Lion Head Mesa I am all that I need

The edge of the mesa was impressive, so it did not surprise the wandering warrior that it was claimed by a clan of wolves. He could smell their markings upon the edges of the border, strong and consistent. It was an impressive thing and would make for a good place to check with natives. His plan would be to warn them of the missing Moonglow members, and then ask them to keep a close eye out for the Starsea’s princeling.

When Foxfur had found a place to settle to wait, he drew his head back and called for an audience. The weary figure hoped that he would find luck in meeting their leader. It would mean that his message would be directly given to the highest in power and could be dispersed throughout the other members. Try as he might to find the missing children, Foxfur knew that more eyes would be beneficial.

The lean warrior waited for any who would meet him.

Sorry this sat for so long!

the creature calling sounded less like a coyote and more like a wolf, yet it looked like a fox from the high vantage point that jawahir stared from, and when they snaked down among the stones to where they waited, they saw it was none of those things at all: a wolf most certainly, marked by the sun and with warm frost across his body.

a pleasure to look at, jawahir thought.

you have a lovely voice,

there was no trepidation within the fellahin as they closed the distance and then moved beyond that, to snake much closer than what might've been safe. whatever had made jawahir wary of outsiders in the past had slipped from them during their service here, and so they were bold and warm and inviting.

a lovely face, too. akashingo welcomes you.
why do you call?

There is no need at all for apologies. I never mind a wait. ^.^ Especially when waiting lets me write with Jawahir!

The wolf who approached with a slender creature on fine legs. Their expression was interested, sharp, and it made the warrior stir with some discomfort. When the stranger spoke, it was with nothing but compliments.

Foxfur drew his muzzle upward and tilted his head. He had never been met at the edge of claimed land in such a manner. It was nothing like the other clans that bordered the Starsea. This wolf was peculiar in ways he had never experienced. It put him on his guard, but the warrior was still intrigued.

I call for several reasons. I am searching, you see, Foxfur explained carefully. His voice sounded as though it belonged to a man who had journeyed to the ends of all earthly things. The clan I am serving now has lost a few members. Some younger wolves. You haven’t seen any younger than a year, have you? The warrior was humble in his approach, only wanting to show that he was there with just cause, that he intended no trouble the mesa or its residents.

children?
akashingo is no place for children, jawahir shares with a smug little look. the thought of ramesses surrounded by urchins makes little sense; but of course in time, following the upcoming wedding to satsu, he would be a father and the mesa would know new life.

we have had no such visitors. a small pout. but it does not linger long, and jawahir dances around the man to appraise him again - such a glorious coat! a striking face indeed. they wonder if he searches for his own crotch goblins or someone elses.

would you like to take a walk with me and look for yourself? anything to tempt the man deep among the mesa and its inhabitants.

No place for children. Foxfur nodded his head tiredly in understanding. It would mean he would continue his search for the missing members of Moonglow, hoping that he could return them to the woman of the moon and her clan. The warrior knew that it meant a great deal to the pale leader. He was certain he would not be able to forgive himself if he had lost vital members of Moonglow and had failed to return the prince of Starsea to his home.

The figure across from him inquired whether he would like to accompany them into the mesa and see for himself. Foxfur considered this and then nodded his head.

Very well, I will journey with you.

The warrior moved to step beside Jawahir, ready for the complimentary coyote to set their course. Foxfur believed he would do no more than sniff around. He need only check for familiar scents, and he could depart with a sound mind.

I seek another wolf. A young prince who has run away from home. He is no child, but still young.

A dark thing called Crowfeather.

the beautiful man moved alongside the courtesan, who was pleased, and made it known by how lightly they stepped and how their tail frisked at their hips.

without missing a step, jawahir heard the name that was given and answered, a prince! i have not met a prince, which was true, as crowfeather had never once spoken of such a title for himself. he was a rogue, traveling with the roman.

jawahir led the man along the familiar path by the barracks and further, to where the great mesa stood, and watched to see what response such a sight might elicit.

i spend much of my own time there, inside the mesa. perhaps i should ask if one of our guards has seen this boy of yours? of course, jawahir knew of only one creature to call for - and they had not yet decided if it would benefit them to draw @Germanicus from wherever he lingered.

