Riddle Heights mirror mirror on the wall

Paging @Tannis
Patchy rain nearby, 63F

Learning. She was learning. Namid had insisted, time and time again, that becoming a scout would not be easy. Easy was becoming a thorn dug deep into her paw. When had she implied obtaining a role among the pack ranks would be simple? Early in their relationship, she'd heavily implied she'd be willing to do the alpha's dirty work for her. That would be the most seamless change, she thought. She was well-versed in the language of criminals, and while no hit man or overbearing shadow, threatening without a single word, Desideria could well understand what needed to be done, and how to make sure it happened. Becoming a scout had been Kajika's suggestion, and while initially startling, it slowly settled into a comfortable place. She was quick, and lithe, and maybe stealing information and ferreting it back to her lady and queen wasn't that different from stealing food or medicinal items. It hadn't felt that different, but still she needed to prove herself, and so today she moved far south of Fallen Tree Cove's borders. She was aware another pack lived upon the plateau – in fact, she'd had a horrible run in with the lead female that sent her scurrying with her tail between the legs. But she had been pregnant, which meant she must have had her puppies by now, and if this alpha was anything like Namid, she'd be like a hawk over her puppies. Skirting near her borders (but certainly not crossing over, the woman didn't have a death wish!) was unlikely to result in running into Aesire or her mate. What she could hope for was another wolf that belonged to the group, curious like herself. Des didn't mean any harm, after all, only wished to sate wandering pause and a wondering of her mind.

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The spell of rain that had temporarily swept over his part of the mountain left Tannis soaked to his undercoat. No amount of coat-shaking or twitching would presently rid him of his "porcupine-like" appearance. While he had thought to give Wren another visit, he opted against it; Wren would be there tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. That is, if his parents didn't decide to move to some other rendezvous den site, and some part of Tannis was sure of it. After all, he was pack and the tawny man had caused no harm or posed any danger to the boy.

So the lowly subordinate continued on with his usual "duties," or so he liked to call them. He kept out of everyone's way, laid low, and traversed the borders out of habit, and today would have been like any other, filled with those simple, menial tasks, but Tannis had come across something strange.... something that made his chest constrict with a sense of uneasiness and made the tips of his ears tingle. His nostrils flared as he breathed, trying much too hard to take in a deep breath he knew he could not easily take.

It would seem like someone, who smelled very, very different from a typical Plateau wolf, was near. The first thing that came to mind was that he was going to appear like he owned the place, as if he had some important business about the borders (in all actuality, he did, in a sense that he was being Phineas and Aesire's eyes and ears). The only problem was that, in his excitement, he had already succumbed to a coughing fit. With an uneven step that swayed one way and wobbled back, he advanced as best as he could along the invisible paths between scent markers with his head lowered and ears held back. His body wracked with tremors from his wheezing.

He stepped up onto a foothill and stopped in attempt to recover, startling himself as he spotted a russet, wolf-shaped figure just up ahead. His body gave a jolt and it made him gasp for air for a moment before he forced himself to hold his breath. He stared her down with wide eyes, his brows eventually furrowing as if to wordlessly criticize her for being much too close to the borders than he would have liked.

It took a few minutes, but eventually something changed in the distance. One of the scents began to approach and Desideria briefly suffered from a bout of second thoughts – what was she thinking? Last time she was here, she near got her face ripped off by the pregnant alpha! Of course, the pups would well be born by now, but that didn't mean the new mother would be any less hostile. The female briefly considered turning tail and venturing back the way she came – but that wouldn't make her much of a scout, would it? Of course, it wasn't like she'd told anyone where she was going. If she ran, who would know? But all her waffling cost her precious time, the local pack wolf was upon her as he neared the edge of his territory. The cough alerted her to the male's presence and the scout in training took a few, rapid steps back. Her ears were flat out to the side, tail dropped behind her – Des cam here with no ill will, and she wanted the stranger to know as much. (And if he came with actual illness, she wanted no part in that, either.) "Erm, hello," she greeted the stranger nervously, unable to quell the constant shuffling in her feet. The she-wolf refused to approach, refused to get any nearer to the possible plague-bearer or his well-guarded domain. Clearing her throat, she continued, voice small, soft. "I, uh, well I'm your neighbor, I guess, and I just…I guess wanted to know a little bit…about who you are?"

