Secret Falls bring back what was stolen

Journey time! Set immediately after this thread, so they're starting out at Secret Falls and heading back to Whitestone.
Like I've mentioned, feel free to skip me and post between yourselves as long as you want to let them catch up <3
Also, for reference, at the start of the last thread Craw and @Celandine had already been travelling for probably most of the day - so they'll be wanting to stop and rest before long. I think that would be a good moment for him to interrupt (and thus for me to post again) and for them to rest.

The concept of member theft was one Craw was familiar with and normally found distasteful. It was the lack of loyalty which the act implied, the fact that one's allegiance could be shifted so easily. It was that he had suffered the same, once, to disastrous effect.

But as with so many things, there were exceptions. Broken Timber Pines were nothing to him, with no relevant interest to Morganna, and now that @Maeve had been found and claimed, their use was done. Craw might have felt uneasy at causing insult and potentially creating an enemy, but he had seen nothing to be afraid of in the leaders' displays - and, crucially, he now had an ex-Pines wolf under his nose, so any intelligence that he needed was only a question away. His only attachment to the Pines was through @Zeta, who had been so clearly lost and out of her depth in that encounter. His concealment of information had clearly been unnecessary, but he had not known that upon first meeting her. He knew better now. The confirmation of her missing brother's identity had not been a bluff; as with finding Maeve, Craw kept his promises. And at least he knew how to get to the Pines if he ever came across a wolf identifying himself as @Zane Argyris.

All that aside, if Maeve's sentiment at all mirrored Celandine's, the grey girl's loyalty was not to the Pines wolves but to her friend. So there was no betrayal, only correction.

Friend? Relation? He didn't actually know what their relationship was and why they were so close. Well, now she was officially his, those things would not be allowed to remain a mystery for much longer.

It had been a very long day of walking only to turn around almost immediately, and now they were faced with more of the same. Craw knew his body would demand a break before long, but in case they had left behind some serious hostility at those Falls, they would have to be relatively clear of the pack's territory first. That gave them some opportunity to shrink some of that distance between themselves and Whitestone. As well as that, it would give the two women a chance to indulge in some obviously much-needed catchup. Like the kind, chivalrous soul he was, Craw acknowledged and accepted that, and was content to stride ahead as he re-traced their steps, leaving Celandine and Maeve to trail along behind. While he kept his ears largely facing forward, they would flicker back occasionally, though largely just to ensure that they were still there at all.

Thankful for the apparent proximity Craw decided to give them, Celandine waited for the questions that would no doubt ensue. Maeve would ask where she had been, what took her so long. The woman would inevitably come up with something to sate the silver girl's curiosity, making sure that her words were kept vague enough to be re-interpreted later should the need arise. The thing about outright answers was that they were final. The tone, the wording, it would remain within another's memories forever, and once a sure sentence left the tongue it couldn't be taken back. So while she had no plans on outright lying to the younger fae, she knew a little omission couldn't hurt. 

She figured the girl would take whatever she had to say in stride though, too happy that she'd been rescued from Erebos' horrendous decisions. How one could follow that Iopah woman and not want to rip her throat out was beyond Celandine's comprehension. Someone would do it eventually if the alpha didn't pull the very large stick from her rear. Anarchy was inevitable under a dictatorship unless they made sure to control their members, and by the looks of it the Pines didn't seem too.. controlled. 

Casting a sideways glance towards her monochrome companion, Celandine took note of the confusion on her features. Stepping to bump her shoulder playfully into Maeve's, she spoke. "It's going to be okay, you know." 

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Everything had just happened so fast! Maeve had little time to comprehend anything that had happened, even her official 'exit' from the pines was just a big blur in her memory. Poor Zeta.. The fae was almost certain she'd never forget the look of confusion and worry that graced the silver woman's feature's as the wolves came and gone.. How would Erebos react to the news, would he carry similar expressions? And Arion.. Yes, one regret would definitely be not saying goodbye to the brief friendship she'd kindled over the past few months with the somber male she'd met by the rapids. 'He might of even came with us, had he known..' It was a strange thing, caring for someone other than her princess, however those ignorant fools were what managed to keep her alive all this time, or at least since Celandine took off.

With a bump on the shoulder, the princess reassured her that everything would be aright.. Had she acquired the ability to read minds in her time away? The fae forced a smile, knowing that Celandine was telling the truth, however it'd definitely take some time. "So.." The yearling cleared her throat. "Where'd y' go..? 'N who th' fuck is he?" gesturing toward the male that walked a few paces ahead of the pair, Maeve waited patiently for her princess' response.

Celandine slowed, allowing the distance between the women and Craw to grow significantly. He'd probably notice, and she'd likely have to come up with some sort of reasoning later. Just another lie in her never-ending web. "I traveled East for some time." The finality in her tone suggested that the fae would hear no more on the subject. What was done was done. "I came back to find the Plateau in ruins, and all of you gone. I searched for months, but it would seem that I spent most of my time on the wrong side of that god forsaken mountain." Side-eyeing Maeve, the woman allowed a private smile to caress her lips. "No one knew where the Plateau went, so I assume that it was a hasty exit?" How could it not be with Erebos as their great king?

