They could have picked a better day to go exploring. Or rather, Astraeus could have picked a better day to ask her to go exploring with him. It wasn't all that bad; but the sky was grey and boring, and it spit the occasional rain droplet at them as if it detested their very presence but lacked the energy or interest to chase them off. Typical early spring weather. The grass was beginning to green up but it did little to absorb the melt water that had made the lower fields into a bog. At least it was getting better; the mud no longer splattered up her sides and legs as it had before. Now it just clung uncomfortably between her toes – cold and gritty. Despite all this, she had said 'yes' to the mahogany-eyed man. He was quickly becoming one of her closer acquaintances here at the Downs, and she hated being alone all the time.

On top of this, Raela loved how excited the prospect of 'adventuring' obviously was to him. She too, loved to wander the woods and hills of the Downs; taking in all of the wildlife and scenery. That was the Downs though, and at first she had been apprehensive at the idea of stepping outside their territory. Not once had she wandered this far, not since arriving. The need for recovery had been an easy excuse, but in truth the girl was just as afraid of running into enemies as she was afraid of worsening her condition. Now there was a named threat, the 'Secret Woodlands' wolves who'd mauled Lugh. Perhaps the perpetrators were no longer around, as Inali had said, or maybe they were still lurking. At least with Aeus by her side she felt better about it. A big wolf like himself ought to be able to protect her, or at least give her enough time to escape. And hey, maybe they'd find something useful to report back to Minka out here. The tawny girl would probably pick up on an enemy's presence long before they noticed her's anyway – she was not easily caught off guard.

No, she was not oblivious. As they moved forward, her ears and eyes were constantly on the alert. Bright orbs flickered this way and that, barely taking in the beautiful cherry trees just beginning to bloom. She was nervous, as usual. Placing herself behind Astraeus allowed her full use of her faculties while showing him the least of her twitchy behavior. It had saved her life many a time, but it did tend to make others question her mental state. An ear lingered in place just a second too long, signaling the detection of a foreign sound. Footsteps. The girl stared, unable to locate their source. Smaller than a bear, larger than a coyote... Whatever it was, it was too close for her liking, but too far away to be distinguishable. Rae stepped forward, nudging her dark-furred companion with her nose in silent warning, not expecting him to have noticed it yet. They were so vulnerable here; the trees were widespread with few bushes to disguise them, and the grasses were not nearly tall enough to offer the humblest camouflage. She froze, her gaze struggling to pinpoint the threat. No detectable scent, we're upwind. Hey, with such little foliage, at least she could run.

Her swarthy counterpart's defensive bristling did nothing for the girl's nerves. Her eyes moved again and again over that section of the orchard, desperately hoping for something to signal the creature's presence. His politely constructed but forcefully delivered question received an answer in no time. An agitated growl sent a chill down her spine, raising her hairs as well. She didn't recognize the voice, and the scent was impossible to detect until she got closer. The other woman's voice lashed out in frustration, scattering a few nearby birds. The exclamation would have made her laugh if there weren't still so many unknowns. Was this a Woodlands wolf? The footsteps quickened, prompting Raela to lower her head toward her chest defensively. Finally, a white female emerged from the foliage, clearly younger than either of them. She spouted off her name, stopping to test their scents. The mention of Gent held no water with her, though she supposed he could have been one of the new males she'd yet to formally meet. 

”Does this mean you want to attack me or something? Now it was clear. This had to be an enemy wolf. Her tone eased a soft scowl onto the ruddy woman's face. She thought to reply, but her eyes soon found the young one's belly. The realization hit slowly, but clear as day. The little punk was pregnant to boot. They couldn't attack a pregnant yearling; at least not unless she attacked them first. Inwardly Raela was hoping the white woman was not so audacious as to believe she could start something while carrying pups. No, it was becoming obvious that she was in fact using them as a bargaining chip. This “Danica” knew they wouldn't want to harm her now. What was a yearling doing pregnant anyway? Only the leaders bred. Had no one kicked her out yet? Was this okay for wolves to do in her pack? Before her thoughts got very far the girl's voice piped up again. Raela's ears fell back; a hard glare in her eyes. That was no way to speak to a pair of wolves that could take her at any second. She wasn't terribly surprised though; as Aeus' posturing wasn't all that welcoming. 

