, not assigning blame but coming from it in a practical point of view.

Grisial started to sniff the air around, following trails of the scents that lingered in the air. He noted to Dreidi that the scents were fading so it was not easy to follow a distinct mark but he was able to find enough of a scent to hunt whoever was living in the village. Grisial was moving slowly he allowed the others to keep up and ensured that he was making sure that he was following the right trails.

"Why do you think this person was staying in the village? Seems an odd choice to live in isolation."

 

[Pitie]

Nyko seemed lost in thought, but the question prompted her to emerge from her thoughts. Looking at Dreidi, the older woman was silent for a moment.

"Yes, people could have been lost to time and forgotten here. Most of the population was identified, though. So, while not impossible, I think it's unlikely to be the case. As for why the person might be staying here...there are a few options.

"This person could be one of the returned and was one of the people that lived in this settlement. It might be another person going through their trials who needs isolation for that. Another possibility is that they could be immigrants who have just moved to another location.

"I don't think that's the situation here. While I might be wrong, I feel it is the teen from this house."

Pointing again to the ruins, the belongings had been left in the remains.

"Has your companion picked up anything?"

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Nodding her head, the gut instincts of people were always something to take seriously since people tended to be very observant and attuned to the Force without always realising it. The Force tended to help guide their instincts and as long as one remained open to that idea, they would understand things without realising it.

Looking over to Grisial, she spotted the Vulptex waiting on them. "It seems that he has caught some scent. Hopefully they will be nearby." The further the scent trail led them, the increased likelihood that they could lose the trail. So Dreidi was hoping that things would not turn out poorly.

Dreidi started walking behind her companion and kept her eyes scanning around for signs of life.

 

[Pitie]

"You go on and see what you can find. I'll remain here and start getting things sorted for the excavations."

Nyko watched Dreidi and Grisial for a few moments longer before turning away to return to the main excavation camp. She silently hoped Dreidi would be able to find whoever had left those belongings behind. As she rejoined the other volunteers, she started giving out orders, and the Zorrens got into action.

The sounds of nature surrounded Dreidi and Grisial very quickly, but nothing was threatening yet. When her eyes were scanning the forest, she might notice a few signs of a person passing through within the last couple of days. Beyond that, there weren't any signs of the missing girl.

There were smells for Grisial to pick up on, leading deeper into the forest.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Nodding her head, Dreidi made her own way forward. Surprised the other woman did not wish to join since she had been the one wanting to figure this out. However, Grisial was on the hunt and Dreidi needed to keep up to make sure they didn't lose the trail of whoever it might have been here.

Dreidi used her senses as a Zorren and the Force that surrounded her to pick up on the markers of someone having previously passed in this direction. Checking in on Grisial through her bond, letting him guide her mostly through the deeper sections of the forest. The questions lingered in her mind on why someone had been living in the village and what it could mean.

She also wanted to make sure that the girl was safe and that there was nothing serious going on or going to happen. Abruptly leaving also seemed like it could be a bad sign.

 

[Pitie]

When Pitie was returned to life, she relearned how to live. After wandering for many years in the darkness of the Netherworld, she didn't remember how to hide her presence very well. The path she had taken in the woods would be clear to almost anybody trained in tracking. These were life skills the young woman had forgotten.

Even though Pitie had tried to fade into the forest, she soon found herself pursued by Dreidi and her companion. Climbing into a tree, if Dreidi or Grisial were paying attention, they might see a grey tail disappearing into the shaded area.

Going as high as she was comfortable, the girl turned to look down and watch the couple approach her hiding spot.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Grisial had been the one who spotted the grey tail that swiftly moved out of sight. Dreidi could sense through her companion where to head to next. However, Dreidi knew that she needed to be careful with her approach. Whoever this was that she would be meeting, there was a risk in terrifying or upsetting the stranger. Not being in contact with people for however long this being was, it can be scary to have to speak with someone. Especially someone who could be as much of a threat as they could be a help.

Stepping till she was outside the hiding spot and looking up, Dreidi gave a small smile, "hi there. I'm Dreidi, mind if we chat?" She hoped to place the ball in the other woman's court in terms of how they conversed. Petting Grisial, the Vulptex sat and looked up, keeping to a friendlier expression as he looked up at the other woman. "This is my companion Grisial. He is friendly so don't feel threatened by us." Dreidi included to reassure that she wasn't here to cause harm.

 

[Pitie]

It was a good thing Dreidi looked close enough to what Pitie did, and she peered down at the other woman. Keeping her mouth shut, she silently hoped the two strangers would leave her alone. This didn't happen, and Dreidi stopped to speak to her and looked up at the tree where she was hiding.

"You can chat. Pitie will not yet."

Her glowing eyes glanced at Grisial as he was mentioned, and she let out a small huff of disbelief.

"Pitie will stay here out of reach."

The ashen-haired youth leaned against the trunk of the tree and stared down at Dreidi. There was no challenge on her face, but there might have been a bit of curiosity.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Veradune
Attire: Casual
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Bow
Tag: Pitie

Dreidi nodded her head, "well, it is nice to meet you Pitie." When Pitie's eyes glanced to Grisial and she huffed, Dreidi nudged the Vulptex with her bond to him to take a couple steps back. Giving some more space for the other Zorren.

"I heard that you were staying in a village recently. Was that your home once?" Dreidi asked, she looked up to Pitie, matching a curiosity in her eyes as she looked towards the other woman. "I was born on Kashyyyk, so learning as much as I can about Veradune and the places around here." Dreidi offering some information about herself. Hoping it would ease the nervousness in the other woman.

 

[Pitie]

The two strangers seemed friendly enough, and she relaxed only a little when Grisial moved away slightly. She listened to what Dreidi said but was silent for a few minutes, hoping her silence would urge the two to move on. It became clear that wasn't going to happen, and Pitie stared at them a minute longer.

"This is my home. Pitie was born and died here. Pitie was then brought back by Vulpesen and returned home."

This was a very simplified life, but she didn't have the words to say more.

"What do you want from Pitie?"

There was a familiar rustling of leaves and a slight wood creaking around them. Pitie knew what it was, but this stranger might not.

"Move if you don't want to die like Pitie did. Tendril is coming. It can eat you and your pet."

Reaching down a hand, she offered to help Dreidi escape the incoming death.

Dreidi Xeraic