Herbalists' Cache This Land

@Dante - others also welcome

Emptiness had bored its way into Taikon. His heart felt as though it had been removed and replaced with dirt. He couldn't feel anything the way that he used to. All he felt was occasional heat, a temperature change that signalled either fury or lust. Neither were things he much cared for.
The white wolf had long been avoiding the pathways that he had once walked with her. The body of the blue-eyed healer had been found not far from where his paws squished against the wet earth. The squelching of mud between his toes was hardly pleasant, but he did not care. He recalled her voice, and wished hard that Aphrodite might join him at his side once more.
A deep part of him wanted to cry. The raindrops slid down his cheeks, which satisfied this need somewhat. Why had she walked into his life only to walk back out of it again? Nothing made any sense. Not the newcomers at Whitebark, not Donovan or his army, and certainly not Taikon himself being part of a pack. He had to remind himself constantly that he stayed for Juniper. He stayed to defend against the threat that would surely rise from the Saints.
He wanted to scream. Instead, he merely continued walking through the rain, his legs stained with mud and other muck from the forest floor.

There were pine needles stuck to Dante's face. They fucking itched. It hadn't been his intention, to get himself covered in mud and assaulted by pine needles, but the rabbit had been just (just) out of his reach and he'd really thought that he'd make the leap. He hadn't. Still, he'd certainly faced worse than a little mud, and the rain had been graciously rinsing him since the incident, the debris beginning to wash from his fur as he walked. 

Dante loved the rain, he did, and when the showers had started to become heavier, he really had thought that he wouldn't mind it so much. Still, it was beginning to become a bit superfluous. Herbalist's fall was gushing with water (and hardly made for a good place to warm one's body now), the willows were constantly dripping, and the court was beginning to have concerns that if the excess water didn't dial back soon, the dens might be at risk. 

Huffing a heavy sigh at the thought, Dante shook his face out once again, continuing in his slow trot along the damp ground. Just as he'd begun to turn back in the direction of the court -empty-handed as ever-  a flutter of movement caught his eye, and Dante found himself gazing upon a large pallid figure, similarly muddy, as they padded along. Slowing in his tracks, Dante called out a friendly, Mud's a bitch, innit? He'd found since the rains he'd been able to bond with a stranger or two over their mutual predicament; he figured it couldn't hurt to try his luck now, seeing as his hunts had (once again) been spoiled. He awaited the stranger's response with only a slight apprehension, hoping his friendly demeanor had carried even from the distance at which the two plodded along.

A figure came into view, distinctly feminine. The voice that followed did not match up, and Taikon squinted, sniffing at the air tentatively as his step slowed to a halt. It is, he called back, studying the form closely and trying to determine gender. The young wolf seemed male, despite his modelesque, slender build. Taikon was used to things generally being one way or another. He was reminded briefly of Gracious, who though quite feminine, had been a massive animal who had practically towered over him.
Despite this initial confusion, Taikon smiled weakly as he moved closer to the stranger. Given his posture and demeanour, he was no foe. I'm more worried about this rain, though. If it doesn't let up soon, I fear the rivers will flood, he looked up at the sky, sneering at the rain clouds. The conifer trees protected them some from the downpour, but Whitebark Stream would surely be rising given the length of time this had gone on. If the area flooded, the pack could be forced out to surrounding territories.
Remembering his manners, Taikon gave a deep bow of his head, introducing himself calmly. I'm Taikon of Whitebark Stream, he said, still offering a pleasant smile. It had become more difficult for him to exchange pleasantries this way lately, but kindness was usually worth the effort.

Dante relaxed further as a response was given, his tail wagging softly as the man (he was quite sure) approached and brow quirking slightly as he observed him. The warm tones that snuck into his pale coat brought to mind one of the elders from Innisfree; Callan, he thought he recalled her name to be. She'd been one of the worst storytellers Dante'd ever met in his life, and he inwardly chuckled at the thought. The two's light coats were where their similarities ended, though; Callan having possessed eyes of green much like many of the Innisfree wolves where the stranger's were a striking gold of sorts, as well as having had a much more wiry and lanky frame than the broad man before him. He pondered over what the woman might be doing now before refocusing in on the approaching figure. 

