[SpringsSong]

Finally, she was being allowed to patrol the territory on her own!  Anadella had waited eagerly for this day to come, and now that it had, she wasn't sure where to start with everything.  Well, she knew where to start--that would be patrolling the territory on the ground, checking that the markers were in place and still visible.

Some of the tasks seemed almost menial.  Check the health of the large tree that their home was beneath, check the territory markers, refresh them if need be, and then, patrol around from the skies.

That had to be Anadella's favorite part.  Being a Pipe, she felt completely natural in the air.  She and the two other Pipes--one of which was not blessed with flight-bearing wings--had gone on more than one flying trip in the past.  As she flew, she allowed her mind to wander as she kept a constant watch around her.

[Azura Rayume]

008040 --- 737373

"I don't think we should be out here," the white female muttered, her webbed wings pulled tight against her side and head low. Though the presence of her brother should have been a calming one, this was all his idea in the first place. It wasn't that she didn't agree with him; with their mother having named her Guardian of Tengel, she was almost required to care when something was off within the edges. No, it was the fact that their mother had gone off and left instructions to remain home.

The Primal, more confident in his steps than his sister, continued forward despite her protests. "Don't be silly," he chimed. "You wanted to see what was going on out here, and so we are. I know you're worried about what Mother said, but she only wanted us to stay behind to make sure Fray and Sam didn't get into trouble." He made a mocking noise and laughed to himself. "Because Sam needs us to take care of him."

"But-"

"No buts. We'll have to be doing these sorts of things by ourselves someday; Mother cannot hold our hands forever. Besides, we're the children of the greatest sisigwad the world has ever seen. We can handle this."

[SpringsSong]

It didn't take long for Anadella to spot a rustle in the foliage below.  She sighed inwardly; she had been getting used to the idea of flying around for a little bit before reporting back to Aerarnis that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Now, her report would be quite different.

She sighed as she slowly landed in the foliage, not too close to the other forms, but not far away from them, either.  She could only barely see them through the foliage, but she could tell that there was a male and a female Paragon.

What was even more odd was that there was a familiar scent wafting towards her from both; more from the female than from the male.

[Azura Rayume]

The male swung his muzzle skyward, a sharp intake of air carrying an oddly familiar scent. It was of his sisters, yes, but different somehow. "Someone's coming," he said softly, one bladed wing extending protectively over his sister while the other shifted in anticipation.

"Coming? Who is it?" No reply. The female tested the air herself, finding the same familiar-yet-strange scent in the air. "Loke, that isn't Lyanna, is it? It smells like her, but it doesn't at the same time." Did strange things like this always happen when their mother took a break from the forest?

The male shook his head, blue eyes narrowing. "No, it is a stranger, though I do greatly wish to know why they smell like my sisters."

[SpringsSong]

Anadella took in a deep breath as she moved closer to the scent.  Whoever possessed it was still some distance from one of the boundary markers, so that was a relief.  What troubled her, though, was the fact that before, she'd been with another sentinel when they had come across intruders or visitors.

This time, she was alone.

Nevertheless, Anadella stepped forward.  Normally, Aerarnis would have her with a companion, but she'd already sent Inditlina on another task, and she and Raloi were to discuss the possibility of expanding the Clan's territory with Katalmach and Kalach-cha.  By now, the red Pipe's claws had carried her closer to the scent, and here, she stopped and cleared her throat.

"I do not know why you're here, nor why your scent is familiar," Anadella said, trying to sound as confident as she could.  "However, I must advise you against proceeding further.  You are about a half-mile from the territory of the Clan, a group of Paragon that call this forest their home."

This task was much easier when she wasn't the one doing the talking, Anadella reflected as she inwardly wished that one of the other three sentinels would materialize out of thin air and aid her.

