Zee had somehow managed to convince Sirius to accompany her a short distance out of the pack to the nearby hot springs, having made the excuse that they should see if the nighttime changes extended further into Boreas or were merely a change in Armada territory. Azure was back in pack lands running extra patrols for them while the Warlord and his consort were away, and Zee intended to get back into the safety and familiarity of the plains before the sun rose once more in the sky. As an experience navigator, stargazing and observing the phases of the moon was something that came naturally to her. It took only a handful of nights after their first eerie encounter to realize that the moon was not beginning to wane and in fact in times shone even brighter then it had any right to. The stars above no longer resembled the tiny sparkling lights she used to be able to put names to, and instead streaked across the sky. Before they'd reached the hot springs Zee was able to determine that these changes extended past Armada territory which, frankly worried her even more. She came to stop at a spring, tipping her head back to the sky and warming her throat with the steam that wafted up from the water. The temptation to soak in the pool was overwhelming. "Speech"

Zee might think she was dragging him away for the purpose of exploration and study, but the Warlord didn't see it that way. He would take any change to woo his Lady. Their love life had been rocky ever since her return, and he had a vision of them splashing and laughing in the hot springs. Perhaps a tender kiss or two... and the things those kisses led to.

They journey to the hot springs was spent with Zee craning her neck to tilt her little body towards the sky. So occupied was she, that at one point if their danger-frought journey she tripped over a knot of roots hidden in the grass. Crashing into her Warlords arms. Sirius caught her easily, stealing a hug and a kiss to her brow before he released her. Walking close to her in case she decided to take another tumble.

While she watched the sky, the Warlord watched the world around them. An itchy feeling under his skin warning him of danger. He could see no cause for the concern, but his senses were heightened, weary. Already fireflies were starting to spring to life around them. Appearing as if from the air itself as they winked into existence, sparkling like the stars.

They reached the hot springs and Zees eyes were already on the hot water. The Warlord pressed closer to her, eyes cast down at her throughh half lids, remembering the taste of her lips on his... and then Marshal gave a shrill cry of warning. Sirius was moving before his brain had a chance to fully register it, knocking Zee to the side as a black shape darted towards them. It's form trailing like smoke around them as it darted towards them, over the Warlord pressing down on his wife, and then away again. Gone as through it had never existed at all.

Against her instincts telling her that this was not a safe situation to relax in, the horned wolf's eyes slowly slid closed. The warmth of the spring was heavenly, and with her head back to the sky and eyes shut she could almost pretend the nights had returned to normal. The pleasant feeling did not last long, Marshal's call ringing out through the silent night and shortly after, Zee felt herself taken to the ground heavily beneath the familiar smothering weight of her husband. The breath was knocked from her lungs and she coughed, moving to stand but thudding her back against Sirius' protective frame. "Let me help!" She choked out - still somewhat breathless. Had something attacked? Sirius was not fighting back which was definitely unusual, and Zee hoped he wasn't taking tooth and claw uncontested while he defended her smaller form. Her horned head slid out from his cover - thankfully the mutations having granted her a small bubble of movement beneath him - and peered around his shoulders. There was nothing that she could see, nothing aside from the twinkling fireflies and softly bubbling springs of water. Something had spooked him, and the lack of visible opponent now made her shrink back beneath him quietly as she considered once more the supernatural aspect of it all. "Speech"

He stood crouched over Zee’s little form, breathing wide through his nostrils as he sought a scent. He couldn’t believe what his senses were telling him. He could scent only Zee, and the hot springs. Nothing that could account for the form that had ghosted past them - almost over them - and vanished again. Hackles raised, he almost didn’t realise how long he was pinning Zee to the ground. He ignored her demand in favour of listening to the woods. Seeking out something… anything…

And then Zee was wiggling out from under him, and he forced himself to relax his stance. Still placing himself in front of Zee and the direction the creature had gone. Zee shrank back beneath him, and the feel of her body bumping lightly into him broke the spell. He shook out his head, biting back a growl. “Marshal, sweep the area” he barked out, before cautiously turning his attention back to his wife. “I didn’t get a good look at it, it moved so fast. It was dark, and… it…” he could barely say the words, he did not believe them himself. “...Vanished that direction.” he said instead.


"Speech"

Eventually the Warlord did shift off of her, and Zee followed his movements naturally to return close to him as he faced the trees. She saw nothing within them, though her husband claimed the specter did disappear that way. Her worried glance turned upwards toward the companion, hoping whatever that had taken up residence of the hot spring was not the type to attack a bird. "Dark and.. vanishy." Zee repeated hesitantly. "Alright, yeah, we can go home now. Adventure complete." She tried to conjure up some of the sass that had always falsely protected her in dangerous and uncertain scenarios, but it fell flat for the most part beneath the fear. With her shoulder she nudged Sirius, beckoning him backwards away from the pools with her as the fireflies' glow raised in intensity, their movements becoming erratic over the brush that the 'creature' had disappeared into. "We can come back in the morning for a soak." She offered, glancing up at his focused expression and hoping he'd find the safety of home much more enticing then challenging ghosts and phantoms. "Speech"

Zee’s voice was hesitant, and he could hear the fear in her tone. Her desire to get them the hell out of there and back home only added to it. “Hey, hey” he said softly, placing a pw over hers. “We're okay, whatever this is. We’re okay.” He said gently, meeting her eyes. Hell would freeze over before he let something hurt his wife again.

When he pulled his eyes away from her, the fireflies had begun to brighten and multiply. He glanced at them with a weary frown, and took one last look in the direction of the specter. “I’ll hold you to that.” He said, wanting to ensure this didn’yt not frighten her out of any desire to leave the pack with him.

"Speech"

Sirius

A nearby hedgehog is spooked and curls into a tight ball. The tips of it’s spines seem as if they’ve been dipped in a faintly glowing substance. You also find 2 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Zeitgeist

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small mouse scampering by. Wait - is it glowing? You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…