His eye's caught immediately to the man's as he spoke, studying their bright intensity while he listened. Dante shared the man's concerns with a near-imperceptible grimace, his head bobbing along in a soft nod even before he'd finished. Yes, it looks like that might be the case. I've been trying to catch up on hunting before all of the prey are driven out by the waters but, he gave a wry smile, glancing down with some humour to the state of his empty jaws and muddy form, No luck today I suppose. 

The boy's eyes flicked over the other once again, bright with interest at his greeting bow. Ever the expressive young wolf, his ears perked up further as Taikon stated he was from Whitebark Stream. His smile deepened slightly, eyes flicking over him once more with heightened curiosity. Whitebark, you say? I figure that makes us allies then, he continued, dipping his head slightly in the manner his acquaintance had offered, Name's Dante, of Seelie Court. S'a pleasure. He cocked his head then, allowing a few moments to pass before adding on, his grin dulling notably, I travelled to yours recently, actually. Grimmer news than rain, unfortunately. I assume you're aware of the situation with The Saints, then? His inquiry was gentle, not wanting to press should the other in fact not be informed on all that was happening.

Tag for reference, making some assumptions about what Artyom told him/didn't tell him

If the river began to flood, there was a very real potential that the pack would need to be moved to higher ground. Thankfully, the pups were old enough to manage an adventure like that. All of this turmoil was not what he had anticipated when he joined the Whitebarks. With Aphrodite dead and others missing, injured, or the like, things were not looking great for the pack. Time that should have been spent rearing strong pups before winter was instead filled with anxiety and fear about what was going to happen next. Taikon supposed that in some ways, this was still an improvement over the days of basic survival that predated these.
The young male gestured to himself, and Taikon nodded once. Indeed, he said. Hunting as it rained so was difficult in the best of times, but the sheer amount had turned everything muddy and miserable.
When the boy said they were allies, the white male brightened immediately. With all of this talk of threats in the area, from both land and now sky, he was more than ready to meet a friendly face. He nodded excitedly at the introduction. He knew little of Seelie Court, but had learned from his pack mates that they were also newly formed. Slowly but surely, Taikon was learning more about the different personas of packs in the area. He was pretty sure he had chosen the "good guys."
Oh, he began, as Dante spoke of The Saints. @Artyom had told him some, but not the entire backstory. He knew only that Donovan was the terrible sort from Aphrodite's story, and there was still a strong temptation to blame her death on the brute despite the facts contrary. I'm not sure about the current 'situation,' I know that Dawn was attacked and that the Saints were organized by this... Donovan, who also hurt Aph—others. What other bad news is there? Taikon couldn't bring himself to say her name again out loud. The wound still hurt terribly.

Dante nodded along with the man's words, his brow furrowing at Donovan's name once again. Yes, He began in a stern tone that was nearly foreign to him, that's just the start of it. They've attacked others from our neighbouring packs, and our court members have gotten into several scuffles with their wolves due to encounters where they've encroached on our borders. It's... He trailed off, closing his eyes with a sigh. S'not ideal. His jaw twitched slightly with annoyance at the thought. He'd just begun to find a home, a family, and not a moon or two into it, malevolence had already found it's way to their territory. 

The young boy gave one last shake of his head before meeting the other's level gaze again. The weather is too gloomy for me to be adding any more worries to this day. Care for a stroll? I'd like to hear about what brings you a ways from home, if you're not too busy, he offered it casually, not wanting to press the fellow should he have other business to go about, but eager nonetheless to learn about the new face.

Taikon's lip twitched as Dante relayed this information, disheartened that the Court's hand had been forced in this brutal, arrogant manner. Such behaviour was against the white wolf's principals, and to hear that it came from a bunch of rogue idiots angered him more than it probably should have. Had he been in better fighting shape, he would have been tempted to aid Dante and his family in their fight.
No, it isn't, he agreed, shaking his head angrily. But the young male was ready to let this gloom go for the time being. Though Taikon struggled with this, it was the first time since the healer's death that anyone had been properly kind to him. He was not about to pass up positivity, even if it moved against his nature.
Sure, yeah, I'm not, the prince agreed, beginning at a walk that was uncharacteristically slow for him. Normally he travelled at a quick pace, but this was something that made for poor conversation and a lot more mud on the fur. He had to think about what to respond with as far as why was away from the Stream. He almost started talking about his homeland, but recalled that it was not mentioned. It was not information he was about to volunteer.
I wander often from Whitebark; I think I have trouble staying there all the time. The pack has been.. he stopped for a moment, unsure of whether to reveal any weakness. Things have been strange. Low, even, he finished, staring at the ground as he moved.

