Neverwinter Forest I'm gonna smoke you out

AW -- @Eshe and @Goldhawk should be joining. Scimitar is calling for @FitzDutiful, but any STM wolf is welcome! Set in the neutral area of NWF. Set directly after this incident and this conversation. So perhaps a few hours after Mason was chased from NWF borders.

The trio swept past their borders, allowing room for the Mountain Alpha to feel more comfortable within his surroundings. The youthful wolf had skirted away, back to the mountain, and tilting his broad muzzle upward, Scimitar released a call, requesting the presence of the Silvertip Alpha Male.
 
His song crooned to fade, and stiffly, he waited. A stoical mask had settled upon his cinnamon features – this would be the last test between the two leaders. The ivory regal had insisted they move their borders back, because he felt they imposed a threat upon his pack. The ivory wolf had purposely strode past their marked borders, knowing their intentions, and had insulted his mate.
 
And now, a Silvertip Mountain wolf had rolled upon their borders, trying to cast his scent over their own in a blatant display of disrespect. The wolves of Neverwinter Forest had done nothing in retaliation yet, and only what had been originally requested, despite the poor manner it had been done in.
 
Scimitar’s good will only stretched so far.

Okay, so using this thread as reference to what FitzDutiful was told by Mason. Edit for clarity.

A call went up for him and FitzDutiful wandered away from whatever he had been doing after his talk with Mason. From what he knew it appears Mason had dropped and rolled on the outer borders; this was true with what he had seen. He had told them not to move the borders yet for needed to be sure that Neverwinter Forest would uphold their end of the bargain. So what did they want to talk about? He recalled seeing Mason chased by them, but it never occurred that his son would overstep.

He didn't call backup, he didn't feel the need. If anyone was concerned they were welcome to come but he was taking Zaria's words to heart and trying not to aggravate where it wasn't necessary. As he approached the borders of his pack he stepped no further, the three wolves were within their territory still - the area that was soon to be neutral as he would find out. For now he took no chances and didn't step over the line. It appeared to have faded but there was a high chance they just hadn't renewed it yet - FitzDutiful hadn't had time to check. He could smell what appeared to be a stronger scent behind the wolves but he wasn't taking any chance that this was trickery. What if they had faked a move and intended to rip his throat out for stepping on their lands? No, until that scent was a week old he wouldn't be happy.

"Can I help you?" he asked, politely after a dipped head in greeting. He was in his land so he didn't need to submit. They were in their lands so he wouldn't expect it from them either. This was part of why he desired the neutral zone.

Wee~

Spiffing day for it, wot, Goldhawk remarked lightly as he walked with his Lord and Lady of the Forest, quite unable to let a silence linger. Oh he hushed up out of respect for the pair, of course, but Goldhawk was Goldhawk, and while they'd proved exceptionally good-natured towards him so far, Scimitar and Eshe were (unfortunately?!) quickly becoming aware that he was sprightly in character and ever so talkative. Even so, he was appreciative that the situation was a serious one. He wasn't taking it lightly, he was simply taking it the way he took everything: with a moving tongue and an eye for the jovial.

Shortly, they met with a male who smelled faintly familiar and was therefore likely to be a high-ranking wolf or guardian of Silvertip Mountain. Goldhawk fancied that his Alphas were rather more impressive-looking than this one, but he would think that, wouldn't he. The polite stranger was good-looking regardless, and had golden-moon eyes that looked like they'd be open to peace. But peace in its purest form was complex. For now, Goldhawk was silent so that his superiors could lead the way.

Eshe moved with her mate, quite interested in what FitzDutiful would make of the news. She would let her mate tell of the incident, as she could not recount it as he could, given that she was not there as a witness. That was why Goldhawk was present; their subordinate had seen firsthand what had occurred, and there was no time to talk the story in circles so that any bit of it was stretched out to be more than it was. Eshe, Scimitar, and Goldhawk came with the truth and good faith, nothing else. Any animosity was pushed to the wayside.

