Cricket Creek Bog superficial

moony's already unnerved, but the howl that rings out sends a jolt of frigid fear through her. it's startlingly close, and though she'd been trying to stay as far away as possible from the ravine, she wished, suddenly, that she'd never left it. 

@Towhee and the wolves she's gathering stand between her and the ravine, and the girl is vaguely aware of this as she tries to pinpoint exactly where the call came from. while it isn't exactly a direct threat against them, she can't imagine it'll be good. a little desperately, she tries hissing a frantic "@Rowan!" into the trees all around, as of he might suddenly appear there. a moment of anxious waiting, and then she's moving north in an attempt to circle around the source, sloshing through the mud and ignorant of the packlands that lie in her way.

He'd quickly tried to locate @Moonshadow but to little avail. So he went to follow his sister's scent and ended up on the other side of the cedar trees, looking across the bog. Her trail had seeped and it was hard to tell which direction she'd gone. 

Then, her voice ran out across the still air. The howl behind him angered him more than anything. Why was the bitch so quick to jump to conclusions? He grumbled, trudging into the bog. "Shine!" He didn't care if he was loud. Then, he saw her form and chuffed, drawing her attention to him.

"We're trapped." He stated flatly. Perhaps they could sneak through, the span of trees were large enough. "Come on, we need to find Mother now." He looked her over, feeling the fear on her. He gently touched his nose to her jaw and turned to move back into the trees. They were vulnerable here.

Having seen no sign of the lost Blackfeather child, Niamh had decided to rove a bit further from where she'd left the mother behind. She was looking for a white pup with dark feet, and she vaguely remembered being told that he had green eyes as well. He was a Blackfeather- and while she wasn't sure what she'd do with him if she found him, she figured at least he'd be valuable. Maybe, then, they might be able to work out a trade and finally get to exact vengeance on Screech- if he was still alive- or Maegi. 

She heard Towhee's loud, commanding howl, and her ears perked. She wondered, then, if she'd done the right thing by simply warning the dark female about being in this area...What would Towhee think if she knew that Niamh hadn't attacked the Blackfeather female on sight? Aggression wasn't a Firebird value, even though Niamh still harboured a great deal of it. She shook her head. The least she could do was find the missing child, and then report to Elwood or Towhee with the kid, to see what should be done. She wondered, then, if Towhee hadn't crossed paths with Moonshadow herself- or if she'd found the child that was missing. 

She heard the snapping of twigs underfoot and she tensed, hunkering down so that she could hide for a moment and wait for whoever it was to pass into her line of vision. It was a pup- not the one that Moonshadow had spoken about, but a child nonetheless- and it smelled of Blackfeather. It was joined by another, and Niamh rolled her eyes. There- there were two of them, but still not the one that Moonshadow was searching for. The boy seemed more nervous, and more aware of what was going on, and Niamh- having heard Towhee's warning- paused for a moment, trying to suss out what she should do. In the end, she knew that these kids belonged to the Blackfeather woman, and that they needed to get out of here. 

"Yes, you are. And I wouldn't suggest running- you're cornered." She said as she emerged from the darkness. There was no way she could call out for Moonshadow without alerting the others (save for Towhee, who wouldn't hear her) as to where she was, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to bring that much drama into her life. "Best stay here until you're found." She said. Heaving a sigh, she knew she'd have to report; to save her breath would be to invite skepticism later. She called out, alerting all in the area to the fact that she'd found the children- including both @Towhee and @Moonshadow.

Moonshadow had departed from the other’s company in search of her other children when she heard the howl that seemed to be about her children and began to panic as she raced to where she smelt her children. The female ran over to them. “Come one we’re going home now.” She was beginning to get scared and in the midst of it she hadn’t noticed the other. “I’m sorry I was looking for them. We’ll leave now that I’ve found them and we won’t return.” It was much to say but she had no quarrel with them nor does she want that.

she's silent as she huddle's by Rowan's side, mud-covered and stinking and despairing. her eyes are set on the golden woman that's appeared, markedly similar to the boy she'd seen a day prior, and despite coming so far from Blackfeather, she feels trapped. she's not welcome within its borders or out of them, it seems, and though the depth of this tangent hasn't struck home yet, she's rattled. 

moonshadow's arrival brings relief, but she stays where she is. "why?" she asks the golden woman, confusion most prominently scrawled across her features.

His ears lay flat, teeth again flashing as a warning. Towhee hadn't listened to him and had come away worse for wear. If she didn't take note of his stiff, tucked tail and soft rumble of warning, she'd come off worse.

He stood, guarding his sister defiantly.
He stood by her, looking at both women. In that moment, looking at both, one his mother one in liege with Redhawks -- not that he knew -- he trusted neither.
His mother put him and his sister in danger, this other woman was just dangerous.

The boy defended his sister, but this merely caused Niamh to chuff, huffing her breath somewhat haughtily. There was no way he could protect his sister from an adult, not at that age. He was lucky she'd found him, and not some more sinister creature. She stayed silent when they faced her, waiting for someone to show up. If Towhee showed up, or another Firebird, she'd have to explain that she was simply guarding them until they moved out and cleared out of their area of the wilderness. It was fortunate for all involved, then, when Moonshadow showed up to wrangle her two kids. She obviously hadn't found the one she'd been looking for, and Niamh wasn't surprised. As far as she could tell, this lady couldn't keep track of her kids, and had left two alone in search of one. 

She ushered her children to leave and Niamh nodded, her expression still stony and cold. She nodded deftly. "Get out of this area completely- go back East of the mountains if you want to be safe. And don't come back. I shouldn't even be giving you a free pass right now..." She said, trailing off. How would she explain herself if anyone asked? She'd simply have to tell them that it was a matter of a mother looking for her kids, nothing more. She could only hope that Moonshadow wasn't actually a spy. Then again- what kind of spy would endanger her own kids to accomplish a mission? She turned to leave, but before she did, she gave Moonshadow and her kids one last warning. "If I catch you in these parts again..." She said, her voice trailing into a growl. She didn't need to spell it out- not in front of children- but the threat was clear enough. She curled her tail over her back indignantly, and huffed once more before she turned and trotted off.

She gave the female as swift nod before nudging her pups to move forward. “Let’s go home little ones.” At least she knew where to not go now. Moonshadow would simply go back to the safety of the woods and remain there.