Lioness didn’t usually scout far, and didn’t generally vanish at all unless she was with family. Should she be worried about her cat, or pleased that Lioness already trusted Beru to watch Kite’s back? “What about yours?” She asked back after telling him her favourite color. “She appeared in our den as a kitten when I was very young, and she’d been at my side ever since.” She explained. Some of her siblings had been a little jealous at the time, but the sight-challenged girl would have found life a lot tougher without her.

“There you are.” She said, voice both stern, relieved, and pleased when Lioness suddenly darted out of the underbrush and fell in at her side like she had never left. “We were just heading around the Armada, towards the Marketplace.” She said conversationally, and felt the cat’s tail brush her leg and grinned. There we go, now she would be able to lead Beru like a pro. “How about you and… I’m sorry, I can’t remember how to say his name. How did you and Thief meet”

"Speech"

'

Beru raised a brow to the fae and placed a lazy smile upon his maw. "Sapphire." He stated matter-of-factly, thankful that for once he had been given enough time to prepare a response instead of being left to just stutter out whatever.  So she'd had the cat since it was just a kitten.  That was absolutely adorable.  He wished he would have had a baby animal to hang around with when he was younger, but if a kitten appeared somewhere in their den Fuji probably would have tried to spar it.  

Speak of the devil.  It was like the cat knew they were talking about it.  "Walpurgis, but Thief is a hell of a lot more fitting.  Maybe I'll change his name."  He playfully tried to toss the raven off his back, to which the corvid cawed in protest.  "We actually just met, like, a week ago.  I was hanging around waiting for my sister in a valley when he flew up to me and called me stupid.  Hasn't left my side since."  He rolled his eyes.  Beru wasn't sure why the bird liked him so much, but sometimes he was grateful for it.  Despite his usual 'I'm better than you' demeanor, the yearling actually quite hated being alone. "What's her name?" He motioned back to the cat, who would probably much prefer he stop referring to her as the cat.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She huffed a laugh at that. “Copy cat” She teased him, but not like she was offended. Actually, it was kind of cute. But she wasn’t about to admit that to him. Did he really like the color of her coat? He had called her beautiful already. She looked up at the raven as he was mentioned. “Walpurgis” She repeated back, to help her remember the strange name. “Or Thief for short” She winked at Beru. As her wolf companion explained how they met, she spluttered a laugh. “Incredible, it’s like he knew you from the moment he met you!” She playfully nudged at his side. She didn’t really think he was stupid, but he was too fun to tease.

“This is Lioness, and I have a falcon called Ranger, though she was napping when I left” She explained. “Do you have a favourite sibling?” She asked, continuing on the banter, and helping them get to know each other a little better.


"Speech"

'

"Hey, you don't know that!"  He chuckled. "Maybe my favorite color has always been sapphire."  It hadn't been, but in his defense he wasn't sure he even had a favorite color before tonight.  He made an effort to walk a little closer to the fae before half-interestedly looking up at the night sky.  Good company aside, it was actually a pretty nice night.  The weather hadn't been too bad and there weren't too many clouds.  "Nah, he was probably talking about himself, poor thing."  He reflected lightheartedly, to which the raven let out another disgruntled caw.

"Woah, a falcon?"  Dope.  He wondered if Ranger and Walpurgis would get along.  They were going to have to if they ended up living together, but it would be nice if they just did naturally from the get go.  "Hmm, Don't tell her when you meet her, but it's Wari.  I like Fuji too.  She's.. uh.. a little feisty sometimes though."  That, in his mind, was the nice way of putting it, but who knows, maybe she's different now.
It had been a little bit since the last time he saw her.  "What makes Andy your favorite?"
”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

"Uh-huh" She agreed unconvincing, but with a smile on her face. She was learning that teasing Beru was her favorite past time. As he teased his Raven, she snickered softly. It did seem the bird didn't know too many words, just enough to get under Berus skin.

