Firefly Glen I feel left out, I don't see how

before nyx thread!

There was a nephew she had yet to get to know, one who was highly deserving of congratulations and it was with the intent to find him that the argent female crossed from Moonspear into the Glen. To be so young and coming into his own so early was something he was surely proud of; she knew both Dirgee and Hydra held such feelings and, in an aunt-like fashion, she did too.

A short call was sent, light and friendly as she sought the company of @Osiris. If he had other things he was tending to, she would , of course.

Osiris was genuinely surprised to hear Keres' howl, and promptly he sent up a reply. "Hey!" he howled. "I'm patrolling near the foothills—I'll meet you halfway." It'd been an interesting day; already, he'd happened upon a skunk and a muskrat and chased them away. 

With some pep in his step, Osiris moved to meet Keres, feeling good about his accomplishments and the fact he'd get to spend some time with his aunt.

Perfect.

Heading off in the direction his howl had come from with an easy lope, it didn't take terribly long for her to spot him, nor for her to draw close and grin at him. Osiris, A strong name, she mentally noted. How are things coming together? The excitement trilled in her voice, pleased as punch that she hadn't interrupted anything.

"Aunt Keres," Osiris greeted in-turn, his tail brushing against the tall-grasses that surrounded them. "Things are great down here," he answered, throwing a prideful glance in the direction of the territory's heartlands. "Strangers are finally starting to recognize our borders, and we're managing our badger-problem," though, they weren't entirely eliminated yet. 

"How're things on the mountain?" he asked then, realizing he hadn't asked about his homeland since he had left.

Badgers? What an infestation to have! A dangerous one too. Strangers were important, too, of course, but badgers had a certain sort of visciousness to them that made her worry. At the same time, he said they were managing. Well, let me know if you need help with any of that. I'm happy to help.

Good. Things have been relatively quiet since the one wolf came by asking for an alliance. Dirge, Desdemona, and I ran into the Saints down in the Strath, as well. They're settling there, apparently. It's past the barrier mountains but be careful all the same. I don't trust them a lick.

Osiris flashed a grin at Keres. "It'd be greatly appreciated," he replied; they'd been raiding the caches recently, and the extra efforts would be welcomed. "I'll be sure to call you the next time I see them," he added with a click of his jaws. 

Despite her good news regarding Moonspear, he felt his stomach twist at the mention of The Saints. "What are they doing there?" he asked through a frown; they were too close for comfort.

Living there, apparently. The tone which wound through her words was that of significant displeasure; the reasons why would be obvious to Osiris, of this she had no doubts, but it bore a voice anyway. I don't trust them. I don't trust them to behave or to stay quiet or anything. There's something off about the man that leads them, the one that the boy vouched for... Keres thought about it for a moment before shaking her head.

We will have to remain vigilant through the winter, it seems. Yes, there were the mountains between them, but it was not difficult to travel around those mountains; she would know. She had just recently made the venture to go spy on them, after all.

123

"Living there, apparently," Keres reported with displeasure. Osiris was both surprised and bothered with the report, and he grimaced as she reported everything she felt and knew. "I agree," he replied, shaking his head. "Nobody that I've come across has anything good to say about them," he added, recalling the multiple accounts that he and Desdemona had heard regarding the pack. "I think that they're a threat and should be treated as such." But, of course, he wasn't the one who'd make that call. 

Curious, Osiris then asked, "The boy?" He wasn't sure who she was referring to.

While she agreed with her nephew, Keres knew that it was not her decision who the packs would ally themselves with. Even Osiris, who had more of a say in such things than she did, could only throw his opinion into the hat for consideration. The thing about fools is that they will eventually slip up. Even the lucky ones. And the pack that had settled in the shadow of the Spear was certainly comprised of creatures with less sense than any she had ever met before.

She turned slightly, silently inviting the young man to walk alongside her; standing here and catching up was great, but they could also patrol and gab which was much more productive in her mind. Valour, I think his name was? He came to the borders and pleaded to your mother for an alliance. The memory was yet vivid in her mind, though the soft green of her eyes darkened a touch as she recalled it all. He is seemingly infatuated by the leader of the Saints. Went on about how he's a good man and just misunderstood, or something.

Were she younger, Keres might have rolled her eyes. Now, her mouth simply pressed into a thin, worried line. Whether or not he had been groomed or brainwashed by the odd looking wolf, the boy remained blind, and would until he chose to open his eyes.

Osiris fell into step alongside Keres and surveyed the grasslands before them, silently resuming his patrol—killing two birds with one stone. The borders had been quiet before he had met up with his aunt, and he didn't anticipate that much had changed in the short time that they had talked. 

Osiris had not expected Valour's name to appear in their conversation, and he couldn't conceal the surprise that briefly lit up his face. "I know Valour," he confirmed in a thoughtful drawl. "He used to lead a pack called the Nightwalkers—referred to himself as a Warlord. They were our allies," he explained, forcing himself not to roll his eyes. Osiris didn't have the best opinion of Valour, and this information only soured his view. 

"It's hard to believe that he would stoop so low," he said after briefly thinking it over. "I would like to think he is no longer our ally," he added, wondering what his parents made of the news.

A Warlord. Keres huffed a laugh, a wry smile playing across the planes of her face as she glanced sidelong at her nephew. It was many a child's dream to become such a thing, to become renowned for their prowess in battle or their tactical skills, which just solidified her opinion that Valour was but a boy that was trying to fill pawprints that were much too big for him. The concept was one that was not unknown to her, but she saw no reason to regard him as any less of a threat — or a loose cannon.

It is very possible, She said as she looked out along the horizon, slipping into the role of a patrolling guardian easily. That he was desperate for something, anything, that would make him feel wanted or at home. In that state, many a wolf can fall prey to mindsets they would not normally give time to. That didn't make his alignment any less egregious or forgiveable. Keres merely offered the words as a way to understand how Valour's fall to depravity might have happened.

Osiris weighed Keres' perspective as he surveyed the territory ahead of them. "Yeah," he agreed eventually, "That seems very possible. Though, it seems rather foolish to me." He couldn't resist touching on their previous talking-point. 

"This could benefit Moonspear, though," he offered after a moment, as the idea came to him. "Maybe Valour can help keep The Saints out of our fur," he proposed.

We can only hope, She replied to the Glen leader's somewhat hopeful statement. I wouldn't hold your breath, though. Wolves like Valour, like the Saints, were unpredictable, as they would see in the coming weeks, whereupon the latter would show up on the Spear's doorstep. Still, the only thing they could do until then was to wait and keep watch. Walking at her nephew's side, Keres would instead point their conversation elsewhere as the continued their patrol, pleased to finally spend some one-on-one time with him.

"Agreed," he replied, nodding his head. Happy to talk something else, Osiris followed alongside Keres as they continued their patrol until the sun began to set. When they parted ways, Osiris sought the nearest cache—their patrolling had conjured up quite the appetite.