Phoenix Maplewood finders, keepers

The scent of pack caused Hydra's nose to quiver. Normally, she would give pack territory wide berth, but she was searching for someone—and as her nose hovered over the earth, their scent came to her. Her tail swung in rapid arcs as she looked to Lyra, and though she was tempted to pass over the boundary line, for the moment Hydra respected wolf-law. Her head tipped backward as her call rang, a summons; should the call not be answered, her patience, frayed by the long journey, would at last find its end, and so would any who thought to deter her from finding who she had come for.

The call at the edge of the forest excited him. Last time it had happened, his cousin @Eventide had told him that it meant River and Sebastian were home after being gone. Maybe it was Daddy! The thought was too much to bear, and he ran faster than he ever had before, lanky form stumbling awkwardly through the Maplewood to make his way to the border.

Except. . .it was only Chaiyya? Tim didn't know why she was howling; she lived here now, after all. He cocked his head, confused, but was overall happy to see her (even if the realization that it wasn't Daddy hurt his stomach). Maybe she wanted to catch more bugs again!

"Chaiyya!" he cried out, bouncing in place. "Caught a huuuuuuuge moth today! Wish I could show you, but I, uh, ate it." (Shocker of the year.) "Whatcha doin' howlin'? Is this a new game?"

He forgot to notice the other shadow by her side. Would he have done so, he would have been spooked. As it was, Timberlake was not the most observant of wolves, and his player not the most observant of people.

She heard the call while doing her usual routine of circling the forest. Long ears perked toward the direction, and Desdemona made haste by pacing by to the call. She did not know who would be there, but the slim wolf was always ready on standby. She could smell the familiar scent of a Morningsider, but not one she has met, as well as someone she did not know.

Her dark figure emerged from the woods, a firm jade gaze glanced at the forms ahead. A pup, one she did not know but smelled of one she met a few days prior. Perhaps a sibling- but there was another sibling that emerged; twins in particular. Desdemona was surprised, but she dare not show it to the stranger; keeping a usual cool facade of a serious look. What surprised her these wolves looked similar to the Princess she has been helping get around, Alya. In every way they looked alike, right down to the nick in the ear. For a moment she would have guessed the same as the pup did, but the wolves before her did not smell of maplewoods, but of the unfamiliar pine scent of a different area. Who were they? 

"Little one," she called out to the pup, "that is not a wolf from this forest."

Normally the wolf would snarl at someone so close to the borders, especially so close to a child, but instead Desdemona only put a guard up, and stoodby as soon perhaps the high ranks would heed the strangers call. She remembered Morningside treated others with niceness, so perhaps she should try.. The wolves summoned them, and so she would give courtesy till otherwise, by dipping her head in a greeting and asking, "what business do you have for Morningside whom resides in the maplewoods?" She asked while her jade gaze occasionally drifted toward the pup, ready to nab back toward the woods in any given time. She sensed no hostility, but her figure moved forward to attempt to stop Timberlake from getting closer to the strangers.

A cub was the first who came to her, and Hydra's gaze panned to the forest as she took some odd steps back. She had not scented motherhood and new life, here, else she would have given the land wider berth. The Ostrega was nothing if not respectful of such a thing, being an aggressive protector over her own young family. He spoke, and she heard her sisters name in the moniker she had crafted, and her eyes drifted to him. 

Ah, bugs. As a child, she recalled hunting them with her sisters and was pleased to hear that Alya had taught the young boy something of use. Another wolf came from the woods then, likely in watch of the cub, though she caught no recognition in her gaze. Either this stranger had not met her sister, or she was hiding something—Hydra would find out soon enough. 

Her gaze panned toward the cub. It sounds as though you have met my sister, Hydra validated the words of Desdemona, and her gaze shifted to the dark female who had received them. Who is the reason we have come. Would you take us to her? She requested, with a flick of her ears. The Beta would only ask a thing once—she would be damned, children or not, if anything kept her from Alya now that she had found her. For the moment, however, Hydra had the mind to respect Desdemona enough to not be flippant or challenging.