Dante found himself rather pleased as the other man took up his offer, starting after him a moment later and padding alongside with an eagerness to his step. Though his head was set forth towards the trail, the young man couldn't keep his eyes from flicking to Taikon as he spoke, observing his expression carefully and nodding along to his words with hyper-focus- well, as close to hyper-focus as Dante could get, what with his head always halfway in the clouds. 

Trouble?[/] he inquired gently, his brow furrowing as he slowed his paws and stopped a foot or two ahead of Taikon, shifting so he faced the pale man. [q]When you say low, do you mean...In spirits are you low? Is it Donovan? Or do you mean numbers? Forgive me- I hope I'm not pressing you, my curiosity tends to get the best of me sometimes, he finished with a half-hearted laugh, mind still mulling over the ivory wolf's words. The last he'd seen of Whitebark, Artyom himself had admitted he wasn't sure they had the resources to aid Seelie in their strife. Was it possible that things had gone downhill for them more than Dnate had originally thought? His pelt itched slightly with the urge to go to Lumiya; if their allies were struggling, surely the fair queen would wish to uplift them as best as she could.

Dante listened well to him as he spoke. It felt rather odd to have someone interested in what he had to say. He was starting to get more used to opening up around the right company. It was something he struggled with, but appeared to come fairly naturally as he grew comfortable around more people. It was much easier when said company was an elegant young man like this.
As the Court member grew pensive and asked further questions, Taikon's nose twitched. He blinked, pausing for a long time after the boy had apologized for pushing for more information. The white male's mouth was partially open, as though he wanted to speak, but did not have the words. He searched for them.
I'm all right, he lied, but our members have been unsettled since the death of our healer. Others too had gone missing before that, and with the Saints threat looming, people are anxious. The biggest problem for him was that young Juniper was no longer herself. The death of the healer had forced her into a very long mourning period. Taikon knew that it was unlikely she would emerge at the end of the tunnel as the spirited child he had known before. His scrub was changing.
Or, maybe it was him that was changing. How is the Court holding? He changed the subject as quickly as he could, feeling pain in the pit of his stomach.

Sorry for the wait! School's been keeping me crazy busy

The young man was quick to fret, his brow creasing at Taikon's wide maw, his following nod slow and thoughtful. Understandably so, he murmured, eyes licking away momentarily as his own neck prickled once again at the thought of the saints. I'm sorry. About the death of your healer, I mean. I didn' realize you'd lost one of your own, his words were genuine, despite the fact that his thoughts had briefly wandered. 

He collected himself once again to respond to the question posed, his ears flicking slightly as he pondered his answer. The Court...it's so new for me, you know?  I suppose I haven't bee around long enough to see what our normal state would be, his throat clicked with his swallow, his eyes darting up to meet the larger man's That said, I'm sure we could be doing better. Our troubles are similar to yours, the...Saints and all. But really, I think we'll be okay. Lumiya is as fair and strong a leader as anyone could ask for. The faeries are so welcoming... it'll be okay. We'll be okay, he finished with a soft sigh, a wry and slightly sad smile flitting over his features.

No worries!

As Dante expressed very real sympathy for the loss, Taikon struggled to maintain his composure. His eyes began to water. He scraped the front of his claws against the ground as he walked, as though unable to pick up his feet. Nobody seemed to have realized they had lost Aphrodite. Only those within the pack had been affected, and he seemed to be most of all. Taikon had tried everything to find her before it was too late. The copper-faced healer had haunted his dreams in her absence. When he found her... well, the dreams had not stopped; they had changed.
The prince pushed her out of his mind, hard. Dante spoke of Seelie Court. The "faeries" as he called them, were also struggling with similar things. Though Dante seemed the settled sort, he let loose that he was indeed new to the Court. Taikon guessed that he was simply a dispersing male, and wondered where he hailed from originally. Lumiya. It was a name he stored for later, knowing it would come in handy.
It's hard to be in a new place, for sure, said Taikon, very aware of this anxiety. Their eyes met for a moment. Taikon felt.. strange, as though he was with a woman, and wanting to comfort..her..him. He swallowed. You'll be okay, and if you're not, you can always call on others, like me, he said, fully meaning it. Though he was unpracticed, he was very ready to throw himself into a fight and get himself killed for the sake of good. He did not want to live in a world where Donovan ruled. That would not happen.