Phoenix Maplewood she has used ancient and sanctified words

@Saena and/or @Reek, maybe? <3

it had been a long trek, but lasher found it worthwhile. the plateau had not done correctly in failing to inform saena first of her sister's murder, then her aunt's disappearance, and now that osprey had returned, the dark beta took leave of his borders and paced himself for a long journey.

once the plateau wolves had relocated, visiting the maplewood -- if she would have them -- would not be so arduous, and he looked forward to that time. he caught his niece's scent some ways after he had managed to cross the range, but rested for the night along a rocky ridge.

courteously, the man caught a foolish goose at sunrise and held it within his jaws as he approached the borders of what he presumed to be saena's land. lasher set down the limp body and gave a short howl for the pale girl, hoping that she would appear, and that she would not be harsh with him, though he would understand if she bore hard words.

The inclement weather that seemed to follow Reek had finally given him a break. The sun was back with rare intensity and with it came a warmth reminiscent of spring.  Perhaps the winter that loomed over the horizon wouldn't be as harsh as he initially expected. Still, it was foolish to judge a season on the circumstances of a single day, but it was nice to imagine that the sunshine carried weight.

Reek wandered through the wood in a state of contentment.  The saccharine taste of maple sap still stuck to his tongue and teeth as he drifted from tree to tree.  It was like living in a damn candy-store. He opened his mouth and found that it had nearly become stuck together.  Everything was sticky, but Reek didn't care, (he was usually caked in something anyway).

His haphazard course through the wood was interrupted by a howl on the border.  Knowing that all good fun must come to an end, Reek stopped his galavanting and traveled toward the summons like a good warden would.  The wolf waiting at the border was vaguely familiar and it took Reek a moment to finally put a name to his face. Finally it clicked. "Lasher!" he greeted with a cheery smile.  There last meeting had been uncomfortable, but Reek carried no tension with him.  "What brings you to the Maplewood?"

as he awaited an answer to his call, the druid became aware of the cloying stickiness in the air as well, a sweet and thickly scent of maple, one that clung to the breath and brow. it was not unpleasant, but he imagined the experience could become so in a short time. however, his ponderings were short-lived -- he returned the broad smile tossed his way by the scraggling reek and dipped his muzzle respectfully.

"hello. this is for saena, or yourself," the man intoned, pushing the limp goose toward the maplewood alpha with a gentle motion. "our last meeting ended badly, but saena's aunt osprey has returned unto us, and i wished to bring her the word of it, as i failed to do so before."

Lasher's howl had not gone unnoticed, but nor had the pang of irritation that followed in its wake. The alpha of the Phoenix pack had not been to see her former family at Blacktail Deer Plateau since the discovery of Osprey's death. She couldn't bring herself to show any reliance on them, not when they'd failed to show her any priority. Saena may have left the plateau behind, but held fast to the belief that it was necessary she had done so. Had she remained, she never would've met Reek, and she would still be beneath Dante, of that she was certain. As she aged and became more mature (she thought), she realized (or led herself to believe) that Dante would only bow his head to one wolf: his reflection.

He'd proven it when they'd both told her that they already knew of Junior and furthermore of Osprey and he'd shown no remorse for having failed to even try to inform her. Lasher had shown it, but Saena had forgotten already in her disappointment that he was not equally to blame for indifference.

So while Saena did rise from her place betwixt the roots of a maple tree, and while she did head in Lasher's direction, it was not with the intent of engaging. She would approach, perhaps close enough to watch from the safety of the trees, or she would stand imperially in his sights and bid him leave with silence alone. The beta had always been like a father figure, but he too had failed to sense any urgency in informing Saena of the deaths of her family members. He too was a player in her immature blame game, one she would likely not stop playing until she was old and greying.

She approached, spied his dark figure against the bright plain, and hid herself as best she could between two trees. She would've remained there until he left, but the sound of a cheery voice calling out, Lasher! made her wince. Her whiskered lips twitched into an expression of discomfort when Reek stepped forth to meet the plateau beta warmly. She herself did not move. Her stark white coat was likely not completely inconspicuous in the shadow of the maplewood, but she hoped to remain unseen. She had no desire to interact with Lasher or hear his apologies this time.

This can be a cameo post, or they can notice her lurking, just tag me again if you go that route! :)

Blissfully unaware of the proximity of his bitter mate, Reek continued on with Lasher like one would with an old friend. After all, he was family (sort of).  Part of Reek figured the bitterness that Saena held with the plateau would fade with time, as most things do. Lasher was making an active effort to repair the bridge that had burned. Surely, Saena could find it in her heart to forgive him at least for his mistakes. Unfortunately, Reek was mistaken in his assumption.