She had dreamed of them, the night before. Twin shadows, eyes burning like blue fire through the dark of the night. There'd been an empty space beside them where she belonged, but no matter how she'd struggled, she could not make her legs carry her to them. But it had ended on a happy note - the pair had reached her in the end, and all her pains and worries had been soothed away.

So the howl was almost expected, and most certainly welcome. As soon as it reached her ears, a wide grin spread across the lost princess's face. She turned at once and limped as quickly as she could toward her rescuers, but was still the third to reach them at the border. 

"Hydra! Ly ly," she shouted, breaking through the trees and throwing herself against them. "I've missed you so much!" She was wiggling in delight, too happy to care about their audience.

Wait. . .what? If Timberlake had fingers, he would have shoved one in his ear and wiggled it. What did she say? Then he caught sight of the second wolf, and balked, taking a few wobbly steps backwards and nearly careening right into Chaiyya, who had burst on the scene.

Now there were three wolves, and they all looked the same--scary! It was like a nightmare, and Timmy wondered when he'd wake up from him. He looked at the nice brown lady, then back at the trio, then back at Desdemona again, questions glimmering in his amber eyes.

"What's happening?" he asked loudly, clearly ignorant of the joyful reunion before his eyes.

Desdemona stayed in silence as she watched the situation unfold. A high rank did not come forward, but instead it was the Princess the two twins were looking for. The wolf had no need to search or question further since she appeared, and respectfully remained quiet through their reunion. She held a calm gaze, but seeing the three together truly brought a surprise. Triplets, in every single way.

Her jaden eyes slowly wondered to Timberlake, whom seemed confused on the overall situation, "A family reunion." Desdemona softly replied to him.

When Alya came into view, Hydra's eyes were only for her. She did not miss the hitch in her sister's gait, but her excitement and eagerness to see her alive and well (despite her injury) took precedence as Hydra's tail waved wildly, nipping and doting on her sister in fond, sisterly kisses in equal measure. Hydra was eager to exchange scents again, and she, Lyra, and Alya communed in a way that made it hard to differentiate one from the next. Low whines and happy growls were hard to withhold, and there was little question as to whether or not Lyra and Hydra missed Alya in kind. 

Pausing in the administering of her affections, Hydra drifted toward the injured leg with a worried gaze. No tooth, no claw... Her gaze shifted to Alya and her mute question would be translatable to Alya and Lyra alone in the subtle, imperceptible gesture done to save Alya any humiliation she might have suffered on top of the pain she endured: an accident? 

Pressing between Alya and Lyra, Hydra regarded the dark she-wolf. She did not think the other the leader, if only because surely (in Hydra's opinion) she would have known Hydra from look alone (knowledge the stranger had thought to conceal, unbeknownst to the Ostrega). A leader knew their wolves, Hydra believed. 

Where is your leader? She asked in her next breath, I would like to thank them—you, too, by proxy, I suppose. You have kept her safe, Hydra spoke in earnest. It was clear Alya was no captive here, and that she had remained to recover.

At Hydra's glance, Alya flickered her ears back in a split-second gesture of embarrassment - confirmation enough for her sisters, but likely nothing more than a twitch to their observers. Reunion thus completed, Alya turned to Desdemona and Timberlake, tail still wagging in idle happiness. It did not pause when she saw her boy looking uncertain, but she did feel a pang of worry for him. "These are my sisters, Timber," she said, her voice likely far more enthused than Timberlake had ever heard it. "Their names are Hydra and Lyra. Come say hi," she encouraged, wanting for the boy to love her sisters like she did.

At Hydra's question, however, Alya made a tiny quelling sound. "He's not here right now," she said nonchalantly, but Hydra and Lyra would understand by her tone that the leader would likely not be back anytime soon. Desdemona, if she were paying attention, might discern the same thing. "Come on - I'll take you to where I sleep. You don't mind staying here for the night, do you?" she asked.

