Hushed Willows would you still love me the same.

Everything was going so well for the wolves of the Keep these days. The famine aside, there had been no reports of strangers on the borders or any attempts by Reek to seek out his baby boy in earnest. The restructuring that Octavia had done seemed to be accepted easily enough; they did not know if Warbone would ever come back, but until he did it was up to her to lead them. She had a support network that would help with that, and with Tambourine, so Tavi felt like her worries were at an all-time low. That she could enjoy the semblance of peace and (albeit meager) prosperity that they struggled for every day. After introducing Tambourine to the pack Octavia knew that they would love him, that he was safe with them, so she could focus on other things.

She busied herself around the territory as if imbibed by her son's own endless energy; she had a bath, patrolled the borders (without reinforcing them, which was likely an odd choice to any outsider) and was tucking in to some scraps of bone from a cache when a call rose up for her. The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone - that desperation - she knew all too well. A part of Octavia wondered if this was the Larksong calling; her fur bristled, and she dropped the well-worn bone from her grasp as she listened. If it was Reek then she'd need back-up, wouldn't she? But the voice was feminine, it was filled with an underlying pride even with the ongoing circumstances, and gradually Octavia worked her mind away from thoughts of her ex-paramour.

It did not take long for her to seek out the origin of that call, although she was just as surprised upon discovering the dusky woman so near to her pack. The silver hairs of her scruff lifted along with her head, and she advanced upon this rogue with the intent of driving her away — but when she was closer, she could detect the scents of many other wolves. There was a sweetness to some of those layered scents, the same sweetness that Tambourine held, and Octavia realized this wasn't just any rogue but a mother, and for a moment her agitation was muted.

You called for me, but how did you know we were here? Had someone been disobeying Warbone's direct orders and spreading stories about the Keep? Her words were direct but the tone hardly antagonistic, despite her feeling a touch defensive. Assuming a sense of calm that Octavia didn't naturally exude, she added, I would like to know your intentions.