Cedar Sweep When the rain falls I won’t let go

She searched and searched for her lost pup for as long as she could. She was weak yes, only taking time to hunt to feed her young but never herself, she couldn’t eat knowing her babe was all alone possibly starving and hurt. She followed its scent for as far as she could and it was finally gone and she panicked. “No....please don’t be gone... Star!!” She screamed into the the direction the scent faded in and she growled in frustration. He was gone and she wasn’t equipped enough to find him, she failed. She didn’t know if @Rowan or @Moonshine were near or where she had left them.

For @Niamh other tags for reference.

Niamh's patrols often took her beyond the borders, as occasionally the trail left behind a herd of deer or some other prey would distract her from her patrol and lead her off in search of something to hunt- either then, or later once she'd gathered a few other wolves to help her. Since she'd spread bits of fox here and there along the borders, she hadn't seen any other predators come anywhere near them, and she considered that task more or less a success. The others might not have been a fan of her methods, but she maintained that the ends justified the means. She'd set up an effective predator deterrant. Any predator that came to the borders and saw that there was a mean, fox-shredding wolf present, would likely turn and leave. 

What she wanted, though, was a coyote. That would make more of an impression, she thought- so she left the pack in search of one, but ended up coming across a scent which made her lips quiver, and brought a low growl to her throat. She'd learned which pack that scent belonged to, and her eyes flashed. Blackfeather. She had not been a part of the group which had gone to war against Blackfeather- but she still bore the hatred that Towhee had felt. Maegi had been a Blackfeather wolf- and from the scent of the female she now tracked, she was still a part of the pack. Silently, she trailed the female, until she heard her calling out in the distance. Her voice was desperate, hoarse, and Niamh was encouraged. It meant the female was weak; Niamh was anything but. 

She approached, her gaze narrowed as she stalked the female, who was underweight, and had a scar on the right side of her face; her weakness was noted, and Niamh felt her own confidence become bolstered. She growled. "And what are you doing this far West?" She snarled, tail lashing as she stared the female down, blocking her path.

The female was immediately drawn out of her thoughts and looked to the other female whom was growling at her. Great just what she needed, a hostile wolf. Moonshadow let out a sigh as she gave the female a blank look. “Excuse me? Do I know you or something?” She then knew not a lot of wolves like Blackfeather and it was entirely understandable but totally uneeded. “I’m only looking for my child. I am no threat to you.”

The female's reaction wasn't defensive or angry, not in the least- if anything, she looked more confused and puzzled at Niamh's aggressive greeting than anything else. She looked too tired to put up much of a fight, and part of Niamh wanted to attack her right then and there. Maegi's arrival at the plateau had ended Niamh's relationship with Colt, temporarily, and had caused a great deal of grief for her...But this female clearly wanted nothing to do with whatever grief her pack had caused Niamh. She was overtired, underweight, and grieving the loss of her child, who was apparently lost. Niamh's gaze narrowed; there was no way this female was making this stuff up. She was too tired to lie. 

She lashed her tail from side to side. She wanted to take her anger out on something, on someone- but she remembered, then, that Maegi had not hurt Colt. She'd caused a lot of conflict for Niamh and the others at the plateau, but she hadn't hurt anyone. She squinted at the dark female before her and growled softly. "What does your kid look like?" she grated, still not terribly sure she trusted the Blackfeathers- but this wolf, at least, was being honest.

Their was silence between the two of them that seemed to go on forever in the She-wolfs mind and the other was still acting aggressive and as far as Moonshadow knew she had every right to be, perhaps she knew the pack back then and she was only slightly upset that her children might be persecuted because of the pack they had been born into.

Finally the silence that lingered was finally broken by the woman’s question. Although she still held a dominant posture Moonshadow remained neutral. “He is a white pup with black paws and snout with green eyes. I tracked the scent this far but it’s dissipated now”

She described a young boy with very distinctive markings- and Niamh was quite sure that she hadn't seen any young folk- or adult wolves- with that colour pattern. Her ears flicked back as she considered simply telling the female that she would keep an eye out- and not really do so. But something in the back of her mind muttered its disapproval- and oddly enough, the voice that spoke was male. She sighed. She knew Colt would want her to help the female out, so she lowered her head a bit, dropping her defensive posture slightly. She nodded once at the female and then made to walk past her- back in the direction she'd come from. 

"Alright. Take me to the last place you can strongly smell his scent." She said, and though she did sound somewhat reluctant, at least she was offering to help.

The other female seemed to not want to help but something pursued her it seemed as she asks to be shown where his last scent was. “Last place was over here and it leads no where.” There was no cave, no fox burrow, nothing. It was as if they both just vanished in thin air.

She moved to where the female had indicated her son had last been tracked, but she was right- the scent had faded. It was impossible for a wolf to simply disappear into thin are, but a small enough child could be carried off...Though there was no trace of blood, no sign of a struggle, as far as Niamh could see. She sniffed the area, picking up the boy's scent, and wandered this way and that to see if the scent led in any direction in particular. The only way she could track it was the trail he'd left behind as he got to that point. She shook her head. 

"My guess is he doubled back." She said with a shrug. "Follow his track back the way you came and see if he jumped off the path somewhere," She said, offering her about as much advice as she was willing to offer. "Regardless- you ought not be in this area. You and your kid aren't welcome on this side of the mountains. I suggest you find him and get back to where you came from," She growled. She gestured with a flick of her muzzle that she wanted the dark female to go back on her way, then.

She watched as the female followed the scent and just the same outcome she’d gotten. Moonshadow listened to the advice and sighed. “Thank you for helping at least.” Was all she could say but the last bit made her sigh. “Me and my children aren’t wanted anywhere these days, not even in there own home.” She wasn’t oblivious to the way the other children looked at her brood and with vaati back she feared for their livelihood.

She implied that she had more than just one child- and Niamh couldn't help but wonder where the other ones were. She flicked her ears back when the female seemingly tried to elicit some pity from Niamh- claiming that she and her kids weren't welcome at Blackfeather, so she snorted. "You'd be best off leaving that racket completely," She said earnestly. If she could convince the female to leave Blackfeather with her kids, that'd at least lessen their numbers by a few- even though the female before her was hardly strong enough to be missed. 

"They're enemies of ours; you too, by association. My advice is to get clear of them. And to stay clear of here." She warned. "If you pass by anyone else- we never met" she hissed, baring her teeth as a threat as she did so. She wasn't sure what kind of backlash she'd get for simply sending a Blackfeather on their way, rather than taking them down when they were vulnerable. "But so I know...What's your name?" She asked.

Moonshadow gave a nod of agreement at her statement. It was true but she didn’t know how her kids would react to leaving. “Maybe.” She said simply Im response to the first bit. “Will do and thank you again. My name is Moonshadow.” The female was going to leave immediately once she rounds up the rest of her pups.

She hoped the female would take her advice. She still felt unfulfilled, just letting the female go- but if she was sincerely just looking for her children, and potentially willing to leave the Blackfeather pack, then she was better than most from that group. She nodded quietly, and watched the female leave before she headed off on a wider search which would take her close to the ravine. Her patrol was already much more exciting than she'd expected- though she still hoped to catch a coyote on her way back.