The journey through the desert had been rather unpleasant, to say the least. Sirius had prepared her some, told her to bring water flasks and rations, but nothing could have readied her for the blazing heat of the sun. She liked a bit of sunshine as much as any other wolf, but a few hours into travelling through the desert her nose and ears were sizzling, like meat being cooked on the Armada's bonfire. She whined and moaned in discomfort, tears pricking her eyes as though she was in unimaginable pain. Suffering beyond words. She'd gotten sun burnt before, she knew it wasn't the end of the world but Hanako was a drama queen at heart. And whining about it filled the silence of the desert, even if poor Toshi at her side wanted nothing more than for Hanako to be quiet for just one moment. Ruri, who flew above didn't mind too much and simply kept a watchful eye out on the horizon, eventually letting out a honk when greenery was in sight.

It had taken days of travel, her legs were wobbly and sore but they'd finally made it! And in damn good time too. Breaking out into a gallop, Hanako hurried along as her companions followed suit. The packs scent lingered on the breeze, acting as a beacon as Hanako followed it closer and closer to the packs borders. She couldn't help but feel as though there was something ethereal about this place, otherworldly compared to the yellow drab of the desert.

Coming to a standstill Hanako took a moment to gather her thoughts, to remember what Sirius had instructed her to do. At face value she was simply there to ask and to be a concerned pack mate but behind closed doors she was to have a sniff around, to see if the wolves of Valhalla knew of Malalia's whereabouts. Or at worst case scenario if they were keeping her as a prisoner. The spy truly hoped it wouldn't come to that, she'd never seen the Warlord angry and...well honestly she didn't want to either. Scorched earth and ruin would surely follow, of that she was certain. But she wasn't here to throw accusations, she'd investigate to the best of her ability but more than anything she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Especially Cairo.

Without further ado Hanako tipped her head back and let out a pretty, singsong howl, requesting the company of any and all who heard. Toshiro remained by her, hiding in her shadow beside her tail whilst Ruri took perch on a rock. Her companions were just about as harmless as her, quirky little friends that had kept her company on her long journey. Or so it seemed.

He was worried. Lia hadn’t come to the festival, despite showing a lot of interest in it. He thought perhaps her duties as Reaper had kept her at home, but Sirius hadn’t come, either, nor had Mortis, and he’d have thought Mortis would be really interested in the spectacle and fun of it all. But as the time drew on after the festival, he began to wonder if something had happened to his friend on her way home from visiting him. He was a Dauntless of Valhalla now, and his duties had ramped up. His was among the strongest scents aside from Aurielle and Justice and Domari’s that lined the border just outside of the pack built wall, a scent warning that said the wall was indeed the border of the pack Valhalla. It stretched far into the west, on into the plains, and circled around the outer edge of the moorland, a shrouded dark line in the forever present mist and fog. He padded silently through that mist now, well hidden from outside eyes. Up ahead a sing-song howl called for Valhalla, though he’d been hearing distant complaints and whines growing closer. Same individual, most likely. He nodded to Chrystal – awake with him despite the late hour of the day – and the owl launched, flying low and silent like a pale ghost, a swirl of mist accompanying her as she swept to land on the wall above the stranger. Silver eyes studied the three coolly. Cairo circled around – well out in the misty lands and out of sight – to come in from the opposite direction the owl had come from, downwind of the trio. The scent of the Armada, primarily Sirius, mingled with a yearling’s scent, but it wasn’t anyone he recalled smelling. A newer wolf to the pack? While Valhalla wasn’t Allied to the Armada, it had yet to give them trouble directly. That didn’t mean they weren’t next on the list to be raided after Aerie. What worried him most, though, was that Lia’s scent wasn’t fresh in the Armadan yearling’s pack scent. Finally, he strode forward on silent paws, doing his best to emulate the ethereal way Aurielle had of appearing before a visitor. He’d been practicing – and helping – with Ardyn, being a test subject for the fiery boy, and had been roped into doing the same at Ardyn’s behest. He was fully armored, as ever when he was on patrol, a comfortable second skin. You never knew when you’d have to fight, and it was best to be prepared. He’d have probably been way worse off when he and Caelia had faced off with the lion. He stepped into sight, deep sapphire blue eyes resting on the girl. He had little doubt that Aurielle would be along soon enough. His tail flowed at half-mast, level with his hips, a mark of station, but not full authority, and while he wasn’t boundlessly welcoming and bouncy, there was no hostility in his manner or posture, merely curiosity as he looked her and her friends over with a cock of the head as he remarked, “What brings an Armadan wolf to Valhalla’s borders?” Especially one Valhalla wasn’t familiar with. He had seen this girl at the Festival, though, with who he guessed was Azure, with how similar the boy was to Mortis, sans wings and with thicker forelegs and spikes in odd places. The boy had either learned better manners or had been read the riot act about behaving while representing the Armada while at the Festival. That didn’t change the fact that he’d insulted – intentionally – the Valhallan Spirit upon first meeting her. Her sunburn he noted, and he nodded to Chrystal, adding, "Chrystal, could you find one of the healers? Tell them it's for sunburn." The barn owl clicked her beak softly, taking off with a haunting screech and winging toward the packlands. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Daelos had been lingering near her den at sat right at the edge of the plains that lead into the moor when an owl's "hoos" caught her attention. She had spent most of the day reorganizing her herbs and sorting them into individual sections. She and Elba had agreed to create shoveling of sorts along the back wall of the main chamber between all of their individual dens so that the two of them could combine any herbs they might collect. It made it easier for them to both see what each other had gathered - and gave her a chance to share knowledge of any herbs that were knew to her daughter whenever she came across them. Now that her sorting was done - at least for now - she was simply resting outside of their shared den while she waited for one of her family members to return from their daily duties. With the large bird now perched on a limb above her, she peered up at it curiously as she was informed that Cairo needed assistance from her. A sunburn was something she was all too familiar with treating since it was something that happened to her Aunt Baine all too often. She couldn't imagine that Cairo would be the one with a sunburn - he wasn't nearly pale enough for that - so that made her wonder who it was that needed the assistance. "I'll be right there," she replied before ducking back into her den to collect a few pieces of aloe and after a moment of consideration added a small bit of meadowsweet to her collection. If it was a very bad sunburn a little bit of a pain reliever might be welcomed. When she came back out the owl had already left, but finding her way to the pack's border at the edge of the moor was easy enough. When she arrived she saw Cairo standing with a very pale girl that was splattered with orange and black. If it wasn't for the irregular splashes of color, she would have assumed she was albino like her aunt. She stopped at Cairo's side, jus behind his shoulder, and placed her herbs on the ground in front of her so she could speak. She didn't want to interrupt their conversation so she waited for the invitation to treat there guest. In the mean time, she settled down on her haunches and offered the pair a small smile and nod in greeting. "Talk" "You" Think

