They made it to the borders in one piece--maybe a little dramatic, but hey, Maegi was still a bit nervous being away from home--and stopped, the familiar, cloying smell of decaying flesh and bones a comfort. Sascha turned to her and asked if he should call for someone; Maegi shook her head.

"I'll do it," she said blandly, tipping her muzzle back and letting out a long howl for her mentor. It was a sound caught somewhere between a puppy's cry and an adult call, and she was slightly embarrassed by it, her ears flattening as the tones shivered and disappeared into the air. She might feel like an adult, most days, but she was still very much a child.

Shuffling her paws impatiently, she waited. There was no doubt Sascha would be welcomed in--he was a Melonii, after all; the forest belonged to them--but she wondered what Kove would think of this newest member of the family. He was not a Melonii (though one could argue Blackfeather Woods was as much Apaata stomping ground as it was Melonii).

"I know it's not much to look at from out here, but it's really cool inside," Maegi murmured, halfheartedly making conversation as they stood still. "Lots of things to explore. I can give you a tour if you want."

Kove appeared, an apparition from the darkness, and she gave her mentor a smile, opening her mouth to speak and glancing, a bit piqued, at Sascha as he spoke first instead. He gave the Dark Master all the pertinent information, adding condolences that sounded at least partly heartfelt--well played, Maegi thought--before falling silent, awaiting Kove's judgment.

"I found him just south of here, on some rocks," Maegi explained to Kove, glancing to Sascha before returning her eyes to Blackfeather's leader. "He seems all right." Her mouth firmed as she considered what she had just said. If the wolves of the woods were to survive, perhaps they would need better than all right.

Then again, maybe she'd found Sascha on a bad day.

Kove's question made her twitch with momentary indecision. She felt suddenly on the spot, and shuffled her feet awkwardly. She was about to give a diplomatic answer to her mentor when Sascha opened his mouth instead, giving them a command to--wait, what?

"They? There's only one of you," Maegi reasoned, a question in her voice. Her ears rotated in puzzlement as she gave Sascha a long look, then turned to Kove once more, lips lifting in a wry, almost cruel smile. "Probably not," she responded coolly. Eyes back to Sascha. "No offense. But he--uh, they," she corrected herself, her tone carrying a hint of acid but going with it anyway, "is a Melonii. Meloniis belong here."

And Blackfeather was in short supply of Meloniis, these days. Miraak was dead, Potema had fled, Cicero and the boys were gone, all of her older siblings, vanished. . .

Right now, it was just her. And Sascha. Gods help them.

She returned Sascha's glare with a cool look, nodding as Kove gave his verdict. It was the right thing to do. Maegi hadn't meant any malice, truly, by speaking so poorly as she had of her cousin. Unlike most Blackfeather wolves, she didn't quite have the knack for lying; the truth, often vicious, lay heavy on her tongue at all times. One day it could very well be her undoing.

For now, though, she was safe here in the Woods, and it was with this knowledge that she strode past Sascha, looking over her shoulder at him--no, them. "Welcome home," she said softly. "I'll give you the tour if you still want one."

She padded away, heading first toward the Redgrove. They'd follow if they wished, and if not, she'd have some quiet time to herself, at least. With another Melonii now in the forest, it was a winning situation no matter how the cards fell.