Neverwinter Forest mission one.

please let @Osiris post first!
@Mal @Simmik

The night had arrived, and so too did the trio. They departured the day after requesting from the Queen of their mission to scout. Both being warriors, in a sense they were guarding each other, creating a perfect union of the Moonspearian pair. While both trades weren't up completely high, combined would still be a rather tiresome foe in-case an enemy came afoot.

Though generally they were simply seeking out what was happening in these wilds. The closest, was Neverwinter. She knew they weren't too friendly, but it was part of their duty. Desdemona nodded to Osiris, before raising her head to call over any high rank, requesting an audience. They stayed at the border, quietly blending into the dark.

Neverwinter Forest was the most logical place to make their first stop—even if Osiris wasn't entirely happy about the visit. His impression on the neighboring pack wasn't the best—he hadn't forgotten their run-in with Vallkyrie in Firefly Glen. 

Acting as Desdemona's co-guard, he stood at her side and howled as she did. As their summons began to die, Osiris lowered his head, chin and ears—already submitting to whoever would greet them. Border etiquette was a lesson that that Hydra had engrained in Osiris.

With Mal gone and Simmik not often sleeping more than a couple hours, she could usually be found near the borders. She was more nervous than she would normally have been during Mal's absence and constantly on edge as she tried to make sure no one unwelcome made it across their borders. The only upside was that she now had more to keep herself busy and her mind occupied so it didn't wander to the darker things that haunted her dreams.

There had hardly been any break from the rain, and that was no different today. The day had been cloudy and rain had continued to fall into the night so that as she made her way along the outskirts of the forest where the canopy was thinner, it dampened her snowy coat; she paused and shook it out as the call sounded through the trees from the border ahead of her. She didn't recognize the voice, and she had to fight to keep her heart beat steady in her chest as she moved forward towards the sound.

She had composed herself as she arrived and forced her expression into a blank mask as she stopped in front of the two strangers. She recognized the scent of Moonspear instantly, but she didn't recall ever meeting the two that stood at their borders. She looked over them both with a shrewd gaze before speaking. Yes? she said, her expression shifting from blank to expectant as she waited to for them to tell her the reason for their call.

She understood her co-guard was not a fan of Neverwinter, but she personally hasn't had an issue with them, except for the unfortunate black wolf at the Glen. She did not know if the other reported it to their superiors, "I am Desdemona of Moonspear, and this is Osiris," she said cooly. The spider stepped up as she was the one to mention the group, despite normally taking a back-seat. A woman came through, white but with a shrewed expression. Her brows furrowed for a moment on this attire, but said nothing about it. 

Her opinion of Neverwinter was shrinking, but she threw on her neutral stoicism look, "We are wondering how you, and your pack are fairing in this vile weather. We understand that the downpour hasn't stopped, and we are finding out the extent of the damage, and how far it has ran through the land." Business, is business.

Simmik's sharp expression set the mood; based on his initial impression of her, Osiris assumed she was as lovely as her packmate, Vallkyrie. As Desdemona began to speak, he deferred to her. Osiris had no desire to speak and was thankful that she had taken control. The only contribution he offered was a bob of his head when he was introduced. Aside from that, he kept guard with a neutral expression, listening as she explained the reason for their visit.

She offered a curt nod to both visitors. Simmik, she stated in return. The man said nothing, instead he stood quietly next to his packmate at she delved into their reason for coming to the forest today. She mentioned the rain and stated that they were here simply to check and see how it had affected them. She thought it was kind of a strange reason to visit, considering they couldn't really call each other friends, but she saw no reason not to answer their questions. We haven't had much trouble from the weather, she answered first. There had been plenty of other trouble, but the rain had not been more than a minor inconvenience so far. The canopy is thick inside the forest, she explained. It manages to shield us from a fair amount of the rain. Simmik lifted her head to the tops of the trees as she spoke. Our allies on the coast have not been so lucky, so they are here with us until the storms subside, she added, seeing no harm in mentioning it. 

