There was nothing quite like returning home after a long journey. Naia breathed in deeply as she crossed into her family’s territory; the scent markers at the border were like news headlines for a scout. Maksim’s scent was somewhat weaker than usual, which was concerning… had he taken a trip as well? Naia could also smell Nineteen’s pungent, herblike scent laced heavily with the other scents of Cut Rock River. No doubt Maksim’s second in command had been filling in for him while he was away. Naia changed direction to follow the River border, just to make sure she had everything, and she noted a scent she didn’t recognize. Perhaps Cut Rock River had taken in a new subordinate? The agouti lady grinned at the thought... the prospect of new friends always brought a smile to her face.

Naia changed direction once more to head into the heart of the packland. Usually her routine for returning home would include a wash in the river and some serious rolling in the dirt in order to cloak Inali’s scent on her pelt. It never quite covered the Downs woman’s aroma completely, but it did the job well enough that her family was likely to assume their encounters were all business. Nothing odd about two scouts from allied packs meeting to share information, right?

The night before, the lovers had made a real commitment to one another. The sneaking back and forth and masking their activities had gone on long enough. Inali loved her, so Naia would wear the scent of her lover proudly—and why shouldn’t she? Anyone who thought her relationship was affecting her work was welcome to share their concerns with her, but otherwise her private life, no matter how unconventional, should not change the way her family viewed her.

”Kisla.” Naia chirped warmly, smiling at her leader as their paths crossed. The Baranski woman smelled like Maksim and Cedar trees and.. home. Naia slowed to a halt, shifting into a stance that respected Kisla’s dominant position. Her tail swept the ground in a frenzied motion as the scout whined an enthusiastic greeting to the leader she hadn’t seen in such a long time. ”I have news from outside, if you have moment.” The little scout’s smile turned somewhat shy as she realized that Kisla would be the first to smell Inali’s heady scent on her pelt. If the River leader had ever worried about anything romantic underlying Naia’s devotion to Maksim, surely that would be the end of that conjecture.

”Hollowheart Keep is no longer a threat.” It felt amazing to finally voice the words she had been singing in her head the whole trip home. So many times she had tipped her head back to howl them to her family, but then thought better of it knowing that enemy ears might hear her as well. Naia couldn’t imagine what harm Whisper Caverns could do with that information, but intel was intel and Cut Rock River wasn’t sharing, especially when she had gone to such trouble to gather it. The Downs was the exception, of course. Inali had likely delivered the same message to Minka ages ago, back when the two scouts first heard the news from Evann, Naia’s ex-Keep friend. Hearing it from Evann’s mouth might have been enough for Inali, but Naia wouldn’t return home with the job half-done. As much as she trusted Evann, she had to check herself. Maksim would expect no less.

”Collasped, disbanded, however you want to put it—the Keep is no more. After hearing this from an ex-Keep wolf I went to the Mountain to see for myself.” This part of the story still frustrated Naia. It had been her understanding that the Keep resided in the Pass around the great mountain, seeing as that was where she was the last time she ran into that cranky old Pass brute. Why hadn’t Evann saved her all that trouble and just told her the pack had moved? ”I found their old densite, but it turns out that they left the mountain at least a year ago and settled in that dreary forest to the west of the Pass.” A spooky home for spooky wolves.

”That den was also abandoned—slowly though, they did not leave in force. They are truly gone.” This time the Keep did not pick up and move as they had when they abandoned the Mountain. The scents and leavings Naia found indicated a slow collapse, wolves leaving at different times in different directions. This was good—A simple move would mean they still had an enemy, but with the pack in shambles all that was left was individual grudges, which the River was more than capable of handling.

”Certainly,” the Timber lady replied, tail flurrying along the ground at the thought of reuniting with Maksim to share the happy news. Kisla claimed to be pleased with the update, but her expression still appeared less than happy. Naia cocked her head, ears flattened with worry. Kisla had the look of a wolf about to impart bad news. The scout’s sharp eyes saw the name Maksim on her leader’s lips and her breath hitched, memory flashing to her hasty assumption that her leader had simply taken a trip when she didn’t smell him at the border. An infection. Naia’s honey eyes widened fearfully. ”Oh, Kisla..” Naia murmured as the alphess stepped forward to comfort her. Kisla’s nose brushed softly against her cheek, and with that gesture a slight, sad smile came to Naia’s features. Kisla’s own mate was down with an infection, and here she was comforting Naia. That was true leadership though; having the strength to still give when life gave you every excuse to take. Naia returned the gesture with a few small, reverent licks beneath Kisla’s jaw.

