,Wishing on a Shooting Star, :MB:

A wolf could have his little outings, Balthier reasoned as he walked away from the group, everything taken care of for the time being. He trusted Link and the rest of the pack to tend to newcomers. All he wanted was a small break, maybe rummaging up some herbs as most will start to wilt after the next couple fortnights. His small stashes had to be maintained as much as his main supply. Well... Fran's, too, he amended. He'd be busy for a while, and maybe by that time, the hunting party would finish, and... well... maybe he should see to whoever was around. He'd look to see if they were still there, at least. As he himself said, while Link could guard the borders and run off unwanted wolves, he shouldn't strain his voice. Sighing, he meandered over towards where he heard the howl while keeping his eyes sharp for herbs, making a note of their location. Perhaps he'd send Fran and Vaarak to collect them later on.

He approached the area, and called out more gently than he'd normally would, not wanting to startle the tired sounding wolf, "Who it is that wants to find a home here in Midnight Meadows?"

Balthier noticed the siblings had left, but wasn't too worried about them. Now these herbs... his ears twitched hearing a howl, a weary one. When they came... He placed the herbs by Fran and said, "Link was headed in that general direction, but I'll go see, if only to back him up if he's already there. I don't want him straining to use his voice. Cracked paws shouldn't be difficult." To Vaarak, he said, "Be courteous to our guest." Politely dipping his head in belated greeting, he added, "I'd like to speak with you briefly before you depart, but until then, I hope you find your visit refreshing and restful."

Zelda was the first to speak clearing her throat. "Well thank you....you didn't have to.." It sounded weak to her but the whole situation was so bizarre. Would they ever be free of Evon's harassment? What was her interest in the child? Should they dispatch someone to Jabbar to warn them? The awkward moments passed a moment longer broken by Balthier's returning form and she felt her heart sigh in relief. Thank goodness he was alright...but what had happened in the forest? And who was the young wolf that he was bringing along. Surely not another of Evon's band. Soon enough they reached them and Balthier's first words were ones of reassurance. She nodded her head content to trust the brus judgement.

He moved over to Vaarak, nudging him after Valkien spoke, stating, "See if anyone else wants to go with you. The rest of the pack probably wouldn't object to eating." He looked towards said pack in silent question. It was a good chance for some of them to expend some energy, nervous or not. Back to the kid, though. He'd gotten a quick glance at the paws, but because of the recent occurrence, he'd felt it safest for the kid to be within the presence of more numbers... and the kid probably felt safer being with others right now.

Smirking, Balthier said, "Take your pick of healer. Fran over there, or yours truly. Either one of us will patch you up. I'll get some herbs." There wasn't much to do, other than for the kid to rehydrate, but the hurting could be soothed and the cracks could be stimulated to heal quicker. The emergency stash nearby should have most of the herbs required. He nodded towards Fran, a silent request to stick around, and swiftly made his way a short distance south.

This stash was in a hole, buried and marked with a rock. He never understood why other wolves had only one stash, always at their den site. He moved the rock, and moved a bit of dirt, quickly reaching a point where an oddly shaped rock was sitting. An odd shape, but a wolf could easily pick it up. Underneath, the tunnel was narrowed, angling slightly to reveal to hole with some herbs sitting on the bottom. Picking out the ones he wanted, he took a quick stock of the rest of rest, looking among their organized groups. It was one of the more elaborate stashes, and liked to keep these better stocked. Balthier picked up the rock and placed it over the hole before kicking the small amount of dirt back, patted it down a bit, and replaced the rock that served as a marker on top. Herbs in maw now, he started to make his way back.

This kid... Not at all what he was expecting. At least he sounded better after a drink of water. "No need for such formalities. As I said, we look after our own, and you'll be pitching in, too. There will be no debts amongst pack. Link is the one who you'll want to learn from, then. Cinder is his mate, and Zelda is his sister, so you can understand he knows much about fighting to protect loved ones."