Now it was her turn to speak. ”No, we don't want to attack you unless you want to attack us.” Her tone had a hint of bitterness to it in return. ”We're just here for information.” It was true. Now that an enemy wolf was standing in front of them this mattered far more than mere exploring. ”You wouldn't happen to know anything about Lugh? A little brown wolf? Pale eyes? The scent of your pack was on his coat.” Inali had said that long gone traitors had attacked him, but maybe this girl could shed a little more light on the situation. ”He was attacked. We've been told it was a band of traitors from your pack.” By now the Downs wolf's voice had grown calm and curious. She didn't want to upset the girl if she had nothing to do with it, and her demeanor reflected it, and if everything went to hell in the next few seconds she was counting on Astraeus. ”If that's true our pack wants their hides just as much as you do.”

The younger wolf's patience seemed to be running thin. Just as the words meant to diffuse the situation had left Raela's mouth, Danica released her fangs in a defensive snarl. Despite this, Raela remained calm, refusing to take the bait and step forward. The girl was afraid, and she had reason to be. The tawny Downs female opened her mouth in response, but her voice remained firm. ”You don't have to trust us. But I am still going to tell you that we don't want a fight. We meaning Astraeus,” she gestured to the male, ”and Raela, if that makes you feel better.” Despite this, the ivory girl remained silent, denying her request for information and not speaking at all until Aeus' smooth voice filled the air. His words backed up her own, and she returned the man's gaze. She wasn't ready to give up on the yearling just yet. Looking back to her, it slowly became apparent that Danica was indeed taking their words into account. Raela's ruddy ears arched forward, hoping to catch even the smallest utterance of a clue.

At least now it seemed their acquaintance was calm. At first she was entirely dismissal, even stopping to show some remorse for her lack of free time. Thankfully though, her next string of words were much more helpful. The creamy girl's voice suddenly shifted at the end, mentioning her father as well as the traitors. Raela thought to give her companion a “told you so” look, but it was not the time. Deciding quickly that it was no use pushing the subject of the young one's sire, and wishing not to stir up the girl any more, Raela's eyes darted quickly in front of her feet as her mind worked to piece together her next sentences with care. She chose a softer, more concerned tone this time. ”I'm sorry we disturbed you, and ...thank you for your sympathy. I promise we'll let you get going but I have one more question, if it's alright with you?” Her eyes searched the girl for a reaction, but the next words were swift to follow. ”Do you know the other traitors' names? Or just, what they looked like? Anything at all would help us.” The older woman's head was lowered some inches below her shoulders, her tail fully relaxed at her hocks in an attempt to appear less threatening. She really just wanted the girl's assistance, and her body language would show it. ”I don't assume you know where they were headed but, do you know the direction, at least?” There was no bitterness left now, and as long as the woman stayed calm, there wouldn't be.

All of Raela's attention was directed forward as the Creamy female began to indulge her with answers. The tawny girl was altogether surprised. She expected Danica to snarl, or at least brush them off and walk away. Instead she gave a name and a thorough description of one of the other traitors, the witch known as “Iopah.” It was a name and description Rae would carve into her brain until Minka stood before her. Her father's name also entered the air between them. Danica's sigh brought more concern onto the ruddy woman's face. What on earth had happened between them?

Raela watched as the pale wolf's attention seemed to divide. She looked, but found nothing of note in the direction she was listening. Confused, her orbs fixated once again on the yearling's grassy-colored eyes as an unnervingly intense smile crossed her face. The suggestion of revenge was something she'd have to mull over. These traitors deserved it after what had happened to Lugh, but Raela would have to report everything to Minka and check with her first. Before she could think enough to speak, Aeus, who'd been watching the encounter silently, piped up. His voice was so stony and strong; something she hadn't heard from him until now. The woman watched her companion, waiting until he turned away to address Danica for the last time.

”Thank you so much Danica. I do hope we can bring these wolves to justice someday. I will do what I can to see if we can help each other on this.” With a formal bow of her head, Raela stopped to grin at the younger girl in appreciation. She moved ahead of Aeus, taking note of his ushering glance. An ear rotated back in acknowledgment of his sudden halt. The words he spoke were of concern, but Raela suspected the woman might take offense. She began moving again, watching for the dark man to join her as soon as he would. She wouldn't be adding anything to that. Inwardly the Down's subordinate thought it admirable of Aeus to be so thoughtful; so interested in the younger girl's predicament. Her mind would mull over the while situation as they returned home. Raela had to speak with her Alphess right away. 

{EXIT}