Neverwinter Forest when the devil came to visit me

tags included for reference (if they work lmao)... though please feel free to join <3
light rain, 66F, 11am.

tadashi had offered advice on resting, and aimi had offered her best attempts at getting him to sit still. yunxu felt vaguely guilty ignoring them both – aimi moreso, knowing she'd be furious whenever he found her again, no matter what news he had to bring.

he had tried – for two days, before the agitation was too much to bear. he was away from the sea, he had a goal dangled tantalizingly close, and as morning sunlight rose over the meadow he got to his paws, aching and exhausted and hungry, and kept going. his tread was as stiff as it had ever been. all his rest had accomplished was scabbing the toothmarks over, so he had to walk even more carefully so as not to split them open.

they split open anyways. by the time he reached the forest he was bleeding again; as always, no amount of licking the wounds clean would completely stop the flow.

the smell of it was almost enough to cover the borders in the rain. yunxu thought he could find them anyways, or close enough; he waited well away as he lifted his muzzle and called, hoping his voice might reach @Huā or @Vallkyrie. he had no idea who led neverwinter – perhaps that was a question he should have asked.

The thunder was at a distant rolling in the background, calming the woman's nerves. Though the rains had soaked everyone to the bone by now, Vallkyrie still moved along the forestry of her home eagerly enough. The forest floor was muddy, waterlogged in many areas but they were lucky enough to have not gotten flooded in with so much open flatland around them for the rains to flush out to. 

To her, they were a little oasis in this downpour and she was happy for it. Vallkyrie awaited what more the Gods had in store but for now trotted along the outskirts of her home, her fur soaked and slick to her slender, tall build. She took in a deep breath of the dewy air and... blood? 

Picking up the pace in order to investigate, Kyr took note of both the blood and the scent of Yunxu and it wasnt long before the familiar young wolf came into view. Hey you. She spoke, coming up to him with an eagerness to investigate yet keeping a distance in case he was jumpy. What happened? Those pale, eerie icy eyes were deceiving for she really was concerned.

Huā was not too eager to greet strangers these days, knowing the Saints were always a lurking danger, and likely to try and pull something with whatever members she had not met. Or perhaps with those she and others had met- they were criminals, after all, and she knew Donovan had not a brain within his entire thick skull. But brains mattered little when it came to the violent, they were still violent always, and always a threat until they would be smashed under the heel of someone stronger. Even some of her own had gone missing, and she had set out to search for them and came back with nothing. Huā knew Hydra was that stronger force- with the power to snuff out whichever flame she did not like to see growing in these wilds. While Merrick and the blackbird laid low somewhere unknown, the new enemy had already made their presence known in the mountains. But enough of Huā's internal rambling- that day, she chose to answer those calls, and made her way languidly to the border. There was a blackheaded male with silvery furs, and though Huā knew blackhead was a woman, and older than this boy, still she had to soothe her nerves. Here was Vallkyrie- a woman she did not know well, but was a friend of Ying's, once, and an ally- and thus a friend in Huā's perspective. The empress slid up beside her, Who is this? She wondered, gaze flicking between them- noting the blue of his own, not unlike Yingyue.

in the quiet minutes following his call, yunxu busies himself grooming the mud from his legs. he hasn't had much luck not causing offense yet. his own fault or not, it's reasonable to be nervous, but luckily he doesn't have to wait long. he recognizes vallkyrie the moment she appears from the trees, and greets her with a bow of his head.

"hello," yunxu returns. they're on friendlier terms now, but this is still her territory. hunt or not, yunxu is an intruder, and one with no desire to stumble into any more conflict. he's unsure what the rules are here, but he has to hope those of 海龙泻湖 aren't too far off.

she does still ask about his shoulder. yunxu has had quite enough of this question by now, but he keeps that from his face. she has the right to be concerned; anyone could be following him. "it just misunderstanding," he says. "i do not think it anything important." or he'd continue to hope. neither the leviathan nor the kraken on the cliffs had followed him back to the bay, and he'd seen no sign of their presence since.

he tries not to think about it.

it's made somewhat easier by the next arrival. yunxu turns his head as much to distract himself as anything, and slows when he catches sight of her. she could easily belong to his family, with sleek black head and sandy fur. the pattern is not that different from his or taisun's, and her words come with a very familiar accent.

yunxu licks his lips and bows. "jiāng yunxu," he says, on the hope that he isn't wrong in his assumption. "i came here looking for huāzhēn, meizhen, and yingyue."

