Phoenix Maplewood the night begun to shine

The dark had hit the snowy world, and jade eyes glanced upward between the leafless branches at the cold sky. The air fogged by her breathe as the wolf let out a deep sigh upon the sight, and then looked away from it's awe. Days have passed but she did not see anyone, nor' hear of them, or catch a wiff. She felt pained, knowing those few days of trying to find him outside of Phoenix Maplewood led to such a.. Desdemona didn't know how to phrase it, but perhaps abandonment would be correct. Unaware of their change of location and Morningside joining another pack, she could only feel hurt, and abandoned by them all. Though she could not blame them, because it was her, who had left first.

But she clung on hope, despite feeling like this. Simply thinking maybe they'll be back, and she will be here, as promised, waiting for them all. Through the cold and warmth, the dark and light, she would be here, waiting despite knowing, no one may come. So the wolf lifted her dark and small paws, and trudged through the maplewoods, patrolling an abandoned forest.

Although King had found a home for himself among the wolves of Easthollow, he still had wandering in his blood and - at times - a peculiar itch in his paws. He decided to go out and see for himself what the surrounding territories were like. On this day, he found himself in a distant wood, which smelled as thought I had been recently inhabited, but did not seem to hold wolves at the moment. Still, he lingered around the edges, not willing to enter without knowing for sure.

Finally, he tipped back his head and gave a querying howl, deciding to get it over with already. There was no scent of maleficence, after all. The woods simply smelled lonely and a bit melancholy, if he was being honest.

Anyone home? he called into the trees, looking past the mottled grey trunks and then up at the bare, bone-pale branches. What a place! Perhaps it was haunted.

She was surprised a howl of summons came to be, despite knowing how the scent has faded quite much. Even when she tried, she knew that one wolf alone would have difficulty continuing this scent all around the forest.. But alas, she has been recently trying. Desdemona thought maybe her scent took to place once the howl came to be, and almost felt relief that she was actually reclaiming the abandoned land.

The slender, dark bastard slunk out of the woods, her figure obvious against the white ground. She glanced at the unknown figure with her cold jades before speaking up, "What do you need in this land?" She asked in an almost demanding voice, as Desdemona was a bit defensive on the maplewoods, especially since she was alone.

Though what was taken note, she could smell them on his pelt. Valette and Greyback, she faintly remembered. Did they send another ambassador?

A shadowy figure emerged from the trees, long of limb and bright of eye. King stared for a moment, quite taken with the green of her irises - it was a trait that many in his family admired. But the harshness of her greeting (or lack thereof) detracted somewhat from her beauty, and the male took a step back as his ears fanned back against his skull.

"Nothing," he replied, his voice halfway between bemused and placating. "I was just passing through when I noticed the... well..." He didn't know if it was proper to call the scent markings of a single wolf a "border". "I noticed there was someone still around," he said lamely. "Sorry to disturb you. Would you like me to go?"

When he backed up, she stepped forward. It was clear she felt herself the need to be more of an elite then of the usual peasant-play she did in Morningside. She didn't hate acting like a lesser-being, for it felt so natural to do so with herself in the Pack. She was simply glad to be accepted.. But it wasn't the same when it came to outsiders, which she especially showed a different, more aggressive side to her usual seriousness. She especially needed to show dominance, when it was currently only her. Desdemona of course, would not let him know.

She watched, almost analyzing him during his words, remaining in silence. Only when he finished, she asked a question, "Are you from Easthollow?" And ignored the rest. Desdemona wasn't playing the good host.

Although he found the woman to be quite abrasive, there was something about her that elicited a certain amount of sympathy. She seemed - lonely, for one thing. But deeper than that. Something King didn't have the experience to understand.

"I am," he answered, deciding to keep things simple for the stranger. But then, manners caught up with him, and he had to introduce himself. "My name's King. What's yours?"

And what are you doing here all on your own?

