So uh, good news, bad news

Despite his reservations there was something endearing about watching Triss happily bounce up to Medusa, and he gave her a tiny smile as she bounced back towards him. But there was work to do and as he spoke he had kept his attention on Medusa, glancing over at her only when she'd started tapping his paw and came away from his glance with confusion, what was she trying to tell him? He had to put his attention on Medusa when she responded though and figured if it was important she'd keep getting his attention.

Honestly he wasn't surprised by the woman saying she didn't trust him, he really didn't expect her to. There probably wasn't anything he could say that would convince her, even if he was being truthful. He didn't know the reason for the tense relations between the two packs, only that they existed and so couldn't say anything to that effect either. Crux furrowed his brow, unable to hide his confusion as Medusa started talking about a spy? He followed her gaze, noticing the two birds that were now circling overhead. It seemed his father's companion had gotten some height again so it could be even with a bird Crux could only assume was Medusa's own avian friend. "You-" He stuttered, was there anything he could say to convince Medusa that the companion animals around him were only there for his own protection? Probably not, he wasn't even sure they wouldn't tell his father exactly what had been said, so she was probably even correct in some ways but Crux wanted to do his best to diffuse some of the tension, just for his own safety honestly. If the way she'd interacted with Cryptis was anything to go by the small girl wouldn't be at any risk if things went sour, that was a relief at least. "You're right my- The warlord doesn't trust you. He only instructed his companions to make sure we both got here safe, and that I'll leave safely as well. He's protective of his wolves." Another truth that left out information, albeit just his own assumptions at this point, no one had been specifically told to spy. And his father's protective nature was very true, almost comically so. As for Cryptis helping him? Well he couldn't know for certain but he figured he had a guess.

Oh! Triss' charades made sense now, she was telling him to explain how they'd met! He gave her a little nod of acknowledgement. Even if it had taken him longer than it should have! "I um... Helped her first. I was out by the nearby waterfall a week or two ago." So neutral ground that was close to both packs, he was eager to make it clear Cryptis hadn't been lurking around enemy territory. Crux gestured with his muzzle towards the stone peak that rose above the northern horizon, blocking their view of the Col all together, the waterfall hard to make out from this distance. "I'm a healer so I was stocking up on herbs before winter. That's where we met. Cryptis she-" Oh cool, he was starting to feel very self-conscious about talking about her while she was right there, especially about her disability. Also didn't help he couldn't help the creep of worry entering his voice, the memory of that day giving him anxiety for the girl all over again. "She had an attack." Yep just rip that band-aid right off. "I helped her get her breathing back under control and made sure she was okay afterwards. That's probably why she came to help me today." He wasn't mentioning the way he'd had to wrap himself around Triss to keep her warm during her attack, nor the blossoming friendship that had formed between them. He didn't want to presume anything, nor did he want to say anything that might get Cryptis in trouble later. And no way in hell he'd mention he'd started crushing on the small Insomnia wolf!

As for why Cryptis had been close enough to hear him today? Medusa had aimed the question at Cryptis and all Crux could do was shrug and shake his head. He had no idea. He'd been in his own den, sleeping, so it wasn't as though they'd been together. Had she been seeking him out? Or maybe she'd been looking for his nephew? He wasn't the only wolf she knew from the Armada, and it was pretty self-centred to assume she'd been there for him specifically. He'd love to know what had brought her close enough to be his hero of the hour but wasn't sure when, if ever, she'd get to share that information. He hoped that it was a question of when though, and prayed Insomnia had the resources to help treat her throat. Armada sure didn't, not after the flood had carried more than half of them away.

"Speech!"

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