Neverwinter Forest hymn for the weekend

Autumn had made its presence known within the valley, and October knew it was only a matter of time before the snows began. As much as she enjoyed having the freedom to travel, she remained keenly aware of the shifting seasons and would not risk starvation by remaining a loner through the winter.
 
Intimidated was an understatement as she picked her way quietly towards the looming evergreens. The thick branches seemed to reach as far as October could see, and she found herself feeling comforted by the protection they offered to the forest floor. It was as if nature had crafted its own shield to shelter the pack that inhabited the woodlands.
 
The scent of the wood's wolves grew stronger; October’s slouching figure hung back a cautious distance, her tail drooping meekly against her haunches. She threw her head back and howled, beckoning the wolves of the forest to her location.

At nearly three months of age, Cypress Benvolio Frostfur was experiencing his first autumn. There was a new urgency in the air that he did not fully understand, but it was evident in the behavior of the prey animals as much as the Neverwinter wolves that something was coming. According to Eshe and Scimitar, it was apparently a very large, very unavoidable something called “winter” and it seemed an angry sort of beast. “Winter’s comin’ and we have to be ready for it. Your Paw’ll make sure we’re well taken care of,” Eshe had said a time or two. The sainted mother had been under the weather and feeling poorly of late, which meant that her beloved boys were running a little wild — and with a brisk chill whisking through the forest, Cypress found his paws flying toward the territory borders and the sound of a howl. He had never expressly been told not to answer the calls of strangers, after all, and felt it his duty as a fledgling guardian of the forest.

On sturdy legs that still seemed a bit too long for his growing frame, Cypress approached the borders as he imagined Scimitar did, putting a swagger in his step as he lifted his carriage to its pinnacle. That he was still noticeably shorter than the stranger did not deter him in the least. She was, he thought, quite pretty — her eyes were a bright monarch butterfly orange, standing out brightly against her snowy fur. She seemed cautious, her body language telling Cypress that she was meekly awaiting the attendance of a greater beast, and he was eager not to disappoint. Licking his lips, he drew a deep breath and climbed a nearby log so that he could fix her with a compelling — or so he thought — gaze. His inner flair for the dramatic and theatrical, subdued when he was around his more boisterous littermate, eked its way out as he addressed her.

“I am Cypress Benvolio Frostfur,” he said, pronouncing each syllable with as much meticulous precision as he could muster, “guardian of this wood.” His bottlebrush tail flagged the air with pride and eagerness but he stilled it, assuming his most stoic expression. Cypress’ vocabulary was extensive; he enjoyed words and was forever pestering Scimitar and Eshe to ask what something meant or to request critique on his syntax or pronunciation. He learned, in this way, that Eshe and Scimitar had different accents — and he was already adept at mimicking the slow, honeyed melt of Eshe’s Southern cadence as well as the more precise, less ebullient way of speaking that Scimitar exhibited. It was Scimitar’s calm rhythm he employed now, feeling it seemed more official. “Are you a friend or a foe?”

“I’m Cypress Benvolio Frostfur,” he heard the little voice announce, and a snort of amusement pressed past his nostrils as his pace slowed. The caller had beckoned to the wolves of the woods, and it would seem his son had beat him to the punch – of course, at almost three months of age, they were everywhere now throughout the forest – and with six puppies on the loose, it was hard to ensure their borders were fully protected.
 
Cypress, however, continued to exude his confidence to their visitor, and as the youth questioned the morals of their visitor, Scimitar ideally would have lingered in the shadows to determine the answer for his own amusement, but the thought did not sit well that his boy was alone at the borders – and so he swept forward, his own form large and held to full height. He spoke nothing as he pulled up behind the Frostfur boy – his gaze instead fell upon the pale girl, waiting her answer as he allowed the aspiring guardian to take the lead on this matter.

The crisp Autumn breeze had carried October’s call within the tangle of the evergreens. He had been tracking down a rabbit, but the call had pulled him from such activities.Though he had never greeted somebody on the border but he was drawn to do just that. He pulled up onto the scene as Cypress offered his name and he seamlessly pulled alongside his dark-furred brother. He had noticed that as he had pulled up that his father had as well and he greeted him with a nod before his attention turned to the wolf in question.

