Hushed Willows Could've been the wine

She'd slipped from his grasp. 

And children were wont to do so- he knew this perfectly well...But he couldn't help the feelings it had stirred within him when he had noticed she'd left the Mesa, her sanctuary. He had not fixed her broken skin pattern- no amount of cleaning and preening seemed capable of fixing whatever mange it was that she had- but he had kept her fed, and had taught her...And now she had simply wandered off- trailing away from his Mesa, from their home, without a word. He'd told himself at first to simply let her go. She'd been a useless investment of his time, anyway. Not nearly as sweet or affectionate as kittens were, and she had that constant habit of scratching herself with her hind feet...But he felt betrayed to have been forsaken by a lesser species. And he'd taken some solace in convincing himself that at least, if he couldn't teach her to be a better animal, he could at least have her for a meal. 

And now he felt robbed of that. 

Or so he told himself. But his heart ached as he traced her trail, and he felt jealousy stir within him as he realized she had been intercepted by other wolves. He stalked them, occasionally losing their trail as they wound their way West toward the coast, but there was no mistaking the fact that she had been taken in by her own kind, and that he felt angry about it. She owed him a debt- or, in the very least, a thank you for having saved her life on more than one occasion. He'd even nearly killed one of her own species that had been trespassing and trying to attack her...He'd fed her, kept her warm and safe, and she decided to rpay him by running off with her own kind? He was outraged. 

He lurked along the borders of the pack he approached, having found that her trail led beyond the boundaries. She had a home now- and was back with her own kind. But he didn't care. He cared just long enough to check the markings to see how fresh they were...And while he wasn't sure exactly how many wolves there were, or how long they'd been in the area, he was certain that they were patrolling on a frequent basis. No matter. These were dogs. He could handle a couple dogs. 

So he roved beyond the border, slithering through the wooded willows in search of the reckless child who had abandoned him so thoughtlessly.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera and @Kincaid had been on a walk when they came across the scent — isn’t wasn’t distinctly wolf, but it was distinctly within the willows, and not at a good time, either. She and the red, ruddy man shared a grimace and, without a word, the lilac one of the two fluttered and fled down the path of the scent. If there was an intruder, who they might be the only ones knowledgeable of, then it was their duty to pursue and investigate it.

Eleuthera did not think twice, and only assumed that Kincaid was hot on her heels.

She came upon another golden lion, slinking and stalking amongst the trees. If this had been any other situation, and she had not been life-pledged to defend the willows, and the bear at Elysium never happened, and the Court wasn’t on the brink of war, she might have remarked at how beautiful the intermingling of gilded fur and glowing, flowing trees was. However, this was not beautiful — this was a threat. Given her past experience with Umi, Eleuthera remained fairly confident that she could end this incursion diplomatically.

“Hey, you can’t just come in here like that—!"

Although Kin exchanged a glance with Eleuthera, they did not seem to be on the same page. After all, his glance had not meant, Let's go ahead and face a mountain lion today. It had been something more like, Oh shit, let's get out of here while we still can!

But he was hot on her heels, calling, "Leu! What the hell are you — "

He cut himself off, silently fuming, so that they would not give away their position and themselves become hunted instead of huntee. Except that he was sure the cat was already hunting them — why else would it enter a pack's claim?

But for once, he was able to lay eyes on a cat without it first rushing him — it occurred to Kincaid in that moment that he'd never seen one that wasn't acting highly aggressive toward himself or some other poor soul. It occurred to him because he, too, was struck by the terrible, haunting beauty of the creature — there was really nothing else like it. He saw them so very rarely, unlike bears, bison, and to a lesser extent, moose; it was really something special each time, and he'd never gotten the chance to appreciate it before that moment.

"My lord," he said under his breath, and stuck close to Eleuthera as she called out. Kin did his best to pretend he wasn't edging in front of her, hoping to make them both look a little larger by sticking close together, and knowing that, of the two of them, he looked a little less like an appetizer.

There was almost a snap that punctuated the warm air when Virtute lashed his tail; the first telltale sign that he was not pleased that he was being interrupted from his mission. He turned to gaze through the dangling willow branches toward a wolf who was a plush and prim little thing, with such gossamer fur that it almost hinted at a lavender sheen that he thought might just be some trick of the light. Fragility and femininity embodied- so he felt he needn't worry about her, though he could sense that she wasn't alone. He cast his gaze around without moving from where he was, so as to keep his handsome face pointed toward her, knowing that wolves...They had a habit of creeping up and encircling their prey. 

