Neverwinter Forest Are we heroes or weapons pointed at the enemy so someone else can claim the victory?

Backdated to the 6th - @Scimitar but anyone welcome that can tell/not tell him about @Lucy :) *Prays this will go well* He isn't trespassing or anything :D

He walked and slept, surprisingly meeting not so many wolves on his way to... somewhere he didn't know. After he had spent the night surrounded by fireflies, he had traveled to somewhere farther than the misty forest where he had met the Lady Without a Name. As a lone wolf, Trick doubted she would stay in one place for very long- he was better off looking for packs who might hold the secrets of where the little girl, Lucy, was. He knew only of the Keep, but was sure that other packs couldn't be far away from Redhawk. When dusk came he settled near a tree again, sleeping quite restless and disturbed. There was an uneasy feeling inside his stomach- one that told him the truth wasn't far.

He woke up that day with more determination than ever and traveled to what seemed like a very claustrophobic part of Teekon. A forest of pines, a roof of needles so thick it was hard to even see the blue of the sky. His nose tingled with every step, telling him there was a pack nearby. He looked at his coat that was surprisingly spotless for a man who had traveled 3 days straight. He smoothed some imperfections before stopping near the border- a respectable distance away from it to make sure they wouldn't confuse him as a trespasser. 

He pushed his head up, letting out a call for any who lived here but mostly for their leader- a message of one in search of someone. Perhaps these wolves would have the answers he needed to find Lucy.

hope it's cool i party crash this!

The sun had hardly been up when Pasha had pushed himself out to the borders for something to do. There had been the chill in the early autumn air that had stirred him awake, and the walk through fog and dew had done much to clear his mind of any lingering grogginess. Even so he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander a bit as he made his way along the varied borderland; mundane thoughts mostly crossed his consideration. What to eat, what to do after that, and so on and so forth.

Most of that was shelved neatly when a call had rose up. Though there was a particular request for a leader, Pasha moved to intercept it all the same. It was always an opportunity to learn something new and in the worst case, perhaps ward off any manner of weirdness that was liable to crop up. They had certainly had enough of that in the last few weeks, though he hadn't seen the strange healer or her injured ward since.

As he neared the source of the call, he picked up on the sight of a dark, slicked coat in the shadowy eaves. The wayfarer lingered where he should have, which made the approach Pasha made go much smoother than the alternative. With Scimitar nowhere in sight yet, his ambitious son opted to jump in headfirst with a simple greeting: "Hello."

Totally! :D

After some waiting, a silver-eyed young male came to answer his call. In the way he carried himself, Trick did not see him as the one who would lead around here. yet "uncle P" didn't seem like the leader type either, and he was very much the alpha of the Caldera. He supposed he would not judge the stranger on merely one glance, finding it to be a little disrespectful. He was draped in colors ranging from black to white- a warm cinnamon making a nice contrast on his rather normal design. He towered far above Trick in build, but luckily Trick had a mind as fast as he could run- which was pretty fast. 

Good morning. He greeted with a nod. I am Trick of the Caldera- I would like to ask some questions regarding a kidnapping. I am looking for a black pup; Lucy is her name, and possibly her kidnapper; also black with red eyes. He informed, straight to the point. There was no time for smalltalk, for every second Lucy could be farther away.

The call resounded across the forest, and the Alpha did not hesitate to quicken his pace in turn. Even so, Pasha would meet their visitor before himself, and only sweeping in as the dark stranger nodded to his son, Scimitar’s ears swiveled forward as he attempted to catch the flow of conversation – and was surprised to hear Lucy’s name upon the wolf’s lips.
 
So she belonged to the Caldera wolves. His lips pursed slightly, and his gaze drifted to his son for a moment before he gently came upon Pasha’s side. Studying their visitor, his muzzle tipped slightly, uncertain of what to make of the scenario. “The black wolf with red eyes is dead – are you the girl’s father?” He would not deny her presence – she seemed hesitant to return home, but for what reason, he was unsure.

