Sun Mote Copse somebody's calling, trying to track me down

@Wraen <3

discomfiture stole over arcturus entirely; he could not spend one moment on the 'spear any longer.

so he ranged, letting his feet carry him where his heart desired -- and his heart brought him not to the wilderness, but to wraen's doorstep. the subconscious had a strange way of preparing for things: in arcturus' muzzle was the flight feather of a small winter wren. he had seen it in the snow and seized it on a whim, and before he knew it, he was standing on the firebird's borders, confused (and his heart knowing) on exactly how he had come to be here.

he covered the feather with a dark paw and sat down. he could call for wren, but he did not trust the wavering of his voice. he could sit here in wait, but on general principle, arcturus did not like to idle.

summoning what little bravery existed in his fluttering heart, arcturus threw back his head and howled.

For Wraen? Well....

Given the fact that Niamh had currently had her energy stock more or less completely refilled, and that they had begun to surge with the upcoming, inevitable tidal wave of hormones, Niamh resumed her border patrol which was directing her toward the area where the caller's voice had originated from, regardless. She knew Wraen would be quick to answer- but Niamh was nosey, and the caller had been a male, and Niamh was curious. Did Wraen have a suitor Niamh didn't know about?

He was a dark fellow, handsome, and he smelled as though he was from Moonspear. She didn't see him cover the wren feather with his foot, and it was a good thing, likely- she would have recognized it, as she had a penchant for collecting bird feathers, and she would have read too far into its meaning and likely started a rumour. Given her previous encounter with an unknown male, her confidence had been boosted, so she approached with a slight swagger. She nodded to him, but gazed upon him with a look that was unabashedly warm. 

"Wraen'll be here soon...I was just on my way through this area and thought I'd stop and greet you in the meantime," She said. As far as she knew, the Moonspear wolves were their friends. "I'm Niamh, welcome to the Copse," She greeted, with a tone that was slightly more sultry than usual.

lord help arcturus -- who had neither the experience nor the acuity to withstand the wiles of a golden virago. he positively froze as a wolf approached him, her step distinct with gilded confidence.

if ever there was a trial by fire, this was it. arcturus' eyes lingered across her frame for a moment. she was a vision of goldspun sunfire -- a sharp contrast from the blacks and greys of his mountain. he clenched the wren feather tightly under his claws, feeling a sense of intimidation overcome him (for never had he seen such swanky confidence on display -- by an enchantress woman no less).

but his heart was for wraen, whether or not his eyes wandered. he shook his head and in a voice that sounded all-together too small, meekly replied: "i'm arcturus. do you.. know how long that will take?"

Niamh could smell Arcturus' discomfort and it made her the tiniest bit pleased to see that she could squeeze some small amount of awkwardness out of a male simply by being so damn pretty. Maybe he had come to see Wraen- and maybe, now, maybe he was afraid that he might be more attracted to her. She could use this and play with it, so long as Wraen didn't catch her in the act...And even if she did- how was Niamh to know that this guy was off limits? He was a bit young for her- she preferred men who were older than her- but maybe there'd be something fun to have with an inexperienced man. 

"Arcturus," She said, sounding impressed by the nobility that was imbedded in the syllables of his name. "No, I'm not sure...Wraen's usually fairly punctual, but..." She said, trailing off slightly. Here was her chance to fib just a bit, possibly stir up a bit of trouble because hey, why not? "She tends to be fairly busy. Especially nowadays," She said, her tone alluding to nothing in particular- but definitely to something, in general. "I'll keep you company, if that's alright with you- I've been to Moonspear before," She said, taking a few steps forward so that she could sit down, and wrap her tail neatly about her paws. "Such a beautiful home you come from," She said.

Towhee had told Phox to give Niamh and their issues time and space. But she wasn't going to avoid her friend or the topic. In fact, she found herself seeking her blonde pal, hoping she could be there for Niamh as well as Phox. It might be a challenge but Towhee thought she could probably strike that balance.