A family what? Desdemona's explanation did nothing but confuse him further. Alya's cleared it up, though it led to even more questions. Sisters? Why did they all look the same? Timmy looked NOTHING like his sisters. (Okay, maybe a bit like Padma.) Where did they come from? Did they have brothers? Did THEY look the same, too?

"Uh. . .hi Hydra and Lyra," he said shyly, still hanging back beside Desdemona. His tail wagged slightly, though, despite the nerves. One of the three spoke, and Timberlake chimed up when Alya responded. "Where's Adi?" he pouted. He so loved to play with the brown-gold man. What if he didn't come back, just like Daddy?

Desdemona glanced at Timberlake while wondering where the Alpha was. She understood the tone Alya used and momentarily frowned in thought, as she was not aware if he had gone somewhere. Though it explained if he did not heed the call of the Ostrega twins, which led to herself confronting them. At least they were not a foreign body, as they were related to the Princess.

She felt somewhat irked that unknown wolves- well unknown to Desdemona, would take rest at the forest. She wasn't used to such a concept and seemed more used to chasing them out, or at least not having them near the Pack, but she could not forget Morningside is different then what she has known. They treated others with kindness, and she was pleasantly given that sweetness upon joining. Her frowned was erased into her usual look, and nodded in acknowledgement toward Alya. She did not voice out her thoughts, nor' objected to what was proposed. Despite the discomfort she held, she knew it would what Aditya would've wanted. ... Maybe? The dark wolf could only hope she is gradually understanding Morningside.

She had been waiting for this moment. The two sisters came upon the borders where the scent of their wayward triplet hung heavy. Although Moonspear's smell had no doubt all but vanished from her coat, there was still the undeniable scent of Alya here; she was in these woods and they were going to find her one way or another. When Hydra tilted back her head to loose a summons, Lyra couldn't help but add her own, softer voice to the call.

They were received almost immediately by none other than a talkative child who Lyra regarded with a barely contained sneer. His questioning was abrupt and intrusive and where otherwise the girl would've humoured the young boy, the fact that she was impatient to reunite with her sister overrode her usual kindness. He was followed immediately by a pack mate who shared the dark colours of his pelt, though this woman was much more contained and formal. Lyra's eyes flicked up to her own jade ones, about to demand for an audience with their fellow triplet, before Hydra spoke.

She reigned in her temper, shifting her weight and squaring her shoulders as the head of the Cerberus took the lead. Hydra maintained an air of civility, though Lyra knew her patience had worn just as thin as her own; if this woman denied them she would be quick to regret that decision.

Before she could answer, however, a familiar shadow appeared — one who wholly captured Lyra's attention. "Alya!" she cried in response, rushing forward. It pained her to see her limping, but she and Hydra swept up to embrace their injured sister regardless. They quickly melded into a mess of sleek black fur and wagging tails, their company momentarily forgotten. Lyra suppressed the sob that threatened to escape, pulling back once they had thoroughly mixed their scents together once more. Things had finally been set right.

After they withdrew, Hydra addressed the Morningside woman again as Lyra began to fondly preen the fur behind Alya's ear. She hoped to reassure her, that her accident had been nothing more than just that — an accident (it was too bad they couldn’t take vengeance on fate itself). She glanced to the child once more as Alya introduced them, gaze kinder than it had been moments before. He hid behind his pack mate, though mentioned a name that caused Lyra’s ears to perk. His father? A sibling? The dark woman offered no further explanation than a simple nod in response to Alya, who her sister turned to then with a mildly questioning look. There was no second in charge to greet them? Her offer to stay the night was accepted with no fuss, however. ”Of course not,” she said with an affectionate lick to her cheek. Lyra couldn’t even imagine declining.

There was an underlying assumption that staying the night would be on their own terms, and she glanced back at the quiet, green-eyed stranger, almost daring her to refuse them.

TL;DR Lyra hugged Alya then stared at Des.

When the boy greeted her, Hydra lowered her head a measure to look him over. It looked as though he was covered in dust, but now that she was really looking she noted it was simply his coat. Dark brown, with lighter hues in there, too. So it was not a lack of grooming and manners, then. He did not wear the name Ostrega, and so she was not all that interested in him, but this pack had been kind to Alya, and so she greeted him: hello, mothcatcher, she greeted, fashioning up a moniker swiftly. Timber, hm? A strange name. 