He sent one glance up to the boughs of the trees overhead- more than stury enough to hold his weight. He was in good company with these trees, and the wolves probably had no idea how much of an asset their terrain could potentially be for him. 

"Your borders and laws are for your own kind, wolf." He said, his voice low, calm, but not without a hint of danger. He didn't blink as his sweet, honey gaze locked the lilac irises that gazed at him with such incredulity. Her companion- he was right, having sensed him earlier- moved forward with slow, prowling movements, and earned a gilded glare from the cougar who hissed; commanding him to stop moving, and remain where he was. He looked simply like he wanted to protect his packmate, but for now, they were all held still in this stalemate. He wouldn't be a threat to the female- or the male- so long as they let him be. He was unerringly calm- for now. "I'll do as I like." He said, his tone slightly darker; a warning.

caw has not made himself so familiar with the faerie court just yet. it is a big place they have! a pretty one too, of many willows and streams, clearings and fireflies. he has even come across the lavender he has been searching for, in small patches higher up, into the mountains.

it is on the way back, with the herbs safely stored in a tiny pocket of earth near the mountain slopes, that he is distracted from his task. he does not know individual faeries, not so well, but he knows the smell of the court! and this is not it.

like a compass needle inexorably pointed north, caw pivots on the spot and chases after it. he is not very quiet in the brush, but he does his very best not to damage the faerie lands, and that includes the plants. he sprints for a long ways, and then, very suddenly, it is there, looming through the undergrowth. and it is not a wolf.

caw has never been a sensible person, so of course he does not do the sensible thing. with vrána tugging insistently on his ear, he tiptoes forwards, looking wide-eyed at the cat wandering by. it is so big, and it walks through the faerie lands without hesitating. perhaps it belongs here? if there are faerie wolves, surely there are faerie cats as well! but what if doesn't? it would not be good if he was to let a stranger wander in! he has told the faerie queen he will defend the willows, and it is not good to lie to the faerie queen!

but he does not have the time to step forward before two other wolves appear from the trees. they are no more familiar to caw than the cat, but they also do not seem happy to see it! so perhaps the cat is no faerie after all? in which case it is certainly not supposed to be here!

with the sort of reckless courage that only belongs to someone who has absolutely no fucking clue what bear trap they are sticking their nose into, caw slides out of the undergrowth, ignoring vrána's protests, and into the light, and hurries just ahead of the stranger.

caw feels very tiny standing in front of him, but he cannot leave now! he looks to the other two wolves, and then to the cougar, crimson eyes wide. "cannot stay. willows belong to faeries!" caw informs him helpfully. his hackles bristle uncertainly, a soft fuzz of grey. "okay to make mistake!" he clarifies. "but if not faerie, should not be here."

Her snarl, raging through the willows as she emerged from it's beauty like raining embers, and her roar directed toward the large feline ahread, "Beast!" Orlaith growled, her head low in an attack-like stance, but tail high with dominance as she glared at the intruder. There was already three others who were here before herself, but the flaming warrior took no notice at them in the moment, as she cared more toward what was in front of her.

"Leave this land or face my fangs!"

✹☾❂

The court wolves assembled quickly. Kincaid was behind her, then at her side, then almost in front of her. An unnamed black and grey man arrived — barking incoherently for the cat to vanish from these lands. Then Orlaith, loud and booming. Eleuthera’s heart thrummed in her chest, her blood rushing fast, teeth gritting, wanting to defend her beloved lands and Faeries but also not wanting anyone to get hurt. Even though the mountain lion vehemently defended his right to be here, Eleuthera continued to maintain this it must be a misunderstanding. As long as the interloper was ousted, there was no problem, was there? This was not a Saints wolf.

“You must go!" Eleuthera yelled loudly over the din, though her soft, flowery voice was easily drowned out. She pushed against Kincaid with her chest and shoulder for strength, wanting to get out in front of this but equally sacred of being struck. “No one needs to get hurt!"

Post order? What’s that?

It would be Me, Virtute, Caw, Orlaith, Eleu, I think.

