There had been talk. A whisper on the wind, a moment of silence that brought her closer to 'home'. Thus, it wasn't her own selfish desires that pulled the youth once more into the heart of Silent Moon Plateau's territory, but some ludicrous need to protect the little monster. She was in danger after all. It was only a matter of time before the new queen found the usurpers alone, and without Phineas... Well, they did seem to pose a threat to her own child, and isn't that what their own mother had posed? Aesire had been their leader, and now she was dead.  The general consensus was probably that it had been a simple accident, but no. There was no way a simple challenge could go so far. There was intent behind it. 

Celandine moved quietly undercover, sticking to the shadows in hopes that she could slip in and out without being seen. That might ruin everything. So she crept, avoiding the scents coming downwind as best she could. She wasn't sure how to find Aesire's children, it seemed that they always found her. Maybe she'd get lucky, and find them right away?

It wasn't long before she spotted the grey girl that had somehow weaved her way into Celandine's thoughts. She looked sorrowful, and the fallen princess couldn't help but realize that @Maeve now stood in the same place that she once had. A low whine escaped her, quiet enough for only the child to hear. It beckoned her forth, into the shadow of the trees. It was a hell of a plan, wasn't it?

"M-mumuh..." Her heart broke for the cub, although Celandine had never felt anything other than disgust where Borlla was concerned. Unlike the first queen of Magnolia Glen, Aesire had mothered her children well, and somehow that made the loss that much greater. Maeve was too young to be motherless. Especially with danger festering at every turn. Aponi bore a cub to take the crown, and then she murdered Aesire. It didn't take much to realize that the grey pup would someday meet the same fate. The boy might be safe, for he could still stand next to Kynah should the silver woman place her atop the thrown, but Maeve caused too much strain. Two queens would not do, and in time, even the bastard child would come to see that. The fallen princess knew all too well what she would have done to see her dreams realized. 

"Did I do somethin' wrong?" Maeve's voice was liable to draw unwanted attention, and so the fallen princess shushed her in a tone not unlike the ones she'd heard the new mother's using inside their dens. "Come." The demand was soft, and warm, with a silky hue that Cella could hardly recall using. It had been so long, after all. "It's not safe for us to talk here." Without any other explanation, the pale fae turned to make for the borders. If the pup chose to stay behind, then there was nothing she could do. Celandine had already overstayed her welcome, and she no longer held any trust for the subordinates.

The pair stopped a good distance from the borders, in a spot that Celandine had unofficially claimed as her own. "No. What is done, is done. Your mother is in the past." Although, she knew that the memories would remain fresh for a while. Eventually time would force the wounds to scab over, and scar until something -- a scent, a word -- would rip it open once more. Time was the great deceiver. It did not fill the emptiness left by death, nor pick up the shattered remains for those left behind. All the minutes, and hours, and days were good for, was feigning normalcy. Nothing would ever be the same for the silver cub, her life would now be forever changed.

"You are not safe. Your mother's death was not an accident." Great. She sounded deranged. Of course, she was a little unhinged, but either way, she had a point to make. "Aponi killed her, and once the speculation is gone, she will come for you too." Celandine let that sink in, her amber eyes pouring over the girl's face awaiting a reaction. "You pose the second greatest threat to her line, after me, and I cannot protect you from it." Would she, if she could? "Once your gone, it will be made to look like an accident. Maybe you fell from the rocks, or threw yourself clear off of the plateau in despair over your mother. Either way, there will be no justice for you." Her voice dropped then, barely a whisper. "I don't even think my father suspects her. He wants to see the good in that woman, since she mothered his last-born." In her mind, at least.

Celandine watched the girl, her bright eyes awaiting some sort of realization to sink in, but Maeve was young. Young, and naive, and indestructible. The world could not touch her yet, but of course the pale yearling knew the truth. Aponi was a danger to them all. There was no denying her desperation for the crown. Especially when the silver nightmare mothered a child on Silent Moon's king, and murdered the former queen. 

"Hush now." Whether she felt the need to comfort, or simply silence the monotone creature remained unseen. "Aponi wants for Kyna, and herself. You are born of a queen, and now she thinks that you hold a claim to the Plateau. A claim that cannot be easily pushed aside." She hoped that laying it all out in the open would help the young fae understand. "I am the only one who holds a stronger claim than her, and the pup, but it should be no matter. She'll want you gone too, so that no one can attest her ascent." 

Once she had finished, the snowy youth tilted her head to scan their surroundings. Their words were not meant for anyone else, and she planned on keeping it that way. No one had followed her yet, but if someone were to notice the mingling of scents, checking in might not seem too conspicuous. 

"I am no longer strong enough to protect you." Did she truly want to, or had this all been another one of her episodes?

Talking to children was clearly not one of Celandine's strong suits. In fact, it was the exact opposite. "By all laws you are still a princess. Do you understand?" The frustration in her voice turned to desperation as she willed the girl to understand. "You are in danger." Her eyes sprung to life, igniting for the first time in so long. "It doesn't matter whether you want to be Queen or not. You are still a threat. I know. There was a time when Aponi's ill will would have come as a comfort to the snowy princess. She had wanted the cubs... removed, hadn't she? It was hard to remember the darkness, even though it still crept into her sometimes. It washed everything away; blurred her mind, and forced each day to meld into the next until she couldn't remember how long it had been since she last sated her hunger, which was all she knew in those times. 

Insatiable would have been a good word to describe her, but she hungered for what exactly? The answer was not so clear. "I'm telling you to be careful." Although, Maeve's idea wasn't half bad. "Yes, run. Run as far, and as fast as you can. Or find someone who can keep you safe. It won't be hard. The sheep in this pack will all fawn over you." Who wouldn't take a liking to the precious sad girl who's mother fell from the heights? Not that anyone had ever cared about Celandine after... well, after Borlla.