The man came in good time, and did not look bothered to be called. It would not have mattered if he had wanted to come with others; they were not here to battle, but to talk. Given that she wished to be an adviser and counselor, Eshe would be more than glad to keep the peace. When he spoke, Eshe peered to her mate, so that he might lead the way and tell FitzDutiful what had happened. If need be, Goldhawk would vouch for the truth of it, but she had no desire to push things down the others throat... only to open his ears and his eyes to the behavior of his subordinates. It was a new change to the wolves of Silvertip, so she was forgiving this day. More than that, she did not desire to make an example of any wolf... but as a leader, she knew she would have to step up and do such a thing if, in the future, it ever came to that.

The trio had already crossed their borders and stood in the neutral terrain they had left for the better of not just the Mountain pack, but also the others within the area. It left safe passageway for their neighbors as well, and Scimitar felt it was good will on their part – the forest was plentiful and large, they did not need to monopolize the entirety of it. Goldhawk made a remark, and Scimitar’s ear flickered in quiet agreement.
 
The ivory wolf came – the one who had strode past their fresh borders and made demands while snarling at them – and none of them had bothered to give names. At this junction, after their continued incidents from the Silvertip Mountain wolves, Scimitar was far less concerned about pleasantries.
 
“We pushed our borders back as requested – in fact, we pushed them back three times as much as the original number, in a show of good will,” he rumbled, deciding to get straight to the point. “And then one of your own came down your mountain, right to our new borders, and started to roll on them, trying to mark his scent over ours in a blatant display of disrespect.”
 
He paused then, his eyes squarely studying the wolf before him. “We’ve met your demands, but we are not your puppets. Blatant disrespect will not be tolerated any longer.”

It was likely Eshe, who was of more sound politics, that should have opened up the conversation.

From one topic, to another, to another. FitzDutiful let the male speak everything he had wanted before making any reply. His tail began to wag from irritation as the male mentioned the words puppets and his upper lip twitched slightly as he tried to hold back a growl. Yes, he may have been in the wrong to start with but this male wasn't exactly trying to smooth anything over. His eyes stared coldly at the male in front of him as his dislike grew. Eventually, he turned his attention to the female, the one he had initially disliked. Nothing was showing at the moment but FitzDutiful's eyes had more warmth looking over Goldhawk and Eshe than they did when they fell back onto Scimitar.

"I noticed you moved them further back; I was about to begin the moving back of our own." Might as well address that point first. "As to my pack member, I saw them by your old borders and saw no harm in that. I didn't realise they had later gone to your new borders too." He didn't leave much room for any interruption between these sentences and continued again, "It was never intended as a demand and not once have I ever thought of calling you a puppet; nor did I intend to cause blatant disrespect. I reacted in anger and I apologise for that for there was no need. With my mate due any day I was overprotective and we got off to a bad start. Again, I want to apologise; we, at Silvertip, have no desire for war and would like to find a way to move forwards. In this hope I would like to offer a fresh start. My name's FitzDutiful Silvertip, at your service."

He bowed his head slightly and hoped the male would just let things move on - like he was trying his best to do.

Although his head was lowered slightly to keep it below Scimitar's (the older male was taller than him anyway), Goldhawk's golden ears were upright with fascination, picking up every word the party said. He was, of course, but a loyal bystander on the Neverwinter side, here to speak up if needed, and so he dedicated himself to the act of listening for now. Ah, so his new Lord was proud and on guard. He reminded Goldhawk somewhat of Lady Speartooth, whose eyes would narrow at the first whisper of potential insult. It comforted him to see some of his old leader in the heart of one of his new ones.

In a different way, he was very much impressed by the wolf who turned out to be called FitzDutiful Silvertip. What a marvellous name, and a marvellous temperament. Apologies, compromises, calm explanation... he wagered this would sit well with Eshe and Scimitar both. Jolly good form, he was bursting to say, and oooooh he was about to explode with chatter any moment now, but respect and self-discipline allowed him to maintain his rare silence for a few more seconds yet...