"Mhm" She agreed, thinking of her raven. She was probably fast asleep, she wasn't really a night owl like Kite, but she made the effort when it was needed. "Wari, I'll remember that. But no promises about telling her. I'll have to win her favor somehow after all" She teased lightly. Getting on her Kissing Companions favourite sisters good side was important, right? She wondered what made Fuji feisty. "Poor Potato" She said with exaggerated compassion. "People just don't appreciate elder gods like they used to." She was still half convinced that this sibling had a few strange limbs. Only time would show her.

"Andy? I guess she's always had my back." She explained. The other wolf always slowed down to keep Kite at her side.

'

"Trust me, if you keep bullying me the way you have been she'll love you."  He hadn't really thought of it before, but the two of them meeting was actually a little horrifying.  It was almost better they didn't get along, because if they did and they teamed up on him.. A shiver ran up Beru's spine.  Best not to dwell on that now.  He laughed at her comment about his brother, sure that if the male was here he'd be relishing in all of the.. strange attention. "Potato is... A wild card."  the yearling stated simply, letting out an exasperated sigh.  Chaos was fine in moderation, but too much chaos stressed him out.  He needed structure, and Tate demanded much the opposite. He loved his brother, but he wasn't too keen on the headaches that haunted him after spending too much time around the guy.

"Oh, okay!"  So Andy was kind of like his Wari then, but maybe without all of the bickering.  He and Wari argued and got into a lot of scuffles, but at the end of the day they both knew they had each other's back.  "So that Azure guy.. He's an older brother then?"  Somehow that made it worse, Beru thought.  But she hadn't listed him off as one of her littermates, so he could only assume.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

"You big baby, I've never bullied you." She told him primly. Just… poked at him a few times. Totally different, right? Or made him blush and squirm a few times. But that wasn't bullying either, she was pretty sure he'd enjoyed it. He labeled potato a wild card, and left it at that. She couldn't tell for sure with as little as she had to go on, but she had a feeling she would get along with Potato. A wolf card could be great fun, right?

She asked about her arch nemesis, and she frowned thoughtfully. "He's the second born from the first litter, and I'm from the third." She explained. Making him practically ancient, and was why his son Basilisk was her nephew, and was still younger then him. "He's also the second pack alpha" She slipped in casually as Lioness led them around some rocks and to the outskirts of the woods Armada owned. Here the tree coverage was starting to get slimmer.

"You big baby, I've never bullied you." She told him primly. Just… poked at him a few times. Totally different, right? Or made him blush and squirm a few times. But that wasn't bullying either, she was pretty sure he'd enjoyed it. He labeled potato a wild card, and left it at that. She couldn't tell for sure with as little as she had to go on, but she had a feeling she would get along with Potato. A wolf card could be great fun, right?

She asked about her arch nemesis, and she frowned thoughtfully. "He's the second born from the first litter, and I'm from the third." She explained. Making him practically ancient, and was why his son Basilisk was her nephew, and was still younger then him. "He's also the second pack alpha" She slipped in casually as Lioness led them around some rocks and to the outskirts of the woods Armada owned. Here the tree coverage was starting to get slimmer.

'

"Fine, if it'll help you sleep at night then I guess you're not just a big mean bully."  He laughed, bumping her playfully on the shoulder. "Maybe torment works better anyways."  Beru smirked, though with his story about having Long Night deities as parents he wasn't really so innocent himself anymore.

"Three litters?"  His jaw dropped. That was a lot of siblings to keep track of.  His parents only had one litter so far, and he considered himself fortunate in that regard.  So this guy was, like, pretty old himself then.  Why the hell was he going around making enemies with yearlings?  No hobbies?  Second pack alpha must have meant their father saw something in him. Was Azure some big strong warlord too?  Kite's family both intrigued and frightened him. He'd have to really mind his p's and q's if he'd ever found himself unfortunate enough to be in their presence.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She nodded her head "yup, three. I have four siblings in the first litter, and of them two have their own kids. I have five siblings in the second litter, uhhh again two have kids." She said, running it through in her mind as she spoke. She had a big family, and she was in the youngest litter. It really was a lot to keep track of. "Brias my sister in the middle litter, she's Queen in the Hallows." She explained, knowing this information might be important.

