Neverwinter Forest anything but to breathe

Attn: @Eshe @Scimitar

As promised, Goober returned to Neverwinter Forest the following day after meeting Eshe. As an act of gratitude, a freshly-killed rabbit hung from his jaws. The Frostfur girl had been ever so gracious and thoughtful, so Goober wanted to repay that act with a token of his appreciation. Returning to the same spot where Eshe had greeted him yesterday, Goober dropped the rabbit, took a deep breath, and howled. Fingers toes crossed, she wouldn't be terribly far away.

Eshe, after talking to Scimitar, heard the howl and sprinted toward it. In good time, as ever, Eshe arrived before Goober with a grin. Goober! I found out stuff! She beamed, obviously incredibly happy to be helpful. Okay, so my mate knew a Saena. He knows they went to a Maplewood Forest! She tried to sift through her mind to see if she could remember if he had named the pack... but when on the spot, she seemed to blank on it for the moment. But the fact of the matter was, she knew something... that Saena was alive, and that she lived in the Maplewood. As for Reek's fate, well, that she didn't know.

"Eshe!" Goober greeted when she appeared from within the depths of the forest. His body wriggled from nose to tail when she bounded toward him. When she explained that a) her mate knew Saena and b) Saena went to Maplewood Forest, Goober leapt for joy. All four of his feet left the ground at once. "Eshe, that's awesome news!" he exclaimed, so excited that he would have something to tell Smash.

Now that it had been confirmed by two wolves (Eshe and Cicero), Goober was even more certain that they were both telling the truth. He hadn't been too sure about Cicero's information, just because the guy had seemed a little bit off. "That's what somebody else told me, too, so it's gotta be true!" Goober breathed a sigh of relief, looking forward to seeing Smash again.

Sorry.. been sick. <3 Now trying to play catch up.

Eshe had asked him of Saena and her pack – and with ease, he had informed his mate that indeed, he knew of her, and the red-eared woman had moved her pack from Redtail Rise to Phoenix Maplewood after the storm that had also stirred their pack from their home. The tale was less than impressive, but he had been rewarded with a gentle kiss, and she had been keen to tell this wolf of her news for him.
 
His Eshe, always so eager to help.
 
The howl drew him forward – a voice he did not recognize, and yet when he came upon the scene, he noted the wriggling wolf, and his excited wife revealing the news she had for him. Had he known his mate had completely given the poor wolf the wrong pack name, he would have spoke up to gently correct it – but only as he drew up could he hear them, and his presence was indicated to the silver she-wolf with a gentle graze of her shoulder with his muzzle, before swinging it to the strange wolf. “You must be the wolf my mate has told me about – you’re looking for Saena’s pack?”

Saena had valued privacy, and so he regarded the stranger, curious to whether or not the wolf had been truthful.

It was the good ol' game of telephone; she had misheard, and misinterpreted the pack name. But it did not, at least, take away from the point. I know! I was so happy to hear it! So, maybe that Reek you spoke about is with her there, she nodded, hopeful of this, too, if only because all else had turned out well.

Someone else had told him, too, which she grinned at. Happy to verify, confirm, an' all that, too! She was just plain happy about it all, and happier when she heard the approach of her mate. Why, he could probably tell Goober himself as he was here! Straight from the source, Goober would get the news.

She felt him beside her, and turned to nuzzle his face and lick his maw as it swept over her shoulder; she intended to always kiss him goodmorning, hello, see you later, and goodnight, and was making good on it. As he regarded Goober, Eshe grinned. This is my mate, Scimitar. And this is the very wolf I told you about, the one named Goober. That's a name that'll stick with ya, she grinned, her tail whipping behind her.

Eshe (again) confirmed his suspicions, which only made him more confident. He could find Smash's friends and relay everything back to them, lead them to Redtail Rise, and it would be one hell of a reunion. Goober was already looking forward to it. Another wolf approached, and Goober could only assume it was Eshe's mate, the one she'd mentioned previously. Goober's stance went to deference, if only because Scimitar didn't radiate the same happy-go-lucky attitude that Eshe had. Not only that, but he felt like a slightly awkward third wheel when Eshe proceeded to lick Scimitar's muzzle.

"I am!" Goober said, confirming both of their questions and statements. "Smash, a friend of mine, she's trying to reunite with them." He wasn't sure how much of the details Smash would be comfortable sharing with what seemed to be near strangers, so he left it at that. "Is there anything I can do for you, since the both of you helped out so much?"

