Blackfeather Woods see, the devil is a liar

Scouting!

An uncomfortable silence had settled over Dulce's journey. She'd been wandering aimlessly with no real sense of direction or purpose; it'd been fun for a while, but she needed a plan. At some point, she'd managed to wander to another pack's border, obviously better maintained than the others. The scenery was menacing, but it only served to draw Dulce further in. She'd spent a day or two on the outskirts, having camped beside a tree a safe distance away. 

There was one particular evening in which her curiousity peaked. Dulce meandered over to the border, body low and submissive should anyone pass by.

She didn't frequent the forest's edge very often, but lately the woman had become fascinated with a particular variety of grass growing through the forest's limits. Parvati sought out the space again today, wondering if all the buds she had found would have erupted overnight or if they were still too chilled along the ground-cover to change. Some areas of the forest were dotted with yellow, others pink, or soft pastel purples, although the majority were hard to spot where the dark ferns overgrew or the tree roots wormed their way across. That made the forest's edge the perfect place to find these flowers — spreading out in to a small meadow that led away from the claim.

Parvati was still within the forest reaches when she spotted a figure slinking along. At first she thought it was a harmless enough event; someone doing a patrol or something. It was not her duty to guard the territory's limits but she was present now, and the closer she got to the figure the less familiar they seemed. With the recent uptick in her hormones Parvati had become a hard worker with a need to move about, more animated than her first few days as a Blackfeather -- and that is what propelled her to close the distance with some fervor, and cut off the stranger's delve in to her home territory.

Her agouti fur puffed, and her already round figure seemed bigger and more pugnacious with her posturing; she let out a small warning growl as her ears stuck straight-forwards, but was surprised by her own voracity; this behavior was chiefly for the men, as far as she knew. But the woman was only startled by herself for a moment. She remained poised and proud before the interloper, and demanded: Halt! State your business!

Halt. It was the first time anyone had ever told Dulce to halt, and honestly, she was slightly confused about what it meant. I'm scouting, she answered, somewhat questioning her own statement. Encounters like this didn't normally throw her for such a doozy. Dulce thought for a moment about what she might have done wrong; did she go too close to the border, possibly even cross it? She didn't think that she had, so the hostility seemed odd. I didn't mean to offend.

Parvati did not know what to do next. She was no warrior - perhaps closer to a scout herself since abandoning her home territory, eager to see the world. Her life had changed when she had found this forest. Perhaps that was all this woman was after? But something about their presence disturbed her; it could have been the lack of the heat-scent, or the fact they were female and Parvati's body felt defiant in the wake of it. Some abstract piece of her wanted to chase this potential rival out of the forests edge but was that proper? Was that right?

I cannot let you go further, she cautioned as strongly as she could as doubt rose inside of her body. This is claimed land. The wolves of the wood wish to be left alone, so you should leave. As she spoke Parvati felt stronger, bolder, more in-control of herself. Invigorated. She might not have been a warrior but the woman's horomones were driving her to behave with the same bravado as a man. Something she could get used to.

It quickly became clear that neither party was 100% confident in their approach. To some degree, this put Dulce at ease, but she knew better than to relax around a wolf at the mercy of his instincts. This wasn't the first time she'd been in a hostile situation, so experience made it a little less worrisome. I'm not here to intrude, she explained, voice soft and slow. It was never like Dulce to be fast in anything that she did, but she was taking this one half-step at a time.

Finding silence to be less than optimal, she continued, I may want to join. It was the first time she'd ever even thought of thinking of mentioning her possible interest in joining a pack, but desperate times always called for desperate measures.

Not here to intrude? That seemed unlikely as the stranger had already come so close to the territory as to cross the boundaries, entering the dark wood enough to warrant a more combative resistance from Parvati. She felt herself begin to bristle and was surprised by her own body - but she had to attribute this to her hormonal shifts. Nothing was the same after her arrival to these woods, least of all her own body. It felt like she was at war with herself on some days. In this particular moment she could not find it in herself to trust the stranger and was slowly cultivating a dreadful sense of xenophobia that grew as her belly did.

You have intruded, this is claimed land -- she began to protest with more fervor, but was cut off when the stranger mentioned joining. That was not something Parvati had any say over, and she was caught by further surprise. What was she to do? Turn this able body away (as her heart wished) or give them the benefit of the doubt (as her mind warred) -- Oh. Well, that's... That's not up to me. If you did want to join then why did you trespass first? You could have called from out there, she motioned with a flick of her round snout at the fields surrounding the woods.

Parvati sighed deeply, and tried to think of what to do. She wondered if @Ramsay was nearby or one of the others - @Titmouse, or @Maegi, lingering in the dark or patrolling the underground. Who could she call? With a frown slowly dawning across her face the woman turned and chuffed in to the dark, which turned in to a summoning howl for aid, but did not name anyone in particular. This was not her job; she was out of her depth.