"Eventually I turned around, hoping that the Willows would hold some answer. I was wrong at first. Greer knew that you left, knew my youngest sibling departed separately. All he could tell me about you was that you were heading East the last time he had seen you." She awaited Maeve's reaction, still under the assumption that her companion might have found something worth liking in the inky male. "Eventually I met Craw." A pale muzzle nodded in his direction. "He and his mate were looking to split from the Ridge. I went along with them under the pretense that they would help me find you, and I guess they did." She knew that this was the part where she was supposed to gush about how wonderful the alphas were, and about how 'they really aren't that bad, no really.' but that wasn't who she was. Her relationship with the Craw and Morganna was no more than Alpha, subordinate.

"They're odd. The whole place is, really. Instead of a mountain it's a rock in the middle of a tundra, and everyone is very... intrusive." Was intrusive the right word? Perhaps close would have done the trick. "Silent Moon was very loose. There was no structure, no reinforced ranks. It simply existed as a place where various wolves came to stay for a couple of months before moving on. Whitestone is different, though I'm not sure which I'd prefer." Indifference was practically radiating from her skin.

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Wow, the princess was so descriptive that it almost hurt. East? What for? Celandine's obvious intentions on no further elaboration were certainly enough to cause the orphans eyes roll, however she held back in hopes that she wouldn't irritate the woman so soon after their reuniting. The Argyris then chose to take a light jab at Erebos, another cringe-worthy action. Nevertheless Maeve once more suppressed her real feelings, knowing that personally the female had her own reasons for disliking the temporary alpha. "Ye'. Didn' even know whu' was happenin' a' first, couldn' find nobody er nothin', then next thing y' know th' brute wu' shovelin' me off t' some pack riddled wi' idiots." she shrugged, letting out a small grunt at the recollection before listening further to any information the woman planned on providing.

The fae's eyes widened as the name Greer sipped from Celandine's tongue. What was a princess doing hanging around some strange barbarian? The world certainly was a small place after all. "Y' don' say.." She murmured, again listening for more information to come. "Intrusive.. Tha's gonna take some gettin' used t'.. Does.. Does Greer live with ye' then er, did he go 'is seperate way after yer talk?" Not that it mattered too much, however it'd definitely be nicer having another familiar face around. "'E was lookin' fer y' bastard sister last I saw of 'em. 'F y' livin' in a tundra, I'd say 'e went the wrong way."

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2016, 10:16 AM by Maeve.)

The more Maeve spoke the worse her tongue fared, seemingly tripping over itself in it's desperation to form the next syllable. Gods she had hoped the girl would grow out of it, but it would seem that the awful lilt had only gotten worse. Suppressing the urge to cringe, Celandine nodded while taking a mental note to speak with the younger wolf about it later. Something had to be done. Ladies weren't heathens. "I knew he was no alpha, but I hadn't expected him to crumble so quickly." She would have returned much sooner if that had been the case. 

Her ear twitched at the girl's mention of Greer, serving to further Celandine's own suspicions. "He does. A scout to be, I imagine." Offering a side-long glance at Maeve, the woman awaited a reaction. Of course, any reaction would be a tell in Cela's mind, having already confirmed the two's relationship in her mind. "He isn't though. He's much the same as he has always been." She stopped there lest she insult Maeve's new beau. 

"He found her apparently. She's in Oak Tree Bend with my cousin." She hadn't thought about him in so long that she almost had to question whether he truly existed or not. "It's of no matter, they're far behind us now." Or well, for now.

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They chattered quietly behind him, far enough that their words melted into one hushed continuous sound. It took a lot of self-control not to eavesdrop, hoping for answers about their relationship, for snippets of information pertinent to each other that Celandine might not have been inclined to share with him before now. He resisted for one primary reason: that he would be directly asking both of them anyway. If Maeve was to join Whitestone then he would not abide secrets, and did not think there could be any good reason for any relating to why Celandine cared so much about her. It did not seem unreasonable to learn the reasons why he had gone to such efforts to please Celandine.

But they could not whisper together the whole way. As the sun set over the horizon ahead, Craw watched it, aware of the tedious ache in his limbs. They had been walking a long time. "Ladies," he grunted, cutting off their conversation almost instantly, and wasted no pleasantries in instructing them that they would be finding somewhere to rest for the night. It was still going to be a long journey come dawn, and he did not want to get back to the lowlands only to have to sleep for a whole day to make up for it.

He half expected them to vanish in the night, with Celandine's apparent only desire now fulfilled, but was pleased to find them both still asleep at sunbreak. The rest of the journey was easy, if quiet on his front; he would talk personally to Celandine's little friend once they were closer to home.