Neverwinter Forest dragged back, away

For @Mal and @Astaroth. Set for today.

Tzila could sense that her time here, along with the other Yuèlóng wolves, was coming to a close. It couldn't be long now, until Hua made the decision to take them back on the journey to their seaside home. The dark woman, newly turned mother, had made the most of her time here. Her duties raising @Sotiris had kept her chances at socialization limited. He demanded her constant attention, which she selflessly gave.

Born on the coast, but with her own preference towards more inland areas like this forest, she never passed up an opportunity to teach him what she could. To educate him about the environment and the wildlife that was so very different than what was found on the coast of Yuèlóng. She let him explore and test himself, but always with a watchful silver eye. She didn't know when they would be back again and wanted her son to gain the most out of their temporary vacation.

Returning from a successful solo hunt, in her jaws she carried a hefty deer leg, mostly intact. She had missed the sweet taste of venison and planned on taking this cut back with her. With luck, the meat would hold and dry in the sun, making for a still viable, crunchy snack when one of her cravings hit. She hadn't seen any sign of Neverwinters leaders...whoever they were. Eyes sharp, she kept a lookout, hopeful to intercept them and thank them for their hospitality.

Mal had kept to himself the last week or so. Well, himself and his son -- and daughter now too, while Miriam was away --  with trips to ensure all were fed, borders were marked, but he didn't want to see people beyond that. He just wasn't ready, even if as days went on he was doing a better job at keeping things together. Why did Cupid have to die?

But that wasn't a question that was going to be answered any time soon, if ever. The world was just a jerk, end of story. So he was winding his way from the heart of the territory to the edges when he spotted a shadow that seemed slightly familiar coming out of the trees in front of him, but it took him a moment to place it. Tzila, was it? He hadn't noticed her when the pack had arrived at the borders, but then again, most of his attention had been focused on low-key (was it really low-key?) flirting with Hua at the time.

Mal's moods had been shifted several shades darker over the past week or however long it had been now, so his relatively blank expression shifted into a slight frown as he canted his head. She'd done a good job hiding out in his own forest. He was certainly not a social butterfly today.