Reek first made notice of the goose Lasher nudged toward him. The longer he eyed it, the more his mouth watered with wanting. "Thanks Lasher," he gratefully responded. "I'll make sure to share this with Saena." It was a small morsel, of course— but it was brought for them both to enjoy and Reek wouldn't deprive Lasher of the sentiment.  

He made mention of Osprey; truthfully Reek did not recognize the name and it took a couple moments for everything to click back into place. Her disappearance had been the catalyst to spawn the tension between the two packs. Obviously, this was information Saena would want to know. "That's good to hear," he replied, sighing with relief. "I'll make sure to tell her as soon as I see her next."

@Saena i figured he would still sorta look for her but im not going to have him address her, so it's up to u what u want to do with her! <3

as reek's eyes fell to the goose that the druid had brought, lasher became aware of a small shadow-stippled bit of white fur betwixt the dark boles of two trees. while it could easily be a member of the maplewood pack, he saw no reason for any creature other than saena to look upon them.

disheartened by her assumed refusal to join her mate in receiving his apologies, and thus standing firm upon the clay feet of her rejection, lasher nevertheless warmed the phoenix leader with an affectionate grin. "i appreciate it." small talk was last upon the list of lasher's desires, and yet he forced himself to find words all the same, for such was their lot.

"it seems you have fared well here," he observed. "i am glad. the winter may be a harsh one, it seems." lasher spoke with a comfort he did not feel, but did not glance again to the silent form of saena.

Saena settled herself quietly behind the trees. She craned her neck so one indigo eye was situated in a fork so she could see the scene in part. There was something at her husband's feet, presumably a gift, that made Saena feel a little guilty for her behaviour. But instead of succumbing to it like she ought to have, the yearling stiffened her lip and grew rigid.

Her intent was to remain hidden, but the soft sound of their conversation reached through the trees and Lasher's last statement piqued her curiosity. However upset she was with him, however much she wanted to turn him and his good will away, news of a harsh winter was worth hearing. It took her a few moments to gather her wits, but then she stepped out from the trees into plain view of her mate and the plateau beta. Her eyes were not completely devoid of warmth as she descended a small rise to approach the pair, though she moved far closer to Reek than she did Lasher. Ordinarily she would've reached out to touch him affectionately, but she was closed off now, albeit her gaze held the slightest hint of culpability.

"What makes you say that?" she asked in a tone that was more business-like that casual. She didn't look at Reek, yet, but he probably felt her tension keenly. She wasn't ready to forgive the plateau for overlooking her. Not yet.

For a moment, Reek looked back at the troubles that had plagued his pack since the Rise went up in flames. Appearances were one thing, but reality was another. Their settlement had been a continuous struggle. It felt as if misfortune followed the wolves of the maplewood ever since that fateful storm, and Reek hoped for an indefinite lull, but with winter coming fast, he knew no lull was coming any time soon. Nothing bad had happened recently, but even that was starting to leave a bad taste in Reek's mouth because it only made him expect the worse even more.

Instead of launching into a tiresome speech about their troubles, Reek decided to lie and tell Lasher: all within the maplewood was well. However, he wasn't able to utter the words before his mate withdrew from her hiding spot. Reek nearly jumped with surprise and the words he planned to say were lost from his head.

His mind was blank like radio-static. He reached for the goose and grabbed it by it's neck before turning to his mate and dropping it at her forepaws. "He brought us a bird!" he exclaimed, awkwardly expressing the obvious in the thick tension of the moment.

before reek could respond, saena's pearled form slipped from the shadows, and her approach was cool, bespeaking a task rather than a pleasure to see the earthen servant. lasher was hard-pressed to keep the same from his own tones; he bowed once and proffered an amused smile in reek's direction before his attention returned to his distant niece.

"the winds from the sea will blow the storms inward, and they run icy even now. the waves are rimed with frost, and those who approach the beach may not be able to return once the snows fall." he would not beg their leave, not yet, but saena's demeanour had dampened the rapport betwixt himself and her mate.

however, it was well-warranted, her lingering anger -- taltos was merely grateful that she had not chased him from her borders upon sight.

Saena ought to have been less cold. Lasher had done far more for her in life than he had ever wronged her. But the woman clung to wrong-doings like flies to shit, and oft forgot the better things, the things for which she should have been grateful. Her immaturity was evident even now and it would be another year, perhaps, before she really grew out of it. Still, the woman wrongfully prided herself on having the "maturity" to face Lasher without showing her teeth in disdain. All the druid's past care and attention was so easily forgotten. A shame, really.