Actually, maybe they aught to hammer in some details of the plan while they walked. It would take them some time to make their way around the Armada, but they wouldn't be at it forever. "So, here's what I'm thinking. I tell dad I want to go to the Hallows and spend time with my sister there. He'll give me an escort, but then I meet you down by the Hallows. From there, I either enlist Briars help or slip out from the Hallows and meet you. That's where you come in, you lead us to Tojo-kai and convince your Alpha to let me stay" She said, looking up at him with a pleased sort of smirk on her muzzle. It was a great plan, right? She didn't see anything that could go wrong.

'

Numerically the boy tried to keep up with all of the family that Kite had but admittedly there were.. A lot.  More than ten siblings alone?  Beru thought it was hard enough keeping up relations with his five.  Was it even possible to know as many that she had in any sort of personal, meaningful way?  And at least one of her siblings had obtained a higher title than just prince or princess.  He wasn't completely sure why, but something about Kite and her family suddenly had the yearling feeling quite small. There was a lot going on there, and it all seemed so important somehow, more important than whatever was going on in his little family. Maybe it was all the fancy titles.  Maybe he wouldn't feel the same way if he was Beru, Duke of the Bamboo or some shit.

"Easy!" In theory the plan sounded simple enough. "Do you think she'll help you... Briar?"  Because if she would then it couldn't possibly be any easier, but  he wasn't going to be 100 percent reliant on that.  They'd figure it out regardless.  They had to, because he didn't want to part from her just yet.  They'd only met and he'd already felt so close, so attached. Oh, but wait.. "And do you think your dad will come looking for you?"  Because Tojo-Kai probably wouldn't like it if a warlord came crashing in looking for his daughter. Hopefully she'd already thought of that.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Kyanite frowned, her ears flattening a little as she considered the question. “I’m not sure, I’ve only had one visit down to my sister”She admitted. Perhaps she shouldn’t be quite so forthright with her doubts. She wanted him to go along with her plans after all, right? “ but She got out of the Armada. She convinced my dad to let her go, so she’s important to the dad-not-coming-looking-for-me part of the plan” She explained, spreading a paw in a flourish as she let him see how much thought she’d given to the plan. See? She’d considered the ‘Warlord coming after her’ issue. She just needed to convince Briar to be a shield against him.

“You can swim, right? This is the quickest way, but we go have a shallow stream to wade through.” She explained. It was a pain that they had to go all the way around the Mile-High Woods, but oh-well.


"Speech"

'

The fact that she'd only met this Briar sibling of hers once was definitely more than a little alarming, but he did settle a bit as Kite continued with the explanation.  He wondered how old the woman had been when she'd asked the warlord to leave Armada, and if she'd understand their situation and extend a helping paw.  Hopefully Kite's puppy-dog eyes would work on her sister the same way it allegedly did on their father.  Gods knew they were going to need all the help they could get. "Was she nice when you met her?"

"I can!" He proclaimed proudly.  Having grown up around water Beru thought himself to be an above average swimmer. "I actually like swimming."  Usually when it's a bit warmer, but tonight the temperature didn't matter.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She thought of the compassionate, regal Queen who had offered her ear to any of the pups that needed it after their mothers death. The wolf who had ensured they were fed when their Father lost his grip on responsibilities for a few days. She nodded her head, her eyes solemn. “She was.” She agreed softly.

“Well! I won’t have to fetch you out if you fall in, then” She teased him as they reached the water part of their journey. Lioness took one disdainful sniff of the water and hopped onto Kite’s back. Crowding close to her neck, her paws on her head. “Alright, this part is shallow, but it falls back into deeper ends on either side” She warned him, and while it was spring, it was still pretty cold in the Northern territories. She stepped onto the rise, the water falling around her ankles, then her knees. She made a face at the cold, exasperating it for Beru’s benefit. “It’s great, come on in!”