When she tracked down her friend and found her flirting with a certain someone at the borders, Towhee's stomach fell out of her ass dropped. She was so surprised to see Arcturus here, she immediately made an about face and noped out of there, unaware that she'd just made a noise like a deflating balloon and called all kinds of attention to herself.

I made a teensy edit for clarity. This was a cameo post!

arcturus kept his gaze averted as niamh came closer. he was so out of his element here, so bad at flirting, that niamh's very interest in him seemed inconceivable. his thoughts became more and more uncoordinated, the closer she got. he found himself wondering in an abstract manner if perhaps niamh was one of the vilas in wraen's story -- she fit the bill in every way.. except she was anything but small. arcturus had his own suspicion if it came to it, she would easily hold her own -- possibly even kill him in the process.

he looked deflated as niamh mentioned in a too-slick and sultry voice that his amor was ever so busy these days. with what? a quick sharpness rose to his gaze, fading just as fast as he recovered his composure. he was sure she was just busy with alpha stuff, and surely not stuff like...  boyfriends... "oh, yeah.. it's nice there.." he responded absently, already traveling down a desolate road of despair. thinking of wraen with someone else had him sick with -- what even was it? jealousy? worry?

best not to go down this path, buddy. arcturus mentally chided himself and stood at attention, trying his god damned best to remain cool as a cuke in the presence of what was legiterally a fiery forest-nymph come to seduce him. he was almost back to being the stoic, stalwart arcturus -- until he saw her.

his blood ran cold in an instant. a sudden tingling clamminess shot up his legs and howled down his belly. a look of devastation fell in a dark shadow down his face -- its presence very real -- as towhee turned about. it would be impossible for niamh to miss. arcturus quailed at the inevitable inquiry that would come of it.

Niamh could read signs well enough, when she wanted to, but more often than not she tended to breeze through them with all the grace of a wreckhouse wind making short work of a clothesline. He looked like he was trying not to look at her too much, which she did enjoy, because she interpreted that as a sign that he was attracted to her...But also that he had some reason to be ashamed of thinking she was pretty. The possibility that perhaps he was naturally very shy, or perhaps had once been traumatized by someone who looked like her didn't even cross her mind. Maybe he was absolutely petrified of visiting another pack, or maybe he came with news that he was afraid to deliver- Niamh didn't even consider those possibilities. She saw what she liked to see, and she felt she was pretty much right, regardless of whether or not she was. 

His eyes lifted and his entire posture froze, though, so Niamh casually turned her head to see who it was that could've turned the already nervous boy into a pillar of ice when she saw Towhee. She smiled and opened her mouth to call out- but stiffly, like a cardboard image of herself, Towhee had been turned around and 'noped' off back into the woods, and Niamh wasn't sure if the noise she'd made had been a verbal note of displeasure or some sort of wet fart caused by anxiety but either way, she was having none of this interaction. 

Niamh, naturally, was fascinated. No one made Towhee act like that. 

She looked back and forth for a moment between Arcturus- still looking as though he'd had something very painful shoved through his gut, and the area where Towhee had disappeared, and she found herself compelled to back up a few paces. "Soooo...You've met Towhee," She said slowly, and then realization dawned. 

This totally had to be one of the randoms that Towhee had banged. 

She tried to hide her delight, but was really unable to do so, despite the fact that he was giving every sign that he was not pleased with Towhee, and she was clearly not willing to be caught in a conversation with him either. She practically shivered with barely contained excitement. "So you've....met, Towhee, eh?" She goaded tactlessly, having failed clearly and miserably at the whole idea of reading the room. To make matters worse, potentially, she winked- as though to congratulate him.

it was injurious enough to see towhee so soon after their encounter -- but to have her leave...

arcturus watched her about-face with a slack-jawed, hurt expression; here had been the woman to deflower him (and his innocence) and not only had she left -- but she left again a second time, the very moment she had seen him.

that was salt in his open chest; he winced, the hurt spilling over on his features as he looked from the ruthless amazon to her golden packmate, who now was glancing between the two of them with a familiar dawning in her eyes.

oh, fuck. arcturus shut his eyes as the inevitable came, and when he opened them, niamh's grin was wide as a chasm, and her tone hopelessly goading. he quailed under the wink, feeling in that moment like he would like nothing more than to shrivel inwardly onto himself until he was nothing but a smooth, black pebble inconspicuously in the snow..

he had no defenses for this. he had no way to respond. when he worked his tongue in answer nothing but a gurgle of affirmation came from him - meanwhile his eyes searched the dark copse where towhee's form had appeared,  struck with confusion.