Cypress and Lucy had not spoken at length about the wolf — her “monster” — who had kidnapped her and brought her to the Frostfurs’ doorstep. Through eavesdropping and general questioning, the Neverwinter raven knew that the culprit was a dark wolf with red eyes — but in his young mind, the picture was ever shifting and changing as his world expanded. Tailing the scent of his father, he moved in the direction of the territory borders without hesitation, just in time to hear Lucy’s name being uttered by an unfamiliar tongue. His father murmured something about the monster being dead, which filled him with a mix of fierce triumph and heavy disappointment — the fledgling was happy that the monster was dead, but the way he’d always imagined it, Rannoch and Cypress were the ones to stand above the corpse and howl their victory. Battle, for the young and wild-minded prince, was still a shining, glorious, fascinating dream instead of a reality.

In Cypress’ young mind, Lucy was a permanent fixture — the past months had solidified her place in his life as much as Rannoch’s, Eshe’s, and Scimitar’s had been solidified. He had conveniently forgotten that she would one day leave them to find her true home; his youth had amended things, for this was her home now. Without ever asking Lucy what she truly wanted, Cypress had carved out a space in all of his future plans for her — Rannoch and Cypress would keep the forest and its foundling princess safe, and they would come home to her every night to regale and impress her with their prowess. It would always be this way, he convinced himself in a miasma of innocent conviction.

It was for this reason that he approached the trio of wolves in a cloak of utter calm. He had no reason to suspect Lucy would ever leave them, and merely wondered what the stranger was doing here and why. It was not in him to be suspicious yet, and he tucked himself against one of his father’s sturdy forelegs, watching the conversation that arched over him with muddied eyes just starting to hint an eerie yellow.

The stranger wasted no time jumping into introductions and details as to why he was there. It pleased Pasha a touch not to have the time wasted, though as they delved into such details he felt something twist and turn in him at the mention of Lucy's name. His father had only recently filled him in on such details and yet before he could even set out fully to find where the girl made have come from—or belonged, in this case—someone had come to suss her out on their own.

His mouth opened as though to say something but he was distracted instantly; a turn of his head revealed his father emerging from the evergreens to join them. Deference turned up in his features for a split second, as Pasha was just as relieved to have his father come to sort this. Cypress came with him like a shadow and briefly, the older brother offered him a wan smile. As the rough rumble of his father's voice questioned Trick, Pasha's gaze wandered back to the Caldera wolf.

He awaited an answer silently, no hint of emotion present on his handsome face. Before the other could answer though, there came a bigger wolf who looked very much like the younger man. An air of dominance surrounded the male, and Trick assumed he was the leader of this strange forest. He lowered his tail and bowed his head somewhat- not truly going through his knees for the stranger. Only Fox and Peregrine deserved that sight, he found.

He is? Who killed him? Trick said, rather astonished that the kidnapper of a child was so easily killed. Well, he couldn't really say if it'd been easy. I'm not- Elwood is. I am merely the one sent out to search for her. Is she okay? Can I bring her back home, or do you wish for a prize for taking care of Lucy? He questioned quickly- the concerned words dripping off his tongue like water. He was so elated he had found the place where the girl supposedly resided, he barely noticed the younger boy joining in on the conversation as well. He nodded at the child for a moment, but quickly focused on the dominant male only.

“I did,” the words came, smoothly from his lips as he did not hesitate to respond. If the deranged wolf had been of importance to someone, it mattered little to him. He had brought a bruised and battered child to his doorstep, and Scimitar was loathe to push the girl further in to a situation she did not care for. In her own silent way, she had become a member of their family. Though the wolf’s carcass had been removed, Scimitar had not bothered to check on it for some time before he noticed – for all he knew, a larger predator had drug it off for its own feast.
 
