Blackfeather Woods talia

open, of c, to any, but taggin' @Maegi for visibility >:3c

upon returning to the teekons, the first thing she'd done is head to the old island, to see what, if anything, remained of undersea. the answer -- nothing -- stung, but did not surprise her. wherever coelacanth and the children got to, she can only hope they're happy. her own mother's absence does not hurt the same--her family had been unhappily doomed since her birth, and though part of her wonders where hemlock has gone, it is a small and easily ignored part.

time outside the teekons has done reed well, it seems. she's grown long and lean, her youthful arrogance settled into, at least externally, a more cool confidence. she'd wandered down the coast until she'd grown tired of the sickening waves of nostalgia, and turned inward: so no one she knows is here, still. so what! she'd make her own way again. that is the gift the witch had given her (not that she'd ever learned her name, despite having studied under her for the better part of a year, and shared her den for months besides). she'd find lodgings--she's never been one for the lifestyle of a loner--she'd make herself useful with her skills. company would be a perk.

the grim, foreboding forest does not seem the most sensible choice, yet she finds herself drawn, curiously, to it, to the chattering of ravens. buried in the border-markings is a scent she recognizes, though she cannot exactly place it. raising her head, reed sends out a quick call. if she's going to throw her lot in randomly, it might as well be with a group with a sense of style.

He's been resting in some segment of the underground, unable to find peace in any nook for long except when he's nearby his collection of oddities. The boy hasn't made his presence known to the rest of the pack yet; it doesn't occur to him that his mother is off hunting for him, nor does he notice the absence of Moonshadow and her brood from the forest - he's too busy analyzing his finds, resting his slimmed body, and trying to make sense of what has happened to him. When the boy finally does emerge, it is by accident; a narrow corridor within the tunnels (one that he barely squeezes through even at his diminished weight) spills him out upon a segment of the borderlands and he is immediately stunned by the vivacity of the sunlight.

More accurately, he's blinking and wincing from the slanting light until his eyes adapt, and it is almost as if Sobek's gaze has affixed upon the sun incarnate. A willowy figure shrouded in autumnal tones, utterly out of place among the barren trees of the woods, has settled within his vision like the alluring burn of a campfire. The stranger doesn't see him - or so he presumes, as she is swift to raise her chin and make a summoning call to the shadows. Intrigued (and starved for company in his own right) the boy slinks closer and closer, finding it easy to navigate the many familiar paths of his homeland without making a sound.

When he finally speaks, he's flanking her. Looking alert - if a bit tired, with dark circles beneath his usually vibrant eyes - he greets her with a plain, Hello. Followed by a slight head-tilt as he observes her close-up. Personal space has never been a big deal to him, and Sobek worms his way towards the stranger, full of curiosity. Who are you?

a child is the first to approach her -- from behind, startling her when the small voice pips up. she twirls on her heel, pinched expression quickly giving way to a guarded neutrality. reed still has a soft spot for young children -- but this is a stranger's child in a strange forest; she knows better than to come on too strongly. instead she gives him a sharp once-over, unbothered by his proximity.

"reed," she answers at length, one of her ears twitching back. "reed fearghal, to be proper -- although the name has no meaning anymore." she's held on to it because it is all she has now of her blood family, even if she never knew her father really. it is a birthright and a claim, meaningless to anyone but her. (one day, she'll make it mean something again.) her expression at last relaxes, raising a brow at the boy curiously as she asks, "and who are you?"

The woman is quick to answer, although it is like speaking to a sphinx that cannot make up their mind; their commentary is queer, but Sobek takes the information in stride - literally, slinking around where the woman is standing so that he can try to block her path. He props himself up against a small segment of exposed rock jutting from the forest floor, sitting lazily before the woman.

He is watching her with his pale gaze but doesn't seem bothered by her presence, nor is he alerting any adults. He is quiet and curious - until he is not. Almost lethargic, like a cat.