The tension was palpable and for a few moments, Niamh cruelly considered toying with it, pushing him into that uncomfortable area since he already seemed so vulnerable- but then again...This guy had come looking for Wraen. And if he told her that not only had he been traumatized in some way by Towhee, but that he'd also been forced into a very uncomfortable corner by Niamh as well...She figured it wasn't worth it. He uttered something of a sound that more or less confirmed her suspicions, and as she could tell, he wasn't terribly proud about it. 

"Hey, dude, it's OK," She said, relaxing her posture which subsequently moved her back on her haunches, and a few more inches away from him, giving him a bit more room to breathe- as it seemed that he'd more or less stopped doing so. "Towhee's a good friend of mine...She's a good person." She reassured him, unaware of the fact that she probably wasn't helping. She didn't know what he'd gone through in the wake of his escapade with Towhee. Though something was amiss, Niamh blamed their awkwardness on some sort of 'once only' agreement they might've had, and seeing each other this soon after might've been awkward for both of them. "An' don't worry about 'everybody knowing' 'cause I know that's prolly on your mind. Towhee didn't tell me your name- I just guessed." She admitted, in case he was worried that his name might have become gossip around the pack. "An' I won't tell anyone," She said, with a wink and a cheshire grin.

towhee was gone, faded into the cops like a memory. arcturus tore his gaze from where she had disappeared, reluctant to face the grinning she-wolf -- who, he could tell, was sharp enough to sink claws in some very sensitive places, if she so desired.

mercifully, she stepped back. arcturus practically unfolded as she did so, relieved by the gift of space. his gaze watched her distrustfully -- for while she had given him some much needed breathing room, he still was not fond of that glint in her eyes.

then came what was packaged as reassurance, that only served to distress arcturus further. he regretted giving her his name now -- now she knew, and he felt deeply uncomfortable with her knowing something so private. prudish he might be, or maybe just plain naive -- but he wasn't ready for someone else to have a handle on his dirty secrets.

he also had his own opinions about towhee -- finding her named as a good person caused a little gurgle of something -- a nervous disbelieving laugh, maybe -- to grind in his throat. "that's ever so reassuring to hear." he started, realizing sarcasm had slipped into his voice as a coping mechanism for how outrageously uncomfortable he was. "uh. i should go." he offered the barest of smiles, one that was worn quick and discarded -- and made to leave unless niamh said otherwise.

he felt a lot of conflicting emotions at the moment, and in his stormy mind's eye, thought it best he leave quickly -- before more people arrived to unhinge his composure further.

Niamh's curt jollity, seeing the male squirm, faded quickly when he insinuated that her humour had worn too thin, and with that one, wry remark, he set off to leave. Niamh could have simply let him go- but why should she? Now, he'd triggered a more keen, predatory response in her, and though the slight smirk remained on her features, her eyes narrowed. His tone inferred that he did not believe what she'd said about Towhee...And that meant that he probably didn't even like Towhee. And that simply wasn't alright. There was a storm brewing within her, and though it felt distant enough that all she cuold sense was the slight tightening in air pressure, she couldn't help herself but skirt swiftly around the male, and not quite block his path- but place herself as a guardian of his exit- her body language clearly meant to delay him, if only for a moment longer. 

