it will come back

AW - maybe.... @wynter or @nakai ?

Caiaphas sat above an upheaved mound of frozen sand, her expression positively dark with dourness. Between her paws there sat the mangled and rudely uprooted form of a distorted ermine -- its pale coat interrupted by sudden and raw dark red.

Slowly, the wretch brought a splattered forepaw to her muzzle and wiped the grime from her black gums. Roughly she shook and rose, her needle-like nose pointed down the burrow. She had discovered an ermine family had been lifting small morsels from their cache -- and armed with the most venomous of moods, Caiaphas had exacted vengeance on the first of their small tribe.

The fae made it back to her pack near mid day, her dirty work done. The sly fae had placed the misleading scents of the neighboring pack all over the other's borders, the pack of kidnappers and criminals. Now, the only problem was how to tell the queen of her cunning deed? While Wynter had been quick to understand Phantom, the siren queen had not. So as the fae made her way towards the bi-colored one, she had purposely left the heavy scents of both packs on her fur. If she was lucky, the siren would guess that this had something to do with both packs, but she knew it would probably take for then just scents to get the message across.

All thoughts of vendetta upon the ermine colony slipped away as Caiaphas detected Phantom -- her pelt rife with the scents of her travels. She rose to her feet with her blackened gums curled back in a snarl -- had this white wretch dredged forth her alliance and thrown her loyalty to the ground?

But as Caiaphas turned upon her, hellfire and brine, it occurred to her that perhaps the female had some sort of explanation. Knowing the female to be mute, Caiaphas was at loss on how to communicate with her -- she lacked the compassion Wynter was flush with. Caiaphas steadied her trembling jowls, though she eyed the female carefully. "Did anyone see you?"

Her snarl was expected, she did smell like an enemy pack. Phantom bowed to the queen to show her submissiveness. But the next question was not what she had been expecting.

Phantom was surprised. Had Caiaphas guessed of her travels? She shook her head no, and sat in front of the queen. She was eager to wash off the scent of the puppy thieves and fish heads, but first had to somehow tell Caiaphas of her deed. She wished that she could speak at a moment like this, or at least have Wynter around.

How to tell her? Phantom detested playing charades, but would if it came to that.
@Caiaphas is there a time you can spree?

Having no propensity for mindreading, Caiaphas struggled with Phantom in a way that Wynter excelled. She rocked on her narrow haunches, her jowls taut as she contemplated what to inquire next.

Asking questions that required a yes or no answer seemed as good a place to start as any -- Caiaphas observed the mute specimen as she drafted up her next inquiry. "If no one saw you, this means you did something. Did you go to Stavanger for the war effort?"

Once Phantom answered, Caiaphas would decide her next question. For now, she was still somewhat mystified by the stark white female.

Phantom nodded. This would be hard, but as long as Caiaphas kept asking the right questions, it would be okay. She nodded, and pointed toward the lands of Duskfire Glacier. She pointed to herself, then back toward Duskfire Glacier. Hopefully the queen would guess at her motions, and if she was wrong Phantom would try to point her the right way. It was a sort of game for her, communicating, and Caiaphas was one of the...not so good players. Oh well.

Indeed, this was not a game that Caiaphas excelled in. She looked in the direction that Phantom was pointing at -- east? Her brow furrowed -- plenty of things were east, was she talking about going there this morning? That couldn't be it.

The wretch would have struggled a moment longer were it not for the continued pantomime Phantom executed. "You then went to the Glacier." She concluded, ears perked forward as she awaited any affirmation. Caiaphas allowed a small smile of amusement to sully her features, if only for a moment. "Good. We will need to prepare for confrontation soon. Does the mute have a strategy?"

this house was my flowered heart,
but my petals have fallen.

Phantom nodded again, excitedly. She was finally getting it! Now for the slightly trickier part. She pointed at Caiaphas, then to the lands of DFG. She shook her head, no Ankyra would not attack yet. She pointed at Stavanger Bay, then to DFG. She nodded her head. Yes, these to would fight. Then, the wolves of the sound could leap in and reclaim their pup! Yes, this plan was a good one.

She waited patiently for the leader to digest the information, tail wagging ever so slightly with excitement.

It seemed Caiaphas' success in determining what the pale female was saying was short lived -- for no sooner had she felt victorious, she was thrown into an abject state of despair.

This time around, she had no idea what Phantom was saying.

Frustration clouded her brow as she watched female's continued charade, her gaze following each gesture with scrutiny. Despite Phantom's excitement, Caiaphas seemed almost to retract in the manner of a crab -- she was unsure, she felt unaccommodating, and perhaps worse of all, she felt grossly insecure for her ineptitude in deciphering Phantom's gestures.