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A wheeze fought its way through his chest and, when he managed to stifle a number of coughs behind his sealed lips, his face distorted upon hearing her request. Since finding Wren some four days ago, he had been conflicted with himself - who was Tannis Andreas anyway? His bedraggled tail moved about with a limp wag. There was also a second side to the question he had not considered: did she mean 'you' as in 'just him' or did she mean the whole pack? His brow came down, making him look rather stumped as he dared to move closer, just enough so he wouldn't have to actually bark at her and alert anyone else who might be nearby.

"Neighbor?" he entertained the idea that she might be pretending in order to gain some sort of valuable facts about him, Phineas, and the rest of the pack. "Neighbor from where?"

He supposed by that moment that he could be a diplomat of sorts; and, this was actually the only part of himself that he had tried so hard to keep while traversing the wilderness beyond the only home he had ever known. Once upon a time, Tannis had meant to be a historian or memory-keeper, someone who had his best interests set into the pack's well-being. Without the courage to seek out either of his Leaders, he might as well just be stuck. Until he found himself a proper place beneath the Argyris brute, he could very well pretend until he did. That is... if he could manage to pull off the air and grace of some sort of Advisor or well-practiced man. Truth be told, women made him nervous.

His own ears remained down and to the sides of his face, his nose continually twitching as he tried to glean every note of information from her pelt from a distance. Maybe Phineas would appreciate it if he kept himself in one piece and said nothing to put the wolves of the mountain in danger.

The other wolf moved closer and the scout in training had to fight the urge to match his paces backwards. She'd never learn anything if she couldn't close – but that cough was unnerving, and any information brought back to Namid would be utterly useless if she carried a disease back to the pack's lands as well. Desideria did, however, manage to answer the wag of his tail with her own small gesture, slender tail wiggling a bit as it uncurled from her belly. Complete submission wasn't necessary, she supposed, as long as she didn't make any quick moves, and didn't give the male any idea that she wanted anything of his (or his pack's). Clearing her throat, she dipped her head with a sheepish smile. "Oh! Suppose that'd help, yeah? I'm Des – well, Desideria – of Fallen Tree Cove. We're a bit ways north. By the lake, yeah? So neighbors. Closest pack to our boarders, far as I know it," she explained, tail twitching a second time as she bobbed her head. She was babbling a bit, wasn't she? Well, the rogue always had foison of words. But how could this group had no idea about the Lake wolves? Seemed a bit odd, in such close proximity, but wouldn’t that make friendly terms all the better? An accidental discovery at a later date might not be as peaceful as this. "My alphas are Vespertio and Namid Vuesain," she explained, assuming this was pertinent information as well. Having answered his query, she thought it fine if she asked one of her own. Best to start with basics – wouldn't do if this wolf just fled and left her with nothing at all. "What is your pack name? Do you inhabit this entire plateau?"

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There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Sorry. :c Blaming Rook's over-excitement and Tannis' noncooperation for this overdue reply.

A whine failed to sound through his muzzle and he scrutinized every strand of fur on her with a wary eye. Even after she gave him an embarrassed smile. It wasn't everyday that Tannis did something like that to someone. His stance eased up, but his head and tail kept low; if anything could be said, he was a cautious man, now, not one that would cause trouble for the sake of trouble. Not when he had Wren to look after now.

Her name was Des... short for Desideria; and, she was from Fallen Tree Cove. He hadn't heard of that before (even if he had once met Namid, the pack's Leader some number of months ago). "I'm Tannis," he offered in return when she had finished introducing herself and relaying some vital affiliate information. He would have to tell @Phineas about them the next time he had the chance to find himself in the mountain king's presence.

"Yes, we do," he confirmed, the "clipped," almost curt tone suggesting that he was still uncomfortable answering that question. "The wolves of Silent Moon Plateau are a force to be reckoned with." It might have been a lie at one point but now that his dear princess @Celandine and her brother Prince @Takis were old enough, there was no question that the Argyris family was one destined for greatness and power.

"Wh-what do you need?" this question came with a muffled cough, his diplomatic side rearing its head at long last. The man who stood before her now had been the one who had been born into the legacy of Viktor's Run well beyond Relic Lore. The one who had lost his baby brother Marius and had wanted nothing more but to see stability and understanding in the world. "You couldn't have come all this way just to chat with me..." He made a face that was a genuinely but poorly attempted smile. It could go both ways, the way he saw it, they could both leave this conversation when they had both received a decent amount of information from the other.