He explains, stating that it wasnt anything important so she only offers a shrug at first in return as she side steps, looking over his shoulder and the side of his neck. She couldnt call him out on anything, that he may be bringing enemies to their lands. After all, hs was a rogue. Being a rogue was challenging. One could get pretty defensive over food or a patch of grass they slept on which was all they had and would defend it fiercely for their own survival. This, of he had a run-in with wolves like the Saints and those attackers which came before them. Either way, it didnt matter. It was a spat and it was over with. 

Rogue life is never easy. Sure it's harder with the weather to be leery of. She said only on the subject and left it at that. 

Hua comes along then, her black skull and black legs looking just like Yunxu although with a lightened brown torso unlike the male's white. They looked much alike, both in color patterns and bother of small stature. The leggy woman looks over the both of them and after Yunxu makes his introduction with a dip of his maw, Kyr side glances to the woman now at her side. He's your little brother. She offers a small smile and cannot help but to think about her and Valencia's own siblings which would be yearlings now themselves and wondered if her parents had been able to have another litter this year she had yet to meet.

sorry for the wait I suck sgsvxc

 

 The man bows, first- not necessarily a surprise, but the next words were. Jiāng. There were only so many families- and while he could be a Jiāng from some other empire- now she was casting more of a squinty eye at his features. Dark legs, dark head like Baba. White fur like Mama. Blue eyes- if she were human she'd be getting a nervous sprout of goosebumps now.

The next words really did cause her eyes to widen- listing the names of she and her sisters. Huā sucked in a sharp breath, unnerved. Who was this Jiāng, and what did he want with her? A cousin, maybe? Then Vallkyrie interjects- he's your little brother. So many thoughts swarming her mind- wanting to call her ally a liar. Her parents had been long gone before even she herself was captured. They went out on a hunt or stroll one day and never returned, and she had to be raised by her aunt, and alongside the Jiang cousins- 

No. He couldn't be her sibling; Huā didn't want to consider a reality in which her parents abandoned her and her sisters for a new litter with sons. 

There were so many things she wanted to say, but all she could wonder to the boy was 怎么？ A shake of her head, unwilling to accept it. 我爸爸妈妈死了。

NO ur fine

yunxu offers vallkyrie a grateful smile. he understands his...sister's...caution; in her position, he'd do the same. he's nonetheless thankful there's someone here to vouch for him, someone who must be at least friendly with the pack, to invite them into their forest.

he does feel a little guilty for his shift into mandarin, but he'd rather not be misunderstood. moreover, he'd rather not struggle with his broken english any longer than he needs to, certainly not when it comes to this explanation.

he lacks imagination, but the tales have always seemed so outlandish. seadragon lagoon rarely dealt with strangers, much less crews of roving pirates, and any conflict yunxu got himself into was entirely his own fault. they had been raised on stories only.

"they were captured by pirates for a year, and managed to escape," yunxu says, a twitch of his nose the only acknowledgement of how much of an excuse it might seem. "when they returned to 海龙泻湖, you were gone, and no one could tell them what had happened. they resumed their position, and had us. my – our brother taisun, and our sisters aimi and lifen." 

he intends to leave it there, but vallkyrie is still waiting and he can only imagine how awkward that situation must be. "my parents go missing from home after they have our sisters," he translates, tail flicking nervously over his hind legs. "they come back later, and not know where our sisters are, or if they alive."

Vallkyrie takes a step back and allows herself to sit. Long legs tight near her as she sat properly in wait, as a guardian might over her pack's borders whilst the visitor, well, visited. She was guardian, watching, at least. She was still a scout.

 She was silent however, as Hua seemed both confused and upset. It was none of her business so when they began speaking their mother tongue, Vallkyrie felt content with the fact that she was not ease dropping and if they spoke her language, it was what they wanted her to know and nothing more.