Seeing Valkien was ready to go, he started to head towards where he guessed the pack would still be and said, "I'll bring you to the pack now. Get to know them. And... I'll warn you of my brother now. He may be older than you, but he's still a bit of a kid at heart... You'll see once you meet him. Take some time to take everything in and relax." Balthier hoped the kid had patience... although it might be just what the kid needed. It might be weird after what happened, but it'd be good for him to play around. With any luck, the two younger wolves would be a good influence on each other. Balthier took note of the field. The colors of autumn would soon be in full effect, and there would be some herbs to gather that bloomed around now. Then he'd have to check on his multiple herb stashes, though he doubt there would be much maintenance, since they were for emergencies.

Soon enough, they were in sight of the rest of the pack, and he greeted them, "That wolf left the lands, and he's not going to say anything that should cause them to come back in retaliation." He didn't say any more. Leaving the pack without details would be best for everyone... especially if they did come back for another... conversation. "Anyways, everyone, this is Valkien, here to make a home, and to learn under Link," he introduced, looking at Link, with a small look that said, I hope you're ok with that. He hadn't asked the other, after all, but Balthier never said when the training would start, so even if it was a bad time, Balthier could take over the first part of Valkien's training. Things like gaining speed and muscle were generic and easy enough.

Balthier watched as Vaarak finished speaking and was already slowly inching away from the pack, clearly ready to go hunting. His brother had clearly picked up on some of the basic healer diagnostics, as the younger ha been able to pick up some of the symptoms of a long distance traveler with little to no rest. With a roll of his eyes and a look of amusement, he said, "Wait for him to answer. It might be kinder if you left to hunt with some of the others and let our friend rest, unless he really wants to go." He was tempted to swat his dear brother over the head, but... he did warn Valkien... somewhat. He'd wait to see the reaction before restraining his brother.

There was something positive in that response. He didn't want to hear anything about Arcadia... ever again. Balthier would never go back there. Still, the rest of the response wasn't something he was overly excited to hear.

"Kid- Valkien. Running isn't always cowardly. My pardons and condolences, but it seems like your mother did the right thing. If your mother, a stronger wolf than you, couldn't stand up to them, she wouldn't want you there. Running can be tactical, and it can give an opportunity to regroup, or for revenge. You not leaving would be cowardly, facing the easy path of certain death head-on instead of clinging to life. A waste, also, of your mother's life. She'd be disappointed if you hadn't ran to live on, from what I would venture to assume."

He came to a stop in front of the lad. Just some food, water, and some rest, and Valkien would be fine. "Come. You should freshen up," he said, and started walking, only pausing to look back to see if the kid was following. Near the crevasse would be a stream of water. With any luck, he wouldn't have scared the kid or been too harsh. Sure, running away was seen as cowardly by many, but for others, it was a means to survive. Being seen as a coward but being alive was far better than being seen as brave but be dead for no purpose. He'd ran those years ago, and he never regretted it. Of course, it wasn't because of a decimated pack he'd ran.

"It's Balthier, by the way," he stated, "we help our own here, and it sounds like you'd fit in well into our pack. We'll get some water and you can meet the rest while you eat. A bit of shaping up, and you'll learn how to protect what you find of value. If a true warrior is what you want to learn to be, there is a wolf to teach you. My brother is learning under him. And... those wolves who caused you to leave home? There is another who fights in a similar fashion- for the pack, not ill will. Of course, there are other skills you can master while learning some combat on the side." Balthier would see what this kid wanted to do. It didn't happen all the time a wolf could choose their path like this. He hadn't, but now he couldn't imagine life any other way.

He wasn't too surprised by the answer, or at least, what was clearly something bad. The look was something he was familiar with. He couldn't pinpoint it, but it was similar to victims of his more... unsavory kind. Balthier had kept his nose clean... relatively speaking. He stuck to items. He knew of the different... varieties of thieving, but there was so much more and more than theft, so it would be improper to push for more information. Only if trouble came here, he'd push if the pack relied on the information.

Instead, he contemplated the words. It was impossible for 'nothing' to bring one anywhere. There was always a reason, unconscious or not... but the way the kid said it, and the information that came after... That kind of nothing. Prisoners of war, a take-over... still too many options. It was clear that the end result was in a lost home.

