Hush Meadow find a little warm sunshine

It had been a last minute decision, though if Minka was honest it had been in the back of her mind since she had decided to come south. While the trips main focus had been on bringing her pups to meet their allies, a safety net of sorts, she knew she had other business here as well. She had wanted Kova and Noble to know where to go should something happen to the Downs, a place where they would be safe. Today though her business had nothing to do with the river pack and everything to do with the place she had once called home. Kova had been asking for stories of his family ever since his father had first began their lessons, taking much more interest than her daughter seemed to have. The knowledge of his living relatives had been tugging at the alpha's mind and heart ever since his questions began to come, how could she keep him from this knowledge?

This is how despite her better judgement she and her son found themselves in the meadow that she had first found oh so long ago. Before they had left the safety of their allies territory Minka had been sure to warn Kova to stay close to her at all times, that this trip could be dangerous. If they were greeted by Ash the mother knew she would take her son and flee immediately, it wasn't worth the fight. What she really wanted was to find Narimé, the woman she had once been so close with, the woman she had once served under for so long.

Standing farther from the borders than she once would have, or would have with any other pack the pair waited. Minka knew better than to try and howl for her, it would call too much unwanted attention to them, instead she would try to be patient and hope Narimé would show up soon. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and her instincts begged her to flee, this couldn't be a good idea and her son needed a mother more than a cousin. Despite all of this she stood frozen, not moving an inch, now that her mind was made up there was no changing it. Her children needed their family, even with the bad blood between the two alphas it didn't change the fact the silver woman was her children's kin. Surely Narimé could see this and understand.

Kova was excited again. Not soon after leaving Cut Rock River Minka had brought them further South. Kova had remembered his incident with the bison and how one of the wolves had given him a name that had been achingly familiar. Until then Kova couldn't remember where he had heard Titan Thorben's name. Perhaps because it had only been quickly mentioned by his father, but Kova did happen to recall that bit of information as his mother walked them southwards. Da said that I had family living far to the south. They were uhh.. Titan...umm.... He struggled to remember the names. The struggle itself frightened Kova because he had always been so good at remembering things.

Titan and Yuka Thorben were my cousin Narime Lagina's kids. Are we going south to see them? He thought excitedly. His tail began to beat at the air because Kova had remembered everything alright. He hated forgetting anything that had been told to him. It was a rare occurrence when Kova forgot something. When it did happen it was usually because the bit of information he was trying to remember was given with a ton of other information on top of it.

The only problem was that his mother did not share his excitement. Kova was well attuned to his mothers body language. So much so that she didn't even have to speak half the time for Kova to know that she was either happy, sad, or angry at him or someone else. Right now, despite the fact that she was trying to hide it, Kova could tell that his mother was getting more and more tense. She only gets like that when there's something wrong or danger is close... He wondered why she was like that as they moved southward. It wasn't until they reached a border that Kova somewhat understood her reason for being stressed.

Maybe it's just because of the border? He wondered while sniffing the border and remembering not to cross it. He had learned from the Cut Rock River meeting that he shouldn't pad over other wolves borders.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

She was either really lucky, or really unlucky to be scenting Minka on the breeze.

Narime's face was pointing directly into the breeze as she looked towards where her border was. A long deep snarl rumbled through her chest and quaked her body as the silver wolf evaluated the scent. Minka's smell was not alone. Another distinctly young male and female scent accompanied the Leigh females own smell as Nari let her snarl slip an octave lower to a deep growl. Her body was tense as the queen turned to face the wind. Her back legs pushed the she wolf forward while her front legs spread forward to carry the woman across the edge of the sparsely forested piece of meadow.

In her mind Nari imagined herself charging at Minka and tearing her from limb to limb. However the extra scents that came with the Downs queen had Nari on edge. She wanted to howl for help, but at the same time she wasn't hugely worried about the young wolves who accompanied Minka. Nari knew that she could easily overpower a young wolf. What worried her was why Minka, whom Nari knew was normally smart enough to stay away from Southern Eden, had a pair of younger wolves with her. That lack of information was the only reason Nari's growl turned silent as she leaps over a knoll and heads toward three distinct shapes outside of her border.

At first Nari thought that the Silver shape near Minka was Tokino, but her nose spoke differently. Tokino definitely wasn't here which helped to calm Nari just a fraction of a degree. However as she pulled herself to a stop directly over the border, the grey hunter stares down the three wolves while her body stiffens and rises. With her thick banner arched and flying over her back, Nari lifts her silver crown and flicks her blue gaze over Kova and Noble.

Noble didn't look like anyone that Nari knew; but Kova had his mothers coat pattern, even if his coat was devoid of any color that Minka's coat held. Putting two and two together in her head, Nari assumed that the children Minka had brought to her border were her own. Flicking her gaze back to Minka, Nari speaks with a neutral tone.

"Why are you here Minka?"

She asks. Nari would have attacked the woman had Minka's children not been there, but as things were; Nari was not a wolf who would kill a mother in front of her children.

faestock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

It had been faster than she had expected, so quickly that Kova had not even had a chance to get bored and begin complaining. The scent of Narimé grew steadily stronger and as it did the Downs queen felt all of her muscles growing stiffer beneath her pelt, instinctively she took a step in front of Kova. He was much too large now to be hidden by her form, her children were quickly outgrowing her but this way she could block any blow that might be directed their way. When the silver form of her former queen came into view Minka locked eyes onto the other woman's chest out of respect, after all she had come to Nari's home, not the other way around.

When the voice that reached them seemed calm enough, neutral even Minka let out a breath she didn't realize that she had been holding. Relaxing slightly she shifted so her son would be in clear view, though her eyes still stared almost unblinkingly at Narimé's chest. She was no fool and knew that ambush could come at any time, the trip seemed even more dangerous now that it was actually occurring. Swallowing any apprehension she spoke, "Narimé I have come for more reasons than I can honestly count and for a long time I didn't think they were worth it, but now I know they are." Pausing the mother looked back her son, locking eyes with him she felt her heart slow down, she had a reason to be here, he was her reason.

Looking back to the woman before them she continued, "Firstly and most importantly I have come to apologize to you, for everything that I have done and all the pain and turmoil that my actions have caused. There is no excuse for having gone against your word in the way that I did and I never meant for things to get so out of paw, but they did and for that I take full responsibility." Minka fell silent, dropping her head farther in apology, her golden gaze now focused upon the silver paws. She could do nothing now but see how the Caverns queen would respond to her words.