Now that she had her herbs and had made it back on her path, Iskra had slyly skirted the Eclipses Borders for a bit, taking in the scents and determining there was no trace of the man she sought. She'd neglected to remember to get the info out of the dark woman before they parted ways but with so few scents at the Eclipse's borders, she doubted she just happened to not notice his. No way, there were hardly that many members, so if the man was half the fighter he appeared to be he'd be patrolling. That was answer enough for her.

The trip to the other pack took a while since she hadn't really ever visited it before, but it was fairly simple once she started following Abraxas scents to their origins. The lower portion of Auster was riddled with them. It almost made her nervous to know they filled the area so, and yet, here she was sauntering her way on over to the border with the massive bundle clutched in her jaws. Once she arrived Iskra set her things down and wasted no time in howling for Malleus specifically. If someone else showed up first, fine, though she'd prefer it if that weren't the case. Either way, she was ready. She hoped.

Malleus had his nose in the dirt when Iskra's howl reached his ears. His head popped up immediately. She was howling for him...by name? For a moment he was puzzled. How many mortal women did he know on a first name basis? That voice did sound vaguely familiar... It clicked suddenly. That red woman, Iskra! Honestly, deal or no deal, he hadn't been holding out too much hope of seeing her again. Not after watching her fawn over the alpha of Talis. He'd expected her to renege on their deal out of loyalty to that guy, so knowing she'd not only come back, but come back so soon concerned him. What if it was a trap? As far as he knew the Talis wolves had simply melted into the shadows after the challenge. They could have banded together and kept quiet until now in the hopes of getting even. Malleus took a moment to weigh the possibilities. The worst possible scenario was one where he was cut down before he had a chance to rally his people. The best was that Iskra had brought him both valuable knowledge and medicinal plants, and held no ill will towards his family. Finally he decided to just go for it. If it was an ambush he'd be ready and so it was with that grim thought that he set out for the border. --- "Ah, Iskra. Back with more than a mouthful of dandelions, I hope." His voice was teasing and his stance was relaxed as he approached, but behind the cool facade Malleus was prepared for the worst. He cast a quick, seemingly nonchalant glance around before stopping a few feet in front of Iskra.

She sat, tail curled around her paws in a relaxed gesture as she waited for the man she sought to arrive. In all honesty, she was kind of nervous about this whole thing. Sure, she hadn't taken that long to return, but it was long enough. Surely he wouldn't forget their deal? No, of course not - it was a deal with her, and Iskra was by definition unforgettable. Or, she liked to think so anyway.

He was rather punctual, she'd give him that. Malleus didn't take all that long to show his mottled hide after she summoned him. Wouldn't save him from her giving him shit, though. A smile just wide enough to expose her pristine ivory fangs played at her lips, blue eyes gazing up at the taller wolf through her lashes. "Took you long enough. Glad you didn't go and forget about me. Woulda been a shame." Leaning back on her haunches a little, she assessed him for a moment before replying. He looked well enough. Not like he had sustained any injuries, and he was well fed.

A look best described as cheeky washed over her as she replied in mock indignation, "Why, I'd never dare to disappoint so spectacularly as that. Honestly, my accomplishments are fairly impressive in my own opinion - considering I'm hardly a healer. Perhaps next time - if you're interested in further business - we can find a job that's a little more my style. All in due time, though, as I come bearing gifts and I'm eager to share them." Iskra nosed at the bundle at her paws, beginning to unwrap it by pulling at the leather that held her cargo safely in it's embrace. Glancing up briefly, she eyed Malleus after his cursory glance at the land behind her. "Looking for someone?" she asked with a quirked brow before dropping it and setting back to work. She could hazard a guess at what he might be thinking. 'Not to worry, bringing backup requires an amount of forethought I'm rather incapable of.' she thought with a quiet snort.

Before opening the bundle entirely, she'd move to sit with a paw keeping it from rolling open, eyeing the man silently for a moment before chirping, "Ready to see? Are you dying of excitement?" Maybe she was a little over dramatic with the whole thing, but it was long-standing habit for Iskra to act more ridiculous when her mind threatened to let her get tense. This was a moment where she couldn't afford to let that happen. Fake it till you make it, right?