"We don't trust the wrong strangers, which would happen to be like those who wronged you. I think I know about those type of wolves you speak. Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault. Never forget where you came from, but don't live in the horrors of the past. You might not find all your answers. The best is speculation or if you confront your enemies and force an answer from them. You have a second chance to live, something not often granted. For all I know, you can be the only one left, and have to carry your pack's legacy. Or... you can run from it all. Be free and live alone, living by no rules but those of survival. It's your choice. You rest with Midnight Meadows now, should you choose to remain. Answer this, kid, while I give you a once-over to see if you're only dehydrated. What's your name, and does the territory Arcadia mean anything to you? Think about where you want to make a home. We're pure wolves, but when push comes to shove, we don't always play nice. For now, I, Balthier, a healer, will patch you up and be our guest until you decide what you want." In all honesty, Fran would be a better healer. She knew more methods, but didn't have enough experience, making him the senior, yet. His healing knowledge was wider than most wolves and was very familiar with what he knew, but his healing knowledge was probably more limited compared to other healers from neighboring packs.

During this last bit, he walked a wide circle around the kid. Close enough to look for injuries, but far enough to imply he was going to respect the kid's space and remain nonthreatening. He wouldn't treat the kid like a whelp, seeing he had been trying to make some semblance of keeping his emotions calm. If the kid cried, well... Balthier still had to do what was most important first, and calming down a kid wasn't high on the list. Cinder, Zelda, or Fran could watch over him, or he could be introduced to Vaarak. He'd play with the kid.

He'd watched the other left, finding he'd have a grudging respect for the bru. The respect would be greater if Balthier was not the Balthier that stood here today. For now, it was good to see all of the party gone. Jabbar had more capable wolves, and means, to defend themselves. After all, it had been some time, and there were always wolves to be attracted to such places. He figured Jabbar would be rational enough to not be too angry to be provoked into attacking the pack if Evanescence decided to rat them out.

Just as he started to head back, the sound of a faraway yell caught his ears. Not one of alarm, one that'd bring trouble... yet, but still a loud exclaimation. Looking back in the direction of the pack... well... they probably didn't expect him for another few moments yet. He wandered over to see who was making the commotion. A... young wolf. Bother, but potentially a welcome.

"Hey kid. You're lucky we're nicer wolves than most around these parts. What brings you here, anyways?" Oh please let this be just an exhausted and lost wolf, and just angry at the fact he was lost because he was an arrogant youngster. He knew he should have brought Fran. She was the only female without problems to deal with right now, having not known Evanescence like the others seemed to. She could deal with kids with sob stories. Alas, he didn't, and would have to be patient.

She hid her distaste of this pack, maintaining her watch. Corentine assumed nothing would happen, but one never knew, especially with the carnage they'd seen. Since the pack still existed, it was clear at some point they resorted to violence. Until she knew what that point was, she'd treat them like any unknown target. It didn't help that they were being irritating, though, and she looked forward to leaving. Let the next disaster take them all. It was clear where this pack stood.

Another wolf arrived, apparently from one of the other packs, and Evanescence called for them to leave. Good. It was a bit of a nice change of pace in the open sun, but she could only stand such 'good' weather for so long, especially when there were wolves who ruined the sights. She followed Evon out, not worried about where their next destination was. Their departure seemed abrupt, but Corentine was nothing if not adaptable. It'd be impossible for her to have survived so long otherwise.


Balthier vaguely wondered if this sudden change had surprised the other. Then something went on in that split second of time, something he was sure he'd never figure out, but he knew something happened. He only guessed it, because Vault had, what he'd venture to guess uncharacteristically, moved away after stepping on him, as if he almost hadn't quite meant to. Of course, it was difficult to say this guess had any validity.

