Neverwinter Forest run, rabbit, run
Ghost
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#1
All Welcome 
should be pretty much present-dated. permish to reference @Titmouse w/ her tho he's not in scene right now so I won't pp (although if you want to hop in, JB, feel free!)

Finally, they were on their way back. They'd bade adieu to all the souls they loved, but Maegi was eager to return to Blackfeather Woods (though not so eager for the scolding that awaited her there). She had Mou by her side, though. That was more than enough for her, and gave her the strength she needed to carry on. She could have perhaps attempted the journey without him, but it would have been like traveling without a lung.

She just breathed easier with him around. Always had. Always would.

The hot springs reminded her disconcertingly of the man who'd harassed her there, and so she skirted the edge of them, instead ending up in the coniferous forest on its border. Maegi stalked through the trees, alone, looking for game. She'd practiced some hunting with the Brotherhood but was still quite deficient; she needed to improve her skills. No longer was she a pup with the excuse of youth. She was a woman grown, and it was a damn shame she couldn't—

A scent caught her attention and sent her fur bristling. Not a prey-scent. It was incredibly faint, just barely perceptible. . .but there, lingering around the base of one tree, the brambles of a bush. Nyx.

She remembered Kove's words on their betrayal and her hackles rose without volition, a snarl rising in her throat. Never had she thought Nyx would betray the Woods as she had, nor her uncle. Now they were here, or had been, at least. Would she come face to face with them, as she had Vaati? What would she say? What would they say?
@Flicker -- hope this is ok!
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Ooc — Sofie
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#2
The woman strayed from the woods, preferring to hunt away from the eldritch pack, knowing that if she hunted within their confines it would leave her open to the discretion of the other pack members. She meant it when she spoke of her pledging, a pawn in whatever games they wished to play. 
But she wasn't to be used like nothing, being useful was what she wanted -- not expendable.

She prowled within this adjacent forest, eyes watching for an inkling of prey. Big or small, she didn't care. She'd give a go at anything. There were hints of deer here and there, the discarded scent of some of the pack lingered here too. She doubted she could take a deer herself, that was if she could find them.
The lack of snow made it harder in some ways, no obvious tracks to follow. But there was droppings, tufts of fur. Her ice-flecked gaze stopped dead on a pale form between the trees.
The ghost stood bristled, intriguing the woman. 
She inhaled the air deeply as her steps started to carry her towards the other, her form becoming more apparent.
The mangled foot, the torn face, bi-toned eyes.
Maegi.

Flicker stopped a few paces from the younger woman -- clearly no longer a girl. She'd grown. Seemed older in a way. The world must've been harsh on her whilst she'd been away. Otherwise, didn't seem too worse for ware. 
"Maegi," the cream woman started, dipping her head. Where would she start?
Relmyna? Blackfeather Woods? Moonspear, even? But that didn't hold as much importance.
"Where's you been, eh?" She asked, her voice was different. The old Flicker. The southern carelessness edging her.
She grinned, a soft feeling of joy radiating through her. Either from her friend's return or herself.
Was it a victory, or a curse?

 
|  • |                                                                                                                        'The wild is wild, but she is feral.' -Mor  
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The familiar face that appeared wasn't Nyx, but Flicker. Maegi wondered for a moment what she was doing so far from the Woods—and then the tawny wolf came closer, and she noticed the traitorous smells layered over her pelt. Her lips curled slightly, caught between a smile and a snarl; she truly was at a loss for what to think. Had Flicker really abandoned Blackfeather to join Damien and Nyx? Really?

It's a long story, the Melonii said shortly, shrugging off the question. Her gaze was hard as she looked at Flicker. What are you doing here? Why aren't you back at Blackfeather Woods? She almost dreaded the response. Flicker had been so loyal, so willing to learn—to know that she had betrayed Kove and Relmyna—Maegi, really—to come here was almost too much to bear.
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#4
The woman tilted her head away, taking a deep breath. There was no point beating around the bush so, well here goes.
She turned her golden gaze to meet Maegi's, letting a coldness seep into them.
"Well y'know, tha' Relmyna died an' the pack dispanded mere days after. Wintersbane left first an' the ol' man left not too long 'go. Those youngins, well they been fast growin' an' I fed 'em then left to find you thinkin' that all would turn better." A pause, "come to the Melonii with me, they bein' your family an' all I don't see much of a problem."

