The boat to Endapano was only a day out, and Ynnarah still hadn't formed a satisfactory plan.  She just didn't know enough of the pieces, but she had resolved to not leave the island without her brother.  And she wasn't alone, Valkoinen was at her side, and she was deeply grateful.  Turning her astrolabe over in her hands again, Ynnarah found herself musing over what had happened between her mother and her aunt again.  The scuffle had been brief, barely enough to be called a fight, and Ynnarah had gotten the help that she needed to build her instrument.  And with that instrument, she had sought out her brother.

But the information she had found was confusing.  It had taken time, more than she had liked, but Ynnarah had finally been able to glean the location of her brother.  There were only so many large islands, and she had finally figured out the right one when she find Jayden.  She had been tempted to just open a gate spell right away, but Angela had cautioned against it.  The reclusive elves were not very welcoming of strangers just appearing on their island without warning.

So she and Valkoinen had found a ship to take them from Sularia to the elvish nation, and she stood on the deck, staring at the island and trying to come up with some kind of a plan.  But she had a feeling she had to find Jayden first.  Maybe then she could get an idea.  "Valkoinen, is it a bad idea to wait until we find my brother to figure out what to do?  I can't even tell what kind of state he's in.  But I think he's confused somehow… that's why I've been having trouble finding him.  Maybe he lost some of his memories when he crossed over.  I've been hearing about that happening all over," Ynnarah said to her friend.  Valkoinen always seemed to have a good idea, and he wasn't as attached to teh situation as she.  So his perspective would be much clearer than her own.

Valkoinen had not hesitated in the slightest when Ynnarah told him that they would be travelling via ship from Sularia to Endopano.  After all, he had undergone the ceremony where he had been deemed a knight of one of the Rose Courts, and her parents had entrusted him with her protection in the venture to find her brother, Jayden.  He was still not entirely versed on what his duties as a knight entailed, but he knew that he needed to fulfill them or he would not only upset Ynnarah, but also Blaine, her father - and after meeting and spending a bit of time with that man, upsetting him was the last thing that Valkoinen wanted to do.  This was without mentioning her mother, who seemed to also be rather terrifying. 

He stood next to Ynnarah, following her gaze out towards the island in front of them.  He could not help himself but to occasionally glance at his travelling companion - as they had travelled together, he had grown rather fond of Ynnarah, and on more than one occasion he had found himself looking at her in a way that one does not look at a friend.  He knew that this was not the time, nor the place, for such thoughts, but he could not help himself, other than keeping those feelings hidden away.  He was still unable to tell whether or not Ynnarah returned those thoughts, as she herself was rather quiet about it.  Perhaps one day he would find out, but he had let his mind wander for far too long and turned to look at Ynarrah as she spoke to him.

“I don’t think so at all,” he said quietly, when she asked his opinion.  “Knowing that will make planning much easier,” he added.  He didn’t know Jayden at all, but if he was related to Ynnarah he was important to Valkoinen.  “Whatever state he is in, we will find him and take care of him, and get him safely back home where he belongs,” he added, and there was a resilient promise audible in his voice.  He put an arm around Ynarrah’s shoulders, pulling her towards him reassuringly as he looked back out over the water.  “You know I won’t let you down,” he said, glancing back down at her.  He kept his arm around her, enjoying the closeness of his companion but also a way of making his promise to her.

The marketplace, particularly was thriving and busy at the section where rare and valuable pets were being sold off at the stables. From dragon eggs to phoenixes, to pixies and giant serpents, many wondrous creatures were traded off to new homes, for the best or worse. One in particular stood out from the others- there was a wolf larger than most that resided in a study cage. His fur was a deep brown color but it was his vivid blue eyes that stood out and appealed to those that passed him by. He was laying down, letting out soft threatening growls at his visitors. Many thought that he was a wild animal, but he was far from it. The lupine couldn't remember his former life, and when he tried, he was met with scenes of black that blocked him. All he could recall was falling form the sky and landing into a lake in this form. As far as he knew, he was an actual wolf and without his memories, there was no turning back.

He still cursed his luck over being caught in the middle of his hunt on deer. The hunters picked a fantastic time to throw an enchanted net over him, rendering him useless as they dragged him away. It had been a few days since his capture and yet no one had the gall to buy him. He had made sure of that after sniffing and then nearly biting off the hand of the first person that was interested. Ever since, most of the people were…reluctant of him. While it was amusing to him, his captors didn't seem to share in his enthusiasm over it and were ready to make him into a fur coat by the end of the day. Unfortunately he was not in on the plan and even so, he'd attack and fight back with everything he could.

The wolf relaxed and let out a big yawn, softly growling at more of the people that stared and watched him. He wanted to be free regardless of his identity.

It was good to have Valkoinen around for multiple reasons.  Right now, having him to echo her thoughts from was the best.  Not to mention the comforting, solid presence he provided.  The resonance in his voice was comforting as well, and she unconsciously leaned into the arm around her shoulder.  "Thank you, Valkoinen.  It means a lot to me, just hearing you say that.  I'm glad you're here," she said, a smile finally coming back to her face.  There was more on her mind, but before she found the courage to say anything, a crew member informed them that the ship would be docking first thing in the morning.  Glancing up at the two moons, she knew it was best if they both got some rest.  "Come on, lets get some sleep.  It will be easier to look for my brother with fresh eyes," she said.  It was difficult hiding the worry in her voice, but Ynnarah did her best.  The gentle motion of the ship lulled her to sleep, even before she could form thoughts to help her brother.

—

Getting into the city was easier than she had anticipated, but the elvish guards respected her family's name.  Almost too easy, but Ynnarah didn't question it too much.  Though it was hard to hide her impatience, she suggested to Valkoinen that they have a look around the marketplace.  For her, places with quite a few people was the place to listen for information, a useful bit of information from her aunt Moliira.  It didn't take too long for Ynnarah to realize that someone was tailing them, another useful skill learned from her drow aunt.  She spoke in a low murmur to her friend when they paused at a stall selling delicate glass sculptures.  "There is a guard following up.  We had better find Jayden and get out of here," she said simply before pausing to examine the sculptures more closely.  They were truly beautiful, and she handed over a gem from Arri to purchase a yellow glass rose.  It made her smile again, and Ynnarah couldn't wait to show her sister.

The mention of an animal market caught her attention, and she led Valkoinen there once the glass rose was carefully stowed away.  There were many wonders in this corner of the market, even a few precious dragon eggs. Distracted for a few moments, she lay her hands with permission on one of the eggs.  It was warm to the touch, and felt like living stone.  There were other creatures, some treated better than others.  One that caught her eyes was a dark brown wolf in a rather well built cage.  Something about the coloring was familiar, but she couldn't place it at first.  Until the wolf opened its eyes and stared at her for a few moments. 

All the joy, feigned and true, drained from her face as she rushed to the cage.  The wolf growled at her when she got too close, but Ynnarah could tell that he just did not want people close to him.  There was intelligence in the icy blue eyes, so very similar to her father's, but something was off.  Once Ynnarah had retreated back from the cage, the wolf simply watched her.  "Th-that's him.  That's my brother.  Oh, what happened, Jayden?" she asked, half to herself and half to the wolf in the cage.