Kincaid was, in part, glad for the back-up, but sure that even if the cat hadn't come looking for a fight, it would now begin acting defensively at any moment. Thus, he kept in stride with Eleuthera even as she pushed out in front of him. He had nothing to say to a mountain lion — he was sure the cat knew all that they could possibly say to it already, and had chosen to come into the willows anyway.

Instead, he bristled silently, fearfully beside Eleuthera, body tense and ready to hip-check her out of the way if the cat were to lunge. With any luck, the others would act quickly enough to keep him from being killed for her wild heart.

Lawl. Are we all cool with basically....Having no post order? 'Cause I am 100% fine with just like...Shouting matches and such XD CONGRATS ON GETTING A PACK HERE HAVE A BITTA CHAOS <3<3<3

 
He really should have thought this through. The well-marked border was enough of an indication that the place was teeming with wolves- and even as stealthy as he was, his presence hadn't gone unnoticed long before he'd been approached. Tentatively at first, but he realizednow that perhaps the lavender-eyed lady and her auburn-furred protector were likely just a means of distracting him long enough for the rest of their comrades to have him circled. His honeyed gaze drifted upwards once more. He remained calm. 

His gaze was then drawn toward a curious fellow, who had a wide-eyed gaze matched by the crow that accompanied him, though where his eyes were red, the crows were black and beady, as expected. He was smaller than the others, with with a crimson hue that should've given him a dreadful, hungry look- but instead, his size and the strange pleading (yet polite) tone of his voice makes Virtute almost completely disregard his warning. His whiskers slicked back against his cheeks as he paused a moment, levelling his gaze with that of the red-eyed wolf, before he flattened his ears. The other two seemed rational, but this one was completely bonkers. 

"By that reasoning, you shouldn't be here either. You're a wolf, not a faerie; and faeries don't exist." Virtute barely managed to utter those words before the energy changed amid the group with the appearance of a wolf he assumed was a guardian of theirs- but he had no time for her shouts and bold threats. Without warning, he crouched, and then leapt straight up into the air- two metres or more- and used his claws to grab a hold of one of the boughs he'd noticed earlier, pulling himself up into safety before the now perturbed canines could finally pull their wits and wrath together and launch an attack. Three wolves was one thing- especially with how cautious they'd been...But this fourth one soured his mood. He knew better than to be on the same level as a wolf who would rush in for an attack without thinking twice...And if she did- the rest would too, he assumed. 

But from the safety of his bough, he could look down at them knowing it was impossible for wolves to climb a tree, or leap high enough to make a grab at him. He flicked his tail as he looked down at them. He made himself comfortable, and cast a smug, better-than-thou glance to the fierce, olive gaze, blinking slowly as though to rub his comfort in her face. "Actually, I might have a nap here...These willows really are quite nice," He said, a challenge in his tone. If a waiting game was what they wanted, he could give them that. "Now...I think it's time we negotiate. Which one of you is in charge?" He asked, purposefully avoiding looking at the olive-eyed female, having deemed her a hot-head and therefore, not one who would listen to reason.

before caw can begin to explain to this stranger the extent to which he is wrong – and the fact that he absolutely should not be denying the existence of faeries directly in front of faeries – he rockets straight up into the air as though plucked off the ground by an invisible hand.

caw jolts backwards, neck rolling back against his shoulders, but his expression can only be described as astonished. head snapping up to follow the lunge, he stares at the cougar with wide, fascinated eyes and curves his toes in and out of the soil, too absorbed to pay much mind to orlaith’s arrival, even if it is accompanied by all the subtlety of a hammer to the face. is this a thing only cats can do? surely he would have been taught if he could jump so high into branches before.

the cat opens its mouth, revealing a set of very large teeth. looking between all three of the faerie spectators, caw hesitates. what is it that this cat wants to do with their queen? he is sure it is not good to place her in danger, but he is unsure he can leap high enough to snag the cat where it sits on the branch above them. and he is probably not capable of doing much to it even if he could! not when it has teeth like that.

“should call queen?” caw asks, peeling his eyes away from the cougar to look at orlaith. she has made it very clear that she is in charge! probably not as in charge as the queen. but caw is not good at making these kinds of decisions even if he was at all inclined to, and she is, after all, a faerie.