"I don't get it." She admitted flatly, both ears pulled back in confusion.

Phantom mentally groaned. The queen had been doing so well! She tried again, eyes pleading that the siren queen would understand. Perhaps a drawing? The ghost cleared the ground, leaving only a muddy clearing. She placed a paw in the mud, and pointed toward Duskfire. Their territory. Some distance away, she placed another paw, and gestured in the direction of Stavenger Bay. Their territory. Finally she placed a final paw print, and motioned at both her and Caiaphas, and the land that surrounded them. Here.

Carefully, she pointed at herself, then drew a paw to SB. From there, she pulled it back toward DFG. Oh, she wished Wynter were here.

Phantom rose -- Caiaphas lurched forwards, her mouth gently parted as she observed the female's next actions. She was bent forward, hunched over in the manner of a scholar -- every fiber of her frame tensed as she tried her best to understand what the mute female was attempting to articulate.

She watched as Phantom first placed a deliberate pawprint here -- and then there -- and then back again -- Caiaphas scowled, suitably stumped. She wasn't smart enough for this and a snivel of anguish nearly threatened to ruin her composure.

She looked to the Glacier -- she studied the pawprint -- she rose, inspecting the handiwork Phantom had left behind. At length (and woefully belatedly) she turned to Phantom and spoke. "Are you saying you think that the Glacier still believes Stavanger responsible?" Caiaphas rolled her shoulders, still feeling somewhat discouraged about her capabilities. "Do you think they'll siege each other?"

Amused green eyes watched the anguished Caiaphas. But the amusment vanished quickly as the fae twisted to look at her again.

Phantom nodded again. Yes, she was slowly catching on. Once again, she pointed at herself. Then to the direction of Duskfire. She probably would just have to take this slower. The repeated the action, hoping the queen would ask one of her yes or no questions. She had gone to Duskfire. The simple message she was trying to convey, but took the longest time.

She took a breath, calming herself. This would take work.

"Okay, I got it." Caiaphas uttered, visibly frustrated by her continued score of failures. Phantom's repetitive gestures were watched carefully and closely, though it did nothing to make her suddenly understand what the female was saying. "No one saw you, you went to Stavanger.. and then to Duskfire." The siren recounted, adding the facts she had gleaned so far together.

"You went to Stavanger and then Duskfire to trick them.. You're sure no one saw you, right?" She certainly hoped not -- if so, trouble would be at their door shortly. "You're thinking it's probably good to wait for them to attack each other...?"

Phantom nodded excitedly, tail wagging and eyes bright. Finally. She smiled at the siren queen, she knew that she had remained unseen and unheard. With great ceremony, she reared up and simultaneously crushed both the pawprints that symbolized Duskfire and the Bay, leaving Ankyra sound untouched.

Carefully, she drew a line from Ankyra toward Duskfire, then back again. Phantom was sure that the plan would work, but only of the scents of Ankyra remained off the borders of both packs. They, the ultimate victors, would return proud with their puppy.
[size=xx-small]As long as the puppy was there[/size]

Caiaphas was emboldened by the female's affirmation -- so much so that her expression lost its dark cowl of displeasure. She studied the pawprints -- and even after Phantom had erased their presence the siren stared where they had once blemished the earth.

"We will have to keep an eye on them then." Caiaphas spoke, her gaze resting on the Bay. "Duskfire would know me if they saw me. I can trust you to tend to them, correct?" The waif mused for a moment before raising her voice once more. "Perhaps you can see if Wynter would like to accompany you."

Caiaphas was pleased with her (terrible) detective skills -- but she was more pleased that Phantom had taken it upon herself to bolster the pack's war efforts. That, to the Siren Queen, was most admirable.

Phantom grinned slightly. Her first mission! She gave a small bow to the siren queen, and gave a small nod. Oh, she had many more ideas up her sleeve. Soon, Stavanger Bay and Duskfire Glacier would be at war, and crush each other. War was a game, and one that Phantom knew how to play.

With a cunning grin at the queen, Phantom slipped away, mind already on her next move.

thaanks for the thread! wrapping up

As Phantom slid away, Caiaphas watched her astutely. She so dearly wished to learn of what affliction befell the pale ghost, what cold knife had plunged and twisted into her tongue to forever silence her. Someday, she would ask -- though she felt it highly inappropriate to do so now.

Once Phantom had slunk down the coast (Caiaphas did not miss the cunning glint in her green gaze) Caiaphas found herself newly preoccupied by the grating call of seagulls. With a gasp of excitement the Siren Queen tore down the beach to harass the winged birds, her posture assertive and ears attentive as she was swallowed by a flapping cloud of shrieking and disturbed seagulls.