She took a breath, waiting for something to come from the woman. Her friend. 
Had she made the wrong decision? Probably, but it wouldn't matter much now. She had a different place to stay, a pack to serve. Yet Maegi was the one she promised loyalty to.
She would be torn if she were to have to choose.
|  • |                                                                                                                        'The wild is wild, but she is feral.' -Mor  
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#5
It was within the first five words of Flicker's response that Maegi's heart broke, and her knees wobbled, muscles quivering with the effort of keeping herself upright. Grief came over her in ripples, churning in her stomach, clawing at her chest with icy claws. Tears blurred her vision, and she blinked them away, trying halfheartedly to focus on what else her friend was saying.

Relmyna— Her voice cracked, the sentiment abruptly aborted. She shook her head, looking down. I. . .I wish I could have known. I would have come. . .

And then the implications of what Flicker had said occurred to her, and her gaze, too, turned cold as she returned it to the other's face.

They might be my family, but I have no ties to them other than blood, Maegi said firmly. They abandoned the Woods, Meldresi's resting place. I won't do the same. Even if it meant she had to carve out an existence, just she and Mou, alone in Blackfeather. That was preferable to joining this band of traitors.

Her stare was gimlet, though the rest of her face relatively impassive. I want you to come with me, of course. But if you feel that your place is here, then I can't stop you, I guess. I won't.
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#6
"You din't know," she sympathised. 
The woman didn't miss the coldness that crossed her face. The defiance that was certainly there, the seeming hatred.
She almost retorted with 'You left too. Look what happened.' But decided that holding her tongue would only prove well for her argument. She needed to be on the young woman's good side. Somehow.

Her gaze turned harder. She resisted the urge to furrow her brows. This wasn't good at all.
"You need tah speak with 'em. I'd rather you come freely instead of them huntin' you." 
Instead of me hunting you.
"I'll come with you to the woods, then goin to speak with Damien. It'll be better if we do so." Soon. She worried that the man would not think well of her if she couldn't do a simple task. It was always easier just to go in guns blazing. Not talking and guiding.
This wasn't her way; but it seemed to be the best way.
|  • |                                                                                                                        'The wild is wild, but she is feral.' -Mor  
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Her face contorted in apparent confusion. Why would they hunt me— she asked, but found the rest of the question lost with Flicker's words. She sighed, shaking her head. I don't care what they think, Flicker, Maegi said firmly. If they come for me, they'll have to spill my blood on sacred ground. They believe in the daedra just as much as I do; they wouldn't do that.

None of this added up. Why would the pack just. . .disband? Relmyna's death was a blow, sure, but they still had Kove, Flicker, Wintersbane. . .they weren't without support. But then, the men had left— Why did Kove and Wintersbane leave? Why did the girls get left behind?

None of this made sense. And it irritated her greatly.
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Ooc — Sofie
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#8
She sighed softly, debating dragging Maegi off to the Melonii there and then.
She wouldn't but gave it deep thought.
It would save her having to go through this.
 "You know they ain't bein' the type to back away from this, not when he made it clear he wanted you there. Talkin' will be th' bess way to avoid it." 

She hoped she was right anyway. All she had to do was her job, casting her feelings aside. It was her duty now. She'd not had a real friend before. Did she really want to lose that?
"Wintersbane ain't dumb, he knows a sinkin' ship when he sees one. Kove, I'm guessin he wanted to travel or see family. The girls di'nt leave. I asked 'em."
She shifted on her feet, licking her lips in contemplation. She couldn't work out why the woman looked like she was solving a puzzle. Why couldn't they just go and get whatever over already?
|  • |                                                                                                                        'The wild is wild, but she is feral.' -Mor  
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Why does he want me? Maegi pressed, still utterly bewildered by all of this. She hadn't even had a chance to grieve Relmyna, for Peryite's sake! Now she was mired in Melonii bullshit once again. Damien doesn't know me at all. He never made the effort. It's too late, now. I'm going home.

The priestess turned from Flicker and began to pad away, trying to grapple with all of the feelings within her at the moment. Renewed anger at Damien and Nyx. Devastation at Relmyna's death. Frustration with Flicker and the politics being played.

And a bone-deep weariness, a homesickness that permeated through all of the above. All she wanted to do was go home. If Flicker decided not to follow her there, then so be it.
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#10
"You tell me when you see him."
It was all she had to offer, which didn't do much to console Maegi's thoughts. Her mood seemed to darken more. Flicker, vigilant in her set task, followed.
She'd fund her, she wasn't going to give her up. She had her plan set, it's just whether it would be carried out.
She didn't speak again unless spoken to and so they went to Blackfeather Woods. 
|  • |                                                                                                                        'The wild is wild, but she is feral.' -Mor