Cedar Sweep knight of flowers

Crack!

The clash of broadswords rang out across the woodland as a wolf charged at a thick-trunked tree, a whippy branch brandished in his jaws. As a Knight, it was his duty to keep his skills sharp and his body ready for whatever this journey might throw at him and, chest heaving with the effort of an afternoon well spend, Galathiel skidded round and lunged with a mighty growl.

Snap!

Again, his neck twisted as he struck with enough force this time to snap his weapon. He watched the broken branch clatter at his feet, satisfied with his efforts, and collapsed against the rough bark to catch his breath. What now? A darn good nap, he thought humorously, and slid to the ground panting heavily.

@Xenon!

The sound of cracking, snapping branches was quick to draw the attention of the young princess. Not one to stray away from potential danger, Europia headed towards the sound at a steady trot. She was quite the distance from her family's creek anyways and would surely get in some trouble upon her return, what was a little bit more?

Spotting a stranger after a short search, her tail waved lightly. You were making quite a bit of noise. What are you up to? Her tone spoke of clear curiosity, the tilt of her head adding to this factor. It was not often that she met anyone outside of the court, this was a special treat.

Galathiel had almost drifted off to sleep when a voice roused him from his dozing. "Forgive me for disturbing you, Miss," came his hurried apology, rising to his paws in a sedentary sort of way before his head bowed low. It mattered not who she was, only that she'd caught him napping!

"I was just battling that there tree. Quite a beauty, isn't it?" A tired smile accompanied the a tilt of his muzzle towards the aforementioned deciduous, now budding and blossoming in the warming season (though Galathiel was sheepish to note many of the flowers had been scattered by his antics). "Doesn't beat a true fight of tooth and claw, though. Ah, now that's something I miss."

He'd indulged her curiosity for now, though the Knight was sure, for a young woman like her, it would bounce right back.

What a polite man! And a nice face, too. It's alright. I wasn't bothered by the noise, only curious. She gave him a smile, genuine and friendly. The scattering of flowers was a pleasant sight, as messy as it may seem.

Are you travelling alone? She inquired with a tilt of her head. He must be, to have nobody to spar with. I was too. My pack has only just settled back into a territory. Europia was unsure if she should be sharing such a thing with someone outside of the court, but in truth she saw no real harm. The other's probably would, but they were always whining about something anyways.

Making her approach, she got just close enough to explore his unfamiliar scent.

A hearty laugh followed her admission. "Well then! A girl of my own heart. I would show you how it'd done, but, ah-" his gaze drifted to the broken branch. "It seems to have seen better days." 

Himself too had seen better days. Galathiel flexed each of his limbs in turn as she spoke, noting with discontent the ache and twinge of muscle. Without a squire to spar with, he'd turned to more...creative practices, and by Gods it hurt! 

"Unfortunately so. I've never been the solitary type, but circumstances be damned. This might be good for me." Closing the distance between them, Galathiel reached to brush his nose in greeting briefly upon her lithe shoulders. "Tell me about your pack then. It's my turn to be curious."

There was a wag of her tail at his approached. Stranger danger be damned!

I suppose that's fair, She spoke, squinting her eyes in a way that, matched with her smile, made her look rather mischevious. We are the Court of the Silver Corax, she spoke with a fake, snobby accent as she stated this. My sister is our queen. Our last territory finally fell, so our prophet led some of us here.

She wondered if her brother would like this man. Makhai was surely in need of a sparring partner as well. We've settled in the forked creek not far from here. My brother is a knight, so maybe he would make a good sparring partner for you.

Pulling away, the Knight watched her expression shift with narrowed eyes. She was young, carefree; native to the court in a way that reminded him keenly of his youth.

"The sister of a Queen? Wouldn't that make you a Princess, my Lady." Deciding to play into her game, Galathiel exaggerated the title with a dramatic bow of his head. And while every fibre of his being told him to avoid this young maiden's Queendom like the plague, Galathiel could admit that he missed the drama of court.

He missed the servitude, the sense of gratification. His friends, his brother's-in-arms - perhaps this could be a fresh start? "I would like to meet this brother of yours," canting his head, yellow eyes came to meet hers with intensity.

She couldn't help but laugh at his bow, her tail wagging along. You're funny. What's your name? She asked, her smile wide. Mine's Europia.

While awaiting his response, she obliged his request by lifting his head to howl for @Makhai. She was definitely opening herself up to a harsh scolding now, but her search had not been in vain! She had found a knight every bit as noble as the one's they left behind.

A summons from his wandering sister would bring him running any day, urgent or no. Makhai knew it was too much to hope that she had had a sudden change of heart on her way off to cause mischief, had decided to call for an escort after all, and so it could only mean one thing: she'd found her mischief, whether she knew it or not. Her most refined skill, he often thought, and just as often scolded himself for his cruelty.

He circled to place himself downwind, and slowed somewhat when he caught the scent of a stranger, not wanting to create an obvious cause for urgency where there was none. There was time to get Europia away without a fuss.

Makhai let his eyes slide over the stranger as he approached, taking in all that he could, but duty and custom demanded that he greet the Princess first. Sister, he called out. Are you well? Duty and custom; burdensome, but as much as he shifted under the weight of it, his need to assure her safety was just as much a personal burden. He wished she would stop running off like this.