Her ear cupped as she heard her sisters mention they were not around. And there is only one...? Came her swift rejoinder, head lifting. Who did he leave in charge, then...? She wondered aloud, and knew immediately from the other Morningside adult that it had not been her. An idea came to her, but one she set aside for the moment. At her sisters request, Lyra spoke first, and when her gaze landed upon Desdemona Lyra rumbled her disapproval at the look. The other had not spoken against Alya's words, nor acted as though they intended to, and though they were a stranger to Alya they were Morningside, who had done well to permit her stay for recovery. And so her gaze shifted to the other she-wolf. 

It was a long journey. We will rest here, Hydra confirmed, your wolves are kind, and I would like to show my appreciation. Kinder than Moonspear, to be sure. She wanted to thank this 'Adi', and to perhaps add things to their cache. Lyra could add herbs, and she could add meat.

Alya did not miss Desdemona's discomfort, nor Lyra's pointed glances. A rush of fondness almost overwhelmed her - Good old Lyra, she thought, painfully aware of how much she'd missed the most evil of the Cerberus. Still, it wouldn't do to let her sister hurt one of the Morningsiders - especially since she'd grown marginally fond of the other woman. "This is Desdemona," she introduced, giving the girl a friendly nudge as she turned to lead her sisters to her makeshift nest. "She has helped me get around the territory, from time to time."

Perhaps that would cool the murder from Lyra's gaze. Alya decided to let Hydra worry about that, though, and turned to speak to Timberlake with a playful grin. "Maybe you can show Hydra your wrestling moves. She is an accomplished warrior. She is also an accomplished bug catcher."

She met Hydra's eyes over the boy's head, silently pleading for the other girl to drop the subject of leaders. Alya did not kno exactly what had become of Aditya, but she had her suspicions. Timberlake didn't need to be worried about all that.

aAA im sorry i messed up the posting order !! gjhsejsnk
there's no delete button,,,
so sorry again

Desdemona only stared back at one of the triplets, undisturbed by her rough gaze. She knew the Princess usually slept at the outskirts of the territory, leading for a more calm attitude from her at their sudden stay. While slightly ruffled by it, It felt better knowing the strange wolves wouldn't be near the main camp, especially as the younger ones are there. Even she has yet to visit the inner woods, simply guarding the border for instances like these.

Her jaden eyes broke the contest of stares as Alya gently nudged her out of it. She slowly looked toward her before back to the rest of the dark wolves, "My apologies for the late introduction. I am Desdemona of Morningside." The female gave a formal greeting without a bow despite already being introduced, she felt it was polite. Bows were more reserved to ranks in her own pack, then of others. Desdemona introduced herself with no rank, as far as she was aware, she was just a comrade of the pack in the maplewoods. Albiet a new one... Though she saw herself as a protector and a guard, but did not introduce herself as one. She didn't want to produce an arrogant outlook.

Occasionally did a green gaze lower toward the pup, cautiously watching him.

Her glare earned her a soft reprimand from Hydra, who she flicked an ear towards in response. Her eyes did not break their focus, however, not until Desdemona was nudged by Alya and introduced herself. She had a strict, reserved demeanour, as if she had never smiled or experienced any sort of joy in her life. Still, Lyra guessed she was thankful they had taken their sister in and helped her get around. She raised her chin slightly in a show of quiet superiority before moving with her sisters into the woods, sticking close to Alya's wounded side.

She caught her pleading look towards Hydra, and turned to the cub with renewed interest. Perhaps this Adi was both the Alpha and his father? As the lead head of the Cerberus spoke, Lyra inwardly scowled. Your wolves are kind. Her ears turned back. Too kind.

She would bring up her reservations with the other two later, however; for now she was just happy to be reunited with her sister. They were led deeper into the forest by Alya and the so-called guardian Desdemona, before the trio retired to a secluded place to discuss Alya's adventures in private.