shaw. Bleep short. Of course. 309.

It was the first excursion outside of Dahlia de Mai in many weeks. There had simply been no reason for her to leave the packlands. And even now she hadn’t gone far. But there was good reason for it. Less than ten miles from their borders a new pack had sprung up and rather quickly too. Nayru could hear their howls at times, and it had been this that had first alerted the girl to their presence. The journey from Dahlia de Mai’s western end to the eastern border of the newest clan took nearly no time at all, the late fall sun was at its highest peak when she arrived. It certainly was more convenient than traveling to Aniwaya had been or Crimson Dreams. Yet it was this closeness that concerned her. Although she did not take to heart all the evil Larkspur still spoke of Inferni, they were almost too close for comfort. This pack certainly was closer than even Inferni.



Nayru knew well the land between the two packs, it had been the neutral territory she explored most in her youth. Yet although the landscape remained unchanged visually as the girl neared the borders of the new pack the air was very different. The new and unique scent of the pack lay thick across the land, and the girl’s heart hammered in her chest as she went along the border then, unable to cross the invisible wall without an invitation. It was strange to think that land she had once been so free to frequent was not restricted as per the social rules that the luperci abided by. Yet abide by them she must, so Nayru did not cross the threshold, she simply lingered at it, taking in the sights and sound that had always been there, yet seemed so new and strange under the circumstances.

364 .

The sound of the flute came first to her ears and like any trained warrior had it not been this to alert her it would have been something else. His scent. The crushing leaves underfoot. A twig snap. Or simply the rustle of his fur as legs carried him closer to her. It had been a long time since Nayru had been caught unaware and it would be a long time yet, for even if her skills with her weapon needed some fine tuning, she was, already at such a young age, an expert tracker and spy. And as such she knew how to detect others before they detected her; even when she was at ease and not on duty this would not leave her. So his arrival was not a surprise and she waited patiently for the male, who smelled strongly of the scent markings that generated the invisible boundary between pack land and neutral territory. When he did come upon her she appeared as she had before, putting on no prefaces, which she could if she wished, but instead was just Nayru, pensive and thoughtful that day.


Deeply the ivory and ebony fairy woman bowed her head, ruby eyes averting from his gaze in the most canine manner of respect. “Greeting sir, I am Nayru of Dahlia de Mai. I do not come seeking help, only I wish to know who has settled so closely to my own pack.” The musical tones rang sweet but soft, for Nayru never raised her voice above much more than a whisper. Her tone and posture were unassuming and thought polite, informal. It was true, neither Conor nor anyone else had sent her here, surely if Conor was concerned he would come on his own, but that would not keep Nayru from investigating herself. It was not that Conor did not have a hold on Dahlia de Mai, she revered his leadership more than she could express, it was only that the more shared knowledge between the members the better for all. So there was nothing stopping her from coming to learn,a nd reporting back to Conor and Bris with what she saw, smelt and heard.

326.

The male was pleasant and his voice kind and Nayru allowed her eyes to meet his own, taking in all the details about him. Shawchert, the leader of Cercatori D’Arte. Upon his admission of leadership Nayru bowed deeply, putting her whole body into the act rather than just her head. It was a graceful and ladylike bow, although she did not curtsy. “The pleasure is mine.” And perhaps it was, for Shawchert was of importance, a leader in the nearest pack, and Nayru was nothing. A pion of Dahlia de Mai and certainly barely a blip on anyone’s radar. Yet Shawchert seemed not to care or know if she held rank, or anything or the sort, for he continued on warmly and with respect.


He had visited Dahlia de Mai? Well of course he had. Nayru smiled, both at the compliment to her home and the fact that the leader seemed intelligent. He had visited Dahlia de Mai, and certainly had he found anything too disagreeable he wouldn’t have settled so near. “I’m delighted you found Dahlia pleasing. I must admit I am not here officially, but only for my own peace of mind. Did you meet my leader, Conor, during your visit?” Had they already spoken? That would put Nayru’s heart at ease, but the male hadn’t said anything of the new pack during their last talk. Perhaps it had been none of her concern, she was, only a scout. Yet she was, and would be, so much more to Dahlia de Mai. The fairy child did not doubt that, and so she did not doubt her purpose here now. “Your pack, is there a common purpose for your formation?” Did they have a cause or calling? She was curious, and surely the answer would tell her more of their nature. Dahlia de Mai was a haven, that was their purpose now, whatever it had been originally, and she was proud that it was so.