He was not as well-spoken as his brother and due to this he remained quiet, allowing his brother to do the talking.

omg it's a party

The sooty boy who drew forth from the evergreens to meet her did so as the quintessential guardian, his long-legged form conveying that he meant business. Although he was young, his rangy figure told October that he would grow to be someone mighty. “Hello, Cypress Benvolio Frostfur. I am October Roux-Abrhen,” she rejoined with a smile. She was both amused and delighted with his enthusiastic display of guardianship, but she maintained her submissive posture nonetheless.
 
Before more could be said, a robust, earth-hued wolf – presumably the raven child’s father – emerged behind the dark pup. October felt his come to rest on her like a ton of bricks; she wasn’t a shy or anxious creature by any means, but something about the burly male made her a bit weak in the knees. Still, she offered him the same honey-laden smile she’d shared with Cypress before speaking again. “I hope to be a friend of your woods, but as their guardian that is up for you to decide.”
 
She was preparing to explain her reason for visitation to the duo when a third pack wolf swept onto the scene. He appeared to be about the same age as Cypress and October was left to wonder if they were perhaps littermates. Dipping her head to acknowledge his presence, she spoke again. “I’m interested in finding my home here in your forest in exchange for my loyalty and services, should you have room to spare,” she told the trio after a beat.

Cypress gets a little carried away. Party time!

Cypress’ first impression of the sunrise-eyed female was almost completely superficial. She was appealing and slender, with gentle mannerisms and a clear, pleasant way of speaking — and he was a child, unable to keep himself from drawing kneejerk and potentially unfair comparisons. He judged books by their covers, a fickle boy in a variegated library, and he plucked October readily from the shelf, attracted by her bright appearance and promise of pretty words. “I like your name, October,” he said, innocent and forthright as was his wont. This girl did not tie him into intellectual knots the way Kendra had; she did not make him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed and clumsy. It was not in Cypress’ nature to be bashful, even around beautiful girls like dapple-browed Kendra and pepper-spined October — after all, his mother was the sweetest of them all. Still, something flip-flopped in his gut at the radiant smile that eclipsed October Roux-Abrhen’s lovely features.

He turned at the stately approach of his father and brother, inching to the side to make room for Rannoch atop his gnarled podium. Recalling Rannoch’s words, Cypress sought to inquire about October’s skills — but he possessed a flair for the dramatic and wanted to ask the question his way. “What services can you offer?” he questioned, only vaguely certain that he was asking the right questions and doing the right things. He checked his stance, making sure to lift his tail in a high arch above his back as he looked loftily down his nose at the girl in a fashion he thought to be quite regal — though in all actuality, he probably looked like a nearsighted mole, with his muddied eyes fixed so ardently on the tip of his own nose. “Would you even be loyal,” he asked further, “if a giant…a giant bear came?” Inspired, he tacked on a few more stipulations: “And then the bear said to you, ‘You should be a foe and not a friend, but pretend to be a friend first,’ and then you had to choose — you would choose to be a friend even if there was a bear?”

If he found her reaction to his presence to be out of sorts, he spoke nothing of it. The girl shared a smile toward him, and he returned her quiet greeting with his own dip of muzzle, though his eyes would drift towards the boys as they took it upon themselves to interrogate the newcomer.
 
It would seem she was interested in joining – a welcome notion, given she seemed polite, and they had room within the forest before winter fell upon them. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as Cypress complimented the girl’s name – something he had missed before making an appearance. And then, of course, came the questioning, and glancing upward to their visitor, his eyebrows arched as he awaited her answer – would she be loyal, even if a giant bear came?

Despite the authority that he felt, he left the conversing to the others. He was only there if they needed him and he would assist them as such. With his eyes curiously pinned to the stranger, he lingered at his brother’s flank, his head tilting at the question which was asked.

With the question poised, his attention intensified as he waited to hear just if she would be loyal, even with the presence of a bear.

“Especially if there were a bear,” she told Cypress, grinning. “I’m not sure about you, but I’m not particularly fond of bears. I prefer to keep company with wolves.” Her orange gaze flitted towards the other two wolves whose names were unknown, and she wondered how they had perceived her thus far. Although two of the three males were quite young, they were pack members all the same and their opinions were valued just as greatly as the one belonging to their stately guardian.
 
October knew she was by no means worldly; she was young and had yet to experience much of life. Still, she liked to think she had a skillset that would be of some value to her potential new pack. “I can hunt and cache to help provide for the forest, especially with winter approaching,” she said. “This spring I looked after many of my birth pack’s pups, so I have some experience as a caretaker as well.” Aside from that, she was a wolf and possessed the skillset one might expect a wolf to have.

