Neverwinter Forest currents

Valiant is on his way to Moonglow after meeting Nantahala but before Seelie went missing.

Vairë.

He had to see her again. Was she even still his wife? Valiant would not blame her for moving on, nor for refusing to see him after he'd forced her to relive her nightmares. After the death of her sister. After the loss of her niece.

And he hadn't even brought her back.

Valiant had to see her again, but first, he had to apologize to the mother of the child he'd failed to recover. Almost in a trance, he made his way to the lake where Ariadne's body had been found. If there were other scents to take note of, he failed to do so. He only thought he could smell Callyope around. It occurred to him that he did not particularly want to see her, but he was determined to take whatever licks he'd earned from the family as a whole.

But Ariadne first.

"I couldn't find her," he said aloud, long after he'd come to the lake. Tears swam in his eyes. Shame and dejection, but grief, too. He'd not known her long, but he'd had only to look at the young girl to love her. He'd meant it when he'd told his wife they should take them in. He'd meant to love her as his own, and he'd searched for her as valiantly as if she had been born to him.

"I tried so hard," he said, his voice hoarse. "I can tell you, 'cause you know it all already. But all I can tell Vairë is that I couldn't find her, 'cause that's all I have to show for it."

He swiped a tear away from his cheek with an errant paw.

"Please, forgive me," he said, his voice quiet, now. "I won't ask no one else to, 'cause I don't know if I deserve it. But you know. So — if I do, please, please forgive me. For givin' up. For goin' home. For bein' gone."

If this was to be Solharr's land, Glaukos would be sure to keep those unwanted elements out. So when he found signs of trespass leading to the lakeside he was of singular mind.

There was a voice, low and emphatic, and while Glaukos should have been paying attention to the words he was more interested in possible backup for that body next to Solharr's lake.

He saw only the one man. One too many.

The beast came lunging through the forest with the intent to grapple and pin the stranger; it was the only logical course of action short of splitting skulls. At least this way Glaukos could interrogate before any blood was spilled.

That one man offered little in the way of resistance. Exhausted from his ordeal and the day's travels, Valiant hardly even sensed the man before he was being forced to the ground. He went down like a sack of sticks, his thin frame landing lightly enough, but his head smacking audibly into a large rock. There was very little blood, even for a head wound, but Valiant found himself queasy and confused anyway.

"Vairë," he said, his tone almost strident for all of a moment before blackness — if only briefly — overtook him.

Limp and vulnerable, the isbjørn was completely at this soldier's mercy. Even as he stirred, he had no hope of protecting himself from further harm, if the stranger meant to cause it.

The man crumbled beneath him. It proved to Glaukos that this was more than likely a stray, and if he'd learned anything while within Rivenwood. strays were not worth keeping around. Those of good health could be made to serve, but if someone was infirm (such as this man, evidenced by the way he did not fight back, and how he seemed to melt in to nothing) it was better for everyone if such imperfections were driven out.

Glaukos released the man promptly. The goal was not to kill, maim, or damage; he had intended to interrogate, but there was little hope from that when the stranger was asleep. Glumly the man gave a huff, and nudged the stranger's ribs, as a cat might a mouse, before settling in to wait. It was good too that the man was alone—and it only solidified what Glaukos' belief that he'd made the right call.

He was not out for long; only seconds had passed by the time he stirred, and not yet half a minute when he forcefully peeled back his lids once more. There were two wolves standing over him — then he focused his gaze, and there was only one. One who did not look happy to see him, which was exactly what he'd expected to find in this part of the world.

Slowly, so that it might not be taken as a bid for escape, Valiant propped himself up on an elbow. The world swam around him, as if they were both underwater. The thought was chilling, knowing where they stood.

"I need to speak to her," he said, his tongue still feeling thick and clumsy. And then, realizing he did not know this wolf, he clarified: "To Vairë."

It had not yet occurred to him that the forest might have inhabitants who did not know this name.

The man wasn't out for long, which could have pointed towards his true constitution. Glaukos readied another attack if he needed it, tense and looming with purpose; at least in this instance he'd held back enough to avoid breaking any bones, although he wasn't convinced that it wouldn't be necessary at some point.

Vaire was not a name he knew. Solharr had said his wife was the daughter of the moon-woman, but he had not told a name. Perhaps this was the daughter; perhaps this man was also after the power of the witch and her family. Glaukos idly compared what he'd seen of Solharr against the pitiful man in front of him and could reason why a woman would not have any interest.

Get out of here. The moon-daughter has a man already. He lifts the stray man up by the scruff and shoves him, trying to make him move, or at least stand on his own four feet long enough to be directed out. This is Solharr's land. Trespass again and you will have that voice cut out of you.

The bear snapped his boorish head towards the pale man's haunches, and with a snarl, gave all indication he was about to charge again.

Valiant had not absorbed the words by the time he felt teeth in his scruff. That jolted some life back into him, and he reacted with a defensive snap that was more display than attack. No blood was shed on either end, and Valiant twisted away already in retreat. The lunge for his leg only encouraged him to leave faster — though he spared the lake one last, hesitant glance before hurrying away.

Feeling as though he'd done a very good thing, Glaukos didn't feel the urge to correct the man's attempt at countering; he let it slide, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the stranger was fleeing.

Perhaps this was worth reporting to Solharr? Not much had come from the interception, though. No blood was spilled, no injured incurred. The longer Glaukos considered things—and as he considered, he stared after the white figure as it made its way through the Neverwinter—he came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth sharing.

Glaukos didn't need a pat on the back. He was content to know he'd done his job, and was even a little bit impressed with himself, because the man was leaving with all four legs still attached.