Moonspear washed away in a tide of longing

How many had there been? "Five," he answered, but back-tracked when he realized that he hadn't included the packs that they hadn't met, "no—eight." Meeting five of them formally had been enough for him. "Yuèlóng was staying with Neverwinter Forest," he began, remembering the empress that had caught his eye. "So we got to meet with them both. Neverwinter was surprisingly helpful," he said with a snort; he had never had much faith when it came to their closest neighbors. 

"We visited Kaistleoki next and met their leader, Ira. I liked her," had he known the information she was protecting, his opinion would have been different. "She told us about their sister pack, the Reneian Empire, and advised that we go and meet them." Which they didn't—oops. "Easthollow was next. I didn't get the chance to meet Valette, though. Mom says that they've been good to us in the past, though," curiously, he glanced at his father for confirmation, not quite sure what had happened between the packs to establish their relationship. "And then we ended at Seelie Court—you know, the strange-faerie woman," he added, bumping his shoulder knowingly against his father's. 

As Osiris pulled away, his expression deepened. "There was unanimous talk amongs most of the packs about the dangers of The Saints and Ursus," he relayed. "Neverwinter reported that The Saints kidnapped a woman, and Easthollow spoke at length about the trouble that Ursus has been causing." 

"Have you heard anything about those packs?" he asked, feeling suddenly uneasy as he considered the looming danger. His first year of life had happened with little drama, but something had changed recently, causing the world as he knew it to be flipped upside down. Floods dangerous packs—he didn't like any of it one bit.