He wanted to refrain from looking down to see if the event drew any blood towards the surface, as he, with practiced ease, pulled back his original demeanor. A quick glance down showed an indentation where one of the claws had dug in the hardest. A mild, almost unnoticeable break of skin, but the claws had apparently been so maintained, the straight up and down movement ensured it looked like nothing more than the indentation he was looking at. He pulled his gaze away and back up, although for some reason, it seemed to fascinate him. Not that there wasn't anything else interesting, but he was more curious about those claws now. Warriors normally couldn't care to keep their claws so sharp, and duller, ragged claws generally caused more pain. Balthier wasn't even sure the other was a warrior. The fae probably was, and under normal circumstances, he'd have joked she had quite a bit of male in her before quickly rectifying that he didn't mean it in a bad way... There was something nagging at him, but he didn't have the time or luxury to put all his brain power into something that might be nothing.

There was a note of humor in his voice, but since his last exchange, he was sure Vault would now be able to pick up the fact Balthier was just playing his part, joking, seemingly self important, and sometimes charming, as he played the event off, "Not even on first name basis and we're almost sharing space. Never made friends so fast before. But alas, it might be fine to seize this opportunity to exit before the pack realizes what just happened over there." There was nothing to say as a farewell. They still didn't know each other and neither of them probably knew where the other truly stood, or if they'd ever happen upon each other again. In business or side deals there was no greetings or farewells. Just business, or else acquaintances were made, which wasn't always a good thing. Tales and experience told him this should stay as business-like as possible, else he'd develop too much of an interest that could cause him to hesitate should the worst occur in the future.

 It didn't take long to see why the pack had reacted negatively, based off this one wolf. The other was stoic, saying very little with his eyes. Not so unnerving, considering Balthier himself seem to share somewhat similar techniques. Although at ease, his senses were screaming at him to just turn back more often, or that he should have had the foresight to have been ready for such events.

The familiar, faint scent of copper was starting to detectable when he heard a summons, clearly for his current... companion. He stopped walking. Surprisingly, the bru lingered. Of course it was about the intel. Might as well be blunt so he could leave and... go wherever their destination was. Turning to face Vault, he said, "I have no knowledge about what your leader and my pack have tensions about, and don't see it likely for there to be a relevance to this matter. As my pack seemed to want your leader incapacitated, I felt the need to remind my pack to remain civil by any means. I only saw the whelp briefly, as I went to aid Jabbar in their fight. From what I've gathered, I deduce one of the wolves here, who has strong relations with Jabbar, took the whelp. You can guess where they likely went. You have no reason to believe my words, but I was true in the events that occurred. Just not the whelp being dead here and how I conveyed everything. There are dead whelps, just not the one you seek. I've held you long enough, I'm sure, unless you really do want to look at those bodies?"

No one could accuse him, and be correct, of not noticing how he came across at times. If they could, then it would just show how much the gods he didn't believe in liked to toy around. Of course,  the gods did seem to like to toy with him for their amusement, and if they were real, would probably like him just as much as he liked them. Not one bit.

 Link's body stood firm at the forefront of the females. His forest green eyes never leaving Evon's ivory form. Compared to her the others she was with were nothing. He desired her lifeblood for vengeance of her personal attack and her betrayal, however he could not be so selfish and put the rest of the pack in danger. His aud flicked back when Cinder spoke of how the child was dead but did not betray emotion otherwise. It would be safer for the pup if Evon thought her dead. At her comment to his mate about caring for whelps a guttural snarl rang forth and surely it made him look all the fiercer, the cruel sound rumbling from his chest. The words she spoke made no sense, no wolf was immortal, of course the she pup could die. Though she was awfully sure of herself and saw through the lie but the pack was not like to give up the deceit. The thought of Evon saving anyone from any such evil almost made him laugh but this was too somber a situation. He was almost surprised when Balthier acquiesced to showing them the remains of the wolves. He felt a growl of disapproval rumbling in his chest, he was not comfortable leaving his packmate with one of them. He tracked their path into the woods trusting in Balthier to handle himself. If they were not back in few degrees of the sun then he would make haste to search him out. For now the Midnight wolves would stand opposite these intruders in a tension charged atmosphere. Zelda's lips were peeled back in a constant state of aggression and disgust but she moved to Cinder's side touching the fem on the neck for comfort. "Do not allow this filth to upset you dear one, on Fenrir's name do not."