The mesa-dweller stepped in a lively manner, exclaiming that he had not met a prince. Foxfur nodded, but he was not certain that the dark boy would have introduced himself as much. If he had willingly fled from his home and his role within the clan, it was not likely that he would easily offer this information to strangers. Nevertheless, as they ventured into the mesa and the warrior was able to look at the terrain fully, he found it quite pleasing.

Jawahir offered to call one of the guards to see if they had met the princeling. Foxfur thought on this for a moment before he nodded his head.

Yes, I would be quite appreciative if we could. I’ve been searching for the boy for many months and I would like to know if I am on the right track, at least.

Foxfur smiled tiredly to his host. He had not anticipated that he would be allowed in the clan’s territory. He had never known that kind of hospitality in his life. It struck him as odd but was not an unwelcome gesture. If anything, the warrior felt he owed the Akashingo wolf something in return.

the stranger was fox-hued with exhausted sunlight eyes.

germanicus looked silently to the fellahin. he had been upon his patrol and found the jewel here. 

as neb, he had no jurisdiction over who entered akashingo. but as tactician, he felt it pertinent to know who might roam into the red halls.

they found the Roman sulking across the sands in no time at all; a summons was not required.
ah, germanicus.
jawahir motioned between the two men and paused to watch the visitor, as if to wordlessly say, speak of the devil!

this man seeks a lost prince. he asks for one named crowfeather. have you seen one such boy upon akashingo's sands?
jawahir was doing him a favor by asking. in the boys current state he would not be traipsing across akashingo's exterior for some time; germanicus was free from any possible lie.

A grizzled soldier of a man appeared with a sharp glint in his yellowed eyes. Foxfur regarded him the way a warrior did, carefully. The figure of the man was powerful and athletic. He looked to be a capable fighter, if nothing more. As he had appeared, the figure called Jawahir had greeted him, implying that this would be one of the wolves who might know of the wolves Foxfur searched for.

Greetings, I am called Foxfur and I had come searching for young children. Jawahir explained that there are no children in Akashingo, the warrior explained carefully, his voice rough. I asked then if Jawahir had seen a member of my clan. A prince by the name of Crowfeather. He has run away from home and I have been tasked with finding him. There was, at least, some more context to why a stranger stood upon the mesa.

Have you seen or heard of him? Or any lost children, under a year.

Foxfur waited stiffly.

the stranger introduced himself. foxfur was a simple name. but he sensed the man was anything but this.

it was the mention of crowfeather that sparked alarm within him. this did not show upon his face. "i know him." it was all he would offer presently. 

so the shadow was a runaway. "under whose banner do you seek him?" a name was not enough. the imperator expected his answers.

jawahir thought it wise to stay silent.
they watched both men with careful glances, otherwise letting their gaze linger on the dirt as they waited.
it intrigued the courtesan to witness germanicus in this moment, and they wondered if he would lie to protect the boy or if he would not, and what that might lead to.
the beautiful man with the warm face was clearly invested in this hunt.

The grizzled man answered in a plain voice. He had seen Crowfeather. He also wanted to know whose banner Foxfur belonged to, to be searching for the dark princeling. If he had not been so weathered, the warrior might have been offended by the man’s tone. Instead, he was overwhelmed that he had found another living being who had crossed paths with the missing seer.

Under the banner of our people, the clan of the Starsea, Foxfur answered gently, his russet snout bowed toward the ground.

His father has been worried. He sent me searching shortly after young Crowfeather disappeared. I followed his scent to these lands and then the rains became too heavy, and he was lost. In truth, Foxfur did not know if the boy’s father worried for him. He knew only that their clan was without its seer, and Whitestar had been furious with the runaway shadow.

Where is he? Foxfur’s voice was nearly a plea.