"Speech"

'

Good, that was good.  Maybe they would be able to find an ally in her older sister after all.  Kite's shift in demeanor hadn't gone completely unnoticed, but Beru wasn't sure if it was meant to or if he should inquire.  He paused for a few awkward moments mulling over the two options.  He sucked enough managing his own emotions, would he just make whatever she was thinking worse?  The yearling settled on a quick and gentle nuzzle to the fae's neck that was meant to comfort her and offered a small, sympathetic smile.  Perhaps if it was something she wanted to talk about she just would and the yearling would do his best to be there in the right ways, if not then they'd move on.  He'd be okay with either, though admittedly moving on from it worried him less.  He quietly added 'learn how to be a better friend' to his to-do list.

Beru winced watching Kite wade her way through the water.  Perhaps he was too quick to write off the temperature as a non-issue?  She'd made it seem unpleasant, and so he braced himself for the chill of it.  "Oh, I bet it's just lovely~"  He joked before splashing in after her.  Yep, it was a far cry from the pleasant chill of a swim in the summer.  "Wow, it's perfect!" Aw man, hopefully he'd be able to dry off a little before bed or tonight was going to be miserable sleeping all alone.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

The nuzzle surprised her, and she smiled at him. Leaning into the touch with a soft sigh. She didn't really want to talk about her mother, so she didn't. Instead, she led them into the water. Lioness dug her claws into her coat, showing her displeasure as Kyanite wadded through the water.

Beru joined in, and seemed as delighted about the cold as she did. She pulled faces at him as she tracks to the other side."It is, right?" She agreed. Feeling the water swish around her knees. Trouble lit up in her blue eyes, and she grinned at Beru again. "I bet your too chicken to duck your head under the water." She challenged him

'

"What? No way!"  His face contorted, though in all actuality he really didn't want to.  Still wading on, Beru closed his gaze onto the damn near icy waters and squinted before letting out a large, dramatic sigh.  "This is gonna suck."  He muttered, diving into the stream.  Walpurgis, not wanting to head down there with him, flew up in a cacophony of disgruntled caws.  

While underwater Beru closed the distance between himself and Kite, and when he came back up he did it with force.  He wanted to splash the girl as good as he could for that little dare of hers, that way they'd just have to be freezing and completely soaked together for a little while.  He laughed and then stuck his tongue out at the fae.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She erupted in a round of giggles as she realised Beru was really going to do it. She watched and made noises to cheer him on as he bravely dove under the water. He was officially crazy. It took her a second to see his shadow in the dark, darting towards her. "Uh-oh!" She gasped and put on a burst of speed, stomping through the water as she tried to escape.

Not fast enough! He surfaced and sent a splash of water over her. She shrieked, but it was nothing like the yowling complaint Lioness unleashed. She dug her claws deep into Kyanite and her fur stood on end as she continued to scould and yowl at Beru. Little hissing noises came out between sounds. When she was finally done she let out one more hiss, and turned her head away from Beru. As if she couldn't bare to look at him anymore. Kite shot Beru a guilty look and her expression turned into a laugh that she wasn't quite brave enough to let sound.

'

Beru didn't speak the same language as lioness, but that somehow didn't stop him from being able to understand what every last hiss and yowl that came out of the feline's maw meant.  He understood quite well that he was now, for lack of a better term, in deep shit with Kite's companion. "S-Sorry..."  The yearling muttered remorsefully, lowering his head. Whoops.  He'd have to make it up to her someway or another later.

When Walpurgis returned he attempted to find a place on Kite instead of Beru if she'd allow it, and understandably so if the amethyst lined male was just going to be throwing him around all willy nilly.  The yearling offered a small apologetic bow to his feathered friend, but the raven refused to even look at him.  "As you can see, I really have a way with animals." he scrunched his nose.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Beau's companion landed on Kite, and her Kissing Companion seemed remorseful. "So I can see!" She agreed. She realised that now they were all wet - Beru more then her - and feeling the sharp tongue of their companions. Kite could still feel the pricks in her coat from the cats claws.

They were out of the water now, and she was very careful to shake off without dislodged the menagerie on her back. "Lioness," she said, wondering if her companion would listen. "Can you head back to the Col and enlist Bear's help to get us some blankets and dinner?" She asked knowing Lioness would be just as eager for something to eat. The cat let out a soft sigh, and then jumped gracefully off her back. Now that they were skirting right along side Armadas border, even Kite couldn't get lost.