The scent was right on it being an ally. She gave a nod of approval while muttering, "I see." While still a bit guarded, her tension eased up just a bit finding out where he was from, thankful that King was from a pack she knew as Morningsides friend. Though she didn't know if that still stood with the rest gone, and one defending the borders. Nontheless, she learned from the short time of being here, it was best to be nicer toward them. However being rigid has always been, and will be her nature. Dropping a serious attitude is not a simple task.

"My apologies," her tone twisted to being a bit more polite, "I am Desdemona, of..." she hesitated, "of Morningside."

Although King was part of one of Morningside's allied packs and was, indeed, a cousin of their former leader, he had no prior knowledge of the pack. His tail wagged encouragingly at her pronouncement, waving away her apology as unnecessary.

"Morningside, huh?" he asked, "where's that?"

A moment later, he found the wherewithall to wonder if this was Morningside, and he began to get a very weird feeling about the encounter. Like, maybe he wasn't full equipped to handle this conversation or this very... strange... wolf.

"It is here." Her jades slowly drifted to the woods behind her. Quiet, and dead, a haunting presence took the forest as there was only one individual remaining in the area. Even still, she used the Morningside name despite it resting in a grave, disbanded and discontinued. Though most likely if she heard that the other did not know of the pack that once resided in the maplewoods, she would be displeased. Especially now knowing, he is part of an ally.

Her gaze then drifted back to him, as Desdemona focused back on King.

Oh yes - there was definitely something very odd about Desdemona. King's pity only rose at her proclamation, but even as his sympathy was piqued, he wasn't sure how to go about helping the woman. Still, he saw that it would do no good to argue with her in this state. It seemed cruel even to think about it, so he kindly refrained.

"I am humbled to have been met by you on your own borders," he replied instead, choosing his words carefully as he tried to buy himself some time to think. Was there anything he could do for the woman? She seemed quite devoted to her forest, here - King might even have thought to leave her there, except she seemed so terribly alone, and as much as he wished it were so, she did not seem happy in her 'home'. "You know of Easthollow - do you think you'd like to visit it?" he suggested, inwardly wondering how Valette and Steph would feel about a mentally ill wolf being brought to their doorstep.

She would not be pleased if she knew of his pity. Desdemona believed she was being a guardian, a protector, and doing good as she alone, protected the forest. Her thoughts rototed around the duties to keep it safe, mark, hunt, patrol, keep others away. She waited, but couldn't admit to feeling lonely, or hurt by the empty woods. Her mind, was preoccupied with the duties she had. She didn't want others to see her as a pitiful wolf.

Though he chose correctly, and she felt less hostile toward him with the polite phrasing. Though with noble words of etiquette, Desdemona was a bit loss on how to respond, admittingly. She could only give a nod of responds while waiting for his next words, and patiently listened. She of course, knew of Easthollow, and remembered the fellow named Greyback. A large man, who looked like someone of sophisticated blood, much unlike her own, "Another day, perhaps. I am needed here."

But visiting at a crucial time, was something she could not do. No one else would protect the woods if she was gone. It was her duty, as a member of Morningside.

King weighed his options a moment longer, but in the end, decided that he was not quite brave enough to try and sway the strange beauty. He wasn't prepared to fight her, and he knew he couldn't speak delicately enough to make a stab at convincing her to come away from the empty woods.

"Alright, Miss Desedmona. I'll leave you to, it then," he replied, inclining his head and then turning to depart. He'd come back and see her again someday - although he half expected to find a body withered away than a living wolf. What a waste, he thought to himself, picturing her green eyes in his head for a moment before letting the image fade away.

If she was less rigid, she would invite him for a meal. To stay the night, but Desdemona was strict on her ways, which was to let no one into these woods. Even a nice fellow like him, an ally, who knew of and was of Easthollow, would not be allowed to stay. She felt well enough he wouldn't cause an issue, and she did not need to remain in such a hostile form with him, but she had no desire to be 'friends.'

"Farewell." She gave him a nod, and a goodbye as he strolled away, assumingly back toward the his home. Her jades continued to watch, until there would be no more, and only then, did her dark figure slink back into the empty forest.