Hushed Willows Lesser, greater, middling - it's all the same.

Hushed Willows - one of the most beautiful places that the Teekon had to offer. He remembered his visit there in the Wintertime only half a year prior, on the day he'd first met Aphrodite and invited her along to join his family. He recalled the fondness he felt for the frozen, crystalline branches that danced and simmered in the breeze. It looked different now, beneath a Summer sun, yet the magic of it remained. A place perfectly suited for young Lumiya, who'd charmed him with such ease on that fateful day there paths had crossed.

Artyom knew, however, of the darkness that hung over such a paradise. Somewhere close by, the wolfdog roamed unpunished. He'd already soured the gilded Alpha with his assault of his pack-mate, but he had encouraged something far more feral in him by daring to harm his beloved Dawn.

Donovan would not get away with the damage he'd done. He ccouldn't.

At the outskirts of @Lumiya's court, the flaxen ranger canted his muzzle skyward. Rain fell softly, a drizzle, but he cared little for the weather as he sent forth a summons for the Faerie Queen to meet with him.

There was much for them to discuss.

The fae queen had arrived there during winter - granted the forest always looked beautiful, but the light coating of snow and the frozen greenery gave it the magic that had beckoned her to stay and build her court there. It had been the most natural choice for her - it had everything they needed and it was easy to protect. The grounds were sacred, and at least one flourishing pack had settled here before them, given how many came to seek the place out again only to find it inhabited by the faeries.

She had been expecting visitors of course, with the situation it was hard not to imagine someone knocking on their metaphorical door - either to band together, or to come cuss her out. What she hadn't expected was Artyom being the one to make it over here, but after what had happened to Dawn it only made sense really.

She hurried to the border, for one time not running into Orlaith already being hostile to their visitors, offering him a sweet smile. He didn't look any different even after all these moons, though his expression was far less joyful than when they'd met. She dipped her muzzle in greeting. Who had expected them meeting again under such dire circumstances?

What a pleasant surprise to see you again, Artyom - though I fear it's not good new you've come to share. How is Dawn doing?

Her arrival came swiftly, and Artyom lifted his tufted gold ears to observe her approach. Lumiya was as lovely as he remembered her from all those months ago, with her sweet little smile and wide, pastel eyes that looked upon him with warmth. As she drew near, the ivory ranger dipped his muzzle low; "it is good to see you again, Lumiya."

Dark eyes lifted to seek her fine features, and he gathered himself. She'd done well to have made her home among the willows and hoped she would thrive there, though he couldn't help but feel pity for the difficult situation she'd been forced to face at her tender age. "Dawn is doing well," he answered with a fond smile at her consideration of Whitebark's Queen, "I wished to thank you and your faeries for tending to her wounds. And to discuss the threat of a certain wolfdog who I learned was responsible for her injuries."

His expression soured then, and a lip curled in disgust at the mention of their common enemy. "When Dante arrived with your call for aid in what could well be a war with this beast, I could not give him an answer for you without the input of my mate," he said, brow furrowed in thought, "so while I will not force my friends to participate, I will not stand idly by and I will fight with you. Whitebarks numbers suffer lately but we can offer healers and hunters should you have need of them." His mind turned to the missing Surya, to yet another disappearing act by Aphrodite, and inhaled deeply. Oh, how he hoped they were safe, wherever they'd found themselves.

Oh it really was no problem - even if it had been a total stranger would we have lent a helping hand. She answered bashfully upon being thanked, even though it was very much justified in this case. They did help the former alphess of their ally after all, and she had been in too bad of a shape to make her way back home Lumi thought. Still, she'd never use her acts of kindness as a way to make it so others were in debt to her, nor did she expect anything in return.

Her ears swiveled then as Artyom went on to speak of Donovan, the smile swept off her face and replaced by a serious gaze. Thank you Artyom — even if you could offer us nothing in the difficult time ahead, I'd still like to call Whitebark Stream our ally. For the help we can get we are thankful, though we respect everyone's decisions on the matter. She spoke as a queen, not as a girl - confidently and refined. Still, it was quite obvious she'd not grown cold nor heartless in the time they'd been apart. Sure, her role in the realm was different now, but the woman was still very much the Lumiya he'd met moons ago.

I still await word from our allies to the South and West - thus I am unsure of when our retaliation might take place. Nor can I predict Donovan's next move, though we must prepare for the worst. She informed in a steady pace, feeling it was no place to discuss pleasantries or personal affairs. If this was truly a time of war, there needed to be focus - order.