Blackfeather Woods my star has left me to take the bitter pill

Their spat felt like a private moment, but there were no private moments anymore when Titmouse was around; he was a leader within the woods and had to start acting like it. A part of him knew he should drive the pair of them out — children of the old regime that they were, any other conquering force would've done so. They were not pledged to Maegi the way he might've liked. But, they were only children. The forest was all they'd ever known. Mou was many things but he would never let harm come to a child, especially the children of someone like Relmyna who meant so much to him. That meant he'd have to step in and somehow become a mediating force between the twins; but he wasn't exactly skilled at negotiation, and too often in the past he was the cause for chaos, not the resolver of it.

But he would try; for the sake of these children, for the sake of Relmyna's legacy, and the strength of their newly established claim.

He slunk closer as the two bickered, hoping that his long strides and sneaking steps would be enough; they argued in their way, and the ghost tried to circle around to flank Astara before she could get further. He wasn't so concerned with the bones she coveted. The holy quality of the reliquary did not fit in to his mindset at the moment. He wanted to keep them together; they were family, and this was their home even if it had been taken over. He was no conqueror - blood would not be spilled.

Astara, he called to her as he stepped from the shadows in to her retreating path, Reh-min-a es here, 'Verna es here, here is home; you no need to run. He could've grabbed her and dragged her deep in to the woods, put her in to the depths of Wolfskull for attempting to flee, but that would be too harsh. By Maegi's own decree, they were not to use that cave for its original purpose - and there would be no kidnappings, no damages done. The boy watched her - watched them both - and tensed, waiting for her to fight back against the proposal in some way; perhaps she would run, perhaps she would stay.