A small smile touches her features as she looked to Yunxu, grateful he had taken the time to do a quick translate. He didnt have to, especially given the fact that it seemed like family history between them. I'm glad for the both of you, that your parents were able to return home safely. Vallkyrie knew that her parents were surrounded by an army of wolves to protect them, though they were aged even after Vallkyrie left. She didn't know if they were still yet alive in their old age, but whether still living their last years together or having been taken by the Gods, they were in good paws. 

Did you come to find your older siblings and deliver the message of their wellbeing, or...? She kind of left it lingering there, the corner of her mouth up turning in a 'hrmmm' look. Maybe he and his siblings just left the nest and happened upon Hua, instead? She wasnt sure. She'd find out.

Pirates. Certainly whatever stories Yunxu had heard of them were more vivid and real than anything Huā knew, which had generally been a rough list of stereotypes and a couple fantasy tales. The idea that her noble parents had been captured- by a group of barbarian thieves- was disturbing. So was the idea that Yunxu spent more moons with her parents than she ever had. Their life had returned to normal with their new litter. Meanwhile Huā, Ying and Mei had been escaping the trafficking system, making their way north. The empress' gaze fell and her brow furrowed, comsidering the timeline of these things, their reality now. Yunxu's translation caused her to remember Val's presence, and her eyes flicked awkwardly back to the dark woman. Her words were appreciated and Huāzhēn gaze her a small sad smile, before looking back to her younger brother, wondering the same question now. Yes, are you just visiting? Or, She breathed, Do you... are you... looking for home?

"thank you," yunxu replies. he's been saying that a lot lately; not something he's used to with strangers. "i come here searching. for this, and to know where they go after our parents taken. my sister just wants to leave home."

"aimi – she's here as well, down by the shore. she wasn't pleased that i left without waiting to heal." yunxu gives a sheepish smile, but does not bother to indicate the bite-wound between his neck and shoulder. it's obvious enough. "i had to come without her, but i'm certain she'll be waiting."

she will be waiting. yunxu knows she won't pass up the opportunity to be furious at him for disobeying simple instructions. he does miss her, but that is...almost a reason to stay out of her way.

"i'll return to seadragon lagoon in the future, to tell our family." yunxu pauses. "but i'd also like to stay a while first. if you don't mind." he offers another quick smile. "there's more i can say about our parents and siblings, if you'd like to hear it."

Kyr gonna slip on out.

A soft smile by Hua and a thanks by Yunxu. She offers a small smile of her own as the costal male explains he had come here not only in search but also due to the fact that his sister had wished to simply stretch her legs from the home den as well. Vallkyrie couldn't blame her as she had done the same and @Valencia had then followed in tow. She wondered yet still if more of her family would come lingering along this region south of her former home. 

Ears perking at the odd tongue which Yunxu speaks up again, Vallkyrie takes this opportunity to silently dismiss herself. She'd dip her head to the both of them, take a few steps back and round herself to make way back into the forest.

wrap? :D

Yunxu explained more of the situation, even going to mention that Aimi was nearby, too. Once again the thought that this entirely new litter of siblings existed baffled her- even moreso, to know her parents were alive somewhere. While Valkyrie exited Huā listened solemnly to her younger brother. 你可以就在Yuèlóng很久。和。。。我也知道你有很多家的故事。 She sighed with a small smile, finally shifting forward to bump her muzzle amiably against his shoulder if allowed, 谢谢你。 For taking the time to search her out. For being an open book. For telling her the truth of her- no, their- parents.

sounds good! ^^

yunxu returns vallkyrie's gesture with a dip of his own head before she turns back into the forest. it isn’t much. he knows he owes her a debt for leading him here – and perhaps another for judging her so quickly when they’d first met. not a debt he can rush now, but one he’ll remember.

she vanishes, and for a moment yunxu is unsure what to say. it’s a relief to hear her take up the conversation – she is family, but yunxu doesn’t know her like he knows aimi, taisun, and lifen.

and still, while in any other situation he might find himself uncomfortable, alone with a stranger – huā is no stranger. that doesn’t stop him from startling when she bumps her muzzle against his shoulder, just as he would for aimi – but he recovers quickly and returns the gesture, tail swaying gently against his hind leg.

“thank you,” yunxu returns. “it was...it's good to finally meet you, after all this time. i'd be glad to share any stories you'd like to hear." he smiles. "i'm sure aimi will be as well."