Hanako wasn't left waiting long. The wolf that appeared was not much taller than her and brown, with a smattering of darker splodges as though someone had thrown mud at him. He was wearing armour as if he was ready for bloodshed but Hanako hoped it wouldn't come to that, if she played her cards right they'd welcome her into their lands with open arms. Hanako wagged her tail in a casual greeting but dipped her head a little just to be polite, playing it safe just in case. By posture alone she could tell that he was confident and poised but there was no outward aggression or meanness to be found, even if she messed up she doubted he'd spit mean words or lunge for her throat. Though for the sake of the Armada and as it's representative she'd have to be careful nonetheless.

Hanako sniffed, seamlessly disguising it as though she had an itchy nose, and took in his scent. All sorts of smells clung to his coat but none of them were even remotely close to Malalia's scent but that didn't really mean anything just yet. For all she knew the wolves here had taken precautions, washed off the scent or confined her some ways away from the pack lands. He didn't seem to have any recent injuries either, none that she could smell or see anyway.

"Our Reaper, Malalia, has gone missing. I was told to head out and spread the word. See if anyone's seen her." Hanako explained, starting with the facts, though very carefully watching the man's face for a change in expression. And then her tone got softer, infused with emotion as her ears drooped a little. She'd never met Malaia but it was easy to put on a show of concern, even if only because she knew Sirius was worried for her so. "She just vanished without a trace and we're all really worried about her. So if you know anything, I'd really really owe you."

She felt it was a little too soon to mention Cairo, that in doing so it might seem as if the Armada wolves were suspicious of him. Not only would it likely put the Valhalla wolves on the defensive but it would likely worsen pack relations, might make it seem as though the Armada was throwing around baseless accusations as an excuse for another raid. But she hadn't forgotten, she'd get to it when the timing felt a little better.

