The Sentinels guilty by association

For @Deirdre

Days had passed – weeks, perhaps, though the cinnamon Frostfur had lost track of the time. He had only known one thing – to find Rannoch and Lucy. Eshe had been frantic when he had left – Allure had went with some fellow from the Caldera to seek her younger brother, and Scimitar had only returned home for brief moments to ensure Neverwinter Forest had not fallen with his absence.
 
He could not stay away from his pack for much longer.
 
But he had wanted to visit the seaside packs – at least the one he knew to be in the paws of Lasher, the ebony wolf who had come upon their door and left a more amicable impression upon the dark agouti wolf. There had been a brief understanding between the two – but the months had far surpassed, and the regal was no longer certain of where the forest wolves would stand with those of the ocean. Tipping his muzzle up, he called – requesting the presence of the redwood king.

her heart ached as she heard who the voice called for. lasher. but it would not be him scimitar was met with. deirdre emerged from riverwater, having thought to bathe in it while the temperature was still tolerable, though scimitar was not waiting long for the young queen.

even when soaked to the bone, the girl was a vision. the scent of neverwinter was familiar, and deirdre was startled to note the handsome features of a man rather than eshe at her borders. greetings, deirdre hummed, her eyes bright. i am deirdre stella mayfair, daughter of the man you had called. my father has passed, a victim of the famine, the words burned her tongue, and she found herself looking away after she spoke the words. but her eyes, pricked with wetness, betrayed her, and she blinked away her tears and looked back to him. i rule this forest in his stead, its inheritor, she informed. how may i aid you? though she knew already! and donnelaith would always aid those in need, would it not?

Had he not known better, the agouti wolf would have considered his greeter a forest imp – slight in build, graceful, and emanating an aura that did not leave room for argument that she belonged here. Yet where he had expected the stark darkness of Lasher’s fur, he was met with white – and despite the way she geld herself, the Frostfur was quick to note how youthful she was.
 
He allowed his muzzle and form to drift lower – a stranger upon their borders, he would not forget to show his respect. An ear flickered forward as she began to speak, and a light frown stormed its way upon his features, though his gaze softened. “I am sorry for your loss,” he rumbled, his tone quiet. He had not known, and briefly wondered if his sister did – given the two had seemed amicable with one another.
 
“I met him only once, when we first settled within Neverwinter Forest. He was a respectable man. One I struck a quiet alliance with.” He paused then, wondering if the wolf had even mentioned it before. “And so I come to your borders – one of my sons is missing, and his friend. I was wondering if you would have seen them – he is grey, with eyes like mine. She is dark-furred, with blue eyes.”

deirdre nodded to his words, thankful for them, but a fire burned within her throat then, and she found she could not speak. would this hurt ever end?

and what of this mans hurt, before her? he who did not know where his son was? what if her child was taken? her tongue felt thick as he asked his questions, but deirdre knew she must do what was right. the eyes of rannoch were terribly similar to scimitar, but there were differences she noted as well. rannoch had the gaze of innocence; scimitar held the gaze similar to the look of her father.

a mother came looking for her daughter, a girl of that exact description--i have not seen her. but i have seen a wolf comparable to you, she admitted to him at length. a boy. he was injured and came under my care, with the scent of the ocean upon him. the depths now watch over him, she knew the whole of the story, but did not speak of the details. i can tell you his hurt was caused by no wolf, not directly. they have become quite protective over him; i do not know that they will so readily release him unto you, deirdre forewarned, though she felt that nothing would stop this man from reuniting with his son! still, to send him to his death... it did not bode well, for her.

So it would seem Lucy’s parents were still seeking for her – had @Trick not gone back as he requested and told the father of the girl she had been safe within the forest? Not that it mattered – the girl was missing once more, and this time, his own precious son. As much a she worried for them both, there was a sense of irate frustration – the lingering questions of whether Lucy had coaxed his boy from his home on adventure, and if it had been a mistake to harbor the girl in the first place.
 
But the she-wolf continued – speaking of Rannoch, it seemed, and noting that the girl was not with him. His features reflected his surprise – and a sense of foreboding swept over him at the words she had seemingly chosen so carefully.
 
He had been hurt – but she skirted over how – simply expanding that it had not been from the hands of another wolf. Something did not settle well with him on this, and he paused for a moment, his bright eyes intensely studying her now.
 
Even more curiously, she seemed intent to sway him to not look further for his son. His blood.
 
The Depths would not readily release his son to him?
 
“He will want to come home to his family. It is not their choice.”

she had meant her words only to be a warning to him, but it seemed he had taken them as a means to deter him. deirdre shook her head at this. i only thought to tell you this so that you are prepared, her words were soft, and for a moment she looked hurt. did he think she wished to keep him from his son? she did not, not truly! she wanted things to end happily for all parties--the injury of this man would do good for no wolf, not scimitar himself, not rannoch, either, surely! the wolves of donnelaith are not warriors, and those of the depths are. we could not aid you in this with bodies, and so i can only equip you with what i know, in this way, she honoured her fathers alliance toward neverwinter with this man; but she could do no more toward this effort of his, except, perhaps, offer herself. what she insinuated was perfectly clear, and deirdre knew it was so; choice meant very little in this battle scimitar would come to face. deirdre worried greatly, unsure if any force scimitar brought would be able to overwhelm the tsunami-like tide that were the fighters of the depths.

The wolf regarded her -- his expression growing more stoical with each passing moment. Her voice softened, but it did little to soothe the man, and so the beast lifted his muzzle, taking this conversation with a finality. Lasher had seemed an approachable man -- and he could not believe this girl was any different, but he did not trust her, and the questions that pressed forth to his lips were swallowed by the very real idea that his son was in danger from al of these wolves.
 
She knew he had been harmed, but did not tell him how. She knew where he was, but attempted to coerce him further away.
 
The alliance had been but a shaky agreement to maintain a truce -- they owed each other nothing, but the Frostfur was entirely sure that if this pack was somehow in aide with the wolves keeping his son from him -- kidnapped, even? He would take them all down.
 
"They do not know what they've started," was what he rumbled darkly. The girl was mistaken to believe he flinched from battle -- he would do so only from what was not important to him. Rannoch was the world. His children and family were the world.. and this grievous error would be dealt with accordingly.
 
Already his mind whirled with the plan -- he would take the willing fighters of his own group -- he would seek Charon, who's very cousin was now in danger and request aide of him -- he was not so prideful not to. He would seek out Jorunn, and his forces along the coast.
 
This was what a war looked like -- and it was something worth fighting for. With that, the large man turned, his form striding away from the borders of Donnelaith to the direction of Neverwinter Forest with purpose. He didn't know the number of the wolves by the sea -- but he could easily assume they did not equate the strength of three packs.. and they had taken on seasoned fighters themselves.

deirdre watched him turn from her, but offered him no words. only when he was gone from her sight did deirdre disappear into the depths of donnelaith, her lips forming a prayer but no words coming from them, yet.