A snarl continued to unfold as she watched the scene of one of the fae's tell the beast to escape, but rather then follow advice; it ran up in the tree. As wolves, they could not follow the mountain lion to the branches, as their stability was not there, but like all four-paw'd creatures, it would need to come down, and hunt eventually. The flaming wolf's eyesight followed where he went. 

"We do not need to negotiate to a beast who trampled our borders," and mock them by climbing high and making demands. Caw said to get the Queen, and she only nodded to Caw's suggestion. Her eyes toward Eleuthera, a demand in her tone, "Get Lumiya." She had cross-feelings at the moment toward the lilac wolf, but would need to be addressed at a later time, "Caw, stay with me."

"I am in charge until otherwise."

Virtute's calm, amused gaze swept toward the smaller, darker wolf with the wide-eyed gaze, noticing now that he had crow feathers tucked into his hackles, perhaps as a means of making himself look larger? It made the cat's eyes flicker with amusement; like any feline, he did adore feathers...And he liked that this one called for them to summon a Queen. How mighty, he thought- a pack that adorned its leader with such a title, though it felt somewhat sour on his tongue..."Queen" was a word for a female cat, not a canine. They were bastardizing his own terminology, but he could argue that later, if he wanted to. 

He was addressed by the one with the auburn highlights, who still would not earn a glance from the cougar since he'd decided he wouldn't deal with someone so proud and quick to anger. But he did listen- and he noticed when she addressed the magpie-coloured male as "Caw." He looked to the wolf, who he figured would be somewhere between a yearling and two years of age- though perhaps that was because of his size, and the fact that his packmates hadn't soured his sense of fancy yet. 

"Caw? That's your name then, isn't it?" He asked. He rubbed his whiskers against the branch in an almost affectionate gesture. "I like that name," He said, his voice a deep purr. While he waited for them to summon their leader, he could toy with one of them, at least- and this one seemed the most susceptible to reason and endearment.

Whether or not Eleuthera went to get the "queen", Kincaid remained where he was, keeping the cat within his sight. He'd never had a real conversation with one before, and he was surprised this one wanted to have one with so many of them right then and there. He'd seen them move before; he had no doubt that it could've fled and left them in the dust, had it really wanted to get away.

The male took a step forward just to attract the cat's attention.

"I beg your pardon," he said, but his tone was not that of one begging someone's pardon at all, "But with all due respect, what is it you want?" Here again, his tone suggested he was rather dubious about the amount of respect a treed cat could be afforded, but he was doing his best to play nice and get them closer to being rid of the interloper.

caw is very unsure what he should be doing, so orlaith’s order stops him in his proverbial tracks. not that he has been thinking of going anywhere, at all! just to howl for their queen. it seems that this is not what the fire faerie wants of him, though, so he nods an agreement to her words. “will stay!”

she is so very clearly not pleased with the cat. caw thinks it is probably both that he has wandered in here like he has and that he has denied her existence to her face. this is not a polite thing to do. even caw knows that! but he has still not quite made up his feelings on this entire interaction, because even though it is both very dangerous and very rude to walk into faerie lands without permission, the cat is very fascinating.

caw’s bright crimson gaze wanders steadily off orlaith and back to the cat, though he does not move. vrána gives a low, displeased croak on the back of his shoulder, but it is not his fault now that he is in this place! he has been commanded to stay, after all! he hunches his shoulders, but before he can look back at her, he is derailed by the cat’s voice.

“name is caw! yes!” he wiggles a little in place, excited to be addressed and in such a complimentary fashion; kincaid’s rather important question goes in one ear and flies, unnoticed, out the other. “thank you!” then, blinking curiously: "what is yours?"

He wouldn't tolerate interjection from the others- though he did note that the wolf, called Caw, did seem to feel a bit of pressure perhaps, as the others tried to vie for the cougar's attention. He wondered how this might create a rift betweent he wolves assembled- if he would stay true to his packmates and refuse to answer the cougar out of solidarity...But Virtute had a way of piquing interest, and a knack for choosing where he should invest his energy. The male who continued to drawl, and regard him with a suspicious squint spoke up- but even Caw did nothing more than flick an ear in his direction. Virtute's plan was working. He'd snagged Caw's attention. 

