The prospect of being back in any kind of city, or even the smallest of settlements, is a little daunting to Talia. Maybe a few years back, she would've been all for the idea - but, but she's spent so long living in the wilds that she's no longer sure of her stance on the matter. Walls, they would keep them safe from outside threats, but what about monsters that lie within, hiding in streets and palaces, hiding in plain sight? They would be like rats, trapped in a maze of rundown houses and market stalls, pushed into corners with nowhere to go, and she shudders at the thought before breathing in the crisp, salty air. There are benefits, no matter how much she might try to deny it - like resources they can't normally find in the wild, trade and barter. She relaxes a bit at that, but not by much, her nerves continue to buzz with intimidation.

Her gaze swivels from the blurred horizon and towards Malkyn, catching the taller redhead's gaze and sending a soft, crinkling smile her way - Talia's lips tremble like a leaf, unsure, but she holds the expression anyway until her leader's gaze is shifting somewhere else. She follows Malkyn's gaze to Finn and Valor, her own horse stumbling a bit at the sound of the maltipoo going for someone's throat. Talia coos softly, clicks her tongue before sinking her fingers into Winter's mane, scratching the coarse, stand-up thing softly in reassurance. Her gaze never leaves them, though, smile still encouraging towards the other packmembers - she loves them all to bits, truly, as dysfunctional a group they might seem to a stranger's curious eyes.

Valor's question lingers in her head. How far away are they from the first signs of civilization? They've all been devoid of it for such a long time that she no longer recognizes the signs that might indicate their distance from it; she used to be pretty good at it but no longer. "I have no idea," comes the blonde's murmured response, shivering gently underneath her own deerskins, tongue wetting her chapped lips. She wishes she has an answer to give but she hasn't a clue where they are anymore, only that they're close to the ocean. Still, it must be a good sign. Talia turns her turquoise gaze back towards the horizon line. "I have a good feeling that we're on the right track though."

/mobile and also oh wow i'm ruzty

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It seems that she's the first one to come across the strange group. She's not even really a true member of Blackfall, merely hanging around whilst she gets the necessary resource to repair her gear and move on to go back to the wilds. She's out of the settlement letting her hawk fly for a while though, keeping scraps of meat in her pouch to make sure Seven returns at least. Seven, for all that she loves him so, is still a bird. She raised him, the two working as a pair, but Seven always wants to leave and spread his wings.

Seven spots them before Anima does, and as he tends to do around large groups of strangers, lands back on Anima's hand. The talons dig into her arm that's held out for him to land on as she turns to look at the rag-tag group. Without her fur hood and bow, she doesn't quite make the first impression that she'd like to. The mutated dog catches her off-guard more than anything, watching it warily as they come closer.

That thing could snap and kill anyone. Annie has always been wary of mutated creatures, they're not natural and of the land. They were usually bad to hunt too, being unsafe for consumption and she'd heard that their blood was toxic. Pelts were mangled and marred. But yet these four, three adults and a child, have it with them as if it's a pet or a companion, similar to how she keeps her hawk.

Still, she picks her bow from where it's left against a tree, letting Seven hop onto her shoulders before she walks towards the group. Anima refrains from nocking an arrow for now, admittedly she only has two on her person at the moment. One for the mutated dog for sure, should it decide to go for her or her bird. She has no idea how to approach these people either - feeling very uncomfortable between the fact that she's outnumbered, that they have horses and that bloody mutated dog.

Still. Someone greeted her when she arrived.

"Can I help all of you? There's a civilisation nearby, Blackfall?" She sounds very unsure of what she's saying, but sounds confident enough that she doesn't seem too putoff by the circumstances. 

At the first sign of lifeforms outside of their own, Talia can't help but let her fingers wander to the hilt of her bastard sword, gripping tightly from where it's still sheathed into its scabbard - her jaws are set, teeth ground together, eyes honing in on the Blackfallen - cautious, curious, but rightfully so. The way they hold themselves up is so different from their own that it's a little unnerving and unfamiliar. Her tongue pushes against the back of her teeth but she holds her calmed expression, the noncommittal line of her lips. She's quiet as her Alpha speaks, head knocking down, and that's when she sees him manifesting out of the shadows.

It's happening too quickly and suddenly Talia is uncomfortable, unsure, her fingers tightening shakily against the reigns of her horse - it feels like she's intruding something, and it doesn't help that he's giving her Alpha that damned look. A part of her starts to seethe, writhing just under her skin, prickling and growing defensive as the few seconds tick by around her. Her eyes never leave him, his face - a small spark of familiarity, an ember but it's enough to catch onto the kindling of her consciousness, slowly spreading and lighting up parts of her memories she never thought she would have to revisit.

A cry, a shaken voice, latching onto his hands with her own as she's led away from what they once called home - a gentle voice, reassuring and strong and soft at the same time, whispering in her ear, It'll be alright, I'm here, Talia, I won't let anything happen to you. Talia shifts on her horse as it comes spilling back at the forefront of her mind, hand rising to rub furiously at her temple. Memories of the Crown, of training, of looking up at him in uniform and telling herself that one day - one day - she would be just like him, because he was her biggest hero, he was...

Memories of her crying, held back as he's exiled for things she doesn't quite understand, calling out to his receding back as he disappears into the darkness. She's diving deep into her memories, memories of furious research and inquiries, receiving discipline when she asks too many questions; she can't even count the number of times she's been strapped to the pole and lashed for insubordination - she wanted, she needed to know what happened to him and where he went -

"Cain," comes his name, whispered under her breath but with such unraveling revelation that it could've been shouted. Everything fades away for the moment - the questions, the seething, the curiosity - everything fades as Talia slides down onto her feet shakily, her horse huffing and taking a single step back. She's stepping forward, slowly at first then faster, because it's beginning to click, the familiarity of his face, the depth in his eyes, it's coming faster and faster and she can't help but run straight towards him - towards her brother, who she never thought she'd see again.

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❝ NO MORE DRAGONS LEFT TO SLAY ❞ Ah, she isn't needed here. Cain manifesting from shadows is something that still catches her off-guard from time to time, and from time to time, she means all of the time. Powers unsettle her, but there's also something not natural about her link with Seven so she doesn't care all that much. There's definitely a feeling of "this might as well happen".

Still, she excuses herself quickly with a quick welcome. She doesn't want to intrude on what is obviously a family reunion or something. It also happens to leave a bitter taste in her mouth, something selfish and gnawing that she's managed to bury most of the time. Not at times like this though, so she leaves the group be. No point in sticking around feeling bad for herself.