"safe."

germanicus grew more succinct with each eloquent word spoken by the stranger. crowfeather had a father. and the shadow had fled the starsea. "if he left your tribe, then there was a reason for it." earnest or no, the eagle could not in good faith surrender crowfeather to this veritable stranger.

"does he know he has been followed?" the eagle asked, thinking of the months he and crowfeather had traveled together.

@Jawahir – I’m terribly sorry to skip over you. x_x Foxfur is held at something of a standstill until after this thread has been concluded and I am able to see where it goes. <3 You may feel free to have Jawahir respond when you are able. I just needed to get something in here before Foxfur was removed for his inactivity.

Safe, he had said, but the grizzled figure appeared to believe that he knew what was best for the prince of the Starsea. Foxfur could not help but to chuckle coldly. The stranger was firm with his tone. His yellow gaze was that of a warrior, if Foxfur had ever seen one. It meant little for him except that his search would continue to be difficult and would not end as easily as he had hoped.

Our clan, the warrior corrected with a cool smile. There was a shift in his gaze as it bounced between Germanicus and the coyote called Jawahir. Rationality had no place in their talk. Foxfur sought a boy who had run from their shared home. The soldier did not play a role in Crowfeather’s life, or the life of the Starsea residents. It did not matter the words he used or how he spoke them.

I would imagine that he knows… at least that he would not be allowed to leave without someone searching for him. Foxfur eyed the stranger carefully.

Whatever agreement you have with the princeling does not matter to me. Whatever bonds you have formed are moot.

A tired sigh slipped from his lips.

I should like to see him. To speak to him. Immediately… it is urgent. I promise that no harm will come to the prince. I am only tired and I have been searching for several moons.

whatever small favour foxfur might have curried evaporated in that moment.

germanicus was protective of crowfeather. the stranger spoke with passion but his insistence made him a threat and his demands made him insufferable.

"i do not care what you should like. you are barred from our gates." the imperator shifted into the mien of a soldier with hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "i will be gracious enough to carry a single message." the shadow could decide such for himself.

the way was closed. germanicus would not hesitate to end this meeting with force if necessary. the yellowpaint eyes bored into the newcomer.

Sorry for holding this up! You can skip/pp Jawahir however you need!

the courtesan was curious of the beautiful man, surely.
intrigued as well by germanicus, who gave orders and made threats so openly, though he was nothing but a mazoi in-debt to the pharaoh.
still, the coyote would not get in the way of this discussion. it was lively. it gave jawahir much more information to feed off of, and led to many questions within their own mind, as to what germanicus was after.
the boy, most assuredly.
but what was the boy to him - besides the tether that kept him leashed to akashingo?

The soldier would not back down.

Foxfur sighed tiredly, realizing that it would be no easy task.

I have no message for you. Only for the princeling.

The weary figure turned his gaze to the stretch of mesa. It was a wide terrain that would take some time to wander the outside of. It did not matter. The soldier had given him information in the few words he’d shared. Foxfur was barred from their gates.

The prince was inside.

I will wait on the outside of your mesa, warrior. I will walk the perimeter until the time comes when the boy will leave and his scent will be fresh, even if I am a day behind him. You may keep your graciousness to yourself.

Foxfur dipped his snout once, curtly. He would need to return to the Moonwoman and tell her.

To Jawahir, the warrior asked, you will see me out? I do not think this man would like me to leave on my own and I’d prefer your company to his.

germanicus did not like the man. but the passion he could admire. as the foxfaced stranger poured out his oath, the imperator remained unmoved. 

trepidation rose in his throat.

he wanted to forbid jawahir and throw the man away from the mesa himself, but the jewel was not his to command.

germanicus stepped back. he would watch them depart. he would watch the fellahin return. and he would watch until the man was as far away from akashingo as he felt necessary.

much had been shared, much to be decyphered. jawahir was glad to have met this sharp little man; they liked the way it rankled the neb.
when asked, jawahir nodded and moved aside, to lead the way. they cast a small look over the shoulder to the grizzled shadow, smirking lightly, and was off - content with the fallout of this moment.

I'll archive!