The crow on the wolf's shoulder didn't seem terribly pleased- at least, Virtute could only assume that it felt uncomfortable under the feline's focused gaze. Even when the dog did a little happy dance, causing Virtute's eyes to gleam just a bit more, the crow remained in place. Bonded, then, he thought. He'd chosen the right wolf to address indeed- perhaps he might be the one to understand the fact that Virtute had- in some fashion- bonded with his charge, who was of another species. But he wouldn't bring her up just yet. He had a polite host to address. 

"Virtute," He said softly, rubbing his muzzle against the branch again. "And your friend, the crow, with the very fine feathers? What do you call them?" He asked. He assumed that the crow had been the one to share its plumage with the male- and he still took an interest in them...No matter how large and kingly he grew, a part of him could always be transformed into a kitten should a feather flitter by.

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera watched with wide-eyes as the lion easily evaded the fangs of the wolf realm by looking and leaping upwards. For a moment she felt very vulnerable, as if this creature would rain pain upon them from above, but from his safe perch, he seemed more than willing to talk. Alright, alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Eleuthera opened her mouth to say something, she didn’t know what —

— when the fire guardian bade her go fetch the Faerie Queen. Eleuthera’s gaze immediately cut towards Orlaith, perceiving what seemed to Leu to be misplaced frustration directed towards her, but within a moment it was tucked into her mind’s back pocket and she was nodding in recognition of her duty. Someone did need to summon the Queen, after all, and it might as well be the Hermes woman with her feet aflame... even if she really did want to stay and watch these events play out more than anything else.

Eleuthera passed a glance to Kincaid, bidding him to not take unnecessary risks (their definition of necessary varied greatly), and dashed off to procure their Queen @Lumiya.

that there is something maybe not exactly friendly going on here does not even ping on caw’s radar. (it pings on vrána‘s, of course, but caw is far too excited to pay attention, even when she tugs insistently on his ear.) he does notice, only in the back of his thoughts and out of the corner of his eye, one of the faeries speed off – and perhaps the loss of one member of their little group should have alarmed him.

unfortunately, it does not.

“virtute,” caw parrots, as always. it means nothing to him, unlike the names of most of the faeries here, but he nods eagerly nonetheless. it is still nice, even if it is not irish! “like yours also!” his tail sweeps back and forth over his legs, though he still has not moved from his commanded position. “this vrána.”

vrána gives a low, sharp caw of warning, but he only noses her affectionately, hoping to bring across some sort of reassurance.

of course, cats ate birds. which caw probably should have been aware of and perhaps a little worried by. but, in another on what is sure to be a long list of errors of judgment, the thought doesn’t so much as cross his mind.

Loinnir and the fae queen were gathering some lavender in the clearing while everything went down elsewhere in the forest. The owl would come and present a piece of grass and she had to tell him; Thank you Loinnir, but no, that is also not lavender. every time. She had gathered a mouthful herself and was just about to place them on a sunny rock to dry (as she'd seen Deidra do so before) had she not been interrupted by Eleuthera who told her what was happening nearby in a hurry. She placed the flowers near a willow she'd recognize upon her return and swiftly made her way to the scene with the other girl, Loinnir digging his claws in her shoulders as he nestled in his favorite spot again.

The queen was much more delicate with her words than the fire fae and less prone to aggression, even when facing the giant cat that had chosen to hang out in one of their willows - safely out of their reach. She raised an eyebrow at the gathering, then her gaze went back to the cat. Good day, sir. She called. My name's Lumiya - queen of the faes. Would you mind explaining why you've come to visit? She asked politely, not knowing of the mind game he was playing with Caw nor of his relation to one of their pixies. She knew better than to insult the higher creatures of the realm though.

"Vrana," He said, his voice rumbling and low, as he addressed the bird which clung to its host, its dark stare unnerving- though Virtute knew he had absolutely nothing to fear from a crow. Even if it had chosen to fly at him and peck at him, it wouldn't have taken him much to smack it from the air with a bat of one of his massive, dagger-clawed paws. It seemed to loathe leaving its host anyway, which was just as well. He gave both the bird and its perch a curt nod, then, but his gaze was drawn away when yet another figure approached- this one fetched by the lavender-eyed female who'd departed earlier. This, he supposed, was their Queen. 

