Duskfire Glacier nero fiddled

he had given myrren an appreciative glance when she spoke; they didn't know each other all that well, so to have the girl vouch for him meant a great deal. his face became more grave when the alpha male began to speak, introducing himself as siarut and. . .well, he was a lot more sympathetic than aditya had planned for. of course, you'd have to be a heartless monster to not care about missing children, no matter how you felt about the adults that cared for them.

the other, takiyok, looked less agreeable, but seemed to be willing to help. short-fused they might be, but at least they weren't heartless. he dipped his head low in gratitude to both of them, trying to address the pair rather than individuals when he spoke again.

"i appreciate your offer very much," aditya responded, the first words barely audible as he forced his voice once more through a smoke-reddened throat. "i can't ask something like that of you without anything to give you in return. but-- if they do come across your territory, could you send them home? perhaps with an escort?" he coughed, looking sheepish. "we're, ah, in the maplewood now. on a more permanent basis."

adi blinked at them, apology clear in his eyes. "i am sorry we got off on the wrong foot," he murmured. "i hope that relations between our packs can someday improve. they could--" another cough, and he ducked his head, sucking in air. "they could hardly get worse," he finished wryly, giving siarut a weak smile.