Tannis.  That was easy enough to remember, she decided.  Upon actually closing her mouth and giving the wolf before her a closer observation, they didn't seem to be so different.  He was small, for a male – not as small as her, but that seemed to be nearly impossible, the woman had often noted – and despite his general advantage as the resident wolf in this situation, their temperament didn't…appear too different.  It occurred to the rogue that he might actually be acting, but she dismissed the idea as quickly as it arose.  Vicious wolves rarely took the time to pretend to be anything but, in her limited experience. "Yes…yes, I've learned that already," she answered wryly, thinking about to her first encounter in the realm of Relic Lore.  That half-crazed alpha, Aesire, was quite willing to take her face clean off.  It not for her mate, she probably wouldn't be here today, seeking to learn more, and try to bring something back to Namid other than 'that bitch was bloody nuts!'.  Her tail twitched once, twice, and she tried to think of something else to say.  Perhaps she shouldn't have attempted this alone, but who would she ask?  The queen was busy with her pups, and neither of the leaders were really scouts themselves.  The truth was she didn't know any wolf like her, in a position like her. With an uneasy sigh, she shifted her wait as she studied Tannis.  "I, er…well, I did…actually just come to talk?" she admit, offering a sheepish smile in response to his own poorly attempted grin.  "I'm not…not stupid enough to try even getting near one of those alphas, but my pack is to the north and thought maybe another subordinate like me would want to…learn stuff?"

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Ugh wow, sorry I took so long. . __ .;; This stupid muse, she's being so finicky.

(This post was last modified: Aug 16, 2015, 06:29 PM by Desideria.)

Her sheepish smile got the best of him and if he still hadn't been this meek, passive version of himself, he would have been wounded to have let his defense fall so low. He had Wren to protect; for all he knew he could have been held up in this very point while Des' own pack wormed their way towards the safe haven where he had left the cub. He'd have to lie wherever he could, he decided, in case this woman ever wanted to find out anything else that was somewhat personal. But, then, that was where he remind himself that he would have to choose carefully. Des had actually come to talk.

"What kind of stuff?" he prompted with a slight tilt of his head. "We're numerable in size but there isn't really much I can tell you apart from that. What specific thing could I tell you that would make this conversation wo-worth the trip?" Okay, that bit was a little curt and not as laconic; he really could have been a little less long-winded but maybe she wouldn't mind. One of his ears shakily rotated to one side, scanning the surroundings at his back to discern if anyone of his kin had come to assess the situation. It seemed that there was no one there. Tannis was on his own, left to withhold and issue whatever information he pleased. The thing was, he was really hoping he wouldn't have to say anything else.

Once or twice he thought to immediately "play the card" that told her that he had a cub to get back to, but withheld it. He would need it later after she had gotten what she had come for. Perhaps if he stayed, he would learn something for himself... for @Phineas' benefit.

What kind of stuff? That was a very good question, Desideria thought, finally allowing herself a small smile as she watched the other wolf. He seemed…well, he seemed nice, she decided after a thought, ear shifting out to the side. While she might not call the Silent Moon wolf as nice or friendly as @Kajika or Namid, she'd certainly rank him above Anthem or most of the other wolves in the Fallen Tree Cove pack. Perhaps they could be friends – if things worked out between their packs. She wasn't even certain if her alphas wanted allies (or if that crazy wolf she'd run into before had the reason to be able to form a pact of any kind). But information would help make those decisions, and that was what she'd bring back to her queen. Tipping her head, the woman licked her lips nervously, trying to decide what to ask – it wouldn't do to waste her question, or worse, for Tannis to think she was foolish or stupid. And if she thought that was bad – what if @Namid thought the information she brought back was pointless? Licking her chapped lips a second time, the scout in training spoke up. "I'm…I'm not very good at this," she confessed, ears flattening as she disparaged herself. "I guess…I guess, your alphas names, that would be a good place to start? And, uhm, what sort of wolves they are?" That, she could bring back to her leader, and leave it in the paws of the queen and her husband to decide whether or not to go forward in meeting this group again.

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