308.

“Is that all you will do?”


Perform. Entertain. Nayru spoke ever so sweet and innocently, her voice gentle and devoid of any disapproving tones. Simple and unassuming curiosity. The idea seemed strange and impractical, for one pack to dedicate themselves more to one special field of interest than others. They all needed food, shelter, and protection, so certainly energy would be spent on fulfilling these needs, but then what about all their free time? Did it get channeled into their art? Nayru thought of all the training she did, and what little time she had left over how carefully she spent it. With her plants. Reading. Or just trying to connect with faces she didn't see often. If she were to join a pack of only warriors… how deadly that pack had the potential to be. Of course Dahlia was a mixed bag. Warriors, healers, artist and others. Nayru didn't even know what specialized interest all the members had. Did Cercatoria D'Arte lack well seasoned protectors? Healers?


“Do you have many well trained canines in your pack already? Or is there where some will come to learn?” The questions fell from her lips then, a regression to her puppy days when Nayru was more open to asking whatever question wiggled its way into her mind. Often times now, older, more conservative and self controlled, the girl was content with observation. Normally she could learn a lot more than others realized that way, but sometimes certain questions went unanswered. Sometimes it was easier just to ask. And why not? Shaw seemed willing enough to answer her questions, almost as if he had been anticipating this curiosity from others. Still, she held herself respectful, her voice gentle, and her body slightly submissive, so as to not give off a false sense of authority, because Nayru knew that she had none.

bleep, sorry for the wait. 319.

“And who are you to entertain?” The male after all had said, their ultimate purpose was to entertain. Yet who? Each other? Nayru would gladly come to see them perform here but she wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of them coming to her. To Dahlia de Mai. Perhaps it was not for her to think of, and perhaps that was not even their intention, yet she felt that almost any pack, but especially Dahlia, could provide all of its own needs, even some of the more frivolous ones such as entertainment and merrymaking. Not that they were unwelcome, but they had flute players, singers… surely others played musical instruments. Nayru could dance and she was beginning to carve artwork into wood, inspired perhaps by the tree she had seen in Aniwaya.



Yet if they came, and Conor welcomed them, Nayru would do so as well. Conor made the final decision and Nayru merely, but happily, complied. So when the male diverted her thoughts with questions on Conor Nayru smiled, bowing her head as if her own alpha were here and she was submitting to him. Even if only within her own mental realm, Conor’s presence elicited respect from the young girl. “Conor is fair and kind. He is younger than some leaders perhaps, but he was born into it I believe. He is certainly worthy of his role.” Nayru hadn’t meant that his leadership was given to him because of his birth, but rather that he had been born with leadership skills that others had to work to attain. Perhaps Conor had faults, but if he did Nayru did not flaunt them or call attention to them as some members might, but rather worked even harder to fill in any gaps Dahlia needed filled, knowing Conor did the bulk of the work and Nayru’s only purpose was to do what she could to ease that load.

Weee. 322

Nayru nodded, and though Shaw spoke one of her fears out loud it did not quell her uneasiness. It was not them, the new pack, not really. They would perform for anyone they wanted and Nayru did not mind. It was Dahlia de Mai. It was her own pack that worried her. There should be more culture, more tradition. But no, they already had that. There should be more expression of it. If they weren’t to express it themselves, others would fill that void, and Nayru wasn’t sure could watch that happen. Were they as tight knit as they needed to be? Were the members aware of what made Dahlia de Mai the pack that it was? Was she even. Not really. It was jarring to think of, but her unsettled nature had nothing to do with Shaw or his own motivation behind Cercatori D’Arte, so Nayru let the thoughts die, to be resurrected privately in her own home.



The male seemed to consider what Nayru said about Conor, but he had nothing more to add and nothing more to ask so Nayru let a long silence fall between them. Finally, “I’m sure you will meet him soon enough.” And then she let the silence fall again, her body and face relaxed, her senses still taking in all the small details to carry back with her. To report to Conor and Bris if either had a free ear, or to keep to herself if they did not. “I suppose you’ve given me all I came for, thank you for taking the time to talk with me.” The pack was new and surely there wasn’t too much to investigate just yet. Nayru could tell by scent about how many there were, and with them so close to Dahlia de Mai surely they couldn’t do too much without their neighbors noticing. But they seemed a quite, kind bunch. Or at least their leader did.