[Azura Rayume]

The Primal gave a chuckle at the voice; though he could not see the one it belonged to, he could tell it was female, alone, and quite nervous about it. If it came to a tussle, he could safely assume his party would be practically unscathed. That is, if the stranger would even have the nerve to face down such a challenge. "A half mile you say?" he called back, smirking to himself. "Well, I guess that means we're almost there. Come along, Kylee."

The female bristled at his manner of addressing her. She was the oldest here, right? Which meant she should be the one giving direction, not Loke, that argument strengthened more so by the positions their mother had given them. If this were Roraldi, he would have had the right of way; here, he was stepping on toes.

She shrugged off her brother's protective wing, striding toward the source of the voice. "Who gave you permission to live here?" she asked, her voice forming more of a command than a question. Regardless of her mother still living, this place had been passed to her to watch over, and this group of Paragon was probably the source of disturbance she had been feeling.

[SpringsSong]

"Permission?"

Anadella asked this as a question, clearly confused.  "I was... unaware that permission was needed for a clan of Paragon to return to the home they inhabited over a thousand years ago..." she said, walking closer until she could see the other two Paragon a little more clearly.  One was a Primal, and the other was a Frost.

"However, if you must ask, the leader of our Clan says that the spirit of the fire-lilies, as well as a spirit of water, guided them to this exact location," Anadella said.  "If you have questions, or qualms, I am sure that our leader--and the spirit of the fire-lilies, at the very least--will hear them and offer some reassurance to you..."

She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew the Frost female.  True, they may have only had one mark in common, and that could have been coincidence, but the scent of her still screamed that she was familiar.  From time to time, Anadella had felt like she could feel the life of the forest when she touched a particular plant, but she had passed it off as nothing.

[Azura Rayume]

"I have no knowledge of such a history," the Frost said, cocking her head at the Pipe that emerged from the forest. "But, yes, you do. As guardian of Tengel and daughter of the first sisigwad, I have the right to demand permission for and information about the establishment of such a colony." The idea of meeting with their leader unnerved the young dragon a bit, but she kept her face as stoic as possible so as to not betray such emotions. He mother would be better at this, but Loke had a point; they couldn't expect to have their hands held forever.

At least now she had a moment to ponder why this unknown Paragon smelled as if she belonged to their little family. The strange female shared both tail and marking with herself, which was odd, though not unheard of. Then again, the other's wings and yet another marking were present on her Primal brother, neither of which the Frost shared herself.

Loke stepped forward as well, his head angle the reverse mimic of his sister's. "Looks a bit like Lyanna, doesn't she?" he commented in a whisper, hoping that keen Pipe hearing their mother was so famous for was a bit lacking in this female.

"Don't be dense," Kylee snapped back in a equally soft voice. "Lyanna's charcoal and ash, not red. Plus the species is wrong."

"Yeah, but flip the colors. The marks are all the same, too."

[SpringsSong]

It was almost completely beyond Anadella who the two Paragon were talking about.  Lyanna?--the name didn't even sound familiar, and yet, something struck her as familiar.  However, the young sentinel was more concerned about what Aerarnis would say if she found her "slacking off" by talking to these two Paragon, so she cleared her throat.

"If you'll follow me, I'll arrange a meeting with the leader of the Root--" she said, but a rustling in the foliage cut her off as another Paragon emerged from the foliage.



"Ah, there you are, youngling," a deep, masculine voice said.  "Aerarnis and Raloi were concerned that you had not yet reported back.  Is something the matter?"

"R-Rath'li!" Anadella stammered, shocked at the appearance of the fighter.  "Nothing's wrong, just... these two wish to speak to Katalmach to find who granted permission for the Root to live here.  They say they're the children of the 'first sisigwad' or something like that..."

"Permission to live in the anscestral home which I have lived in since I was a hatchling, and which was inhabited centuries before that?" Rath'li asked, tilting his head.  "The Root has always had the blessing and permission of some earth elemental, usually embodied in an Ambia Paragon--but you're right.  They should speak to Katalmach about the matter."