He was welcomed by his mate with a kiss – an action that stirred the hint of a smile to his lips and his eyes flickered to her for a stolen moment of fondness. The silver she-wolf confirmed their visitor’s intentions, and the Frostfur wolf cast an appraising glance to the stranger, curious as to the man’s story and if it had been presented as factual. Saena, if memory served, was a wolf who liked to keep her privacy – it was possible she would not be happy knowing the Frostfur’s had given a stranger her location.
 
His posture relaxed at the words of the tawny wolf, though he continued to study him. “And Smash is friends with the previous Redtail Rise members?” Reunions did not necessarily spell out a happy visit – and so the dark agouti wolf was quick to cut to the chase.

Eshe smiled at the two of them, and at her mates question, recalled her own vagueness to him. Sorry, I'd been in such a rush to get the information out, Goober, my fault. Smash used to run with 'em, as a part of the pack. She promised them she'd return, on account of 'em being friends, but the place was burnt to a crisp when she got back. There was a fire! Eshe realized her assumption and glanced back to Goober, I mean, I'd think they were friends, since she made that promise and all... Dispersed on good terms.

Ah, clerical error. She felt like a bad filer, but did not wilt for her potential error. She didn't think Goober was a bad guy, after all, and felt that he was doing a good deed. Didn't seem he did favors for just anybody, even as he offered them a favor. Well, she knew him, didn't she? Well enough?

As for the favor, she glanced at Scimitar. She had nothing on the brain to think of, by way of favors; maybe he would.

Goober opened his mouth to assure Scimitar that Smash didn't have any foul intentions, but Eshe was quick to come to the rescue. It felt even more credible coming from her, and he was perfectly happy with that. "Exactly what Eshe said," Goober replied, though he had been nodding along the whole time. He couldn't imagine Smash being anything less than a jovial, loving wolf.

Neither of them had taken him up on his favor offer, but he waited expectantly in case they had anything in mind. Goober did want to give back to those who helped him.

Eshe was quick to jump to the man’s defense, and so Scimitar offered a nod, allowing the topic to drift from that. He knew of Redtail Rise burning – a part of Nova Peak had done so as well, which had found Scimitar and his pack seeking refuse with the newly claimed Phoenix Maplewood pack for a few nights, given the age of his first litter.
 
His heart panged at the memory, but he shook his mind of the reveries. “If we think of something, we’ll let you know,” he murmured then, partially joking. He didn’t think they would need to call upon the man for a favor, but perhaps time would tell.

Eshe waved her tail and grinned at Goober. With that business settled, if he wanted to depart them he certainly could. Eshe shifted her wait and said, Do you do rainchecks? with a little grin. She supposed Goober wasn't looking to make this his residence since he spoke of offering them something to repay him when they could have offered him a home, and they could simply keep at life helping one another in the cyclical manner that wolves did. Eshe didn't begrudge him that, though. He had to do what he had to do... but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed to see him go.

Where you heading anyhow, Goobs? She considered him a friend, really. He was chatty, talkative, and as excitable as she herself was. It was nice, and she loved it, and felt he would love Goldhawk or Kyron... but wouldn't force anything upon him. I'd love to visit ya at some point, when things are more settled here. If that's cool with you, and you're gonna be local-ish, glancing to Scimitar, she grinned, Plus that way, we can make sure we use that rain check! Before looking back to Goober with a playful grin. It was obvious she was more interested in maintaining the friendship than anything else.

It was hard for Goober to understand the dynamic between the two very, very different wolves. How could Eshe even dream of being with such a bore? Scimitar barely said a word, and he just seemed so terribly stiff about everything. Girls were always choosing the wrong guys, though, so perhaps it wasn't his problem.

"Oh, but I do!" he exclaimed when Eshe mentioned a possible raincheck. His ears pricked forward when she asked where he was heading, and he offered a small shrug. "I've got some business up north to attend to, and we'll see where I end up after that. At the very least, I'll come back to visit!" Well, he'd come back to visit Eshe, anyway. Scimitar didn't seem like he wanted company of any kind.

"I should probably head out and start making my way to Smash's old crash pad, though. I'm supposed to meet her there soon, and I want to make sure I'm there before she is!" Without further ado, Goober waved his tail, gave a playful, polite bow, and then bounded off toward his destination.

Eshe and the stranger discussed plans to visit one another – notions that were quite lost on the man, who’s primary friends and trusted companions remained either within the walls of his own home or close to. But Eshe thrived upon such companionship, and she made friends wherever she went – it was only natural for her to desire to keep them.
 
Determining his usefulness here had been null and void, Scimitar gave a brief nod to the wolf, his eyes searching over the man with quiet contemplation. “Safe travels,” he offered with a small smile, pulling back slightly and allowing Eshe and Goober to say their farewells. After, he would steal a few moments with his mate.