It was a relief to at least hear that Maksim was fine for now. Lachesis had been allowed to step up for the time being, and Naia nodded approvingly. ”Lachesis will do a fine job,” she agreed, ”He’s really come into his own.” Naia let herself smile a little bigger as she recalled her first meeting with Nineteen as an awkward, stumbling, stuttering yearling. ”Though I think his true passion is, and always will be, his medicine.” The scout’s gaze met her leader’s knowingly. There was always a worry with interim leaders that they might resist relinquishing their new power back to the rightful king, but Naia was convinced that wouldn’t be the case with Lachesis. The ghostly man knew that leadership was a full time job and would leave little time for practicing healing arts. Naia imagined that Second was exactly where Lachesis wanted to be; a respected but more or less behind-the-scenes position where he could work with plants in peace.

”There was something else I wanted to ask,” Naia ventured, a troubled look settling on her features once more. ”It’s Orren.. he—ah..” How to put this without getting the little rascal in trouble? ”..His scent is unusually heavy around the border—much more so than the other children. I don’t think he’s been crossing over though.. not yet at least.” If Orren was anything like Naia as a child, it wouldn’t be long before he was ignoring the rules entirely and venturing out into dangerous, unclaimed territory.  ”Would it be alright if I showed him around the rest of the forest? And perhaps the meadow and the some of the marsh when he’s older?” Orren was clearly curious about the outside world, and if he was going to explore anyway he might as well have some adult supervision. 

Naia cocked her head to the side when Kisla shared her worry about Lachesis, honey eyes speaking her understanding for her. The intuitive scout knew it would be unlike Nineteen to seek out power and leadership, but falling in love… that was always a possibility. Love was a strange thing, sometimes happening even when it was least expected or desired.  Naia knew that falling in love and leaving to claim territory and start a family was just the nature of things, but sometimes she wished it wasn’t so—for Lachesis, but also for herself. What were she and Inali to do? Nature had failed them once, by creating their unusual attraction, and it would fail them again by refusing to provide them with offspring should they wish to be together.

Kisla sighed as the subject turned to her middle child, who was proving very difficult to keep under her paw. The corners of Naia’s mouth turned up with wry humor as she wondered if Kisla planned on gracing them with another litter this season. One year old and restless, the triplets were enough of a pawful on their own... doubling the Baranski brood would certainly make life interesting this summer. ”Restless paws can be put to work,” Naia assured her queen, ”We will make certain to be careful.” The muddy scent of the Caverns had been fading from the forest, and Naia suspected that their enemy was avoiding the cedars altogether. If they should happen upon an enemy though, with Orren’s brawn and her own cleverness paired, the Timber lady was confident they could hold their own.

Kisla’s relief was palpable in her voice as she reached out to Naia, seeking comfort. The warmhearted scout welcomed her agouti leader’s embrace, thinking for the first time how lonely the life of a Queen must be. Of course she had her husband and children in which to take solace, but there was no other woman in the pack who could really relate to her current struggle raising cubs. The pack’s female Second was traditionally the most trusted, but no doubt there was always that latent, nagging worry that the Second was also the most impending threat for the throne. Naia sighed in Kisla’s embrace, hoping the tired woman knew she could trust wholly in her Second. Likely the wolf Kisla really needed was her mother, the deceased regal for whom Karina was named, but Naia would do her best to support the Baranski queen who had brought their family nothing but joy and happiness since her arrival and  ascension.

Kisla pulled away and spoke once more to Naia, expression and tone equal parts sad and wistful. “I have some ideas,” the scout assured her, knowing from her patrols the places where Orren gravitated. Kisla thanked her again before departing, padding off for the communal den. Good, Naia thought, she deserves some rest. Her loyal scout would locate Orren and return him safely. Naia stretched before trotting off in the opposite direction, knowing she had quite a walk ahead of her to track down the wandering, wayward son.