Hushed Willows Could've been the wine

The fae queen squinted as the cat ignored her, looking instead to Caw. She didn't blame it on the raven man however, but she did find it disrespectful of the creature. Lumiya was no liar! She'd rather be found dead than be caught lying, and she had earned her title here fair and square. Her ear twitched in annoyance, but her gaze was one of confusion when the man introduced the topic of a ward. She could only imagine it being one of their two pixies, and she knew it couldn't be Cassidy - perhaps it was the little girl Deidra had taken home. She was beginning to think the little healer was a bit naive to both misjudge Memory and now bring the ward of a cat home, though she wouldn't be giving up Veritas to satisfy the creature.

Our pixies are being kept safe and healthy. Their well-being shall not be a concern of yours, you have my word. she answered confidently.

She turned to Orlaith then with a disapproving expression, shaking her head silently. The girl was being too aggressive and was out of line for taking authority on this matter. Yeah, the cat was a jerk, but the fae folk had to show they were better than what he thought they were.

It was too late however - the cat now had a double that had been spying on their meeting for who knew how long. She raised a brow at the female cougar. Surely they wouldn't have missed such a creature nor their scent in the forest. She'd poked her nose in every nook and cranny to make sure the place had not been occupied before settling her court here. And even then; Simply being born in a place does not entitle you to it. We've worked hard to stake claim upon this forest, and would like for you two to leave if you've got nothing else of importance to share or discuss.

tail sweeping happily back and forth, caw returns the smile, still completely unaware of anything going on under the hood, so to speak, of this standoff. vrána’s talons curl uncomfortably through the thick fur of his nape and into the skin, but he is very used to this, even if it does not make things any less painful; again, he is more absorbed by the compliment.

if he was a little less naïve, he might have been aware that it was probably not great to make an intruder happy, but! orlaith has that lesson covered spectacularly well. caw’s ears flatten back at the boom of her voice; he ducks his head, though his stare, bright and unblinking, remains fixed on virtute’s face.

surely that does not mean he has to stop looking! even if it does, it is probably not enough to deter him. and the faerie queen is speaking now anyways; caw is content to let her while he hovers, quiet but still fascinated.

it is only her particular choice of words that makes him look away. a small thing, but for once a small thing is enough for caw to pick up – two of them? he cranes his head curiously, searching through the canopy and, very abruptly, stills when his eyes land squarely on a second cat.

orlaith has told him not to speak! and he probably should not wag his tail, because lumiya wants them to leave now. he stares at the cat instead, wondering if they will listen. it is okay to visit, but it is not okay to ignore the queen’s word.

✹☾❂

 

Lumiya zoomed off to the scene of the cat-fight faster than Eleuthera could follow. The lilac fae came blundering in a near 60 seconds or so after she, onto a scene that was not so different — but seemingly doubled. Eleuthera looked from one cat to the other, not really able to tell them apart until they spoke. Lumiya had immediately dived into negotiations with the two interlopers, and Eleuthera trusted that the Queen had both the intentions and the tact to remedy this issue without a fight. It was far better to use one’s words, rather than one’s fangs.

She moved behind @Kincaid, ready to heed his every instruction. He knew what this meant to her, and he also knew what was at risk. 

y’all are crazy and i love it

When Kincaid was ignored by the cat, he fell into uneasy silence, still quite clueless about what it could possible want with them. The queen arrived to begin negotiations, and Kincaid's eye twitched when he realized that the wolves here had taken in a mountain lion kit — why?

Then he nearly jumped out of his skin when another lion appeared; he found himself simultaneously relieved and horrified to have Eleuthera away from the scene, and then she materialized by his side as if produced by his own imagination. Was this another bizarre nightmare? Now all he needed was for Nine Lives to show up, guns blazing.

He had nothing to say and there was nothing he could do. He shifted so that he could try to keep both cats in sight and hoped that it wouldn't come to a fight.

Orlaith didn't catch any who gave a disapproving look, as her feiry eyes were wholly focused on above, as she stalked by the tree. A rage from her very spirit as she glared at the talking cat, only to find out there was yet another cat nearby. It was a dangerous situation, she thought, which made her fur ruffle even more-so with alarm. As a group, dealing with one cat would've been fine, but now there was back-up, the chances were growing smaller.

Though the fire fae didn't like that worry gross her face, "There was no scent- how can they say to be born, or even claim, when they never defended? The willows, is ours." She lifted a paw and stomped it at the ground in a 'humph,' declaring their mark on the territory.