She glanced at the bird that Reek indicated and smiled, her resolve shaken a little. To bring a gift, Lasher must not have meant poorly. Perhaps in time she would even accept his apology. For now, though, she made it clear that all was not forgiven—that only time would heal the sting of being considered insignificant—with the maintenance of her cool, not unfriendly but not familiar either, demeanor.

She wanted to say, "thanks for sharing", but the words that actually came out were, "what brings you here, Lasher?" It was probably more callous than making small talk, but Saena was feeling strangely succinct of late. Probably if there was a wall nearby, Reek would be smashing his head against it with how much frustration her distant manner might elicit. Or maybe he agreed with her and was simply better at hiding his emotions. She did find her husband hard to read at times, but she dared not to look at him now for fear of disapproval.

Reek understood her righteous fury in an honest sense. It was something he could relate to in a grand scale because, he never let go of a grudge. Truthfully, it was something he admired about Saena; something he loved. But in this instance, Reek did not hold the same feelings toward Lasher. Perhaps, it was because he never knew Saena's family in the first place. He didn't hold the same attachment that she did, and because of this, the anger he shared with his mate faded not long after they returned from the plateau— and after the fire destroyed Redtail Rise, the whole grievance had sort of faded from his consciousness.

He could feel the tension in his bones. The amicable meeting between him and Lasher was now anything but.  Reek fell completely silent with eyes transfixed on his mate while she waited for an answer.

sorry to yank lasher out but i dont believe he would stay long! ily guyz tho <3

while saena was not truly cold toward the druid, her tones denied any amiability that might have arrived in the midst of their meeting. reek fell silent -- the pale female commanded their meeting, and lasher paid her the proper deference, lowering his own stance. it was upon the tip of his tongue to reveal the plateau's move to the coast, but wisdom warned quietly that saena may not take kindly to the news, and so lasher remained mute upon that subject.

"osprey has returned. a little worse for wear, and weary, but alive. i felt that it was prudent of me to visit and bring the news of this to you," the man added softly, though he neither hinted toward nor mentioned their last ill-fated meeting. there was a sense of forbiddance between the three of them, and while taltos would always love saena as if she were truly his blood-niece, he felt it sagacious to decamp at this time.

"i must return home now, but my day has brightened for seeing the both of you," lasher murmured, his gaze sweeping warmly betwixt reek and the pale girl. a dip of the muzzle, now with a subtle scatter of silver hairs, was given unto the maplewood pair, and the druid turned to canter the direction he had come.

once he was out of sight, lasher allowed the hurt to curve his mouth into a frown, to knit his brow. as before, he accepted that they had wronged saena, even if dante did not, but to be removed from his family was unwanted by the druid, and he remained ever hopeful that their charred bond might one day be mended.

She ought to have felt bad. She should've been more forgiving, perhaps keeping in mind her own shortcomings in life. That wasn't the case, though. It was much too easy to hold grudges, to keep the hurt and anger pent up and wield it like a weapon. In the silence between them, she was the tensest of all, poised on the balls of her feet as if ready to fly into a tirade any second, but she held her cool long enough for Lasher to speak.

And then she did feel bad, because the druid had travelled all this way not with illusions that he would be received warmly, but with news. To correct the wrong of his alpha, presumably. And Saena felt the fight leave her at the very moment that Lasher announced his departure and turned to leave. She took a step in his direction, toying with what she should say, but nothing came to her lips and soon he was too far away.

She stood solidly in one place, watching after him with eyes dancing with uncertainty, and grew rigid. Reek was surely not blind to this turmoil and the fact that Lasher's intent, now revealed, had softened her anger. She only hoped that her mate would leave her to war with herself on this and wouldn't attempt to discuss it right now, if only because she wasn't sure how she would respond.

Their exchange was so awkward: for most of the time after his mate arrived, Reek tirelessly looked for an escape route. However, the opportunity to take his leave didn't present itself in time, and Reek spent the rest of their terse meeting with a dumb expression plastered all across his face.  Lasher once again went over the information he had previously told Reek, but this time for Saena's ears. After the job was done, he turned tail and left.

In Reek's mind, there was something respectable about Lasher making the journey all the way to the Maplewood to correct Dante's oversight, but Reek didn't let on to his wife that he felt that way... at least, not yet.  She would need her time to be angry.  Of course, it was only natural to feel such a way and Reek was hard pressed to interfere with the process.  

Instead, he would offer his silent support. He neared his mate's side and could see her muscles had grown taut and rigid he pressed his face against her neck and offered no words, but he wanted to make it abundantly clear; he was with her no matter what.