So sorry for the wait, @October! Tagging Lucybean for reference.

“Especially if there were a bear,” the spirited girl replied, and Cypress found her answer to be wholly satisfactory. As yet there was no guile in the raven fledging, who took what he was told at face value despite Kendra’s attempt to warn him that there were wolves who would gladly deceive a mind as blessedly naïve as his. He clambered down from his log upon gangly legs that heralded a future of rangy dexterity and exemplary, if understated, strength — and he approached her without fear as she spoke of her skills. Hunting and catching — he’d misheard her, but fortunately the context clues saved him from complete ignorance — were great and worthy things, but what he was interested in was her reference to pups. He and Rannoch were likely to see a lot of her if she was interested in that particular trade, and it piqued his interest. “Rannoch and me and @Lucy’re puppies,” he informed the slender female solemnly. “Do you know any good games or stories? And — ” his voice wavered, but only a little “ — you hafta help keep Lucy safe from monsters. And you can’t leave and not come back anymore.” Those were his stipulations. He turned to his father and to Rannoch, who seemed to be allowing him to take center stage, and blithely made things awkward and uncomfortable: “If she says yes, we can keep her, right?”

Cypress had a list of stipulations to be met – given the ivory woman had a list of enough experience and aide that Scimitar found her worthy. He found it interesting his boy only mentioned the trio he and Eshe looked after directly – his cousins were barely thought of, and the agouti wolf noted that perhaps a family gathering was in order. They had indeed all become quite distant while trying to each rise their families.
 
“If she says yes and she wants to stay,” he noted, amusement flickering at the corner of his lips before casting a glance to both Rannoch and October, keen on seeing their own reactions to the unfolding scenario.

October seemed like a great prospect for the pack and a welcome addition. Turning his attention between the others, Rannoch nodded as he agreed. When it was finally decided that she could stay if she wanted, Rannoch turned his attention the pale wolf and awaited her answer.

When it appeared as though she’d won the forest wolves’ favor, she beamed. “I know plenty of games I’d love to show you some time.” Stories could be conjured up any time, she supposed. When a third child, ‘Lucy,’ was mentioned, October could only assume that she was sibling to the boys who stood before her. She grinned and bobbed her head in agreement to the stipulations Cypress had posed. “No monsters will give you or Lucy any trouble as long as I’m around.” Of course, October was oblivious to the notion that the ‘monsters’ the inkjet youngster mentioned were very much real; she assumed they were a figment of the pup’s imagination.
 
“If you’ll have me, I’d love to stay.” Her orange gaze rested fondly upon Cypress’ dark features before sweeping towards Rannoch and Scimitar. Just like that, she’d found her new home. Her tail began to swish excitedly through the air.

Last post for Cypress! Thank you for letting him welcome October to Neverwinter Forest. ♥

Cypress’ whiplike tail wagged wildly as October hopped several rungs up his ladder of esteem. Turning to face Scimitar with his eyes bright and hopeful, “She wants to stay, Paw,” he helpfully informed the Frostfur patriarch.

With confirmation the girl was staying – news that seemed to delight both of his boys – the large wolf gave a nod, his eyes drifting from them to study her more quietly. Pushing forward, Scimitar’s cinnamon fur brushed gently against hers, marking her with the scent of the forest and initiating her acceptance to them. Pulling forward, the regal tipped his muzzle down, nudging each boy, allowing a light grin to press at the corner of his lips. “How about we give her a tour?”
 
With that, the Frostfur began to weave toward the forest, knowing his sons would be eager to show to her their favorite places of Neverwinter Forest.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Wrapping this up with Chan's permission to skip Rannoch. :)

The pale woman let out a short, happy whine as her new leader closed the distance between them to mark her with the scent of his kingdom of evergreens. With her ears pressed submissively against her skull, she offered a quick lick to the underside of Scimitar’s muzzle. Her tail swung eagerly through the air behind her and she shifted her attention to the two young wolves that had been garnered with the task of leading them on a tour.
 
“That would be wonderful!” exclaimed October, delightedness coloring her features as she looked to Rannoch and Cypress. She trailed after the forest’s leader and his boys, eager and grateful to have earned their kindness and welcomed into their home.