“She was hurt, but she is healing – she is emotionally injured,” he noted, carefully, his gaze studying the other. He hesitated swiftly at the mention of bringing the girl home, and he paused, noting the father’s name. “I can take you to her to show you she is fine – and you can deliver a message to her from her parents. But she will not go home with you unless she wants to – send her parents for her, instead. I will not send her anywhere against her will after what she has been through.” He did not comment that she had voiced to the Neverwinter wolf of not wishing to go home – he could only imagine her mind might change once she saw them.

Pulling Cypress. Thank you! ♥

Had Cypress been patient enough to listen to his father’s just and compassionate assessment of the situation, he might not have acted so rashly, setting wheels into motion that would forever alter his psyche. Perhaps if he had listened, he would not have set the small shadow into flight — and perhaps then his relationship with his brother would not be set upon with strain and his parents would not have been so harried — and perhaps then Lucy might have lived in the Neverwinter Forest with her two protectors until her wounds had fully healed. But Cypress was, despite his vast vocabulary and burgeoning survival skills, a very young boy — and the idea that this wolf might take Lucy from them — that any wolf might take Lucy from them — had him acting out, giving over to the kneejerk reaction to bite and bite hard the foe he perceived. Gangly legs spurred him messily forward as he snaked out his head and attempted to snap at Trick’s forelimb, but a measure of decorum and fear pulled his punch; he was not likely to hit anything but air, and he cast out a defiant, “She will never go with you! I’ll never let you take her!” before he wheeled about and burst from the scene on paws that were made for speed and endurance. “Lucy! Lucy!” he hissed, all pretense of subterfuge lost as he barreled through the forest with babyish tears stinging his eyes.

Skipping Pasha since he has fallen inactive

Trick was impressed that the male had killed the monster that had had the power to just steal a pup with no complications. Either Lucy's parents were terrible at parenting, or Scimitar was a crazy good fighter. But he did not linger upon that - he just wanted to take Lucy home, to safety. He bounced back when the young boy spoke, not sure about his words. Was he attached to Lucy? Trick was sure the Caldera would allow him to visit - if he had just listened! Kids were stupid, and Trick hoped he would never get them if THIS is what came from it. 

His gaze returned to the alpha, frowning as he told him he could only take Lucy if she wanted to come along. What a pile of porcupine feces! The child belonged home with her parents, not in some strange forest with a peculiar boy having a strange attachment to her! She was a Redhawk, whether she wanted to be or not, and was not old enough to make these decisions on her own. If only her parents were here...

I will deliver the message if you show her to me. Don't worry, I'm far too small to try anything. he said with a tiny chuckle. It was meant as a joke, yet only now did he feel the embarrassment. Oh well, there was nothing wrong with being as small as him.

Fade-ish here? Scimitar doesn't even realize Lucy and Rannoch are missing until this thread.

The wolf's request was not necessarily unwarranted, and so the large wolf dipped his muzzle, turning to lead the way toward the usual hideout of the children. He did not yet know that Cypress was warning the girl -- that they took the visitor as a threat. He did not yet realize they would sneak away f om the adults, and so as moments passed, and the children were nowhere to be found, his own heart began to stir with worry.
 
When he looked to the den and they were not there, the wolf turned to the dark boy, offering a gentle nod. "She's around -- likely off playing with my two boys. Tell her parents of their daughter's whereabouts -- she will probably be ecstatic to be reunited with them once she realizes they have come for her."
 
He felt that was dismissal enough -- they could scour the large forest all afternoon to find what he considered children playing, but they only wasted more time.

Feel free to post again or archive! :)

Trick followed quietly - the place quite claustrophobic for him. He had come to dislike trees close together, and it was too dark for his liking. Was he walking into a trap? Sure, they could say they had Lucy, but what if they had lied? That this was just all part of the revenge of the Keep that probably took his and Grace's disappearance as disobeying their very rules. Only when they reached the empty den did his heart skip a beat.

I will. He replied quickly, taking a few steps backwards. I'll go as quick as my legs can carry me. He added and nodded. Thank you. He added after, dismissing himself by turning and walking away. He made sure to make a lot of noise doing so, so that they would not think he was sneaking off to attack their members - and returned home safely.