“Well, whatever you said to her definitely worked,” he answered warmly, his lips pulling back to display a wide, toothy grin. “She’s already a wonderful scout.” XIX could not have asked for a better candidate. She was focused and dedicated to her craft; she would have made her father proud. His expression softened as he studied the tawny male, tail twitching softly behind him. “Thank you for encouraging her,” he added with a curt nod. It was good to see that Craw’s wolves were getting along so well with his own. Perhaps this alliance was going to work out after all.

His ears twitched as Lorcán spoke once more, mentioning a stream nearby. Well, sort of near by. It would require a bit of travelling to reach, but Lachesis did not mind. If the Whitestone wolf was up to it, of course. “I’m game if you are,” he offered with a tilt of his head. He wouldn’t mind having a chance to get to know the other healer better—even if it meant wandering close to another pack’s borders. They would have to work quickly once they got to the stream in order to not draw attention to themselves. With a day’s travel ahead of them it would offer plenty of time to discuss what the plant looked like to ensure they were able to retrieve it without being noticed.  He did not know how the pack would react to discovering a Whitestone wolf and the leader of Hearthwood traveling (and working) together. 

Politics was always on the ghost’s mind, whether he liked it or not. Continuing to strengthen his relationship with the monadnock wolves was important to him. Fortunately for Lachesis, Whitestone had a healer that was nearly impossible not to get along with—keeping an alliance with them was going to be easy. Which was precisely why he had agreed to seek out the sweet grass with Lorcán. It gave him the opportunity to get to know the healer and his pack better. His knowledge of Whitestone came from Craw; he was curious as to how the tawny healer felt about his pack.

XIX gave a short nod in response to the agouti and followed in behind, his long legs carrying him quickly over the frigid terrain. It was a peculiar feeling, to be following another—for he had done nothing but lead for quite some time—but he did not mind. Lorcán insisted he knew where he was going and XIX trusted him. For now, at least.

His lips curled into a frown as they by-passed the borders of the newly established pack. It would be unwise for the duo to draw attention to themselves. A river wolf and a monadnock wolf travelling together looked suspicious—he did not want their new neighbours to get the wrong idea.

The agouti wolf spoke suddenly, causing the ghost to lift his nose from the ground. He trotted over, the corners of his mouth lifting as the familiar sweet aroma filled his nostrils. “Yes, that’s the one,” he chirped excitedly as he bounded toward the river’s edge, his plume wagging gently behind him. “Good job,” he added with a gentle nudge to the healer’s shoulder as he nosed the grass out of the dirt. “Take as much as you need, but not all. Others may need it as well,” he instructed as he grabbed a few stalks between his teeth before stepping to the side to allow Lorcán to collect some.

Once they had each gathered what they needed Lachesis spun on his heels, heading for the looming shape of the monadnock in the distance. He looked forward to scouting for plants with the Whitestone healer in the future. Perhaps they could be joined by Emrys, as well, who had proved to be an excellent partner in the past.

Fade.