His concerns were only compounded upon. He flashed Daelos an easy smile as she arrived, but his heavy concern was visible as he studied the girl from the Armada. He hadn’t missed her study of him. He was kind, not unobservant or stupid. He had also spent time with the Warlord, enough to have a decent guess of the man’s temperament and likely immediate thoughts when his adopted daughter suddenly vanished and he knew she and Cairo were friends. “I truly wish I could say otherwise, but I have not seen her since a little before the festival. But we parted amiably and she headed home. We heard the raid on Aerie next door shortly after, maybe a week? I wondered if she’d been asked to remain at the Armada to attend to duties instead of getting to attend the festival, because she was genuinely interested in going. She was the one to suggest a story night.” There was true worry, a genuine regret in his voice. What had happened in that time? His gaze hardened as he looked into her silver eyes. “I admit to being curious. Malalia is Sirius’ daughter and his Reaper. She is one of the most important wolves in the Armada. So why has he sent a literal stranger to Valhalla’s borders, someone we are less likely to trust due to a lack of familiarity, and who has not even introduced herself? I find myself a bit insulted for her. Surely, he could have sent Mortis. She’s his best friend, too, and his sister. And I can imagine that he’s worrying himself ragged. A trip here to ask would have given him something to focus on. To feel like he’s doing something.” It was something he would have deeply appreciated when Meri had first gone missing. But Artur had been given that task, though Cai had he doubts that Artur had truly been unaware initially where their brother was at the time of the eruption. Cairo had settled for training as hard as he could as a distraction, and as a preparation if they needed to rescue Meri. He studied her as he considered the bits and pieces that he knew of Malalia’s past. He’d never pressured her to tell him about it, only accepted what she willingly divulged. Was there an answer in those bits and pieces? Was her disappearance linked to those? He flicked a glance to Daelos, nodding in invitation. “This is one of our healers. She can help you with the burn on your skin. I’d deeply suggest you travel at night for a while to avoid worsening the burns. You can get sick from them if they get bad enough.” His lack of a full introduction was a partial warning to Daelos to give as little about Valhalla to this girl as she could. Chrystal settled on his back, talons squeezing bracingly. She wasn’t a trusting individual to begin with, and she shared his reservations whole-heartedly. However, while he had reservations, his eyes and voice were genuinely helpful, his compassionate nature obvious. The Koi-marked Armadan was young, a yearling girl, and while he might not trust her as he might Mortis or even Sirius, he didn't like the thought of her falling ill to a severe sunburn. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Daelos sat back and observed the conversation between Cairo and this stranger while she waited for her opportunity to offer her assistance. If she was being honest, she didn't fully understand the extent of Cairo's suspicions toward the girl, but that was probably why she stayed out of the politics of the packs. It had never really interested her when she was younger and had lived in Lirim and eventually her father's pack and it certainly hadn't interested her more now as she got older. If anything it concerned her less than ever. It made her wonder how well Cairo knew this Malalia character since he seemed to know quite a few wolves involved with her by name. Once the attention was turned to her and Cairo mentioned her name, Daelos' ears perked and she gave a renewed smile to the pair. "Oh, yes," she began as she got to her paws. She didn't move toward the young woman yet. She always liked to get permission before she did anything - it always seemed like the polite thing to do unless it was an emergency. "I have some aloe for you. It's very good for sunburns to make sure they heal as quickly as possible and don't peel quite as badly. I also brought a tiny bit of meadowsweet for pain if you want - the sunburn might not hurt too badly now, but it can later. My aunt is albino and gets sunburns pretty often." She smiled and chuckled softly to herself at the memories of treating Baine's many sunburns. She was sure she should be more cautious as Cairo had been, but as long as she stuck to her task as a healer then she didn't see the issue. That's all she ever wanted to do though, wasn't it? Just be a healer. "Talk" "You" Think

Aurielle Adravendi

While Aurielle didn’t arrive immediately, she didn’t arrive uninformed. Ayodele and Loshir, back from one of his brief hiatuses, had gone ahead to watch and listen from well within the mists before the Spirit herself stepped from the miasma in an aura of blue-white light, glancing over the three wolves before focusing on the koi-marked girl. She had spent enough time with Sirius to doubt that he’d sent the girl just to spread the word. He was one who expected double-crossing and ulterior motives, so why should he not think that Valhalla would do something untoward, regardless of every evidence saying otherwise? Gently, she moved to stand a foot away from the girl. “I trust you will look past Cai’s bluntness to the kind heart beyond it. Malalia is one of his best friends, and this news is worrying. For both of us. However, if I may offer some advice… The general way a wolf from another pack should interact when calling for another pack’s members or leader, is to introduce themselves first. Name, the pack they hail from, and their rank. It gives them a step up, especially if they are a high-ranking individual. It also gives the pack a name to reach out to if they do find information, given their alpha isn’t the first they find to tell. It smooths the way for further business.” Those eyes gazed into Hanako’s, as if searching her soul as she spoke, intense and calm. “I am willing to assuage any suspicions your Warlord likely has, and allow you to enter my lands. On the firm condition that you tell him only that Malalia is. Not. Here. Our numbers, condition, and locations of any resources are to remain un-spoken. Further, Cairo will help the Armada search for Malalia. I doubt I really have to ask you, Cairo?” Her eyes flicked to the man, who shook his head before her eyes returned to Hanako. “You are welcome to rest here. After the help the Armada has given us, in fostering Cai while he healed, we are happy to help in any way.” She stepped away as Daelos stepped in, giving the two space as she watched to see how the girl would react. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

