(Sleuth is one of the names for a group of bears, I thought Sloth might be confusing.)

West

Bluebell ducks and passes a few berries in the direction of Raika, who is trotting towards Misha. The pup is uninjured, and the other three sylesti are keeping a respectful distance. The older male zolnixi makes the first move, tilting his head and rasping, "You seem familiar, are you part of the First Sleuth?"

Raika does feel safer with the morkko, despite evening approaching. The berries are a few feet away, and the winged zolnixi doesn't seem to be ill from eating them.

At that moment, the more intimidating female Terror-Beaked aurleon wings her way back in and perches in the tree. She clatters her beak threateningly before catching sight of Misha, then subsides after calling, "Fine, take our berries, but no fighting in the clearing!"

What do you do?

with the coming dark Bluebell knows she needs to find shelter. She does not fully trust the adults but if they respect the Morko that did not attack during the night before if she stays close she should be fine. She settles down and starts singing the lullaby that she sung the night before to help calm both herself and the little pup. She just hopes this area wont be attacked again during the night.

(I'm going to have to answer tomorrow. Just got a new dog today and
i am beyond exhausted.)

Misha looks at the two zolnixi, nodding in greeting as she relaxes. "Perhaps we should move as we talk? I want to find out where this little one comes from."

The pup smiles, nuzzling into the bear's warm fur. She will follow, but has no idea what anyone is saying.

(I have a late problem, forgive me...)

West

The male zolnixi smiles and looks up at the irritable female aurleon, "Forgive me, lady, we'll be on our way now." He leads you some ways into the brush, out of view of the aurleons, and leans down to look at Raika. "Your eyes remind me of a she-wolf I knew once...Lady Morkko, have you ever been to the north?"

He walks in a vaguely northeastern direction, and you trail behind. "Of course, it might be nothing. She said she came from the mountains, and her gray pelt and the endless swirls of snow and mist around her seemed to agree. But her eyes were just as piercing as yours, little one..." He raised his head and looked at Bluebell and Misha. "Forgive me, Lady Morkko, Lady Zolnixi, I had not learned your names. My name is Rusk."

You find that you have been walking through dense forest for some time. A beetle crawls slowly up a tree and you hear squirrels rustling overhead.

What do you do?

Raika gets a nut dropped on her head and looks up, puzzled. Spying the beetle, she tries to get up the tree it's climbing. Failing that, she sits and huffs a displeased sort of huff.

Bluebell is glad to be away from the aurleons because had her hunger and curiosity not overshadowed her fear of the female, she might have acted rather rashly. She does glace around her quite often knowing she is getting much closer to her home. She knows she ran away but she feels slightly guilty. However, she knows she can never go back and tell her parents or anyone that she knew the truth of why she ran (after she found out what the runes meant she ran away chasing the bulbori from the beginning). Her thoughts are miles away so she is slightly startled when Rusk asks her name.

"I can't go back..." She whispers shaking her head to clear her thought "...uh I'm Blubell." she says much louder.

"Misha, of the First Sleuth. " She walks affably next to the two zolnixi, snorting in amusement as Raika falls backwards off the tree. "I have't been far north, but is there a reason the wolves would come here?"

(We lost internet for almost a week..we're back though! A congress is the name for a group of salamanders, I felt like army (frogs) didn't fit with the almost-indifferent vorp ideals.)

West

The zolnixi huffs a laugh, watching Raika. "It's good to meet you, Bluebell, Misha. And you, little one." He looks somewhat northward, thinking. While Bluebell and Raika don't entirely know where they are, Misha notes a marking on a tree and realizes that they have crossed into the edges of Sleuth territory. The thought reassures her.

"Yes, the northern wolves do sometimes come this way. The winters are especially harsh and while they may command the ice, they cannot eat it. They venture down into the northern Remnants to hunt, and the faeloras sleep uneasily when they do. Some of them, seeing the bounty of our woods, choose to leave their magic and join the local packs. But for the most they respect the customs of the Firsts. The First Congress has drowned enough of those that disrespect the rules of their lake that few dare act otherwise."

As the nixi talks, Raika understanding little of it, her [Hunter's Snout] tells her that there is another sylesti close by, somewhat large and yet different from Misha. While the scent is somewhat indistinct, it smells slightly irritated and seems to be growing stronger.

What do you do?