The little red woman was just as feisty as he remembered. There were few creatures whose snark didn't annoy him and Iskra was one of them. It made sense for a creature of fire to be fiery, did it not? Her casual disregard for respect just came with the territory and Malleus was fairly certain he had more to gain by going with the flow than standing against it. "Indeed it would have," he said with a warmth he didn't quite feel. There was still a chance this was ruse. He'd spent just enough time with Iskra to know he enjoyed her company, but not enough to really know her. There were other factors at play that he would be foolish to ignore in favor of his positive opinion of her. She talked a big game, but could she back it up? Malleus snorted a soft laugh, then said, "Let's see these "spectacular" gifts, then. If they're as grand as you say I'm sure we can work something out." He would be happy to work out another deal with her if she came through today. "Looking for someone?" Rats, he'd been made. His expression serious - they both knew why he was looking around, after all - Malleus tried to catch and hold Iskra's gaze. If she was going to call him out on it then it may as well be out in the open, right? No secrets. He was looking for her boyfriend (mate?) because he didn't trust her. Because it would be foolish to trust her. "One can never be too careful." Iskra forged ahead with contagious enthusiasm. She was either eager to get on with the presentation or trying to distract him. He wanted to believe it was the former but the risk if it was the latter was too great to ignore. Nevertheless he couldn't help but feel genuinely eager to see what she'd brought him. In response to her dramatic words Malleus rolled his eyes good-naturedly. His voice flat for comedic effect, he said, "I'm positively giddy with excitement."

So weary, so standoffish, what'd a girl have to do to get the giant to loosen up a bit? "Oh, I assure you, you will love it." The woman had way too much fun talking this up and building the suspense. Enough of that, though. His attempts to subtly survey the surrounding area was amusing so she simply chuckled at his reply.

His deadpan tone and expression made her giggle, sticking her tongue out and drawing out the moment for quite some time before at last she unrolled the bundle, exposing the neatly packed herbs one by one as they were freed with each gentle pull of her paw further revealing the spoils of her adventures. First the now dried trillium she'd been so proud of collecting. Then, an array of herbs; Alfalfa, a single piece of Boneset, Earth Smoke, a fair amount of marshmallow, and some cannabis more as a joke than anything else. There had been two more herbs she collected in Boreas, but she didn't dry them properly so that didn't really pan out. It was all a learning curve and one she would be happy to be done with.

Standing over the herbs with a smile playing at her lips, Iskra's expression betrayed that she wasn't really done yet. There was more, but she was gunna make him wait for that too in the spirit of being a little shit. It was her favorite game, after all.

The longer she drug out the reveal the harder it became for Malleus to pay attention to their surroundings, but he refused to let her get any satisfaction from that fact. He schooled his expression into a carefully sculpted mask of skepticism. If he were lucky she'd sweat under the weight of his critical gaze, but she seemed so excited about what she brought him that he doubted that would be the case. Oh well, he'd get his chance to give her shit eventually. He just needed to be patient. Each roll of the bundle produced something new. It appeared each plant had been properly dried and stored. Nothing appeared damp, wilted, moldy or crushed. Although he wouldn't admit it just yet, Iskra had done well. The cannabis surprised him, earning Iskra a snort and a low chuckle. He knew what it was and vaguely what it did, but he'd never personally tried it or used it for anything. Nudging the plant with a paw, he murmured, "Trying to tell me something?" Maybe 'loosen up, asshole'? After the bundle was completely unrolled and everything was laid out for his inspection, then (and only then) did he finally break down and nod his approval. Unaware that she was smiling for another reason, he returned Iskra's grin. "You did good, really." He nodded towards the trillium. "That one's tough to find." It finally occurred to him that there may have been more to her shit eating grin than he'd first realized. Malleus eyed her suspiciously. Half joking, half serious, he asked, "Should I be worried?"

The pleasure on her face as he reacted just as she hoped probably had her looking like a smug cat or something. Her tail wagged lightly in anticipation as he looked over her collection of harvested plants. His reaction to the cannabis was probably her favorite though. That had been a last minute addition but she was glad she took the time. "Take it how you will," she giggled, flashing a toothy smile.

She snorted softly as he gestured at the Trillium. Iskra knew all too well how annoying it was to hunt that damn thing down. It had really solidified her opinion that she was positively garbage at herb hunting, which made her continued efforts either more foolish or more impressive. Or both. Either way, it clearly all worked out.

At last! He caught on to the not-so-subtle grin that had her looking like a crafty little imp with mischief right around the corner. Except, in this case what she was hiding was a lot more pleasant. "Quite the opposite, you see, I came baring multiple gifts! Close your eyes." she instructed, knowing he would probably peek but not caring too much. It was all about the theatrics with this woman, the building of suspense to make the reveal that much more grand. Scurrying off the way she came, Iskra dove into the bushes, rummaging around for a long moment out of view.

After a bit, her rosey head would shoot up from the bush just high enough for her blue eyes to be visible, staring at Malleus suspiciously under the guise of checking that his eyes were closed for the surprise. Honestly she didn't care if they were, she was just adding that last little build up to the reveal. A slight pause, then she'd trot out with with a small creature held gently in her jaws, dangling and swaying gently side to side as she approached, setting it at his paws and chirping, "Whaddya think?"

From the ground, the little macaque would eye him. Hopefully he liked it, as this was another last second grab on her way here. She hadn't planned on bringing more things, but when the opportunity arose she figured it might not be a bad idea to do a little extra to make up for her lengthy trip to Boreas.