He wouldn't necessarily have used that title to describe any wolf, though, really- not when the title of Queen was one reserved for a female of his own species. And there had been some he'd met, throughout his lifetime, who were beyond comparison- no wolf could ever compare to them in beauty or grace...Though this one, with an owl perched at her withers, was as close to a sovereign as he'd seen a wolf come. She carried with her the scent of lavender, which he found appealing, and there was something calm and diplomatic about her gaze, even though her irises were not the same hue. He found this intriguing, but not in an off-putting sense. Even the owl at her shoulder was a peculiar hue...And he was beginning to sense that, aside from the amber-tinged female who bore most of the things he felt stereotypically shameful about canines- he was in the company of a different sort of group of wolves. Wolves who called themselves Faeries. 

His level gaze remained on the self-proclaimed queen for only a moment before his gaze settled back upon his familiar, chosen interpreter. With a sweet smile, he instead interrogated Caw. He opened his mouth- but a soft breeze lifted the scent of lavender to his muzzle, but something else- something familiar yet unexpected, and pleasant nonetheless- caused his eyes to glisten momentarily. He knew better than to cast his gaze about, but he could not help but feel the fur along his spine and tail ruffle slightly in anticipation. "She is indeed your Queen?" He asked, as though relying completely on his opinion above anyone else's- until he had the truth.

Silence enveloped the feline that watched these proceedings from afar, well, not too far. Canines were silly creatures, they seemed to forget that something bigger than them could be right above their heads. A cat knew how to make themselves invisible, knew how to hide their scent but she had not been too careful. If they were willing, they would smell a whiff of her just above the scent of lavender and mint.

Eyes of honey and spring looked over the willow filled land with content but what was this? How interesting, another of her kind had entered the same place she waa hiding. It was not she that they noticed but him, well, it wasn't hard as he just strolled in with a purpose on his mind. Still, he waa the reason she waa even in this fairy filled land. It was his scent on the child that she traced, a wolf cub. Had he finally realized that children we not such a bad idea, ah, that would be nice wouldn't it?

She listened to their conversation, how this strange bird-wolf bonded pair thing seemed to be oblivious to the danger even when the bird warned him. She finally gave a cuffing sound, low enough that might only catch his attention but another joined. One claiming to be a queen among fae, funny how this little thing had asked his purpose like he had to answer. Her tail flicked at the snowy owl perched on her shoulder, these canines were peculiar. The only question was, should she jump down and try to get to his tree now or stay in her perch? If Virtute met her gaze she might think about it, maybe after another round of why are you here? or maybe if someone acknowledged the question he asked.

vrána does not seem to be soothed by this. she seems soothed even less when the cat rumbles her name, feathers rustling over the curve of his shoulder; she is staring unblinkingly at virtute. caw opens his mouth in an attempt to resolve this conflict, an attempt which is probably fated to disaster, when the rustle of the undergrowth reveals the faerie queen stepping out of the willows, loinnir at her shoulder.

his jaws snap shut. caw lingers awkwardly in place as lumiya addresses virtute, waiting to be needed. it is not quite a patient silence, but it is content enough of one, especially when vrána calms on her perch, settling closer against his fur.

it does not last, though! caw is still looking raptly at the cat, happy enough to let lumiya do the speaking, up until virtute turns his head to look at him. naturally, caw completely misses the ruffle of his fur; he is aware of little other than the pale honey eyes on him.

this includes the second visitor, creeping towards their position.

“yes!” caw chirps agreeably. “she is faerie queen of seelie court.”

Oh, how pliable he was; this Caw was a delight. But he wouldn'y deny his leader the attention, now that he was certain this wasn't simply someone trying to take the limelight in order to create some other sort of diversion with their true leader. They'd managed to surround him, and that was enough of a failure for him to tolerate one one day, let alone being surprised by a bait-and-switch. He gave the fellow a grateful smile, ignoring the rueful look he received from the ebony bird at his nape. He could almost feel what it would've been like to have those claws tighten their grip...

He inhaled, seemingly a simple gesture to give himself breath for words, but also to assure himself of his previous suspicion...He turns his attention, then, to the Queen of the Faes, noting more fondly now how ironic it was to meet a wolf with odd eyes on a day like this one...When he knew, not so far away, they were being watched by yet another pair of mismatched eyes. He knew she was in the area...But he'd not seen or scented her- but that was no surprise to him. She was an elusive creature, by nature far superior in concealing herself than he was, as Queens tended to be. He didn't bother looking for her at the moment, not wanting to give away her position; she was still an ace in his sleeve, but only for a few moments longer. 

