This was it. She could feel it in her bones, see it in all the stories she'd heard. This was the place her mother was born; The place her grandmother ruled. Drooping Willows. Even in the dead of winter it was beautiful. The willows were large, and imposing, with their crystalline branches reaching down towards the Earth. It was a fairy-tale come to life, except she had always known it was real. If that were the case... then certainly there were Archer's around? Her aunt Ravenna, her uncle Skoll, her cousin Sven?

Nellie had already heard the tales of the place, but now it was time to find out for herself whether any of them were embellished or not. Pale eyes scanned the horizons as she moved, searching for landmarks. She was, of course, careful to stray far enough from the borders that her presence would not raise any hackles. The land beyond their scent markers did not belong to them.

The Agouti woman had crossed the borders into the lands beyond to hunt early that morning. That hadn't been her only goal as she had recently realized that she hadn't done much exploring beyond the protection of the Willow Trees. Since she planned on this being her home for a long time to come she needed to familiarize herself with the land.

Her hunting efforts had gone unrewarded but she had spent a good deal of time that morning putting her scouting skills to work. By the time she started back toward home she was ready to curl up in the den for a bit. Those plans however were put on hold as she came across a stranger near the border. Not close enough to warrant aggression or a good chasing off but instead a healthy interest especially since she was just a pup. “Hello there, can I help you with something?” She called to the dark furred female as she approached.

the devil is & always will

Finally here were the children Morganna had promised. Sven could see it in their coats and frames, in the subtle angles of their faces and the way they held themselves. It was unmistakable who they came from, and as he loped onto the scene, the boy's curt reply to Leotie only sealed it. They were certainly interesting to see, these progeny that were raised in the great land of Torbine, and Sven had no intention (yet) of dismissing them simply because of who their parents were. They were Archers, and family, but that also wasn't enough alone. They needed to act like it, and while he might've acted similarly in his own childhood, as an adult he had a low tolerance.

"Then move along, kids," he spoke up as he made his way to Leotie's side, eyeing Sterling in particular. There was no anger in his voice, merely dismissal. They didn't need to loiter here, and if he didn't want any hints on where his mother was, Sven wouldn't go out of his way to help. All in all, it was important to him that one thing was clear: the Ridge would not coddle shitty attitudes as Morganna liked to do.

be a gentleman.

Nellie's eyes narrowed slightly as she considered the tawny female. Did she know this one? Or well, not /know/, but was the woman an Archer? She seemed well meaning enough, but Sterling was quick to shut her down. As she chided her brother for his attitude with a tsk, the girl's ear flicked toward the sound of a newcomer. Pale eyes followed, taking note of his coat color. Could this be their cousin.. What was it? S-something? Maybe, maybe not.

"Don' worry. We're not 'ere to crash yer party. Jus' lookin' fer our mum." The scent trail went right through the willows, and Nellie refused to deviate from it. She had a feeling that the rest of her siblings would do the same, because they were likely all sick of travelling at this point.

It was a single word but the way it was said grated at Leotie's nerves and made her want to lash out at the kid. Another pup that had shown up, male this time and the Agouti woman already didn't like him. If fact she was just about to tear into him but she felt a presence at her side before she heard his all too familiar voice. Sven spoke telling the pups to leave the area which calmed her considerably.

After what had been said to her by Morganna she was rather tired of the attitudes of wolves thinking they could talk any which way they wanted to her. “There is nothing for you here if you don't want to accept our help.” She knew it was what had basically already been said but she thought she'd make it a little more clear so there were no questions about it.

the devil is & always will

The girl remained amiable, yet to have really trespassed in Sven's eyes. Her brother continued to make a bad impression for them both, however. Leotie was quick to be fed up, and he wasn't too far behind her. Especially as the youth droned on about how much he didn't want to be here interacting with them and it was their fault that he was despite the fact that he wasn't moving his own paws an inch. Unamused and unimpressed, Sven's response was again simple.

"So piss off then."

His silver eyes held onto the boy's pale features alone, as he was the one that was expected to vacate. If the girl wished to stick around and get a clue that she was heading in the wrong direction to find Morganna, Sven would have no problem speaking with her. Not with the other child present, however.

be a gentleman.

Amusement sparkled in the depths of her eyes, as Nellie considered the pale man. Someone sure was ornery. "Didn' know yer owned this par' o' th' willows. She had been careful to stay at a respectful distance from their scent markers, but if they were laying claim to this area too, then far be it from her to stomp all over their precious place. "Migh' wan' ter extend yer borders ou' 'ere if yer gonna be patrolin' it. No' sure anyone else'll know it's supposed ter be yers." Her pale gaze flickered back to Sterling, as she motioned once more for him to come along.