Sobek. The boy claims, not yet old enough or wise enough to consider telling a lie. Ena isn't here right now, he explains, as if that would answer any further befuddlement brewing within the stranger. The boy presumes the adult is here to talk to Maegi or that they know one another - otherwise, what is the point? His innocence is clear. But you can wait with me.

as he slinks, reed twists, her eyes tracking his movement. she's not exactly interested in busting in past him--she has no idea what these wolves are like. she's not trying to get killed. sobek, the child introduces himself as, and goes on to talk about someone named ena. either, reed muses, the pack leader, or his mother (or both?). 

she runs her tongue against her teeth. "of course," reed agrees, settling against the earth docilely. curiousity still flares through her, though, so she presses: "ena?" hoping to get a clearer answer to her assumptions.

As the woman settles, Sobek takes his time to appreciate the fluctuation of her coat. Where the light manages to cut through the dark of the wood and dance across her spine in specks; the dust motes drifting on thin currents of air as he watches the ruddy colors shift. Sobek is young enough - ignorant enough - to believe his limited experience with the world was the only true experience, and he balks when she parrots the title back at him. It snaps him out of his study of her cinnamon coat and sharp angles.

He smiles. Mum, silly! She isn't here right now. Which wasn't so great, but Sobek was content with the company of the stranger. He boldly made to breach her personal space by squishing against her ribs, watching his red-brown coat smoosh against her toasty golds and warm autumn shades, imagining he was made of mud. Off-handedly he comments, Maegi is looking for me, but I am home now, so she should come home soon. Though, he lacked any sense of time. It would be nearly another week before his little cluster of family returned to the woods.

sorry to keep you waiting

Admittedly, she is later than she would like to be. Her tail curls up into a banner over her back as she arrives. The formerly missing brood of Nona is there and there is a heavy pounding in her chest that this stranger might not mean well. But...he is safe, isn't he? The stranger had not nabbed the boy or torn him to shreds. Perhaps that is already a show of their character. She couldn't let her guard down fully though. For she is the Morta and she had made a promise to protect these woods.

A deep boof slid through her chest and parted through her jaws. Silver gaze briefly looked towards the boy — for she must know he is entirely unharmed by this stranger — before settling on the fiery woman. Welcome. She rumbled the word as she had many times before, one of the only words that came easy to the Morta. Her gaze laid upon the woman expectantly, the silent question clear.

What do you need?

no worries!<3

the boy clarifies--ah, she was right--and then says a name that makes the familiar scent in her nose click, her eyes widening in unexpected joy. maegi! ena, mum, maegi--she opens her mouth to ask if that makes maegi his mom (the thought of her friend with children gives her complicated feelings--and what of mou?), but does not get the chance as a decidedly not-maegi adult arrives on the scene.

reed straightens up, accepting her rumbled greeting with a formal bow. "maegi lives here?" she confirms, glancing between the boy and the severe woman. "i am a friend of hers, reed," reed says, "as children we lived together for some time. if she is here, i'd like to request to join your ranks. i'm skilled with the medicinal arts." she finishes and holds her breath, waiting for the woman to pass judgement; if she can't stay, hopefully at least she can wait for maegi and speak to her.

Imagining a parent with friends outside of the immediate area was difficult for Sobek, as it often is for children to think in broad terms outside of their limited experience. He took what Reed was saying in stride though; watching her and looking to Jakoul as if the dark woman would confirm or deny what was being offered. When Reed continued on to outline their abilities the rest was forgotten. Ena likes flowers, he comments almost to himself, and watched Jakoul after that with a thin smile and some imploring puppy eyes. Can they stay?

Her head nodded firmly to confirm that Maegi did indeed reside within the woods. She may not have been here currently but she would return...soon, hopefully. And although the woman overloaded her with information, it became clear to the Morta after a moment of silence. Reed, as she called herself, wished to join. She had skills to offer too.

How could she turn the woman away? Although it seemed if she wasn't sold already, Sobek dared to sweeten the deal. Puppy eyes and the mention of ena liking flowers. She offered the boy a gentle smile before her attention fluttered back to the woman.

Come, come. She motioned with her narrow skull for the fiery woman to step into their lands. Blackfeather now. The Morta would aim to gently brush against Reed and mark her with the scent of Blackfeather — to brand her as a member instead of a stranger.