"Leave? And not see Wraen? I will tell her you visited," She said, her voice light, but not quite concealing the manipulative idea of keeping him there at least long enough to see his visit through. He was a curious creature- not at all like the Moonspear wolves she'd previously met, as he seemed to be much more feeble in constitution. Easily rattled. And Niamh always enjoyed giving a rattle a good shaking. "May as well pass along a message, hmn?" She probed lightly, her tone still friendly enough, but the twitching of her tail might have indicated that she was prodding at him with a keen fixation, like a cat eyeing a mouse they've already caught and injured. Soon enough, she'd likely lose interest- but for now, she simply waited, watching, for him to move.

arcturus turned to leave, and found himself nearly buried face-first in gilded fur.

he stepped back, his goldenrod gaze flickering from the bulwark, to the pair of eyes belonging to said bulwark. niamh's means to delay him were unexpected to say the least, and arcturus was just shrewd enough to realize she was messing with him -- for fun.

he couldn't say he liked that realization; his eyes fell sharp upon niamh, studying the grin that persisted across her gold-plumed face. he was not often the subject of torment, and finding himself at the end of the bully's spear didn't sit well within him. he had learned long ago, having many bullish members for family, that sometimes being direct was the best way to de-escalate a situation.

out of the corner of his gaze arcturus watched as the wren feather fluttered off in a light breeze. he returned to niamh, ignoring both her suggestion, and the open-ended query. "why are you messing with me?" his tone was bald, and his eyes clear: conveying he was measuring every iota of facial shift in her expression, to better understand what made niamh interested in being so antagonizing.

Like most bullies, all it took was a bit of confidence reflected back at her in order to rattle her. And when Arctuturus looked up at her again with stern indignition in his features, she realized she was making a mistake in picking on someone like him. She felt mildly flustered, and attempted to backpedal, covering her lighthearted (albeit cruel) mischeif with sincerity. She shrugged her shoulders and tipped her ears back, in an image of modesty. 

"I just thought, if you'd come all this way, you'd want to leave a message," She replied simply, her tone innocent enough. "Or, you're very welcome to wait here, with me, for Wraen...I hope you understand, but as Sergeant-at-Arms, if I don't know you, I can't simply let you go looking for someone, unescorted. It's my job to be somewhat fussy about strangers on the borders...Especially if I see one of my packmates reacting to them the way Towhee did." She concluded, slyly trying to place some of the blame on him. If he had that effect on her best friend- how could she then be expected to trust he really was one of Wraen's friends? "Have to keep the pack's best interests at heart. Scout's honour," She said, with a promising smile.

in the end, all it took were a few well-thrusted words. hah -- who would have thought arcturus would eloquently master the pen rather than the sword?

he was visibly taken aback by the shift in demeanor, but then again, he had been on edge this entire time. niamh was far more articulate than he, and he listened with a line of disbelief crinkling his forehead. he could tell the blame was being shifted back to him, but he would bear that burden if only it meant niamh would not go digging further.

in the end she was right, and he could not fault her for that. he did not wish to linger here, and understood as a guardian himself, that the presence of a stranger on the borders was most distasteful. dipping his head in acceptance, arcturus responded in an even baritone. "i understand." he would have done the same. "no message at this time. i simply wished to see her. i will be on my way." curt, perfunctory, and still incredibly uncomfortable, arcturus managed a slow bow before he made to once more make his leave.

Still with her pride slghtly ruffled, Niamh did her best to maintain her innocence, while he excused himself. It seemed that Wraen would not, then, get to visit with Arcturus that day- and should she cross paths with the leader she would likely mention that he'd come, called, waited, but had then left of his own volition. Had she known that Wraen was aware of the situation between Arcturus and Towhee, she might have used that to her advantage, but this wasn't exactly her business, so she knew nothing of it. Satisfied with allowing him to go, so at least he couldn't make any more accusations, she stepped aside, and gave him a nod. "Safe travels home," She said, and as he left, she shot him a dark smile. Well, that had been interesting. But not interesting enough- so Niamh sniffed, scuffed the ground with her feet to reinforce the border in that area, before she continued on her patrol.