Eshe was watchful, but she herself was not cold. As her mate explained the incident, she could hardly withhold the grin she felt that wanted to place itself upon her mug. But she maintained professionalism and the proper decorum, and observed. It seemed the other leader was displeased with the way her mate spoke; he took it to a personal level, though she supposed she might have, too, if she didn't know the man as well as she did. She knew that Scimitar was only trying to get the other to see that they would not be disrespected any longer; two times was more than enough, and it was disconcerting and a cause for such a reaction. Eshe was not a woman who preferred violence, but what if she had been? When his eyes fell onto her, she was surprised to note his previous coldness had gone from her... but it seemed to land on her mate this time. Again she had to withhold a grin, not at the expense of FitzDutiful but her husband. Golden-boy no more! her mind quipped, and she wished her mate could hear the gentle teasing that was, as ever, well-meant.

She was surprised when he spoke, however. He seemed rational, reasonable, and level-headed this time. He even apologized. It was hard not to look at her mate then, wondering if this was a trap, or a joke of some sort. In any case when he finished, and he dipped his head to them, Eshe could not help but speak this time.

Well, firstly, hello, how do you do, I'm sorry for all the sour circumstances we've had to meet upon, an' I hope that this'll be the end of those. I'm Eshe Frostfur, she introduced, and then went on.

It's also my hope that no one would think of calling another a puppet, her tones were warm, and she offered a wan smile, But actions can make things feel that way, even if the thought had never crossed the mind. She tried to simply have the other understand what her mate meant by it; it wasn't him saying that FitzDutiful was acting the puppeteer, but rather that it felt like, at the time, he had said one thing when the other occurred afterward, against what they had spoken of. She understood as he explained why he came to them as he did, but she still didn't agree with it. But he apologized at last, admitting his wrong. It was a start. Still... she was wary.

She breathed. We don't want war, either. We want peace. Maybe friendship, down the line, but right now that felt like too much to ask for, and a thing that would be humored only with a peal of hurtful laughter. To his bow, she dipped her head in acknowledgement, but could not help but be hesitant. Now, know that I ask you this on account of what's just happened. I want to believe you're a man of your word. Y'look and sound like one, mister Silvertip. But what makes this time different? Apart from the approach, her tail waved at that, Which was real nice, by the way. I mean it! You seem like a real gentleman. She wondered if maybe his mama did raise him right; overprotective husband checked out, and it could've caused a great lapse in judgment. While she could say she knew Scimitar wouldn't do that, it warmed her heart a little bit for Fitz, but equally caused her to worry a bit as well. An', I want for us to let bygones be bygones, but I also want to know you mean this, 'cause I thought you meant it before, and then... Well, 'the reason they were here'.

Neverwinter had been accommodating and more in accordance to what was agreed upon. She simply wanted to be reassured by FitzDutiful that from now on, he and his would truly follow suit so that they could live in peace.

Irritation revealed itself in the movement of the ivory male’s tail, and Scimitar felt himself bristle. The coldness in the other’s eyes was not missed, but the male maintained his own stoical mask – placating himself with the thought that this conversation was necessary, and afterward, hopefully they would have nothing more to do with the Silvertip Mountain wolves.
 
The wolf rambled on now, addressing his member and showing no hint of remorse for the actions of his subordinates. Scimitar’s jaw tightened, but the white wolf barreled on, leaving little room for even a derisive snort. If this wolf couldn’t keep his subordinate’s in check, they were certainly going to have issues.
 
He did apologize – as hollow as it sounded to the dark agouti male. It was hard to take an apology seriously when one was being glared at, but Eshe seemed quite pleased with the proceedings, and his gentle-natured mate was quick to comment.
 
He claimed himself to be FitzDutiful – apparently at their service. Again, misguided, Scimitar felt, but if the wolf was attempting to make amends, it was best to let his mate do the speaking for now. Instead, his bright eyes remained riveted upon the Mountain wolf, waiting for his answers to Eshe’s question. What made this so different when they had been under the impression they had come to a previous agreement before?

So so sorry for the delay!

The female spoke and she was the only one to do so. It seemed that she was reasonable so many that was a sensible decision. Trying not to let too much affect him he chose to think carefully over her words before beginning to respond. His thought process was quick, so there wasn't a long delay between her speaking and his response, but it was long enough to be noticed that he was thinking before speaking; something he hoped they wouldn't hold against him.