So it was as they'd feared. Hanako visibly deflated at his words, on the way there she'd cooked up a conspiracy in which they'd eloped and hadn't yet worked up the nerve to tell Sirius about it. It would have been bad, but not as bad as just vanishing without a trace. But nope, it was beginning to look as though she was well and truly gone, out of the Armada's sight and reach. Before she even had time to thank him the Valhalla wolf snapped the conversation in a strange new direction as he gave her a troubling look, the sort that didn't land very well with the Wraith. His words were unnecessarily cruel and cutting, not nearly as dangerous as Chimera's but still rather unpleasant nonetheless. To insult her, a harmless yearling, was one thing but then he stooped even lower as to bring Mortis into this. It was as if he was going out of his way to be suspicious regardless of whether he was innocent or not, waving a giant red flag in her face. She was a little naive for sure but she wasn't stupid. Hanako dipped her head in a show of respect, though she didn't believe for one second that he deserved it. Alright, she'd play it his way then if he wanted to be a petty bitch then she'd be one too.

If nothing else Sirius would learn that Cairo was so clearly undeserving of Malias's affections. Or in short, a bit of a dick.

"Oh I'm sorry I'm not important enough of your tastes. And yes, I'm sure she'd be awfully offended that every one in the Armada is searching day and night for her, even us nobodies." She said it like a joke, hiding any and all offence she might have felt. Her mask was firmly in place and unless Cairo was magically a mind reader he'd know no difference. "But yes I'm Hanako, The Armada's Diplomat. Someone quite important." She wagged her tail, proud of her accomplishments and at such a young age too. "And how about you?"

She turned to the healer, sheepish again when reminded how silly she'd been. She'd burnt her nose before, you would've thought she would have learned her lesson by now, right? Nope.

"Only if you don't mind, I don't wanna be a nuisance." Or in other words, she already felt quite unwelcome and as such wasn't sure if she wanted to stay for much longer.

It was then out of the fog she emerged like a ghost, bright but not blinding and pretty in an ethereal kinda way. Her approach was far gentler than the mans-who still hadn't introduced himself, despite the fact he'd given her shit for that- but she still carried a note of suspicion and Hanako had to bite back the urge to roll her eyes. Yes yes she knew she was young and all but why did two out of three Valhalla wolves see this as a chance to give her a lecture? Hanako was more than polite as she listened to what the Spirit had to say, nodding in all the right places and tipping her head as if to consider what was being said. She couldn't say that she liked what she was hearing, to be honest. She wasn't a fan of repeating herself but there was no way around it; if she said nothing and let it slide like a total kiss ass she'd be doing Sirius and the Armada's reputation a massive disservice. And he had said he'd have her back no matter what....

"It appears there's been misunderstanding, my lady. I just assumed that given the circumstances you wouldn't be so insistent on formalities when someone who you clearly care for life may be on the line. Perhaps our packs may have different priorities, different cultures and all." She mused.

When Aurielle continued and spoke of suspicions and secrets that were not Hanako's to know well...Yikes, was all Hanako could think. Could Aurielle not see how badly she was painting herself into a corner? The Wraith was no master politician or even a leader but Hanako knew a big blunder when she saw one, it was like watching someone fall down in slow motion, powerless to stop it. Malalia was important and Hanako would do whatever was in her power to help bring her back home, but it was almost beside the point in that moment. Every word the Spirit uttered would be taken as personal insult by Sirius and she sure did talk a lot... If Valhalla wasn't on the Armada's shit list now then it would be soon.

Hanako frowned, clearly confused and perhaps a touch offended. She blinked, offering side glances to her companions to check whether she'd heard  right."I'm...not sure where that came from to be honest... I'd never impose like that and Sirius would never ask me to, if you know him as well as you claim to then you should know better. In all honesty, and pardon me if I'm being rude, but the fact that you care to throw around accusations like that when time is of the essence... It reflects very poorly on you and your pack, my lady. As you said he's treated your kin with nothing but dignity and respect, the fact you can't do so in return is a damn shame. Regardless...Thank you for taking the time to speak with me." Hanako dipped her head and took a step back, dismissing her offer of hospitality as she did so. "If Malalia is found I'll come and tell you, pedantics and all." Though she doubted it and just wanted to take the chance to get in one final dig before she left.

Hanako always did her best to give people what they wanted, to get on their good side but....it was oddly thrilling to do the opposite and actually say what was on her mind for once. Not something she'd make a habit of but a rare treat nonetheless.