"Thank you. Caw, here, has been nothing but helpful," He commended warmly. "Though you might want to give your claws a bit of a attention," He said, flexing his shoulders as he exposed his own long, hooked claws, sinking them into the bark of the tree. Simultaneously, his tail flicked- its rounded tip gesturing with blithe yet pointed accusation toward Orlaith. Also a visual warning for Naira, so she would know which wolf to avoid at all costs. He held Lumiya's gaze and blinked, hoping that that would be enough of a representation of his outward dislike for the surly guardian. Now, for the tough part; he knew that Naira would hear him, and it wasn't exactly the sort of thing he wanted to admit in front of her, wherever she was. He cleared his throat, and sat up. "I'm here to discuss the welfare of a certain ward, which I believe has been..." "Abducted" would've been too strong a word. "drawn into your midst." He said, pausing to see how the leader reacted to this piece of information.

"Caw, no more." Orlaith barked at the court member, she asked him but more demanded he would cease his discussion with the cat. She was definitely not pleased by being ignored, and even more so scorned at be referred to as 'claws' then of a name, but suppose she never gave on regardless. There was words of fire she wished to spew, but the Queen came in before she had got the chance. There was even point of accusations toward herself, with resulted in a large snarl, "We don't appreciate intruders."

Then she sunk into silence, with the snarl continuing forth and a glare following the cougar. She specifically watched with keen eyes, for any movement, and any chance they would come down. At the moment she resulted to more primal methods then of the humanity of talking it out, as there was only a low snarl following through, as the flaming wolf was leering at the tree, waiting for a chance.

She only had an ear flicker upon 'ward,' but as Orlaith did not know, only glancing to the Queen before looking upwards with a disdain and rage.

to perhaps now help! posting order

Orlaith
Naira
Virtute
Lumiya
Caw
Eleuthera
Kincaid

The man names after the sound his bonded bird was quite forthcoming on information, a relief with so many canines that seemed to think their tooth and claw was more powerful than that of a feline. He confirmed that she was indeed their queen and that they were of the Seelie Court, ah so they were the group that invaded her Willows. Interesting, truly. What was even more intriguing was that not a single fairy had noticed her, they seemed solely focused on the solitary male speaking to the bird boy.

Ah, recognition came. The man flicked his tail and moved in a way that could only be a language they could understand, mismatched eyes followed the motion and landed on a girl of fire and earth. Avoid her, and right on cue she snapped at the helpful boy and acted as if she was queen. So, there was a power struggle it would seem. The one called a queen was respectful but this self proclaimed one was not. The cat held back a growl as she remembered Virtute's warnings, she would remain hidden until he needed her but that did not mean she was happy about being silent with such a disrespectful creature glared and snarled at someone she cared about.

This little wolf needed to be taught some manners but she was the wildcard and needed to keep quiet. She sent a look at the male before looking back at the flame colored brat, her ears flickering at the mention of a ward. So he had taken in a wolf cub, a change of character perhaps?

I think we may be shifting to a post-order, just so people can get a peep in, aheh :) Goes something like:

Orlaith, Naira, Virtute, Lumiya, Caw, Eleuthera, Kincaid; so I think Lumiya is up next, and we can continue with that if you'd like! <3<3 Thanks for a good few rounds of KITTY CHAOS!!

There it was again- the grating sound of a canine growl as the fierce one spoke again, and while she did not earn a glance from the feline, she did cause his white-spotted ears to flick slightly, turning back in annoyance. He did not like the way she spoke to Caw, and he had half a mind to hiss at her in order to show his displeasure. Her words, though, brought him some sort of amusement yet again- and though he looked very much unimpressed by her interjection, he lifted his gaze to pierce through the swaying, dangling branches of the willows, though it was damn near impossible for even him to pick out the ash-gold pelt of the creature he sought. 

"Me? Trespassing?" He said, softly. He lifted his chin, and raised his voice; feathering it through the waving willow branches to address the unseen figure that he knew lurked somewhere nearby. "Didn't you mention to me, once, that you were born here, darling?" He called out. He realized- given the fact that the wolves still seemed somewhat unaware that there were now two felines present, he returned his gaze to them. "I hardly think I'm the one who's trespassing. But like I said before- your borders are for your kind. Not mine."