She looked from Osiris to Desdemona. Has Moonspear experienced any problems? she asked, curious now if that was why they were here. And since they were out and about, she felt she better warn them about some of the other problems lurking in the wilds. But she waited for them to answer first before changing the subject.

"That is good," they were alright. She figured being ore low-land they may have issues, but Desdemona was proven wrong. Though if they were flooded, it probably would have leaked into the glen, notifying the Moonspearians. She nodded along to Simmik's explanation, as it seemed they were alright.

"Which Pack is that?" However, she was not aware of who was at the coast. Desdemona has never visited the sea either, so she didn't know if anyone survived in those waters.

"No, we are safe in the mountains." They haven't had landslides either, and generally seemed safe for the rainy season. She hoped it would continue like that.

Though the call was not directly for her- and of course, she likely was not expected, considering the coastal wolves were only staying temporarily- still Huā thought it was best to attend to visitors- especially considering Mal was away, the empress did not wish to leave the yearling Beta alone on the borders, assuming she arrived. She came fashionably late, bearing an awkward little smile, though her gait spoke her rank as she slid up beside Simmik. None of the words spoken before her arrival had been caught, and so she twitched her ears towards the unfamiliar wolves who smelled of Moonspear- with a simple offering of Greetings, friends.

Like Desdemona, Osiris had assumed that Neverwinter would have had issues with the weather. Simmik explained the benefits of their thick canopy, and he glanced at the treetops with a thoughtful hum. When his attention returned to the group, Simmik elaborated—supposedly their allies were also in the forest. 

Osiris immediately thought of Yuelong, and a frown crossed his lips. @Hydra had mentioned them before—back when Arcturus had left Moonspear. "Is it Yuelong?" he asked with an edge of genuine concern. Their relationship with the costal pack was on good terms from what he had been told. Osiris then glanced to Desdemona, and explained, "Mom told me about them—back when Arcturus left." There was an edge to his voice as he mentioned his estranged relative. 

Huā was next to join them, seemingly materializing next to Simmik. Osiris glanced at her, perhaps for a minute too long. He thought that she pretty and liked how she addressed them as 'friends'—the difference between her and Neverwinter's Beta was like day and night. "Hello," Osiris offered in return, his voice surprisingly level.

Desdemona asked the name of their allies, and Simmik opened her mouth to reply, but it turned out she didn't need to; Osiris answered for her. She nodded in response.

It seemed Moonspear had not any problems either, so hopefully that meant this wouldn't be another quake situation like last year. Before the conversation could go any further, a familiar scent filled her nose. Seconds later, Huā appeared at her side, offering them a far friendlier greeting than Simmik had. During normal times, she would have been thankful for the backup. But now, she couldn't help but wonder if the Yuèlóng leader was here because she thought Simmik wasn't capable of taking care of things; she wasn't sure how much Mal had shared with her. 

She gave time for introductions before speaking again. You should be careful while you're traveling outside of you pack's borders, she began, hating that she had to bring this up again, but knowing she would feel guilty if she didn't. There's a guy, she started, swallowing against the familiar nausea. He's bad—white like me expect for a brown streak on his nose...bigger than I am. She drew in a deep breath and the released it. Just watch your back while you're out there. Maybe since there were two of them, they would be okay, but she thought it was better that they were aware. Her heart raced in her chest as unwanted thoughts swarmed her mind. She fought to keep her expression neutral as she tried to collect herself. 

hoping they left it at that, she moved on. And if you find yourself near the mountains to the east of us, be careful of any members of The Saints of the Dying Light. She had no idea what their plans were, but she thought felt they should know what all might be out there.

The guard dipped her head in a short greeting to the sea-salt woman. Her eyes like shards of a summer lake, but if she saw the sea, Desdemona could compare better. Brown and black, sharing of sandy touches- perhaps one of the 'Yuelong' members. If they lived by the coast, it was smart to venture more to the protected forests.