She wanted him to close his eyes? Malleus arched a skeptical brow but after a moment's hesitation he complied. So far everything had been smooth sailing. Iskra had proven to be a valuable asset. A little trust on his part might go a long way to solidifying their relationship. So he waited. And waited. Malleus was on the verge of peeking when he heard her return. "Whaddya think?" He opened his eyes and looked down at the thing she'd placed at his feet. And then he did a double take. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in a small 'o'. "Oh..." The little hands, the little feet... This was exactly the kind of creature Jouko had been talking about! His eyes shot up to Iskra. Honestly he didn't know what to say. "I..." Not in his wildest dreams could he have predicted that she would bring him a monkey. "I..." Words escaped him, so he went with that. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

His reaction was priceless! Iskra couldn't help but beam, so much her stupid cheeks hurt as she watched him process what he was seeing. If she had to hazard a guess, she'd say he liked it. Maybe. Poor guy was speechless and she almost wanted to giggle at the way his jaw dropped, but managed to contain herself. In all honesty she was truly glad to see his liked the little critter. Sobering best she could, the rosey woman shrugged. "I heard somewhere they were useful and figured since you're all into herbs you might like a helper."

Reaching down to nudge the little creature closer, Iskra watched it absently as it took in the large dark wolf with it's wide eyes, possibly not too sure what to make of this new face. Now that she knew at least a couple wolves with companions, she was beginning to think she might just need one or two of her own. Might be nice to have the company when she was wandering around. Turning a bit more serious, she looked back to Malleus. "As far as what I want in return, I've thought about it and this is what I've come up with; it's a two parter, and though we agreed to one favor I hope that you'll hear me out and agree anyways. I'm happy to do more work for you to secure both parts, though." She paused, eyes falling away from his as she sighed softly before regaining eye contact and explaining, "Firstly, I want to know that any kin of mine - those baring the surname Aeris - who should build a pack will be left to themselves. I don't know how far you plan to expand your influence, but should an Aeris pack arise I want them left alone. Secondly, I want any new version of the pack Talis, led by Dragon Ancora or his relatives, to also be untouched." She hadn't seen Dragon in ages now, but she'd thought about it on the way here and all she really wanted deep down was to protect those she cared about, and that included him now. Hopefully it wasn't unreasonable of her to ask these things, but even if it was Iskra planned to make herself valuable enough for Malleus to accept her request even if it didn't happen right away.

Iskra nudged the little monkey towards him. The baby macaque was nervous and looked hesitantly between the two, so Malleus laid down in the hopes of appearing less frightening. He used his paws to gesture towards himself, hoping to coax the baby closer. It began to creep towards him slowly. Halfway to him it decided it didn't like being out in the open so it rushed closer and wound its tiny paws into the thick fur on his chest. He grinned up at Iskra, his joy seeming to take years off his face. He was like a little boy with a new toy. "I could use a helper, that's for sure. Thank you, again, Iskra. I'll take good care of him." Malleus sobered as Iskra went on to state what she wanted in return. As it became clear that what she was asking for was of an alarming magnitude, he stood up. "That," he said slowly, "is a lot for some plants and a monkey." It would be unwise for him to readily agree to those requests, so he countered, "I will agree to one of those, but not both. It's up to you which one. Another haul such as this one, or one of a similar value, could possibly earn another promise of immunity, but I can't promise immunity for the Aeris and Talis both in exchange for this."   "Malleus" - "Pascal"

"Good, I think you'd both benefit from each other," she said with a light smile. The gentleness Malleus used with the baby animal was oddly endearing, and kind of funny. Such a large, strong wolf beside something so tiny and ultimately helpless - what a sight.

His words were not at all surprising, it had been a long shot but at the very least he now knew what she wanted so there would be no mystery as to the starry woman's desires if she kept this up. Hm. If. No, that didn't feel right. She was loathe to admit it aloud, but Iskra could almost certainly guarantee she would keep this up. "I know," she said, words spoken softly, "You'd be a fool to say yes to me asking so much. But, I needed for you to know the extent of what I'm thinking. And, as I said, I'm more than willing to do more to make my requests more reasonable. It won't be a problem."

For a long moment she fell silent, brow furrowing while she seemed to be thinking deeply. As far as she was aware neither of her own siblings were looking to be alphas at the moment. Artemis' kids would still be young and full of the wild Aeris blood in their systems. It was reasonable to assume a family-run pack would not be arising too soon. Okay. "Talis, then." Hopefully she made a good pick there. Iskra couldn't help hoping that her decision would somehow, someday make itself known to Dragon. At present she still harbored guilty feelings and a host of other self-depreciating thoughts.

A dark cloud seemed to have settled over her, but she quickly cast of the glum appearance, grinning and asking, "Have anything in mind for a job for me? I'd be happy to set off now as long as it's not herb-related. I think I might need a break from that."