The entire interaction had been more confusing than Dulce might have liked to admit. She hadn't meant to trespass, but if she'd learned anything from her time in the Wilds, it was that each pack had their own boundaries with their own consequences for being crossed. There really was no going back now, especially with the call having been sounded, so Dulce figured her chances were better if she stuck it out as opposed to trying to run. 

Who did you call? she asked, looking over at the female who'd stopped her; better to have a heads up.

Maegi was growing more and more irritable by the day, which she chalked up to advancing pregnancy. The call raised her hackles, the fur along her spine prickled, and she had a distinctly unpleasant expression on her face when she drew up alongside Parvati. Her bloated stomach audibly growled, churning with what was apparently the mad rhythm of fetuses.

Yes? she asked a little tersely, looking at the Blackfeather woman before turning her gaze to the stranger at the border. What's going on? What's your business here?

If the other was here to join, then that was fine. . .anything else, and Maegi felt it a waste of time to even answer this summons. Still, she tried to morph her face into something a little more pleasant and welcoming, although it felt like wearing a stiff, cold mask. 'Fake it 'til you make it' had never really worked for her.

The woman hoped that she would not be alone for long. To be here at the border - or near enough to it that she be accosted by strangers - was not her role, she did not know what to say or do. The stranger had more questions and Parvati leveled a haughty look their way without meaning to offend; before she could speak again there was the emergence of a body from the dark - Maegi.

I found her entering your forest. She claims to want to join, at this Parvati glanced to the pale woman but didn't elucidate, the worry she had felt had melted away and become skepticism. It was up to Maegi to decide what happens next.

If Dulce had any uncertainty, it was certainly too late to voice it now. Her question went unanswered, but the sudden arrival of another, more demanding female quenched her curiousity. Instinctually, she lowered herself down even more, going so far as to even think about rolling over into full submission. Assuming no one would hurt her, Dulce replied, I want to join. But did she? I mean, did she? Oh, well.

I'm a scout, she said, No title, but the skill. It was Dulce's first time ever joining a pack so she had little idea of how these things normally went; all that she had to work off of were the informal introductions she made when finding someone new to travel with. What do you need? I will train for it.

Entering the forest? Maegi echoed, brows drawing together. Her face became unpleasant again. The stranger mentioned joining, scouting, training. . . All the while, the Melonii wondered how she could best turn this situation to their advantage. And then an idea struck.

With a brief glance at Parvati, she shifted her weight, posture becoming more decisive. Prove yourself to us as a scout, she said, lifting her chin an inch. There's a man out there, the one that did this to my face. He's big and gray with dark blue-purple eyes. Scars everywhere. Nasty guy. She resisted a shudder of revulsion at the thought of Molag Bal and forged on.

Find him. Tell him Sithis sent you. And then bring him to me. Maegi firmed her jaw, gaze boring into the newcomer. If you do that for me, you can join this pack.

It was difficult to tell what was playing through the Nona's mind as she made her decisions; when she spoke it was with some edge to her voice that Parvati wasn't accustomed to, but she would heed whatever was said. It struck her as a dangerous proposition—this task—and Parvati wondered if it was really a good thing to trade for solace here. What would Maegi do if this man was brought to heel within the forest? What good could come of it? The woman worried in silence. She did not speak towards any opposition as it was not her place, and glanced to the stranger instead, eager to hear how things played out.

A manhunt? Dulce’s first instinct was to say no and to turn, run, escaping the threat of responsibility. The first woman had stopped speaking, though she seemed almost as shocked at the task as Dulce was at her own reply, Okay. Okay? The word had slipped out before she’d even had enough time to convince her mouth to not move tostaystill. 

Before we even continue with the conversation, it’s important to note that at this point, Dulce had clocked out. Her mind was running a mile a minute, bouncing from this to that; what was she thinking? A “big” and “nasty guy” didn’t sound like someone she could reason with and certainly not someone she could beat. 

On the other hand, this woman at the border was visibly pregnant. Dulce had tried not to notice but it was nearly impossible; had it not been for that fact, she might have had enough sense to decline. Unfortunately, she had a soft spot for moms. 

Where do I start to look? Did it happen here? The meadow next door? On the other side of the mountains? If Dulce was going to do this, she needed a lead.

She accepted, readily, which surprised Maegi somewhat. The Melonii had expected an argument. Perhaps, though, this woman was so desperate for a home that she'd do anything—and Maegi wasn't about to let that opportunity slip through her paws. She'd take advantage of this, harming no one (hopefully) but Molag Bal himself in the process.

The mountains, Maegi answered, tilting her chin in that direction. That's where I was kidnapped, where he held me prisoner. He could very well still be there. Still there, haunting the crags. The thought of it made her shudder.

She glanced at Parvati, then back at the stranger, giving a firm nod in conclusion. Best of luck. If you bring him back, you're one of us. I promise you that. And with that, the wraith slipped back into the trees, putting it behind her. It would be oh so very convenient for it all to fall into place so perfectly.

And yet, in the back of her mind, she knew she'd have to go and reel in Molag Bal herself.