He took humor in the fire girl's rather aggressive stance and countered it with a searching look. His eyes had met her own but it seemed that she was as hidden as she wanted to be, this caused the girl to smile. Her growl finally slipping through her teeth as he called her out, she was always one for dramatic entrances. Laughter followed the rumbling sound when he mentioned that she waa born her, "I'm touched you remembered but to answer you question deary, yes." Her voice came silky and sweet, just as she rose up on her legs from the crouch she had been holding since this conversation started.

The queen shook her head at the one who seemed to be having a power struggle with her, how innocent she was to think a simple gesture would qwell that ones anger. That one still acted in rage and she gave another growl, directed at her. Then the queen spoke of safety and the fact she was not giving up the child that was Virtute's ward. What, just because he was a cat and she a dog meant he was not a capable parent?

"As he said, little queens, those are rules for your kind not ours. By right, this would be my home but I'll let you live here as long as I can visit where my mother is buried whenever I might want." And if they didn't allow it, who was there to stop her from doing so in the first place? She flicked her tail in annoyance as she then looked to the bird boy that had found her. She was not annoyed with him but how the other one had treated him. She smiled at him, without teeth as he seemed just naive enough to be entertaining. "You know, keeping a cub from their protector is considered kidnapping"

He enjoyed the look of surprise that he caught, as the wolves began to notice that there was another cougar in the area. While he didn't want to draw negative attention to her, he knew that Naira could defend herself, and that this was likely a little game she might want to play as well. Cats do adore hissing at dogs, of course, so why not invite her to join in?

He felt, with their numbers, that they had a stronger advantage here now, of getting what they want. His gaze trailed to Orlaith just to see the look on her face when her queen discouraged her. He stared at her, directly now, so that she knew she had his attention- but only when she would have wanted it the least...When she was being push into silence. Of course, when she started to complain, Virtute's gaze roved back toward Lumiya, their elected queen. He was there for his own purpose- but he took Naira's plea into consideration as well. 

"I'll believe Veritas' wellbeing when I see the child for myself," He said. "And what do you say to the Queen's request?" He asked, referring then to the only real queen present- Naira. She sought the right to visit her mother's grave, and it seemed a simple compromise to him, really.

she'd settled easily into a new low. cassidy's constant badgering wore on her, and the parts of her skin that had begun to heal had once more broken out into sore spots and hives. she tried her best, really, to groom herself as her guardian had taught, to attempt to foster healing, but it was to no avail. she'd been sequestered to one corner of the willows the past few days with a thickness in her chest and a dripping nose, and only that morning had she woken feeling marginally better. 

she stumbled onto the gathering quite by mistake, and immediately adjusted her path as to avoid the group as had become standard; the chance that cassidy might be one of those gathered was high, and besides, she'd preferred to avoid the fae as of late, some deep note of jealousy struck by their beauty, the ethereal and confident way in which they moved, breathed, lived. gangly, marred and ill-proportioned, she would only ever stand in sharp contrast to them, she was certain. 

but it was only when she was moving away, downwind, that she noticed not all those gathered were fae. cat; sharp and familiar. heart pressed tightly against her ribs, suddenly, and she turned back, pivoting tightly and loping betwixt the willows. auds pressed forward, and in a moment she glimpsed that familiar tawny pelt, coming suddenly into focus high above the others. 

"virtute!" she called, joy in the high arch of her tail. she beelined toward the lion king, neck craned back to look up at him as she came to the base of his tree. a quick glance was spared for the others gathered, a wary prickle of her hackles at the anger and tension there; but her gladness smoothed her fur again quickly.

because this hasn't been replied for a while im going to tackle on a possible ending!

"There, you have seen the child." At first, Orlaith wasn't sure what the cougar meant by who 'Veritas' was, or the child he sought out. Though a familiar bundle of sickly mess came out, shouting for the cats. She raised a brow at such, but said no more on that predictament. It was more important for them to leave.

"We have been taking care of her, as she is better with her own kind. Leave, since you have seen her so." If all went well, the cougars would peacefully leave. She figured the male one would, but the so-called other who was 'born' here, might be more difficult to convince. In the end, Lumiya might just grant so, but Orlaith definitely expressed displeasure over this.

Thankfully, despite her harsh words the cougars gave a sly grin to the guard. They didn't say much, but upon greeting the kid, and giving their goodbyes, the cats decided to leave. Though Orlaith was sure that the female one would return, especially since claiming she was born in this land. Though it seemed that it resolved without violence.

Once they were gone, everyone else seemed to drift back, though a bit irked by the odd visitation. She on the other hand, decided to up the border, and especially so by ordering the other warriors to help so.