Haunted Wood Scarlet king

The hunt for their transgressors kept @Legend away from the palace, and with @Khusobek and @Meseba guarding the cenote, the hebsut resolved to trail the messenger herself. This might be their only chance to find @Machiavelli. A quick dozen steps down the hallway toward the jodai and mazoi to tell of her intent, then she was out and into the desert before refusals could be raised.

She was small, she was slight, but she was not helpless. She could track this runner, and felt she had a good probability of avoiding detection if she remained downwind and allowed for wide distances to spread between them.

So she did, keeping a steady lope as the afternoon poured heat onto her back, breaking only for water and brief moments of shaded rest. The sun was low on the horizon, painting the tops of trees and the toothed outcroppings of distant mountains in fiery shades of coral when she finally stopped. The breeze here had picked up, flinging through her long copper cheeks and ears.

Eset blinks against the wind and enters the forest, bedding down beside the hull of a great willow, its arms like long blue curtains shielding from the weather. A plan for whether she continued on, or returned to Muat-riya would wait until she’d camped for the night.

Brecheliant was so quiet with all of her family traveling that Maia needed, for a little while, to get away herself. She couldn't go far and leave the place undefended, but it wouldn't hurt anything if she hunted a ways into the surrounding territories. It wouldn't take her long to be back home.

She didn't come to this forest often. It had been too long for it to carry the same fear for her, but she didn't tend to travel places unless she had a reason to these days. When was the last time she'd gone to a place just to see it? Before kids, she thought with a smile. She'd always poked fun at Eljay for being so restless about exploring the world and here she was, fretting over all of them just as much as he did.

It was getting late; she should probably be heading back, actually. Maia had that thought the moment she spotted Eset, and the stranger's appearance immediately sidetracked her. She paused, wondering if she should approach for a beat, but noticing the way that the other wolf huddled against the tree. It would be weirder to act like she hadn't seen her, and she knew it'd weigh on her if she turned away without checking.

Hi. Sorry, is everything alright? Maia asked, keeping a polite distance. I just... I live nearby. This forest isn't ours, so I can leave you to it if you'd rather. It's just strange to see someone traveling alone, this far from everything. That wasn't really what she meant to say, but it's what she said so it would have to do. She let the words hang awkwardly, silently kicking herself for not just introducing herself. Had she even given her name? Probably not, now that she thought about it.

ty for joining <3

“It is strange to be so far from home,” she confesses to the voice that drifts down to her before she spies the full face through the trees. The hebsut habituates a diplomat's stance, rising to address her straight-backed and with a wary edge.

“I am only passing through. My name is Eset, from the palace of Muat-riya in the desert,”  she dips her head, nose straining the pack scent and loosening only when it cannot be connected to the messenger.

She considers the silver woman again. In the vast silence she did feel very alone, despite the usual defense in shielding thoughts that would weaken her. This time the resolve is failing. She settles back in hear seat, a welcoming move if the pack wolf chose.

“Have you by chance seen any other strangers move through the forest recently?”

ofc! <3 she didn’t join the phe, so I was on the lookout for a thread she could hop into!

I’m Maia. From Brecheliant. She said, smiling and taking a few more steps closer, though she was sure to keep her posture friendly and non threatening. Muat-Riya sounded vaguely familiar, though she wasn’t sure where she’d heard it. Maybe a visitor at one point? She really should remember; they didn’t get all that many visitors.

I’m sorry, I haven’t. It’s pretty quiet down here, especially lately. There was a big pack gathering happening, just north, near the mountains. If you are looking for someone, maybe they are there? She wished she could help more.

It wasn’t entirely smart, but Maia couldn’t help her heart going out to a lonely traveler. She always saw her children in them. Somewhere out there that might be Hymnal, Aiden or Jay, Ani, Ceridwen… any one of them. She always hoped they’d find kindness if that was the case.

That’s actually where my daughter and her husband are. I stayed back to watch the pack grounds. But if you wanted a safer place to stay, you could spend the night in our borders.

Maia. She had a face Eset wanted to trust, a rare and open sincerity. Against the deep willow grooves did the coy rest then, slowly permitting herself to become more affable than guarded.

“Brecheliant,” she echoes in recognition, “your kingdom is amiable with my own; Akashingo upon the mesa. Many of us from both palaces have left to attend the pack hunt. But one of our own has gone missing, and–”

“Well. I’ve been rather terrible to him,” frowning, her eyes finding blurry focus upon their paws. It is the first lamentation of its kind shared, and strange to find confidence in a near stranger. But those silver eyes glimmered with a familiar affection– something maternal.

“You are kind to offer, Lady Maia. I am indebted to you.”

Oh. Its… it’s no problem. Their history with Akashingo was a touch complicated, from what Maia knew, though she didn’t need to bring all of that up right now. She immediately wondered if this was another case of someone fleeing the pack and seeking refuge. But Eset clarified that she was the one doing the searching. Is he fleeing then?

It was not exactly a polite thought, but her opinion of Akashingo was extremely low after seeing how Lilitu had been treated. Add to that the women who had hidden in Brecheliant for a time -Nala and Tavina - and Maia had resolved that, at the very least, none of her children would have anything to do with the pack. Not so long as they wanted her opinion, anyway.

We don’t see many travelers this far south. You’re the first one I’ve seen in weeks. As she spoke, she began to lead them back towards the borders. I can keep an eye out though. If he’s interested, and I run into him, I’ll let him know you are worried. And if he isn’t, I’ll honor that. She wasn’t interested in antagonizing neighbors, but she had her principles. There were certain lines she just wouldn’t cross.

“Thank you,” she begins once more and moves to follow the gray woman, eyes eagerly searching ahead for the safe bounds of Brecheliant.

Eset had only known Toula’s reign, and so she had no reason to suspect there was anything other than mutual strength with Akashingo’s affiliations. Finding Maia’s friendly face in the wild was its own blessing, another reason for the coy to be grateful to Pharaoh and Kingdom.

“Please be careful and warn your family. If the group I suspect has taken him, they are extremists. Convinced he is a evil demon of some kind. His name is Machiavelli, but they call him Hasdrubal.” Even leaving her mouth, it all sounded so strange. Eset glances aside with no small amount of trepidation.