She had introduced herself and he finally had a name to use for her, a Frostfur - a family he had never heard of before - and pointed out actions were sometimes louder than words as well as saying they wanted peace not war. She had asked him what made this time different and he had unconsciously bowed his head a little in dismay to that sentiment though he let her words finish being spoken before beginning to form an answer.

"The wolf who was on your borders is my son. I informed the pack of our meeting but not of the border movement - I mentioned it was a possibility but not that it was definitely going into effect. I hold myself responsible for my son's actions though I didn't know what he intended that day I didn't see fit to stop what I knew was intended. I have no excuse other than what has already been given."

"Now things are different. With a pack meeting it was agreed upon that we all desire peace. The border change will be announced now I have seen it and are about to do it myself. There is now no excuse, all in the pack know of what that state is and although some of them may be uncomfortable and on high alert there will be no attacks and no disrespect given from my family towards yours. If there is unprovoked actions I will reprimand them myself and seriously consider whether they have a place in this family."

It was strong words, the announcement that future hostility could lead to him sending family members away but he needed them to be very aware of the situation. It was true, too, anyone who started a fight without provocation would have to answer to him and if the reasoning did not stand up then they could have to go. He didn't have the resources for a war with the pups.

Not right now.

The tip of Goldhawk's gleaming-gold tail flickered just a little, as if to privately express his approval further. It was also a twitch of deep and unyielding patience. Ooh he was desperate to explode into vocal agreement, stating the goodness and righteousness of it all, but adding that he'd be right at Scimitar's side if the warrior lord was in the mood for a bit of the old one-two in the near future. This was quite a tense peace treaty, so they'd be keeping a bally sharp eye on the Neverwinter borders. Unable to add anything serious and productive to the conversation, Goldhawk held his tongue persistently.

Just tagging a bit of an end on this, as Andrea has left the game and this thread can basically be wrapped up?

Scimitar was less than impressed by the excuses the ivory wolf gave – his pack apparently had to be informed of a border change, rather than simply respecting borders otherwise.. and, to boot, he had witnessed the ordeal and had done nothing to truly stop it or mitigate it.
 
Yet he made no comment on this – instead, he already determined he had this FitzDutiful pegged as a pigheaded twit whose family was upset about their presence – and he promised they would adjust to it. It was all they could ask for.
 
With the thing put to as much rest as possible for now, they would certainly see if the man could uphold his word in the months following. With a quick glance to his comrades, the dark agouti wolf gave a light dip of his muzzle, his tail giving an idle flick before he made to pull away. “Thank you for your time and words – we would also hope that if any of our members attempts to stir trouble with you or yours you will inform us instantly so we can deal with it accordingly,” he offered, his tone a deep rumble as he gave Eshe a gentle nudge. She had lead the entire conversation, and he was pleased she had – otherwise, had he been the one to do the talking, the outcome would have been far different, he held no doubt.
 
He had nothing more to say, and so he made to lead the Forest wolves back to their dwelling and leave the ivory regal in peace – lest he go back on his word.

All had ended well this meeting, and after the discussion it was agreed they would keep the peace. It was in both of their interests, and so it was decided that this would be the path taken. Eshe was pleased with everything overall, and felt better for having spoken to FitzDutiful. He had been honest and for the first time, she felt she saw the heart of the man. Her opinion on him shifted, for the better.

When all was said and done, she said her goodbye to the Silvertip leader and turned to move alongside her mate, smiling fondly at Goldhawk. He had done well.

This was a rare moment in Goldhawk's life — listening far more than he talked. Indeed, he had done nothing for the debate beyond provide moral support. But he really had listened, and in doing so had picked up invaluable information straight from the mouths of the respective horses. He knew more than he ever had before about the state of their borders and the land between Neverwinter and their neighbours. He gave a respectful dip of his head to said neighbour as they parted ways and could not help but utter to his Alphas: jolly good form m'lady, m'lord. For Goldhawk approved very much of what had occurred here today, and his strategic position as a guardian of Neverwinter had strengthened as a direct result. Despite his position on the back bench, he felt part of something.