"Thank you for the warning," she said, nodding to the description. She would definitely keep in mind about this white man of browns, and especially.. "Is there any reason?" The group she warned about. Desdemona never heard of them, but if the Beta gave a warning, she suspected they were not a good group. Though firstly, she would like a reason why the two Moonspearians should be careful.

sorry for holding this up frens

She was greeted by the boy alone, but no explanations came from either the Moonspear wolves or Simmik for their reason to be upon the borders. She supposed it wasn't wholly her business- she wasn't specifically invited- but she didn't appreciate feeling out of the loop, though she kept those thoughts to herself. Instead she tried to understand the visit by context- finding it was about warnings of the dangers nearby. She didn't know anything about this pale man Simmik spoke of- maybe that was a personal experience of hers- but when it came to the saints, she could've had plenty of badmouthing to contribute. Instead, even as she interjected, she tried to keep things shorter and simpler than she had in the past. The saints are dangerous group. Their leader kidnapped an innocent young woman and held her captive for many days. When confronted about it, he make himself the victim and try to defend his crime, saying he was emotional because his family die. She snorted, making it clear she found his moral code just ridiculous. She knew nothing of Simmik's relation with him, and had no trouble disrespecting him openly- though even if she knew the girl's struggle, she couldn't hold back her true feelings about Donovan. Any group of wolves who will happily follow kidnapper are just as crazy as him. There was a reason wolves followed a leader. Food and shelter could be found in many a place, but a leader was what made the pack what it was. A pack lead by a wolf who values loyalty would have loyal members- and a pack lead by a wolf who values destruction would have destructive members. It was the way of things; one could not hold their place in Moonspear for long without being strong of body or spirit- just as any with a just moral code would never be able to remain with the saints for longer than they had to.

Simmik's report was concerning, and Osiris took note of the description they were given. "Yes, thank you," he replied. Like Desdemona, Osiris wondered what the unnamed individual had done. She seemed shaken by whatever had happened—a noticeable departure from her previous stoicism. 

Both Simmik and Huā mentioned The Saints by name, and went on to add some context as to why they were so dangerous. Any of his previous feelings of infatuation suddenly vanished as he realized the seriousness of their warning; this wasn't the time for his feelings to interfere. Hydra had emphasized the importance of navigating feelings—and how they could interfere with logic. "Do you know where in the mountains they live?" Osiris asked. The mountain-range was vast, meaning that they could be hiding anywhere. Osiris wanted to make sure that he and Desdemona were prepared.

I am also sorry for holding things up!

As insecure as she was feeling in that moment, she was relieved that Huā answered the Moonspear wolves' questions about the Saints. It took enough out of her to warn them about the pack in the first place after speaking of the evil man she tried to keep from her thoughts as much as was possible. She was also thankful that the only details requested were ones regarding the mountain pack. And Huā's harsh words regarding Donovan were not taken with any offense on her part. She knew how he appeared to most, and what she said was true. But whatever version of herself that once thought she could save the Saints leader was dead now; there was just no way she could be that Simmik anymore—for more reasons than she could really understand right now. It was all more confusing than it had been before, and like everything else that was difficult for her to think about, she just pushed it away and pretended it didn't exist. 

Osiris asked another question and Simmik spoke up then. I'm not sure of their exact location, she answered, her voice smooth and calm, not relaying any of the turmoil going on inside her head. Based on the confrontation I had with them and how quickly I became outnumbered, I'd say they were somewhere in the southern part of the range near the hollow. She wished she could give them a more definite location, but that was her best guess.

Desdemona frowned deepened on the information given. It was a good thing they stopped by Neverwinter despite the more hostile formalities Moonspear held with them. They were neutral, they weren't allies, they weren't enemies, it simply was complicated, and she wasn't sure how far that held. Personally held nothing against them so, except for the lady who entered their glenn.

"Thank you for the information, we will be sure to avoid them and pass it along our Alpha once we return."

wrapping!

 

Huā listened as Simmik answered Osiris' question, and only nodded- an affirmation that her information only went as far as the Neverwinter Beta's did. The female beside the boy seemed to harden her expression upon their words, which was understandable. Her parting words were satisfying enough to the empress, Safe travels, you two. She wished them both. Once they took their exit she would turn, likely waiting for Simmik to join her as they returned to the inner parts of the forest.